United States
                          Environmental Protection
                          Agency
                      Solid Waste
                      and Emergency Response
                      (5303W)
                    EPA 530-N-00-003
                    Spring 2DDD
                    www.epa.gov/osw
   v>EPA          Native  American  Network
       Shoshone-Paiute  of Duck Valley
   Shine in Waste Management Efforts
    A   s a sovereign nation that
   /\  straddles Idaho and
  -/  jJSTevada—as well as two
  EPA Regions—the Shoshone-
  Paiute Tribes' Duck Valley
  Reservation had no shortage of
  experienced help to draw on
  when developing its integrated
  solid waste management plan
  (ISWMP). The creativity,
 teamwork, and leadership
 essential for the program's
 success, however, had to come
 from within the community.

 For years, the reservation's
 1,600 residents used home burning
 barrels and 15 different open-pit
 dumps to dispose of everything from
 household trash to medical wastes,
 animal carcasses, and chemical
 containers.  With strong Tribal
 leadership and partnerships with many
 public and private organizations, the
 reservation implemented a waste
 management program that is a model
 for rural, remote areas throughout the
 Country. In fact, EPA Region 9
 recognized the reservation in April
 1999 with an Outstanding
Environmental Achievement Award.
 Building Leadership from Within.
 Protecting the environment and the
 health of the reservation's residents
 required more than closing open-pit
 dumps. The reservation needed a
 more comprehensive, integrated
 approach to waste management that
 included reducing, reusing, and
 recycling waste—an approach that
 required initiative and commitment
 from community members. After
receiving a 3-year municipal solid  '.
waste grant from EPA in 1997, a solid
waste committee of Tribal residents
began to develop the ISWMP.

Continued on page 6, column 1
    TASWER

  pjtpard Elects

  ^Officers

  ^ In a meeting held November 20,
  -' -T999"7the Tribal Association on
  ~ Solid Waste and Emergeny
  ^Response (TASWER) Board
  fleeted its officers. The mission
  *" of the TASWER Board is to
  _ .provide a government-to-
  -~ government mechanism that
   allows federally recognized
   Tribes to be proactively involved
  *- in the legislative and regulatory
  r process of Congress and EPA.
 UjjThe Board consists of one Tribal
 ^representative from each of the
  __ jQine EPA jRegions with federally
 ^recognized Tribes, a
 '^ Representative from Alaska, and
 •«— two at-large representatives.
 ~xt JT
 ?" Currently, TASWER is planning
  ^thedevelopment of a Tribal
 '*~SEmergency Response Training
 ^'SOtose, and injDonj unction with
 %^theJJniversity of Georgia, the
 ^development of a Tribal
 „ Composting course.

-F The TASWER Board members
  ^and officers are identified below.

  ~ Continued on page 2, column I
  > Printed on paper that contains at least 20 percent postconsumer fiber.

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                    Native    American    Network
             ,*!!!!	r'ltHIIISn Jin ill Illll III TlfllillT I If"  T "I
                               '
liiSL,,Regis Mohawk Tribe
;!i	• 4< arcie Phillips
i	J^yir^%ritaTl^ec^n P/o_gram	

            RY
                    ..... Olympic
™«Bhvitorimental Director    '
::;:: Igiugig 'Village 'Council
 :	;, TREASURER      '    ;
 * Gerald Wagner
  Environmental Programs Director
 	Blackfeet Nation

   Calvin Murphy
   Executive Director
 	I""Cherokee tribal Utilities '
   Eastern Band of Cherokee
 ,         i               in
   Earl Hatley
   Environmental Program Director
   Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma
         'i            	
   Roy Spoonhunter
  ''Environmental Program Coordinator
 i	|	| Prairi'e'l'l'anci'of Potawatomi Indians
         ,:;E, '         ;':!   ".^   .
 IHlY^ginii Washington
   IRA Council Secretary
   Native Village of St. Michael

   Cynthia Pilot
   {Environmental Director
   Louden Tribal Council
  Delano u£>atch'* Miller
  Public Utilities
  General Manager
r  Confederated Tribes of the
;  Warm Springs Reservation

  Sheila Sevenstar
  Environmental Specialist
(  Qierokee Nation	
   	r	in	i	i"	i
  For further information, contact
  Jeff Tomhave, TASWER Executive
  Director at (202) 331-8084 or at
  1001 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 400,
  Washington, DC 20036-5504 ©
Getting the

Environmental

Message Out

      Flyers, bumper stickers,
      refrigerator magnets? How
      does your Tribe get the message
out on waste reduction, recycling, or
solid waste management efforts?
Several Tribes have devised clever
and innovative ways to reach out to
the community and encourage
participation in environmental efforts.

