BAD RIVER NATURAL RESOURCE (2016)

Summer

Common Ground

BAD RIVER NATURAL RESOURCE

2016

Streamflow During the Recent Flood

By: Naomi Tillison, Water Resources Specialist

Bad River at Government Road at 10:40 a.m on 7/12/16.

Starting on July 11th, up to 12 inches of rain rapidly fell down on our landscape (read Nathan

Kilger's article on page 10 for more details). The Bad River rose from around 300 cubic feet

per second (cfs) to 30,000 cfs in 10 hours and the river peaked around 39,000 cfs around 11:00

a.m. on July 12th (Figure 1). The streamflow is measured at Elm Hoist Road, which is around

25 river miles upstream of the mouth (where the river enters Lake Superior). There is a gaging

station at the Elm Hoist Road crossing that is operated by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in

cooperation with the Bad River Tribe. Data collected at this station can be viewed by the

public at the USGS webpage (http://waterdata.usgs.gov/wi/nwis/rt). This webpage is typically

updated every few hours, and it was more frequently updated during the July flooding.

(Continued on page 4)

Inside this issue:

Special Point of Interest:

Streamflow During the Recent Flood

1

It’s a Bird? It’s a Plane? It’s a Drone?

7

Lead & Wildlife

8

The Rain & Flooding of July 11, 2016

10

Are You Prepared for the Next Disaster

13

Land Buy-Back Program

18



Piping Plovers Nest on the Beach!



Informational Community Meetings

About Pipelines on the Bad River

Reservation



Standing with Standing Rock:

Experiancing #NODAPL



Free “Firewise” Community Brush Chipper

Project

Streamflow During the Recent Flood

Continued

By: Naomi Tillison, Water Resources Specialist

Figure 1: Flow in Bad River at Elm

Hoist Road was around 300 cfs at

7:00 p.m. on 7/11/16 and peaked

around 39,000 cfs at 11:00 a.m. on

7/12/16. The Tribal community is

located around 20 river miles downstream of the Elm Hoist Road crossing, where flow is measured.

Figure 2: (Left) A log stuck on the south side of Elm Hoist bridge after the flood on 7/26/16 (right). Ed Wiggins pointing to a high

water mark on a tree north of the bridge on 9/12/16 (right).

Page 2

C O M M O N G RO U N D

Streamflow During the Recent Flood Continued

By: Naomi Tillison, Water Resources Specialist

Flow peaked

~39,000 cfs

on 7/12/16.

Figure 3: Bad River flow peaked

~39,000 cfs on 7/12/16; this is

the greatest peak flow recorded

at this station. Prior to the July

2016 flood, the greatest Bad

River flows recorded were:

27,700 cfs on 4/24/1960;

20,600 cfs on 5/12/2003; and

20,100 cfs on 7/3/1992.

Figure 4: Flow in White River

downstream of Xcel’s hydroelectric

dam was around 250 cfs at 7:00

p.m. on 7/11/16 and peaked around

8,600 cfs at 4:15 a.m. on 7/12/16.

SUMMER

Page 3

Streamflow During the Recent Flood Continued

By: Naomi Tillison, Water Resources Specialist

White River Flow peaked ~8,600 cfs on

7/12/16. During the July 2016 event,

the Bad River peak flow was about 4.5

times greater than the White River peak

flow during July 16 flooding.

Figure 5: Annual peak flow

measured in the White River (19482015). Graph produced at

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/wi/nwis/rt,

accessed on 9/28/16.

(Continued from page 1)

The Elm Hoist Road gaging station was originally installed in

1914 and has been operated for most of the last century. The

flow on July 12, 2016, was the largest ever recorded at this

location since the station was installed. Figure 3 shows the

annual peak flow in the Bad River at this location; the annual

peak flow is the maximum flow measured in a given year.

The White River is the one major tributary that joins the Bad

River downstream (or north) of the Elmhoist Road station. The

flow in the White River is measured at a USGS station

downstream of the Xcel Energy’s hydroelectric dam (at

Highway 112). Xcel’s dam, located just over 20 river miles

upstream of the confluence with the Bad River, has been

commercially operated since 1907. The White River’s flow has

been measured by the USGS station since 1948. At 7:00 p.m.

on July 11th, 2016, the flow in the White River was around 250

cfs. It rapidly rose and peaked at almost 8,600 cfs at around

Page 4

4:15 a.m. on July 12th (Figure 4). This peak streamflow was

the largest recorded at this location since the station was

installed (Figure 5).

Beartrap Creek is a major tributary of the Kakagon Sloughs.

The flow in this creek is measured at a USGS station located at

Highway 2; this station was installed during autumn 2007. The

flow in Beartrap Creek was 39 cfs at 9:00 p.m. on July 11 th,

2016. The creek peaked around 12 hours later, flowing

approximately 3,300 cfs (Figure 7). This peak flow was over 2

times greater than the flow on May 20, 2013, when we had a

later snowmelt followed by spring rain events, and over 3.5

times greater than the flow on June 21, 2012, when we had a

large storm event (and flooding in Duluth, MN). The June 2012

storm event contributed to the closure of the wild rice harvest in

the Sloughs as the rapid increase in water levels uprooted the

rice that was still in the floating leaf stage.

C O M M O N G RO U N D

Streamflow During the Recent Flood Continued

By: Naomi Tillison, Water Resources Specialist

Figure 6: Bad River near the Pow Wow grounds on 7/16/16 as water continued to recede.

