M a s h k i i z i i b i i N a t u r a l Re s o u r c e s (2022)

M a s h k i i z i i b i i N a t u r a l Re s o u r c e s

MNRD Warden HOTLINE

Call 715-682-7123 Ext. 1560

The Warden Hotline provides the tribal membership with the opportunity to confidentially report

suspected wildlife, recreational and environmental violations.

These violations may include fishing, or hunting out of season, deposit of harmful substances in lakes

or rivers or illegal storage or disposal of hazardous waste. All these violations seriously affect the natural resources of our reservation.

Information received on this line will be relayed to a Mashkiiziibii Conservation Warden for investigation. You don’t have to leave your name when reporting a violation. However, it is often helpful to an

investigation if a Conservation Warden can follow-up on your report to verify essential facts. If you

provide, your identity and any information that may identify you, that information will be protected

and kept confidential.

If response is needed immediately please feel free to call or email one of the following Wardens:

Brad Bigboy

715-681-1119

chiefwarden@badriver-nsn.gov

Pierce Maday

715-292-2234

warden@badriver-nsn.gov

Patrick Connors

715-979-1777

brnrwarden@badriver-nsn.gov

Helpful info when reporting a violation

Who is the violator? Describe the people, including their physical description and clothing

What is the violation?

Where did this violation take place? (be as specific as possible)

When did this occur?

DON’T FORGET TO

TAKE OUR IRMP

SURVEY!!

Your input is a valuable

piece of information we

will use during the revision of the Integrated Resources Management Plan

(IRMP).

*PLUS upon completion of IRMP Survey you also get the chance to Win a

Prize.*

Prizes consist of (1) Weekend Getaway

to Madeline Island Cabins, Multiple

Gift Certificates, and other misc. prizes.

Stop by MNRD for hard copy of Survey or visit website to complete online.

https://survey.alchamer.com/s3/660162

5/Mashkiiziibii-Natural-ResourceDepartment-IRMP-Community-Survey

If possible, please take pictures, and license plate numbers, anything to help identify the suspects.

Job Opportunities within MNRD

•

•

•

Water Resources Program Manager

Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO)

Indigenous Arts and Science Coordinator (IAS)

•

Forestry Technician

**To See the Tribe’s hiring incentives along with other opportunities, Full Job Descriptions, and Printable Applications visit:

www.badriver-nsn.gov/careers/

~MISSION STATEMENT~

Mashkiiziibii Natural

Resources Depar tment

72682 Maple Street

PO Box 39

Odanah, WI, 54806

Phone: 715-682-7123

Fax: 715-682-7118

Email: NRDOutreach@badriver-nsn.gov

The Department strives for resource management which

both conserves the natural resources for the future generations and provide for the needs of the present. The

departments existence reflects the importance the Bad

River Tribe places on its right and ability to exercise

sovereignty, self-determination and self-regulation in the

area of natural resource management.

Were on the Web!

Visit www.badriver-nsn.gov

Daniel Wiggins Jr , Air Quality Technician - Air1@badriver-nsn.gov

Special points of interest:

T

he 2022 year is wrapping up and the Tribe

has continued to push renewable energy activities and projects to completion. This year

the Tribe is on pace to install

over 280 kilowatts (kW) of

photovoltaic (PV) solar on tribal members homes. In 2021 the

Tribe completed the largest

solar + storage project in the

State of Wisconsin, installing

over 500kw of PV solar and

over 1000 kilowatt hours of

storage. This year’s projects

continue those efforts.

A majority of the solar in 2022,

was installed on 41 Tribal

Members homes that lived

within the Reservation boundaries, and that added up to over

260kW of PV solar. An additional 20kW of PV solar was

also installed on the Bad River

• Natural Resources New hires

• Upcoming Events Flier

• Water Permits Application

Process explained

• Radon Update

• Fall Climate Summary

• Air Quality Update

• Job Opportunities

Inside this issue:

Picture: Above (Starting Left) shows tribal members Ezra Leoso and Pete Houle installing solar panels on a ground mount in tribal member’s yard. Also, in the picture

(Right) is Tyler Stephenson, of JOLMA Electric, the lead of the Project and the Tribal

Crew.