Public education plays a key role in
the success of Tribal waste
management programs. To promote
proper waste management, you need
to share environmental information
 with community members and
 encourage their support and
 participation. Posters, cartoons, fact
 sheets, flyers, special events, and
 radio and newspaper stories are a few
 ways to reach out to your community.
 Check out what other Tribes are doing
 to increase acceptance of their waste
 management programs.

 The Metlakatla Indian Community
 Environmental Office sponsored a
                          series of
                          posters to
                          encourage
                          people to
                          reduce,
                          reuse,
                           and
                           recycle.
                           The
                           poster
                           series,
                           which
                           includes
  messages like Don't Trash My Forest!,
  Don't Spoil My Sea!, Don't Foul My
  Sky!, and Don't Poison My Food!,
  incorporates native art and culture to
  promote the importance of proper
waste disposal. The Metlakatla Indian
Community is located on the Annette
Islands Reserve about
15 miles south of Ketchikan, Alaska.
To view the entire series of posters, go
to: http://www.epa.gov/tribalmsw/
outreach.htm and click on the poster
graphic.

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe
Environmental Division sponsored a
series of cartoons called Kwis & Tiio:
Solid Waste Management on the 'Rez
to increase the community's
                                           Don't Trash

                                           My Forest!
                                           Wotf b ow guardian, Bvkig deep In ow woods.
                                          Hi* homrt beauty can bo spoBcd by bogs of garbage.
                                           Keep Bttcr otrt ot Hs home—protect our tend.
                                          REDUCE Q REUSE £J RECYCLE
                                             Metbkofia Intflon Community	
                  by: Brad and Darren Bonaparte
 awareness of proper solid waste
 management practices and to illustrate
 how people's disposal practices
 directly impact the environment. With
 a sense of humor, these cartoons
 discuss protecting the environment;
 reducing, recycling, and reusing; the
 benefits of a new transfer station;
 problems with open dumps; and the
 dangers of burning waste. The Tribe is
 in the process of developing additional
 cartoons. The St. Regis Mohawk
 Reservation is located in Upstate New
 York and straddles the border between
 the United States and Canada. To read
 the current adventures of Kwis & Tiio,
 go to:  http://www.epa.gov/tribalmsw/
 outreach.htm and click on the cartoon
  graphic.

  If you would like to share your
  community outreach materials with
  other  Tribes, please contact Karen
  Rudek, U.S. Environmental Protection
  Agency, at (703) 308-1682 or
  radek.karen@epa.gov *

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                                     I.

           5th  National Tribal  Conference
          on  Environmental Management
     Preserving the Bounty of the Earth Through Tribal Environmental Knowledge

                            May 8-11, 2000
                  Chinook Winds Casino and Convention Center
                             Lincoln City, Oregon
                  ^
    Convention Center in Lincoln City, Oregon CTSI (aconted^fL  ^l J  he Chin°°k Winds Casino and
California to Southern Washington) is a "federaH ' rec IgnizeS Tr K S ml^^191"81? ranging fr°m Northern
reservation located in Lincoln County Oreqon The Tri^ nn^ f^T-r^     '  ° members and a 3,666 acre
                                                                    -
                    For Further Information and Registration Contact:
              Terry Lane Conference Manager  Phone:  800-922-1399 ext 361
               Natural Resources Department        or541-444-8361
            Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians  Fax:    541-444-9688
                          P.O. Box 549  E-mail:  ntcem5@ctsi.nsn.us
                      S.letz, Oregon 97380  Website: http://ctsi.nsn.us

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Conference Registration

The registration fee for the conference is $125 if paid by
April 14,2000. After April 14, the registration fee is $150.
Payment in the form of check or money order (made
payable to: Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians) must
accompany your registration form. We do not accept credit
cards or purchase orders.
Tentative Schedule

Monday, May 8,2000
    Registration & Exhibit Setup
    Welcoming Pow Wow

Tuesday, May 9,2000
    Late Registration
    Welcome & Open Session
    Regional Sessions (Regions 10 & 5)
    Breakout Sessions
    Feather Dance

 Wednesday, May 10,2000
    Regional Sessions (Region 4)
    Regional Sessions
       (Small Reservations)
     Regional Sessions (Region 8)
     Explore Lincoln City!

 Thursday, May 11,2000
     Regional Sessions
       (Large Reservations & Alaska)
     Breakout Sessions
     Regional Sessions (Regions 1, 6, 9)
     Breakout Sessions
     Banquet & Closing Ceremony	
     Keynote Speaker: Reverend Dr. Michael J. Oleksa
         "Intercultural Communication"
 12:00 to 5:00 pm
  6:00 to 9:00 pm
  7:30 to 8:30 am
 8:30 to 11:30 am
  1:30 to 5:00 pm
  1:30 to 5:00 pm
  5:30 to 9:00 pm
  8:00 to 9:30 am
10:00 to 11:30 am

  3:30 to 5:00 pm
 8:00 to 11:30 am

 8:00 to 11:30 am
   1:30 to 5:00 pm
   1:30 to 5:00 pm
   7:00 to 9:00 pm
  Regional Sessions: are based on EPA Geographic
  Regions and are designed to be a forum for Tribes to
  discuss pertinent issues with their regional EPA staff and
  other attending agencies.

