nakahè`:re:t 2016€¦ · may 15, 2016 - author series - braiding sweetgrass by robin kimmerer,...

Nakahè`:re:t 2016

Skaru:ręØ Monthly, April 2016

Volume 7, Issue 4

April 2016 Haudenosaunee Grand Council

Tuscarora Council of Chiefs and

Clanmothers

HAUDENOSAUNEE ENVIRONMENTAL

TASK FORCE (HETF)

Oren Lyons, Political Co-Chair

Henry Lickers, Scientific Co-Chair

David Arquette, HETF Director

Noah Point, Assistant Director

TUSCARORA ENVIRONMENT

PROGRAM (TEP)

Neil Patterson, Jr., Director [email protected]

Rene Rickard, Office Administrator [email protected]

Bryan Printup, GIS/Planning [email protected]

Clint Farnham, Habitat Technician [email protected]

Following the United Nations Earth

Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the

Haudenosaunee held a Grand Council to

discuss the environmental degradation of

our communities. In accordance with the

Great Law of Peace, the Grand Council

passed and agreed, based on

Haudenosaunee protocols and cultural

beliefs, to establish the Haudenosaunee

Environmental Task Force (HETF).

The SKARU:RE MONTHLY is the

official publication of the Tuscarora

Environment Office. You can submit

articles, artwork, photographs, editorials

and letters of adulation to:

SKARU:RE MONTHLY

c/o: Tuscarora Environment

5226E Walmore Road

Tuscarora Nation

Lewiston, NY 14092

Or call: #716.264.6011

www.tuscaroraenvironment.org

or our Facebook page

“Tuscarora Environment”

May 15, 2016 - Author Series - Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin

Kimmerer, Seneca Art & Culture Center at Ganondagan, Victor, NY.

Presentation and book signing by Robin. $7/general public, $5/friends of

Ganondagan. Through a unique combination of science, Native American

teachings and memoir, she shows us in the most subtle of ways how plants

are our indigenous teachers, ultimately revealing a path toward healing the

rift that grows between people and nature. FMI: ganondagan.org.

April 22, 2016 - Symposium on American Indian Languages - SAIL,

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) . 8am - 6pm. This year’s theme is

“Language Revitalization Strategies in the Americas: Challenges,

Successes and Pitfalls.” The Symposium is dedicated to discussion of the

documentation, conservation and revitalization of the native languages of

the Americas. Speakers include Leanne Hinton, Karin Kichelson, Jean-

Pierrre Koenig, Brian Maracle and more. FMI: www.rit.edu/cla/

April 14-16, 2016 - 12th Annual Storytellers Conference, University at

Buffalo, Center for the Arts, Amherst, NY. This years theme “Visualizing

Indigeneity: Reclamation through Action.” The focus is on visual

sovereignty - the use of mass media to create new forms of indigenous

representation. Keynote speakers include Amanda Blackhorse and Dan

Longboat, PhD. FMI: www.gsa.buffalo.edu/amsweb/

May 17-19, 2016 - National Tribal Forum on Air Quality, Seneca

Niagara Resort, Niagara Falls, NY. 8am - 4:30pm. The conference is

designed to provide a forum for tribes, federal agencies and other

organizations with interest in air quality and climate change to share with

and learn from one another. Sessions include indoor air quality, energy

efficiency/renewable energy opportunities for tribes, eco-café exhibit and

more. FMI: www.nau.edu/itep/

June 25, 2016 - WNY Earth Day Family Expo, Buffalo Zoo, Buffalo,

NY. 10am - 3pm, rain or shine. The mission is to inform and inspire the

community to protect and enhance our environment. “Party for the Planet”

will have multiple exhibitors including Farmer Pirates, Island Worms,

NRG Home Solar, PUSH Green, Sierra Club Niagara Group, and more.

FMI: wnyearthday.org.

Coming up ...

Eastern Milk snake. Located on Mt. Hope

Road. Do you know your snakes? Animal

identification is a helpful skill to have along

with track and scat identification.


2016 Tuscarora

Roadside Cleanup Saturday, April 23, 2016

Starting at 8:30am

Nation House parking lot

Potluck Lunch provided

At Noon,

Nation House community room.

We will ONLY accept Roadside Cleanup garbage.

The dumpsters CANNOT accept any tires, electronics, household

hazardous waste, motor oil and mattresses (a complete list of what’s

not allowed will be posted at the dumpster site.)

Gloves, bags, and smiles will be available during Cleanup courtesy

of the Tuscarora Temperance Society.

FREE T-shirts will be given to those who help with Cleanup

courtesy of the Environment Office (while supplies last.)

“Many Hands Lighten the Load”

For More Information: TEP Office #264.6011,

or Jeremy Printup, Tuscarora Temperance.


