&EPA
"Crisis changes people and turns ordinary people into
wiser or more responsible ones. "
— Wilma P. Mankiller, Cherokee chief, 1987
Office of Prevention, Pesticides,
and Toxic Substances and
Tribal Environmental
News Exchange #** inii^MMJ
www.epa.gov/opptintr/tribal
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
OPPTS Tribal News
Summer/Fall 2001
In light of the world-changing events of September 11^2001, the
staff of OPPTS Tribal News sends its deepest sympathy to those
affected by the tragedy. In these unsettling times, may our hearts
and minds be clear and open to allow the wisdom and love of
human kind to lead us all to better days and tender spirits.
Featuring Information and Topics
from EPA's Office of Research and Development
EPA Administrator Whitman
Meets with EPA's Tribal
Operations Committee
In This Issue
TOC Meeting with EPA
Administrator
Prayer Vigil
News and Events
Research in Indian Country
Resources, Programs, and
Conferences
Interview with Lydia Olympic
Children s Health Month in October
Kids Page
Calendar of Events
Web Sites and Hot Lines
On July 11,2001,
EPA's Administrator
Christine Todd Whitman
met with the EPA Tribal
Operations Committee
(TOC) at the National
Press Club in
Washington, DC.
In keeping with the
Agency's commitment to collaborate with Tribal govern-
ments in protecting the environment and safeguarding
human health in Indian Country, Administrator Whitman
reaffirmed EPA's Indian Policy and re-certified the TOC's
Charter. Both of these actions are significant measures
that will ensure that the long established policy and
principles taken by EPA in the past will continue and
progress under her leadership.
continued on page 6
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May Peace Prevail cm Earth
"May Peace Prevail on Earth"'' was the heartfelt decree of
the international, multifaith, prayer gathering at the Washington
Monument, held on September 22-23, 2001 This marked the 9th
Anniversary of the "Prayer Vigil of Earth" in Washington, DC.
In the aftermath of the September 1l^1 national tragedy, the 33-
hour prayer vigil took on heightened importance as many
sought comfort in the sacred circle of prayer, unity, and healing.
Native American elders and other spiritual leaders led in prayer
and ceremony. The cathartic "Wiping of the Tears" Native
ceremony was held for the grief-strickened. As practitioners of
the Moslem, Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Sufi and other
Indigenous faiths gathered together, a powerful foundation was
laid to help cultivate a more peaceful world. Many youth
actively joined in the ceremonies, talking circles, and dance.
Mary Van Franklin and Hutke Fields of the Nachez tribe
spoke about how people can positively change the environment
in which we live. They explained, "We can each make a differ-
ence. Each person must take responsibility for cultivating
peaceful relationships. When conflict exist among our family
members, neighbors and co-workers, we must find creative and
loving ways to resolve these conflicts. This is how we can
change the world, one by one. Change doesn't occur overnight/'
continued on page 3 ¦ Ffl
OPPTS Mission Statement
I Protect and improve human health and the environment
% Achieve risk reduction, sustainability, and environmen-
tal justice
I Promote safer designs and use of materials, products,
and disposal methods through pollution prevention
I Inform and educate the public on the risks associated
with pesticides and toxic substances.
OPPTS has used reasonable measures to ensure that material contained in this newsletter was
correct at the time of production. However, OPPTS gives no warranty and accepts no responsibility
for the accuracy or completeness of the material. The content of this publication does not necessarily
represent the views of the Agency. No official endorsement should be inferred.
OPPTS Tribal News, Volume 3, Number 3, EPA 745-N-00-001
From the Editors...
With great pleasure, the Office of
Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) and
the Office of Pesticides (OPP) present this
Summer/Fall 2001 issue of OPPTS Tribal
News.
As always, we would like to extend our
thanks and gratitude to all of our contribu-
tors for providing important information and
photographs, graphics, and illustrations. We
would like to especially acknowledge our
visiting intern and editor for this issue, Mary
Cathy Garcia. Mary is a member of the
Tohono O'odham Nation of Southern
Arizona and a Master's candidate in
American Indian Studies at the University of
Arizona. Mrs. Garcia believes that tradition-
al values are a key to self-governance and is
committed to strengthening her Nation.
Finally, we would like to remind our
readers to visit OPPTS's Web site at
www.epa.gov/opptintr/tribal to get the latest
news and information from EPA office links.
— Mary Lauterbach, OPPT Tribal
Coordinator
— Regina Langton, OPP Tribal
Coordinator
OPPTS Tribal News requests interesting success
stories about pesticide and pollution prevention
programs and projects in Indian country from our
readers. If you want to share your experience with
our readers, please write or send an e-mail to Regina
Langton (pesticides), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue
(MC7506C), Washington, DC 20460,
langton.reginci@epa.gov, or Maty Lauterbach (pollu-
tion prevention), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue
(MC7408), Washington, DC 20460,
lauterbach.mary@epa.gov.
To be placed on our mailing list, write to:
OPPTS Tribal News, U.S. EPA, OPPT
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue (7408), Washington, DC 20460, or
send an e-mail to lauterbach.mary@epa.gov.
OPPTS Tribal News can be viewed on the Internet at
www.epa.gov/opptintr/tribal
Mary Lauterbach, OPPT Editor
Regina Langton, OPP Editor
Mary Cathy Garcia, Visiting Editor
Shanita Brackett, Writer
Brian Adams, Graphic Design
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News & Events
May Peace Prevail on Earth
continued from page 2
Other vigil highlights included a Memorial Healing Grove in
honor of the Pentagon and World Trade Center victims, and a
display of the John Denver Peace Quilt, which memorialize the
work and legacy of John Denver. Denver's legacy of songs is
the inspiration and motivation for hundreds of peacemakers.
Other activities included storytelling, sharing of ancient prophe-
cies, community dancing, and ongoing musical performances
where participants could join in with their own instruments.
The Annual Prayer Vigil for the Earth is an interfaith, multi-
cultural grassroots effort dedicated to unity, peace, and respect
during which participants pray over a 3 3-hour period on the
grounds near the Washington Monument. For additional infor-
mation, visit www.oneprayer.com.
POPS Document
Available for
Comment
The external review draft of the
document: -'The Foundation for Global
Action on Persistent Organic Pollutants:
A United States Perspective," is now on
Kl'. Ys Office of Research and
Development National Center for
Environmental Assessment (NGEA)
web site www.epa.gov/ncea. Look at
"What's New". This 140 page
document is open for external review
and comment until January 25, 2002.
Comments should be sent to Bruce
D. Rodan, Medical Officer (Research),
US EPA, Office of Research and
Development National Center for
Environmental Assessment (860 ID),
1200 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington,
D.C. 20460, rodan.bruce@epa.gov.
President George W. Bush
Attends Navajo Code Talker
Medal Ceremony
Adapted from U.S. Newswire Update, July 26, 2001
At the United States Capitol's Rotunda on July 26, 2001 in
Washington, D.C., President George W. Bush, spoke to atten-
dees of the Navajo Code Talker Medal Ceremony. The Medal
Ceremony honored 21 Native Americans who, in World War 0,
used their native language to relay secret messages that turned
the course of battle. Those rewarded included John Brown,
Chester Nez, Lloyd Oliver, Allen Dale June, and Joe Palmer,
represented by his son Kermit Palmer, along with 13 other
deceased Native men, known as members of the original Navajo
Code Talkers. In presenting gold medals to each of them,
Congress recognized their individual service, bravely offered
and flawlessly performed. Dozens more who served later were
honored with silver medals, with the same courage and distinc-
tion. By the end of World War II, approximately 400 Navajos
served as Code Talkers. In World War I, more than 12,000
Native Americans served their country, and thousands more
served in Korea, and Vietnam.
"Today we mark a moment of
shared history and shared
victory...We recall a story...of
ancient people, called to serve in
a modern war. It is a story of one
unbreakable oral code of the
Second World War, messages
traveling by field radio on Iwo
Jima in the very language heard
across the Colorado plateau
centuries ago. Above all, it's a
story of young Navajos who
brought honor to their nation and
victory to their country../'
- U.S. President George W. Bush
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News & Events
Pesticide Use in Museum Curation
and Associated Health Risks
By Rebecca Ware, Delaware Nation
The Delaware Nation of Oklahoma was recently awarded a
pesticide special project grant to provide public outreach educa-
tion on pesticide use in museum curation and associated health
risks. The goal of this project is to document pesticides used in
museum curation techniques, examine associated health risks
resulting from pesticides use, and provide information to tribes
on how to reduce exposure levels during museum inventory or
when articles are repatriated. The outreach focuses on Native
American health risks and prevention strategies. Alternative
solutions also will be provided for cleaning museum articles or
how other tribes have approached similar problems.
Native American museum collections have been preserved
with pesticides that are not traditionally documented with the
inventory. As the museum inventory inspections and repatriation
of associated articles increase, so does the risk of contamination
from the pesticide residues. With the proposed closing of the
Smithsonian Center for Material Research and Education, infor-
mation associated with museum techniques will be harder to
access, and the educational agenda for the center will cease. The
Delaware Nation is therefore working to continue the education-
al outreach in the area of museum curation pesticide use and
exposure prevention strategies. For more information about this
project, contact Rebecca Ware, Delaware Nation Environmental
Department at 405-247-2448 or aapanahkih@westemdelaware.nsn.us.
EPA Celebrates American Indian Heritage
Month in November
Each November, EPA sponsors events in celebration of American
Indian Heritage month. This year's theme, "Building a Natural
Heritage," created an opportunity for the Agency to promote employ-
ment and advancement of American Indian/Alaska Natives within its
workforce and reminded us of traditional life practices of American
Indian/Alaska Natives. Most importantly, this year's theme highlighted
EPA's responsibility to ensure a sustainable environment for future
generations and to envision opportunities to increase cultural sensitivity.
In observance of National American Indian Heritage Month, American
Indian Special Emphasis program managers across the Agency, in
coordination with staff in EPA's Office of Civil Rights, planned many
activities to celebrate the values, ideas, and heritage of American
Indians/Alaska Natives, including an "In the Light of Reverence" video
showing, a panel discussion, and a performance of "Tha Tribe" Drum
and Dance Group of Haskell Indian Nations University. For more infor-
mation, contact Carl Etsitty at 703-605-0749 or etsitty.carl@epa.gov.
Irv Provost, Oglala
Lakota, Receives A.
Wade Vitalis Award
By Karen Rudek, USEPA
In June 2001, Mr. Irving Provost,
Director of Pesticide Enforcement for the
Oglala Sioux Tribe, Pine Ridge, North
Dakota, received the prestigious A. Wade
Vitalis Award for Environmental
Leadership. This award was presented to
Provost in recognition of his strength and
leadership as an environmental steward
for the Oglala Sioux, and his exceptional
commitment to the environmental health
of all Indian Country.
