Navajos: Union Workers Vs APS - SMSC Releases Annual Report

Union Workers Say They're Being Squeezed Out Of APS Jobs
By Kathy Helms
Dine Bureau
Gallup Independent

FARMINGTON – A group of Navajo carpenters, laborers and millwrights working at Four Corners Power Plant believe they are being eased out of jobs by contractors hired by Arizona Public Service Co.

Members of the Carpenters Union Local 1319, Labor Local 16, Operating Engineers Local 953, and Millwrights Local 1607 met Monday in Farmington to raise concerns about the purpose of the Navajo Preference in Employment Act and other issues associated with APS bringing in outside contractors.

“We realize that the entire country is in a recession and employment is scarce for all, but is it also necessary to forgo Navajo laws in order to provide for families we don't have any familial obligations to?” asked Leland Gray.

“These corporations are sent here to our land in search of our natural resources in order to provide power and energy to urban areas where we really don't have any cultural ties. Yet, Navajos continue to pay with their land and, now, livelihood to provide for millions who will never know or appreciate the source of their comfort and luxury,” he said.

Damon Gross of APS said there are approximately 150 workers on-site that APS has brought in from contract companies.

Lee Pierce, a carpenter, said he has been at Four Corners off and on for about 30 years. He now works for Day & Zimmermann, the designated contractor, and the nation's leader in power plant maintenance and modifications.

“Navajo Preference has been pretty much deleted, and so far, management service looks the other way. We're slowly being forced out of our position and our work as far as Navajo craftsmen is concerned,” Pierce said.

“Our livelihood depends on this. We've got families here. We buy our goods here, and services, so the money is recirculated in this area while the other contractors, it's pretty much take the money and leave. The businessmen of San Juan County should be concerned also.”

The union members question whether non-union workers are being imported and paid wages below union scale while Navajo union workers are laid off. APS permanent workers are not being laid off, according to Gross, however, that is not to say that APS contractors do not have layoffs from their pool of workers as the rebuild jobs are completed.

Harold Litzin, a carpenter from Tsaile-Wheatfields, has been on the job for more than seven years. Litzin builds scaffolding, he said, but on Monday he watched Safeway Services bring in two rigs of materials and a bunch of workers. “The majority, what I see, is they are Hispanic,” he said.

According to Gross , 30 of the 150 outside contract workers are from Safeway and are non-union.

“Unit 2 at the Four Corners Power Plant is undergoing a planned maintenance outage, so the unit gets shut down while we do the necessary work to keep it operating. As such, that requires bringing in contract work to help complete the job in a safe and expedient manner,” Gross said.

Safeway has been a leader in scaffolding services and access solutions in North America since 1936. In the past, Gross said, the contractor they used installed lumber scaffolding. This year, APS wanted to try something different. Safeway scaffolding “goes together like an erector set. It's safe, it's meant for this usage, and when the work is done it's simply disassembled and then used again,” he said.

Instead of lumber being put together, then taken down, and APS having to find a purpose for that lumber, Gross said they thought the Safeway system “presented an opportunity to make the workplace even safer for those there, but we also believe it will help complete the work faster, and there's no wasted materials.”

Part of APS' commitment to Four Corners is hiring members of the Navajo Nation and giving them preference for jobs at the plant site, according to Gross. “About 73 percent of our full-time employees are from the Navajo Nation,” he said. However, if APS hires a contractor and they bring in their own permanent employees, Navajo Preference is not stipulated.

“That is the case with Safeway. These are their own permanent employees. These aren't supplemental contract workers that they're bringing in. If a company has their own employees already in place, we can't stipulate that they have to replace those employees for this one very small job,” he said.

Gross said all of Safeway's Hispanic workers have Social Security numbers, their Green Cards have been verified, and they are on the job legally.

Stanley Tso, a laborer with Local 16, said D&Z employees are drug-tested at random and questioned whether other outside contractors follow the same standards. Tso said he recently smelled alcohol in the work area. “When we have a case like that, a family member has to be called to drive them home.”

Tso and Felipe Dawes of Operating Engineers Local 953 questioned whether outside workers have the same certifications they as union workers are required to have. “I've got rigging cards. In order to rig, we're supposed to have rigging cards. Even driving a man-lift around, we're supposed to have cards for that,” Tso said.

Dawes, a union member for 37 years, agreed. “I see a lot of equipment being operated by non-union people. I don't know whether they have certifications or not. When I run my crane or forklift or whatever, I'm certified. On Unit 4, I was running an overhead crane. We were certified through APS to run that overhead crane.

“But outside, like the forklift and the hydraulic cranes, it's different. You can hurt someone very seriously without thinking about it, like by lifting materials up into the units and going around the units. It's posted 5 miles per hour. Some of them don't obey. They just take off like a bat out of hell.”

The union workers want to see Navajo tribal officials need to take more of an interest in what's going on at Four Corners. “We need backup,” Pierce said. “We expect them to step up to the plate, but it's not happening.”

Gray said he is concerned for his fellow workers. “APS is their bread and butter. They've been working there for 10 or 15 years, and then all the sudden, these guys come in, and they're just taking food off their table. Navajo people are losing their jobs on their own land. I just don't agree with that.”

Jerry Huskay said, “We love what we do at Arizona Public Service. We just don't understand why we are being replaced by non-Navajos and non-union workers. Maybe the managers at corporate should look and see how these new contractors are working and check to see if they are doing it safely.”

SMSC Releases Annual Report - Donates Over $30 Million, Lends $129 Million
by Tessa Lehto
Communications Specialist
tessa.lehto@shakopeedakota.org

Prior Lake, MN – The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community today released its annual Donation Report; the 52-page report details $30,282,041 in charitable giving made by the Community in fiscal year 2009 to Indian tribes, education and youth programs, and charitable organizations. The SMSC also provided $129 million in loans to Indian tribes during the fiscal year, which ran from October 1, 2008, through September 30, 2009.

“As Dakota people, we have a long tradition of sharing with others so it is important for us to give back to the larger community. Before Indian gaming, many of us lived in poverty and struggled to survive. Times were hard. Now we are able to help others,” said SMSC Chairman Stanley R. Crooks. “The tribal membership through its actions authorized the charitable giving program.”

Over the past 12 fiscal years the SMSC has donated more than $162.5 million to charitable organizations and Indian Tribes.

The Donation Report details economic development and other grants to 20 tribal nations, totaling $17,530,264. Seventeen tribes each received a $1 million tribal grant. Of those, seven are located in Minnesota. Ten other tribes in Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota each received a $1 million tribal grant. Grants funded housing, a tribal nursing home, a walleye fishery, tribal infrastructure, economic development, a grocery store, a youth treatment center, an elderly village, and community and administrative centers.

New to this year’s Donation Report are tribal loans. In fiscal year 2009 the SMSC made $129 million in loans to six different tribes for projects ranging from new casinos to community infrastructure development. In total, the SMSC has committed over half a billion dollars in loans and grants to Indian Country.

“We have a level of self-sufficiency that didn’t seem possible when we were growing up. Our children have health care, housing, and educational opportunities that we could only dream of forty years ago. Today, we are firm in our commitment not only to our tribal sovereignty but also to helping the larger community. As Dakota people we have a long tradition of helping others that are in need. This is part of who we are as Dakota people,” wrote Chairman Crooks in the Donation Report.

The SMSC gave out $1,869,542 to Native American and charitable organizations for projects ranging from The Embassy of Tribal Nations in Washington, DC, to winter coats, housing, mental health and chemical dependency programs, women’s shelters, food shelves, medical research, public television, and capital construction.

Because Native people are mindful of the seven generations coming after them, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community gave out more than $3,333,466 in donations for education and youth programs. Of that amount, a $2 million donation to the University of Minnesota supported the construction of the Minnesota Tribal Nations Plaza at the TCF Bank Stadium, which the SMSC helped fund the previous year with $10 million in grants and an additional $2.5 million for scholarships.

To help keep young people safe, the SMSC supported alcohol and chemical-free graduation celebrations at 12 local high schools. The SMSC also donated funds for winter wear, school supplies, scholarships, and activities for students at several schools.

To support and encourage traditional cultural values, the SMSC sponsored 68 cultural events including Pow Wows throughout Indian Country. The SMSC made donations to Pow Wows in Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, and elsewhere.

Each year during the holidays the Shakopee Mdewakanton Community makes donations to brighten the holidays for those who are less fortunate. Focusing largely on local social service agencies, the SMSC donated to 44 organizations which provide food and gifts for families in need.

Along with a charitable giving program, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community sponsored a number of health care initiatives in 2009. The SMSC provides health, wellness, vision, hearing, and dental services to tribal members, employees, Native Americans from other tribes who live in Scott County, and their families.

The report also highlights the numerous ways the SMSC benefits area citizens, along with information about the tribe’s commitment to protecting the environment through alternative energy production and other initiatives. As part of the “Supporting Local Communities”section, readers learn about the SMSC Mobile Clinic which provides free mammograms to members and staff and travels across the state to provide health and dental services to Indian communities. New in fiscal year 2009 is a cooperative project with Scott County to provide services to uninsured and underinsured residents using the Mobile Clinic at various locations across the county.

