svEPA

United States
Environmental Protection
Agency

TRIBAL WASTE

JOURNAL

Building Effective Partnerships
with States and Localities to
Protect Tribal Lands

Issue #14
February 2024
EPA 530-F-24-001


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Welcome

Welcome to the Tribal Waste Journal (TWJ). Each issue features a different waste-
related topic and presents ideas, approaches, and activities successfully employed by
Tribes and Alaskan Native Villages.

The TWJ is published annually Previous issues are available at:
www epa. gov/tribal-lands/tribal-waste-i ournal

Contact information

Tonya Barnett

U.S. EPA Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery
barnett.tonva@epa.gov

Kim Katonica

U.S. EPA Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery
katonica.kim@epa.gov

Acknowledgments

TRIBAL NATIONS

•	The Cherokee Nation:

Shaun West, Environmental Programs Manager

•	The Blackfeet Nation:

Gerald Wagner, Environmental Director

•	The Tuscarora Nation:

Rene Rickard, Environment Director

•	Igiugig Village Council:

AlexAnna Salmon, President

EPA

•	Roger Hancock, Tribal Solid Waste Coordinator,
Region 6


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Contents

Building Partnerships	4

Turning the Tide Together: Partnerships Leading the Way in Tuscarora's Environmental Mission	8

Forging Alliances: Cherokee Nation's Collaborations with Communities Serve a Wide Area	12

Small, Remote Alaska Community Successfully Manages Waste - For Over Two Decades!	15

Relationships and Trust Form Building Blocks for Blackfeet Nation's Sustainable Waste Solutions .... 19

Building Partnerships to Tackle Solid Waste Challenges on Tribal Lands ............................................. 22

Technical Assistance and Funding Resources....................................................................................... 25

Kid's Corner						 28

\ I

The Blackfeet Environmental Department uses equipment provided with funding from partnerships with Indian Health
Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and other federal agency collaborations. (Photo courtesy Blackfeet Reservation)


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Building Partnerships

Managing solid waste and environmental programs are costly and intensive, not
just for Tribal communities but also for local and state governments. There are
many challenges for Tribes tackling waste management issues including:

•	The small size and remoteness of many Tribal communities,

•	Insufficient access to training and technical support programs,

•	Limited availability of, and difficulty retaining staff,

•	Cross-jurisdictional challenges, and

•	Lack of consistent funding for operation and maintenance.

To overcome these barriers, many Tribes partner with states, local
governments, Tribal entities, and other Tribes to open lines
of communication and share resources. These partnerships
can result in combining resources on projects that might
otherwise be too costly. In other cases, it's the Tribe with
funding and resources that choose to partner with non-
Tribal neighboring communities on events or projects,
reaching a wider area and population. Partnering and
collaborating can benefit the environment and future
generations in ways that aren't constrained by
boundaries or borders.


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Partnership Benefits

Tribes can gain significant economic, technical, and environmental benefits from
partnering. Here's some reasons why:

Greater economies of scale.

Pooling financial and administrative
resources can help Tribes and local
governments achieve projects that
might otherwise be too expensive alone.
Partnering on resources can save each
entity money in the short term and
long term and improve services to their
communities.

Protecting community
health and the environment.

Partnerships make more options
and opportunities available - like
sharing resources for cleanup days or
hazardous waste collection events -
thereby providing more protection and
sustainability to your community and the
environment around it.

Increase compliance
with state and federal
regulatory guidelines.

Partnering often increases access to
funding opportunities and technical
assistance. This helps build resources and
know-how to increase a Tribe's waste
management skills and departmental
capacity, often avoiding liabilities
that can result from improper waste
management. Additionally, state and
federal agencies benefit from partnering
with Tribal communities by supporting
improved compliance and potentially
reducing the need for costly cleanups
down the road.

Increases opportunities for
funding and support.

Some grants require collaboration
and partnerships while other grant
opportunities will score projects with
partners higher. Each partner can bring
different skills, experience, and resources
to the project, making it possible to
meet requirements for different funding
programs.

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Establishing Relationships

It can be daunting to initiate partnerships. Non-Tribal entities often struggle to
understand Tribal sovereignty and how Tribes operate as a government. But
awareness about cross-cultural and Tribal communities is growing. When local and
state governments have shown an openness and respect for Tribal communities,
partnerships have grown into meaningful relationships. Here's some ways to initiate
communications with a local, state, or federal counterpart.

Contact local, state, and regional Tribal Liaisons
within agencies.

Tribal Liaisons are experienced at connecting Tribal and non-Tribal
entities. The EPA Tribal Waste Management Coordinators across the
regions can also assist Tribes in making connections with local and
state contacts. Intertribal consortia are also a great place to start when
building partnerships or for resources in finding partners.

Make it personal.

Start with a phone call or email. Meet up or chat one-on-one. Share
information about your community and environmental goals and try
to find shared goals. Find out what similar projects or challenges
other entities are facing. Attend existing meetings to network and
learn more about the issues that other communities in your area
are concerned about and the solutions that others have tried. Invite
potential partners to your Tribe's meetings to observe, if allowed,
or invite them to other events or host a site visit to help them get to
know your community.

Understand the process.

Each Tribe's governmental entities and governance structure are
unique, and sometimes so are non-Tribal entities. Partnerships may
need to be more formalized in agreements for some entities; other
entities may empower their solid waste department to engage with
counterparts on Tribal lands without formal agreements.

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Potential Obstacles

While partnerships can offer advantages, there are potential barriers to be aware
of. These obstacles don't mean a partnership is impossible, only that there may not
currently be an opportunity to partner in a formal way on a specific project or issue.

Different goals.

While neighboring communities might share many common
waste management needs and concerns, disparities in population,
geography, culture, and other characteristics can create obstacles
to Tribes and non-Tribal communities identifying or agreeing upon
specific projects. Even if there aren't specific projects you can build
a partnership on currently, keep the lines of communication open in
case a future opportunity for partnering comes along.

Jurisdiction challenges.

