Kê:Ønèhs 2014

Page 2 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, May 2014

Volume 5, Issue 4

May 2014

Haudenosaunee Grand Council

Tuscarora Council of Chiefs and

Clanmothers

HAUDENOSAUNEE ENVIRONMENTAL

TASK FORCE (HETF)

Oren Lyons, Political Co-Chair

Henry Lickers, Scientific Co-Chair

David Arquette, HETF Director

Noah Point, Assistant Director

TUSCARORA ENVIRONMENT

PROGRAM (TEP)

Neil Patterson, Director

Rene Rickard, Office Administrator

Bryan Printup, GIS/Planning

Patti Fischer, Habitat Restoration

Following the United Nations Earth

Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the

Haudenosaunee held a Grand Council to

discuss the environmental degradation of

our communities. In accordance with the

Great Law of Peace, the Grand Council

passed and agreed, based on

Haudenosaunee protocols and cultural

beliefs, to establish the Haudenosaunee

Environmental Task Force (HETF).

The SKARU:RE MONTHLY is the

official publication of the Tuscarora

Environment Office. You can submit

articles, artwork, photographs, editorials

and letters of admiration to:

SKARU:RE MONTHLY

c/o: Tuscarora Environment

5226E Walmore Road

Tuscarora Nation

Lewiston, NY 14092

Or call: #716.264.6011

Visit the TEP website at:

www.tuscaroraenvironment.com

or

our Facebook page

“Tuscarora Environment”

June 7, 2014 - Birdwatching Hike, Stella Niagara Preserve, Lewiston,

NY. 8:30am-10:30am, FREE. An event hosted by Greg Coniglio on the

29-acre property with forests, large meadow and a quarter-mile long

shoreline. The Niagara River is a major site for migratory birds and is

especially interesting to bird watchers. FMI: www.wnylc.org,

#716.687.1255.

June 12-15, 2014 - 2014 Sustainable Heritage Workshop, Renaissance

Hotel and Conference Center, Palm Springs, CA. $100/registration. The

Sustainable Heritage Network (SHN) is dedicated to connecting experts in

cultural heritage digitization and preservation to archivists and librarians

in order to support the curatorial needs of local indigenous communities.

The workshop will provide conceptual as well as hands-on training on a

range of issues critical to the digital preservation of cultural materials.

FMI: www.atalm.org, support@sustainableheritagenetwork.org.

June 16-17, 2014 - 7th Annual Energy Projects in Indian Country

Conference, Anaheim, CA. Hosted by the Disney’s Grand Californian

Resort. Attendees can look forward to learning about new developments

in oil and gas, solar, wind and biomass. The panelists will discuss the

planning, developing and financing of new tribal energy projects. FMI:

www.nativenationevents.org, #201.857.5333.

June 19-20, 2014 - EnergyPath 2014: Convergence, Albright College,

Reading, PA. $99/registration. This is the region’s largest sustainable

energy event, to increase the knowledge of and passion for sustainable

energy in the leaders of today and tomorrow. FMI:

www.energypath2014.org, #610.264.4440.

June 28-29, 2014 - Kanatsiohareke Strawberry Festival,

Kanatsiohareke Mohawk Commnity, Fonda, NY.

July 11-12, 2014 - 169th Tuscarora Nation Picnic and Field Days,

Tuscarora Nation. The day includes 10k race and 2.5 mile fun run, smoke

dance competition hand drum contest, music, native food and more. FMI:

www.tuscaroraenvironment.com/picnic/.

Planting season. Some of the beans

the TCSA garden has on stock for

planting - Tru·Cranberry bush beans,

Iroquois Brown beans and Potato

Beans.

Reminder that you can still sign up

to be part of the Tuscarora

Community Supported Agriculture

(TCSA) garden. The deadline is

June 1st.

Page 3 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, May 2014

A grilus planipennis, or Emerald

ash borer (EAB) is a pest. Small

populations can be highly destructive

by wiping out entire stands of ash

trees. The borer’s feed on the

conductive tissue, which is how the

roots and trees get nutrients and

water. Then when winter comes, the

larvae will relocate to the bark,

cutting off the tissue even more. All

of this will lead to the death of the

tree within a year or so.

Here is a list of potential insect pests

that could be a threat at Tuscarora:

Emerald Ash Borer

(Agrilus planipennis)

Swede Midge

(Contarinia nasturtii)

European Crane Fly

(Tipula paludosa)

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

(Halyomorpha halys)

Asian Longhorned Beetle

(Anoplophora glabripennis)

Gypsy Moth

(Lymantria dispar)

Once the Survey Project is completed

this summer we will have data to

assist us in determining pest-free

status for all of Tuscarora, or certain

areas. This early detection of pests

that multiply and disperse rapidly (ie.