Figure 7: Flow in Beartrap

Creek at Highway 2 was just

over 3,300 cfs at 8:45 a.m.

on 7/12/16. Beartrap Creek

peaked prior to Bad River

flowing into the Kakagon.

SUMMER

Page 5

Streamflow During the Recent Flood Continued

By: Naomi Tillison, Water Resources Specialist

Figure 8: (Left) Beartrap Creek near its peak flow at 8:00 a.m. on 7/12/16.

(Right) Jessica Strand documenting a high water mark on a tree at the Hatchery

on 7/19/16.

Figure 10: Kakagon River at the Hatchery at:

(left) 10:45 a.m. on 7/12/16, prior to Bad River flowing into the Kakagon;

(right) 3:00 p.m. on 7/14/16, as water was receding;

Page 6

C O M M O N G RO U N D

It’s a Bird? It’s a Plane? It’s a Drone!

By: Suzi Smith, GIS Specialist, gspec@badriver-nsn.gov

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s), also called Unmanned

Aircraft Systems (UAS’s), are commonly referred to as drones.

Whatever you call it, these miniature aircraft have many

potential and planned applications for studies carried out by the

Bad River Natural Resource Department. Two drones have

found their home in our offices – a DJI Inspire drone and a

Phantom 4, also made by DJI. The Inspire unit was acquired for

gathering forestry stand data. The Phantom 4 is for carrying out

multiple studies in the Bad River-Kakagon Sloughs Complex,

including: surveying wildlife populations and habitats, invasive

species documentation, phenology observations, and wild rice

bed assessment.

As you can infer, even though both machines have more or less

the same features, they are useful to each program for different

reasons. Drones are very versatile, and there are several

different sizes and attachments. So far, each drone used here is

equipped with a video camera, but they could potentially be

used to operate any type of remote sensing device. The size of

the drone and life of the battery are two of the more important

limiting factors when choosing attachments.

DJI Inspire, Bad River Forestry

Has an autopilot mode

Arms pivot to capture in 360°

SUMMER

Being a geonerd, I’m interested in maximizing the potential of

using drones to gather quantifiable information on land cover,

elevation, and resource distribution. One study that is possible

through the use of drones would be to collect LiDAR data (for

more information on what this is, see my article in the Fall 2015

edition of Common Ground) in key areas where significant

changes of landscape occurred as a result of the recent flooding.

The Tribe acquired LiDAR data that was collected within a year

prior to the flood, so a direct comparison begs to be made. That

data was collected by a sensor on a fixed-wing airplane, but

compact LiDAR sensors for drones are available for collecting

data in select areas. Of course, these are just ideas and need to

be developed into a more complete project before they come to

fruition, but watch for these devices in the sky!

DJI Phantom 4, Bad River Wildlife

Precise hovering abilities

28-minute flight time, 3 mile range

Page 7

Lead and Wildlife

By: Lacey Hill Kastern, Wildlife Specialist/ Certified Wildlife Biologist

Lead is also commonly used in fishing tackle for sinkers, jigs,

downrigger weights, etc. Lead sinkers and jigs can be

consumed by fish which in turn can be consumed by avian

predators such as eagles which can also cause lead poisoning.

Fortunately there are many non-lead alternatives coming out

that are proving to be just as, if not more, effective then lead

tackle. Tungsten, stainless steel, glass, concrete, tin, bismuth,

copper are just some examples.

For more information check out this websites:

 https://www.nps.gov/pinn/learn/nature/leadinfo.htm

 https://www.pca.state.mn.us/living-green/nontoxictackle-lets-get-lead-out-0

Bad River Community Deer Forum

Figure 1: X-ray package of processed meat, highlighting lead fragments. Photo from nps.gov.

Every year, BRNRD responds to multiple calls reporting injured

eagles. The majority of these eagles suffer from lead poisoning.

Where is the lead coming from? Well it can come from a

variety of different sources but mainly it comes from lead in the

food the eagles are eating. Lead was banned from being used to

hunt waterfowl in 1991. It is still commonly found in

ammunition used to hunt upland game. Once a lead bullet hits

its target it fragments and bounces around in the cavity. Many

of the small fragments are undetectable by the human eye but

are still toxic.

This fall the Bad River Wildlife Program will be hosting a

community forum about deer management and disease response

on the Reservation. With deer populations back on rise and

with the onset of climate change the risk of a disease, such as

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) also becomes more real. The

reason for this meeting will be to explain the potential “known”

risks and what options Bad River could take as precautionary

measures, but also as emergency response. This forum will be

held at the Bad River Casino (time and date will be posted).

Items to discuss:







What to do if you encounter a “sick” deer

Baiting and feeding regulations

Emergency response plan in case CWD or other disease is

found on or near the Reservation

If you have any questions about this meeting, please contact

Lacey, Bad River Wildlife Specialist.

Not only is lead shot toxic to wildlife but there is also potential

for it to be toxic to humans, especially young children. Below is

an image highlighting lead fragments found in a package of

venison from a deer that was killed using lead ammunition.

Fortunately, there are different alternatives for lead shot. For

large game hunting, like deer, there are a number of alternatives

that are made out of copper or copper alloys. There are also a

number of brands that sell as steel shot alternative for other

upland species.

Page 8

C O M M O N G RO U N D

Piping Plovers Nest on the Beach!!!