Multijurisdictional programs can face varying regulations. Tribes that
straddle two or more jurisdictions, such as a reservation and nearby
county, might need to resolve issues raised by conflicting laws,
regulations, and integrated waste management plans by contacting
your EPA Tribal Waste Management Coordinator.

Keep It Going

Maintaining partnerships can be challenging, especially
when organizations face turnover. If you have a successful
and meaningful partnership, try to bring in other department
staff into the fold so those partnerships don't falter when
staff changes. Part of building and maintaining partnerships
is to bridge changes in personnel. You can also enlist the
help of federal agencies. The Bureau of Indian Affairs,
the Indian Health Service, and the EPA provide Tribal
communities with technical and financial assistance to
facilitate environmental waste management programs and
support partnerships, making them sustainable.

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The Tuscarora Nation partners with state and federal agencies on cleanup efforts and events, like the annual Roadside Cleanup here.

Turning the Tide Together:
Partnerships Leading the Way in
Tuscarora's Environmental Mission

Through years of effort and relationship building, the
Tuscarora Nation developed partnerships with state and
federal agencies.

Growing up on the Tuscarora Nation, near
Niagara Falls in New York state, Rene Rickard
remembers roadside cleanup days and her mother
burning household garbage, like many residents
did at that time. She also recalls stories about
an old Army site that had been abandoned when
her mother was a child. She did not know that
years later as Tuscarora's Environmental Program
Director she would address some of the Nation's
most troublesome waste issues by forging
collaborations with local and regional partners.

"I never thought I'd be the generation cleaning it
up," she said. "But it's the TEP now and we're all
working on this together."

The Tuscarora Environment Program (TEP) is a
subsidi ary of the Haudenosaunee Environmental
Task Force (F1ETF), formed in 1992 by the Grand
Council of the Flaudenosaunee Confederacy.
Following the United Nations Earth Summit in
Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the FTaudenosaunee held
a Grand Council to discuss the environmental

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"When I started there were a lot of people burning garbage,
but I think overyears of education it has really diminished."

degradation of its communities. In accordance
with the Great Law of Peace, the Grand Council
passed and agreed, based on Haudenosaunee
protocols and cultural beliefs, to establish HETF.

TEP began in 1997 and Ms. Rickard joined
the program in 1998, working in water testing
and monitoring. Ms. Rickard's involvement,
knowledge, and responsibilities increased as the
environmental program grew.

"And 25 years later, I'm still here," she said. "I'm
doing different tasks, but still trying to figure out
how we can keep our environment clean, and our
lands clean here at Tuscarora."

Now, she and a staff" of four have many
responsibilities, including hazardous waste
collections, an annual road cleanup, and
addressing illegal dumping. They conduct
continuous outreach and education, including a
monthly newsletter.

TEP serves approximately 300 homes within the
Tuscarora Nation. There is a private, commercial
landfill near the reservation, and that company
provides trash pickup, making it possible for
individual households to manage their garbage.
Ms. Rickard has fostered a good relationship
with the landfill company. She and her staff work
to encourage households to sign up for garbage
services, although some face financial constraints
that lead to other options, like burning trash. Her
program's outreach efforts seem to have stemmed
some of that.

"When I started there were a lot of people burning
garbage, but I think over years of education it has
really diminished," she said.

TEP also actively promotes recycling within the
community and is exploring ways to encourage
waste reduction. The program recently visited a
recycling facility in Buffalo, New York, to gain

insights into the recycling process. Witnessing the
manual labor involved in separating recyclables
from non-recyclables was an eye-opener, Ms.
Rickard said, emphasizing the need for more
responsible recycling habits.

"It was very enlightening, even to me to just see
their process," she said. "So, we're really going
to try to push our community to make sure that
they're recycling properly."

One of the most significant solid waste challenges
for the Tuscarora Nation is illegal dumping.
Ms. Rickard explained that people from outside
the Nation's territory often dump various types
of waste, including hazardous materials, on
Tuscarora land. This issue has persisted for
years, with instances including household trash,
a file cabinet of records from a doctor's office,
appliances, and electronics.

Illegal tire dumping is a particular challenge for the Tuscarora
Nation Environmental Program.

Tire disposal has been a particularly vexing
problem, with the Tuscarora Nation having to
remove over 15,000 tires from their community in
the past 25 years. Tire disposal collection events
have helped curb tire stockpiling, collecting 300-
400 tires at each event. Ms. Rickard and her staff
often conduct one-on-one outreach with residents
who they know might stockpile tires because

Tribal Waste Journal I


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the residents either do not know or cannot afford
to dispose of them properly. But it also puts a
significant financial burden on Ms. Rickard's
program to then dispose of the tires.

The Nation has also made strides in addressing
illegal dumping not just through the TEP staffs
persistence, but also by building partnerships with
state and federal agencies, especially with the
New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation (DEC). The partnership formed
a few years ago when the DEC officer assisted
Ms. Rickard in an incident when 1,200 tires were
illegally dumped on the Nation's land. Now they
help each other monitor illegal dumping activities
both on and off the Tuscarora Nation.

"We work very close to making sure we're
keeping an eye on illegal dumpers," she said.

The partnership recently resulted in a significant
victory for the Nation. A resident from the
nearby city of Niagara Falls drove a U-Haul
onto the Tuscarora Nation, down a dirt lane, and

unloaded the truck full of trash. While leaving the
Nation, he got the U-Haul stuck in the mud and
abandoned it. Ms. Rickard called the DEC officer
who helped to track down the man who rented the
U-Haul. Law enforcement confronted him, and he
admitted to dumping the trash. Still, the cleanup
fell to TEP staff.

"And so, at that point, we went in, we cleaned it
up and disposed of everything," Ms. Rickard said.
"There were a lot of electronics in there, and the
disposal fee to take it to the landfill was about
$375, not including our time and our equipment."

The perpetrator went to court in a nearby town -
Tuscarora Nation can authorize DEC to take legal
action against illegal dumping on Nation territory
since Tuscarora does not have a court system.
The judge ordered restitution but for the first
time in Ms. Rickard's memory, the judge ordered
the restitution to be paid to the Tuscarora Nation
rather than New York state. That was a big win for
Ms. Rickard's program.

