# 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 (2024) > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/tribal%3Abad_river_chippewa%3Ae788162096b2780f ## Record - **Collection:** Tribal code - **Document type:** Tribal code ## Text 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 By: Andrew Spychalla, MNRD Brownfields, brownfields@badriver-nsn.gov Special points of interest: I • • MNRD Deputy Director Minigrid Project Manager • Energy Assistant • Lease Specialist **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 n 2024, the Brownfield Program was made aware of a few incidents of spilled or released hazardous materials on the Bad River Reservation. Any incident of hazardous substances or materials being spilled or released can have a negative effect on the surface water, groundwater, soils, vegetation, and uses of a landscape that is mostly pristine and natural. Some more common examples of substances that get spilled include oils, hydraulic fluids, and gas associated with the breakdown or malfunc- MNRD Staff Nick Blanchard (pictured) and Kristen Vensland (photographer) managing a spill at Elm Hoist Bridge. tion of vehicles, machinery, or equipment, or an accident or user to spills. These partners who reboth can be accomplished by the error. Effects of these releases can spond to these incidents are very Brownfield Program. cause contamination of many difgood at offering assistance and ferent kinds but usually result in providing resources for any clean- If one was out boating on Lake detriment to the landscape and its up that is required. In and around Superior, ricing in the Sloughs, or resources. the Bad River Reservation, spills driving down the highway and saw The Mashkiiziibii Natural Recan be classified as minor or maa large spreading oil spill, this sources Department is connected jor. These two categories come would obviously be a major incident with many local, state, and federal with two different responses, but with risk to human life. The correct agencies whose focus is to respond ...continued on page 4... started in the climate change program at the end of August, and there has been quite some learning and progress these past few months. To start off with, our Oak Point cleanup project has now moved into the restoration phase. The soil samples taken over the summer showed no exceedance of action levels by both EPA and Bad River standards. This puts the Tribe in a great position to start restoration efforts in the area. With our Graveyard Creek resto- • Indigenous Arts & Sciences (IAS) Update • Forestry Updates • MNRD Bi-Annual Open House • Radon Update • Climate Change Update • Job Opportunities Inside this issue: 2nd Annual Brain-tan Workshop 2 USGS Stream Gauges in the Bad River Watershed 3 Biboon Forestry Updates 4 Introductions 5 Open House Save the Date Flier 6 Forestry Public Notice 8 IAS Summer Youth Recap 9 Several Years of Wildfire Smoke 10 Manoomin Program Updates 11 Non-Local Beings Program 12 Accomplishments By Bella Wabindato, Climate Change Specialist, Climate@badriver-nsn.gov I • Natural Resources New hires ration project, we are still in the sampling phase. This will give us a great baseline to plan phase II in fall 2025. With our Sustainable Roofing construction project that was just awarded in the fall of 2024, we are currently in the process of choosing a construction company. This project will replace the asphalt roofs with metal roofs for the Birch Hill community. …Continued on page 2... Radon Article 13 NIXLE Alert Sign-Up 14 Community Christmas Party Sleigh Ride Photos 15 Climate Summary& Job Openings 16 Page 2 Page 15 By Nathanael Secor, IAS Coordinator, IAS@badriver-nsn.gov O ver the course of two weekends in October and November, around a dozen individuals participated in the second annual Braintan Buckskin workshop to learn traditional hide tanning. The first half of the workshop coincided with Mashkiiziibii’s Daagwaagi Gabeshiwin (Fall Camp) which occurred over Friday, October 11th and Saturday, October 12th. During these two days the participants learned how to prep the hides in ash water or lime and scraped their hides completely to get them to the rawhide stage. This was a fun time full of jokes and camaraderie and cooperative weather. Several of the participants repeated the workshop from last year to hone their craft. Local artist/ craftsman Mike Jones led the workshop with Mashkiiziibii’s Matt Deloney and Joseph Gokee assisting. The second weekend of the workshop, November 2 nd and 3rd, the participants met up again, this time at Mashkiiziibii’s Elm Hoist Camp to learn the process of braining, softening, and smoking the hides. These steps transform the hide from rawhide into supple suede-like buckskin using the traditional methods of this region. Smoking the hide “locks” the suppleness into place so that it stays soft even after getting wet rather than reverting back to rawhide. It was wonderful to see folks happy and working hard together outdoors and gaining these traditional skills. After her second year tanning hides, Paige Wiggins took her skills into the classroom to work on brain tanning projects with her middle and high school Ojibwemowin classes. The youth got the opportunity to scrape hides as well as brain and soften them. Once the hides are smoked, Paige hopes to make baby moccasins