Housing Authority’s Elderly

Apartment Building.

The 260 kW was made possible through the State of Wisconsin’s Focus On Energy

Program, which directly funded

80% of project costs for the solar that was placed on or near

the 41 tribal members homes.

Radon Update

3

Tribal members install

Solar Panels

4

Deer and Chronic Wast- 5

ing Disease

Fall Climate Summary

6

Carbon Monoxide Safety

7

Water Permits and How

Applications are processed

8

Upcoming Events Flier

9

Climate impacts are

affecting Wisconsin’s

10

New Staff Introductions

11

Warden Hotline

&

Job Opportunities

12

...continued on page 4...

Lorrie Salawater, Water Regulatory Specialist -

A

misconception about water permits is

that the regulatory program is hindering the

projects on the reservation. This is far from

the truth. Each permit has a process, and two

of them will take a minimum of 60 days to

complete the process. With the Water Quality

Standards (WQS) we are given authority

under the Clean Water Act with our waters on the reservation. If we did not have

this process in place then these permits

would be the responsibility of the county,

state, and the federal governments. These

…Continued on page 8...

Page 2

COMMON GROUND

B

Gena Abramson, Forestry Specialist - forester@badriver-nsn.gov

B

oozhoo. How wonderful it is

to be able to work outside

without being bombarded by

mosquitos, flies, and gnats!

Bad River MNRD Forestry has been

working on auditing our ReservationWide Trust Land Stand Exam as well

as a timber sale designed to favor sugar maple.

As you travel around the reservation,

you may see some long pink ribbons

in the woods or along the corridors.

Those ribbons indicate the center of

the sample plots that our contractor,

Green Timber, has been measuring in

order to provide us with inventory

information on a stand by stand basis.

We received funding from the BIA

that allows us to pay the contractor

for the stand exam and additionally,

fund the auditing of a percentage of

those plots. The auditing is important

because it provides us with the

knowledge that the inventory data

collection is being conducted in a

manner that provides us with accurate

information. Conducting those audits

have also been very valuable for me

to get better acquainted with the Bad

River Forest.

Additionally, we’ve closed out our

Mack Road Timber Sale. Have you

been by (just east of Ashland) to see

the property? Most of the Aspen and

Ash (outside of wetlands) have been

removed and what has been left is a

beautiful Northern hardwoods stand

which is comprised mostly of oak.

We’ve managed to improve the stand

structure and provide a small income

for the tribe at the same time.

Our next sale area is off of Potato

River Road between the two

branches of Vaughn Creek. We

will again be removing Aspen and

Ash. Other species have been

marked for removal as well. This

will allow the canopy to be opened

(bangii eta go – just a little bit) A

fully stocked stand will be left, but

there will be room for the sugar

maple seedlings and saplings to

grow in a manner that should allow

for good form and health. There

will likely be some aspen that regenerates, but there will be significantly less than there is now

(before the harvest). The objective

of this sale is to produce a healthy

sugarbush for future generations.

Hopefully you visit the forest regularly. Feedback from you would

be very valuable in helping to determine what the community

would like to see from MNRD Forestry as far as community involvement goes. There are some wonderful and even amazing sights out

there. From what I can tell, Bad

River Forest would love to have

more community members experience its beauty.

Page 11

oozhoo! My name is Paula Maday, and I

am the new Museum Manager for the

Bad River Band. I work under the Tribal Historic

Preservation Office of the Mashkiiziibii Natural

Resources Department. I am a Bad River tribal

member who grew up just down the road on Maple

Street in Odanah. My parents are Gary (Shine)

Bigboy and Cheryl Cloud. My grandparents are the

late Eugene & Mary Bigboy, the late Noel

(Farmer) Cloud and Ann Deragon.