Volunteers assist with the annual Roadside Cleanup

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"In the 25 years we've caught people, this is the
first time we got at least some of our expenses
back," she said. "It didn't become a burden on my
program to pay $500 to dispose of all that stuff. I
know it sounds small, but at the end of the day, it
still comes out of our program funding."

Ms. Rickard stressed the importance of building
relationships with other agencies, even if
personnel change over time, and of remaining
persistent.

"I had been raising this problem about tires
for over 10 years, before we finally got this
relationship," she said. "And it happened last
year, when finally, the state DEC and EPA came
together to tiy to work with the Nation on these
issues - it took a long time. So, it gets tiresome
sometimes. But you must keep being persistent
in talking to whoever you can talk to about it.
And finally, you'll get the right people in there.
Because the reality is, I've been here for 25 years,
and I've seen so many different people in the
government agencies change. And each time it's
going to be a new person, that's going to be a
new set of ears. You just have to be persistent and
passionate."

That persistence resulted in a formal partnership
between the EPA, New York State DEC, and the
Tuscarora Nation aimed at combating illegal tire
dumping on Nation land. The EPA provides some
financial support to curb the amount of roadside
dumping, and DEC provides enforcement
assistance. New York DEC Commissioner Basil
Seggos and EPA Region 2 Administrator Lisa
Garcia recently visited the Tuscarora Nation to
honor the partnership.

Ms. Rickard hopes with these relationships in
place, the Nation can continue curbing illegal
dumping and asserting its pride in Tuscarora's
land

"This is what it comes down to - you must
continue being that voice for the natural world
because at the end of the day, even though the
animals and the plants are resilient, they still
need our voice. It's that voice for the future
generations, so when they walk across this Earth,
and when it's my time to leave, I know that I've
done the best that I can."

New York DEC Commissioner
Basil Seggos and EPA Region 2
Administrator Lisa Garcia visit the
Tuscarora Nation,

All photos in this article courtesy
Tuscarora Nation.

Tribal Waste Journal I 11


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Interesting'

resting Facts





Reduce - Reuse - Recycle

Reduce

Cherokee Nation environmental staff assist at a hazardous waste collection event in Sallisaw, Oklahoma in 2020.

Forging Alliances: Cherokee
Nation's Collaborations with
Communities Serve a Wide Area

By leading local waste collection efforts, Cherokee Nation
becomes mentor to other Tribes and communities.

As one of the largest environmental departments
on one of the largest reservations in the country,
the Cherokee Nation's Environmental Programs
Department covers most of northeastern
Oklahoma and a variety of environmental
activities. In recent years, the program has
focused some of its efforts on hazardous waste
collection efforts, e-waste collection events, and
participation in the EPA's National Tribal Waste
Management Peer Matching Program. Shaun West

is the Cherokee Nation Environmental Programs
Manager. He said some of the Nation's recent
solid waste efforts have been community driven.

"People here at the Nation, when we polled them
about what they really were concerned about, it
was household hazardous waste and e-waste," Mr.
West said.

Mr. West took that as a directive. A few years
ago, his department applied for and received

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several grants through EPA's Hazardous Waste
Management Grant Program for Tribes and the
Indian General Assistance Program for Tribes
covering hazardous waste and e-waste collection
efforts. The pressure to address e-waste originated
with other departments at the Cherokee Nation.

"The employees got us started on e-waste," Mr.
West said. "Our own people were asking us,

'what do we do with these thousands of printer
cartridges and computers that get replaced?'

They were trying to be good stewards of the
environment, and came to us, the Environmental
Programs Department, to help them."

But the hazardous waste collection efforts had
an even wider impact. The Environmental
Programs Office at Cherokee Nation established
collection events in several communities
around the Cherokee Nation. The department
collaborates with towns and municipalities on
many of the events, fostering relationships with
local governments. Often, these communities
don't have the resources Mr. West has, but they
welcome the events and eagerly help organize and
cooperate.

"Some of the small cities and towns don't have
the staff or the money to do these kinds of things,"
Mr. West said. "But we see excellent results
in these areas, so they go out of their way to
help us make these events work out. We build
relationships with those leaders, and they know
their own community better than anybody."

In some areas, the communities will continue the
events on a regular basis on their own, modeled
after what they learned by watching Cherokee
Nation's efforts.

"Sometimes we're able to kickstart them into
maybe thinking, or showing them, that it's not so
difficult," Mr. West said. "Maybe they could do it
again themselves."

The success of these programs is measured not
only by the quantity of waste collected, but also
by the heightened awareness and participation of
community members. In many of the rural areas,
households have had waste like oil, paint, or other
unknown substances stored for years. People have
stockpiled items they didn't want to improperly
dispose of, but also didn't know how else to deal
with it or couldn't afford to.

"A lot of people here are 80, 90, 100 miles away
from a collection center for some of these things,"
Mr. West said. "So, you're not going to drive that
used oil 200 miles round trip. I mean, it's just
economically not feasible for many people. But
people here care about the environment and take
care of things a little differently because there's
a lack of environmental justice in rural areas,
especially when asking people to deal with some
of these expensive waste issues. That's why these
events are just as important in these rural areas as
they are in big cities."

Cars line up to drop off items at a hazardous waste collection event in Tahlequah, Oklahoma in 2021,

Tribal Waste Journal I 13


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The Cherokee Nation's commitment to environmental
stewardship goes beyond its own community. Mr. West and his
staff participate in EPA's National Tribal Waste Management
Peer Matching Program, serving as a mentor to other Tribes
facing waste management challenges. This program facilitates
peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and offers funding and travel
scholarships for Tribes to visit one another, or meet virtually,
and gain insight into waste management solutions.

"We participated because, why reinvent the
wheel?" Mr. West said, "We've addressed a
lot of solid waste issues in our department,
and we're a big organization. Some of the
Tribes don't have as much staff as we do,
and they haven't done as many events. So,
it's easy to kind of give them a pointer here
and there."

