kènêhti 2018€¦ · plastic bags for recycling. but even with this act, the problem of plastic...
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Kènêhti 2018
Page 2 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, February 2018
Volume 9, Issue 2
February 2018
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
TUSCARORA ENVIRONMENT
PROGRAM (TEP)
Rene Rickard, TEP Director [email protected]
Bryan Printup, GIS/Planning [email protected]
Bradley Thomas, Env. Technician
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 Program. You can submit
articles, artwork, photographs, editorials
and letters of love and happiness to:
SKARU:RE MONTHLY
c/o: Tuscarora Environment
5226E Walmore Road
Tuscarora Nation
Lewiston, NY 14092
#716.264.6011
www.tuscaroraenvironment.org
or our Facebook page
“Tuscarora Environment”
February 17, 2018 - Dinner & Basket Raffle to Benefit the Great Law
of Peace Recital, Tuscarora Nation House, Tuscarora Nation. 3pm - 9pm.
All proceeds will help with the cost of hosting the Great Law of Peace
recital at Tuscarora. Turkey dinner and corn soup! Dinner starts at 3pm to
6pm. Basket raffle till 6pm. Social starts at 6pm. 50/50 raffle. Cake walk.
Bring a friend and a good mind. FMI: Anita Ferguson #716-940-2547 or
Murisa Printup #716-550-3036.
February 20-23, 2018 - Native American Winter Family Fun Week,
Ganondagan, Victor, NY. Bring your whole family for activities like:
traditional games, participatory stories, make-and-take crafts, hoop
dancing, wampum learning center, Seneca singing, and more. FREE with
Seneca Art & Culture Center admission. FMI: www.ganondagan.org.
April 30 - May 2, 2018 - 2018 Local Solutions: Eastern Climate
Preparedness Conference, Radisson Hotel, Manchester, NH. A range of
climate preparedness and resiliency issues will be addressed such as: sea
level rise, urban heat, and both coastal and inland flooding issues. The
conference is sponsored by Antioch University and NOAA. FMI:
www.communityresilience-center.org/conferences/ and
[email protected], #603.313.5182.
May 8-10, 2018 - 36th Annual Native American Fish and Wildlife
Society National Conference, Crowne Plaza, Providence, Warwick, RI.
The conference is an opportunity for tribal natural resource managers,
technicians, conservation law officers, government agencies and others to
receive training, network, share information and discuss current technical
information. FMI: www.nafws.org, or [email protected].
May 17-19, 2018 - 10th Annual Native American and Indigenous
Studies Association Conference, Intercontinental Hotel, Los Angeles,
CA. Hosted by the American Indian Studies Center at University of
California, Los Angeles and its Southern California cohosts. Communities
will meet and learn from each other, devise anti-colonial strategies and
ignite conversations about a decolonial future. FMI: naisa.org.
May 22-24, 2018 - 9th Annual National Tribal Public Health Summit,
Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, Prior Lake, MN. This year’s theme is “Balance,
Harmony, Culture, Health” and it will provide evidence-based, best, wise
or promising practices developed in and for native communities. Tracks
include health promotion and disease prevention, Substance misuse and
behavioral health, cancer prevention and treatment, and more. FMI:
Patterson farm, Moyer road.
NekayęhraØné:tyęhs - They cultivate the land.
Page 3 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, February 2018
T he NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) is sponsoring a limited number of students from
Tuscarora to attend a FREE one week summer environmental camp. These camps are very popular and they sell out
quickly once they become available. We’re thankful we have the opportunity to offer 12 scholarships to all
Haudenosaunee communities in NYS.
These FREE ($350 value) summer camp trips are for youth between the
ages of 11-17 years old. Guardians are responsible for transportation to
the camps, and to provide them their camp materials/gear. The
scholarships are available on a first come, first serve basis, so please
apply as soon as possible.
What’s it like at an environmental
camp? The campers will explore New
York’s diverse habitats, and learn how
human activities affect the
environment. Campers solve
challenges, learn environmental
concepts, practice outdoor skills and spend the week immersed in nature.