Since one third of all people will need blood in their lifetime, the SMSC also sponsors three annual blood drives. Health screening events are another initiative which provide free information and health screenings for more than 4,100 employees.

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s charitable giving program comes from a cultural and social tradition to assist those in need. The SMSC utilizes its financial resources from gaming and non-gaming enterprises to pay for all of the internal infrastructure of the Community, including but not limited to housing, roads, water, wastewater and sewer systems; emergency services; and essential services to its Tribal members in education, health, and welfare.

The 2009 Donation Report is available at http://www.shakopeedakota.org/.

About the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux CommunityOver the past 12 years the SMSC has donated more than $162.5 million to charitable organizations and Indian Tribes, including more than $14 million in fiscal year 2009. The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, a federally recognized Indian Tribe in Minnesota, is the owner and operator of Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, Little Six Casino, Playworks, Dakotah! Sport and Fitness, The Meadows at Mystic Lake, and other enterprises on a reservation south of the Twin Cities.

This press release and other information may be downloaded from the SMSC website at http://www.shakopeedakota.org/.

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Cobell Suit Stalled in Congress - Young Native Pride Performance

Indian Suit Settlement Stalled In Congress
By LEDYARD KING
Tribune Washington Bureau
Submitted by Monica Davis

WASHINGTON — With great fanfare, the Obama administration in December hailed the settlement of a long-running class-action lawsuit by Native Americans over the federal mismanagement of trust money from mineral and grazing rights on tribal lands.

Months later the deal remains in limbo, idled by a Congress that so far has been reluctant to approve the $3.4 billion called for under the settlement because it's trying to figure how to come up with the money.

"I'm very disappointed that it's taken this long," said Elouise Cobell, a member of the Blackfeet Tribe and the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit. "The negotiations were very hard, very difficult, and I felt that once we had a legal settlement between both parties, we were pretty much done. All we had to do is get it reaffirmed by Congress, who has been beating on me forever, saying, 'Settle this.' Finally, we bring them a settlement that both parties have agreed upon, and then we don't get any action."

The settlement would provide $1.4 billion to more than 300,000 Native Americans scattered mostly west of the Mississippi River, with each receiving at least $1,000. The government also would spend up to $2 billion to buy small parcels of reservation land held by multiple owners. Those properties are expensive to manage and do not generate much income. The land then would be turned over to the tribe. In addition, the agreement calls for the creation of a committee to evaluate ongoing tribal trust issues.

Cobell and her lawyers have traveled the country, meeting with Native Americans to explain the terms of the settlement and address concerns of exorbitant lawyers' fees, meager payouts to victims and a lack of overall transparency.

Richard Monette, a University of Wisconsin law professor and former chairman of the North Dakota-based Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, told lawmakers last month that the deal between Cobell and the government improperly seeks to settle claims it has no authority to resolve, adding the settlement could take away the rights of some Native Americans to sue in the future.

He accused the government and Cobell of collusion for not doing nearly enough to tell Native Americans what their legal rights are and what's at stake for them — an allegation Cobell rejects.

The settlement "is a divisive issue right now in Indian Country because there are people who simply don't understand what the real issues are," said Jefferson Keel, president of the National Congress of American Indians. Keel said he personally supports the settlement, but his organization has not taken an official position on the matter.

"The consensus that I'm hearing across the state is that people would like more information," said Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, a South Dakota Democrat who talked to several tribes in her state. "They still (want) answers. They don't necessarily want all of this to be rushed."

Time may be running out, according to the federal judge presiding over the case. He already has granted two extensions — and said that if Congress doesn't approve the money by mid-May, he's ready to convene a public hearing so Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and key members of Congress can explain the holdup.

"The need for Congress to act is real," U.S. District Judge James Robertson said during an April 8 hearing. "Until or unless Congress acts, the lawyers who have devoted themselves to this case for 15 years on both sides are on hold, and, more importantly, all of Indian Country is on hold. And I don't want to be too melodramatic about this, but justice is on hold."

It's unclear what would happen if Congress doesn't act by Robertson's deadline, but Cobell said she would be tempted to appeal to the Supreme Court in that case.

Many lawmakers are ready to approve the payouts, which would come out of a settlement fund controlled by the Justice Department. However, there's disagreement over whether Congress should offset the cost by cutting other programs or raising revenues.

Sen. Byron Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat who chairs the Indian Affairs Committee, said he doesn't think there's a need to replace that money by making other adjustments.

"My view is that since it comes out of a settlement fund, it doesn't need to be offset," he said. "We need to get this done. I never thought it was going to be a slam dunk, but I'm surprised that it's not getting done."

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who has been working with Cobell, wants a settlement approved soon, but said the costs must be offset.

"It needs to be paid for," he said.

After more than a decade of waiting, Cobell said she is optimistic Congress will approve the settlement, but she noted that the latest delay has added to a frustrating journey.

"This is our own money we're trying to get back," she said.

Public Invited To 13th Annual Young Native Pride Performance
By Tessa Lehto
Communications Specialist
tessa.lehtp@shakopeedakota.org

THURSDAY. MAY 13TH, 2010,
PRIOR LAKE HIGH SCHOOL
Prior Lake, MN – Wearing handmade regalia and dancing to the songs of the Little Six Drum Group, SMSC and area youth will celebrate Dakota culture, traditions, and spirituality with a free dance exhibition and art show. The evening performance, open to the general public, begins at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 13, 2010, at the Prior Lake High School auditorium. An earlier, afternoon performance will be presented for students.

This year the performance will honor another element: Mni [m-nee], the Dakota word for water, in stage design and with a special dance.

Young Native Pride, designed to instill pride and respect for Native American values and culture, involves children from kindergarten through 12th grade. This year participating students attend school at the SMSC Education Department- Home School along with Prior Lake, Savage, Shakopee, New Prague, Belle Plaine, Bloomington, and Hopkins public and private schools. The Little Six Drum Group consists of adults and youth primarily from the SMSC.

The parents and families of the students have worked throughout the school year as a large family Tiospaye [tee-osh-peye] preparing for the annual Young Native Pride event. They have helped the dancers put together beautiful Dakota dance regalia consisting of beadwork, appliqué, ribbon work, moccasins, bustles, shawls, and more. The regalia worn by the dancers have personal and symbolic meaning to each individual. Dance styles to be featured are fancy feather, fancy shawl, traditional, grass, and jingle. Audience members are invited to participate in a round dance to conclude the event.

“We expect to have more than 50 young people participate in this year’s performance,” said SMSC Vice-Chairman Glynn A. Crooks. “We are very proud of our Community youth who demonstrate great pride in their heritage through their participation in this program.”

Each performance will begin with a prayer followed by a Grand Entry where the dancers enter in a procession behind the flags and eagle feather staffs. Typically a member of the SMSC Business Council extends a brief welcome to the crowd. A narrator will describe the various dance styles.

Prior Lake High School is located at 7575 150th Street West in Savage, Minnesota 55378. Refreshments will be served following the 7:00 p.m. performance.

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Proposed Radiation Compensation Act Amendments - SMSC: Chippewa Development

Udall Introduces RECA Amendments of 2010.
By Kathy Helms
Dine Bureau, Gallup Independent

WINDOW ROCK – Two decades after the 1990 passage of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., led a bipartisan group of senators Monday in introducing the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2010, which would expand benefits for uranium workers and those downwind of atomic tests.

One of the most significant changes in the proposed legislation is the inclusion of post-1971 uranium workers among those eligible for compensation. In addition, compensation would be equalized for all claimants to $150,000, and $3 million would be authorized for five years to fund an epidemiological study of the health impacts on families of uranium workers and residents of uranium development communities.

Another major change is the recognition of radiation exposure from the Trinity Test Site at Alamogordo, N.M., where the first above-ground atomic weapon was tested.

Rather than just the few counties now covered, “downwind” areas would be expanded to include all of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, and Montana for the Nevada Test Site; New Mexico for the Trinity Test Site; and Guam for the Pacific tests.

Especially significant for Navajos would be allowing the use of affidavits to substantiate employment history, presence in an affected area, and work at a test site. Current legislation only allows miners to use affidavits. Claimants also would be allowed to combine work histories to meet the requirements for compensation.

“Uranium and weapons development of the Cold War era left a gruesome legacy in communities of mine workers and downwinders,” Udall said.

“For more than two decades, the United States has tried to compensate in some way for the resultant sickness and loss of life. Today we are taking the next step to close this sad chapter in history and to improve the reach of compassionate compensation to those Americans who have suffered, but have not qualified under RECA in its current form.”

Udall was joined in introducing the legislation by Sens. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Mark Udall, D-Colo., James Risch, R-Idaho, and Michael Bennet, D-Colo. Companion legislation will be introduced in the House this week by Rep. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., 3rd District.

Bingaman, who worked on the original RECA law as well as the 2000 amendments, said the bill extends the life of the original compensation initiative, expands the list of compensable diseases, and makes it easier for claimants to prove their illnesses are related to their exposure to uranium.

“Enacting this bill would ensure that more Americans made sick during the Cold War finally get the compensation they deserve,” he said. “I'm particularly pleased that it recognizes Trinity Site downwinders who have suffered much, but who have never been compensated.”