Mr. West said sharing knowledge and experiences saves time
and money for a common cause of interest across Indian
country.

"It ends up saving everybody time and money in the long ran,
that's kind of the way we look at it," Mr. West said. "That's
how we all learn. No one came in here and said, 'Okay, I
know everything about environmental issues or about waste
in the world, and I'm going to do it from scratch.' That's
impossible."

One key factor in the success of Cherokee Nation's program
is its close relationship with the community. The department
ensures that every program includes a community component,
emphasizing the importance of involving community members
in environmental initiatives. The Tribal community's trust in
Environmental Programs is underpinned by the knowledge,
dedication, and absence of staff turnover, ensuring the
continuity and sustainability of these programs for generations
to come.

"I like to think after all these years that we have a really good
feel for the communi ty, a great relationship with them," Mr.
West said. "I think they understand that, look, we really care.
We really try. I've been working here 31 years, and I'm proud
of the things that we've put together here."

14 I Tribal Waste Journal

A hazardous waste collection event in Vinita,
Oklahoma in 2020.

Cherokee Nation environmental staff assist
at a hazardous waste collection event in Ft.
Gibson, Oklahoma in 2020.

Cherokee Nation environmental staff assist
at an electronic waste collection event in
Tahlequah, Oklahoma in 2023.

All photos in this article courtesy Cherokee
Nation.


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Igiugig community leaders welcome EPA Administrator Michael Regan to the Village in Alaska's Bristol Bay region in August
2023 during the EPA's Journey to Justice program tour. (Photo courtesy EPA)

Small, Remote Alaska Community
Successfully Manages Waste -
For Over Two Decades!

Alaska Native Village maximizes federal resources and
partnerships to forge its own path toward sustainability
and resiliency.

Nobody throws away a pop can in Igiugig.

Anyone old enough to drink a soda knows that
the can gets recycled and will end up hundreds
of miles away in a recycling facility through a
well-established web of travel, connections, and
effort. It's just one of the reasons Igiugig's solid
waste management has become an example across
Alaska and Tribal communities of how to manage
waste responsibly and inspire change.

Igiugig is a Village of about 70 people located
in southwestern Alaska, on the south bank of the
mouth of the Kvichak River and Lake Iliamna.
The word Igiugig means "Like a throat that
swallows water" in the Yup'ik language. There are
no roads; the only way in and out of the Village
is by small plane or boat. Anchorage is about 240
air miles from Igiugig. But the Village is known
around the state and beyond for the way it handles

Tribal Waste Journal I 15


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waste, resources, and how the community has
built partnerships to achieve its goals. It even
gained recognition from EPA's Administrator,
Michael Regan, when he visited Igiugig in the
summer of 2023 as part of his five-day tour of
Alaska.

"It was an immense honor to host the EPA
Administrator in Igiugig, and to share the heart
of Bristol Bay - the clean water, air, intact
environment, and a way of life our Tribes have
worked so tirelessly together to protect," said
AlexAnna Salmon, Igiugig Tribal Village Council
President.

The foundation of Igiugig's solid waste program
was laid over two decades ago when AlexAnna's
father, Dan Salmon, was serving as Tribal
Administrator. He invited students to clean up
trash and pop cans for money and coupons for
soda. They called themselves the Can Crushers
Club. Mr. Salmon even showed up to help the
kids.

"My dad, even as a Tribal Administrator, would
always show up when we were recycling cans,
and he would use the compactor sometimes to
crush a bunch of them," AlexAnna Salmon said.
"And then it became veiy clear, you couldn't
throw cans at the dump."

The funding received for the recycled cans are
donated to the Tribes' suicide prevention program
which is often used for youth and cultural
activities for the community. The success of
this initiative led to the creation of a dedicated
solid waste program under the Indian General
Assistance Program (IGAP). Recycling bins were
distributed to every household, and recycling
became ingrained in daily life. AlexAnna, her
family, and others continue her father's example.

"It's my most powerful example of how you
get a mountain to move, like that philosophical,
fundamental shift in a community," she said. "And
that concentration on the youth is so key that
we've really built it into all of our programming."

Igiugig Tribal Village Council President AlexAnna Salmon
welcomes EPA Administrator Regan to Igiugig. (Photo
courtesy EPA)

Backhauling is the key to Igiugig's recycling
success. In Can Crusher Days, Igiugig partnered
with the pilots and planes that brought in the
mail to fly out recyclables. Over time, Igiugig's
solid waste program evolved and transitioned to
more sophisticated waste management practices.
The Village moved from an open landfill located
behind the school, to an Alaska class-three
landfill, which allowed for the segregation of
materials such as glass and e-waste. A highly
efficient burn and bury system was implemented,
alongside a compost pile for food waste.

This evolution was driven by a shared sense of
responsibility and a commitment to preserving
the environment. It was not just about managing
waste; it was about understanding the importance
of clean water and clean air, which are deeply
connected to the community's wellbeing.

Igiugig's landfill operation expanded beyond
waste management to encompass a broader
community vision. They initiated a Village
beautification program, maintaining public
buildings, mowing lawns, and planting flowers.

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This sense of pride extended to regular Village-
wide cleanup events that engage the entire
community.

There is no localized non-Tribal government in
Igiugig. There is the Native Village Corporation
and the Tribe itself. Ms. Salmon says the entities
work well together. But some of Igiugig's most
important partnerships are with their regional
neighbors. At least a dozen remote fishing
lodges surround the area, offering high end trips
to visitors to fish for salmon, Arctic Greyling,
trout, and pike. Those lodges must secure land
use permits from the Village Corporation to
operate. To secure those permits, the privately
owned lodges engage with the Igiugig Tribe to
recycle, compost, and dispose of their solid waste
responsibly. The circular partnerships ensure the
region maintains environmental health.

"So, if you're not going to follow Village rules,
or comply, you're likely going to not receive a
land permit to use the land," Ms. Salmon said.
"That's a good system. That's a motivating
factor."