The Mack Road Timber Sale just east of the pet spa on the east side

of Ashland – Ample Oak remaining in these woods

I earned my bachelor’s degree in English Literature

and Art History from Dartmouth College. My master’s degree study was completed at Bard College

Center for Curatorial Studies in New York. I have

worked in museums, galleries, and non-profit art

spaces across the country, including New York

City and San Antonio, Texas. For the last several

years, I have worked for tribes and tribal organizations focused on sovereignty, treaty rights, education, and culture.

I am very excited to be involved in developing the

museum program here at Bad River. My first project is to create a manoomin (wild rice) exhibit to

Lots of Sugar maple regeneration in the Potato River Road Sale

be installed at the Moka’aangiizis-iban

Tribal Museum, located in the recently

renovated Culture & Education Building

(old clinic building). This exhibit is supported by grants from the National Park

Service and the Institute of Museum &

Library Services. It will be designed with

both in-person and virtual components, to

be viewed and enjoyed by tribal members

living near and far.

In the future, I will also be working to organize our collection/archive, develop an

elder volunteer program, and write policy

for the museum. Museum policy development is one of my primary interest areas, as

I look to integrate our Ojibwe cultural

knowledge and ways with museum best

practices. Creation of this foundational

policy will be community-driven and will

position the museum in a good way for future

growth. Watch for updates in 2023 about the

official opening of the museum. I look forward to seeing you there!

H

i, my name is Taylor Parker-Greene, and I’m

the new Wildlife Specialist in the MNRD. I

am originally from the Twin Cities but have lived in Bayfield for a year and a half. I attended Bemidji State University, where I majored in wildlife biology and minored in

environmental studies. I have experience studying the behavioral dynamics of a pride of lions in Zimbabwe, as well

as conducting black bear population dynamic research between Red Cliff and the Apostle Islands. I am very excited

and grateful to be in this position and look forward to serving the community!

Please contact me at the Chief

Blackbird Center, at 715-685-8929,

or at Forester@badriver-nsn.gov.

Please reach out with any wildlife sightings at wildlife@badriver-nsn.gov or 715.292.9443 ext 1554

Red maple with defects crowding out sugar maple pole – trees with orange paint will be

removed to allow healthier trees to grow and regenerate.

Page 10

COMMON GROUND

Land Intake Specialist attends

2022 UN BIODIVERSITY CONFERENCE

To View Full Press Conference

visit:

https://youtu.be/sBOFRPfJD3c

C li mate imp acts are affect ing Wiscons in ’s weal th o f water resources

By Dea Larsen Converse

A recently released report on climate impacts to water resources in Wisconsin from the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI) shows that warming temperatures and changing precipitation

patterns are impacting Wisconsin’s wealth of water resources. The last two decades have been the warmest

on record in Wisconsin and the past decade has been the wettest.

“The warming climate is having an impact on water resources in Wisconsin. We need to increase the magnitude and urgency of actions to protect and restore habitat and enhance water quality to make Wisconsin’s

waters more resilient to climate change.” – Katie Hein, WICCI Water Resources Working Group Co-Chair

Yet, there is hope. The WICCI report suggests solutions to prepare for and minimize climate impacts to water resources, like increasing water storage across the landscape, installing green infrastructure, protecting

wetlands, building outside of flood zones, and installing flood warning systems. Visit the Water Resources

Working Group webpage to learn more. There is hope for the future, but it is up to us.

Read more here.

WICCI is a nationally recognized collaboration of scientists and stakeholders working together to help foster solutions to climate change in Wisconsin.

Page 3

Daniel Wiggins Jr , Air Quality Technician - Air1@badriver-nsn.gov

R

adon is related to over 20,000 radon-induced

lung cancer deaths each year and is the second

leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. Radon is

formed when uranium, thorium, and radium naturally

breakdown within bedrock and release radon gas into

the soils, rock and water. It is ever-present and found

in outdoor air and indoor air of every type of structure

and seeps through entry-ways that include cracks and

holes in basements, open crawlspaces, and openings in

the foundations.