with her classes. Nice work Paige! APRIL - Earth Day Celebration MAY - Beach Clean-Up (Spring) JULY - Lake Superior Days SEPTEMBER - Beach Clean-Up (Fall) Page 14 COMMON GROUND Page 3 By Jessica Strand, Environmental Specialist - environmental@badriver-nsn.gov T he MNRD has a decades long relationship with the US Geological Survey (USGS) focused on better understanding the hydrology of the Bad River Watershed and Lake Superior Basin and how the plant, animal, and human communities are tied to water. The MNRD has been working over the years on building partnerships and funding capacity to support USGS stream gages at key locations within the watershed, specifically along the Bad River mainstem and one on each of the major tributaries to the Bad River. This goal was finally accomplished in 2024 when USGS installed a stream gage at Potato River at Highway 169, one of the last major tributaries to need a gage. Now thanks to the efforts of many different organizations, including ours, stream gage height and flow data is publicly available through the USGS National Water Dashboard (https://dashboard.waterdata.usgs.gov/app/nwd/en/) for everyone’s use. The importance of this availability cannot be understated and can have a direct, positive impact on individuals and communities calling the Lake Superior Basin home. Everyday uses of the data collected by this monitoring equipment could include: indicating to anglers and harvesters what water temperatures and flows might be that might influence when they net and fish; informing canoers, kayakers, and boaters when the rivers heights and flows are safe for recreation; tracking snowmelt and storm surges from the upper watershed to the lower to allow the National Weather Service to issue more accurate flood advisories; and more. The data from the gages is also used by natural resource professionals and other scientists to monitor everything from fish spawning and river evolution to human health and climate impacts to water quality. More specifically, we at the MNRD use the gages for the following (this is not an exhaustive list): • To monitor snowmelt and storm surges to determine if any emergency alerts need to go out to the community through the Nixle alert system about possible flooding impacts (this work is done in coordination with the National Weather Service). • As one of several key sources of information to monitor conditions at the Bad River meander where Enbridge Line 5 oil and natural gas pipeline is within 10-11 feet of the riverbank. MNRD uses the gage and flow information to ensure that the court-ordered purge and shutdown plan -- which includes action thresholds based on real-time data from USGS Bad River gage at Elm Hoist Road -- is appropriately implemented by Enbridge. • To develop a Flood Inundation Model for Denomie Creek to better understand possible flooding risks in the Photograph of a bald eagle and other birds on the Potato River upstream of Highway 169 as capture by the USGS gage camera on December 1, 2024. New Odanah Community and the Wastewater Treatment Plant from the flashy flows from Denomie Creek. This model will help us better understand and mitigate flooding risks. • To study non-point source pollution and sediment loading into Beartrap Creek. • To better understand the hydrological connections between the Bad River and Kakagon River portions of the sloughs complex during different river flows and the connection of the rivers and sloughs to Lake Superior based on river flow, storm surges, and seiche (the water level rise and fall due to the back-and-forth sloshing effect of Lake Superior). • To more effectively treat Sea Lamprey through monitoring the flow of the rivers needing treatment with TFM, the chemical that kills larval lamprey before they mature and move back out to Lake Superior to feed on Lake Trout and other species. • To predict when fish are likely spawning as certain species require specific water temperature ranges in which they spawn. • To develop a Cumulative Impact Assessment for the Bad River Watershed with EPA and USGS to better understand how human health and hydrology are tied together when it comes to impacts from mining, concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), pipelines, and other threats and current challenges on the landscape and other areas hydrologically connected to this watershed. So, because we’ve found them so helpful in so many ways, we wanted to highlight how useful they may be and share with you ...continued on page 7... Page 4 COMMON GROUND Page 13 A By Zakk Zander Indoor Air Quality Tech / Tribal Radon Program Manager, airqualitytech@badriver-nsn.gov action would be to call 911. Even if there is no risk to human life, any large spill should be reported to the National Response Center. Their number is (800) 424-8802. This federal hotline takes down all the information regarding such a release and broadcasts it to every spill responder in the region or state that could provide assistance. Organizations such as the US Environmental Protection Agency, US Coast Guard, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin Emergency Management, various fire departments, and Tribes all get notification of what took place and coordinate a response. The Band itself also has an Emergency Response Plan that would be triggered by any major spill. That