The Village continues partnership with freight
shippers to backhaul recycling and other waste not

suitable for the landfill; freight comes in on planes
or barges, and the Village sends recyclables,
hazardous waste, and other items out. The system
isn't always perfect or easy, but the practice is
engrained now. The Village is proud to share both
successes, challenges, and lessons learned with
other communities.

"We're very vocal about sharing our message,"
Ms. Salmon said. "And now it's just normal.
It's been normalized, and it's routine. We share
that a lot. Because if it can happen here, where
we're so geographically challenged, where there
aren't regular scheduled backhauls on airplanes,
or barges... if we can make it happen here, it can
happen anywhere."

Ms. Salmon does wish there were more state
resources for remote areas trying to manage solid
waste, but she said federal resources have helped
them continue to grow their efforts over the years.
The Village recently bought a cardboard bailer
with a federal grant. Another grant application for
funds for a recycling center is under review. The
community keeps trying new things and being
innovative, Ms. Salmon said.

An aerial view of Igiugig's landfill. The Village is a remote area of Southwest
Alaska and has been able to maintain its landfill and manage its waste
through extensive recycling efforts. (Photo courtesy of Bill Kane)

•« 8

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"We really try to uplift each other in that it's a team effort to keep our
community beautiful," Ms. Salmon said. "It's a recognition that our people
have lived here for thousands of years, yet we've left barely a footprint.
And these standards are self-imposed, which is even better, because no
government is saying this is what you must do. It's giving ourselves a higher
standard of living and operating than the other levels of government say we
must have."

EPA Administrator Regan's visit to Igiugig included a community presentation and roundtable forum with Tribal leaders.
(Photos courtesy EPA)

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Relationships and Trust
Form Building Blocks
for Blackfeet Nation's
Sustainable Waste Solutions

Chief Mountain (Blackfoot: Ninaistako) - a prominent peak and rock formation on the eastern border of Glacier National Park
and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. (Photo from Adobe Stock)

Common goals among partners helps address
waste across Northern Montana.

The Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian
Reservation of Montana, located in northwestern
Montana shares the common story of Indigenous
communities grappling with environmental
challenges including issues of illegal dumping,
littering, and the lack of proper waste disposal
facilities. These issues are further exacerbated by
the vastness of the Blackfeet Nation, a territory
spanning 1.5 million acres, bordered by Glacier
National Park to the west and the Canadian
border to the north. Despite these challenges,
the Blackfeet Nation has taken charge of its
environmental programs and forged partnerships
with state and federal agencies, setting its
environmental program on a road to success and
sustainability.

Guided by Environmental Director Gerald
Wagner, the Tribe has transformed its approach
to solid waste management. Decades ago, the
town of Browning, situated at the heart of the
Blackfeet Reservation, handled solid waste. This
included contracting garbage pickup services and
utilizing an unregulated dump site. Eventually,
these responsibilities were transferred to the Tribe,
leading to the establishment of the Blackfeet
Utilities Commission, responsible for solid waste,
drinking water, and wastewater management. The
Tribal Council recognized the need for structured
solid waste codes, marking the first step towards
sustainability.

Tribal Waste Journal I 19


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Mr. Wagner began employment with the Blackfeet
Environmental Department in 1993 and became
Director in 1995. At this time, Mr. Wagner was
given the additional responsibility of the Tribes
Solid Waste and Utilities Program. Mr. Wagner
emphasized the importance of good management
and accountability in the department, despite his
unfamiliarity with solid waste when he started.
He implemented measures to hold, not only the
Nation's residents, but also customers like the
U.S. border stations within the reservation, the
National Park Service, and Indian Health Service
accountable for solid waste fees.

"Once I got in and really looked at it, it was
a program that needed good management and
accountability," Mr. Wagner said. "Once we were
able to close some of those gaps, that kind of
turned the program around in that first year."

The program's shift to accountability marked a
turning point for the program, leading it out of a
deficit. What was initially intended as a temporary
five-month position evolved into a long-term
commitment for Mr. Wagner.

"The more I did it, the more I learned, the more
I felt like, I can't just do this and walk away," he
said. "So, I stuck with it."

The unregulated landfill is still undergoing
closure. Trash is now hauled to a transfer station.
The Tribe's Environmental Office handles several
programs now including brownfields, hazardous

£R4's Office Director, Carolyn Hoskinson, at a landfill site
with Susie LaMere and Gerald Wagner, of the Blackfeet
Environmental Office. (Photo courtesy EPA)

waste collection and disposal, recycling, and
others.

The success of the Blackfeet Nation's solid
waste program, in part, can be attributed to Mr.
Wagner's longevity and his ability to foster
partnerships with various organizations, including
the National Park Service (NPS). The NPS is
a longtime customer of the Blackfeet Nation,
having trash and recyclables from millions of
park visitors each year accepted by the Nation,
helping keep the park pristine. That's important
to both the NPS, as it works to preserve the
national and cultural resources of the area and
the Nation, whose traditional lands include the
east side of the park. The partnership between
NPS and the Nation has grown beyond solid
waste management; staff within the Blackfeet
Environmental Program now also provide
knowledge and manpower alongside the NPS in
combating invasive species in the region.

Mr. Wagner has also forged relationships with
state partners, including the Montana Department
of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The state and
Nation have partnered on annual cleanups on the
reservation for years. Those events always netted
a sizeable amount of electronic waste and Mr.
Wagner would pack it up in his pickup and drive
60 miles to dispose of the items. When his contact
at DEQ found out how much e-waste they were
collecting and hauling, she provided a semi-truck
to come pick up the e-waste instead.

Mr. Wagner also partners with regional private
salvage companies to help with white goods -
things like freezers, refrigerators, washers, and
dryers. He also regularly meets with communities
surrounding the Nation to strategize and talk
about ways to handle recycling and waste in rural
areas of northern Montana.

"The more we can all support each other, the
better off we all are," he said.