In November 1997, under Irv's
leadership, the Oglala Sioux Tribe was
the first tribe in the United States to
develop and receive EPA concurrence for
a generic pesticide management plan. In
1999, under an EPA grant to the Native
Ecology Initiative, Irv became one of a
three-person team that developed a water
quality protection and pesticide manage-
ment workshop for tribal environmental
managers. To date, he and his teammates
have presented this course to more than
450 persons representing over 240 tribes
across the United States. In addition, Irv
Provost has served as the Executive
Director of the Tribal Pesticide Program
Council (TPPC) since its inception in late
1999. Under Irv's leadership, the TPPC
is supporting working groups focused on
issues of special interest to tribes, such as
subsistence and jurisdiction under the
Federal Insecticide Fungicide and
Rodenticide Act. These groups have been
instrumental in identifying and prioritiz-
ing tribal pesticide concerns.
We thank Irving Provost for the work
he continues to do for pesticide manage-
ment in Indian country, and congratulate
him on his receipt of the A. Wade Vitalis
Award.
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News & Events
FOSTTA Attracts the Most Tribal
Representatives Ever to Its Spring TAP Meeting
By Mary Lauterbach, EPA
Seventeen tribal representa-
tives attended the Forum on
State Tribal Toxics Action
(FOSTTA) Tribal Affairs Project
(TAP) meeting on June 11-12,
2001. The representatives were
from the following federally
recognized tribes: Aroostook
Band of Micmacs (Maine),
Colville Confederated Tribe
(Washington), Mississippi Band
of Choctaw Indians
(Mississippi), Salt River Pima-
Maricopa Indians (Arizona),
Regis Mohawk (New York),
Oneida (Wisconsin), Cherokee
Nation (Oklahoma), Shawnee
Nation (New Mexico), Ponca
(Oklahoma), Santa Clara Pueblo
(New Mexico), Navajo Nation
(Arizona), Yakama Nation
(Washington), Native Village of
Unalakleet (Arkansas)
Qawalangin (Arkansas), and the
Native Village of Noatak
(Arkansas).
In greeting the representa-
Delaware Tribe of Western
Oklahoma — Household Hazardous
Waste Cleanup Day
Stillwater, Oklahoma
September 30th, 2001
tives, Fred Corey, Co-Chair of
TAP, said, "Tm pleased to have
at this meeting the largest
number of tribes ever to partici-
pate at FOSTTA. We are fortu-
nate to have FOSTTA as a
federal mechanism for the tribes
to provide input and advice to
EPA on environmental policy
issues. We tribes need to make
the most of this opportunity...I
encourage the tribes to network
with other tribes outside of
FOSTTA and to share the infor-
mation we get from these
meetings. While FOSTTA can't
solve all environmental
problems, it provides an excel-
lent opportunity for dialogue
with EPA on important tribal
toxics and pollution prevention
issues."
According to tribal represen-
tatives, a multitude of environ-
mental issues exist in Indian
Country and should be
addressed. The issues include
lead and asbestos, persistent
organic pollutants, subsistence
lifestyle, superfund sites,
polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs), persistent and bioaccu-
mulative toxic (PBT) chemicals,
contaminated ground water,
pesticides, radon, and air quality.
The agenda of the June 11-
12™ TAP meeting focused on
subsistence, the HUD lead rule,
HUD grants, and subsistence
issues. TAP is developing a lead
issues paper to address current
di fficulties in obtaining autho-
rization of a tribal lead program
and securing HUD grants to
support lead programs. Over the
past several months, TAP also
has provided input to EPA's
OPPTS on its Strategic Plan,
which will allow the office to
build a better foundation for
implementing programs in
Indian Country.
At an October 2001 FOSTTA
TAP meeting, representatives
mainly focused on conducting an
interactive dialogue with tribal
risk assessors, EPA risk asses-
sors, and tribal toxics staff to
examine traditional risk assess-
ment techniques and how these
techniques can be modified to
incorporate tribal-specific risks.
Formed in June 1997, TAP
deals specifically with issues of
concern to Indians. Participants
are expected to spend at least
two years in FOSTTA and
participate in monthly confer-
ence calls. FOSTTA is a partner-
ship between the EPA's OPPTS
and state and tribal leaders to
increase understanding and
improve collaboration on toxics
and pollution prevention issues.
In addition to TAP, other
FOSTTA projects include the
Chemical Information and
Management project,
Pollution Prevention
Project, and the
Toxics Release
Inventory.
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News & Events
In 1984, EPA became the first federal agency to adopt an
Indian Policy. The policy essentially stated that the Agency
acknowledges the unique legal relationship with tribal govern-
ments based upon the Constitution, treaties, statues, executive
orders and court decisions. EPA also strongly supported the
primary role of tribal governments in matters affecting Indian
country, and in 1994 EPA's former Administrator Carol Browner
established EPA's Tribal Operations Committee (TOC) in order to
strengthen EPA's tribal programs and operations. The official
Tribal Operations Committee Charter was adopted in 1996.
EPA Administrator Whitman Meets with EPA's Tribal
Operations Committee
continued from page 1
Also during the July 11' ''
meeting, Administrator Whitman
listened and discussed the
following major areas of tribal
environmental concerns and
priorities:
• Tribal subsistence foods and
cultural issues affected by
potential toxic contaminants,
such as persistent organic
pollutants (POPs) and persis-
tent bioaccumulative and toxic
(PBT) chemicals,
• Stability of EPA program
funding to tribes to ensure
consistent funding for
building capacity and devel-
oping expertise,
• Tribal assistance with EPA's
Annual Budget and Planning
Processes to ensure that
improved priority setting and
sufficient resources are being
requested and provided for
tribal programs, and
• Direct implementation to
improve federal delivery of
environmental protection
activities and programs in
Indian Country and to provide
more expertise in communi-
cating and exchanging
technology, information, and
data, as well as, compliance
assistance and programs.
The TOC is comprised of
EPA managers from headquarter
and regional offices and selected
tribal representatives from each
of EPA's ten regions. This
committee has been authorized
to develop recommendations in
consultation with tribal members
of the committee to strengthen
EPA's programs and operations
in accordance with EPA's Indian
Policy, including the Agency's
budget and long and short term
strategy decisions; EPA's imple-
mentation of programs, manage-
ment, compliance activities; and
training of EPA staff regarding
knowledge of Indian Affairs.
You can view more informa-
tion on EPA's Indian Policies
and the TOC Charter at
www.epa.gov/indian/polin.htm.
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News & Events
EPA Tribal Science Council
Claudia Walters, EPA
The Tribal Science Council
(TSC), proposed by Dr. Norine
Noonan, former Assistant
Administrator of EPA's Office of
Research and Development,
continues to make great strides
forward. As announced in the
Fall/Winter 2000-2001 issue of
OPPTS Tribal News., the TSC
was designed to provide a
mechanism for a more systemat-
ic and thorough consideration of
tribal science needs and the
Agency's ability to address the
highest priorities among Native
American communities.
Since the November 2000
meeting at the Miccosukee
Reservation, the TSC planning
group, consisting of Agency
TSC and interim Tribal Caucus
representatives, has worked to
refine its mission statement,
goals, and a flow diagram that
illustrates how tribal science will
flow from the tribes to the TSC.
The TSC provides an exciting
new way for Agency and tribal
representatives to work together,
collaborate, and reach a mutual
understanding and direction on
scientific issues of importance in
Indian Country. In addition, the
Council will provide the ability
to address scientific issues in a
holistic, multi-media approach
that supports the subsistence,
cultural, and ceremonial
lifestyles of Indians.
Also, the following goals
were identified for the TSC, and
since the group recognized that
some tribal science issues are
not solely the responsibility of
EPA, these goals will
require the involvement of
other federal agencies to effec-
tively address priority issues.
• Develop a better understand-
ing of the priority science
issues of tribes from across
the nation and the Agency's
ability to address these issues
and consider them as part of
its' formal planning process,
• Reach consensus 011 collabo-
rative approaches for address-
ing priority scientific issues,
• Share Agency scientific
products or activities that
could help address the priority
scientific issues of Tribes,
• Promote partnerships between
tribal and Agency scientists in
the development and applica-
tion of sound science, and
• Facilitate communication and
coordination with other
Agencies and organizations to
more effectively respond to
issues.
On June 13, 2001, the TSC
mission statement, goals, and
flow diagram were endorsed by
the Tribal Caucus who were
pleased with the foundation that
the documents provided for the
TSC. In addition, the TSC
decided to have only one tribal
continued on page 8
Tribal Science Council Mission Statement
In a manner consistent with the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency Indian Policy and trust responsibility, the
mission of the Tribal Science Council is to provide a forum for
interaction between tribal and Agency representatives of
mutual benefit and responsibility to work collaboratively on
environmental scientific issues. The Council will address a
wide range of scientific issues including research, monitoring,
modeling, information, technology, and training in Indian
Country. To support the subsistence, cultural, and ceremonial
lifestyles of Indians and the safe use and availability of a
healthy environment for present and future generations, the
Tribal Science Council is committed to the development of
sound holistic, integrated, and cross-media scientific
approaches. The relationship between the tribes and EPA in
the Tribal Science Council will not substitute for but rather
augment the government-to-government relationship between
EPA and tribal governments.
-------
News & Events
continued from page 7
representative from each Region.
The TSC now has 9 tribal repre-
sentatives and complete agency
membership.
The TSC was also presented
at the full Tribal Operations
Committee meeting in July 2001
that was led by the Tribal
Caucus chair, Latane Donelin,
and EPA Administrator Christine
Todd Whitman. Both voiced
strong support for the Council
and the importance of the work
that the group will accomplish in
addressing tribal science issues.
With the endorsement of the
tribes and the Agency on the
TSC mission statement and
goals, the group can continue to
move forward.
The TSC along with the
original Tribal Caucus members
held their first conference call on
September 25, 2001, and will
continue to collaborate during a
series of conference calls in
preparation for the December
2001 TSC meeting in Phoenix,
Arizona. The Ak Chin and Gila
River Indian Community will be
hosting the December meeting,
which will focus on organiza-
tional aspects of the Council.
The group also will be develop-
ing its operating parameters.
Tribal Representatives on the
Tribal Science Council
• Dan Kusnierz, EPA Region 1,
Penobscot Nation
• Mary Arquette, EPA Region 2, St.
Regis Mohawk Tribe, Akwesasne
Taskforce on the Environment and
James Ransom (alternate),
Haudenosaunee Environmental
Task Force
• Bernadette Hudnell, EPA Region
3, Mssissippi Band of Choctaw
Indians
• John Persell, EPA Region 5,
Mnnesota Chippewa Tribe
Research Lab
• Kendal H. Coats, EPA Region 6,
Muscogee (Creek) Nation
• Gina Kneib, EPA Region 7, Sac &
Fox Tribe of Missouri in Kansas
• Fran King-Brown, EPA Region 8,
Southern Ute Indian Tribe
• Kesner Flores Jr., EPA Region 9,
Cortina Indian Rancheria
• Chris Gannon, EPA Region 10,
Confederated Tribes of Warm
Springs
The Neuse River Basiri Virtual Field Reference
Database is Now Internet Accessible
The Neuse River Basin
(NRB) Virtual Field Reference
Database is now available and
directly accessible on the
Internet at www.epa.gov/
nerlesdl/lcb/nrb/VFRDB. Three
years in the making, the
Database contains site character-
ization, field measurement, and
digital imagery (camera) data for
1,390 sampling locations within
the NRB, consisting of 0.4
hectacres circular plots collected
over the 1998 and 1999 field
seasons. Sites include approxi-
mately 1,000 general watershed
sites and 390 riparian buffer
zone sampling locations with
coordinates reported at A 1.0
meter. The Database was
designed using a stratified
random approach to provide a
statistically robust source of
reference data to validate the
results of satellite based land-
cover mapping and to establish
baseline conditions for future
measurement efforts to
document future land-use
mediated (anthropogenic) and
naturally occurring land-cover
changes within the basin. For a
detailed database description,
methods documentation, and
application examples, see the
June 2001 issue of
Photogrammetric Engineering
and Remote Sensing or contact
Ross Lunetta at
lunetta.ross@epa.gov to request
an article reprint.