All of the camps offer sportsman education classes, including hunting and archery.
Camp Pack Forest also offers shooting sports for the 14 to 17 year olds. All available
scholarship are for 3 different camp and age groups (check the list of camps on the
right.)
The camp offers wholesome meals and the campers stay in cabins with bunk beds and
counselors. They’re not allowed to call home during their stay, and cell phones/video
games/mp3 players/ electronics are not allowed during the camp and will be confiscated
until the end. For more information visit http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/29.html
The closest camp to Tuscarora is Camp Rushford in Alleghany County, which is about
a 2 hr drive to the southern tier in Caneadea, NY.
If you are interested in sending your
child please call the Tuscarora
Environment Office for details on how
to apply and for additional info,
#716.264.6011
Brought to you by the SUNY-ESF
Center for Native Peoples and the
Environment.
CAMPS AND DATES AVAILABLE
Camp Pack Forest Warrensburg, NY Southern Adirondacks July 22-27, 2018 Open to: 1 boy (age 14-17) 1 girl (age 14-17)
Camp Rushford Caneadea, NY
Allegany County July 8 - 13, 2018
Open to: 2 boys (ages 11-13) 2 girls (ages 11-13)
Camp Colby Saranac Lake, NY Northern Adirondacks July 22-27, 2018 Open to: 2 boys (ages 11-13) 2 girls (ages 11-13)
July 29- August 3, 2018 Open to: 1 boy (age 14-17)
1 girl (age 14 -17)
Page 4 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, February 2018
A Maple tree typically needs to be about 40 years
old before you can tap it for syrup. If the tree is
treated well, it can be tapped yearly.
It’s estimated that more than 22 million tons of salt
are scattered on the road of the U.S. annually -
about 137 pounds for every American.
*www.nystateparks.blog/2017/10/24/
Did You Know . . .
There are 53 species on the endangered list kept by
the NYS Dept of Conservation. Some are more
threatened than others like the American Burying
Beetle and the Gray Wolf (which are considered
already wiped out of NYS) and others are not doing
well like the Indiana bat and the Tiger salamander.
*allaboutwildlife.com
N ative plants grow extensive root systems, which improve the
ability of the soil to infiltrate water and withstand wet or erosive
conditions.
The basis for encouraging the use of native warm season grasses is to
improve soil erosion control in streams and stormwater. These deep-
rooted grasses provide erosion control and a natural filtering of our
Niagara Watershed basin.
For our Grassland Restoration fields here on Tuscarora, we are
planting about 40 acres of the following warm season grasses
(Common Name, Ecotype, Scientific Name):
Little Bluestem, Fort Indiantown PA ecotype (Schizachrium
Scoparium)
Big Bluestem Niagara Ecotype (Andropogon Gerardii)
Indiangrass, PA Ecotype (Sorghastrum Nutans)
Switchgrass, “Cave in Rock” (Panicum Virgatum)
As you can see (in the graphic below), these native warm season
grasses grow a large biome underneath the surface of the ground
compared to that of common turf grasses such as Kentucky Bluegrass.
These larger root systems allow for natural tillage and water filtration
deep into soil, which is why these warm season grasses are also used to
restore depleted soil from agriculture overuse. Once established these
Native warm season grasses are drought tolerant and because of the
thick root system; they will inhibit invasive/noxious weed growth.
For more info on the Tuscarora Grasslands Program contact Brad at
our office to learn and discuss more!
Tuscarora Grassland Restoration: How Native Warm Season Grasses Improve Soil
Conditions With Their Root Systems.
Page 5 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, February 2018
number of problems and they are:
Derived from fossil fuels
A source of litter on land and in
waterways
A source of avoidable excess
packaging waste used for mere
minutes
Harmful to marine habitats and
wildlife
Problematic, creating tangles and
jams in recycling and
waste water processing
equipment
Costly for
municipalities and
recycling centers in
terms of time and money
to manage
This list of problems span from
environmental, economic and time
issues but our focus is on the
environmental effects these bags
have to our ecosystems, wildlife,
marine life, and our environment, on
a world level.