To build those partnerships, Mr. Wagner
emphasized the importance of moving past the

20 I Tribal Waste Journal


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)ka

S

Whitefish*

Blackfeet Indian
Reservation

The 1.5 million acres Blackfeet Indian Reservation is located
in northwestern Montana bordered by Glacier National Park
and the Canadian border.

mistrust that characterized Tribal and federal
relationships in the 1970s and 1980s. He
advocates for mutual respect and collaboration
to address shared issues. Mr. Wagner says that
dedication and time are required to build these
relationships, and mutual trust is key.

"We all have the same issues and it's about, 'How
can we help each other?'" Mr. Wagner said.
"You're not going to get there overnight. It takes a
little dedication. But once you get the ball rolling,
you can keep the momentum going."

He stresses the need to set an example for
future generations, underlining the importance
of working together to create cleaner and more
functional communities.

"You have to ask, what are ways that we can

work together to make this town, city, reservation,
wherever it is, that we live in a cleaner, more
functioning place?" Mr. Wagner said.

"It didn't get like this by one person. It takes
all of us to get under the same mindset to make
a change. We all must come to that conclusion
and say, 'I'm not going to take it anymore.

We're going to do this better and hold ourselves
accountable.' And you can't exclude the children,
you must make sure they're part of it, because
they're part of the solution also."

Community engagement is a cornerstone of
the Blackfeet Nation's success in solid waste
management. The Tribe has initiated educational
programs and outreach campaigns to raise
awareness about responsible waste disposal and
recycling. Community members are involved
in cleanup events, recycling drives, and waste
reduction initiatives. Educating communities
about recycling, composting, and waste reduction
has yielded heightened awareness.

"It's getting the people educated about solid
waste," Mr. Wagner said. "Where did the
solid waste come from? How did we get into
the problems that we have today? We did not
traditionally come from a throwaway society.
We came from a society and a culture that
used everything but then we enter this era of a
throwaway society and the plastic era, where
things just don't break down and go back to
Mother Earth. We're stuck with this trash problem
now. And we need to educate our young people to
recognize where we came from, where we're at,
and where we need to go in the future."

"We're stuck with this trash problem
now. And we need to educate our
young people to recognize where
we came from, where we're at, and
where we need to go in the future."

Gerald Wagner and Susie LaMere with the Blackfeet
Environmental Office. (Photo courtesy Blackfeet Tribe)

Tribal Waste Journal I 21


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Building
Partnerships to
Tackle Solid Waste
Challenges on
Tribal Lands

A Conversation with Roger
Hancock, EPA Tribal Solid Waste
Coordinator for Region 6.

Roger Hancock serves as the Tribal Solid Waste Coordinator for Region 6 at
the EPA, a region that includes 66 Tribes across five states in South-Central
United States (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas). His
role involves working closely with Tribes to address solid waste issues on their
lands and build partnerships. He's been in this role for 19 years. We asked
Roger to tell us more about his role, how Tribes can access resources in his
department, and how partnerships can bring about lasting impacts for Tribes.

Question: Can you tell us about your role as Tribal Solid Waste Coordinator?

Roger Hancock: I work with all the Tribes in Region 6 for pretty much any aspects of solid waste
like recycling and illegal dumping. We provide technical assistance, outreach, education, trainings and
mainly try to help the Tribes develop their solid waste management programs the way they want to
develop them and do what I can to help them be as successful as possible.

Q: Thinking over the last five years, what are some of the biggest challenges Tribes in your region have
faced when it comes to solid waste?

RH: There's quite a few. Keeping staff and capacity in general is a big challenge. I think there will
always be an issue with open dumping. There's several tools and resources we have to help with that,
and it's gotten a lot better than it used to be, but that will be an ongoing challenge, always. It costs
money and it takes resources and time to get dumpsites cleaned up and then try to make sure that they
stay that way. And then, the challenge that's always overarching is funding and resources. Historically,

Photo courtesy Roger
Hancock

22 I Tribal Waste Journal


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there's been more funding for things directly linked to
health, like drinking water and wastewater projects.
Solid waste has always been a need, but it just wasn't
seen as big of an immediate health issue, so there
wasn't as much federal funding. We all did what we
could with what we had. Whenever there was an
infrastructure need, for example, buying a trash truck,
or building a transfer station, finding funding for those
things was tough and that was the case for a while until
recently. I'm working now more than ever before on
solid waste projects through the Indian Health Service
(IHS), which I'm really excited about. It's great,
because they can do a lot, and they're working directly
with me and the Tribes. I think we're going to see a lot
more projects like that down the road. That's certainly
my hope.

Q: Since this issue of the Tribal Waste Journal is
featuring how Tribes can partner with local, state, and
federal agencies in dealing with waste management,
what kind of partnerships and successes have you've
seen?

RH: There's a lot of instances. We have two Tribal
consortia in our region; one is the Inter-Tribal
Environmental Council housed in the Cherokee Nation
in Oklahoma, and the other is the Eight Northern
Indian Pueblos Council, Inc., out of New Mexico.
They've helped provide a lot of assistance directly to
Tribes over the years. But individually, all the Tribes
have been great at building these relationships and I've
been really impressed with them working with other
Tribes, nonprofits and local municipalities as needed. A
lot of the work they do by its very nature is to reach out
and partner with these other entities and get some great
successes. It's just part of how they operate and help
each other.

Q: Say there is somebody who picks up this issue
of the Tribal Waste Journal, maybe they are a new
employee, or just getting involved in their Tribe's solid
waste program. What would you want them to know
about your office and the resources you have available?