  Large Reservations/Small Reservations: are designed to
  be interactive discussions with EPA staff and other attend-
  ing agencies on issues pertinent to Tribes with either large
  and/or consolidated land bases or small and/or scattered
  land bases.

  Alaska Session: is designed as an interactive forum for
  Alaska Tribes to discuss pertinent issues with  EPA staff
  and other attending agencies.

  Field Trips: One field trip per day is planned on a space-
  limited, first-come, first-served basis (sign up at the confer-
  ence). Tentative trips include Siletz Tribe Mill Site
   (Brownfield); Siletz River Estuary Tour; Tour of EPA
   National Health and Environmental Effects Research Lab,
   Newport.
  Keynote Speaker:
  Rev. Dr. Michael J. Oleksa

  The Reverend Dr. Michael J. Oleksa has spent
  most of his adult life in Alaska, primarily in small
  rural Native communities, where he has learned
  from direct experience the importance of
  intercultural understanding and interpersonal
  communication. With his Yup'ik Eskimo wife, he
  has raised four children to adult Eskerainian or
  Ukrainiamo status.

  Father Michael has presented workshops for
  various state and federal agencies, taught at all of
  Alaska's universities, and lectured nationally and
  internationally on intercultural topics.

  His published writings in the field of theology and
  Alaska native History are overshadowed by his four
  part series produced by public television in Juneau,
  Alaska, "Communicating Across Cultures."

   He has traveled widely as a delegate to the World
   Council of Churches and spent a sabbatical year
   (1995-96) at the St. Patriarch Tikhon Orthodox
   Theological Institute in Moscow.
Agenda Topics (Tentative)

• Solid Waste: Small Transfer Stations • Federal Water
Quality Standards for Tribal Lands •Environmental
Education • Hazardous Waste Transportation and Disposal
• Alternative Energy/Pollution Reduction Alternatives •
Land Management Activities and Impacts to Water Quality
• Treatment as a State: Past, Present and Future •
Developing Tribal Infrastructure for Managing Natural
Resources • Solid Waste Recycling and Public Education
Programs • Environmental Health: Indoor Air Pollution •
Waste Wise-Pollution Prevention Partnership Program •
Dam Removal • Air Quality-Environmental Management
Systems • Underground Storage Tank Removal and
 Remediation • Jurisdictional Issues: Tribal, Federal, State •
 GIS Applications in Environmental Management • Creative
 Partnerships: Land, Water, Wetlands, Wildlife • Court
 Decisions Affecting Tribes and Their Natural Resources •
 Ocean/Coastal Issues • Tribal Environmental Knowledge:
 Developing Culturally Based Environmental Programs •
 Brownfields • Emergency Preparedness • Superfund and
 Tribes • Tribal Operations Committee & RTOCs • Water
 System Capacity Development: What is it? Why should we
 care? • Pollution and Culture: Assessing Risk to Subsis-
 tence Foods • Using Federal Statutes and Trust Responsi-
 bility to Enforce Treaty Rights • Beyond Grants: Financing
 Environmental Projects • Political Issues in the New
 Millennium • Developing and Enforcing Tribal Environmen-
 tal Codes • GAP & PPGs-Effective Project Management
 and Implementation • Sustainable Development through
 Comprehensive Planning • Regional InterTnbal Communi-
 cations Project- Federal Facilities Issues • Coastal Zone
 Management Act • NEPA & Fee to Trust Issues •

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                      N  a t  i v e    A m ericia k    N e t w o r  k
                MUNICIPAL    SOLID    WASTE
                                          www.epa.gov/tribalimsw
   The Yurok Tribe

   Cleans Up: A Story

   of Successful Open

   Dump Closure


             After decades of unchecked
             open dumping on lands
             within the Yurok
             Reservation in Northern
  California, the Yurok Tribe cleaned
  up 20 illegal dump sites and virtually
  eliminated illegal dumping, starting
  with the cleanup effort at the
  Weitchpec dump site—long
  considered the worst illegal dump site
  in Northern California.

  When the Yurok Tribal Council
  formed in 1994, the Weitchpec dump
  site had, for 40 years, defied the best
  Tribe and County efforts to eliminate
  it. Used year-round by residents of the
  region, the dump had grown to some
  1,200 cubic yards—so large that it
  spilled onto and covered one lane of
  the State highway. With the
  cooperation of the community and
 assistance from the State, Humboldt
 County, EPA, and Indian Health
 Service (IHS), the Yuroks cleaned up
 the Weitchpec site and changed
 community attitudes and behaviors.

