“Water in the Native World,” a special issue on tribal water research was just released by the Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education. This is the second time, Dr. Karletta Chief, the PI of the Community Engagement Core of the University of Arizona Superfund Research Center (UA SRC) has served as a guest editor to compile research highlighting important water research in tribal communities. Not only is the guest editor Indigenous but in this Special Issue nearly all of the co-authors are Indigenous and three publications (Bulltail and Walter, 2020; Conroy-Ben and Crowder, 2020, and Martin et al., 2020) are led by an Indigenous lead author.
A Confluence of Anticolonial Pathways for Indigenous Sacred Site Protection
Rachel Ellis (corresponding author) is an educator, advocate, and researcher specializing in justice-oriented watershed management and conservation in the Southwest. This article is based on research from her thesis “Exploring Anticolonial Protective Pathways for the Confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers.” rme96@nau.edu.
Denielle Perry is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Northern Arizona University in the School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability. My research, broadly described, draws on a Political Ecology approach to analyze the drivers, priorities, and spatial dimensions of water governance. In particular, I examine how environmental institutions and values influence both the development and conservation of water resources, as well as the socio-ecological implications of these often competing agendas, in the face of climate change. I adopt a mixed-methods approach in my work, making use of both quantitative and qualitative analysis. I view the nexus of political ecology, water law and policy, and geospatial analysis as a powerful platform for solving some of the most pressing environmental problems of our time. Denielle.Perry@nau.edu.
Dissolved Uranium and Arsenic in Unregulated Groundwater Sources – Western Navajo Nation
Lindsey Jones holds a MS in Environmental Sciences and Policy from Northern Arizona University. She graduated in 2019 and her thesis work focused on uranium and arsenic contamination issues in unregulated water sources on the western portion of the Navajo Nation. She is currently working as the Environmental Program Supervisor for Arizona’s Water Infrastructure Finance Authority. She may be contacted at lmj53@nau.edu or via mail at 700 South Osborne Dr., PO Box 5698, Flagstaff, AZ 86011.
Jani C. Ingram, Ph.D. investigates environmental contaminants with respect to their impact on health. A major part of her research is focused on characterizing uranium and arsenic contamination in water, soil, plants and livestock. A critical aspect of her research is to foster collaborations with the Native American community and leaders to build trust, obtain access to field samples and gain insights into their health concerns. Recruiting Native American students to work with her as a Navajo principal investigator on the project and building an interdisciplinary, collaborative team of scientists with expertise in analytical chemistry, geoscience, cancer biology, and social sciences are also important to her research. She is a member of the Navajo Nation (born to the Náneesht’ ézhi clan) and is involved in outreach activities for Native American students in undergraduate and graduate research. She is the principal investigator of the Partnership for Native American Cancer Prevention and the director of the Bridges to Baccalaureate program. She was named the 2018 recipient of the American Chemical Society Award for Encouraging Disadvantaged Students into Careers in the Chemical Sciences.
Arsenic Concentrations in Ground and Surface Waters across Arizona Including Native Lands
Dr. Catherine R. Propper (corresponding author) has been a Professor of Biological Sciences at Northern Arizona University (NAU) since 1991 where she has been dedicated to supporting students from underrepresented backgrounds. She is the Program Director for the National Institutes of Health RISE for Native American Students and the Minority Health International Research Training program, Native Americans Exploring Global Health Disparities. Dr. Propper is co-Lead for the Southwest Health Equities Research Collaborative’s Research Infrastructure Core. Her research focuses on how environmental contaminants affect development, reproduction and behavior, and she has published more 60 peer-reviewed journal articles. Locally and statewide, she has served on the City of Flagstaff’s Contaminants of Emerging Concern Panel and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality’s Advisory Panel on Emerging Contaminants. Nationally, she has participated in several U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Scientific Advisory Panels. Catherine.Propper@nau.edu or via mail at 617 S. Beaver Street, Box 5640, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011.
Marie Jones began this project while attending Northern Arizona University as an undergraduate and working with Dr. Propper. It developed into a state-wide mapping project in order to gain a more complete picture of the extent of arsenic contamination. Her research and clinical interests are focused on toxicology, specifically arsenic, and how this contaminant impacts human health. Marie is currently studying nursing at Brigham Young University - Idaho with the intent to pursue graduate school as a Nurse Practitioner. mch259@nau.edu.