RH: That does happen often, where a new
environmental director might come along, and starting
out, they might hear about my office from someone and

EPA Tribal Waste Coordinators

Region 1

Tulasi Landes

(617) 918-1228, landes.tulasi@epa.gov

Region 2

Lorraine Graves

(212) 637-4099, graves.lorraine@epa.gov

Region 3

Jacqueline Morrison

(215) 814-5664, morrison.iacqueline@epa.gov

Region 4

Davy Simonson

(404) 562-8457, simonson.davv@epa.gov
Eugene Filik

(404) 562-8495, filik.eugene@epa.gov

Region 5

Dolly Tong

(312) 886-1019, tong.dollv@epa.gov

Region 6

Roger Hancock

(214) 665-6688, hancock.roger@epa.gov

Region 7

Marcus Rivas

(913) 551-7669, rivas.marcus@epa.gov

Region 8

Alison Ruhs

(303) 312-6478, ruhs.alison@epa.gov

Region 9

Jenny Stephenson

(415) 972-3429, stephenson.iennv@epa.gov
Nicholas Anderson

(415) 972-3865, anderson.nicholas@epa.gov

Region 10

Kayla Krauss

(206) 553-2728, krauss.kalva@epa.gov

Headquarters: Office of Resource
Conservation and Recovery

Tonya Barnett

(202) 566-0463, barnett.tonva@epa.gov
Luke Hullinger

(202) 566-2157, hullinger.luke@epa.gov
Kim Katonica

(202) 566-0467, katonica.kim@epa.gov
Charles Reddoor

(202) 566-0478, reddoor.charles@epa.gov
Wayne Roepe

(202) 566-0480, roepe.wavne@epa.gov
Denise Roy

(202) 566-0483, rov.denise@epa.gov

Tribal Waste Journal I 23


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they'll reach out to ask, "What do you have for me?" The one thing I don't want to do is just bury them
in documents, because we have a lot of helpful tools we've developed like guidelines and factsheets. But
what I like to do first is just talk shop. I can go over the program and explain how we work with solid
waste. Then I can get a better feel of what specifically they're looking at doing next and what they're
interested in working on. And then I can say, okay, I've got these resources I can share, and then we can
follow up at your convenience, and we build from there. We just start out building a relationship. Often
the states will have programs that Tribes can take advantage of that they may not be aware of, too, so I'll
tell them about those and give them contacts with the states.

Q: When building relationships between Tribes or between Tribes and other agencies, what benefits
have you seen come from those partnerships?

RH: I think one of the most beneficial things Tribes can do in this area is to not do anything in a
vacuum, to not just do it by themselves. You're much more likely to be successful if you reach out to
other folks and get them to work with you, whether it's a nonprofit, another Tribe, a city, or a county,
because in the process of doing that, you'll build more relationships. And those always come in handy in
the future. I advise Tribes that if you're coming for any funding resources, whether it's EPA, or another
federal agency, that's the kind of information we ask about and we encourage. It can help get you some
additional ranking criteria points on our competitive grants if you've already been working with these
other entities, which makes the project more likely to succeed.

I think one point that is good to highlight is that the federal agencies are also partnering more,
which in turn, makes things potentially go better for Tribes. If EPA and IHS have connections and
are communicating, when you go to assess and clean up open dumps, I think the process may go
smoother because everyone is communicating. So, I think it's not only on Tribes to try and build better
partnerships, it also falls on federal agencies as well.

Q: What do you like about your job?

RH: A lot of things that we do at EPA are long-term, big projects. But in this job, the projects we see
are shorter term, and you get to be a part of some of the successes and see the results. My big personal
measure of success was when it went from me mostly calling Tribes myself to where they started calling
me. They would reach out to me out of the blue, just to talk about their program or maybe to bounce
around some ideas. And I felt like okay, you know, I'm doing something good here. I'm being useful to
folks. All the relationships I've built with many of the Tribes are very special to me. That's what's kept
me in this position. I plan to stay right here until I retire.

"I think one of the most beneficial things Tribes can do in this area is to
not do anything in a vacuum, to not just do it by themselves. You're much
more likely to be successful if you reach out to other folks and get them to
work with you, whether it's a nonprofit, another Tribe, a city, or a county,
because in the process of doing that, you'll build more relationships."

24 I Tribal Waste Journal


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Technical Assistance
and Funding Resources

EPA Tribal Waste Coordinator Contacts

This is a list of EPA officials in the Headquarters and Regional Offices specifically trained on Tribal
waste management issues, www.epa.gov/tribal-lands/forms/contact-us-about-tribal-waste-management

EPA Indian General Assistance Program (GAP)

GAP grants provide funding to federally recognized Tribes and Tribal consortia for planning,
developing, and establishing environmental protection programs in Indian country, and for developing
and implementing solid and hazardous waste programs on Tribal lands.
www.epa.gov/general-assistance-program-gap

Tribal Waste Management Funding Resources Directory

The Directory is a searchable resource listing waste management financial assistance sources (grants,
loans, cost-sharing) available to Tribes and nonprofit organizations.
www.epa.gov/tribal-lands/tribal-waste-management-funding-resources-directorv

National Tribal Waste Management Peer Matching Program

A voluntary program that aims to strengthen Tribal capacity and develop sustainable waste management
programs. This website provides additional information on the National Tribal Waste Management Peer
Matching Program, including information on funding, a participation request form, factsheet, and other
program information.

www.epa.gov/tribal-lands/forms/national-tribal-waste-management-peer-matching-program

Cleaning Up, Protecting and Preserving Tribal Lands

This website provides resources to assist in the prevention and cleanup of waste on Tribal lands. This
includes information on waste management codes and ordinances; developing an Integrated Waste
Management Plan; Tribal partnership groups that assist in building stronger partnerships between
resource agencies and Tribes; and grants on various environmental protection topics.
www.epa.gov/tribal-lands

RCRA Community Engagement and Technical Assistance (CETA) Program

The CETA Program assists communities with addressing their concerns about environmental and health
issues related to waste management by providing access to technical support, resources, and information
through a neutral third party.

www.epa.gov/rcra/forms/rcra-communitv-engagement-and-technical-assistance-program

O

Tribal Waste Journal I 25


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Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP)

ITEP strengthens Tribal capacity and sovereignty in environmental and natural resource management
through culturally relevant education, research, partnerships, and policy-based services. ITEP
accomplishes its mission through several programs, including the Tribal Solid Waste Education and
Assistance Program. www7.nau.edu/itep/main/Home/