Keith Killian of the Killian & Davis law firm in Grand Junction, Colo. – which was hired several years ago by the Navajo Nation to lobby for further amendments to RECA – couldn't be happier.

“This firm began working on these claims in early 1993. At that time, basically, it included miners and it had some pretty steep requirements. The amendments of 2000 helped, but this is the keeping of the promise that was begun in 1990,” he said.

“It's been a wonderful thing for me to be able to work on behalf of the Navajo Nation and the Navajo people. More than a third of the uranium came from the Navajo Nation, and more than a third of the disease and death that it caused came from the Navajo Nation. For them to put their confidence in my law firm and me to lobby this has been a great honor.”

The legislation not only will benefit the Navajo Nation, but every single miner, miller or family member that is still alive today that has endured the horror of being diagnosed with respiratory disease and cancer for their patriotism, he said.

The legacy of uranium mining still afflicts families and communities today, Lujan said. “It is critically important to ensure that these Americans are compensated for what they've endured. Senator Udall's legislation recognizes the many individuals who have been impacted but unable to receive compensation for their suffering. These Americans have waited long enough,” he said.

Killian agreed. “It's really a chance to put right what has been wrong for so many years. I can't see anybody in good conscience refusing to vote in favor of this.”

Red Lake Band Of Chippewa Receives $4 Million For Economic Development
by Tessa Lehto - tessa.lehto@shakopee.org

Prior Lake, MN – A number of economic enterprises as well as a health care center and a youth center will be funded by a $3 million Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community loan and a $1 million grant to the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians.

“We appreciate that the Red Lake Tribal Council wants to make life better for its members. By helping fund economic development and other projects, we can help them grow their economy to better serve the needs of their members,” said SMSC Chairman Stanley R. Crooks.

The Loan: The $3 million loan will fund construction and start up costs for Red Lake Nation Propane, a convenience store at Thief River Falls at the Seven Clans Casino, and a convenience store in the town of Red Lake. The Red Lake Store will have a car wash, with a future car wash planned for the Seven Clans location. Gas and convenience goods will be available at both stores, but what is unique about these properties is that they will also sell fresh Red Lake walleye and Red Lake Nation foods products such as jellies, jams, and wild rice.

Red Lake Nation Propane was established in 2009 and will be in full operation in 2010. The propane company will offer competitive prices on fuel and policies more friendly to band members. It has its own delivery trucks, tanks, and the capability to service all areas of the reservation and surrounding communities.

“We are extremely excited about having our own propane company,” said Chairman Buck Jourdain in the State of the Nation address February 26, 2010.

Each of these enterprises will also provide new jobs.

The Grant: The $1 million grant will be divided to support two projects: $750,000 for a community facility to house a Boys & Girls Club at Ponemah and $250,000 for renovations and equipment at the Jourdain Perpich Extended Care Center.

“A brand new community complex with full gymnasium is scheduled for groundbreaking in Ponemah this spring. The facility will house the Boys and Girls Club of Ponemah, and in Phase 2, the Head Start, and the Community Center,” said Chairman Jourdain. “If all goes according to plan, by year’s end, Phase 1 of this community complex will be a reality.”

The $750,000 grant will help cover the cost of building the gymnasium, restrooms, lobby, and mechanical and electrical room at the community facility. In 2006 the SMSC helped fund a similar facility with a $1 million grant to the Red Lake Band of Chippewa for a Boys & Girls Club in the town of Red Lake.

“The youth are the best hope for their nation’s future. Boys & Girls Clubs provides a valuable service, and we're pleased we have the resources to reach out and help Red Lake, especially this program for the youth,” said Chairman Crooks.

The Jourdain Perpich Extended Care Center will receive $250,000 to continue providing a safe, comfortable home for American Indians who need long term medical or skilled nursing care and short-term rehabilitation services. The facility is located on the southern shore of Red Lake on the Red Lake Indian Reservation and attached to the Red Lake Hospital which enables residents to have access to 24 hour emergency care. It is equipped to provide around the clock care for up to 47 residents and has 37 full time and 72 part time employees.

Since opening in 1989, the facility has not had any renovations. The grant will cover new beds, a bathtub with a lift, windows, doors, a nurse call system, lighting fixtures, a floor scrubbing machine, propane vaporizer, lift equipment including bariatric/stand up lifts, cabinets, tables, chairs, and more.

Background - In fiscal year 2009 the SMSC made a loan for $31 million to Red Lake to fund construction of a new Red Lake Seven Clans Casino and Hotel, a tribal law enforcement center, and a greenhouse.

OPINION PIECE, COMMENTS to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail bobbieo@digitaldune.net.

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Bracamontes: Earth Day Tribute - To Animal Lovers

EARTH'S GREATEST MEDICINE
Panhe Speech Earth Day 2010
Thursday, April 22nd

My name is Bob Bracamontes, some of my friends in school called me Crow and you have seen me sign off as Black Crow. I know that is redundant because I have never seen a white Crow.

When I think of Earth Day, Panhe automatically comes to mind. Where else would I rather be, perhaps forever. I wonder if that is what my cousin was thinking.

It was not long ago that Ronnie Bracamontes was buried at Panhe. My father, Joseph Bracamontes, was present at our cousin’s burial. This is a piece of the living history of the Acjachemen people. It is part of what binds us to the Earth. Our food, water, life and burials, they help us to learn to understand about the healing of wounds. The overall experience prepares us for the rest of life’s struggles. It gives us the strength to carry on through love, peace, our traditions and connections to Mother Earth and each other.

I had a Facebook chat with Luis J Rodriguez, author of Always Running. The topic was the recent earthquakes, where we were and what we were doing when the recent one rolled through Southern California

Luis Rodriguez (LR): “There's beauty in everything--and there is destruction all around us. It's all part of life. Death is not the opposite of life, it's the opposite of birth. And every death leads to new birth. Great ideas. Still we mourn, we hurt, we pray. Still we do all we can to safeguard our loved ones, community, country, and world. Thanks for your words.”

Robert Bracamontes (RB): “At my mom and dad's house we just sat there and said it was a long one. But across the room from me is a hand painted [picture] of my sister Clara who died of lung cancer just over a year ago. She never smoked. [The] circle of life was all around us. Her children and her three grandchildren were running around keeping us busy with love and laughter. Thank you Luis for reminding us all about the new beginnings.”

LR: “We need to keep the love and laughter going. There's medicine everywhere, even in the disasters. Thank you Bob. Of course you can quote me. These ideas are not mine--they're ancient ideas that we have to be reminded about.”

For all of us, part of the medicine is gathering here at Panhe and reminding ourselves about the role of the land, our role on earth and the way it plays out in our lives. Many things come to mind.

Panhe is the starting point for the Ancestral Walk. It acts as a catalyst of what may be real healing.

My wife, Pat, has knee problems. Just recently she reminded me that she was feeling much better. Her assessment was the eating of extra kiwi, which has more potassium than bananas, and taking glucosamine tablets were responsible. But when did she start feeling better?

The last time I remember seeing her struggle to stand up was last year at the Bear Dance. So from my assessment, she got better after going to the Bear Dance. Perhaps it was a little of both. Maybe medicine and healing come in different forms.

For us, the Acjachemen people and the world at large, the medicine is peace. Our wounds from past battles and wars must end in order to comfort the Earth. The Earth is being destroyed by the chemicals of war. Presently, depleted uranium is used in too large a quantity.

And for the Acjachemen, our draw back has been political poison.

We must let the wounds heal. For the Acjachemen, unity is our medicine. For the world, it is peace. And for Mother Earth, it is preservation of all the open land that feeds and supplies water; the trees and plants that give us clean air to breathe. To her we owe this life, for in an instant she can end it more swiftly and more devastatingly than humankind could ever contemplate.
But for the moment, we must focus on the good and the positive.

So today, on this Earth Day, I thank her for preserving my Ancestors village. I thank her for saving and growing the plants we need for ceremony. This is why we must protect our ancestral land from any future attacks from the Toll Road people.

And lastly I want to thank the thousands of you present today. Those of you before me; those that were born, lived and died, here on Panhe; those of you who’s footsteps we now follow. You are the thousands that people sometimes can’t seem to see so clearly. And those of us in the flesh are the new birth, the new life that is part of a living, breathing culture of humankind’s existence. While today we celebrate the medicine beneath our feet, our gathering here above the soil is the medicine of strength for us today.

We will live our lives as you did, at peace with Mother Earth, taking the food offered and replenishing it for others.

Peace,
Robert (Bob) Bracamontes
Yu-va'-tal 'A'lla-mal
(Black Crow)
Acjachemen Nation,
Juaneno Tribe
www.onlinewithbob.com

ATTENTION: ANIMAL LOVERS
Starting April 30th you can buy stamps at the post office that help to buy food for shelter pets. You can pre-order them online. I think this would be a great thing to spread around. Could you please forward to your contacts?

http://www.stampstotherescue.com/

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Peabody CEO: 'Black Is The New Green' - SMSC Opens Seasonal Compost Site: Another Shade of Green

PEABODY'S BOYCE:'THE WORLD HAS AMPLE ROOM FOR CARBON STORAGE'
By Kathy Helms
Dine Bureau
Gallup Independent
WINDOW ROCK – Peabody Energy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Gregory H. Boyce testified Wednesday before a federal committee that carbon technologies now under development are changing the color of coal, placing the nation on a path to achieve the ultimate green goal of near-zero emissions.