Site # 35076A61250604
Pamlico County, NC
Canopy Photos Riparian Zone Photos
ffe 'it
lilL .;
m
Upstream photo
. A
. H 2L
m
Red Maple Loblolly Pint
*1**| ft
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Research
Research at the National Center for
Atmospher c Research
Four American Indian under-
graduate students spent their
summers conducting environ-
mental science research at the
National Center for Atmospheric
Research (NCAR) in Boulder,
Colorado. These four students
joined a group of 17 other
undergraduate and graduate
students of diverse backgrounds
from the United States and
Puerto Rico to participate in the
Significant Opportunities in
Atmospheric Research and
Science (SOARS®) program.
Theresa Jo
Johnson (Miwok),
third-year
SOARS protege,
from Humboldt
State University,
and her NCAR
science research mentor traveled
to Brazil to measure boundary
layer ozone profiles over the
Amazon rainforest. After return-
ing, Theresa reported having
observed a maximum ozone
deposition gradient of 5.4 ppb at
100 m above the forest and a
negligible gradient above a
nearby reservoir. These results
have large-scale implications for
future land-use change, such as a
forest flood to make a reservoir,
and for better understanding the
role of ozone in earth's global
atmospheric chemistry budget.
It is well known that the
major contributors to earth's
magnetic field are electric
currents within its core. Michael
Johnson (Laguna/Dine), first
year protege,
from New
Mexico
Technological
Institute, is inter-
ested in studying
lesser-known
contributors. He researched
ionospheric currents contributing
to magnetic activity over the
polar region and in the auroral
zone. His assessment of the
geomagnetic disturbances will
ensure accurate plotting and
mapping of this activity to
produce an empirical model that
may provide future reference for
computer simulation model
comparisons and predictions.
Erik Noble (Cherokee), first-
year protege, from Pennsylvania
State University,
focused on a ten-
year comparison
of satellite
measurements of
ozone and water
vapor within the
mesosphere and analyzed the
relationships between them. It is
generally thought that ozone
should decrease where water
vapor increases within the
mesosphere. Erik's analysis
yielded strong, negative correla-
tions at sunset, suggesting that
statistical relationships simulat-
ing ozone and water vapor
within the mesosphere should be
updated to include diurnal varia-
tion.
Earth's very important
neighbor, the sun, was the
subject of study for J.
Summer Sands
(Ojibwa/Ottawa), from the
University of
California at
Santa Cruz.
Summer analyzed
data from the
Precision Solar
Photometric
Telescope at Mauna Loa Solar
Observatory in Hawaii to deter-
mine if supergranulation
observed on the sun's outer layer
(or photosphere) may indeed be
convection. Her results seem to
confirm this, but more samples
all needed to be collected to
substantiate her findings. In
addition to furthering the under-
standing of solar convection, this
research may yield insight into
the role that networks play in
solar irradiance variations.
SOARS® was established in
1995 to create career pathways
in science for American students
from groups that have been
historically under-represented.
For more information, please
contact Thomas Windham,
Director, SOARS Program, at
303-497-8624, 303-497-8629
(fax), twindham@ucar.edu or
visit the SOARS Web Site at
www.ucar. edu/soars.
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Research
Nez Perce Tribe Bio-Control Center
The Idaho Department of
Agriculture (ISDA) took steps to
create a comprehensive weed
management system with the
Nez Perce Tribe by forming a
biological control center with
funding from US DA, Rural
Business Enterprise, and the
United States Department of
Commerce Economic
Development Administration
Grant programs. The Nez Perce
Bio-Control Center has devel-
oped contractual agreements
F with several state, federal and
private agencies to manage
weeds biologically, provide
biological control organism
releases for targeted weeds, and
monitor their impact on targeted
weeds and changes in vegetation
communities. Final construction
on the Center is expected to
begin during the next fiscal
quarter and to be completed by
June 2002.
The Center has developed a
database for tracking bio-control
organism releases throughout the
state and utilizes experienced
Geographic Information System
(GIS) staff to assist with map
development. The goal is to have
the database available on-line
with the Center managing and
coordinating the distribution of
biological control organisms
throughout the state.
Nursery sites for biological
control agents have already been
established for the yellow
starthistle (Eustenopus villas lis.
Larinus curl us), spotted
knapweed (Cyphocleoniis
achactes, Agcipeta zoegcinci,
Larinus minntus), and dalmatian
toadflax (Gymnetron linaricte,
Mecinus janthimis). Field sites
are being utilized as collection
sites for the yellow starthistle
(Bangesternous orientcdis,
Chaetorellia australis), spotted
knapweed (Metznerici
pcmcipunctella), and St.
Johnswort (Chrysolina spp.,
Agrilus hyperici, Aplocerct
plagiata).
Ongoing coordination efforts
with regional, national and inter-
national partners seek to acquire
agents for weeds not prevalent in
or adjacent to the Nez Perce
location in north-central Idaho
and to establish a network for
the Center to receive new agents
as they become available. The
Center also has led technology
transfer workshops to increase
awareness of biological control
of the yellow starthistle
(Centanrea solstiticdis). Over the
past two years, these workshops
have provided landowners and
managers with the agents used in
yellow starthistle biological
control and the technology for
managing and monitoring their
infestations. Finally, through a
Memorandum of Agreement
with BIA for coordination, facil-
itation, and implementation of
biological control weeds within
the Northwest, the Center will
be providing weed biological
control technology transfer
sessions specifically for tribal
land managers during the 2002
field season.
To learn more about the
Center's goal and current activi-
ties, please contact Chris
Kuykendall, Nez Perce Bio-
Control Center Director, at 208-
843-7392,ext2, or
clirisk rt nezperce.org.
NPBC Director, Chris Kuykendall, showing seed feeder damage at tech
transfer workshop
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Resources, Programs, arid Conferences
International Conference on
Pesticide Exposure and Health
An International Conference 011 Pesticide Exposure and
Health that will highlight health issues relating to pesticide
exposure m the home, school, public health setting, and
workplace within the agricultural industry and military is sched-
uled for July 8-12, 2002. The goal of the conference is to bring
together occupational and environmental health researchers,
educators, health care providers, and related specialists in order
to exchange up-to-date information, foster collaborations, and
create a forum for addressing some of the problems that exist
with pesticide exposure.
Conference proceedings and a directory of participants will
be distributed to further encourage collaboration and consulta-
tion among conference attendees. Also, medical guideline
papers, with special focus on chronic health effects of pesti-
cides, will be presented at the conference as the basis of a
document on chronic health effects associated with pesticides
and worker monitoring. This text is being developed as a
companion to the widely used EPA Recognition and
Management of Pesticide Poisonings, which deals with acute
health effects associated with pesticides.
The July 2002 conference, sponsored by the Society for
Occupational and Environmental Health (SOEH) and co-
sponsored by EPA, CDC, ATSDR, NIEHS, and several other
organizations, will take place at the Natcher Conference Center,
National Institutes of Health, 45 Center Drive, Bethesda,
Maryland 20892 on July 8-12, 2002. Tribal representatives are
encouraged to perticipate. The conference also will include a
two-day workshop to highlight medical guidelines for health
care providers. Finally, medical and nursing educational credits,
provided by the George Washington School of Medicine and
Howard University School of Nursing, respectively, will be
available for attendees. For more information, please contact
SOEH, 6728 Old McLean Village Drive, McLean, VA 22101,
703-556-9222, 703-556-8729 (fax), soeh(3)degnon.org, or visit
www.soeh.org.
17th
Annual NEJAC
Meeting, Seattle,
Washington
December 3-6, 2001
The 17th Annual National
Environmental Justice Advisory Council
(NEJAC) Meeting was held December 3-
6, 2001 at the Renaissance Madison
Hotel in Seattle, Washington. NEJAC, a
federal advisory committee established in
1993, provides advice and recommenda-
tions to EPA Administrator Christie Todd
Whitman, on matters that will further the
integration of environmental justice in
the Agency's policies, programs and
activities. At the December 2001 meeting
participants held discussions on water
quality, fish consumption, environmental
justice, relationships between water
quality standards, subsistence consump-
tion patterns, and environmental justice.
NEJAC also examined these policy
issues with respect to research method-
ologies, risk assessment and risk
management approaches, remediation
and prevention strategies, and the utiliza-
tion of statutory authorities to protect the
health and safety of all people, including
minority, low-income and tribal commu-
nities. The three-day conference included
structured presentations by stakeholders
on policy issues and many exhibit
displays, videos, easels, handout materi-
als, and posters.
For more information, contact Danny
Gogal, EPA, at 802-564-2876 or
gogal.daniel
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Resources, Programs, arid Conferences
Workshop to Improve Pesticide Worker
Safety Programs
EPA's OPP and the National
Environmental Education and
Training Foundation co-hosted a
workshop on July 30 - August 1.
2001 in Orlando, Florida to
assess the effectiveness of the
national agricultural worker
protection program. Four
workshops have been held
around the country, including
Texas and California, to identify
issues and possible solutions to
improve this important program
that protects 3.5 million United
States agricultural workers from
adverse effects from pesticides.
A final conference is scheduled
to convene in Washington, DC
in Spring 2002.
Approximately 250 partici-
pants from grower, worker, and
medical communities, as well as
federal, state and tribal regulato-
ry agencies, focused on improv-
ing pesticide safety training,
enforcement, communications,
and the integration of EPA's
pesticide worker safety programs
at the workshop. Tribal represen-
tatives attending the meeting
included Fred Gonzales,
Colorado River Indian Tribes;
Eileen Lopez, Tohono Q'odham
Nation; Marcie Phillips.
Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the
Duck Valley Reservation; and
Michael Vaughn, Inter Tribal
Council of Arizona, Inc.
Workshop participants agreed
that greater effort should be
made to clearly communicate
pesticide hazards to the millions
of agricultural workers.
Therefore, EPA, in partnership
with states, growers and
workers, is developing a pilot
project in Florida that will
identify the appropriate informa-
tion and means to communicate
pesticide hazards to a multilin-
gual workforce. Participants also
agreed to partner with EPA on a
pilot for a national train-the-
trainer program to significantly
improve the quality and national
consistency of the pesticide
safety training.
Other pilot projects include a
new bilateral project on agricul-
tural worker protection initiated
by EPA and Mexican agencies to
promote the safe and proper use
of pesticides, reduce human
exposure to pesticides, and
strengthen pesticide safety
training efforts and agricultural
worker protection in Mexico.
