EPA
Tribal Science
Bulletin
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VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
WINTER 2016
Welcome to the Inaugural Issue of the EPA Tribal Science Bulletin
Hello, my name is Curtis
Munoz, I am pleased to
share the inaugural bulle-
tin of the National EPA
Tribal Science Council
(TSC). I serve as the TSC
Tribal Co-Chair and Envi-
ronmental Director of the
Kiowa Tribe. I am half
Kiowa and half Muscogee
Creek. My educational
background in biochemis-
try and molecular biology
has helped me to perform
research important to
tribal communities, par-
ticularly on mold and
mycotoxin effects on
indoor air quality. I also
focus on climate change
and its effects on tribal
communities, an issue that
the TSC has elevated as a
priority since 2007.
The TSC created this
bulletin to bridge the gap
between tribes and EPA
and between Native sci-
ence and Western science.
It is a platform to give
Native science a voice from
all over Indian Country.
The TSC will continue to
identify priorities that pro-
mote our environmental
values and help to address
our land, air and water
concerns. These efforts
allow tribes to apply their
unique science knowledge
to address these issues.
Our responsibility is to
bring the environment
back to its true balance. We
invite you to participate by
sharing your ideas and
concerns with us. Alio.
Curtis can be reached at
nethkuplega@yahoo.com. O
TSC Member Spotlight: EPA Co-Chair, Dave Jewett
Dr. David
Jewett is an
EPA hydro-
geologist
who, as Chief
of the Ground
Water and
Ecosystems
Restoration Division's Sub-
surface Remediation
Branch, leads a scientific
team devoted to protecting
and restoring ground and
surface water and ecosys-
tem resources. As the pro-
ject lead for the Contami-
nated Sites Project in the
Sustainable and Healthy
Communities Research
Action Plan, Dave helps to
provide scientific and tech-
nical support to EPA
regional and program
offices and to plan Agency
research on ground water,
sediments and vapor
intrusion.
Late in 2 015, Dave was
appointed as the EPA Co-
Chair of the TSC, working
in concert with Curtis
Munoz and Agency staff to
support the beneficial role
the TSC plays engaging
with tribal environmental
authorities and providing
the scientific foundation
necessary to better under-
stand environmental
concerns on tribal lands.
Dave has more than
30 years of hydrology and
hydrogeology experience,
with research interests in
subsurface site characteri-
zation, solute fate and
transport, ground water/
surface water interactions,
and the water-energy
nexus. Dave also serves as
a member of EPA's
National Remedy Review
Board. He can be reached
at jewett.david@epa.gov. O
Key Dates & Events
Region 5 Tribal Environ-
mental Program Management
Conference, April 4-8,
Chicago, IL
Region 9 Spring RTOC
Meeting. April 12-14,
San Diego, CA
Region 1 Tribal Leaders
Summit, April 13, Boston, MA
Region 6 RTOC Meeting and
Tribal Summit, April 13-15,
Dallas, TX
Proposals for the 2016 Tribal
Lands & Environment Forum
due May 6.
National Adaptation Forum.
May 9-11, St. Paul, MN
201 6 National Tribal Forum
on Air Quality. May 17-19,
Niagara Falls, NY
Special Tribal Superfund
Training and Site Visit:
May 24-26, Spokane, WA
Inside this issue
Science Update 2
Climate Change Contacts 3
and Resources
Let Your Voice Be Heard! 3
TSC Membership 4
As Natives,
it is our
sacred
duty to be
good envi-
ronmental
stewards.
We have been gifted with
abilities to use our science
knowledge to do just that.
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EPA Tribal Science Bulletin
SCIENCE UPDATE
During its recent face-to-face business meeting, held December 2015 in Washington, D.C., the TSC
DISCUSSED THE INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT TOPIC OF CITIZEN SCIENCE AND HEARD ABOUT TWO TRIBALLY FOCUSED
CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECTS UNDERWAY IN ALASKA AND MINNESOTA.
Southeast Alaska Tribal Toxins (SEATT) Partnership
The Southeast Alaska
Tribal Ocean Research
program created the
unprecedented SEATT
partnership in late 2013 to
create an early warning
system for increasingly
prevalent harmful algal
blooms (HABs) that affect
subsistence clam resources.
Paralytic shellfish poison-
ing (PSP) from HABs is
caused by a toxin more
lethal than sarin nerve gas,
with coastal Alaskan Native
populations being 12 times
more likely to be affected
by PSP than non-Native
communities.
Currently, only commercial
shellfish are tested for
safety by Alaska state agen-
cies, with no subsistence or
recreational regulatory
testing. This created a niche
for SEATT, which monitors
HABs and conditions affect-
ing their development and
provides equipment and
training to citizen scien-
tists. The reliable data
collected by SEATT are
provided to the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and allow
state agencies to make in-
formed decisions. This real-
time citizen monitoring
allowed for the develop-
ment of an early warning
system and forecasting
tools.