By: Lacey Hill Kastern, Wildlife Specialist/ Certified Wildlife Biologist

This year is the 42nd year of the Piping Plover Project on Long

Island and it also marks the first year we have documented

piping plovers nesting at the mouth of the Bad River! Every

year I put an article about piping plovers in this newsletter. This

year we are going to change it up a little bit and talk about what

we can do to protect the piping plover that decide to nest closer

to people, for example the mouth of the Bad River.

detrimental to these birds and other organisms that call the

beach home. For more information about the piping plover,

suggestions on how to improve protection, or to document a

sighting please contact Lacey Hill Kastern, Bad River Wildlife

Specialist at wildlifegis@badriver-nsn.gov.

The Bad River Tribe is an active partner in the piping plover

recovery efforts. For those of you that don’t know what a

piping plover is, it is a federally listed endangered shorebird.

Up until this summer, it’s only documented nesting habitat in

Wisconsin was on Long Island. Just this year, a pair of plovers

successfully hatched two chicks on Cat Island in the Green Bay

area.

Part of our protection efforts is to hire two seasonal employees

to monitor the piping plover throughout the summer on Long

Island. The summer of 2007 was the first year a Piping Plover

Monitor was hired to actually stay on Long Island and monitor

the piping plovers and educate the public. In 2008, the WDNR

was able to hire two monitors. Since then there have been two

piping plover monitors stationed on Long Island/Chequamegon

Point. In 2010, the tribe took over the responsibility of hiring

and supervising one of the two monitors and in 2011 the Tribe

started hiring and supervising both Piping Plover Monitors on

Long Island/Chequamegon Point.

Mike Wiggins Jr. and Mike Mahr were hired to be this year’s

piping plover monitors. This year four pairs have been

observed. Three nests on Long Island and one nest on the East

side of the mouth of the Bad River. This year all four nests

failed and had to renest, due to the weather extremes this

summer. Unfortunately, only five chicks fledged this year.

According to a paper written by Matteson et al., on Piping

Plovers Breeding in Wisconsin that was written in 2007, Long

Island/Chequamegon Point can potentially support ten to fifteen

breeding pairs of Piping Plovers. We have not observed that

amount yet, but are hopeful.

Since piping plovers are starting to nest further down the beach

we have to re-evaluate are monitoring efforts. Next season I

will be looking for volunteers to assist in the effort starting in

May and ending in August. Another step forward would be to

gather support for limiting ATV traffic on the beaches between

the months of May through mid-August. This is a critical time

frame for many shoreline nesting birds and ATV traffic it

SUMMER

Page 9

The Rain and Flooding of July 11, 2016

By: Nathan Kilger, Air Quality Specialist

Throughout the morning and afternoon of Monday, July 11 th, a

warm and humid air mass crept northward from the central

Mississippi valley but stalled as it approached the Canadian

border. Thunderstorms that fired up the previous night in the

Red River valley found that boundary between the warm and

cold air across northern Minnesota and Lake Superior, which

allowed the storms to sweep east across the area. In the late

afternoon a second round of thunderstorms followed the path of

the early storms, but the second round was a little different.

These storms were slower-moving and abundant atmospheric

moisture and instability contributed to efficient precipitation

production.

Page 10

The evening thunderstorms didn’t just move through the area,

the storms kept firing up and moving over the same locations

for several hours, this is called “training” by meteorologists.

Like a line of railroad cars passing over the same railroad tracks

over and over, these storms kept rolling over Burnett,

Washburn, Sawyer, Bayfield, Ashland, Iron, and Gogebic

counties. The heaviest swath of rain in our area fell onto the

northern slope of the Penokee Range.

(Continued on page 12)

C O M M O N G RO U N D

The Rain and Flooding of July 11, 2016 Continued

By: Nathan Kilger, Air Quality Specialist

SUMMER

Page 11

The Rain and Flooding of July 11, 2016

Continued

By: Nathan Kilger, Air Quality Specialist

(Continued from page 10)

The bull’s-eye of heaviest rain fell between rain gauges, but the

highest measured storm total was from near Saxon at 9.80

inches. Outside of Highbridge there was a measurement of 8.67

inches. Barnes reported 7.69 inches, Clam Lake had 7.71 inches,

and here in Odanah we measured 7.65 inches. In addition to

actually measuring rainfall with a gauge and a measuring stick,

National Weather Service radar can estimate how much rain

fell. The actual measurements were combined with radar’s

estimate to create a map that shows where the heaviest rain fell.

While not perfectly accurate, radar estimated that up to 12

inches of rain fell over a period of only six hours in a few

locations. The heaviest rain fell in the first three hours.

With soil already wet from a fairly wet June and July, very little

of that rain had a chance to soak in. Instead, in the hilly terrain

of the Penokees, all that rain quickly ran into the streams and

creeks creating flash floods that washed out many roads and

culverts. As that flood water flowed toward Lake Superior in the

Page 12

following hours, the White River, the Marengo River, the Potato

River, the Brunsweiler River, and the Bad River all rose and

flooded out many bridges, roads, and homes. It took two days

for the flood waters to fully reach Odanah, and many more days

for the water to finally recede.

The Bad River Natural Resource Department responded to the

emergency situation and ensuing disaster by staffing the

Incident Command Post set up the following day, as well as

having staff in the field responding to the needs of the

community members, protecting infrastructure, surveying the

scope and severity of damage, staffing road blockades, and

reaching homes that were cut off by the floodwaters.

In the months after the July flood, the Bad River Natural

Resource Department continues to work on mitigation and

planning so that the Tribe is more prepared for the next disaster;

please see Tony Corbine’s article for more information.

C O M M O N G RO U N D

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THE

NEXT DISASTER?