Other pilot programs that will
strengthen compliance and
enforcement include a complaint
and education hotline for
workers and growers, as well as
additional training for state
pesticide inspectors.
Healthy agricultural workers
are essential for a robust agricul-
tural economy. EPA, through this
assessment process, is generat-
ing partnerships among workers,
farmers, regulators, safety
trainers and clinicians that will
produce positive change in the
nation's worker protection
program and ensure a healthy
labor force in agriculture. EPA
established the federal worker
protection regulation in 1992
under the Bush Administration
to reduce the occupational risk
of pesticide poisonings and
injuries among agricultural
workers and pesticide handlers.
For more information,
contact OPP's Sara Ager at
703-308-3003.
Water Quality Workshops for Tribal Environmental Managers
Water quality workshops for tribal environmental managers will be held:
Feb 5-7, 2002 Santa Ana Pueblo, Bernalillo, NM
Apr 23-25, 2002 Cortina Rancheria, Citrus Heights, CA
Jun 4-6, 2002 Coeur d'Alene Casino and Resort Hotel, Worley, ID
All workshops are free. Travel, room, and board are the responsibility of
workshop participants. For further information, contact Lillian Wilmore,
Native Ecology Initiative, 617-232-5742, naecology@aol.com
-------
Resources, Programs, and Conferences
Using Pesticides? Be Sure to Read the
Label First
Amy Breedlove, EPA
Do you know the conse-
quences of:
• The act of pouring rat
poison into a food storage
bag, leaving it within a
child's reach, and forget-
ting to label it!
• Spraying a herbicide on a
berry bush near a fishing
pond!
These are all potentially
dangerous acts and can be
prevented by first reading the
labels on pesticide products.
Accidental poisonings occur all
too often as the direct result of
not reading pesticide labels
before use. While pesticide
products are quite effective in
pest control, you should always
use caution when handling them,
so as not to endanger your
health, the health of your family,
pets, or neighbors. Remember:
READ THE LABEL FIRST!
The National Pesticide
Telecommunications Network
(NPTN), a product of a coopera-
tive effort between EPA and
Oregon State University, is the
most complete and reliable
source of information for pesti-
cide information in the United
States. In fact, it is the only
source of its kind. This toll-free
telephone service provides infor-
mation about pesticides in the
United States, Puerto Rico, and
the Virgin Islands.
NPTN handles over 23,000
calls a year on topics related to
pesticides and pesticide poison-
ings. Its staff includes toxicolo-
gists and medical doctors trained
to interpret human health and
environmental questions about
pesticides, answer questions
about pesticide label informa-
tion, and supply general infor-
mation on the regulation of
pesticides in the United States.
Staff members also make refer-
rals for laboratory tests,
incidents involving poisoning
and/or exposure to pesticide
products, and emergency
medical treatment and provide
infonnation regarding safety
practices for field/farm workers
and handlers.
NPTN also operates the
National Antimicrobial
Information Network (NAIN).
NAIN, also a toll-free telephone
service, provides callers with
information about antimicrobial
pesticides. Antimicrobial pesti-
cides are pesticides that serve as
disinfectants, sanitizers, and
sterilants and are used to kill
bacteria on surfaces, in sponges.
and on hospital utensils. At
N AIN, staff members inter-
pret product labels and
permitted uses; provide lists
of products registered as
sterilants, tuberculocides, and
HIV virucides; provide safety
information on specific
antimicrobial chemicals;
supply information on regula-
tions and registration of
antimicrobials in the United
States; field complaints on
product effectiveness; and
refer requests that are outside of
the expertise of NAIN to the
correct agencies and resources.
To reach NPTN, simply call
1-800-858-7378, Monday
through Sunday, 6:30 a.m. - 4:30
p.m., PT. You may also contact
NPTN at 541-737-0761 (fax),
nptnrtace.orst.edu. or
http://nptn.orst.edu. To reach
NAIN, call 1-800-447-6349
Monday through Friday, 7:30
a.m. - 4:30 p.m., PT. You may
also contact NAIN at 541-737-
0761 (fax), nain@ace.orst.edu,
or http://nain.orst.edu.
*
n f:
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Resources, Programs, and Conferences
Spray and Dust Drift Label Statements for Pesticide
Products
EPA has published a new,
draft labeling guidance to
provide pesticide registrants,
applicators, and other individu-
als responsible for pesticide
applications with improved and
more consistent product label
statements for controlling pesti-
cide drift. Within its Pesticide
Registration (PR) Notice,
published on August 22, 2001,
EPA has made clear its position
on drift, a rationale for the label
statements, and an implementa-
tion plan. The Agency has also
suggested appropriate labeling in
the PR Notice that will reduce
human health and environmental
risks associated with pesticide
drift.
The PR Notice applies to all
pesticide products labeled for
use outdoors that can be applied
as sprays or dusts. Application
sites for affected products
include, but are not limited to,
agricultural crops, forestry,
rights-of-way, recreational areas,
lawns, and home gardens.
The Agency has focused its
attention on improving the
control of spray drift and depict-
ing spray drift science. The
"Spray or dust drift is the physical movement of pesticide
droplets or particles through the air at the time of pesticide appli-
cation or soon thereafter from the target site to any non- or off-
target site. Spray drift shall not include movement of pesticides
to non- or off-target sites caused by erosion, migration, volatility,
or windblown soil particles that occurs after application or appli-
cation of fumigants unless specifically addressed on the product
label with respect to drift control requirements."
Agency and many other stake-
holders believe product labeling
for spray drift control should be
improved and standardized to
provide applicators with more
consistent and appropriate direc-
tions for controlling drift. These
suggested changes are consistent
with the requirements of 40 CFR
Part 156 and section 2 (q) of
FIFRA.
EPA's position on pesticide
drift is that applicators must not
allow pesticide spray or dust to
drift from the application site to
contact people, animals, and
nearby sensitive sites.
Applicators must consider and
use necessary application
practices required by states or
tribes in addition to mandatory
drift control measures that are
stated on product labels.
Accordingly, EPA believes that
the suggested label statements
published in the PR Notice will
help ensure that the requirements
of FIFRA are met and that pesti-
cides are used responsibly. The
new statements, or some varia-
tion, also allow flexibility for the
use of new application technolo-
gy. For more information on this
PR Notice and other related
efforts, visit www.epa.gov/pesti-
cides/ and www.epa.gov/pesti-
cides/citizens/spraydrift.htm. For
further information about this
notice, contact Jay Ellenberger,
Field and External Affairs
Division, at 703-305-7099 or
ellenberger.j ay@epa.gov.
1
1
Bugged by Bugs Now Available
New publications of "Bugged by Bugs - An EPA Family Guide to Safe
Pest Control" are available to the public. In this easy-to-read, illustrated
family safety guide, Professor Frog promotes natural safe ways of control-
ling pests around the home. If you have questions about safe pest control or
would like to receive free copies of "Bugged by Bugs," contact Barbara
Barron at 800-227-8917, ext. 6617 or 303-312-6617.
1
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Resources, Programs, arid Conferences
Tribes Invited to Collaborate with
Recycling Council on Container
Collection Programs
Most states conduct empty
pesticide container collection
programs, often with the assis-
tance and collaboration of a non-
profit organization called the Ag
Container Recycling Council
(ACRC). ACRC was formed in
1992 to promote collection and
recycling of pesticide containers
into environmentally-sound
products and to assist pesticide
container collection programs by
providing training, funding,
guidance and public outreach
materials. ACRC's member
companies are pesticide
manufacturers who each
contribute to the Council an
amount of money proportional to
the quantity of plastic containers
used to distribute its pesticides.
ACRC also contracts with
independent companies that
consolidate containers from
collection sites, then ship them
to facilities where they are
granulated and recycled into
other products. ACRC also
conducts research to find
broader uses for granulated
plastic, such as plastic pellets for
pesticide storage. ACRC has
w
ACRC
helped states and counties
collect and recycle more than 46
million pounds of plastic pesti-
cide containers, but they
estimate that this is only about
30% of the total used. They are
actively seeking new partners in
order to increase the volume of
plastic containers collected, and
tribes are encouraged to contact
them. Please contact ACRC at
their toll-free number 877-952-
2272 and Web site www.acrecy-
cle.org.
ATSDR's Toxicological Profiles Accessible on the Web
Rancly Brinkhuis, EPA
ATSDR Toxicological
Profiles are now accessible on
the Web at
www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles.
The profiles are formatted as
portable document format (PDF)
files which can be read using
Adobe Acrobat software.
Readers may view or download
an entire profile or selected
sections. Each profile contains
comprehensive reviews on
selected toxic substances. Each
one contains a public health
statement and plain-English
answers to the following
questions:
• What is this substance?
• What happens to it when it
enters the environment?
• How might I be exposed to it?
• How can it enter and leave my
body?
• How can it affect my health?
• Is there a medical test to
determine whether I have
been exposed to it?
• What recommendations has
the federal government made
to protect human health?
• Where can I get more infor-
mation?
The Website also provides
information on health effects,
chemical and physical data,
potential for human exposure,
analytical methods, and regula-
tions and advisories. For more
infonnation, please contact the
ATSDR Infonnation Center at -
888-42ATSDR, 404-498-0110,
or at sdric@cdc.gov
ATSDR - Toxicological Profile Information Sheet
Atsdr
Seaich I Index I Home I Glossaiv I Contact Us
Toxicological Profile Information Sheet
About Toxicological Profiles
By Congressional mandate, the Agency for Tone Substances and
Disease Registiy (ATSDR) produces "toxicological profiles" for
hazardous substances found at National Priorities List (NPL) sites.
These hazardous substances are ranked based on frequency of
occurrence at NPL sites, toxicity, and potential for human exposure.
Toxicological profiles are developed from a priority list of 275
substances ATSDR also prepares toxicological profiles for the
Department of Defense (DOD) and fee Department of Energy (DOE)
on substances related to federal sites
So far. 256 toxicological profiles have been published or are under
development as "finals" or "drafts for public comment", 231 profiles
were published as finals; 92 profiles have been updated Currently. 13
profiles aie being revised based on public comments received and 1
profile is being developed as public comment draft These profiles
cover more than 250 substances.
Toxicological profiles are developed in two stages:
(1) DRAFTS: The toxicological profiles are first produced as drafts
ATSDR announces in the Federal Register fee release of these draft
profiles for a 90-day pubic comment period Request draft
toxicological profiles from ATSDR's Division of Toxicology.
-------
Resources, Programs, arid Conferences
Recent Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreaks at Home
and Worldwide
Hundreds of cases of foot-
and-mouth disease (FMD) are
reported in the United States and
in countries around the world,
and members of the Tohono
O'odham Nation are especially
concerned. The Tohono
O'odham Nation (or the Nation)
is a federally-recognized Native
American tribe located in the
Sonoran Desert within the
boundaries of Arizona. It has the
second largest reservation in the
United States, covering approxi-
mately 2.85 million acres,
roughly the size of Connecticut.
