VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1 • SUMMER 2019
NATIONAL EPA-TRIBAL SCIENCE COUNCIL (TSC)
EPA
Tribal Science
Bulletin
Two-Eyed Seeing: Integrating Indigenous Research Frameworks
In December 2018, the TSC
attended an Indigenous Research
Frameworks Training Workshop
presented at the TSC's face-to-face
meeting in Pensacola, Florida. The
meeting was held at EPA's Gulf
Ecology Division (GED)
Laboratory, which is part of the
Office of Research and
Development's National Health
and Environmental Effects
Research Laboratory. EPA staff,
including the GED Director, also
attended.
The training was originally
developed as part of "Sowing
Synergy," a graduate program of
the State University of New York
College of Environmental Science
and Forestry (SUNY-ESF}. SUNY-
ESF was also the host site for the
TSC's Traditional Ecological
Knowledge (TEK) Workshop held
in 2013. In many ways, the
Frameworks training is a follow-
up to a key message shared at the
TEK Workshop: "TEK can be
described as an approach
to knowledge generation
and is as valid as western
science for many
purposes."
SUNY-ESF graduate student Brian Ratcliffe
presents the concept of "two-eyed seeing" for
TSC members and EPA staff. Photo courtesy of
Neii Patterson.
Understanding knowledge
generation is a critical
theme of the Frameworks
training, which was
created by four Native and four
non-Native SUNY-ESF students.
Two of these students, Annie
Sorrell (Bitterroot Salish Tribe]
and Brian Ratcliffe, agreed to
deliver a version of the workshop
for the TSC. Annie is a Master of
Science candidate studying
aromatic plants on the Flathead
Reservation in Montana, and Brian
is pursuing a dual-degree, a Master
of Professional Studies in applied
ecology at SUNY-ESF and a
Master of Public
Administration at the
Maxwell School of Syracuse
University. Both are
interested in how TEK
applies to their research.
Unfortunately, Annie was
unable to attend at the last
minute, so Brian presented
the training beginning with
an acknowledgement of the
indigenous peoples of
Pensacola. Land
acknowledgment is an
important introduction for
TEK IS AS
VALID AS
WESTERN
SCIENCE FOR
MANY
PURPOSES.
each gathering and serves to
ground participants in the long-
term history of the place they
stand, physically and
intellectually.
The training covered
terminology associated with
TEK and western science,
power and trauma dynamics,
and indigenous metaphors for
multiple "ways of knowing."
Brian used Onondaga Lake as
a case example, a sacred site of the
Haudenosaunee People in upstate
New York that is undergoing a
massive remedial and restorative
effort today. This example reminds
us that conflicting worldviews
underlie perceptions of the natural
world and can result in
disagreements about what it
means to protect human health
and the environment.
Research in Indian country is
currently experiencing a sea
change, inspired partly by
indigenous people making
scientists aware of the mistakes of
the past and charting a new course
for the future. Past scientific
research with Indigenous partners
(Continued on page 3]
Inside this issue
Science Update
2-3
Key Dates & Events
3
Region 1 Spotlight
4

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EPA Tribal Science Bulletin
SCIENCE UPDATE	
The "3Ts": Addressing Potential Lead Exposures in Tribal Schools
In May 2018, EPA Region 6
invited tribal nations within the
region to partner with EPA to
conduct voluntary lead testing
of drinking water in tribal
schools, daycare centers and
Head Start facilities served by
tribal water systems regulated
by Region 6.
Nine tribes responded and
partnered with Region 6 to
conduct sampling at 24 facilities
in New Mexico, Oklahoma and
Texas: Alabama-Coushatta
Tribe of Texas, Choctaw Nation
of Oklahoma, Pueblo of Cochiti,
Pueblo of Jemez, Sac & Fox
Nation, Pueblo of San Felipe,
Pueblo of Santa Ana, Taos
Pueblo, and Pueblo of Zia. On
April 3, 2019, EPA Region 6
proudly recognized these tribes
for their commitment to
protecting children's health at
the 22nd Annual Tribal
Environmental Summit in
Dallas.