Gypsy moth) is critical if the invaders

are to be eradicated. The findings

from this survey will be shared with

the community and what will be our

next steps to deal with the invasive

insects.

If you see our interns out this

summer, or if you see some of our

insect traps please remember that

we’re working to help protect our

environment.

The EAB is one of many insect pests

that are potential threats to Tuscarora

and our environment. As of 2012,

our Nation consists of about 42% of

forest/natural area and these areas are

susceptible to these insect incursions.

To help us understand these threats

we are working on a Pest Detection

Survey Project this summer, with the

help of our college/high school

interns and the support of the USDA,

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service (APHIS).

The plan this summer is to conduct

visual identification surveys and

place traps around the reservation to

see what invasive forests pests will

be lurking about. The reservation

forests have been sprayed twice in

the last 15 years to control Gypsy

Moth populations. The traps and

surveys will tell us when these pests

become a significant threat to the

trees and may require a response.

Buffalo Creek Treaty

Commemoration.

The day will start with a morning

blessing by Algonquin elder Mike

Bastine at 9:30am, at the launch site,

Harlem Rd and Clinton St (West

Seneca, next to Tops Supermarket).

The paddle is open to all and is

FREE but pre registration is

required.

After the paddle, everyone will be at

the Riverside Park for food, vendors

and kites! This is a great opportunity

to develop your relationship with

waters, and to reconnect with the

waterways like our ancestors did so

many years ago.

To preregister, or if you have

questions or need more information:

#716.603.4546,

ajamieson@roadrunner.com.

Pest Detection Survey: Invasive Insects at Tuscarora

ABOVE: Gypsy Moth pests, male and

female.

Date: Saturday, May 31, 2014

Time: 9:30am - 6:00pm

Place: DEC launch site, Harlem and

Clinton St (Festival to follow at

Riverside Park)

Cost: FREE (but paddle registration

is required.)

This paddle event is sponsored by the

Neto Hatinakwe Onkwehowe office

and Allan Jamieson Sr. as part of the

Buffalo Creek

Canoe Paddle: Buffalo River, Buffalo, NY

Page 4 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, May 2014

LEFT: 1913. Jefferson Chew.

Courtesy National

Anthropological Archives.

LEFT: 1949. AP wire photo.

Harriet Pembleton holding a

collection of her dolls.

Courtesy Jonathan family.

I n May 1998, a book

was published,

“Legacy of Stone-

Ancient Life on the

Niagara Frontier” by

Ron Williamson and

Robert MacDonald,

with the Buffalo and

Fort Erie Public Bridge

Authority and Eastendbooks.

A complete history of the site, perched on

the banks of Lake Erie, can be traced

through aboriginal artifacts from up to

4000 years ago. Other items unearthed

were from a fishing camp on the site 600

years ago and from soldiers stationed on

the site in 1814.

Look for a potential taste-testing time in

the coming future with TEP and come try

out on this old recipe.

Ten-Fish Soup

The large pot shown in the picture was

found on the site and reconstructed. The

contents of the pot were analyzed and a

recipe was deduced from the ingredients

for a meal intended to be eaten in AD675.

Have ready:

+ Three fresh pickerel

+ Three white bass

+ One piece river sturgeon

+ One venison shoulder (bone in)

+ Lake Erie water (may substitute)

+ One bowl, shelled walnuts

+ One generous handful purslane

Place venison in large clay stew pot and

cover with water. Bring to boil, reduce heat

and simmer until the venison is tender and

falls off the bone. Meanwhile, clean fish

and cut into small two-inch chunks.

Include head and tail. When venison is

tender, add fish chunks and shelled

walnuts. Cook an additional 30 minutes.

Just before serving add purslane and heat

through. Serves the extended family. Article courtesy of www.mtarch.com

By Bryan Printup

RIGHT:

Tuscarora Nation

Picnic. Lacrosse

game players.

Courtesy

Tuscarora Indian

School.

Page 5 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, May 2014

O ur office is now accepting

applications for high school

summer internships open to students

entering the 10th grade in fall 2014

and older. The deadline for

applications to the TEP office is

5pm, Thursday, June 5, 2014.

We will have 2 high school positions

available to start June 30, 2014 and

will go for approximately 9 weeks.

Some of the projects available this

summer to the students are:

Tuscarora Community Supported

Agriculture (TCSA) garden;

Plum Pox Virus;

Tuscarora Corn project;

Trees of Ska:rure inventory;

Forest pest education;

Longhouse at NYS Fair Indian

Village;

Two Row Wampum Renewal

Campaign trips;

and Grassland Restoration.

The positions are expected to be

around 35 hours a week and last for 9

weeks. Working papers are required

for students under 16 years of age.

The student is required to get to and

from work, and if travel is needed

during work hours the office staff

will provide the transportation.