Once in the home radon continues to breakdown into

radioactive particles that can be breathed in and enter

the lungs airways. The particles continue to release

energy that can then contribute to the development of

lung cancer. The concentration and length of exposure

are both factors in the risk towards development of

radon-induced lung cancer, which onset of the disease

may not be noticed for many years. In rare cases radon

is found in water and through aeration can cause indoor radon levels to rise and pose a risk. Although

radon in the air poses a greater risk, radon in water

does present a risk of developing cancer within the

internal organs, primarily stomach cancer.

Radon is a health hazard but there are solutions. And

even though there is still no safe exposure level of

radon, the risk can be lowered by reducing the radon

levels in the home with proper radon reduction methods. The average indoor radon level is estimated at 1.3

pCi/L and outdoor at 0.4 pCi/L. Radon is everywhere!

The EPA sets the action level of indoor radon levels at

4.0 pCi/L and recommended to homeowners that they

fix their homes if levels are still found at 2 pCi/L and

above.

The fortunate thing is homeowners can fix their homes

with effective and efficient radon reduction methods.

Still not many homeowners are prepared for the affects

of radon, yet the rehabilitation to a home to lower it.

There have been many radon reduction (mitigation)

techniques attempted over the past decades, and are

still several being used. The EPA realizes the complexity of radon reduction and has published the Consumer’s Guide to Radon Reduction, which will help

homeowners in locating the right contractor, understanding the right radon reduction method, and maintaining those systems after installation. This and more

information on radon can be found at https://

www.epa.gov/radon.

The Bad River Tribe is fortunate to have a Radon Program

with a certified technician that offers free measurement testing and radon services to Tribal Members. If you have any

questions concerning radon, please contact Daniel Wiggins,

Air Quality Technician, whose information is below.

Daniel Wiggins Jr

Air Quality Technician

Mashkiiziibii Natural Resources

Email: Air1@badriver-nsn.gov

Work Phone: 715-979-7123

Work Cell: 715-979-1486

Page 4

COMMON GROUND

Focus On Energy is a Wisconsin based program that

partners with Utilities and contractors to deliver energy

efficiency, renewable energy products, and expertise

directly to Wisconsin residents and businesses. Both

contractors and Utilities must be an active participant

in the program for residents and businesses to qualify

for those incentives and rebates, which also continue to

evolve and change each year. The 2022 rebates and

incentives were greater than past years, and in addition, the Focus On Energy Program works directly

with Tribes to allocate specific funds towards those

incentives and rebates.

Focus On Energy continues to develop their program

to fit the needs of the communities they serve. Both

Focus On Energy and tribal staff will review the 2023

incentives when they are posted and plan to work with

homeowners to develop an action plan when incentives

fit Tribal needs. More information on Focus On Energy and incentives can be found at

https://www.focusonenergy.com/.

The Bad River Housing Authority Elderly Apartment’s

also received a grant from the Tribal Solar Accelerator

Fund (TSAF), which fully funded the 20kW PV system installed at the site. TSAF uses a communitycentric approach, as they partner with tribes to identify,

develop, finance and implement solar power projects

that meet community needs. More information on

TSAF can be found at

https://gridalternatives.org/tribal-solar.

JOLMA Electric was awarded both project and was

able to bring on three separate tribal members during

those projects. Both Pete Houle and Ezra Leoso got

firsthand experience doing multiple residential systems and one

larger building system.

The job is not done! The two projects completed this year continue to add to the Tribe’s energy portfolio but does not address every tribal home or building. The Bad River Utility Task Force is

continuing to review grants and funding that can further extend

renewable energy technologies and installations to these locations.

Developing clean energy technologies is high priority for the

Tribe!

If there are any questions on the projects completed or project

anticipated feel free to contact Daniel Wiggins Jr @

Air1@badriver-nsn.gov.

Picture: Pete Houle standing in front 6kW PV Solar

System installed on tribal member’s home.

Picture: The Bad River Housing Authority received a TSAF Grant that fully funded a 20kW PV

Solar installation.