plan details the emergency support functions that the Band’s Emergency Response Team would provide. However, if a minor accident or spill was noticed in the community of a size or extent that didn’t warrant coordination among every organization in the area, there is still a path that can be taken to get that incident addressed. The P simplest way is to make a phone call to the MNRD Brownfield Program at (715) 685-4440, or the MNRD Director at (715) 292-0197. If someone happens upon a minor spill, calling MNRD and describing what is seen, at what time, and a short description of the incident will help in getting whatever contamination is present contained and cleaned up quickly. If it is the caller themselves whom had an accident, spilled something, or had car troubles that resulted in a leak, Tribal Code Ch. 3.25 (Environmental Response and Remediation Code) requires that releases are reported to MNRD. Whether a spill is big or small, let MNRD know if one occurred so we can assist in keeping the landscape as healthy as possible. Lastly, previously discovered contaminated sites that are being actively remediated or monitored can always be found on the brownfield program webpage https://www.badriver-nsn.gov/natural-resources/brownfield/. Miigwech! By Gena Abramson, Forestry Specialist, Forester@badriver-nsn.gov lans are being made for each residence at Bad River to receive a hazard tree inventory and analysis. During this process we will identify trees that are identified as hazardous and potentially hazardous in the future. Hazard targets can be homes, garages, yard items, and of course, humans. Along with the structure and soundness of the tree, proximity to potential targets will be analyzed to grade the hazard potential of each tree. Those who are represented by Bad River Housing need not register. Permission will be required from all others. Bad River Forestry is honored to serve you and your family. https://www.wpr.org/shows/wisconsin-today-2/the-facts-aboutfluoride-preventing-electricalfires-in-low-incomeneighborhoods-nurturingurban-forests s we plunge into the winter weather it is once again time Now getting to the point of to start thinking about testing your home the title. This year the Bad for radon. As folks may be aware, radon is River Radon program and a carcinogen that has been linked to the the Bad River Health and development of lung cancer. It is a natural Wellness center have part- radioactive gas that is present everywhere nered with the UW-Carbone and is commonly traced back to sources in Cancer Institute to test, and the soil around your home. It infiltrates more im- your home through foundation cracks and portantly to Radon Level before and after system installation openings, like sump pits or exposed soil mitigate, any Levels in pico curies per Liter of air (pCi/L) beneath trailer homes. Once in the home Tribal members radon continues to break down into radio- homes that test active particles that can be breathed in and at or above the enter the lungs airways. The particles con- EPA’s action tinue to release energy that can then con- level of 4pCi/L. tribute to the development of lung cancer. This is an excit- The concentration and length of exposure ing opportunity are both factors in the risk towards devel- for the Tribe opment of radon-induced lung cancer, because having which onset of the disease may not be a funding noticed for many years. source for the installation of a radon mitiga- Pre mitigation Post mitigation Housing Unit 1 4.8 0.3 Housing Unit 2 6.3 0.3 Housing Unit 3 3.3 0.3 Housing Unit 4 4.2 0.3 Housing Unit 5 4.0 0.3 Bad River’s Urban Forestry Project! tion system isn’t as straight forward as one The Birch Hill Red Pine Chipping project has wrapped up for the most part. TJ (Forest Technician) and his crews worked very hard from December of 2023 until October of 2024 to reduce the biomass left behind from the Dagwaagin 2023 pine thinning project. While some tops are still in the more wooded areas, those will decompose over time and add nutrients to the soil. If anyone identifies an area that needs more attention for cleanup, please let us know. would want. The SIRG (State and Tribal We always appreciate your communication and feedback! 715685-8929 OR Forester@badrivernsn.gov Click on the link above to hear Jay Damphier from the Wisconsin DNR discuss Fortunately, there is an easy solution to Indoor Radon Grant) money this program this common carcinogen, through a decep- uses to do testing, outreach and pay a salary tively simple set of pipes, well drilled cannot be used to fix high radon levels when holes and a fan can reduce indoor radon they are found. Which as you could proba- levels to relatively low concentrations. bly guess makes it pretty tricky to fix a Some of these systems have already been home when it does test above the EPA’s installed on the reservation. These systems action level of 4.0pCi/l. In the past the Ra- are very effective at reducing indoor radon don Program has worked with the Bad River levels in one of the homes before mitiga- Housing Authority to find funds from differ- tion was tested at 6.3pCi/L (2.3pCi/L over ent sources that would cover the cost of the mitigation level) and post mitigation installing a radon mitigation system. How- testing results were 0.03pCi/L. Take a look ever, finding