March is the breeding season for our region’s only

native skunk, the striped skunk, who will travel

great distances to seek each other out. This often

requires road crossings, and because they’re largely

nocturnal, they are commonly a roadside casualty.

There are no known population surveys of skunks

but many believe there are more skunks now than a

century ago. www.adirondackalmanack.com

The Lake Sturgeon is the largest fish in the Great

Lakes and is considered a living fossil because it

has survived - virtually unchanged - for more than

150 million years. Female sturgeon are 21-39 years

old before they first spawn, an event they repeat

only once every three to five years. When large, the

fertile female lake sturgeon can contain up to 60

pounds of eggs. www.seagrant.wisc.edu

There are some 20,000 species of wild bees, that

contribute to the growth of fruit, vegetables, and

many nuts, as well as flowering plants. Plants that

depend on pollination make up 35% of global crop

pollination. www.nytimes.com/2016/02/27/science/

Did You Know . . .

OPEN TO ALL HAUDENOSAUNEE

MAY 5&6, 2016 Onondaga Nation Fire Department

Community Room

Bring us your Heritage Seeds to Share!!

The Gathering and Registration is FREE. If

you have any questions about registration,

please email: [email protected].

Registration forms are available at the TEP Office. Or you can

request one at the contact information below:

Haudenosaunee Seed Keepers Gathering

C/O Summer Frazier

Fax: 315.498.6814

Email: [email protected]


T EP Summer Internships will be

available this year at our TEP

Office. Each year we look forward to

mentoring college and high school

students in our summer intern

program. We try to provide a

professional atmosphere filled with

duties and responsibilities related to

traditional environmental science. By

doing so, we hope to encourage

students to successfully continue in

their degree programs or as an

impetus to continue on to higher

education, preferably in the

environmental sciences.

We are looking for 1-2 college (or

post-college) summer interns (for

high school internships, see next

month’s newsletter). The positions

consist of temporary full-time (40

hrs/wk), that will last for 9-10 weeks

starting June 6, 2016 at the

Tuscarora Environment Office. In

addition to the normal work day,

work might also include travel and

weekends. In addition, all interns

will be asked to assist in cultural

restoration projects as needed. The

deadline to apply is 4pm, Friday,

May 6, 2016.

QUALIFICATIONS

It is preferred but not required that

the applicant have general

knowledge of biology and more

specifically good knowledge about

our Tuscarora environment. In

addition we prefer the applicants to:

Have a high school diploma/

GED;

Good writing skills, general

knowledge of computers, and

skills with data collection;

Good verbal/communication

skills;

And Tuscarora/Haudenosaunee/

Native American preference is

given.

HOW TO APPLY

Potential applicants are asked to

submit a letter of intent or a resume

and cover letter, and include:

Person information (name,

address, cell/home phone

number, email, age)

Name of college/university

you’re currently in and class

What contributions you can

make to the TEP as a summer

intern

Past pertinent work experiences.

You can mail or drop-off to:

Rene Rickard, Office Admin.

Tuscarora Environment Office

5226 Walmore Road

Tuscarora Nation

Via: Lewiston, NY 14092

If you are interested or know

someone who might be, please

contact Tuscarora Environment

Office at #716-264-6011 for more

information.

Please submit your

letter of intent by 4pm,

May 6, 2016.

A pply now for the 2016-2017

NYPA Tuscarora Scholarship.

The deadline to submit your

applications is Saturday, April 30,

2016.

The Scholarships are a result of the

Relicensing Agreement between the

NY Power Authority and the

Tuscarora Nation for the duration of

the agreement, which is

approximately 50 years.

The Program will provide for the

upcoming academic year, 2016-

2017, two (2) undergraduate full-

tuition scholarships to a Tuscarora

matriculating at any community

college, university or college within

the State University of New York

(SUNY) School system. They shall

receive tuition only for the fall and

spring semesters up to four (4) years.

To be eligible for the Tuscarora

Scholarship the student must:

1) Attend a SUNY school as a

matriculating student;

2) Attend each semester as a full-

time student;

3) Be enrolled at Tuscarora;

Please check out the application for

additional eligibility requirements

and additional material required for

submission.

Applications are available at our

TEP website, NYPA website, and

Jamie Gilbert’s office at Niagara

Wheatfield.

Remember to have completed

application submitted by the

deadline, April 30, 2016.

NYPA Tuscarora Scholarships Due Soon

SUMMER INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE


O ur grandparents and parents are

always saying ‘things are so

different these days!’ Its true, we

change and evolve along with our

patterns and decisions. This rings

true for our garbage as well. The

nature of household trash has

changed over the past fifty years.

Today, bleached paper, plastic

packaging or plastic products, and

printed materials with glues, plastic

coatings and colored inks make up a

large portion of our household waste.