Page 9

Page 8

Dan Powless, Manoomin Oshkaabewis - Manoomin@badriver-nsn.gov

processes are in place to help minimize

impacts to our waters and conserve

them for the current and future generations.

T

he Manoomin Program was selected to participate in the Bad River

Youth Media Workshop which developed a

documentary about Bad River and climate

change, The August 22 Bundling event was

filmed in the sloughs with interview. This film

(and three other youth-produced films in

Washington, Montana, and Alabama) will

explore the challenges associated with

changing climate and the innovative ways

Native communities are leading efforts to

adapt to it which will be shown in science

The Tribe received Treatment-in-amanner-similar-to-A-State (TAS) authority from the EPA for CWA Sections 303/401 in June 2009. The purpose of a CWA Section 401 Certification is to ensure federal permits issued

are following relevant water quality

considerations, including water quality

standards and Tribal Law. As the certifying agency, the Tribe, can: grant certification; grant certification with conditions attached; or deny certification.

For the 401 certifications there is a

process that will needed to be followed.

There may be a need to have a prefiling meeting that the MNRD has the

option of having. Which means that the

applicant would have to notify the department a minimum of 30 days before

they turn in the application to the Army

Corps of Engineers (ACOE). The

MNRD has the option to reject the

meeting or have the meeting to ask

questions about the project. Once the

30 days is up the application for this

permit should be submitted to the

MNRD and the ACOE concurrently so

both agencies are aware that there is a

request for a permit.

Once the ACOE has time to look at the

application and decides that the application is complete then they will send a

request to certify to the Water Regulatory Specialist. If the application is not

complete this process can take a long

time. The applicant needs to provide

the additional information, the longer it

takes to get the information to the ACOE& MNRD the longer it will take to

get the application certified.

When the ACOE sends the request to

certify there will be a date included in

that request, so the MNRD knows

when the certification is due to the ACOE, usually around 120 days. That

Page 5

request will then move the MNRD

process which typically consists of a

30-day public notice and taking the

project to the Tribal Council. The

project cannot go in front of the Tribal

Council until the public notice is complete. The Tribal Council is the one

that makes the decision as to whether

the project can be completed as

planned.

If the Tribal Council approves the

project most likely there will be conditions that will have to be followed

while the project is being worked on

and until the restoration is complete.

Another one of the three components

of the Tribe’s Water Quality Standards (WQS) is an Antidegradation

Policy, which protects existing uses

and prevents high quality waters from

being unnecessarily degraded. Under

the Antidegradation Policy, each waterbody is assigned to a tier that provides a basis for addressing activities

that would, or have the potential to,

lower the quality of a body of water.

Tiers identified in the Tribe’s Antidegradation Policy include Outstanding Tribal Resource Waters

(OTRW), Outstanding Resource Waters (ORWs), and Exceptional Resource Waters (ERWs). New or in-

museums around the country,

as part of a larger project that

includes a Giant Screen Film

and 4-part PBS series. The

Youth worked with Dr. Patty

Loew (Bad River), Northwestern University; Dylan Jennings,

Bad River TYM Community

Coordinator; and Fawn Youngbear Tibbets (White Earth/Sac

& Fox), multimedia specialist.

creased discharges may be allowed

in ORWs and ERWs if the applicable antidegradation demonstration

and decision requirements are met.

This interactive map will show what

if any Antidegradation Demonstration will be needed for your project

Bad River Water Quality Designations V2.0 (arcgis.com). If you have

any questions about what tier the

waterbody is in, you can contact any

of the water regulatory staff and

they will help you figure that out.

Once an applicant has decided

which waterbody their project might

affect, they should fill out the application for the Antidegradation

Demonstration.

Once there is an application the water regulatory staff will do a 30-day

public notification of this project.

Once the comment period is complete the project will be taken in

front of the Tribal Council and they

will decide if this project can be

completed.

If you have any questions on this

process feel free to contact the Water Office and we can help you understand this process better.

Taylor Parker-Greene, Wildlife Specialist - wildlife@badriver-NSN.gov .

