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Mbish Mikttewiwen: Tribal Partnerships To

Improve The Watershed

EPA National Nonpoint Source Monitoring WorkshopAugust 23, 2016

Ma’Ko’Quah Abigail Jones, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Environmental/GIS TechnicianMasters of Environmental Law and Policy, Vermont Law School

Britini Bauer, Kickapoo Tribe In Kansas Water Quality Monitoring SpecialistB.S. Environmental Studies, University of Kansas

Overview

• PBPN Reservation– Geography– Watershed

• Land Ownership– Issues

• Navigating Partnership with Tribes– Communication

• Data Availability and Tribes• Intertribal Partnerships

– Projects

• Potawatomi Success

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Prairie Band Potawatomi Reservation

• Located in Northeast Kansas– Jackson County

• Reservation is 122 square miles– Tribal landowners (tribe and individual allottees)– Non-tribal landowners

• Eastern half of reservation is Western Corn Belt Plains or Eastern Deciduous Forest

• Western half of reservation is Central Irregular Plains or Tall Grass Prairie– Flint Hills touches western part of Reservation

• Sits on 2 HUC 8 watersheds– Delaware watershed– Middle Kansas watershed

• Tribe currently owns and manages 34,236 acres of the 77,000 acres that exist within the PBPN Reservation boundaries (or approximately 41%).

Middle Kansas Watershed• Rural environment

– agricultural activities• Listed as impaired on 303(d) list

for: – Eutrophication, Biology, TSS

Atrazine, Bacteria, Arsenic• Contains Soldier Creek watershed

– Primary HUC 12 watershed that PBPN relies on for subsistence purposes

– Vulnerable to sedimentation, erosion and nutrient loading

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Tribal Lands and Land Ownership

• Tribal fee• Tribal trust• Allotment fee• Allotment trust• Land Buyback Program

– Multiple owners– Tribe may/may not be majority owner– Projects have to be permitted by owner

Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation

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Navigating Partnerships With Tribes

• Easement programs–Bureau of Indian Affairs–Land Management Department

•Water Quality•Grazing Lands Health

–Environmental Protection•CWA 319

–Wildlife habitat

•Wetlands–Permanent easement

•Tribal TMDLs–State vs Tribal “designated uses”

–Tribes use water differently than state

• Due to state/federal jurisdictional issues, data is not always available for tribal lands

• State agencies authorized to collect data on state lands, does not necessarily include tribal lands– States may need permission or relationship with particular tribe to collect

data on tribal lands

•EPA acts as liaison between states and tribes

• Data sharing with entities not always mutually beneficial (for tribes)

Data, Availability and Tribal Lands

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Intertribal Partnerships

• 4 federally-recognized tribes in Kansas–Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation–Kickapoo Tribe In Kansas–Sac & Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska–Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska

• All located in Northeast Kansas

• Each tribe has different environmental programs– Different levels of capacity– Different focus of programs, depending on culture and

community priorities

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Potawatomi Success

• Successful Cover Crop Pilot Project– In partnership with PBPN Land Management Department

• TEK Streambank Stabilization Project– In partnership with contractor and PBPN Land

Management Department• Partnership with KDHE identifying NPS Hot

Spots– Will further identify PBPN priority areas

• Partnership with Middle Kansas WRAPS– Funding cover crop projects within Middle-KS watershed

outside Reservation boundaries

I’gwien(thank you)

Ma’Ko’Quah Abigail JonesEnvironmental/GIS Technician

Prairie Band Potawatomi NationDivision of Planning and Environmental Protection

AbigailJones@pbpnation.org(785) 966-2946

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Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas Water Quality Program

Tribal Partnerships: Exchanging Knowledge

Determination of Watershed Issues: Delaware Watershed

Primary Pollutants:

● Sedimentation, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, E.coli, Pesticides

Goals:

● Improve and protect water quality

○ Create an inventory of potential projects that determine priority areas for BMPs.

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Determining Priority Areas for Streambank Stabilization

● Prioritize projects

dependent on most

tons of soil lost per

year.

Methodology: Developed by Kansas Water Office

2002 FSA Aerial

Image

2014 NAIP Aerial

ImageSediment lost during

12 years

Streambank

length was found

using a multiple

regression

formula by KWO.

Streambank area and

perimeter can be calculated

using the calculate geometry

feature.

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● Using LIDAR,

streambank height can

be determined in

meters.

● Volume was calculated

by multiplying

streambank length and

height.

● Found predominant soil

type in area to be able to

determine dry bulk

density of soil.

● Volume of polygon x dry

bulk density/2000 lbs.=

soil tons lost

○ Soil tons lost/12

years= Soil tons

lost per year

For more detailed information on the streambank erosion assessments visit Kansas Water Office website at:

http://www.kwo.org/Projects/Streambank-Erosion-Assessments.html

Britini BauerWater Quality Monitoring Specialist

Kickapoo Tribe in Kansasbritini.bauer@ktik-nsn.gov

(785) 486-2601 ext. 7