There are over 22,000 enrolled
members in the United States
and Mexico. Approximately
14,000 O'odham live on the
Nation's lands over 65 small
rural communities, with only a
few communities larger than 200
residents. Cattle ranching is one
of the most important sectors of
the Nation's economy, with a
majority of O'odham families
owning at least a few heads
each. There are an estimated
50,000 to 70,000 heads of catde
roaming the Nation presently,
and an average of 10,000
O'odham cattle are sold per
year. These cattle share the
desert with large numbers of
deer and javelina, and there are
limited populations of bighorn
sheep and small isolated groups
of domesticated pigs and sheep.
Currently, there is no system
for health inspection for the
Nation's cattle. The only inspec-
tions are brand inspections
during market sales. Commonly,
veterinary services are provided
by a contract veterinarian who
comes once a week. Also, there
are very few defined ranges
within the Nation, with most
fences in disrepair and cut
regularly by either undocument-
ed aliens heading north or
federal agents in pursuit.
Furthermore, the cattle roam
freely back and forth across the
Mexican border. This combina-
tion — a flood of undocumented
aliens crossing the border and a
large population of unmanaged,
free-range cattle — makes the
Nation's cattle and wildlife
population extremely vulnerable
to exposures of FMD, as well as
other diseases.
The Nation's leadership is
very aware of its vulnerability to
FMD and is quickly mobilizing
its resources and making the
necessary contacts with state and
other agencies to address the
issue. However, those programs
identified to coordinate this
effort have limited resources to
carry out this mandate in
addition to their current respon-
sibilities. The Nation, therefore,
has submitted grant proposal
materials to the USDA that
would provide the basic
resources needed to conduct
initial public outreach and
emergency planning activities.
An effective FMD emergency
planning effort must directly
involve those individuals who
have the most current informa-
tion on the status of the infra-
structure and come into direct
contact with the cattle, while
being capable of spotting
symptoms of FMD. These
individuals include "Roundup
Bosses" and the "Ground
Crews," as well as families
conducting their own roundups
when the need arises. In order to
reach these individuals, the first
step is to increase awareness of
FMD, its symptoms, and the
potential effects of an outbreak.
Any public outreach regarding
FMD must be brought directly to
these individuals and must be
conducted in the O'odham
language. Outreach efforts may
include public meetings, produc-
tion of video posters, electronic
presentations, fliers, and
brochures to announce meetings.
Finally, there is currently no
baseline population information
for deer, javelina, and bighorn
sheep. Because these species are
FMD-susceptible, it is vital to
conduct this survey.
An update on the Nation's
grant proposal will be featured
in the upcoming Winter 2002
issue of OPPTS Tribal News.
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Resources, Programs, arid Conferences
Fish Quality Index: Are my fish safe to eat?
In EPA's Mercury Report to
Congress, an important finding
indicated that certain populations
of subsistence fishermen are at
high risk for exposure to methyl
mercury toxicity because of their
high consumption of contaminat-
ed fish. Often the health nsks of
persistent bioaccumulative and
toxic (PBT) chemicals, such as
the mercury compound methyl
mercury. PCBs, or dioxin and
dioxin-like compounds, are
underestimated because of their
amplification in the food chain
that results in toxicity, even
though ambient levels of these
PBT are within acceptable
limits. Two concerns have devel-
oped from this situation: (1)
most of the affected groups have
not been identified, and (2)
means of effectively communi-
cating the possible risk to the
affected groups do not readily
exist. While EPA is moving to
reduce mercury pollution, it will
take many years before fish in
some lakes are safe to eat, and
avoiding the most contaminated
fish can reduce health risks.
EPA's Office of Research and
Development's Technology
Transfer Branch is working to
increasingly define regions and
specific lakes and rivers that
have high levels of consumption
of native fish, and where high
levels of mercury or other PBT
concentrations in water can
occur. This effort includes
additional compilation of
mercury or other PBT concentra-
tions from water bodies and fish
that inhabit these lakes and
rivers from historical data or
from data that has been recently
collected. The Technology
Transfer Branch is also identify-
ing populations of subsistence
fishermen or other high-risk
groups who consume large
quantities of fish from these
waters.
The final product will be a
user-friendly risk communica-
tion tool, the Fish Quality Index.
The Fish Quality Index will be a
color-coded pictogram of
various fish species. For
example, fish that are safe to eat
will be colored green, even at
subsistence consumption levels,
and yellow fish will be noted as
being safe to eat once a month.
Fish colored red, for example,
will be safe only if
eaten less than once a year.
This map-based tool
transcends language and literacy
boundaries and should inform
anglers of the relative health
risks according to the species of
fish that they regularly consume
in an easy-to-understand format.
It has the benefit of steering
people toward safer lakes and
streams and safer species of fish.
In most lakes examined, there
are safe and unsafe species of
fish in the same areas, depend-
ing mostly on the trophic level
of the fish's food supply.
A pilot of the Fish Quality
Index has been developed for
several New England states and
is currently being tested by
several groups. It will eventually
be available on the Internet and
on CD-ROM, but the individual
maps can be printed in wallet-
size or larger formats. For
further information or questions
regarding the activities in EPA's
Office of Research and
Development's Technology
Transfer Branch, contact Dan
Petersen at 513-569-7831 or
petersen.dan(||epa.gov.
Emergency Management Operations Center
Releases of FMD Outbreaks
The Emergency Management Operations Center (EMOC) released several notices on foot-
and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks occurring in Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Turkey, and the
United Kingdom.
Updates regarding the FMD outbreaks are provided as new information becomes
available . If you have questions, please contact the Emergency Programs staff
at 301-734-8073, 800-940-6524, or emoc@aphis.usda.gov.
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Resources, Programs, arid Conferences
Tohono O'odham Nation Ecological Border Concerns
Mary Cathy Garcia, Tohono O'odham, EPA
The web of jurisdictional
influences by federal, state, and
international authorities compli-
cates the implementation of
Tohono O'odham environmental
policy and results in eco-cultural
border concerns, especially
when dealing with Mexico.
Some of these influences include
the 1853 severing of traditional
Tohono O'odham lands from
their Mexican land base, and
Operation Gatekeeper, launched
five years ago by the United
States government in an effort to
seal off key portions of the
Mexican border. Pressures by
the United States Border Patrol
and Customs service in their
efforts to reverse the tide of
undocumented aliens and drag
smugglers also adds to eco-
cultural border concerns.
The war between Mexico and
the United States (1846-1848)
was concluded by the Treaty of
Guadalupe Hildago, which left
the Tohono O'odham territory
intact as the northern-most part
of Mexico. However, the desire
to secure a good route for trans-
continental railroad pressured
United States officials to negoti-
ate the Gadsden Purchase in
1853. This in effect transferred
much of the Tohono O 'odham
territory to the United States and
left the rest Mexican jurisdic-
tion. This condition of being
divided between two foreign
governments continues to have
devastating eco-cultural conse-
quences for the Tohono
O'odham.
Some 14,000
O'odham residents
live on lands of the
Tohono O'odham
Nation in 65
communities, and
many members
reside on or near the
border. The Tohono
O'odham Nation
estimates about
7,000 of its 24,000
enrolled members
live in Mexico, and
approximately,
1,4000 of it's
members were born and reside
south of the US/Mexico
boundary. Tohono O'odham
tribal members are mistakenly
harassed and held suspect as
drag smugglers or as aliens
making illegal crossings. The
terror of being arrested and
deported to Mexico keeps many
Tohono O'odham tribal
members from participating in
traditional ceremonies, seeking
medical treatment, and collect-
ing subsistence materials such as
basket-making Yucca.
The implementation of
Operation Gatekeeper has
resulted in pushing the flow of
impoverished workers and
peasants seeking a living in the
United States to more remote
and dangerous border crossings
along the Tohono O'odham/
Mexico border. Illegal
immigrant crossings impact
public services, federal employ-
ees working in the area, and
residents and businesses located
on reservation lands. In 1999, 60
cars were abandoned, and the
estimated cost to the Tohono
O'odham Nation was $9,000.
Moreover, cultural resource sites
have been damaged by the
creation of roads for observation
posts on hills of archaeological
sites.
Undocumented aliens have
caused damage to natural and
cultural resources by harming
desert tortoises, dumping trash
on archaeological sites, and
driving vehicles across sites. In
addition, unsecured areas along
a 63-mile stretch of the Nation
adjacent to the border enable
unauthorized cattle to cross, off-
highway vehicle use, and even
cattle rustlers to take stolen
cattle back to Mexico.
The Tohono O'odham have
traditionally made little distinc-
tion between the sacred and
profane—the religious and the
secular. For the Tohono
o'odham, creation stories, song,
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Resources, Programs, arid Conferences
prayers and traditional ecologi-
cal knowledge and wisdom
instruct members to visualize
and understand the relationship
between the physical environ-
ment and spritual values that
create and bind communities.
According to Tohono O'odham
basket weaver, Art Babachi
Wilson, "Cedagi Wahia, which is
thirteen miles south of the
US/Mexico border is unique
because it is the sacred location
of many Tohono O 'odham oral
testimonies." To aid many of
these eco-cultural issues and
other socio-cultural citizenship
issues, Ed Pastor, 2nd District,
Arizona and representatives
Jackson Lee of Texas and Frank
Pallone of New Jersey presented
a bill to amend U.S. nationality
law. The Tohono O'odham
Nation's "Make It Right"
Citizenship Campaign empha-
sizes, "From time immemorial
Tohono O'odham have lived on
these desert lands. Tohono
O'dham means desert people.
Our creator I'itoi made us from
clay of our desert lands. We
believe these desert lands, are
sacred. We have harmony with
the great gifts of I'itoi—moving
freely about our lands. This is
our way of life."
There are four non-contigu-
ous land areas of the Tohono
O'odham nation, which together
total 2.8 million acres or 5,000
suare miles, approximately the
size of Connecticut. As recent
as, May 2001, only miles from
the Tohono O'odham Nation 14
illegal immigrants succumbed to
the arid 114-degree heat in the
Sonoran Desrt of Southern
Arizona. While the U.S. Border
Patrol provides eight units per
shift to cover the immense area
of the Tohono O'odham Nation,
it is esitimated that between
1,200 to 1,500 undocumented
aliens continue to cross the lands
of the Nation on a daily basis
during the summer months.
Illegal immigrants also leave
thousands of plastic, metal, and
glass food and beverage contain-
ers, along with clothing,
bedding, diapers, and other
products. Trash and liter pose
hazards to human health and
wild life, and many have a
potential for long term impact on
the Tohono O'odham's eco-
cultural links to the land.
Approximately, 5,000 to 7,000
pounds of solid waste are illegal-
ly disposed of daily, and costs
for possibly cleaning up this
solid waste are approximately
$306,600 per year.
The US/ Mexico boundary
and present nationality law
disrupts the Tohono O'odham
Nation's interconnected ecologi-
cal relationship to the land. A
Tohono O'odham delegation
demonstrated on the footsteps of
the United States Capital on
June 4, 2001 to formally request
that the United States Congress
amend the
Immigration and
Nationality Act of 1952.