funding for the installation of at Table 1 for more results from other miti- radon mitigation systems is challenging and gation systems on the reservation. sporadic. With this partnership we will be able cover the cost of the test kits and the ...continued on page 8... installation of a radon mitigation system if your residence does end up testing higher than the action level of 4pCi/l. There is no deadline to sign up for this program, however testing will begin mid-January and end in March. After that the testing will be on pause for the warmer months while homes that are in need of mitigation are addressed. Currently we plan on running this again next year to catch as many missed houses as possible, but beyond that we cannot guarantee when this type of project opportunity will come around again. So please, when you are considering whether or not you want to test for radon, think about who you are passing you home down to. Page 12 Page 5 Bridget Thornburg, Non Local Beings Program Manager, nonlocalbeings@badriver-nsn.gov Our anaerobic digestor feasibility study has initially reported that taking on this project would not be beneficial at this time. If you’re still curious, an anaerobic digestor is a machine that decomposes organic matter and converts it into biogas, which is gas composed primarily of carbon dioxide and methane. This was a study of interest because it’s a renewable source of energy, that uses organic matter already on the Reservation, such as cattails or waste from the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Neither option has enough matter to properly run an anaerobic digestor. Though this is the initial report of the study, it doesn’t mean it can’t be revisited with other approaches in the future. T he Non-Local Beings program has been busy this year, and here are some of our biggest accomplishments: We arranged a Clean Boats, Clean Waters training with the county of Ashland for 7 staff of Mashkiiziibii Natural Resources  Purchased a CD3 Mobile Boat Wash Station and deployed it at the Bad River Boat Landing (see fall Common Ground article for more information) 2024 Fall Edition  Completed 227 watercraft inspections at boat landings on the reservation  Completed 121 vehicle and equipment inspections (learn more about equipment inspections on the Non-Local Beings web page: https:// www.badriver-nsn.gov/naturalresources/non-local-beings/  Removed an estimated 12 acres of non-local beings from terrestrial areas of the reservation and 6 acres from the sloughs  See the map below for more information about the areas where control work took place and reach out if you have any questions or concerns at nonlocalbeings@badrivernsn.gov or 715-685-7840 ext. 1558. In the energy world, there was an exciting visit from our federal partners in mid-October. On one day, we hosted two EPA project officers, Camden and Ivy. EPA brought a large paper check that has the grant amount on it ($8,385,892.00!!) and there was a celebration B Purple pin – Purple loosestrife Green/red pin – Buckthorn Orange pin – Wild parsnip Yellow pin – Poison hemlock oozh, Mark Arbuckle here, back as a full-time water resource technician. Having been away from the department only for the Fall, I ran as a LTE this past Spring and Summer to help accommodate personal endeavors after my term. I wasn’t far as I was operating in the area as a local business owner. Having just gone through December it was hard to realize Spring maybe just three short months out? However, I would have likely found my way back to NRD in some form by then; just trying to keep it simple at the moment. Aside from work I spent my time this Fall enjoying the outdoors as much as possible fishing, hunting, recreational riding. Hope to see everyone around and enjoy the remaining winter months! speech that was attended by Mashkiiziibii Natural Resource Department employees, tribal council, department heads, and sub awardee partners. The next day we hosted three Department of Energy project officers, Gee, Brandon, and Cassandra. On both days, Chairman Blanchard welcomed our partners, then Martin Powless (Thursday with EPA) and Gloria Wiggins (Friday with Department of Energy) led us in a prayer and then they were given the “certified Bad River energy tour”. Looking to 2025, there will be many updates on the energy grants, and we will be looking to the community to give input at various upcoming events. Make sure to keep us on your radar, as we look to the people of Bad River for wisdom in these trailblazing times. L to R: Naomi Tillison, Mashkiiziibii Natural Resources Director; Robert “Buzzy” Blanchard, Bad River Tribal Chairman; Camden Ogletree, EPA Project Officer M y name is Jakob Wohlford, I am originally from Rochester, Minnesota, but moved up here when I attended Northland College and have been here ever since. I graduated from Northland in 2022 with a degree in Natural Resources with an emphasis on Fisheries and Wildlife Ecology. I have grown up in the outdoors doing many activities like hunting, fishing, and hiking, so that is where I found my love for Natural Resources and knew I wanted to make a career out of it! I am excited to be a part of the team as the Ornithology Specialist and help make a difference! Page 6 COMMON GROUND Page 11 Dan Powless, Manoomin Oshwabinaw, Manoomin@badriver-nsn.gov Plant Guide