“Black is the new green,” Boyce told the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, chaired by Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass.

Boyce, along with Steven F. Leer of Arch Coal Co., and Preston Chiaro of Rio Tinto went to Capitol Hill to answer questions on their positions on climate change, clean energy policy, and challenges facing their industry.

“Just as our national energy policy is at a crossroads, so, too, is the coal industry,” said Markey. “I believe Congress requires answers from the coal industry on their ability to be a part of our clean energy future.”

Boyce said Peabody shipped nearly a quarter billion tons of coal to customers in 23 countries on six continents last year – “nearly 75 pounds of coal for every man, woman and child in the world.” Peabody delivered the second best results in the company's history in 2009. Revenue totaled $6.01 billion on sales of 243.6 million tons.

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu has issued a call to accelerate global development of carbon capture and storage, or CCS, technologies with the goal of broad deployment in as little as eight to 10 years, and the Obama administration has charged a new Clean Coal Task Force of federal agencies with breaking down barriers to developing as many as 10 commercial demonstrations of CCS as quickly as 2016, Boyce said.

“The world has ample room for carbon storage. In the United States, for instance, we could sequester CO2 for the next century and wouldn’t even use up 10 percent of the potential geology that’s suitable for storage, based on an analysis by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,” he said.

Boyce did not mention the Navajo Nation or Peabody's failure to get a 10-year reopener agreement approved for the Black Mesa and Kayenta mines. Nor did he mention Black Mesa residents' lack of drinking water and electricity in his argument to the committee, focusing instead on China, India and Haiti.

Boyce told the committee that everyone in the room is a member of the so-called “golden billion,” enjoying a standard of living the rest of the world can only dream about. More than half the world’s population, or 3.6 billion people, lack adequate access to electricity, he said. Of that total, 1.6 billion – more than five times the population in the United States – have no electricity at all.

“They seek power for the most basic needs: clean drinking water, light and warmth. Coal is the only energy source with the scale and low cost to alleviate energy poverty.

“I urge the committee to look beyond the government halls where caps and carbon are under debate, and enter the huts of the hundreds of millions of people who live in poverty – the people who daily walk miles to gather firewood and waste to burn for the most basic of energy forms.”

Citing Haiti specifically, Boyce said, “Bringing those families out of severe and direct poverty-driven environmental harm must be priority number one, and electrification through large-scale coal generation is that solution.”

Meanwhile, on the Navajo Nation where unemployment hovers around 50 percent, Black Mesa residents mounted up Thursday for a five-day ride to Window Rock, where they hope to send a message to the Navajo Nation Council that the future of Black Mesa should be fully considered in current coal royalty “reopener” negotiations with Peabody.

“If the leaders who are negotiating on behalf of our water and homelands cannot come to our communities to explain to us what they are deciding, then we will come to them,” said Marshall Johnson of Tonizhoni Ani. Council kicks off its spring session April 19, when protesters will ride into Window Rock to greet them.

Residents have expressed increased concerns over the exclusion of community input regarding current coal royalty negotiations and have held community meetings to discuss the health of Black Mesa, a sacred mountain to Navajos known as Tadidiin Dzil or “corn pollen mountain.”

Peabody employees also met recently with the Resources Committee and voiced concerns that the company is not adhering to Navajo Preference, does not respecting cultural beliefs, and is not complying with environmental laws.

According to the lease agreement, the 1987 amendments provide for a reopener to negotiate increased royalty rates and royalty-tax caps for each successive 10-year period after 1987. The coal royalty rate for the Kayenta Mine is 12.5 percent, set in 1977, and 6.25 percent for the Navajo-Hopi Joint Use Area.

In 1993, the Navajo Nation initiated a lawsuit against the federal government for $600 million in damages from decades of below-market royalty rates. In April 2009, after years of conflicting decisions and appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the Navajo Nation.

“For 14 years, the official position of the Navajo Nation was that it deserved at least a 20.5 percent royalty rate. Now, Navajo Nation leaders are trying to ram through another 10-year agreement with Peabody at the 12.5 percent rates,” said Nicole Horseherder of Tonizhoni Ani. “If the Navajo Nation is really concerned about economic prosperity, why are they negotiating at rock bottom rates?”

On April 1, Council held a work session on the reopener. Presenters included Peabody, United Mine Workers, the Division of Natural Resources and Black Mesa United.

“It's unfortunate that the reopener work session only had one group representing the views of some Black Mesa residents but excluded hundreds of voices of community members who are concerned about Peabody's coal mining operations and how it has impacted them,” said Marie Gladue of Voices of the People. “We need to be at the table because we are the ones who have to live with these consequences.”

Peabody's Boyce said coal advances energy security and provides low-cost electricity that powers the economy and helps people live longer and better.

“The real question isn’t: 'Will we use coal?' The U.S. has more coal than any other nation on Earth. We have hundreds of billions of tons of coal in the United States and trillions of tons of coal in the world. And we will use it all.

“The real question is: 'What is the proper path to move to what the presidents of China and the United States last year called '21st Century Coal'? That path is technology first ... deployment requirements second ... as we work together to accelerate the movement to green coal,” he said.

SMSC OPENS SEASONAL COMPOST SITE
Open to City of Prior Lake Residents Two Saturdays a Month
by Tessa Lehto
Communications Specialist
tessa.lehto@shakopeedakota.org

Prior Lake, MN – The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is again opening its compost site to residents of the City of Prior Lake beginning May 8, 2010 and continuing every second and fourth Saturday of the month from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Depending on weather and demand, it is expected to remain open through October 2010. In 2009, residents dropped off an average of 30 loads per day at the site.

In a unique collaboration, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community compost site was opened for joint use by residents of neighboring Prior Lake starting in May 2008 at no charge. In exchange the SMSC is able to use the City of Prior Lake’s tree range to grow native trees and shrubs for planting on the reservation. The SMSC also provided approximately 90 yards of compost to the City of Prior Lake at no cost in 2009.

The site accepts leaves, brush, grass clippings, sod, and other yard waste for organic recycling. The site does not accept root wads, tree stumps, and branches larger than eight inches in diameter, building lumber, soil, or compost materials in plastic bags of any type.

Staff from the SMSC and the City of Prior Lake operate the site, which is located just west of the corner of County Road 42 and County Road 83 in Prior Lake.

“We all need a place to put our leaves and since we have the space and the resources to develop this compost site, we thought, ‘Why not open it up to others?’” said SMSC Chairman Stanley R. Crooks. “The native trees and shrubs which we will be able to plant as a result will grow and flourish here on the reservation for many years to come. We fully appreciate the good working relationship we have with the City of Prior Lake.”

Collecting brush and leaves is something the Community has done for years. Only in recent years, though, has the Community become active in the composting process. The Community manages its own greenhouses and landscaping which generate tons of materials suitable for recycling. Grass clippings from The Meadows at Mystic Lake and landscaping materials like annuals from the Community’s Gaming Enterprise (Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and Little Six Casino), make up a bulk of the materials for composting.

As a steward of the land, the SMSC engages in a number of restoration activities to preserve and protect the land for future generations. For more information, visit www.shakopeedakota.org.

Prior Lake residents should contact City of Prior Lake staff members Danette Parr at (952) 447-9813 or Al Friedges at (952) 447-9892 with any questions. Other questions should be directed to the SMSC Land and Natural Resources Department at 952-496-6153.

TO SUBMIT an ARTICLE, OPINION PIECE, COMMENTS to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail bobbieo@digitaldune.net.

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Radioactive Waste Near Skyline Mine: 10 Times Over Safety Level - About West Virginians: A Feel-Good Story

EMERGENCY ACTION PROPOSED IN OLJATO
By Kathy Helms
Dine BureaU
GALLUP INDEPENDNENT

OLJATO, Utah – About a mile from the historic Gouldings Trading Post, at the foot of the mesa, there is another piece of history – growing piles of contaminated rocks and uranium waste from the former Skyline Mine.

The waste is 10 times the exposure level considered safe by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and because there are a number of residences in the vicinity of the waste piles, the site has been recommended for emergency action.

Jason Musante, on-scene coordinator for the U.S. Superfund Removal Program's Emergency Response Section, Linda Reeves and Luis Garcia-Bakarich of EPA Region 9 in San Francisco, and Eugene Esplain and Michele Dineyazhe of Navajo Superfund Program visited Oljato Chapter House Sunday to discuss the health risks and get consent to proceed with cleanup.

The emergency cleanup is similar to the “time-critical removal action” conducted by U.S. EPA in 2007 to address windblown waste around residents' homes on Red Water Pond Road near Northeast Churchrock Mine.

“Skyline Mine is right around the corner from Gouldings. If you drive by you can see staining coming down the side of the mesa, said Musante. Uranium was mined on top of the mesa and a tramway was used to lower the ore to the valley floor where it was loaded onto trucks and hauled away to be processed into “yellowcake.”