By: Tony Corbine, FEMA Grant Coordinator

Bad River Reservation families should be

prepared for all hazards that could affect

our area. Every family that recently

experienced the last flood disaster,

preceded by power outages, should have a good idea of what

they need for their family disaster plan and disaster supplies kit.

The National Weather Service and Wisconsin Emergency

Management urge every family to develop a disaster plan.

Consider where you might be when the next disaster strikes?

What if parents are at work and a student is at school, in a car or

on the bus, where is the location all of your family members

will meet? If cellular service is down, how will you find each

other? Will you know if your children, elders, or other loved

ones are safe? A disaster may force you to evacuate your

neighborhood or confine you to your home. What would you do

if basic services – water, gas, electricity, or telephone – were cut

off? Do you have alternative methods for retrieving safe

drinking water, supply alternative heat or cooling source, or

supplying power to your refrigerator to prevent spoilage?

The State of Wisconsin has proclaimed September as Preparedness Month. The Tribe encourages every family to

take the time to answer disaster preparedness questions so all

family members understand the steps and are on the same page.

Preparation for the plan can be as simple as having a

conversation around the dinner table, according to Major

General Don Dunbar, Adjutant General and Wisconsin’s

Homeland Security Advisor. Don’t forget to include safety

considerations for elders and infants. Young children might

need diapers, food, and toys to keep them occupied during an

event, while elders might need assistance with relocating or

walking down stairs. Also, don’t forget about your pets needs

and keep them safe and secure with a kennel, extra food and

water.

Some suggestions when putting together your family emergency

plan make sure you have a contact list that contains current

phone numbers of family and friends who can assist during an

emergency. It is also a great idea to have medical information

including contact information for your physician and a list of

any medication or allergies. Carry a copy of this in your wallet,

purse or have one in your disaster kit.

For additional information on inexpensive ways for you and

your family to prepare for emergency situations, visit website

http://readywisconsin.wi.gov

If you have questions or would like to contribute to the Tribe’s

efforts in Disaster Mitigation Planning, please contact Tony

Corbine 715-682-7123 ext. 1560 or femagrant@badrivernsn.gov

Informational Community Meetings about Pipelines on the Bad River Reservation

By Lissa Radke, Environmental Specilaist

Over 60 years ago, three petroleum pipelines carrying different products were installed across the Bad River Reservation. At the

time, the Tribe and landowners along the rights of way entered long-term lease agreements that allowed the pipelines to be used

for decades. Those leases are about to expire, which means the Tribal Council and the community needs to decide whether to

renew a new set of lease agreements.

This fall, Bad River Natural Resources Department (BRNRD) staff and the Tribal Council will be hosting several informational

meetings about the pipelines that cross the Reservation. These meetings are specifically for Bad River community members so

they can ask questions, and learn about the types of products in the lines, who owns them, why they are here, whether there are

risks, the possible future of the pipelines, the Tribe’s right-of-way lease process, and other related issues.

The Tribal Council and BRNRD are analyzing fact-based information about the rights of way, past leases, impacts and risks, and

other information necessary to consider whether future right-of-way leases will be developed. These informational meetings will

be designed to bring community members information that helps the community make the best decisions for the future.

BRNRD will send more information about these meetings this fall and early winter, so look for announcements on the Tribe’s

and Natural Resource Department’s web pages, email, posters, and social media sites. For more information call BRNRD at 6827123.

SUMMER

Page 13

Standing with Standing Rock: Experiencing

#NoDAPL

By: Edith Leoso, THPO

During the Labor Day Holiday weekend, as others enjoyed time

with family and friends, a small contingency of Bad River

Tribal members and others decided to take a road trip to stand

with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (SRST). The idea came on

Sunday of Bad River Pow-wow. By Friday, we were on our

way.

So, as we pulled into the Sacred Stone Camp that early Saturday

morning, we piled out of three Tribal vans we borrowed. It was

still dark and we used headlamps to set up camp, being mindful

that people were still sleeping. Our crew consisted of Joe Bates,

Aurora Conley and her two sons, Misko and Jordan, Lori

Lemieux and our niece Cheyenne Powless, Esie Leoso, two

friends from St. Paul, Doreen and Charlene Day, with her

granddaughter Reyna Day, Elle Abeles-Allison and her

significant other Noah (One of the camp Medics), Linda from

Little Shell, and me. We raised our tents while the sun rose, and

watched the Sacred Stone Camp come to life. Joe brought the

Bad River Tribal flag, and a branch, so that we could strap it to

one of the three awnings we brought. As former boarding school

students in the Dakota’s, we know full well how many trees

they have there to provide shade…because we can count all of

them. (Just kidding)

While it was still cool the exhilaration of being there drained

quickly and we all decided to take a nap. It was a short nap as

the day was heating up and we were woken by the droning

sounds of a helicopter over head. Someone asked, “Is it a

military helicopter?” I said, “Nope. It’s yellow. It’s a private

helicopter.” It circled the camp and headed to the southeast. As

we lounged lazily under the awnings, a car and truck were

heading up the main road from the place of the flags, honking

their horns at campers and hollering something at them. We

watched as they approached the Bad River Camp. They

hollered, “We need every available warrior to the front, they’re

bulldozing the burial sites!”