Back in the day, garbage was

probably some aluminum cans,

cardboard boxes, glass and a bit of

plastic here and there.

When these items today are burned

in a low temperature fire like those

that take place in backyard garbage

piles (or burn barrels), very high

level of toxic chemicals and fine

particulate matter are released with

the smoke. Many of these toxins

don’t readily breakdown, leading to

accumulation and persistence in the

environment.

Burning trash produces three

exceptionally dangerous products:

toxic gases, particulate matter (soot)

and ash residue.

TOXIC GASES

All studies on burn barrels (and

household garbage piles) report that

they produce immense quantities of

some of the most toxic gases known,

including formaldehyde, hydrogen

chloride, sulfur dioxide, dioxins and

furans. What do all these words

mean? This is what our food

packaging is made up of - man-made

chemicals. Packaging is what makes

up a good majority of our household

trash. When garbage is burned in the

backyard the fire you create can’t get

as hot as a municipal incinerator.

A study by the U.S. EPA and NYS

DEC found that 2 to 40 households

that burn their trash in a day can

produce emissions of dioxin and

furan comparable to those of a

modern municipal incinerator that

burns 200 tons of waste a day. That

is the amount produced by

approximately 18,000 homes!

PARTICULATE MATTER

Backyard burning is also extremely

dangerous because the trash is not

burned at a high temperature. The

result is particulate matter, particles

which are too large to be safe for

humans to breathe. When these

particles are inhaled, they collect in

the throat and nose. The large

particles can be eliminated by

coughing, sneezing, spitting or the

digestive system. Smaller particles,

those found most in studies of

backyard burning, pose a more

serious threat because they can’t be

eliminated. These small particles can

cause structural and chemical

damage to the lungs and act as

carriers for carcinogens and other

toxic chemicals.

ASH RESIDUE

All the dangerous products that are

not carried away as gases or

particulate matter end up in the ash

leftover in the burn pile. This ash

consistently tests to be highly toxic.

It poses a threat to the health of those

who drink from well water near the

burning source. Also any gardens

that are nearby can also become

contaminated by the ash.

There are alternatives to backyard

burning, that are easy and cheap

ways to avoid backyard burning and

the harmful chemicals that they

produce. Reduce the trash that you

create, by reducing the amount of

disposable items you buy. Reuse the

things you do buy, and recycle when

you can. Also, making the conscious

choice to use a trash hauler (like

Modern Disposal) to properly pickup

your garbage. It may cost you a fee

each month but your health (and

your families and neighbors) could

be worth it.

Again, please think of the health of

your neighbors, children,

grandchildren, and the environment

before you consider burning your

garbage.

Why is Backyard Burning Dangerous?

By Bryan Printup

RIGHT: Dan Smith by

his home. 1949.

Courtesy of Canadian

Museum of History.


Lockport Union-Sun & Journal

Tuesday, May 24, 1949

Indian Sports Draw Praise on

Reservation

---

Tuscarora Reservation, May 24 - This community

is becoming increasingly important in the sports

life of Niagara County, Ralph D. House, Niagara

Falls Chamber of Commerce secretary, pointed

out here Saturday evening.

Mr. House was guest speaker at the annual

Tuscarora community sports night program in

which tribute was paid to leaders of several

basketball teams. Chief Harry Patterson presided.

LACROSSE SCHEDULED

Lacrosse, which is being resumed here at 8:30

P.M. Friday at the new lacrosse box on Walmore

Road, near the Mt. Hope Indian school, received

special mention in Mr. House’s talk.

Other speakers included the Rev. and Mrs. C.W.

Hemingway, formerly of Newfane and now

associated with the Tuscarora Baptist Church,

Chief and Mrs. Noah Henry, Chief John J. Hill

and Edwin Nichols.

During the program it was recalled that Simon

Cusick, an honor guest and former Hampton

Institute pupil, introduced basketball to the

community in 1908 when players used a football

and fruit baskets at Titus Patterson’s barn for the

first games. Interest in the game grew to such an

extent that the Tuscarora teams playing in the old

Tuscarora Indian Council house became known

throughout the state for their prowess.

GYMNASIUM BUILT

Eventually interest was such that the Indians built

their own gymnasium in 1921 in Mt. Hope Road

where younger teams now engage the toughest

competition in the area.

A highlight of the event attended by more than

450 guests was a concert by the new Six Nations

Indian Concert Band directed by Chief Elton

Greene. The band eventually will be seen in

costume parading in Western New York events,

including the coming Magna Charta parade. It is

composed of musicians from several Western

New York Indian communities.

LEFT: Florence and

Lara Anderson. 1949.

Courtesy of Canadian

Museum of History.

nakahè`:re:t 2016€¦ · may 15, 2016 - author series - braiding sweetgrass by robin kimmerer,...

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