The Tohono delegation
proposed the Citizenship Act
(H.R. Bill 2348) to make all
Tohono O'odham tribal
members identification cards
equivalent to federally-issued
citizenship certificates to help
U.S. Border Patrol agents
identify Tohono O'odham tribal
members from illegal aliens and
help to prevent racial profiling
as members cross US/Mexico
borders. Since the Tohono
O'odham Nation's June 4th
demonstration, 87 lawmakers
have signed on to support the
proposed Citizenship Act.
The Tohono O'odham Nation
is seeking assistance to battle
their eco-cultural concerns and
has initiated H.R. Bill 2348, the
"Make It Right Bill." To learn
more about recent efforts,
contact Henry Ramon, Vice
Chairman, 520-518-2028, or
Margo Cowan, General Counsel,
Tohono O'odham Nation, 202-
518-8660 or 520-471-0108.
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Resources, Programs, and Conferences
Small Drinking Water Treatment Systems Research
and Development at EPA's Test and Evaluation
Facility
The Safe Drinking Water Act
(SDWA) Amendments passed by
Congress in 1996 promised to
provide safe drinking water to
all Americans. There are approx-
imately 170,000 small and non-
community drinking water treat-
ment systems in the United
States serving over 25 million
people. Many of these drinking
water systems are having diffi-
culty in complying with increas-
ing numbers of regulated conta-
minants. Currently, it is estimat-
ed that small drinking water
treatment systems contribute
nearly three-fourths of the
annual violations under the
SDWA, with the majority being
microbiological violations.
Because small systems are
widely dispersed in rural areas
and face financial constraints, it
is difficult to evaluate, select,
and maintain technologies.
Recognizing these constraints,
EPA has invested substantial
resources towards the research,
development, and evaluation of
drinking water technologies for
small systems. A number of
these evaluations are conducted
by EPA's Water Supply and
Water Resources Division at the
EPA Test and Evaluation (T&E)
Facility located in Cincinnati,
Ohio.
At the T&E Facility, a wide
variety of water and waste treat-
ment technologies are
conceived, designed, and evalu-
ated at the bench- and pilot-
scale. Studies conducted at the
T&E Facility promote the devel-
opment and commercialization
of practical and innovative
technologies to enhance water
treatment and understand the
characteristics of water quality
in distribution systems. A team
of EPA and contractor staff that
includes engineers, chemists,
microbiologists, technicians, and
craftsmen conducts the research.
The facility, located within the
grounds of Cincinnati's Mill
Creek Wastewater Treatment
Plant, is also accessible to
commercial entities, academic
institutions, and other govern-
ment agencies.
Currently, research identify-
ing technological and institution-
al issues regarding conventional
drinking water package plants
indicates there is a mismatch
between operator certification
and knowledge required for
satisfactory treatment technology
operation. Conventional drinking
water treatment technology
requires substantial water
chemistry and microbiology
experience and a knowledge of
raw water characteristics to
properly provide potable water.
It is EPA's goal to develop these
skills for conventional and
innovative drinking water
technologies through evaluations
at the T&E facility. The T&E
Facility also utilizes three distri-
bution system simulators (DSS)
to evaluate water quality charac-
teristics within a distribution
system, and results from these
studies are used to provide
guidance on how to maintain
high levels of water quality
through the infrastructure of
small and large distribution
systems. Finally, various
package plants and distribution
systems at the T&E Facility and
other field locations have been
equipped with remote telemetry
units to aid in control and
monitoring activities. SDWA
regulations require small and
large public water treatment
operators to provide routine
monitoring, and this can be
costly for small system opera-
tors, particularly in remote
locations. Remote telemetry,
however, supports regulatory
guidelines by providing real-
time, continuous monitoring of
the water quality and reporting
the information electronically.
For additional information,
please contact Roy C. Haught,
EPA, 513- 569-7067, 513-569-
7052 (fax), haught.roy@epa.gov,
or James A. Goodrich, EPA,
513-569-7605, 513-569-7185
(fax), goodrich.james@epa.gov.
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Resources, Programs, arid Conferences
Mercury-exposure Measurements
Mercury levels in fish tissues,
human hair, and bird feathers
can now be measured with an
easy-to-use direct mercury
analyzer according to EPA"s
Environmental Sciences
Division (ESD) in Las Vegas,
Nevada. EPA's ESD, National
Exposure Research Laboratory,
and Office of Research and
Development have validated the
use of the direct mercury
analyzer for whole-fish
homogentates and demonstrated
that muscle-plug analyses can
provide statistically equivalent
mercury data when compared to
fillet analyses by the convention-
al cold vapor AAS methodology.
Use of such a mercury
analyzer has been proposed by
EPA ESD research chemist
Thomas Hinners for a study of
the Aleut community on St. Paul
Island in the Arctic. According
Mr. Hinners, this analyzer has
been used extensively since
October 1998 for studies of fish
from eleven national parks and
Lake Mead located near
Laughlin, Nevada. In an
outreach effort with Mr. Michael
Schaver, Environmental
Coordinator with the Big Valley
Band of Pomo Indians at Big
Valley Rancheria, Lakeport,
California, this type of analyzer
may be acquired by the tribe to
assess mercury exposures in
nearby areas. Mr. Hinners has
made use of muscle plugs in
determining mercury concentra-
tions by using body punches.
Use of biopsy punches has also
been successful in a non-lethal
study of endangered razorback
suckers for determining
selenium concentrations.
Mercury levels in fish tissue
are relevant to the health not
only of humans, but also of fish-
eating mammals and birds. In
2001, EPA defined a mercury
water quality criterion based on
a maximum concentration of 0.3
parts per million of mercury in
noncommercial freshwater or
estuarine fish tissue that should
not be exceeded in order to
protect the health of an adult
human consuming a typical
amount of fish-fillet tissue,
approximately 18.5 ounces per
month. For people who consume
more than this typical amount of
fish, lower mercury levels in the
fish muscle are considered safe.
Fish-mercury concentrations of
0.1 and 0.02 ppm have been
reported as wildlife critical
values for fish-eating mammals
and birds, respectively.
Elevated levels of
mercury in the hair of
pregnant women also have
been associated with health
effects in their babies. A report
from the National Academy of
Sciences has recommended the
analysis of hair segments to
assess short-term human
exposures since brief high intake
of mercury might be more
relevant to health effects than
lower, constant uptake. Also,
mercury levels in feathers can
indicate whether the exposure to
birds is changing.
Additional information
related to this topic is available
at EPA's fish-consumption
website at
www.epa.gov/ost/fishadvice and
EPA's water quality criterion at
www.epa.gov/waterscience/
criteria/methylmercury and
www.epa.gov/epaoswer/
hazwaste/test/7473.pdf. More
information also can be found at
EPA's Environmental Justice and
Tribal grant website at
http://es.epa.gov/oeca/index.html
and the NAS mercury report at
http: //books .nap .edu/catalog/
9899.html. For questions about
mercury analyses, contact Tom
Hinners at
hinners .tom||epa.gov
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Resources, Programs, and Conferences
Who's to Host the 6th National Tribal Conference on
Environmental Management?
EPA requested proposals
from federally-recognized Indian
tribes or intertribal consortia to
host the 6th National Tribal
Conference on Environmental
Management. EPA began
sponsoring this bi-annual confer-
ence in 1992 to provide an
opportunity for tribal leaders,
tribal environmental managers,
tribal organizations, federal
agencies, and others to share
information about tribal environ-
mental programs and discuss
issues of vital interest to Indian
country. For the 2002 confer-
ence, EPA is seeking to broaden
the scope of the conference to
include more multi-media
environmental issues, establish
stronger tribal networks and
relationships in Indian country,
identify shared lessons learned,
and familiarize tribes with the
full extent of tribal and EPA
environmental programs. Topics
at past conferences that have
helped to build tribal capacity
include managing environmental
and integrated waste programs;
grant assistance to tribes;
addressing concerns about
human health risks and subsis-
tence; contracting, research, and
business development opportuni-
ties; and GIS and natural
resource management.
EPA will be awarding a
cooperative agreement to co-
sponsor the conference to a
selected host tribe whom submit-
ted their proposal by September
30, 2001. For more information,
please contact Felicia Wright at
202-260-4410, Caren Rothstein-
Robinson at 202-260-0065,
Claudia Walters at 202-564-6762
or Clara Mickles at 202-260-
7519.
Effects of Exposure to Uranium Waste Products in Drinking Water
Angela Justice, United States Public Health Service
Navajo Neuropathy is a fatal
disease of unknown etiology
caused by exposure to uranium
waste products in drinking
water, affecting only Navajos in
the Four Corners area of the
United States. A three-year
study, headed by James W.
Justice, M.D., linked the disease,
previously thought to be a
genetic disorder, with intrauter-
ine exposure to radioactive
uranium mine wastes, mostly by
ingestion of rain water collected
in abandoned mine pits.
Exposure only affects the
intrauterine fetus, not normal
siblings exposed only after birth.
The three-year study began
in 1997 and was conducted by a
team of researchers led by Dr.
James Justice, a retired Public
Health Service researcher.
Families of 41 affected children
were contacted and interviewed.
Medical records were retrieved
and studied, and eight surviving
patients were examined. The
study method used was to
compare in utero exposures of
affected children with their
unaffected siblings, including in
utero exposure to surface water
found in uranium mine pits. It
was concluded that Navajo
Neuropathy was most likely
caused by in utero exposure to
water contaminated by uranium
mining waste products, and all
exposure cases occurred during a
time when fences surrounding
mine pits were removed by
mining companies in 1959 and
when pits in the most accessible
areas were filled using EPA
Superfunds in 1993. The results
of the three-year study were
presented at the 2001 Public
Health Professional Conference
in Washington, DC on May 31,
2001. For further information on
this study and current findings,
contact JamesW. Justice, M.D.,
United States Public Health
Service, 3663 East Kingler
Spring Place, Tucson, AZ 85718,
520-577-2202.
Navajo Neuropathy affects
young children from one year to
eight years of age, and is character-
ized by a hepatitis that can be mild,
but is often fatal. If the patient
survives liver failure, a chronic
demyelinating neuropathy develops
with paralysis but has no effect on
mental functions.
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Resources, Programs, arid Conferences
2002 OPPTS Tribal Subsistence
Summit Update
OPPTS is planning a subsistence summit for 2002. Hie goal
of the Summit is to help Indian tribes build capacity to assess
environmental health threats from toxic chemicals and pesti-
cides, including persistent, bioaccumulative toxics (PBTs) in
foods and other materials used in subsistence practices and
lifestyles. Tribes will learn to develop the necessary tools and
guidelines to better understand exposure and risk situations
based upon the unique circumstances associated with culture,
and religion. Tribes will gain knowledge on appropriate analyti-
cal and technical capacities to design, implement, and manage
food-related subsistence risk assessment programs and to design
the framework and components of a multi-media tool that meets
the needs of tribes and reflects EPA administrative and
programmatic responsibilities.
A web-based manual will be produced to serve as a refer-
ence guide and platform for EPA and other federal and tribal
organizations to address subsistence food issues. The manual
will include adaptable tools to help identify contaminant-related
abnormalities in subsistence food, prepare samples for laborato-
ry testing, and develop appropriate models for risk communica-
tion. Cooperative education and training opportunities will be
identified, including potential interfaces with science-based
programs in federal and state agencies.