SEATT provides outreach
to tribal and nontribal
citizens about the health
risk potentials related to
the subsistence clam
harvest and coordinates
with state and local health
departments about this
issue. The group also is
developing an interactive
online mapping tool to help
fisherman and clammers
make informed decisions.
For more information,
contact Chris Whitehead
(chris. whiteheadฎ
sitkatribe-nsn.gov). O
PARALYTIC
SHELLFISH
POISONING
IS CAUSED
BY A TOXIN
MORE LETHAL
THAN SARIN
NERVE GAS.
Leech Lake Air Monitoring Pilot Project
The goal of this project is to
assist the Leech Lake Band
of Ojibwe in understanding
local-scale air quality
issues and potential differ-
ences between local- and
regional-scale particulate
matter (PM). EPA has lent
three PM sensor devices to
the tribe to determine the
potential benefits and limi-
tations of the sensors. The
co-location study began in
October 2015 and will
occur in two phases, with
periodic co-location of the
sensors with a Federal
Reference Method (FRM)
monitor and periodic
mobile monitoring near
local sources to examine
the affects of sources on
local air quality. Staff make
routine weekly visits to the
area to manually download
the data from the FRM
monitor. The two sensors
selected for the project
have been evaluated by the
Agency, and the instrument
performance results are
publicly available. The data
quality objectives for the
project were developed to
determine whether the
monitors can work out-
doors and throughout the
winter with the same
precision and accuracy as
the FRM monitor. The next
steps are to continue the
field deployment of the
sensors and collect data
until the end of 2016. The
final project report will
document the study design,
collected data, data
analysis results, project
challenges and lessons
learned. Results will be
presented at the 2016
National Tribal Forum on
Air Quality.
For more information,
contact Brandy Toft
(air@lldrm.org) or Kristen
Benedict (benedict.kristen
@epa.gov). O
Volume 1, "ssue 1 Page 2
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National EPA-Tribal Science Council
CLIMATE CHANGE CONTACTS AND RESOURCES
An important topic discussed at the TSC's December 2015 Business Meeting was climate change.
During a Climate Change Roundtable, federal agency partners (below) presented information
ABOUT THEIR AGENCIES' CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVITIES AND EFFORTS THAT ARE OF INTEREST TO TRIBES.
Federal Climate Change Contacts
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Rachael Novak, rachael.novak@bia.gov
U.S. Department of the Interior Advisory
Committee on Climate Change and Natural
Resource Science
Gary Morishima, morikog@aol.com
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development:
Andy Miller, miller.andy@epa.gov
Office of Water:
Stephanie Santell, santell.stephanie@epa.gov
Felicia Wright, wright.felicia@epa.gov
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Scott Aikin, scott_aikin@fws.gov
U.S. Forest Service
Alicia Bell-Sheeter, ambellsheeter@fs.fed.us
Chris Swanston, cswanston@fs.fed,us
U.S. Geological Survey
Eric Wood, woodec@usgs.gov
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Linda Belton, linda.belton@noaa.gov
Online Climate Change Resources
CALL FOR TRIBAL WATER PROGRAMS ADDRESSING
CLIMATE IMPACTS ON WATER RESOURCES
EPA's Office of Water (OW) currently is developing a paper to
identify the approaches that tribes have taken to address climate
change concerns. A particular focus is on water quality/water
resources across North America. The paper describes tribal
vulnerability assessments and climate adaptation plans involving
water resources, building community resilience to climate change
impacts on water resources, and potential funding mechanisms to
support tribal climate adaptation efforts for water resources.
OW would like tribes' input on: (1) the key climate change issues
tribes are facing and (2) examples of specific actions tribes are
taking to address these issues. Answers to the following four questions
will guide development of the paper:
Would you be able to share concrete examples of what other
tribes are currently working on related to climate adaptation that
could be useful models for helping other tribal communities?
From your perspective, what are some key climate change
impacts on tribes and water resources?
Do you have any recommendations on how to structure the report
to better meet tribal needs?
Does this paper duplicate any current efforts that you are aware
of?
Please contact Stephanie Santell at santell.stephanie@epa.gov to
participate in this important effort and let your voice be heard.O
University of Oregon Tribal Climate Change Guide
The University of Oregon established the Pacific Northwest Tribal Climate Change Project, a collaboration of tribal, academic,
federal and other groups. The project has developed an online database of tribally relevant climate change resources.
Tribal Climate Change Adaptation Planning Toolkit
This toolkit includes a collection of templates and other resources developed by the Institute for Tribal Environmental
Professionals to assist tribes in their climate change adaptation planning process.
Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals fITEP) Tribes and Climate Change Website
1TEP has developed this website as a comprehensive, go-to resource tailored to help Native peoples gain a better
understanding of climate change impacts and adaptation. Included is a monthly newsletter and information about funding
opportunities and upcoming events.
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