Qualified applicants should possess

an interest in Haudenosaunee

environmental issues; capacity to

work outside in all weather

conditions; and a willingness to work

with a good mind and positive effort.

To apply we are asking for a written

letter (typed, preferable) stating why

they are a good candidate for summer

employment with the Tuscarora

Environment Office. At the top of the

letter you are required to include:

first and last name;

home address;

phone number (cell and home if

available);

age;

grade you will be in the Fall

2014;

and email address (if available.)

Not required but you can include:

past work experiences,

former employer information,

and/or resume.

Please follow directions as it’s a

reflection of the applicant. In

addition, don’t forget to check for

spelling and grammar mistakes.

Address the letter to:

Neil Patterson, Jr.

TEP Director

Mail or drop off to:

Tuscarora Environment Office

5226E Walmore Road

Lewiston, NY 14092.

In addition, you can email your letter

to the office before the 5pm deadline

to npatterson@hetf.org. This year, we

don’t offer the opportunity to apply

via our website.

If you have any questions or need

more information, please contact the

TEP office at #264.6011.

Application deadline

5pm, Thursday,

June 5, 2014

High School Internships Available Apply Now

Page 6 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, May 2014

I n early 2013 the U.S.

government, NY State and the

Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe

announced a $19.4 million settlement

with Alcoa Inc. and Reynolds Metal

Company for injuries to natural

resources, recreational fishing and

Mohawk culture resulting from the

release of hazardous substances into

the St. Lawrence River environment

since at least the late 1950s.

As a result of the Natural Resource

Damages Assessment (NRDA) the

Mohawk Tribe’s settlement is

app rop r i a t ed to wards th ree

objectives: Ecological Restoration

($10.1m); Fishing/Boat Access

($1.8m); and Cultural Restoration

($8.4m). Additionally, the tribe will

be reimbursed for outstanding past

costs to assess impacts and damages.

The Tribe’s Cultural Restoration

Commission will focus on their

innovative cultural apprenticeship

program to restore traditional

Mohawk cultural practices that have

been lost or impaired since

contamination limited use of the

uplands, the rivers and their natural

resources. The tribe, as a trustee, has

targeted four traditional areas for

apprentices to receive hands-on

training from experienced masters:

Water, fishing and use of the

river;

Horticulture and basket making;

Medicinal plants and healing;

Hunting and trapping.

The apprenticeship program will

provide experience in directly

harvesting, preparing, preserving and

producing traditional

M o h a w k c u l t u r a l

p r o d u c t s w h i l e

promoting Mohawk

language in each aspect

of the training. The

program apprentices

will acquire their

knowledge from the

p e o p l e m o s t

experienced in their

chosen activity - the

Masters.

The Mohawk language

program is also infused

into every aspect of

apprentices training in

order to maintain the

t r a n s m i s s i o n o f

language and important vocabulary

embedded in traditional resource

harvesting practices. The goal of this

program is for apprentices to gain a

level of cultural knowledge and

language fluency.

Currently, the Mohawk NRD

Program has hired more than 30

masters/apprentices with various

cultural skills including fishing,

trapping and agriculture. One of the

important requirements for the

masters is they must have an

understanding of the Mohawk

language.

Restoration funding to Akwesasne

and Kanatsiohareke will support

existing institutions and programs

focused on recovering cultural

practices and language injured by

c o n t a m i n a n t s f r o m t h e s e

manufacturing sites.

In our area, there is a current NRD

claim on the Buffalo River, site of the

former Buffalo Creek reservation.

The Claim was brought by the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service and NY

Department of Conservation, along

with Tuscarora Nation. For decades,

companies operating along the river

discharged toxic chemicals or oil into

the river, harming fish,

wildlife and their

habitat. The Natural

Resources Damages

claim will reflect the

value of projects to

restore resources to

their condition before

the pollution began.

The goal of the NRDA

process is to restore

trust resources injured

as a result of the

release of hazardous

substances to the

environment. Natural

resources of the

Buffalo River include

land, surface water,

groundwater and biota.

In the coming future, Tuscarora will

continue to work with other resource

agencies to continue to assess

damages along the Buffalo River.

Injuries to Buffalo River groundwater

were assessed this past year, and the

fact sheet can be found at http://

www.fws.gov/northeast/nyfo/ec/

buffalo.htm.

Additional information available at

the Tribe’s Environment website:

www.srmtenv.org; NOAA blog,

www.usresponserestoration.wordpres

s.com; and article ‘Natural Resource

Damages” by Amberdawn LaFrance,

Kawenni:ios newsletter.

Mohawk Tribe

Natural

Resource

Damages

Settlement

ABOVE: 1985. Mohawk Fancy basket

by Mary Adams. National Museum of the

American Indian.