 With the advent of the new Tribal
 government, the California Integrated
 Waste Management Board (CIWMB)
 notified the Tribe and Humboldt
 County that the  site was eligible for
 State cleanup funds because it was
 located on privately owned "fee" land.
 Tired of driving  through garbage and
 distressed with the dump as the first
impression of the reservation, Tribal
staff and reservation communities
worked together  with the Humboldt
   County Department of Public Health
   to convince the State to make the
   Weitchpec site a priority for cleanup
   funding. CIWMB awarded $600,000
   for the effort, and the cooperative
   project sped into action with the full
   support of the Tribal Council and the
   community.

   Sef Murguia, Planning Director for:
   the Yurok Tribe and its environmental
   programs, coordinated task forces,
   obtained training for Tribal cleanup
   crews, and worked with staff from
   EPA Region 9 to publicize the
   campaign. EPA's primary role was to

    WASTE
    MANAGEMENT
   IN INDIAN COUNTRY
 provide technical assistance for the
 project. EPA Solid Waste Circuit
 Rider Bob Shelnutt helped the Yuroks
 define technical issues, seek out
 resources, and facilitate solutions.

 Murguia also helped lay the         !
 groundwork with IHS to establish the
 severity of the reservation's dumping
 problem, and EPA Region 9 staff     :
 worked with IHS to obtain financial
 assistance. IHS put up $ 150,000 to
 build a transfer station to contain the
 waste before it was hauled to a county;
landfill. The State supplied lands     ;
previously used by the California
   Department of Transportation for the
   transfer station, and Humboldt County
   took responsibility for hauling and
   disposing of the refuse. "The
   Weitchpec cleanup was truly a joint
   effort involving the Tribe, the
   community, the county, and the State,"
   Murguia said.

   The Weitchpec cleanup not only
   removed a huge eyesore and public
   nuisance, it also improved air quality
   by removing the need for periodic
   burning of the refuse heap. Rats and
   other vermin that could spread disease
  quickly diminished, and, slowly,
  wildlife returned to the area. The
  cleanup also reflected well on the new
  Tribal government. Pride in the
  reservation grew, and the collective
  sentiment that illegal dumping would
  not be tolerated increased the sense of
  community.

  Spurred by the success at Weitchpec,
  the Yurok Tribal Council declared
  dumping illegal. The Yuroks began to
  educate the community on waste
 reduction and proper disposal
 methods to reduce the cost of
 operating the transfer station. With
 funding from IHS, the Tribe hired a
 private contractor to help develop a
 recycling and source reduction
 education program. Subsequently, the
 education program was presented in
 local elementary schools and at
 community and Tribal Council
 meetings. Concurrently, the Center for
 Indian Development at Humboldt
 University received funding and
 assistance from EPA to develop a
 household hazardous and solid waste
 education curriculum that Humboldt
 County elementary schools
implemented in 1995.

        Continued on page 5, column 2

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                  Native   American    Network
             MUNICIPAL    SOLID    WASTE
                                       www.epa.gov/tribalmsw
Tribes Undertake
Goal-Oriented MSW

Grant Projects

      Through its Municipal Solid
      Waste (MSW) Grant Program
      for Indian Country, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) promotes effective integrated
solid waste management practices to
federally recognized Tribes and Tribal
organizations. In 1997, eight
demonstration projects received
awards ranging from $50,000 to
$100,000 per year for up to 3 years. In
 1999, EPA awarded an additional
 $450,000 in MSW grants to Native
 American Tribes and Tribal consortia.
 The recipients are using the monies to
 help develop sustainable solid waste
 management plans, expand
 community education and outreach
 programs, encourage n"ew
 partnerships, and pursue innovative
 technologies. The following
 descriptions highlight how these
 Tribal projects help support EPA's
 goals for the MSW Grant Program.

 Goal 1: Promote the development
 and Implementation of sustainable,
 comprehensive integrated waste
 management programs.  The Navajo
  Nation Environmental Protection
  Agency (NNEPA) is working
  cooperatively with the Nation's
  Division of Community Development
  (DCD) to create an integrated solid
  waste strategy for the next 10 to
  20 years. The strategy will investigate
  and address transportation issues,
  enforcement needs, infrastructure
  development, waste generation, and
  waste reduction options for the
  Navajo Nation. The Seminole Tribe
of Florida is using its grant to
implement integrated municipal solid
waste programs to divert recyclable
and organic waste materials from the
waste stream. The effort includes a
new transfer station and recycling and
composting programs that will save
the Tribe money. These programs
reduce the need for long-distance
transportation and solid waste
disposal fees. The St. Croix
Chippewa Indians are exploring and
implementing cost-saving strategies in
the delivery of solid waste
management services to the Tribal
community. The grant  will help the
Tribe promote and implement waste
reduction, reuse, and recycling to
reduce excessive costs and help
 sustain the solid waste management
 program.