We grabbed our skirts and sacred items, jumped in the van and

headed to the front line. Aurora and the boys would stay back to

watch the camp. As we approached we could see the yellow

helicopter hovering over head. Someone said, “Why is it just

hovering there?” As we neared, we could see the chaos

erupting; dogs on leashes, bulldozers backing up and about 150

people screaming and scampering all about. We parked in the

ditch, and by the time all the old lady warriors emptied the vans,

a small crowd on the other side of the downed fence were

already heading over the knoll, a quarter-mile away. We stood

there holding onto our sacred items, and watched. Then,

Page 14

someone said, “Where’s Cheyenne and Reyna?” Scanning the

area I remembered telling Cheyenne, “Stay with Reyna!” A

sense of dread overwhelmed us as we looked at the crowd

moving over the knoll…about a quarter-mile away. After a brief

moment of swear words no child should hear, someone said

with great concern, “We gotta get those girls! Somebody has to

go get those girls!” And we all stopped pacing and looked at

Esie. Esie said in an inquisitive tone while pointing at herself, “I

guess…I’d be the one to go get those girls?” Doreen said, “Uhhuh.” We continued to look at her as she turned to step over the

downed fence. About the time she was making the second step

over the fence, an individual standing near the legal observers,

grabbed a bull horn and hollered, “All of you on the other side

of the fence heading towards the bulldozers; BE INFORMED,

you are on private property and are now at risk of being arrested

for TRESPASSING!” Esie turned to us and said grudgingly,

“Oh…well…that’s just GREAT!” I hollered to her

enthusiastically, as she navigated her way through the bulldozer

ruts, “I got bail money!” However, that was only to ease her

tension while she walked through private property without

permission, towards a group of trained mercenaries, with attack

dogs, and bulldozers, because - I really did NOT have bail

money. She was wearing a blaze orange tee-shirt, which, I

thought, she really doesn’t look that bad in blaze orange,

realizing her possible impending doom with the County Jail.

Written across the back of her t-shirt was, “2013 Bad River

Water Walkers.” As she moved further from us, a non-native

man standing nearby looked at the writing on her shirt, and

exclaimed, “Bad River! Bad River’s here!? Hey!...” Trying to

get her attention, he turned abruptly towards us and looked at

our skirts, saying, “Are you guys from Bad River!?

Wisconsin!?” In a confused sort of way, I responded, “Yes,

we’re…umm…from Bad River.” An excited, “YES!” with a fist

pulled down, was blurted from the man. He turned to others and

excitedly exclaimed, “Bad River’s here!” And we could hear

him, “They’re from Wisconsin! There was this mining

company…”

At that moment, we knew we were right where we were

supposed to be and we realized, we were only there for 3 hours.

About 15 minutes passed before we saw Esie’s blaze orange

shirt emerge from over the knoll, and the familiar skirts of the

girls, in tow. A breath and sigh of relief spewed from the line of

long skirts on the other side of the fence. As we watched the

girls approach, we discussed how we needed to talk to our youth

about blindly following a crowd of strangers into a dangerous

(Continued on page 15)

C O M M O N G RO U N D

Standing with Standing Rock: Experiencing Continued

#NoDAPL

By: Edith Leoso, THPO

(Continued from page 14)

were watching over us, as they always do.

situation. In the future, they were to stay behind us at all times.

Later, we found that they were smart enough to keep their

distance, and they recorded everything that had happened to the

protectors over the knoll. While we were waiting for them, the

question arose; “What was this strategy?” Why, on a holiday

weekend, would a construction company bulldoze a place with

burials, with a private helicopter overhead, and have armed

private security with attack dogs? Clearly, it was only to incite

violence and chaos among the people. We wondered what they

might be doing elsewhere while we were being distracted.

That evening, women from other parts of the U.S. went to sweat

and approached Doreen and Esie with water from their place,

asking to do a joining of the waters ceremony the next day. One

woman came from the Southwest, one from the Northwest

Coast. Both carried water from their respective Tribal lands.

That evening was spent meeting and visiting with friends and

people attracted to the Bad River flag at camp. We planned our

strategy for the next day and made tobacco ties to place at the

fence with all the other tobacco offerings, which was near the

downed fence. We would place them there before we left. We

would talk to the SRST people to see if they wanted us to dress

the Little Boy Water Drums, who also travelled with us;

conduct a water ceremony at the camp center; provide a water

bundle offering to the Cannon Ball River; and sing the Nibi

song. They said, “Yes, that’s what this area here is for, to do

ceremony!” We said we would be there by 9:00am.

As the evening dwindled, it was evident that the word of the

attack dogs was out there in Indian Country. Before retiring for

the evening, Lori counted 150 cars entering the camp. Countless

more were behind those cars. Sleep came while smelling camp

fires and listening to drum songs. Cars rolling into camp and

words of encouragement from Tribal leadership lulled us to

sleep. That evening, the Sacred Stone Camp was full of love and

commitment for our Mother.

We woke early Sunday morning, and found that the showers

were eight miles away and four of those miles down a dirt road.

By the time we got to the showers, we had enough time to turn

around and head back to be on time for the water ceremony.

While we were singing the Nibi song, nobody but us would

know we didn’t shower or brush our teeth that morning. The

Nibi song went viral…of course.

That evening we had a most excellent meal at camp of soup and

frybread and ga-boo-boo bread, which is Sioux lug. Women

approached the camp with tobacco for Esie and Doreen to

conduct a sweat that evening. While the sweat went on, the rest

of us held the camp in place, literally. It was very, very windy,

and rainy. We knew and were grateful that the Thunderbirds

We knew it was our last evening and we also knew we had to

raise the Bad River flag before we left, so we gave a task to Joe

- find us a flag pole by morning.