Walleye Ogaawag Spearing in the Portage Waterway, Michigan: Integrating Mixed Methodology for Insight on an Important Tribal Fishery
Andrew T. Kozich took a long and unusual path to his current position as Environmental Science Department Chair at Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College (KBOCC) in northern Michigan.
In the 1990s, Andrew worked his way through his undergrad studies by supporting himself as a professional musician. It took eight years to complete a B.S. in Resource Ecology (an Earth Science program) from the University of Michigan.
After a few years away from school and a few other career experiments, he entered graduate school at Michigan Tech University at age 34. He completed a M.S. in Environmental Policy in 2009 and a graduate certificate in Sustainable Water Resources in 2010.
Around this time, Andrew discovered that there was a small Tribal college, KBOCC, 30 miles down the road. As he continued his graduate studies unsure of his direction, he enrolled as a part-time guest student to explore Native American history and culture for personal enrichment. He studied under James Loonsfoot, a widely-respected elder who has since passed away.
After two semesters as a KBOCC student, the Environmental Science Department Chair position was vacated and the Dean of Instruction asked Andrew if he was interested. Andrew’s original career vision from long ago was to work at a small college where he might make a greater and more personal impact on students. He interviewed and was hired on the spot in early 2011. His Michigan Tech advisor was initially not happy with this decision.
The decision to join KBOCC provided needed vision for his doctoral research and opened countless doors. Already wading into the interdisciplinary field of water resource management and policy, his research took on added cultural emphasis that was greatly enhanced by his experiences at KBOCC. He continued taking KBOCC courses while slowly progressing with his research. He was assisted by a GK-12 Global Watershed Fellowship and later an American Indian College Fund Mellon Fellowship. He finally completed his Ph.D. in 2016, using mixed-methods research to compare Native and non-Native perspectives on climate change and water resources in the Great Lakes area. In 2017 Andrew completed his KBOCC Associate Degree in Anishinaabe Studies.
Andrew has published 10 articles in peer-reviewed journals and contributed numerous conference presentations and panel sessions. He was recognized as KBOCC’s “Faculty Member of the Year” in 2012 and 2018. However, his greatest pride comes from his measurable accomplishments at KBOCC, including a 100% job placement rate of graduates, mentoring over 30 student internships, guiding over 20 student presentations at national conferences, engaging six student co-authors on publications, and overseeing a significant increase in his program’s enrollment since 2011. He has also developed a new KBOCC program in Sustainability. Beyond the classroom, his greatest joy is engaging under-represented students in community-based research that provides valuable outcomes for the Tribe and meaningful experiences for his students. His presentation today reflects these objectives.
Change Rippling through Our Waters and Culture
Christine Martin is an enrolled member of the Crow Tribe of Montana. She is a qualitative researcher who believes that taking the time to hear our communities needs today, will bring us thriving communities tomorrow. This is her fourth year at Little Big Horn College doing water quality research from a qualitative standpoint. She specializes in helping others understand their drinking water systems and has expertise in community health behaviors. She loves helping her community and has majored in Community Health at Montana State University, where she also earned her Masters’ degree. Doing a qualitative research project on climate change in her tribal community gave Christine the chance to not only document the noted times, but give others the chance to tell their story of what they remember and recall a time when the weather was much different than what we experience today.
Unregulated and Emerging Contaminants in Tribal Water
Dr. Otakuye Conroy-Ben, Oglala Lakota, is originally from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. A first-generation college student, she went on to receive a BS in Chemistry from the University of Notre Dame, and a MA in Chemistry, MS in Environmental Engineering, PhD in Environmental Engineering all from the University of Arizona. Her postdoctoral co-appointments were in biochemistry and environmental science, also from the University of Arizona. Otak previously served the role of Secretary on the Board of Directors for the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, and was a recipient of the AISES Professional Award for Technical Excellence. Her professional appointments include a research engineering staff for the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts and a faculty member at the University of Utah. She is currently an Assistant Professor in environmental engineering at ASU where she researches endocrine disruptors, antimicrobial resistance, wastewater engineering, and Tribal water quality disparities.