W

ith deer season coming to an end, you

hopefully found the prize buck you’ve

dreamed of. But before you put some

venison on the table, you should get

your deer tested for Chronic Wasting

Disease (CWD). CWD can impact

deer, elk, and moose alike, and is

caused by a prion. Prions aren’t like

normal diseases caused by parasites but

are instead just mis-folded proteins

making them more difficult to treat.

They spread from deer to deer through

direct contact, and through bodily fluids. It can also last in the environment

for decades by binding to the soil or

other substrates. To date though, CWD

hasn’t spread to humans, but there have

been rare, but previous cases of prions

jumping from cattle to people.

While there haven’t been any

positive cases for CWD in Bad River or

the surrounding area, it won’t hurt to

get your deer tested. To get a deer tested, the most that’ll be needed is the

head and neck. If you were hoping to

keep the antlers or to mount the deer,

there are options as well

to allow that.

If you bring

the deer to a

staffed sampling site,

they should be

able to pull

out the lymph

node and you

can take the

rest home

with you. You

can find a

sample drop

off site here:

https://

dnr.wi.gov/

wmcwd/RegStation/Search . On reservation for testing, contact the wildlife

program and we can help take care of

the head as well to get it sent out for

testing.

If you have any questions

about CWD feel free to reach out to the

wildlife specialist, Taylor ParkerGreene at (715)682-7111 ext. 1554, or

by email at wildlife@badriverNSN.gov .

Page 6

COMMON GROUND

Dan Powless, Manoomin Oshkaabewis - Manoomin@badriver-nsn.gov

T

he Manoomin Program, Non-Local

Beings Programs, and Cardno consultant

held a Manoomin community meeting

and feast which provided displays and

other resources related to the proposed

of the Manoomin Stewardship Plan.

Proposed revisions included: issues and

actions, methods, St. Louis River Implementation Plan example, Traditional

Ecological Knowledge, Manoomin

maps, studies, etc that provided Q&A

input from the community.

The following was shared from the mentioned programs and community:

•

A pictorial display of the actual bundling practices used in the sloughs

was described in use and development.

Page 7

COMMON GROUND

Nathan Kilger, Mashkiiziibii Air Quality Specialist - airquality@badriver-nsn.gov

•

Past relationship with washuzk

•

Understanding of flooding

events relevant to climate change

•

Other cultural practices and understanding

•

Program updates

•

Development of mechanical

cutter and burning method

•

Basswood harvesting sites

•

The Ojibwe Language Program

provided support with song and

prayer.

Protect your family from CO poisoning

with these tips:

∙ Install and maintain CO alarms in a central

location outside each separate sleeping area

and on every level of your home to provide

early warning of CO.

∙ Use portable generators outdoors in wellventilated areas away from all doors, windows, and vents.

Proto type manoomin restoration plan presented at the community meeting

•

The community assisted in creating a

map of potential restoration areas in

the sloughs and other areas identified

along the Bad River and Bad River

slough.

∙ Make sure vents for the dryer, furnace, stove,

and fireplace are clear of snow and other debris.

What is carbon monoxide?

Carbon monoxide, also known as CO, is called the “Invisible Killer” because it's a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas.

More than 150 people in the Unites States die every year from accidental nonfire-related CO poisoning associated with

consumer products, including generators. Other products include faulty, improperly-used or incorrectly-vented fuelburning appliances such as furnaces, stoves, water heaters and fireplaces.

Know the symptoms of CO poisoning

Know the symptoms of CO Because CO is odorless, colorless, and otherwise undetectable to the human senses, people

may not know that they are being exposed. The initial symptoms of low to moderate CO poisoning are similar to the

flu (but without the fever). They include:

∙Headache

∙Fatigue

∙Shortness of breath

∙Nausea

∙Dizziness

High level CO poisoning results in progressively more severe symptoms, including:

∙Mental confusion / vomiting / loss of muscular coordination / Loss of consciousness / Ultimate

∙Vomiting

∙Loss of muscular coordination

∙Loss of consciousness

∙Ultimately death