This program is being coordinated through a number of
EPA's tribal partners, including the Tribal Operations
Committee (TQC), Tribal Affairs Project of FOSTTA, Tribal
Pesticide Program Council, Regional TOCs, and other tribal
organizations. For more information, contact Bille Hougart.
EPA OPPT, at 202-564-8816 or hougart.billeHepa.gov.
National
Cardiovascular
Health
Conference 2002 -
Cardiovascular Health
for All: Meeting the
Challenge of Healthy
People 2010
Sponsoring organizations have united
to develop Cardiovascular Health (CVH)
2002 as a way to highlight Healthy
People 2010 objectives related to cardio-
vascular health and disease. The confer-
ence program will encourage health
professionals to implement practices
designed to significantly reduce cardio-
vascular disease in all communities by
the year 2010. Bach plenary and concur-
rent session accordingly will highlight
ways to achieve the goals and objectives
related to cardiovascular health and
disease.
• April 11-13,2002
National Cardiovascular Health
Conference 2002 - Cardiovascular
Health for All, Marriott Wardman Park
Hotel,Washington, D.C.
For more information, contact Jenny
Bogue at 703-683-8500 (ext. 227), 800-
687-7469 (ext. 227), 703-836-4486 (fax),
or ntpinfo@ntpshow.com (email). You
may also visit www.nlilbi.nih.gov/
health/prof/heart/other/na_bkgd.htm
Available Funds for EJ Small Grant Program
On November 1, 2001 EPA's Office of Environmental Justice announced the availability of $1.5 million for the
FY 2002 EJ Small Grant Program. The purpose of this program is to provide financial assistance to eligible
community groups, including community based- and grassroots organizations, churches or other nonprofit organiza-
tions, focused on community-based issues and federally-recognized tribal governments working on environmental
justice issues. The grant program provides funding for a full range of activities that promote protection of human
health and the environment, and in the past, it has proven to be a good source of funding for efforts relating to
pesticide safety and risk reduction. This year's applications are due by February 22, 2002. Average grant awards are
valued at $15,000, and EPA plans to award 100 grants. For more information on the FY 2002 EJ Small Grant
Program, including instructions for preparing proposals and a summary of projects funded in the past, visit EPA's
web site at www.epa.gov/oeca/main/ej/index.html.
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Resources, Programs, and Conferences
EPA Grant Funding
Opportunities
Claudia Walters, EPA
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of
Research and Development (ORD), as part of its Science to
Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking requests for appli-
cations (RFA) in two areas of research. One area concerns
epidemiologic research on the health effects of long-term
exposure to ambient particulate matter and other air pollutants.
The RFA invites applications for the following two specific
types of particulate matter air pollution research: (1) retrospec-
tive epidemiologic studies that make use of currently available
information on health and air quality, and (2) methods/model
development studies relating to future, prospective epidemio-
logic research. The RFA opening period began on August 28,
2001 and will close on January 18, 2002.
The second solicitation seeks the development of regional-
watershed classification schemes that can be used within the
context of a national framework for determining ecosystem
vulnerability, designing monitoring systems, and identifying
watershed restoration opportunities. Regional-watershed classi-
fication schemes should be based on a strong conceptual under-
standing of watershed processes, as well as illustrating quantita-
tive linkages among watershed attributes, loadings, and ecologi-
cal responses. The solicitation opening period began on October
1, 2001 and will close on January 30, 2002.
For more information about both EPA grant funding oppor-
tunities, visit http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/ or contact Stacey Katz
202-564-8201, katz.stacey@epa.gov (epidemiologic research),
Gail Robarge 202-564-8301, robarge.gail@epa.gov (epidemio-
logic research), or Bill Stelz 202-564-6834,
stelz.william@epa.gov (regional-watershed classification
scheme development).
TPPC Meeting in September
In spite of the tragic events of September 2001, Tribal
Pesticide Program Council (TPPC) members flew to Arizona
from around the country to unite at the Ak Chin Indian
Community Resort in Arizona to carry out their fourth
meeting. Discussion topics included tribal authority under
the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act,
issues relating to the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act, and tribal pesticide training. The next
meeting of the TPPC will be in March 2002 in Arlington,
Virginia. For more information, contact TPPC Coordinator
Lillian Wilmore at 617-232-6742 orNAEcology@aol.com.
2001 National
American Indian
Science &
Engineering Fair
Winners
Daniel Concho, Barstow High School, California
Kimberly Mann, Wingate High School, New
Mexico
Kimberly Yazzie, Wingate High School, New
Mexico
Christine Concho, Barstow High School,
California
Brian Boyd, Bayfield High School, Wisconsin
Roxanne Shepard, Wingate High School, New
Mexico
Behavioral & Social Science Winners
5th grade
Kirstin Desjarlais, Turtle Mountain Community
Elementary, North Dakota
Whitney Cadotte, Wilson Elementary, Wisconsin
Angelica Acedo, Gila Crossing Community
School, Arizona
6th Grade
John Jojola, Isleta Elementary, New Mexico
Jena Jeanotte, Turtle Mountain Middle School,
North Dakota
7th Grade
RaeAnn Morin, Turtle Mountain Middle School,
North Dakota
Julia McMillian, Choctaw Central Middle School,
Mississippi
Eldora Thompson, Thoreau Mid School, New
Mexico
8th Grade
Jannica Atencio, Santo Domingo Middle School,
New Mexico
Ajanee' Thomas, Dunseith Indian Day School,
North Dakota
Kathy Renault, Ojibwa Indian School, North
Dakota
Melissa Norris, Riverside Indian School,
Oklahoma
10th Grade
Cheriena Ben, Choctaw Central High School,
Mississippi
11th Grade
Mahli Saunders, Choctaw Central High School,
Mississippi
12th Grade
Amilia Notah, Grants High School, New Mexico
To learn more about scholarships and programs
offered by the American Indian Science and
Engineering Society, visit their website at
www.aises.org or call 505-765-1052.
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Resources, Programs, arid Conferences
Pesticide Health Hazards Focus of
Tribal Medicine Project
David F. Goldsmith, MSPH, PhD, George Washington University
EPA's Office of Pesticide
Programs is supporting a Tribal
Medicine Project with George
Washington University that
focuses on health care provider
outreach in the area of pesticide-
related medical conditions and
pesticide sampling on tribal
lands. This project, which was
featured in the Spring 2001 issue
of OPPTS Tribal News, is led by
Dr. David F. Goldsmith, and in
recent months, Dr. Goldsmith
has successfully applied for
continuing medical and nursing
education accreditation from the
George Washington University
Office of Continuing Medical
Education for the Tribal
Medicine Project and held
numerous workshops in Native
lands to discuss areas of
outreach and research.
The accreditation at George
Washington University will
standardize evaluations and
provide credit hours and official
letters of attendance for non-
health care professionals partici-
pating in job-relevant trainings
at the accredited school of
medicine.
Dr. Goldsmith hosted a one-
day health workshop, sponsored
by the Intertribal Council of
Arizona (ITCA), m Phoenix,
Arizona. The one-day training
workshop was held in late July
and focused on the leading crops
and pesticide chemicals.
Representatives from the
Colorado River Indian Tribe,
Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation,
White Mountain Apache Tribe,
and the Navajo Nation attended.
Another health training program,
sponsored by the Hopi Tribe,
was held on July 26, 2001 in
Keams Canyon, Arizona and
included sessions devoted to
both pesticides use for common
tribal activities, such as agricul-
ture and applications to school
grounds and facilities, and for
repatriated Hopi religious
artifacts. Representatives from
Hopi and Navajo Nations,
Bureau of Indian Affairs,
Arizona Department of
Transportation, Hopi community
police, and the Hopi Health Care
Center attended. A joint
sampling program was held in
late July to test for herbicide
residues applied to shared Tribal
roadways. With participation of
the Arizona Department of
Transportation, the sampling
effort focused on roadside herbi-
cides and grazing lands, with
attention to subsistence and elder
Natives gathering grasses, reeds,
and plants.
On August 1, 2001, a
successful health training
program was held in Lapwai,
Idaho to present a description of
the Nez Perce air quality
monitoring effort and responses
to concerns about increasing
numbers of asthma cases among
tribal members.
For more information on the
Tribal Medicine Project and
upcoming activities, contact
David F. Goldsmith, George
Washington University, at 202-
994-1734, 202-994-0011 (fax),
and eohdfg@gwumc.edu.
Annual Toxics Release Inventory National Meeting
EPA is holding its annual Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) National
Meeting on February 13-15, 2002 in Alexandria, Virginia. Participants
include TRI staff from EPA, states, and tribes,. EPA's Toxics Release
Inventory Program collects data on chemical releases from industrial facili-
ties and makes the data available to the public through the Internet, written
reports, and other media. The purpose of the meeting is to share information
and discuss issues relating to TRI program implementation, TRI data use,
and enforcement. For more information, please contact Amy Newman at
202-260-1846 or newman.amy@epa.gov.
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Resources, Programs, arid Conferences
EPA's Office of Research and Development
Announces Graduate and Undergraduate
Fellowship Programs
EPA's Office of Research and
Development (ORD), as part of
its Science to Achieve Results
(STAR) program, manages a
graduate fellowship grant
program for students achieving a
master's or doctoral degree in
environmentally-related fields of
study, EPA also manages the
Minority Academic Institute
(MAI) fellowship program for
undergraduate and graduate
study in environmental fields.
These fellowship programs are
designed to encourage promising
students to obtain advanced
degrees and pursue careers in
environmental areas.
The STAR graduate fellow-
ship grant for students in a
master's or doctoral degree
program is subject to availability
of funding, and the Agency
plans to award approximately
100 new fellowships by July 22,
2002. The EPA MAI Graduate
Fellowship Program also offers
fellowships for master's and
doctoral level students In
environmentally-related fields of
study. Also subject to availabili-
ty of funding, the Agency plans
to award approximately 25 new
MAI fellowships by July 22,
2002. Under both fellowship
programs, master's level
students may receive support for
a maximum of two years.
Doctoral students may be
supported for a maximum of
three years. The fellowship
programs provide
up to $34,000 per
year of support.
This amount covers
a $ 17,000 annual
stipend, $5,000 for
authorized
expenses, and up to
$12,000 for tuition
and fees. Actual
annual support may
vary based on
length of fellowship
award and tuition
and fees.
The EPA MAI
Undergraduate
Fellowship Program
offers fellowships
for bachelor-level
students in environ-
mentally-related
fields of study.
Subject to availabil-
ity of funding, the
Agency plans to award approxi-
mately 20 new fellowships by
July 22, 2002. Undergraduate
level students may receive
support for their final two years
of undergraduate study and a
Summer Internship at an EPA
facility between their junior and
senior years. The fellowship
program provides up $15,200
per year of support, and this
amount covers a $2,700 nine-
month stipend, $2,500 for autho-
rized expenses, and up to
$10,000 for tuition and fees.
Summer Internship stipends will
be compensated separately and
is not included in this amount.