Monday: Break camp day. That morning we conducted the

joining of the waters ceremony on the bridge over the Cannon

Ball River, sang the water offering song and took pictures with

the camp as our background. We headed back to break camp,

leave supplies, and load up the vans. I brought my Tribal flag

that I had been holding onto for 3-years for just the right

moment, and place, to put it on a flag pole. It had a water stain

on it from the flood, so I told everybody that we were not only

leaving our Tribal flag, but a part of the Bad River too. Joe

came through with his task and found a sapling that Jimmy

Northrup brought from Fond du Lac. It was a good size sapling.

We tied the flag on with wire and used glow in the dark rope,

too. Lori carried the flag to the line of flags, as we all walked

with her. When we approached the line of flags we looked for

someone who might help us with a post hole digger. A man

wearing fatigues came up to us and said, “You’s wanna raise

your flag?” We replied, “Yes, we just need…” He cut us short,

and told us, “We already have a spot for you’s over there, come

on, this way! And, we already have a sturdier pole for you too!

That one will break in this wind!” We followed as he brought us

directly in front of the main gathering area. A stone was

imbedded in the ground in front of the hole that was dug. It

looked as though it had been there for a long time. It looked as

though it was meant to be there, for us. We looked in the hole

and seen a cigarette butt inside. Misko was standing with us

looking in the hole. “Misko, could you reach in that hole and get

that cigarette butt out?” I asked him. He did it without

hesitation. As though he knew he was there for an important

purpose. We gathered and retied the flag to a large metal pole,

still using the wire and glow in the dark rope, but also including

some added protection from the wind – duct tape. We noticed

that nearly all the flags were secured with duct tape. The men in

fatigues, evidently Veterans, had a box of roughly 40 flags to

hang. We each took some tobacco and placed it in the hole with

(Continued on page 16)

SUMMER

Page 15

Standing with Standing Rock: Experiencing Continued

#NoDAPL

By: Edith Leoso, THPO

“Yeah! That’s that microphone right there!” pointing at my

hand. …Blam…Mic drop. We were being broadcast throughout

the entire Standing Rock Sioux Reservation…of course.

Many people approached us, hugged us and thanked us for the

words that were said, and the songs that were given. A few

women from Oglala even asked Doreen if they could sing the

Nibi Song in Lakota. Doreen told them yes, and gave them the

words in English so that they could translate them into Lakota.

Doreen is the author of the Nibi Song. From there we said our

goodbyes, got in the vans and went to the fence with the tobacco

ties. We tied our tobacco offerings and took more pictures.

(Continued from page 15)

a prayer. We carefully raised the flag and placed it straight in

the hole. Dirt was surrounding the hole and Misko carefully

pushed the dirt in, while we tamped it down in the hole.

Afterwards, we placed tobacco on the Grandfather Stone near

the flag pole, and went to the main area to ask if we could leave

them with a song before we left. They said, “Of Course!”

We sang the Women’s song. We explained that it is a song of

the first woman who ever walked the Earth. It describes how she

is walking and swooping under the Trees, lifting the branches to

see the beauty that laid ahead in all that the Creator had left for

us to live, and knowing she has an important part of that

Creation. After the song, we told the people that we too had a

battle against a mining company and through ceremony we were

told to use our tools. We told them what those tools were; our

pipes, our drums, our songs, sweats, fasting camps, feasts and

all the Ceremonies we knew, we did. We told them that they too

have the same tools to use, and those tools will defeat that

pipeline. We said we would be thinking of them and praying for

them every day until the end. Upon giving the microphone back

to the M.C., we noticed a sign. “87.9 Public Radio” I asked the

M.C., “What’s that? Is that the local Radio station?” He said,

Page 16

As we were leaving we passed the area of the downed fence and

saw a group standing on the opposite side of the road hollering

at people walking through the private land. They were telling

them not to go over there and asking them to come back. The

people walking ignored the protectors standing on the other side

of the road in the ditch, within the right of way. We asked what

was going on and a man from Spokane said that those two

people came out of nowhere and started walking into the field

when they told them not to. I said to him, “Possible

infiltrators?” He shrugged his shoulders. Just then, another man

holding an Eagle wing raised it to make an announcement to

everybody standing there, “Those two people who went over the

fence, if they come back here, they are out of this camp! We

don’t need that! That is not who we are! They are jeopardizing

our cause! Everyone understand that?” The crowd replied

“Hau!” I replied, “Hau,” gave him a thumbs up, and we were on

our way home.

It was a solemn feeling to leave. But we also felt that we had

done what we were intended to do; to pray for the Water, our

Mother, and the people. Since we left, there has been more news

coverage, and social media is constantly updating as to what is

happening at Sacred Stone Camp. We are all glad we went to

stand in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. It is the

beginning of a time we will never forget.

C O M M O N G RO U N D

FREE “FIREWISE” COMMUNITY

BRUSH CHIPPER PROJECT

Help make Bad River Communities more “Firewise”! Join us for a week of brush and branch collection during the week of October

17th. . We have obtained a grant that will assist in defraying the cost of this project. We plan to have a week where a crew with a

brush chipper and truck will travel through each community and chip woody debris on site. They will be hauling chips to our Bad

River Food Sovereignty hoop houses to be used as compost and other projects.

*Pile your brush at the end of your driveway by Monday, October 17th.

*Pile brush with the cut ends facing the road, all laying the same direction. This will help the crew feed the cut end into the chipper.

*Only bring brush and branches less than 5 inches in diameter to the curb or they will be too big for the chipper.

*Do not include leaves, treated wood, wood like composites, wreaths or any items that have nails, wire or similar things in them.