In 2005, Navajo Superfund staff went to Oljato to measure radiation levels. After finding some areas that exceeded the background concentration, or level considered safe, they asked U.S. EPA to conduct further assessments.

U.S. EPA came in, in November 2008 and found two areas where the activity measurement of radiation was greater than 40,000 counts per minute, compared to background levels of 4,500 counts per minute.

“When things are above twice background, it's a concern for health effects for people,” said Musante.

One area with elevated readings is believed to be the loading area. At the other site, tailings and other debris have created a very deep slope extending out from the mesa. “The material is falling down to the valley floor and piling up,” Musante said. “With the rain and wind it goes down the drainage where the water flows and carries it along.”

From that point, the waste spreads out across the valley floor, encompassing the home of Elsie Mae Cly Begay and her family. Though Begay's hogan was removed in 2000 through an emergency action, the surrounding area is still twice the background level.

“We want to collect it all,” Musante said of the soils in the two hot spots. “Right now, it's just out in the environment. People can walk across it or the dust can carry it away. What we'd like to do is take it all and put it some place safe.”

The million dollar question is: Where?

“We need to do something about it right away. We don't want anybody spending time just standing there or playing there or riding a motorcycle through that,” Musante said. “The good thing is it's a small area. It's a very concentrated area.”

Lark Holiday, a local resident, told him, “I think you should put a fence around it right away to keep the kids from playing in it.” However, Esplain said one of the problems Navajo Superfund has found is that whenever they fence an area, “the next day the fence disappears.”

Gary Holiday also agreed the area should be fenced. “Like somebody said, there are children, livestock. The wind will carry the particles. The wind blows from that direction most of the time and if there are any people residing in that area, they should be told to move outside that area.”

He said he thought it would be appropriate for Oljato Chapter to request money to build new homes for residents affected by the contamination because they don't have the money to build their own homes.

“We've lost a lot of people in our community, even young people,” he said. “The men who worked in the mines came home with their rubber suits and they would walk inside their hogans and they would hang up their wetsuit right there, contaminated with whatever they were exposed to. The whole hogans were contaminated; the kids running around. They even brought back cool water from the mine and they'd hang it up there and everybody drank the water.”

Dineyazhe of Navajo Superfund told the audience that U.S. EPA already has allocated a lot of money to do some of the cleanup at Skyline and now they need to come up with an action plan. “It's kind of like the paper process to obligate that money from the federal government to this project, and we need to do that by Sept. 30,” she said.

The main problem, she stressed, is disposal of the waste. “Even if they scrape up all of the contaminated dirt, we still need to put it somewhere. That's something the community needs to think about: Where are we going to bury it? Because when you think about it, the radioactivity in the soil is there for 5,000 years or more. The degradation of uranium, the half life, is 5,000 years. These levels are going to be there for all of our lifetimes.”

Musante said one idea is to bury the waste right next to where it lies, because the area is already contaminated. Another is to locate it at the nearby Moonlight Mine, or maybe find a totally different place.

“Just bury it and get it out of the way, the sooner the better, because the wind carries this stuff and it's not good for the animals or the people,” said Lark Holiday. “Don't waste any more time than you have because of the danger of this very highly deadly level of radioactive material.”

On the recommendation of Chapter Vice President James Atakai, members voted 28-0 to have “the professionals” draft a resolution to move forward with the cleanup; immediately fence the contaminated areas; and conduct a comprehensive assessment of other nearby locations.

Officials also were asked to return in a few weeks to conduct an educational workshop on the cleanup alternatives once the assessment is available.

A NEWS REPORTER LEARNS ABOUT WEST VIRGINIANS
by Peter Prengaman
Submitted by Ann VanWert

It would be embarrassing if it were not so humbling.

Hours after the West Virginia mine explosion Monday, scores of journalists from all over the country started arriving — in a very rural area with no communications or places to sleep closer than an hour's drive away.

When the governor began giving press briefings at Marsh Fork Elementary School (this week happens to be spring break, so the children are out), journalists began getting comfortable at the site a few miles from the mine entrance, and we never left. By Tuesday, a couple dozen satellite trucks filled the parking lot, and classrooms with tiny chairs and paintings on the walls were turned into newsrooms and bedrooms.

And all of a sudden there was food — a lot of food. Pepperoni Pizza. Pulled pork and beans. Fried chicken, potatoes and green beans. Cookies. Crackers. Doughnuts of all stripes.

Usually I lose a few pounds while covering stories like this. The deadlines are too tight, the access to food often limited. This time, I'll be going home a little rounder, and with a touched heart.

The food was cooked by residents and donated by businesses in this community. Some of it came by way of a local Red Cross, a Wal-Mart and a United Way, but even more was the home cooking of kind West Virginians who just wanted to take care of us.

Imagine, here we are, an aggressive and hard-charging bunch of journalists in the middle of this devastated community, and it's THEY who are taking care of US!

The kindness hasn't been lost on any of us. By Thursday, two plastic jars — "school collection" and "community collection" — were put out, and by Friday both had a few hundred dollars. I feel like we owe this school and these people so much more.

When I asked interim principal Shelly Prince how folks could be so giving at a time like this, she said that many felt it was soothing to help others. This situation made them feel helpless, and helping others was doing something. She also said it gave people a chance to show the world what West Virginians are "really like."

"Often on TV, we are not portrayed in such a good manner. We often are portrayed as ignorant and backward," she said. "But we are just ordinary people who live ordinary lives."

I have to disagree. These people are extraordinary.

Peter Prengaman, multimedia editor at the AP's South Desk in Atlanta, was in West Virginia to help cover the coal mine disaster.

TO SUBMIT an ARTICLE, OPINION PIECE, COMMENTS to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail bobbieo@digitaldune.net.

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Inequality Towards Navajo Workers by APS & Peabody? - SMSC Receives First LEED Certification

'ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT' RECOMMENDED FOR APS, PEABODY
By Kathy Helms
Dine Bureau
Gallup Independent

WINDOW ROCK – Representatives of Arizona Public Service Co. came before the Budget and Finance Committee Tuesday to discuss the fate of the Four Corners Power Plant and went away with a word of warning: The attitude of APS toward its Navajo workers has to change.

Committee Chairman LoRenzo Bates said he and Resources Committee Chairman George Arthur have been meeting with some of the employees of APS.

“In one of the meetings there was about an average of 25 to 28 years of service sitting in that room,” Bates said. However, only 74 percent of APS' workers are Native American.

“APS was built 47 years ago. I would say the Navajo Nation leaders at that time envisioned that some of those employees would be in management. And after 47 years, I don't see it. Forty-seven years ago, there were probably not that many educated Navajos in engineering and so on, but that has changed,” he said.

With APS' change in management, workers are being transferred or laid off or are taking early retirement, Bates said, “but the Navajos that are there are not filling those positions. Those vacant positions are being filled from outside, yet you have 28 years of experienced Navajos that could fill those positions. That's one of the issues that is being brought forth.”

The complaint was similar to one raised April 1 during a work session on a coal royalty “reopener” agreement with Peabody Western Coal Co.

Phil Russell, international representative for United Mine Workers of America, told the Navajo Nation Council that though they have a contractual agreement with Peabody, the company is bringing in outside contractors.

“We've got enough Navajo people on our panel to do those jobs. I've got hundreds of Navajos that are welders, carpenters, truck drivers; but for whatever reason, Peabody goes outside to bring in those contractors.”

He said some of the Navajo workers who actually live on Black Mesa are coming forth to talk to them.

“They're telling us that they have mom-and-pop operations up there that are laying them off and using their own family members to operate equipment. We don't represent them, but we wanted to bring that forth to you. Because they don't have protection, they don't say anything. But we, as United Mine Workers, we're willing to talk on their behalf,” Russell said.

When the lease with Peabody first came forth, it contained provisions stating that Navajos would be trained, he added. “But when our Navajo brothers and sisters were laid off from the Black Mesa complexes, in order for them to get a job when their seniority number comes up at Kayenta Mine, Peabody is saying they have to be tested.

“What we have here is we have individuals that did jobs for years at Black Mesa Mine, and for whatever reason, when they go to Kayenta Mine, they're not qualified. That doesn't make sense. So what we're saying is, 'If you're going to do this, you'd better train them, because that is in the original lease agreement.”

Bates told Mark Schiavoni, senior vice president of Fossil Generation at APS, that though Schiavoni mentioned “in the spirit of trying to work together,” that spirit appeared only to be coming from him. “That same attitude doesn't seem to be coming from upper management. That attitude has to change.”

He mentioned last week's meeting regarding the Peabody leases as an example. It would only take Northern Agency delegates to say, “We have a problem,” and probably everybody would take a step back from any lease agreements that APS might want to move forward, Bates said. “You don't want that. I'm saying, now, straighten it up. Fix it.”

Schiavoni, who has been at Four Corners Power Plant for only a year, said, “I'm not going to apologize and I'm not going to look backward. I'm not part of that legacy. I don't disagree with your comment, or Chairman Arthur also. We have not done a good job of developing people, and it goes beyond Native Americans.”