EPA has created a program
highlighting the "3Ts" (Training,
Testing and Taking Action) to
bring awareness to potential
lead exposures in schools.
Region 6's work decreases the
number of tribal schools that
have not conducted testing and
assists tribes in initiating their
own programs to regularly
monitor lead in school drinking
water. In support of the effort,
EPA Region 6 provides
sampling bottles, sample
analysis and recommended
follow-up actions based on
sampling results. The sampling
effort is ongoing, with a target
completion date of December
2020.
To learn more about the 3Ts for
Reducing Lead in Drinking
Water, please visit
www.epa.gov/ ground-water-
and-drinking-water/3ts-
reducing-lead-drinking-water-
toolkitQ
EPA Acting Deputy Administrator
Mr. Henry Darwin (far left), EPA Region
6 Acting Regional Administrator Mr.
David Gray (far right), and EPA Region 6
Tribal Affairs Director Mr. Arturo Blanco
(top center) recognizing the Pueblo of
San Felipe, represented by Councilman
Michael T. Sandovai and Environmental
Specialist Ms. Lisa Hopinkah. Photo
courtesy of EPA Region 6.
Lead Awareness in Indian Country: Keeping Our Children Healthy
TSC members continue to
collaborate with the National
Tribal Toxics Committee and
EPA's Office of Chemical Safety
and Pollution Prevention to
take action to eliminate
childhood lead exposures
through a tribally driven
approach and development of a
tribally relevant lead
curriculum, "Lead Awareness in
Indian Country: Keeping Our
Volume 3, Issue 1 ••• Page 2	
Children Healthy!" The
curriculum's intended audience
is parents, grandparents, tribal
leaders, teachers, daycare
workers, health care providers,
and youth ages 12 and up. The
curriculum is designed to be
taught by community leaders
with experience educating and
training members of their tribal
communities. Before finalizing
the lead curriculum and making
it publicly available, the
curriculum will be tested
through a pilot test at the
Oneida Nation on July 9 and 10,
2019. The primary goal of the
pilot test is to gather
community feedback and then
make any necessary revisions
to ensure that the curriculum is
ready to be published and
distributed later this fall. O

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National EPA-Tribal Science Council
SCIENCE UPDATE
Integrating Tribal Science Needs Into EPA's Research Priorities
In July 2018, the TSC engaged
with EPA's Office of Research
and Development's National
Research Programs at the TSC's
face-to-face meeting in
Cincinnati. The TSC shared
information on tribal science
needs that could inform the
development of ORD's six
Strategic Research Action Plans
for fiscal years 2019-2022.
These tribal science needs were
collated from engagements with
each of the EPA-Tribal
Partnership Groups and
Regional Tribal Operations
Committees. Plans have been
developed by each of the six
programs: Air and Energy,
Chemical Safety for
Sustainability, Homeland
Security, Human Health Risk
Assessment, Safe and
Sustainable Water Resources,
and Sustainable and Healthy
Communities. The TSC looks
forward to re-engaging with the
ORD's National Research
Programs to discuss ORD
research that is relevant to
those identified needs and
provide a forum for continuing
engagement with tribes. O
Indigenous Research Frameworks Training Workshop (cont)
(Continued from page 1)
usually meant that the scientist
designed the research goals
and methodologies
independent from the
community. As Brian reminded
the TSC and EPA, "Institutions
never remember...and
communities never forget."
The workshop ended with
references to several scholars
who are illuminating the new
indigenous research paradigm
of "knowing where you stand,"
which includes following
cultural protocols, identifying
research goals in partnership
with indigenous communities,
developing relationships for
long-term knowledge-sharing,
providing useful research
results, and ensuring that
community members
understand how their words
are being represented before
publishing them.