You can reduce the potential of home or property loss from a wildfire by removing as much brush and woody debris starting at your

home’s exterior and out 30 feet. See the picture below for ideas and examples. Please call Bad River Natural Resources' Tribal

Warden (715) 292.7822 or the Air Quality Specialist (715) 685.7840 ext.1555.

SUMMER

Page 17

Land Buy-Back Program:

What does this mean for Tribal Nations?

The Secretary of the Interior established the Land Buy-Back

Program for Tribal Nations (Land Buy-Back Program) to give

individual landowners an opportunity to help address the

problem of fractionation, as part of the Cobell Settlement.

What are the Program Priorities?

Land Buy-Back Program works to unify fractionated tribal land

bases that resulted from the failed historical policy of allotment.

Fractionated affects approximately 150 locations and results in

tracts of land with potentially hundreds of owners. Over the next

decade, the program and tribes will partner to help communities

consolidate these lands across Indian Country.

The Program has $1.9 billion available to purchase fractional

interests in trust or restricted land from willing sellers at fair

market value Individuals who choose to sell their interests

receive payments directly into their Individual Indian Money

(IIM) accounts. Consolidated interests are then immediately

restored to tribal trust ownership for uses benefiting the

reservation community and tribal members..

Individuals. Promoting landowner awareness and education to

facilitate informed landowner decision making. Maximizing

landowner opportunities to participate.

Tribes. Strengthening partnerships and respecting and

upholding tribal sovereignty. Tailoring the effort to each

location based on tribal involvement and priorities.

Bad River Reservation Facts:













The 32nd most fractionated location in Indian Country

Unique landowners: 4,512*

852 Whereabouts Unknown (WAU) landowners

Landowners live in 48 states and Canada

Majority of landowners located in WI (31%) and MN

(24%)

Offers tentatively scheduled Fall 2016

What information is available to landowners?



Individual Trust Interest Report (ITI):

 Contains detailed information on each undivided

interest owned by an individual Indian

 Provided by BIA or OST to landowners upon

request



Landowner Income Report (LIR):

 Shows income (excluding oil and gas royalties)

earned on all leased tracts in which an individual

Indian owns an undivided interest

 Provided by BIA or OST to landowners upon

request



Original Allotment Documents:

 Can be found on BLM site using ITI tract legal

description (http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/

search/)

Image represents the fractionation of possible allotment through

six generations. Fractionation resulted from the Allotment process (e.g., Dawes Act 1887). The image represent how tracts of

land were past down through the generations and have gained

more and more individual owners. Because of the number of

owners it makes it difficult to use the land and often allows the

land-use to stay idle.

Page 18

C O M M O N G RO U N D

Land Buy-Back Program: Staff

Patti J. Bigboy-Land Buy Back Project Manager

Greetings from the shores of Gitchii Gumee,

My name is Patti J. Bigboy. I am a member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Band of Chippewa. My parents are Harold

and Mildred (Barbano) Arbuckle. My spouse is Peter Bigboy. I have three adult children and several grandchildren. I have a BA

from Northland College in Public Policies and a State of Wisconsin certification in Library Management. I started the first

Public Library in the village of Odanah. My working experience includes several years as human resource manager. I have also

been the General Manager for the Bad River Casino and Isle Vista Casino. I worked in California in Public Relations on

Proposition 5 in support of Indian Gaming. I was also the Democratic representative from the 2 nd district in the city of Ukiah and

represented my district at the California Democratic convention. Other past experience includes Indian & Public Housing and

Federal Indian Land certification.

(Continued on page 20)

SUMMER

Page 19

Land Buy-Back Program:

Staff Continued

(Continued from page 19)

Samantha Rosin-Media Coordinator

Gloria Rodriguez-Administrative Assistant

Boozhoo, I am a proud member of the Bad River Tribe. I am

the daughter of Lee Ann Rosin and Donald Nelis Jr. and The

great- granddaughter of Catherine “Kotchie” Denomie. I have

three children of my own; Ariana age 9, Kylie age 6 and

Braylen age 5.

Aaniin Niiji-anokiimaaganadok

Gloria Rodriguez indizhinikaaz zhaaganaashiimowin.

Miikawaadizi Waabigwan nindigoo Ojibwemong. Makwa

nindoodem. Mino-Akiing ningii-tazhi-ondaadiz. Mashkiiziibii

indoonjibaa. Apegish weweni ingikendaan Ojibwemoyaan.

Zaagi’idiwag, Mangide-inwin, Minwaabamewizin dasobezhig

minowaa gidwenimo gegabe-giizhik. Mii’iw, Miigwech

bizindawiyeg.

**Greetings Co-Workers

I have four credits left to obtain an Associate’s Degree in

Early Childhood Education. Previously I worked as a Teacher

at the Bad River Head Start for the past 8 years. I am currently

enrolled and attending school at Wisconsin Indianhead

Technical College- Ashland Campus as a Nursing Assistant

Student and hope to continue in school to obtain my Nursing

Associate Degree, and Certification from the State of

Wisconsin.

Gloria Rodriguez is my English name. Beautiful Flower is my

Ojibwe namesake and what I am known by the spirits. I am

bear clan. I was born in Milwaukee. I live in Bad River. I wish

to learn the Ojibwe language better. Love, have Courage and

Respect others and yourself…all day every day. That is all,

Thank You for listening to me. **

My goal as Media Coordinator is to Educate land owners

about the program so they can make informed decisions about

buying/ selling their land. Also to make sure that we reach as

many tribal members as we can via: Mail, Radio, Newspaper,

and Social Media.