Schiavoni said he does not disagree that they need a change in attitude. “It's been a long process. I think we're starting to change that.”

For too long, workers were suppressed, figuratively speaking, and weren't allowed to speak their mind, he added. “It was not a part of our culture – not just there, but across all my facilities. So we're trying to encourage that type of communication.”

These days, he brings a group of employees together in a room and asks them what they think is going well, what they don't think is going well. “They all have opinions. They all think they have the right answer; they know what needs to be done – and they do.

“But we haven't trusted them to give them all of the information and give them the opportunity to be part of the system. So we're challenging them in ways they haven't been challenged before. It doesn't always come across positive, and for that I take the blame. I provide a sense of urgency to the problem,” he said.

APS has promoted three Native Americans in the last six months to senior management positions, he added.

Brad Brown of Peabody told Council last week that the company's workers are represented by the United Mine Workers. “They do have a formal process to process grievances and claims, and we do that on a regular basis. We feel that is very effective.”

Brown said that in 2000, the total Native American work force was 378 out of 413, or 92 percent The total number of Native managers, supervisors and officials at that time was 19 out of 45, or 42 percent.

“In 2010, the total Native American work force out of a total of 427 employees that we have are 401. We're at 94 percent. The total Native managers, supervisors and officials is 44 out of 62, for 71 percent,” Brown said.

SMSC RECEIVES FIRST LEED CERTIFICATION
By Tessa Lehto
Communications Specialist
tessa.lehto@shakopeedakota.org

Prior Lake, MN – The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community has been awarded its first LEED certification for a new building which houses South Metro Federal Credit Union. A number of environmentally responsible initiatives were incorporated into the building design to achieve this goal. The determination that the building was awarded the silver level certification was announced March 25, 2010. South Metro opened in the new building September 8, 2009.

Certification at the silver level of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System compliance or achievement requires a building project to earn 33 to 38 points of a possible 69 across six areas of examination: site sustainability; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials and resources; indoor environmental quality; and innovation and design process.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality. LEED Certification is a program of the United States Green Building Council. Once construction of a building is completed and paperwork is submitted, it can take up to a year for certification to be finalized.

“LEED certified projects cost less to operate and maintain, are energy and water efficient, and contribute to occupant health and productivity,” explained SMSC Chairman Stanley R. Crooks. “That’s one reason we decided to build this type of building. We also wanted to demonstrate that when it comes to construction projects our green initiatives are fundamentally and fiscally sound. We’re also proud that the general contractor for this building was one of our Community members: Randy Crooks Construction run by Randy Crooks.”

Specific environmental initiatives which the South Metro Federal Credit Union feature include a geothermal heating system for temperature control to capture heat and cooling from the ground. Geothermal wells drilled down 180 feet utilize the temperature of the earth, which maintains a constant 52 degrees Fahrenheit, to help heat and cool the building.

Other features:
-Pavers using recycled tires instead of brick or concrete.
-All the finishes are low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) finishes.
-Local or regional materials were used which were produced within 500 miles reduced emissions from transport.
-Numerous large windows, including clerestory windows, allow for the use of daylight. (Clerestory windows are placed high on the wall to allow more daylight to come in.)
-An onsite bio-remediation site or rain garden treats storm water.
-The parking lot was designed with a minimum number of parking spaces to reduce impervious surfaces.
-There is preferred parking for fuel efficient and low emitting vehicles as well as carpools.
-Drought tolerant landscaping was used so no irrigation is needed.
-Water efficient plumbing fixtures were used.
-The building runs on alternative energy which is purchased from the utility company.
-Construction waste was reduced by 75% largely by use of recycling.

HTG Architects was the architect for the project. Bolton & Menk was the civil engineer. Emanuelson Podas was the mechanical and electrical engineer. Eminage was the interior designer. Clark Engineering was the structural engineer. Randy Crooks Construction was the general contractor.

The new building is one of two built behind the existing Dakota Mall which was previously home to South Metro Federal Credit Union and still houses Shakopee Dakota Convenience Store #1, the SMSC Pharmacy, and Bear Tracks Construction. Located across from Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and to the east of its previous location, the new one-story buildings are mirror images of each other. Each building provides 7,934 square feet of space. The second building will be used for a new enterprise to be announced shortly.

About South Metro Federal Credit Union
South Metro Federal Credit Union is a community-chartered, federal credit union, providing a wide range of financial products and services for everyone living or working in Scott County, Minnesota.

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Volunteers Needed At Sobriety Campout - Democracy's Roots In America

MORE THAN 4,000 EXPECTED FOR INDIANS IN SOBRIETY CAMPOUT
April 13, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mary Kim Titla (602) 339-2641

San Carlos, Arizona—“It hurts me to think about lost time with family especially the children,” said Isabel Sisto, 65, San Carlos Apache, as tears streamed down her face. Sisto struggled with alcoholism earlier in her life but she’s been sober 25 years. “To see (family members) now struggling. It’s hard. Sometimes I don’t see hope (for them) but (I know) it’s possible.”

Sisto’s story is all too familiar on Indian reservations across the country. According to a 2008 national survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control one in ten or 11.7 percent of Native Americans die from alcohol related traffic accidents or alcoholic liver disease compared to 3.3 percent of the U.S. as a whole. Alcohol related deaths may actually be higher as the study did not include deaths related to some diseases for which alcohol is a high risk factor such as tuberculosis, pneumonia and colon cancer.

While the statistics are grim, what excites Sisto and Harrison Bonito, also San Carlos Apache and a recovering alcoholic, is a movement they actively participate in called Indians in Sobriety. Founded in 1986 in Tucson, the grassroots program offers hope to those struggling with drug and alcohol abuse. Each year tribal communities host a campout to celebrate sobriety birthdays of people like Sisto and and Bonito. It’s also a chance for participants and advocates to share successful recovery methods. This summer it will be held July 22 – 25 on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, which is 120 miles east of Phoenix.

“Once I became sober I never thought about going back. I’m a different person now. I’m a spiritual person. I’m involved with the medicine people and I go to sweats. I get a lot of strength from that,” said Bonito, 53, who is 28 years into sobriety.

Understanding why so many Apaches abuse alcohol is a topic Louis Lorenzo, San Carlos Apache, is passionate about. He’s eager to share his research on Apache history and the historical trauma they suffered in local newspapers and at community events. “Alcohol was introduced to the Apaches on purpose,” Lorenzo recently told students from Ft. Thomas High School attending a Teen Town Hall.

“That was the beginning of social problems on the reservation such as alcohol abuse, child molestation and domestic violence. Apache men began to cut off the noses of their wives because they didn’t want other men to look at them.” He refers to a period in the 1870s when the San Carlos Apache Reservation was established in what was considered unlivable desert terrain. Conditions were so bad, U.S. soldier’s dubbed San Carlos agency “Hell’s forty acres.” The site is now home to the Old San Carlos Memorial, about 50 miles away from Point of Pines Lake where the 24th annual gathering of Indians in Sobriety will take place.

Lorenzo, 43, sober for 15 years, works for the tribe’s Social Services department and is the Chairperson of this year’s Indians in Sobriety Campout. He, Bonito and Sisto are part of a Campout Committee planning to host as many as 4,000 people from around the country. Bonito will assist with the men’s sweat lodges during the campout. It’s something he did back in 1996 when San Carlos first hosted the event.

The campout is a family event. While the adults are busy with AA meetings, talking circles, sweat lodges and other sessions tackling substance abuse, kids can have fun doing a variety of activities including fishing, hiking and arts and crafts. There will also be family activities. Highlights of the event include a Sobriety Countdown, Sobriety Pow Wow, Honor Ceremony, a traditional potluck feast and nightly Apache Social Singing & Dancing.

The timing of this year’s Campout complements another movement taking place on the San Carlos Reservation. Last year tribal leaders stressed healing and reconciliation as they commemorated the 100th anniversary of the death of Geronimo, a controversial yet revered figure in American history. While the commemoration led to disagreements among Apaches about whether he should be honored, efforts surrounding the event raised more awareness about the onset of historical trauma Apaches endured during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The commemoration is now an annual event. Some mental health experts agree due to the massive losses of lives, land and culture from European contact, Native Americans continue to deal with chronic trauma and unresolved grief across generations, which contributes to many social problems.

The goal of the Indians in Sobriety Campout is to help those who still bear the effects of historical trauma. Apache medicine men will conduct a spiritual ceremony at the Campout as a call for forgiveness so the healing process can begin for all nations.

“Everybody needs help. You have to take it one day at a time especially the young people. We need to teach them alcohol and drugs are not the way,” said Harrison.

Sisto agrees. “As Native people, we all struggle. It’s important to help each other out. (Alcoholism) it’s like being in a sand pile. We have to help each other walk in sobriety. It can happen with effort and faith. Everything is possible with faith. I’d like to extend an invitation to everyone, including non-Natives, to come to our reservation.”

All AA groups, speakers, presenters, Native youth groups and facilitators interested in attending are urged to contact the planning committee as soon as possible. Also needed are volunteers and spiritual leaders to run sweat lodges for both men and women.

For more information:
go to http://home.earthlink.net/~indiansinsobriety/index.html

or email Louis Lorenzo at louislorenzo@yahoo.com or call him at (928) 475-7335.