For more detailed informa-
tion about the application
process, visit
http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa. Also
contact Virginia Broadway at
broadway.virginia@epa.gov
-------
Resources
Interview with Lydia Olympic
Lydia Olympic is a member
of the Igiugig Tribe and a
member of their Council. Lydia
is active in many EPA tribal
programs and other environmen-
tal initiatives throughout the
country. The picture above was
taken with EPA Adminstrator
Christine Todd Whitman at the
Tribal Operations Committee
Meeting in Washington, DC in
July 2001. Below, Lydia speaks
with Mary Cathy Garcia, EPA.
Tell us about yourself. Where
were you born? What
schools did you attend?
First of all I am an avid
basketball fan. I especially love
college basketball; I always
attend the Great Alaska Shootout
and the Final Four. I was raised
in Igiugig, Alaska and graduated
from Igiugig High School. I
attended the University of
Alaska in Fairbanks for three
years before transferring to the
University of Alaska Anchorage.
I loved going to school, logged
in several hundred credits, and
minored in Anthropology,
Biology, and History. I am now
working on my Rural
Development degree.
How long have you been on
the tribal council?
I have been on the Igiugig
Tribal Council since October of
1999. It has been a challenge,
and I do like challenges.
What EPA programs or
funding does your village
seek?
Funding for an open dump
closure and funding for solid
waste operation and mainte-
nance. We also need technical
assistance and funding for a
watershed management program
in the Lake Iliamna/Kvichak
River area. Right now this area
is pristine, most beautiful, and
we can still drink out of it.
However, we would like to
preserve and protect it. The
Kvichak River has the largest
Sockeye Salmon run in the
world, and we really do need to
protect their habitat and sustain
our livelihood. We are also inter-
ested in alternative energy
programs. The cost of fuel and
electricity is highly expensive,
and a successful alternative
energy source would be great for
rural Alaska and our village. A
subsistence program would be
appreciated too.
What is the most serious
environmental issue facing
the Village of Igiugig?
We have many serious
environmental problems that are
intertwined and related, and we
should not put one in front of the
other. Open dumps 50 yards
from an area school affect the air
that the children of Igiugig
breathe, and it affects
the water quality.
Subsistence is dependent
upon the air, the water, and the
land. There is an alarmingly high
rate of cancer and diabetes in
our villages, and we need to take
a look at what may be causing
these problems by probing into
the Western diet. Our diet
includes highly processed food
such as white flour, sugar, basic
staples, and soda pop, along with
possible contaminants in our
subsistence foods. We really do
need to do a holistic approach
and not isolate the problem.
In relation to the January
2001 Washington Post article
"314 acres for the Shoshone
within Death Valley National
Park, " published this year
(Washington Post Jan. 1,
2001, A3), please describe
your personal experience in
proposing that Alaska
Natives co-manage natural
resources with the Alaska
state government?
I have worked with the
Alaska Department of Fish and
Game over a period of nine
years. The state of Alaska has
not given the Tribes of Alaska a
fair shake. I would actually like
to co-manage our natural
resources with the federal
government, as I am uncertain
about the Alaskan state govern-
ment.
n
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Resources
EPA Celebrates Children's Health Month in October
EPA's Office of Children's
Health Protection celebrated
Children's Health Month in
October. At EPA, protecting
children from environmental
health risks is fundamental to
their vision of making the world
a better place for future genera-
tions. Children are vulnerable
and at great risk from harmful
environmental pollutants.
Children's neurological,
immunological, digestive, and
other bodily systems are still
developing, and their behavior
patterns, such as crawling and
placing objects in their mouths,
result in greater exposure to
environmental contaminants.
Children also eat more food,
drink more fluids, and breathe
more air in proportion to their
body weight when compared to
adults.
Because of these risk factors
and noted increases in certain
childhood illnesses thought to be
affected by environmental
exposures, including asthma and
some developmental disorders,
EPA featured the following
efforts to protect children from
environmental harm during
Children's Health Month.
Help Children Breathe
Easier
The number of children with
asthma in the United States has
more than doubled in the past
two decades, and an estimated
10 million school days are
missed due to asthma related
illness each year.
• Diesel Rule: EPA's new rule
will reduce emissions of air
pollutants to prevent 117,000
cases of acute bronchitis in
children and help avoid more
than 360,000 asthma attacks and
380,000 cases of respiratory
symptoms in asthmatic children
per year.
• Tools for Schools: EPA has
developed IAQ Tools for
Schools Kit, an easy-to-use
guide intended to support
schools in preventing and
resolving indoor air quality
problems. As a result over
10,000 schools have taken
steps to improve their
indoor air quality.
Protect Children
from Lead
Poisoning
Lead poisoning in
children may cause
lowered intelligence,
impaired hearing, hyper-
activity, and other health
repercussions. Almost
one million American
children have elevated
blood lead levels.
• Lead Hazard
Reduction: EPA
spends $7 million
annually on establish-
ment, enforcement and
compliance of lead
hazard reduction
regulations, and
public education.
For more information about
EPA's Office of Children 's
Health Protection and Children's
Health Month, visit
www.epa.gov/children.
Tips to
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Resources
ToxRAP: Talking Toxics with
Tohono O'odham Children
By Mary Cathy Garcia, EPA
ToxRap is a Native American
educational program that intro-
duces children in grades K-9 to
environmental issues and
concerns that affect their
communities and human health.
Through this program, Tohono
O'odham children are gaining
access to environmental educa-
tion and career choices.
According to Stephanie
Hines, Director of the
Community Outreach &
Education Program at the
Southwest Environmental Health
Sciences, Center
"One of the specific target
audiences of my outreach
program...is to meet the unique
environmental health needs of
local and regional Native
American communities...these
communities have to deal with
issues such as mining, illegal
dumping, brownfields, clean
water, and water rights. This is
being done through the ToxRAP
materials...^
The Native American
program, held at the Elvira
Elementary School, in Tucson,
AZ, was sponsored by the
Sunnyside Unified School
District Native American
Education Program and the San
Xavier District of the Tohono
O'odham Nation. The San
Xavier District is located within
miles of the City of Tucson. The
overall goal of this University of
Arizona Southwest
Environmental Health Sciences
Center Community Outreach and
Education Program is to commu-
nicate with the general public
and the K-12 education commu-
nity about environmental health
sciences and common and local
environmental health issues
through workshops and educa-
tional sessions. Approximately
20 students participated in a
hands-on Toxicology, Risk
Assessment, and Pollution
(ToxRAP) curriculum series
designed to teach students in
grades K-9 how to evaluate an
environmental health problem.
The program lasts 4 weeks, and
each week focuses on a different
topic. It uses a framework that
draws upon concepts from
toxicology, environmental health
risk assessment, and risk
management.
Access to ToxRAP
at Other
Educational
Centers:
• Arizona - University of Arizona,
Southwest Environmental Health
Sciences Center. Stefani Hines,
520-626-3692,
hines(|§pharmacy.arizona. edu
• California - University of
Southern California, So. Calif.
Environ. Health Sciences Center
(SCEHSC) & Children's: Environ.
Health Ctr., Andrea Hricko, 323-
442-3077, ahricko@hsc.usc.edu
• Michigan - Wayne State
University, BHS Center for
Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
with Human Applications. Mary
Dereski, 313-964-5251,
m. dereski.f/ wavne. edu
• New Jersey - The University of
Medicine and Dentistry of New
Jersey-School of Public Health
and the Environmental and
Occupational Health Sciences
Institute (EOHSI). Laura
Hemminger, 732-445-0110,
re w'eohsi. rutgers. edu
• Oregon - Oregon State University,
Environmental Health Sciences
Center, Kendra Mngo, 541-737-
4374, kendra.mingo@ofst.edu
• Tennessee - Vanderbilt University,
Center in Molecular Toxicology.
Brad Hawkins, 615-936-2179,
brad.hawkinsfgjvanderbilt.edu
• Texas - University of Texas
Medical Branch at Galveston.
Jennifer Gorenstein, 409-772-
1776, jennie@nmr.utmb.edu
• Wisconsin - Center for Biology
Education. Kevin Neimi, 608-
262-5480,
kjniemi(||facstaff. wisc.edu
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Kids' Page
ToxRAP is divided into three modules, each centered
around a case study adapted from real-life situations: K-3 "The
Case of the Green Feathers," 3-6 "What's Wrong with the
Johnson Family." and 6-9 "Mystery Illness Strikes the Sanchez
Household." In each module, students role play environmental
scientists and are introduced to careers in toxicology, epidemi-
ology, industrial hygiene and medicine. Through age-appropri-
ate, hands-on, investigative science, math, and language arts
activities, students learn to recognize, evaluate and, when
necessary, control contaminants. Students are able to describe
the impact that environmental hazards have on human health
and experience first-hand the processes and tools scientists use
to solve environmental problems.
The curriculum series is indexed to the national science
standards and received a 1997 National Environmental
Education Achievement Award from the National
Environmental Education and Training Foundation. To learn
more about ToxRap and available workshops, contact Stefani
Hines, University of Arizona, Southwest Environmental Health
Sciences Center, 520-626-3692, hincs@pharniacy.arizona.edu
"The lor HA P workshop we co-sponsored for our children enlightened them on the
various environmental challenges our community faces daily; and how those challenges
are dealt with using scientific methods. Through programs such as ToxRAP\ I am
hopeful that our children will pursue careers in the environmental field to insure a
safe, healthy community for generations yet to come. We must continually teach our
children to respect all living things if we are to continue to survive as indigenous
people."
— Austin Nunez, of the San Xavier District of the Tohono O'odham Nation
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Kids' Page
Tohono O'odham Native Coloring Page-
try to stay in the lines boys and girls!
w w w.iuiU v cth under. rtL'l
Jose M Cazarcs. Jr.
[oliono O'odham Nation
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Mark Your Calendars!
January
15
OECA The Basic
InspectorTraining Course
EPA Office of Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance
Jonathan Binder, 202-564-2516
February
EPA Office of Water Quality
Workshops for Tribal
Environmental Managers
Coeur d'Alene Casino & Resort
Hotel
Worley, ID
Lillian Wilmore, 617-232-5742
naeology(S?aol.com
12-14
Region Tribal Operations
Committee Meeting
EPA Region 4
Atlanta, GA
Mark Robertson, 404-562-9639
13-15
Annual Toxics Release
Inventory (TRI) National
Meeting
EPA Office of Information
Analysis and Access
Amy Newman, 202-260-1846 or
newman.amy(S?epa.gov
25
OECA Workshop on Pesticide
Inspections
EPA Office of Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance
Jonathan Binder, 202-564-2516
EPA Websites and Hot Lines
EPA
www.epa.gov
OPP
www.epa.gov/pesticides/
OPPT
www.epa.gov/opptintr
Pollution
Prevention
www.epa.gov/opptintr/p2home
American Indian
Environmental
Office
www.epa.gov/indian
Asbestos
Ombudsman
Hotline
1-800-368-5888
EPCRA Hotline
1-800-535-0202
Lead Hotline
1-800-532-3394
National Pesticide
Telecommunication
CNPTN) Hotline
www. a c e.o rst. ed u/i nf o/n ptn
1-800-858-7378
TSCA Hotline
202-554-1404
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