Many thanks to the Center for
Native Peoples and the
Environment at SUNY-ESF and
the students who developed
the original Two-Eyed Seeing
Workshop: Cynthia Coleman,
Kaya Deer-In-Water, Loga
Fixico, Johanna Lumsden, Tom
Mackey, Annabel Roberts-
McMichael, Brian Ratcliffe,
Annie Sorrel and Tusha
Yakovleva.O
Key Dates & Events
•	Region 7 Quarterly Regional Tribal
Operations Committee Meeting,
July 16-18, Reserve, KS
•	Region 6 Regional Tribal Operations
Committee Meeting, July 17, TBD, NM
•	Region 9 Summer Regional Tribal
Operations Committee Meeting,
July 23-25, Fort Bragg, CA
•	Tribal Lands and Environment Forum,
August 19-22, Palm Springs, CA
•	Region 7 Regional Tribal Operations
Committee Monthly Call, August 2 2
•	Region 1 Tribal Leaders Summit,
September 4, Uncasville, CT
•	Region 1 Tribal Environmental
Summit, September 5-6,
Uncasville, CT
•	Environmental Council of the States
Meeting, September 24-26,
Seattle, WA
•	Region 9 Annual Tribal/EPA
Conference, October 21-24,
Maricopa, AZ
•	Region 7 Quarterly Regional Tribal
Operations Committee Meeting,
October 22-24, TBD
•	E-Enterprise for the Environment
Leadership Council Meeting,
October 23-24, Washington, D.C.
Page 3 ••• Summer 2019

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EPA Tribal Science Bulletin
SPOTLIGHT ON: REGION 1
William Longfellow, TSC Region 1 Tribal Representative
My name is William Longfellow. I am member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe of
the coastal community of Pleasant Point, Maine. Pleasant Point is also known by
the Passamaquoddy People as Sipayik. Sipayik translates to "by the edge" in the
Passamaquoddy language. I work for the Sipayik Environmental Department as
the Water Quality Programs Manager and Water Quality Technician. I am also
involved with the department's Climate Change Program and the Environmental
Science and Fisheries Program. I have worked for the department since June
2012.1 am also actively working toward the future of the program and setting
goals, such as using more remote monitoring technology so that the Water
Resource Program can continuously monitor sites on Passamaquoddy lands
located far away from Pleasant Point.
Photo courtesy of William
Longfe aw.	Outside of my job in the Sipayik Environmental Department, I take part in the
commercial fishery of Elvering. I am also very interested in culture and history. In my free time, I enjoy
learning about other cultures and the history of other people from around the world. I also like to take
part in community and cultural events in Pleasant Point. Outside of my community, one of my favorite
annual festivals is the Eastport Pirates Festival, which takes place in Eastport, Maine. I am a huge Star
Wars fan and enjoy the original trilogy the most. One of my favorite things to do is attend metal and rock
music shows. I enjoy grilling food in the summer time, and my favorite type of seasoning when I grill or
cook is Cajun.
Robert Hillger, Retired TSC Region 1 EPA Representative
The TSC congratulates Robert (Bob) Hillger on his retirement after a 33-year
career with EPA. Bob served on the TSC since its inception in 1999 and was
instrumental in shaping many of the TSC's activities and outputs. Bob began
his EPA career in 1985 with the Office of Research and Development in
Edison, New Jersey, and eventually served a 1-year detail with the Region 9
tribal program, working with the Navajo Nation environmental program.
Ultimately, he became the Region 1 Senior Science Advisor, working with
states, tribes, academia and communities. Bob enjoyed working on many
projects with tribal nations, including working with the Penobscot Nation on
river ecological human health risk assessment involving cultural practices
and on an air quality monitoring station with the Micmac Nation. Bob met his
future wife while vacationing on the Cape and settled back into his
hometown of Newburyport, Massachusetts. He is enjoying spending time
with her and their family after leaving EPA in late 2018. The TSC wishes Bob a wonderful retirement!
Photo courtesy of Bob
Hillger.
DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TSC OR THE NEWSLETTER? CONTACT MONICA RODIA,
TSC Executive Secretary, EPA Office of Science Policy, at rodia.monica@epa.gov or (202) 564-8322.
Volume 3, Issue 1 ••• Page 4

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