 Goal 2: Expand community
participation in the management of
 solid waste in Indian  Country. The
 Chalkyitsik Village is using its grant
 money to develop a model waste
 management plan, including public
 service announcements, in-class
 training for students, and a
 community cleanup. The Kickapoo
 Tribe of Indians' Environmental
  Office is conducting a year-long
  demonstration project to promote
  waste separation and  recycling, and to
  conduct community education and
  outreach that support these activities.
  The Meskwaki Tribe is capitalizing
  on increased public interest in solid
  waste management by educating and
  involving the community in its
  programs. Outreach activities include
  education on composting, source
  reduction, and recycling, as well as
  sponsoring community cleanups. The
  Tuscarora Nation hopes to build
  community consensus for new solid
waste regulations and enforcement
codes by videotaping Tribal Elders
recalling their memories of the former
condition of the land and quality of
life to help serve as a guide for waste
management efforts.

Goal 3: Encourage partnerships
between Tribes, surrounding
communities, and/or other Federal
or non-Federal agencies. The
Assiiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the
For t Peck Reservation are using
their MSW grant to develop a waste
disposal control strategy in
conjunction with the city of Poplar,
MT. The funds will be used to hire a
full-time employee at the transfer
 station site in Poplar, to properly and
 securely fence the site to control
 access, and to clean up the existing
 three to four open dump sites around
 Poplar. The Coeur d'Alene Tribe
 will develop and present to both
 Tribal and non-Tribal communities an
 acceptable municipal solid waste
 management plan that incorporates an
 innovative waste separation process
 including composting, recycling, land
 reclamation, and landfilling. The
 Tribe and project partners have
 formed an oversight committee to
 travel to existing material recovery
 facilities (MRFs) and assess the
 benefits and problems of MRF
 technologies.

  Goal 4: Increase the availability of
  technical assistance to all Tribes via
  information obtained and lessons
  learned. The Confederated Salish
  and Kootenai Tribes are installing
  one test plot at their landfill to
  evaluate an earthen final cover that
  relies on a new technology called
  "evapotranspiration." The Tribe will
          Continued on page 6, column 3

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 N  a t  i v e   A m  e r i d a ri    N e t w o r k
UNICIPAL    SOLI
                      www.epa.gov/tribalmsw
                                                                                 ASTE
 Sleds Offer Solution to Solid Waste Situation
         The Alaskan Native Village of
         Kipnuk faced a dilemma. Trash
         left by community members at
  honeybucket (similar to a chamber
  pot) collecting points was easily
  accessible to rummaging dogs that
  scattered litter across the surrounding
  area. A major part of the village's
  annual Cleanup and Green-Up
  Program, a voluntary community
  cleanup project held each spring,
  centered around picking up the litter
  and trash strewn around the
  honeybucket stations. A survey of
  community members by the Kipnuk
  Traditional Council (KTC) identified
  this trash left in and around the village
  as a top environmental concern.

  The village collected trash from
  residents twice a week, on Mondays
  and Fridays, but had no permanent
  dumpsters for trash containment
  between collection days. The KTC
  encouraged residents to keep their
  trash in their arctic entryways
  between collection days, but the
  villagers were reluctant to store their
 trash in their homes while awaiting
 pickup. So the honeybucket collection
 sites became popular dumping
 grounds. During the summer, the KTC
 used four all-terrain vehicle (ATV)
 carts to haul trash to the village
 landfill, but winter presented another
 problem when the carts became
 immobilized by snow and the trash
 accumulated in the village.

 The KTC conceived a plan to build
 10 wooden sleds outfitted with trash
 dumpsters and  place them near the
 honeybucket stations for use during
 the winter. The sleds would be
mobile, allowing the KTC to remove
 the waste to the landfill. They would
 serve as stationary dumpsters during
 the summer months when the ATV
 carts were used.

 The KTC received more than $5,000
 for this project under the Alaska
 Native Health Board's (ANHB)
 Alaska Solid Waste Management
 Demonstration Grant Program.  As
 part of the grant, the KTC was
 required to provide at least 5 percent
 matching  funds. The Kipnuk Light
 Plant, a subsidiary of the Kipnuk
 Traditional Council, provided the ;
 equivalent of 36 percent matching'
 funds by paying the salary and
 benefits of a skilled sled builder and
 supplying tools for the sleds'
 construction.