-----------NOTICE---------
10TH ANNUAL ALGONQUIAN PEOPLES SEMINAR
April 17, 2010

New York State Museum
Cultural Education Center
Madison Avenue
Albany, New York

For seminar info and registration forms www.NAIHRV.org

DEMOCRACY'S ROOTS IN AMERICA
Writer revealing democracy's roots to deliver lecture
William Matthias
Submitted by Monica Davis

Democratic ideals existed on American soil long before Europeans "discovered" the new land. Historians assert the oldest enduring democratic constitution is the Iroquois Confederacy, crafted by the indigenous Haudenosaunee people based in what is now Upstate New York.

Writer and public historian Dr. Donald Grinde Jr. says three of America's founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, were inspired by these natives (from the Seneca Nation) and Western democracy owes its existence not just to European political theories, but also to Iroquois' ideas of freedom and equality. Grinde, Chair of the Department of American Studies at The University of Buffalo, presented this controversial idea to the college community at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 8 in the New York Room in Cooper Hall.

"The Iroquois/Haudenosaunee and the Development of American Government" lecture is part of the American Democracy Project, a multicampus initiative aimed at advancing civic engagement. The College at Brockport is one of more than 220 schools and Universities participating in the project.

Grinde is the author of 12 books, including Exemplar of Liberty, which has sparked debate surrounding the Iroquois Influence Thesis. The book has sold more than 275,000 copies and is assigned reading in Native American courses across the nation, according to a press release. It supports the notion that over the last 75 years, there has been an attempt to erase the Iroquois-American government connection.

"Although there is an abundance of inferential and direct evident to demonstrate the ways in which Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson met with and studied Haudenosaunee political systems, this knowledge has been "excised" from the majority of contemporary history books," Grinde notes. "Rather than giving the Haudenousaunee their due, the European influence on American democracy has been emphasized in history books."

Franklin proposed The Albany Plan, which predates The Articles of Confederation, and Jefferson is one of the most notable contributors to the United States Constitution. Both were on the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence, which John Adams helped persuade Congress to adopt. Grinde draws similarities between these founding documents and the Iroquois Confederacy.

Dr. Christine Zinni, adjunct professor of Anthropology, was mentored by Iroquois Native Americans and takes to Grinde's belief that an important part of native-colonial relations is shrouded by contemporary textbook authors.

"Native peoples believe American history will not be complete until its indigenous aspects and legacy have been recognized and incorporated into the teaching of history," she said, and we are in a very unique position here at Brockport, basically living in the ancestral homelands of the Seneca peoples."

"Students in my classes are often shocked when they learn the writers of the Constitution met with the Haudenosuanee. I sense they feel a special connection to it because it is tangible to them, it is related to the land, the ancestral peoples of this region and thus is a part of New York state's history.
William Matthias

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NATIVE AMERICA, DISCOVERED AND CONQUERED
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'Clean Coal': Fact Or Fiction? - Minnie Two Shoes: 1950-2010

-----------NOTICE---------
10th Annual Algonquian Peoples Seminar
April 17, 2010

New York State Museum
Cultural Education Center
Madison Avenue
Albany, New York

For seminar info and registration forms www.NAIHRV.org

IS 'CLEAN COAL' JUST A FANTASY?
By Kathy Helms
Dine Bureau
Gallup Independent

WINDOW ROCK – Arizona Public Service Co. wants to be as transparent as possible in discussions with the Navajo Nation about the future of the 2,060-megawatt Four Corners Power Plant because at the end of the day, everyone expects APS to go off and do everything in its power to keep the facility alive.

“We've got almost 50 percent owners walking out the door. Someone's got to buy it. That's the reality,” Mark Schiavoni, senior vice president of Fossil Generation, told the Budget and Finance Committee this week.

The other reality is APS is best situated to buy out Southern California Edison's 48 percent share, but it can't move forward until it has locked in leases for the site, transmission and fuel, all of which are up in 2016. In addition, several other factors have the potential to impact Four Corners' future, including best available retrofit technology, or BART, for industrial facilities emitting air pollutants that reduce visibility.

On April 15, 2004, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed amendments to its July 1999 regional haze rule. The BART requirements apply to facilities built between 1962 and 1977 that have the potential to emit more than 250 tons a year of visibility-impairing pollution. Four Corners' first three units were placed in service in 1963-64; units four and five in 1969-70.

EPA is expected to propose BART requirements for the plant later this year. APS estimates costs for Selective Catalytic Reduction to improve visibility at nearly $900 million. Also expected are new mercury rules which would require $250 million in upgrades.

Budget and Finance member Hoskie Kee had a number of questions for Schiavoni, such as whether BART is “clean coal” technology. “I hear a lot of that term from the news media and all over. Is that what it is?” He also questioned whether the quality of coal from BHP Billiton's Navajo Mine is down.

“It's always interesting when I hear clean and coal in the same sentence,” said Schiavoni. “Clean coal technology, all it really means is, basically, the gasification process that takes place allows you the ability to extract the CO2, the carbon. That's what you read about in potential carbon capture, sequestration – pumping CO2 into the ground much like you do in oil fields.

“There are things you can do to enhance your emissions, but nothing that really burns clean coal,” he said.

It's not just the carbon that's being captured in the gasification process. There are other chemicals coming off the process that also have to be captured and shipped away, he said, and though the technology has been in the works for a few years, the problem today is that it is not available on a commercial scale.

“Tampa Electric has a project – IGCC – Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle, where they have gas running through a gas turbine to generate electricity. But it's not utility grade, commercially available. It's probably 15 to 20 years away from that. It's not something that's going to happen today or tomorrow.”

Pulverized coal and supercritical plants have different types of environmental profiles. Though more efficient, they still do not burn clean, he said.

The last thing he saw on the proposed 1,500 megawatt Desert Rock power plant was that they wanted the coal gasification process put on there, he said, adding that they would lose about 40 percent of their energy just in making it work. “They're very inefficient, process-wise.”

Still, the real problem lies in what to do with the carbon once it is captured, he said. “We have a lot of people that believe in the NIMBY – not in my back yard – syndrome. Whether it's from nuclear, transmission lines, or whatever it may be, no one wants it in their back yard.

“Now we're going to talk about sequestering CO2 in someone's back yard. Who's going to own it when it burps and goes up into the atmosphere? What happens? Where's the liability? There's still a lot of work to be done,” he said.

Also in response to Kee's question, Schiavoni said the coal quality and BTU content from BHP's Navajo coal is not where they would want it, and they are losing generation.

“We've had a lot of operational issues as a result of coal quality, especially on our small units – one, two and three. We've had discussions with BHP,” he added.

Kee asked whether it was economically feasible to retrofit the newer units at Four Corners with natural gas.

“Gas saves you like 45 to 50 percent of your carbon, so it's not clean like everybody believes,” Schiavoni said. “But we did look at retrofitting and it would be cost-prohibitive.”

Delegate Francis Redhouse, who once worked at Four Corners, sat in on the Budget and Finance meeting and asked to be allowed to make some comments regarding hazardous materials at the site, including the fly ash pond.

“When the wind blows at 90 miles an hour, it goes all the way down to Upper Fruitland Chapter and I'm sure that LoRenzo Bates (Budget and Finance chairman) breathes in some of that, unless you provide him with a respirator.

“The fly ash and those ponds are carcinogens, if you look at it in terms of breathing it in. Those are cancer-causing contaminants and those are very important to me from the standpoint of looking at it on behalf of the Navajo Nation,” Redhouse said.

EPA is considering whether to regulate fly ash as solid or hazardous waste. That would cost APS an additional $60 million a year. Currently, the plant's fly ash impoundments are in full compliance with state and federal laws and dam safety rules, according to APS. Approximately 13 to 22 percent of the fly ash is sold for other uses, such as in the manufacture of concrete products.

Schiavoni said the ash ponds and dust are the most prevalent safety issues. Four Corners has retained URS to look at the ponds and determine how best to remediate them. “We're not going to wait for decommissioning to go down that path, because we do understand the issue with dust, including at the site,” he said.

APS is hoping for a 25-year fuel agreement, through 2041, and an extension through 2065 on the site leases.

“We think the units can last that long,” Schiavoni said. “With technology, we can make anything last.”

REMEMBERING MINNIE TWO SHOES
BY Bob Capriccioso
Native Pop

Another sad passing for Indian country. Minnie Two Shoes, a leader with the Native American Journalists Association, passed away yesterday after battling cancer. On top of Wilma Mankiller’s death last week, it’s another big loss.

I can’t help but note that she and Mankiller were both only in their early sixties. They should have been around to share their wisdom much longer.

“As journalists, we are very special people, and have a very serious responsibility,” Two Shoes said in the above NAJA video. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun along the way.”

She also shared a bit of her notable humor, talking about some of the various conquests she had a NAJA conferences over the years.

From her bio:
“Minnie Two Shoes was an Assiniboine Sioux from the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana. A publicist for the American Indian Movement from 1970-1976 she later worked endlessly as a team member of the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) starting in 1994 to help unlock information regarding the 1975 murder of Annie Mae Pictou-Aquash.