Tribal Partnership Groups

Tribal partnership groups allow Tribes to exchange information through regional and national working
groups, Tribal consortia, and focused committees. There are numerous partnership groups; they are all
listed at this site with more detailed descriptions below, www.epa.gov/tribal/tribal-partnership-groups

The National Tribal Operations Committee (NTOC)

EPA established the NTOC in February 1994 to improve communication and build stronger partnerships
between the Agency and federally recognized Tribes. It is comprised of 19 Tribal members from nine
EPA Regions (these members are collectively referred to as the NTC, National Tribal Caucus) and EPA's
senior leadership team. The NTOC serves as the forum for the NTC and EPA senior leadership to work
together on policy and resource matters related to Tribal capacity building, and environmental programs
in Indian country, www.epa.gov/tribal/national-tribal-operations-committee-ntoc

National Tribal Caucus (NTC)

The NTC is a national body of high-level Tribal advisors. Members are selected on a regional basis by
each Regional Tribal Operations Committee (RTOC) or its equivalent and represent all Tribes within
their regions. Their primary focus is to identify and address Tribal environmental issues that are national
in scope, cross-agency, or cross-media in nature, or that may be emerging or urgent.
www.epa.gov/tribal/national-tribal-caucus

National Tribal Air Association (NTAA)

The mission of the NTAA is to advance air quality management policies and programs, consistent with
the needs, interests, and unique legal status of American Indian Tribes and Alaska Natives. Their goal is
to advocate and advance Tribal environmental, cultural, and economic interests in the development of air
policy at all levels of government (Tribal, federal, state, local and international), www.ntaatribalair.org/

National Tribal Water Council (NTWC)

The NTWC is a technical and scientific body created to assist the EPA; federally recognized Indian
Tribes, including Alaska Native Tribes; and their associated Tribal communities and Tribal organizations
with research and information for decision-making regarding water issues and water-related concerns
that affect Indian and Alaska Native Tribal members, as well as other residents of Alaska Native Villages
and Indian country in the United States. www7.nau.edu/itep/main/ntwc

National Tribal Science Council (TSC)

The National EPA TSC was created in partnership with Tribal representatives to help integrate agency
and Tribal interests, specifically with respect to environmental science issues. The TSC provides a forum
for Tribes and EPA to identify priority environmental science issues and collaboratively design effective
solutions. The Council seeks to increase Tribal involvement in EPA's scientific activities - building
bridges between Tribal and agency programs, www.epa.gov/healthresearch/tribal-science-council

26 I Tribal Waste Journal


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Tribal Pesticide Program Council (TPPC)

The TPPC is a Tribal technical resource and program and policy development dialogue group, focused
on pesticides issues and concerns. The TPPC assists Tribes in building Tribal pesticide programs,
providing pesticide education, and training, and researching, developing, and presenting a broad range
of Tribal pesticide-related issues and concerns, www.tppcwebsite.org/

Tribal Waste and Response Steering Committee (TWAR SC)

The TWAR SC communicates with EPA's Office of Land and Emergency Management about the
concerns and perspectives of Tribal professionals engaged in the fields of solid waste, emergency
response, Superfund, underground storage tanks, brownfields, and other contaminated sites. As part of
this work, the TWAR SC develops an annual Priorities Document that highlights the evolving needs
and priorities of Tribal communities related to clean up, prevention and response activities. TWAR SC
members also provide training, serve as mentors to Tribal professionals, and assist with the development
of the annual Tribal Lands and Environment Forum. www7.nau.edu/itep/main/twarsc/Home/Index

National Tribal Toxics Council (NTTC)

The NTTC focuses on providing Tribes with an opportunity for greater input on issues related to toxic
chemicals and pollution prevention and gives Tribes a forum for providing advice on the development of
EPA's chemical management and pollution prevention programs that affect Tribes, www.tribaltoxics.org/

Tribal Exchange Network Group (TXG)

ITEP is partnering with EPA to help disseminate information to Tribes about participation in the
Environmental Information Exchange Network (Exchange Network). The Exchange Network is a
program that aims to share environmental, health, geographic and other types of data between Tribes,
states and territories through the Internet using common data standards.
www, trib al exchangenetwork. org/

National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC)

The NEJAC is a federal advisory committee to EPA, established September 30, 1993. NEJAC provides
advice and recommendations about broad, cross-cutting issues related to environmental justice, from
all individuals and organizations involved in the environmental justice dialogue. NEJAC also provides
a valuable forum for discussions about integrating environmental justice with other EPA priorities and
initiatives, www.epa.gov/environmentaliustice/national-environmental-iustice-advisorv-council

EPA's Water System Partnerships

EPA's Water System Partnerships are a cross-program, problem solving tool for building Technical,
Managerial and Financial capacity and addressing unique challenges, especially those of small systems.
Many of these tools and approaches can be helpful in exploring, planning and implementing solid waste
management partnerships, www.epa.gov/dwcapacitv/learn-about-water-svstem-partnerships

Tribal Waste Journal I 27


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Kid's Corner

PARTNERING IN NATURE. Many animals work together to survive in nature, like schools of fish, flocks
of geese, packs of wolves, and a hive of bees. They stick together because it helps them be successful, just
like people working together. Add your taste of colors to the scene below.

28 I Tribal Waste Journal


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Kid's Corner

WHAT DOES WORKING TOGETHER LOOK LIKE? What do you like about working with others?
Draw a picture of what it looks like when people are working together.





Tribal Waste Journal I 29


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Kid's Corner

WHERE DOES THE WASTE BELONG? Working together is important in keeping our communities
clean. Working with a friend, try to find where the different type of waste belongs.

J WofCllNGi



/¦-QezsOoi
[irucfc-
battel

30 I Tribal Waste Journal


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Kid's Corner

WE'RE BETTER TOGETHER! Trace the lines to help the bumble bee,
find their families.


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nvEPA

United States
Environmental Protection
Agency

U.S. EPA Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery
EPA 530-F-24-001
February 2024

www, epa. gov/tribal-lands


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