Some of the environmental effects
these single-use bags have are:
Its been cited that 12 million
barrels of oil are used to
produced these bags annually,
which is about 1,500 single-use
bags per family.
Of the 100 billion bags produced
each year, about 50 million will
end up as litter along roadsides,
in trees and beaches. This litter is
taxing on the wildlife and marine
life, and consumes man power
and resources to clean up.
The plastic bags will break down
into microplastics in our waters
which creates a problem for
marine life (ie. turtles, fish,
birds). They eat these plastics
which create toxins and will
bioaccumulate up the food chain
and back to the dinner tables in
homes.
The life cycle and energy
consumption of bag production
is high, and if we have to include
the costs for paper bags (which
will see an increase of use if
plastic bags are banned) the
consumption of resources will
increase even more, especially
the waste of water.
As a result of this study, the task
force did develop 8 options, each
having its own pros and cons about
banning bags and/or developing a fee
system for single-use plastic (and
paper) bags. It is now up to Governor
Como and the NY State legislators to
come up with a solution to single use
plastic bags. Although this is a state-
wide initiative there are some
counties, municipalities, cities and
towns in NY that have already
initiated their own bans. About 10 of
them have taken steps to ban the
bags or assert a fee for bags. The
latest to join the list is Suffolk
County who will initiate a single-use
plastic bag fee starting January
2018.
We encourage our residents at
Tuscarora to reevaluate their single-
use bag usage and find alternatives to
them. In 2017, we handed out
reusable bags to participants in the
Tuscarora Roadside cleanup. In
addition, we have encouraged our
Tuscarora School students to stop the
excessive use of these plastic bags.
T oday, plastic shopping bags
have become the norm as part of
our shopping experience. While
some people consider this “business
as usual”, there are others that feel
these bags have created a problem
for our environment and community.
The single-use plastic bag is not only
piling in some corner of your kitchen
or in your pantry, you can also find
them in trees,
littered alongside
roads and in the
waters where
marine life are now
having to live with
littered habitats due
to these plastics.
It is estimate that New York State
(NYS) residents use about 23 billion
plastic bags annually which is why
the State and the NYS Department of
Environmental Conservation
(NYSDEC) enacted the New York
State Plastic Bag Reduction, Reuse,
and Recycling Act in 2009. This Act
requires certain retailers to collect
plastic bags for recycling. But even
with this act, the problem of plastic
bags still exists. Now, on January
13, 2018, NYS issued a report “New
York State Plastic Bag Task Force
Report: An Analysis of the Impact of
Single-Use Plastic Bags”. The 10-
month study was led by Basel Seggo
of the NYSDEC along with 5 other
panelists to investigate and gather
information to help spearhead a
solution to single-use plastic bags
that are still plaguing communities,
towns, and cities across the state.
The report says plastic bags present a
Page 6 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, February 2018
F ebruary is a time of many things as
we continue to adjust to the new
year. February presents us with variable
weather, groundhog’s day, the Super
Bowl, awkward Valentine’s Day cards,
and of course, the maple sap begins to
run as we make our way towards spring.
Here are some words you can use during
this wonderfully varied month:
Kęnęhti - February
A:thuʔ – It’s cold
Rune hwaks – He’s sick
Yuʔnęrweh – It’s cloudy
Hu:ʔna:c – It’s windy
Yute:nęʔ – Sunny
Runaʔkę:t – Groundhog
Yutiʔθre hstakęʔ – It sees a shadow
Kayęʔnhekwθe hteʔ– They are
going to play a game
Ruthnęhstaye:nęhs – He has
caught the ball
Ce:nę: – Catch it!
Raʔnahsuhcęhęʔ - He is going
kicking it
Kęnure khwaʔ – I love you
Sehwa:yaʔc hę – Are you single?