I am a Bad River Tribal member and the eldest daughter of

Rose and (late) Gustavo Gomez. My maternal grandparents

are Lawrence and Arlene(Rufus) Smart of Bad River. I have

two children-Jessenia, age 24 and Jason aka “JJ”, age 13. I

also have a charming 4yr old grandson named Manuel.

Barb Fernandez-Outreach Coordinator

In May 2013, I received my Associate’s Degree in Native

American Studies with Ojibwe Language Emphasis at Lac

Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College. I have a year left

to complete my studies at Northland College where I am

double majoring for my Bachelor’s in Native American

Studies and Sociology/Social Justice.

My name is Barb Fernandez. I am a member of the Bad River

Band. My Parents are Robert and Judi Blanchard. I was born

and raised here in Odanah, WI. I am blessed with 3 children

and 3 grandchildren.

I attended LCO Ojibwe Community College (outreach

program) and graduated with an Associate degree in Office

Management in 2006.

I love to cook, dance, read, travel, Powwow, participate in

community events, walk for the water=life and spend quality

time with my loved ones.

I worked for the tribe for several years, including the Head

Start Program and Social Services Department as Office/

Administrative Assistant. I have also worked in the casino’s

restaurant as server/hostess for over a year prior to this

position.

Bad River has a strong community bond and with hard work/

dedication, we can strengthen our sovereignty into becoming a

successful independent tribe. With that said, I’m proud to be a

tribal employee and look forward to working with everyone…

A’ho!

My goals in my current job as Outreach Coordinator for The

Land Buy Back Program is to educate land owners about the

program so they can make informed decisions about their

land, and the benefits to the tribe should they decide to sell

their land/fractionated shares that are eligible to be purchased.

I do believe that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for our

tribe. It is designed to reduce fractionated land and facilitate

the consolidation and use of reservation land for development

and/or preservation.

(Continued on page 21)

Page 20

C O M M O N G RO U N D

Land Buy-Back Program:

Staff Continued

Words from a Tribal Member

On Standing Rock

By Edith Leoso

(Continued from page 20)

Linda “Linny” Lemieux-Outreach Coordinator

Greetings to All,

My name is Linda (Linny) Lemieux. I am now working as one of

three Outreach Coordinators for the Bad River Land Buy Back

Program. I am a Bad River Tribal Member and I live in Odanah

on Bear Trap Road, with my husband of 42 years, Luis Salas.

Together we have raised 5 children, one daughter and four sons

and we are blessed with 5 grandchildren. My life as a mother has

been the joy of my life, as you know, a mothers work is never

done. I have previously worked for 24+ years for the Bad River

Tribe, most recently as the On-Site Coordinator for the Honor

Our Children Project. Prior to that I managed and owed a

Mexican Restaurant in Wautoma, Wisconsin with Luis and the

Salas Family.

My parents were Angeline Jewel (Whitebird) Lemieux and

Bernard Francis Lemieux, who also lived in Odanah most of their

life. They loved it here and so do I wouldn’t want to live

anywhere else, I find great peace here, with my home in the

woods and especially with all the family and friends that I have

come to know and love.

It is my great pleasure to be working again for the Bad River

Tribe and the Buy Back Program. I will try very hard to do the

best that I can do on behalf of my Tribe and community. Please

feel free to contact me at 715-292-9481 (cell) or 715-682-2851

(office) with any questions or concerns that you might have about

the Land Buy Back Program. I look forward to talking with you

in the near future.

SUMMER

“The SRST is the resistance leader in environmental

and cultural impacts this year. They are standing in

opposition to the Dakota Access Pipe Line (DAPL),

which threatens to create a volatile, uncertain environment for the SRST people. But the issue is more

than the installation of an oil pipeline. It is the beginning of a new movement that will reflect upon centuries of blatant disregard for First Nation people’s

health, values and beliefs, centuries of disturbing

burial sites, centuries of ignorance to acknowledge

the very existence of First Nation people, centuries

of dishonor to our Mother who provides everything

we need to live a good life. We are no longer Indians, Native Americans or American Indians. We are

the First Nation to walk this land. We are the First

Nation to fight for this land. We are the First Nation

to protect this land. We are the First Nation that

cared for this land. And we cared for it so well, that

people left their own homelands in Europe to move

here to raise their families. Today, we still care for

and protect this land, along with everything that the

Creator placed here for us to live a good life. We

remember that it is our responsibility as Anishinaabeg, and we will not waiver from our responsibilities. We are and have always been the leaders of

federal policy change. We will no longer sit idly by

while the land is destroyed by extractive industry to

the extent that it has caused the climate to change.

We will not sit idly by and watch helplessly while

our Ancestor’s burials are disturbed and the health

of future generations is placed at risk. There is less

than 1% of the population in North America who

has the resources to use politicians as puppets, in

order to have cart Blanche to manipulate and destroy our natural environment. We know that, and

we know it is simply – not right.”

Page 21

July 11, 2016 Flood: Old Odanah

BAD RIVER NATURAL

RESOURCES

Bad River Natural Resource Department

Chief Blackbird Center

72682 Maple Street

Odanah, WI 54861

Phone: 715-682-7123

Fax: 715-682-7118

We’re On The WEB!

Www.badriver-nsn.gov

Photo Courtesy of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Photo shows the “Old Odanah” community, which includes: St Mary’s Church, Powwow Grounds, and Tribal homes.

-MISSION STATEMENTThe 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.