Development and culturally significant species. To follow up with the IAS students field trip to the sloughs in June and other related field work the program has identified several resources that are being used to survey and evaluate native plant communities to identify culturally significant plant species and develop a plant guide • MNRD manoomin and wetlands programs conducted plant identification with 15 IAS students in June -Aug 2024 • 276 plant species were identified in the Northland College Kakagon- Bad River vegetative study 2022. The 25 most abundant species located in the Kakagon Slough will be the initial plant species for the plant guide. The same will happen for the most abundant 25 in the Bad River Slough • Ojibwe language skills learned from attending LCOOU and Bad River Language program will be used to identify names and culturally significant species. eg food, traditional use • Other resources are available but with the olden type spelling that is outdated and difficult to read. • Other information may include soil, height, ecological , etc Kakagon/ Bad River Slough Study A field visit of the Kakagon Sloughs Headwaters study site was conducted with Scott Weyandot, AMI Consulting Engineer and myself on October 18, 2024. We completed a walk over/ drive by with discussion of water flow, nutrient sources, culvert location, and vegetative characteristics and response at various locations: Hatchery and ponds, 2nd bridge , flood flow of Bad River from pow wow grounds to US hwy2 bridge, and Old Odanah area. -Manoomin Program Page 10 Page 7 Nathan Kilger, Mashkiiziibii Air Quality Specialist - air@badriver-nsn.gov I links to make your access to them and the dashboard easier! Below are the links to the different gages in the watershed; the letters correspond with the dots on the map to show where each gage is located. Included is a QR code for you to quickly snap and get the main dashboard saved to your mobile devices! t was a smoky year in 2021 in the Lake Superior region, but so too was 2023. And while 2024 is wrapping up, wildfire smoke also showed up in the air quality data on the Bad River Reservation in 2024. Recent years have set records in both the number of wildfires (and acreage) burned in the western United States and in Canada (both the western provinces, but also Quebec and Ontario), therefore breaking records in the amount of wildfire smoke produced and the areas that noticed and lived with the smoke. All monitoring sites in Wisconsin that measure fine particulate pollution, including here in Odanah, measured an uptick of fine particulate pollution in recent years. This graph shows that uptick. Monitoring values for each site in Wisconsin are represented on this graph. Each year’s data for each site is actually an average of the most recent three years, there is an equation for this calculation, and the number produced is called a “design value”. A design value can be compared to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) or to observe a trend. This graph was pulled from the recently published 2024 Air Quality Trends report by the Wisconsin DNR. The Wisconsin DNR operates many of the air monitoring sites across Wisconsin and coordinates with the two Tribes that also monitor air quality data. Each year the A – Beartrap Creek @ US Hwy 2 (04026390) • https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoringlocation/04026390/ #dataTypeId=continuous-000650&period=P7D&showMedian=false • Data: gage height and discharge (i.e., flow) B – Bad River @ US Hwy 2 (04027595) • https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoringlocation/04027595/ #dataTypeId=continuous-000650&period=P7D&showMedian=false • Data: gage height, discharge (i.e., flow), and photos. Has set flooding action stages C – Bad River @ Elmhoist Rd (04027000) • https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoringlocation/04027000/ #dataTypeId=continuous-000650&period=P7D&showMedian=false • Data: gage height, discharge (i.e., flow), and water quality parameters (dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance, water temperature, turbidity) Has set flooding action stages data is reviewed, compiled, and released in a report. The report can be found at the following link: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/ AirQuality/Trends.html While the forecast in early 2024 was for a very active wildfire season in the western portions of the United States and Canada, the season was less severe than initially forecast. After an eyeopening year of 2021, after many years of believing that wildfires were only something that affected the western states and tribes, we’re now seeing wildfire smoke in our area almost every year. Until the data shows this trend is reversing, we need to expect and prepare for more wildfire smoke in our air in the coming years. For monitoring wildfire smoke, as well as determining impacts of air quality on human health, the Bad River Band’s Map of USGS gages in the Bad River Watershed and portions of the surrounding counties. Letters in Bad River Watershed dots correspond with list of gages in this article. • D – Bad River @ Hwy 169 (04026511) • https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/04026511/ #dataTypeId=continuous-00065-0&period=P7D&showMedian=false • Data: gage height, discharge (i.e., flow), and