ABOVE: Masters/Apprentices

program for Mohawk cultural

programs. NOAA blog.

Page 7 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, May 2014

L ast week we received more than

150 trees to be planted here at

Tuscarora from the U.S. Natural

Resource Conservation Service. All

the trees/bushes are native to the area

and will make great additions to our

environment. The trees are part of

our native habitat restoration

initiative, and will add to our

accomplishment of planting more

than 1000 trees here at Tuscarora in

the last 17 years.

Tree List

This year, we are offering the trees to

everyone - For FREE! We've had

quite a few people come and pick

some up but we still have many left

to offer. Here is a list of trees you

can pick up at the TEP office during

our office hours, Monday-Friday,

8:30am-4:30pm:

Black Walnut

Serviceberry

American Cranberry

Black Chokeberry

Sycamore

Finding the Right Spot

Remember the old saying: “Look

Up, Look Down, Look All

Around…” Well that’s what you

need to do when you’re getting ready

to plant your tree.

“Look Up”: How tall will your tree

grow? Is the spot you’re thinking of

safe from power lines?

“Look Down”: Make sure you aren’t

planting around underground utility,

gas or septic lines, or too close to

home foundations. You could strike

and damage underground lines when

planting the tree or the root system

may grow and damage septic lines in

future years.

“Look All Around”: Will the width

of your tree be unobstructed as it

matures and grows?

Once you have found the perfect spot

be sure to dig your hole deep and

wide enough to plant your tree with

the first or main root just below the

surface. Tamp soil with your foot to

remove air pockets (dry roots die).

Mulch with wood chips, but keep the

chips off the trunk.

When seedlings with taproots are

planted in holes that are too shallow,

the taproot may arch up in the shape

of a “J” which weakens the tree’s

stability, instead of growing straight

down and anchoring the tree.

Nurture their Growth

Now that your tree is in the ground

the next step is to make sure it

becomes established and will

continue to grow. Seedlings need to

be watered deeply every 7-10 days.

What is deep watering? Deep

watering is defined as 1 inch of

water. This can be determined by

placing an empty tuna can next to

your tree when watering and stopping

when it reaches a 1 inch mark.

Therefore, a light sprinkling is not

good because it encourages shallow

root growth and may weaken the

plant. And remember to water the

tree during dry periods for the first

REMINDER

We are still accepting application for

this year’s Tuscarora Community

Supported Agriculture (TCSA)

garden.

The deadline is June 1st. A full share

is $170; and a half share is $85.

On average a week’s share will

include 6-7 different offerings,

which will be distributed among the

shareholders.

For more information and to fill out

an application please see Patti at the

TEP office.

Planting Trees: FREE Saplings

Available

Now

three years. Now to wait for the

shade…

Common Tree Planting ERRORS

Storing seedlings in a bucket of

water for more than a few

minutes

Allowing roots to circle root ball

Planting hole too small

Planting too shallow or too deep

Not allowing proper root spread

Air pockets in the soil

Allowing taproots of seedlings to

turn up (“J” roots)

Planting over rocks or in dry soil

Planting a species unsuitable for

the site

Failing to mulch

Not watering enough on a regular

basis

TEP has a nice tree planting and care

booklet available (FREE) with

detailed information or at: http://

f i l e s .dnr . s ta te .mn.us / fo res t ry /

education/primer/appendixone.pdf

Good Luck with your trees!

Skaru:rèØ Monthly Tuscarora Environment Office 5226E Walmore Road Tuscarora Nation Lewiston, NY 14092

Skaru:rèØ Resident

Did You Know . . .

The amount of water flowing over the

Niagara Falls varies throughout the

year. There are two hydroelectric

plants which draw water into their

reservoirs prior to it flowing over the

Falls. Their intake greatly affects the

volume of water flowing, and the

amount of water siphoned away

depends on two variables, the time of

year and the time of day. Flow is

greatest over the Falls in the daytime during peak tourist season (June, July and

August.) http://www.niagarafallslive.com

The U.S. is the #1 trash-producing

country in the world at 1,609 pounds

per person per year. This means that 5%

of the world’s people generate 40% of

the world’s waste. We toss out two

billion plastic razors, a million and a

half tons of paper towels and 12 billion

disposable diapers annually. http://earthecho.org/news/

The Elderberry (Sambucus nigra),

čaweryahskáhrę, is highly valued and

serves many purposes. Throughout

the months of July and August the

small cluster of berries are gathered

and dried for sauces, jams, syrup and

pies. In addition, the berries are used

for dyes in baskets and arrows. The

wood is hard and is used for combs,

spindles and pegs. The flowers and

leaves are used

in medicines

and poultices,

and for sores

on domestic

animals. http://

plants.usda.gov/

plantguide/pdf/