 Tailored after the "all bottom sled"
 widely used in  the region as a utility
 vehicle, the dumpster sled design  :
includes a  top-mounted 4-foot-wide
by 4-foot-high by 8-foot-long
                The Yurok Tribe Cleans Up, from, page 3
                In 1997, the Tribe's new
                Environmental Programs Manager, :
                Bessie Lee, coordinated a task force of
                State and Tribal staff to clean up a
                large, less visible dump near the small
                community of Cappell. Beth Godfrey,
                EPA solid waste project officer for
                California Tribes and for the California
                Area Inter-Agency Solid Waste Work
                Group, worked with EPA's Superfund
                staff to provide funding and technic4l
                assistance in the cleanup of hazardous
                wastes at the site. Additional funding
                for the waste cleanup was provided by
                IHSandCIWMB.
                                                       plywood box that will be used as a
                                                       trash receptacle. It took about 6 weeks
                                                       for a Raven AmeriCorps Member,
                                                       under the guidance of the skilled sled
                                                       builder, to build and paint 10 sleds.
                                                       All the lumber and construction
                                                       materials were purchased from the
                                                       local lumber and hardware retailer.
                                                       Marine paint was used to help the
                                                       sleds hold up under harsh Alaskan
                                                       winter conditions.  The success of the
                                                      project will be evaluated in the spring,
                                                      but the KTC anticipates  that it will
                                                      help reduce Utter and improve the
                                                      environment in the village.

                                                      For more information on this project,
                                                      please contact Nelson Anaver, Native
                                                      Village of Kipnuk Traditional
                                                      Council, at (907) 896-5515 or
                                                      kipnuk2000@aol.com. For more
                                                      information on the  Alaska Native
                                                      Health Board's Alaska Solid Waste
                                                      Management Demonstration Grants,
                                                      please contact Tina Long at
                                                      (907) 562-6006 or TLong®anhb.org #
                                    For further background on the
                                    Weitchpec cleanup, contact Sef
                                    Murguia at (707) 444-0433 or
                                    zmurguia@yuroktribe.nsn.us. To find
                                    out more about ongoing
                                    environmental
                                    activities on
                                    the Yurok        '' "•»/VA r r   '  i
                                    Reservation,

                                    =£.
                                    at the same
                                    telephone
                                    number ®

-------
                   Native    American    Netw|ork
Shosltone-Painte, from page 1

Before planning could occur, the
reservation's waste stream had to be
defined. Working with local children,
the committee conducted a waste
assessment. The result was the Duck
Valley Solid Waste Characterization
Study on which the committee based
the ISWMP. The 1-day assessment
revealed that organics comprised the
bulk of residential waste—28 percent
—while 12 percent of the waste was
mixed office paper. The high organic
content of the waste stream prompted
the committee to encourage backyard
composting of household food scraps
and yard waste. Changing waste
disposal habits, however, would
 require involving and educating Tribal
 residents.

 Marcie Phillips, of the Shoshone-
 Paiute Tribes' Environmental
 Protection Program, said that "while
 residents are much more conscious
 about waste and the environment than
 they were a few years ago, the
 education process never stops."
 Education includes making personal
 visits, encouraging volunteerism from
 within the community, publishing a
 newsletter called Talking Trash, and
 constructing an outdoor
 environmental education center. To
 target organic waste, for example, the
 committee initiated a home
 composting pilot project that involved
 educating residents through visits to
  individual homes. The committee's
  goal is to have at least 80 percent of
  households using backyard bins.

  In addition, a football-field-sized
  environmental park will provide
  residents with a hands-on experience
  in waste reduction. It will include a
  playground constructed from recycled
  materials and a home composting
  demonstration.
Managing Recyclables and
Collecting Trash. Providing residents
with a place to safely dispose of their
waste is as important as education.
With financial and technical
assistance from the Indian Health
Service (IHS), the reservation now
collects trash and recyclables at a
transfer station adjacent to the site of
the old open-pit dumps. Residents can
bring presorted recyclables, including
corrugated containers, motor oil,
aluminum, and white office paper, to
the transfer station for collection.
Collecting recyclables is the easy part;
finding markets and reasonable prices
for these materials is the real
 challenge. Current market prices for
 plastic and glass, for example, do not
 offset handling and transportation
 costs. However, Duck Valley can
 stockpile recyclables until market
 prices reach at least a break-even
 point. For materials like aluminum
 cans and corrugated containers, the
 reservation is seeking outlets in Idaho
 and Nevada. To ensure proper waste
 disposal, the transfer station is
 monitored twice each day. The
 reservation has its own solid waste
 truck that hauls trash to a landfill in
 Elko, Nevada for $20 per ton.