photos Natural Resource Department has monitored fine particulate pollution since 2002 and plans to continue these monitoring efforts into the future. Support for these monitoring efforts comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Wisconsin, many thanks to both agencies for partnering with the Bad River Band on this project. E – Denomie Creek @ Maple Street (040276505) • https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/040276505/ #dataTypeId=continuous-00065-0&period=P7D&showMedian=false • Data: gage height and discharge (i.e., flow) F – Denomie Creek @ Aspen Acres (463227090365601) • https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/463227090365601/ #dataTypeId=continuous-00045-0&period=P7D&showMedian=true • Data: precipitation and photos G – Potato River @ Hwy 169 (04026900) • https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/04026900/ #dataTypeId=continuous-000650&period=P7D&showMedian=false • Data: gage height, discharge (i.e., flow), precipitation, and photos H – Tyler Forks River @ Stricker Rd (04026561) • https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoringlocation/04026561/#dataTypeId=continuous-000650&period=P7D&showMedian=false QR code for main USGS Dashboard. Data: gage height, discharge (i.e., flow), and water quality parameters (dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance, water temperature, turbidity) I – Marengo River @ Government Rd (04026740) • https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/04026740/ #dataTypeId=continuous-000651914663716&period=P7D&showMedian=false • Data: gage height, discharge (i.e., flow), and precipitation J – Marengo River @ Reimer Rd (040265981) • https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/040265981/ #dataTypeId=continuous-000650&period=P7D&showMedian=false • Data: gage height, discharge (i.e., flow), and photos K – Marengo River @ Four Corners Rd (040265935) • https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/040265935/ #dataTypeId=continuous-000650&period=P7D&showMedian=false • Data: gage height, discharge (i.e., flow), and photos L – White River @ White River Dam (04027500) • https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/04027500/ #dataTypeId=continuous-000650&period=P7D&showMedian=false • Data: gage height, discharge (i.e., flow), and precipitation Page 8 COMMON GROUND Page 9 COMMON GROUND By Nathanael Secor, IAS Coordinator, IAS@badriver-nsn.gov T he Mashkiiziibii Indigenous Arts and Sciences ran another dynamic IAS Summer Youth Program again this past summer. Over the course of 5 weeks, 15 Mashkiiziibii high school students explored the lands and water of the reservation and ceded territories, learned about Ojibwe arts, culture, and language, and shadowed tribal natural resources professionals. Participants agreed that one of the highlights of this year’s program was the overnight trip to Mooningwaanekaaning Minis (Madeline Island). During this trip, the youth visited the Madeline Island Museum’s exhibit featuring local native culture and history. They also learned about Anishinaabe corn from the Giiwekii project, helping to weed and mulch the trial plots where traditional corn breeding was taking place. The youth helped set and pull gillnets off the north end of the island as well as process fish under Mashkiiziibii’s Genawendang Aki David Nevala’s mentorship. The high point was perhaps seeing some live Indigenous (Anishinaabe, Mestizo) hip hop featuring Los Indios, a duo of brothers from Tucson who are also involved with Giiwekii. This trip is likely to be an annual feature of our program. The IAS Summer Youth Program also visited the Sandy Lake Commemorative Ceremony this year, camping two nights at the Sandy Lake State Recreation Area. The youth participated in the canoe ceremony and learned about this historical atrocity. The trip was hardly all somber, they also caught and prepared crayfish, played epic night games, and went hiking and swimming at Jay Cooke State Park on our return trip. During the third week of the program, youth got the opportunity to weave a black ash basket with Ogemakwe April Stone or build a flute with Miskwaabekaang’s Anakwad Frank Montano. The youth spent several days learning the basics of these crafts including pounding ash logs to make splints and gouging the cedar blanks to hollow out their flutes. April and Frank are both master craftspeople who are well recognized for their crafts; the youths’ crafts were both beautiful and functional from this expert mentorship. Part of the program’s special emphasis is partnering with Mashkiiziibii Natural Resources Dept so that the youth get exposure to tribal natural resource careers. The youth split up between the Manoomin, Forestry, Water, Wildlife, and Non-Local Beings programs to shadow and assist the programs in their field work. The youth learned important job skills as well as got a window into aspects of MNRD work. The Wildlife program also took the whole group out to Chequamegon Point to observe and monitor the endangered Piping Plover nest sites from afar. At the culmination of the program, a large majority of the youth express interest in continuing to learn about their environment. --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/tribal%3Abad_river_chippewa%3Ae788162096b2780f. Public record. Not legal advice.