She served several terms as a board member of NAJA, was an editor for Native Peoples from 1996-98 and in Canada for several publications, and had previously worked with the Wotanin Wowapi at Fort Peck as a writer and columnist for ‘Red Road Home’ specializing in stories on water rights, air quality, environment, oil and gas and economic development. She also a contributing writer for News From Indian Country.”

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NATIVE AMERICA, DISCOVERED AND CONQUERED
http://lawlib.lclark.edu/blog/native_america/

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Baja Quake Devastates Cucapa (Cocopah) Indians - Corn Pollen Or Yellow Cake? Dine Chose Corn Pollen - MLK Memorial In DC

CUCAPA INDIANS IN BAJA DEVASTATED BY MEXICO QUAKE: RELIEF EFFORT MOUNTED
Late Breaking News
Source: East County Magazine
By Miriam Raftery

April 9, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – A relief effort is being mounted here to bring emergency aid to the Cucapa Indian nation, just ten miles from the epicenter of the 7.2 earthquake that devastated their homeland between Mexicali and San Felipe.

March through May is the fishing season for these indigenous people, who rely on fishing to sustain them throughout the year. But the Easter earthquake severely damaged roads that the Cucapa use to fish on the Colorado Delta, forcing them to end their season early, East County Magazine has learned. Tribal members have lost their livelihoods as well as their homes, roads, electricity and water.

“The lives of the Cucapa Nation have been shattered with the loss of their homes, roads, electricity and awter,” said Maggie Rivera, vice president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). “The economic state of Mexicali mirrors that of Haiti to where local economy relies on tourism. This devastating crisis is something many leaders believe reflects the desperate need of financial hardship in this region of the world.”

The Mexican community in Illinois has joined with the Center for Social Advocacy in El Cajon, California to bring immediate emergency relief to the Cucapa people. Estela de los Rios, executive director of the Center, called it a tragedy that governments in Mexico and the U.S. have failed to respond to the needs of the Cucapa. “Once again the oppression of the indigenous people of the land has been magnified by the lack of concern and response. Please help us support their needs.”

Read more: http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/3107

EXPERTS TAKING HOLISTIC APPROACH TO URANIUM HEALTH ISSUES
By Kathy Helms
Dine Bureau
Gallup Independent

WINDOW ROCK – At the time of Creation, the Dine people came to the top, the place of emergence, where they were given instructions and a choice of how they were going to make their living in this world. They were given two yellow substances and asked, “'Which one are you going to take?” according to Sarah Henio-Adeky.

“This is the corn pollen, and this is the yellow cake, which is uranium – leetso, they call it, in our language. Our Dine people chose the corn pollen, the Beauty Way, and that's what they're going to use to sustain their livelihood and use in all their well-being and their prayers and hold it as a significant item for their people,” she told the audience gathered at Churchrock Chapter House.

The yellow substance they didn't choose, the leetso, they were told, would be returned to Mother Earth. “That will be her protector, so leave that with Mother Earth. That's hers. It should never be taken from her. You took the corn pollen way.

“'If for any reason you should go and get that and take that away from her and bring it out, that's when all of the hardships are going to come about. People will begin to suffer.' That's what we were told,” said Henio-Adeky, Navajo community liaison with Southwest Research and Information Center.

But as everyone in Churchrock knows, Mother Earth's protector was removed through years of uranium mining. Now the community is rampant with cancer, kidney disease, hypertension and other ills, and the questions remain: How do you heal the people? How do you heal the land?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency assembled a panel of experts March 30 for a Uranium Health and Risk Workshop. The discussion was in follow-up to a public meeting held last summer regarding the cleanup of Northeast Churchrock Mine and Red Water Pond Road, according to Andrew Bain, remedial project manager for EPA's Superfund Division.

Community member Tony Hood told the panel, “As a concerned resident of Red Water Pond Road community, that's not a safe place to live, according to Andrew Bain. We have two mines up there – United Nuclear and Kerr-McGee. I think it's a no-brainer to clean both of those mines together.”

Hood said the federal agencies are using a backward approach. “When do we expect Kerr-McGee to clean up their mess? Because as it is, all the afflictions that are associated with uranium – cancer, hypertension, renal failure – are bothering and killing our people as we speak.

“I work as a driver and interpreter for Public Health Nursing, and I see first-hand what's going on, what's happening to the people. What do you say to someone whose kidney is not working anymore? I would like to encourage all you panel members to get the ball rolling. You know, there's that expression, 'Your mother doesn't work here. Clean up your mess.' ”

The community is concerned that cleaning up Northeast Churchrock will be of little effect when there are erosion problems right next door at Kerr-McGee's Quivera Mine.

Sara Jacobs of EPA said that instead of moving forth with the agency's preferred alternative to clean up Northeast Churchrock, they have taken a step back after hearing concerns from the community raised during the public comment period.

“What we're going to do is come back here in another month – we're calling it a conceptual planning meeting – and we want to hear from you. We want to know what all of your concerns are about the whole area so that we can address it holistically and make a plan about how can we comprehensively address all of these sources rather than just focusing on one right now.”

Henry Tso, a member of the Medicine Man Association and a Native American Church board member, also was among the panel of experts.

“We have a doctor here from IHS out of Shiprock, and they have that Western medicine of how to cure certain things. But we as Navajos, how do we approach this? How do we feel comfortable about getting help in the Western way and also in the traditional ways?” Tso asked.

“There are prayers that are said. These prayers, they can make beauty of what was the place that is destructed right now. We try to balance that. Also, we try to balance the human minds,” he said.

Many community members have lost loved ones due to the uranium legacy, according to Tso. In addition, “A lot of us have lost some of our traditional beliefs. But through harmony and also through the traditional ways, the Native American Church way, the corn pollen and also the Western medicine, we can get help.”

The soil, the water, even some of the animals have been contaminated, he said. “What about us? What have they done to us, our loved ones, our kids? These are some of my concerns. The doctor from IHS, and other traditional ways of healing, if we all come together, I'm quite sure that we can find some solution to help our people in this way.”

Dr. Douglas Zang of Northern Navajo Medical Center said he and the people within his program – the Radiation Screening and Education Program – believe that if they, as health care providers, try to provide care in a way which does not agree with people's basic beliefs, they are not going to accomplish much.

“That's why we in this program think it's very important to work with the medicine men and the Medicine Man's Association,” Zang said, adding that he was very encouraged to hear Tso's comments.

“I don't know what the answer is and I don't know what the way is, but I think that by sitting down and by working together and talking about it, hopefully we can find a way to give people what they need and what they want.”

Johnnye Lewis, Ph.D., principal investigator on the Eastern Agency kidney health study for the Dine Network for Environmental Health, said she also appreciated having the medicine man participate in the discussion.

“I think that's been a missing link and I'm really looking forward to having closer relationships with them,” she said.

MARTIN LUTHER KING NATIONAL MEMORIAL
The month of April marks the 42nd anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We are commemorating the life and work of Dr. King by creating a memorial in our nation's capital. The Washington, DC, Martin Luther King, Jr., National Memorial will honor his life and contributions to the world through non violent social change. I'm reaching out to ask if you and your readers would help spread the word by posting about this wonderful project on Native Unity.

I've put together this blogger-friendly micro-site to help get the message out - there are videos, photos, banners, and even a web toolbar that, when used, donates money to the creation of the memorial:

http://mlkmemorialnews.org

After years of fund raising, the memorial is now $14 million away from its $120 million goal. This will be more than a monument to a great humanitarian, the National Memorial will be a place for visitors from around the world to share the spirit of love, freedom, and peace. If you are able to post or tweet about this please let me know so I can share it with the team. If you have any questions please pop me an email. And if you are able to help, thank you so much.
Lowell

Lowell Dempsey,
BuildTheDream.org
Twitter @mlkmemorial
Facebook.com/MLKNationalMemorial

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity"
--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

TO SUBMIT an ARTICLE, OPINION PIECE, COMMENTS to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail bobbieo@digitaldune.net.

NATIVE UNITY - A place for Native American Peoples to solidify their tribes to make a positive impact on the cultural, social, economic and political fabric of American society and a place for non-Natives to better understand the ways of the American Indian.

ATT: NEW - News Blog - American Indian Report - AIR BLOG
http://falmouth-air.blogspot.com

THE BUFFALO POST - Missoulian Montana's Native News Blog about Native People And The World We Live In.
http://buffalopost.net/

Check Out NATIVE PRIDE- It's a great site!
http://letstalknativepride.blogspot.com

NATIVE AMERICA, DISCOVERED AND CONQUERED
http://lawlib.lclark.edu/blog/native_america/

PATHOLOGY.ORG - Up-to-date informmational database on general health and disease information, medical schools and medical resources.
http://www.Pathology.org

FOR ANNIE'S NATIVE CELEBRITY NEWS - go to www.nativecelebs.com

CATCH COLORADAN PETER JONES AT:
http://indigenousissuestoday.blogspot.com

SUPPORTING NATIVE AMERICAN/FIRST PEOPLE - ARTISTS, FILM MAKERS, ENTERTAINERS, ETC. http://www.krystynmedia.blogspot.com.