 While operating a transfer station and
 implementing the ISWMP can be
 costly, the Duck Valley's ISWMP is
 currently solvent. A major challenge
 for any new Tribal ISWMP is
  sustainability. To help support the
  program, the reservation charges a fee
  to major solid waste generators,
  including construction contractors.
  The reservation also charges residents
  a fee that appears on their monthly
  electric bill. As an additional source
  of income, the reservation leases its
  solid waste hauling truck to other
  Tribal programs.
Workiing With Partners and Giving
Back to Other Tribes. Duck Valley's
ISWMP owes much of its success to
public and private sector partners who
provided technical assistance,
funding, and volunteers. The U.S.
Forest Service, for example, helped
pay for trees for the outdoor
environmental education center, while
the Idaho Power Company provided a
method to collect Duck Valley's solid
waste fees on monthly electric bills. In
return, the reservation assisted other
Tribes throughout the country with
their solid waste management issues.
Tribal members have spoken at
 several Tribal conferences, and since
 word of its ISWMP success has
 spread, many  Tribes have asked Duck
 Valley's ISWMP coordinators to
 assist them on site.

 If you would like more information on
 Duck Valley's ISWMP, contact
 Marcie Phillips at
 ShoPaiTr8@aol.com ©
 MSW. Grant Projects, from page 4

 gather local environmental data to
 complete a site-specific flexibility
 review of the alternative
 evapotranspiration cover designs. The
 cover comparison will help other
 Tribes seeking site-specific flexibility
  determinations from EPA on the use of
  evapotranspiration covers to close
  open dumps and/or landfills.

  For more information on EPA's MSW
  Grant Program, or to  view the
  descriptions of the 1997 demonstration
  projects, please visit the Tribal web
  site at: http://www.epa.gov/tribalmsw
  or contact Beverly Goldblatt, U.S.
  EPA, at (703) 308-7278, or
  goldblatt.beverly@epa.gov fy

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N a t i  v e   Am  e r i
                                                                     N  e  t w o r k
                           Two Small Tribes Achieve Big Results
         Despite limited staff and
         resources, the Blue Lake
         Rancheria and Grand
  Traverse Band of Chippewa Tribes
  show that focusing on easy and
  inexpensive waste reduction activities
  can build momentum for significant
  results.

  Blue Lake Rancheria is
  Turning Green
  When Blue Lake Rancheria joined
  EPA's WasteWise Program in 1997,
  the Tribe lacked even a basic solid
  waste management program. Since
  then they have significantly reduced
  solid waste. In October 1999, the
  Tribe was recognized by EPA as the
  Waste Wise Partner of the Year in the
  Tribal Government category.

  Tall Chief Comet, the Tribe's
  environmental programs director, was
 motivated to address solid waste
 issues when he noticed the volume of
 waste paper generated by the Tribal
 office. After determining that basic
 recycling met his requirements,
 Comet placed recycling receptacles in
 convenient locations. Office personnel
 readily incorporated recycling into
 everyday routines, and the Tribe
 collected and recycled nearly
 1,000 pounds of high-grade and mixed
 office paper, 1,560 pounds of
 corrugated cardboard, and 20 pounds
 of aluminum in 1998.

 Blue Lake also began double-siding
 new documents, saving 25 pounds of
 copier paper, and reusing single-sided
 paper for draft printouts and faxes,
 conserving 44 pounds of printer paper.

 The Tribal office also runs an Elder's
 Nutrition Program that serves more
 than 500 meals each week. The meals
 originally were packaged in non-
recyclable PVC/vinyl bags. The Tribe
                  decided to change the food packaging
                  and use recyclable PET trays, which
                  conserved 60 pounds of PVC/vinyl
                  secondary packaging. Comet
                  estimates that the reduced
                  consumption of office paper and PVC/
                  vinyl bags saved the Tribe
                  approximately $250.

                  Blue Lake Rancheria continues to
                  expand its waste reduction efforts.
                 The Tribe  intends to add composting
                 to its food program and to bring the
                 recycling message to the broader
                 Tribal community. Now having to rely
                 on a small cardboard collection site in
                 a neighboring municipality, the Tribe
                 has begun  to explore funding for a
                 centralized recycling center. Blue
                 Lake Rancheria also is joining four
                 other Tribes to form a solid waste;
                 alliance to  pool resources for
                 community outreach and education.

