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.
-------
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 *
-------
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
-------
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 •
-------
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
-------
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
-------
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
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of SolW Waste (5303W)
401 M Street, SW
Washington, D,C. 20460
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300
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