                 Grand Traverse Band
                 of Chippewa Indians
                 Not only does the Environmental ,
                 Stewardship Program of the Grand
                 Traverse Band, another WasteWise
                 partner, tackle solid waste reduction
                 in its government offices, the Tribe
                 also targets the reservation's hotels,
                 casinos, and restaurants. Its dumpster
                 collection system for cardboard and
                 office paper recycling at the targeted
                establishments, has been relatively
                successful.  One of the restaurants has
                even expanded its recycling activities
                to include glass, tin, and plastic. The
                hotels on the reservation implemented
                another successful resource
                conservation project by letting guests
                choose whether they would like their
                sheets and towels changed every day.
                Door hangers and postcards left on the
                hotel beds describe the environmental
                savings that accompany fewer
                washings.                       !
  High staff turnover and the
  lack of formal orientation
  for new
  hires has
  made it
  difficult
  to
  conduct
  environ-
  mental
  training,
  but Patty
  O'Donnell,
  who is
  solely
  responsible
  for handling the reservation's solid
  waste management issues, visits new
  hires to ensure they have recycling
  bins at their desks and to inform them
  of the materials the Tribe recycles.
  She even provides a handy magnet
 that lists all these materials and
 explains how to recycle. Other
 employee education activities include
 incorporating the recycling and
 buying recycled messages on pay
 stubs, sending out recycling reminders
 to all employees, and including
 environmental articles in the monthly
 newsletters distributed to all  Tribal
 members  and offices. O'Donnell
 encourages household waste  reduction
 by giving out the recycling magnets
 and free composting bins. Even with
 the large number of establishments on
 the reservation and the single staff
 person available to spearhead waste
 reduction  efforts, the Grand Traverse
 Band of Chippewa Indians has made
 notable progress toward protecting the
 environment.

 For more information on EPA's
 WasteWise program, please visit then-
 website at: http://www.epa.gov/
 wastewise, call the WasteWise
Helpline at (800) EPA-WISE
 (372-9473), or e-mail ww@cais.net #

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                       Native    American    NetWork
U. S. ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY
Tribal Calendar of Events
(Revised as of December 1999)
MARCH 2000
  30-4/1   American Indian Science &
          Engineering Society (AISES)
  13" Annual National American Indian Science
   and Engineering Fair
  St. Paul. MN RiverCenter
  Karen Yarnamoto (505) 765-1052 or
  kareny©aises,org or www.aises.org
APRIL 2000
  9-12   Region 6
         The Gulf of Mexico Program
  Tribal Chiefs in the Five Gulf Coast States,
    Gulf of Mexico Symposium
  Mobile, AL
  Terry Nines Smith (228) 688-1159

  16-18  American Indian Environmental
         Office (AIEO)
  Tribal Caucus and national Indian Work
  Group
    (NIWG) Annual Meeting
  Foxwood, CT
  Clara Mtekles, NIWG (202) 260-7519
  Theresa Fleming, TOG (202) 260-3986
  17-20  National Tribal Environmental
         Council (NTEC) and
         Manshantucket PequotTribe
  NTEC Annual Conference -
    2000 Ways to Protect Mother Earth
  Foxwoods Casino, CT
  (505) 242-2175 or www.ntec.org

  18-20  EPA Region 8, hosted by Turtle
         Mountain Band of Chippewas
  EPA Region 8 Regional Tribal Operations
    Committee Meeting
  Belcourt,  ND
 MAY 2000
  1-4     Affiliated Tribes of
	Northwest Indians (ATNI)
  ATNI Mid-year Conference
  Couer d'Alene, ID
  (503) 241-0070 ortribes@atni.org

  1-5     EPA Office of Water
          Water Quality Standards Academy
;,;,"„,	(Special session for Indian Tribes)
  Chicago, IL
  Greg Smith, Great Lakes Environmental Ctr.
  (EPA contractor) (614) 487-1040

  8-11    Confederated Tribes of SileJz. Indians
          Fifth National Tribal Conference on
  Environmental  Management
  (800) 922-1399 ext. 361, (541) 444-8361;  ,
  ntcem5@ctsi.nsn.us; or
  http://ctsi.nsn.us/Envmgt/index.html
 23-26  EPA Office of
        Envirnomental Justice (OEJ)
 NEJAC Meeting - Policy Issue:
 Public Health & Environmental Justice
 Atlanta, GA
 Danny Gogal, OEJ (202) 564-2576


JUNE IZOOO
 12-16  Inter-Tribal Timber Council (ITC)
        and Nez Perce Tribe
 ITC Annual Conference
 Lewiston, ID
 (503) 282-4296

 25-2£l  National Congress of American
        Indians (NCAI)
 Mid-Year Conference
 Juneau, AK
 NCAI, Washington, DC (202) 466-7767


JULY J'OOO
  11-13  EPA Region 8, hosted by
         Confederated Salish &
         Kootenai Tribes
  EPA Region 8  Regional Tribal Operations
    Committee Meeting
	Polsqn, MT

  NOTE:   Periodically, the calendar is updated.
  Please report any changes to Clara Mickles,
  AIEO at  (202)  260-7519 or e-mail at
  Mickles.Clara@epamail.gov
                             by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste. The views expressed in Native American Network are those of.the
 *Mrl or represent EPA policy. Providing Tribes with information about OSWER programs and related activities is the purpose of the Afebva
 American NuSwtSfk. Contact us with your ideas for future articles, or submit your own articles for publication.

 Editor; Stephen B. Etsitty (703) 305-3194
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