Ehę, kehwa:yaʔc – Yes, I’m single
Rahstre:nęʔθ – He is lovesick
Katkwara:yęʔ - red
Êʔteʔ hę - Will you and I go
together?
Ucikheʔtaʔ – sugar maple
Yurata:wę: – it is a warmed tree
(ready to give sap)
Karęʔnahraręke heʔ – maple sap
Uręʔna:kriʔ – sugar
Uθre :weh – syrup
Uʔne :weh – kettle
Yucaʔnarihęʔθ – It is boiling
Yunyatana:wę: – The snow is
thawed BTW: Here is the pronunciation key to help you with the letters. A good suggestion is to say letters and words out loud to help your ear become accustomed to the Tuscarora sounds. Tuscarora Pronunciation Key:* /a/ law; /e/ hat; /i/ pizza; /u/ tune; /ę/ hint; /c/juice; /
ch/cheese; /h/ hoe; /m/ mother; /s/ same; /t/ do; /th/
too; /k/ gale; /kh/ kale; /n/ inhale; /r/ hiss (before a consonant or word final), run (trilled elsewhere); /
w/ cuff (before a consonant other than y or word-
final), way (elsewhere); /y/ you ; /sy/ fish; /θ/
thing; /Ø/ uh-oh; /:/ long vowel, /ˊ/high pitch; /`/low
pitch.
*Adapted from Blair A. Rudes, Tuscarora-English.
Tuscarora Word List:
FEBRUARY
Coming in March
Tuscarora Residential Well Water and Septic One-Day training!
Do you want to learn about your well and septic system? Ever wonder where
the water in your drain goes? Or why is it important to be proactive in protecting
your well and understand where the water comes from? Also, what are the nuts
and bolts of maintaining a well? Well then maybe this training is for you!
Benefits of attending this one-day training:
*You get your well sampled, * You will have an individual site visit by the Indian
Health Service Sanitation Department inspector, * You will have your well sanitized and * You will
get your septic tank pumped.
Attending this training, will empower you as a homeowner on why it is
important for you to maintain your well and septic system. Seats are limited.
Please check next month’s newsletter for the date and time, and then sign up
for the FREE training!
Page 7 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, February 2018
can also keep the temperature lower
when you’re not home.
Run full loads of laundry.
Doing a lot
of small
loads is not
efficient and
increases
your
electricity usage more than running
one large load. Selecting the cold
water option also saves electricity.
Don’t forget to clean the lint trap in
the dryer after every load so that
everything dries efficiently!
Take faster showers.
Using less
water means
your water
heater and
pump don’t
need to use
as much
electricity. Also, make sure your
water pump is running efficiently. If
it’s running more than it needs to, it
could be adding megabucks to your
bill!
Change stand-by power
settings on game consoles.
Xbox One has a default setting for
“Instant On.” The stand-by power
draw is about 12.9W an hour. That’s
not even including the hours when
you’re actually gaming! PS4 is a
little better, its default stand-by mode
draws 10W. The stand-by power
mode can be turned off in the
console settings.
Keep the fridge door closed!
One of the most
expensive
appliances to run
is the
refrigerator
because it is
always on. Make sure the door seal is
tight so cold air doesn't escape! The
ideal fridge temperature is about 35-
38 degrees. Any colder and you’ll
turn your fridge into a freezer! If you
have a second freezer or refrigerator,
unplug it when not in use.
Use a power strip.
An easy way to
manage all
your power-
sapping
entertainment
home
electronics like stereos, DVD/Blue-
ray players, computers, tvs, and your
video game consoles is to connect
them to a power strip. That way,
instead of having to turn them all off
individually, you just flip the switch
on the power strip!
H ouseholds in New York State
consume on average 603 kWh
of electricity each month. The U.S.
average is 897 kWh per month.
According to a recent report,
households on the Tuscarora Nation
average is higher in electricity usage
per month than our neighbors: 988
kWh per month! Here are a few
things you can do to conserve
electricity at your home and lower
your monthly bill.
Turn the lights out if you’re
not using a room.
Open the
curtains and
use natural
light when
you can. It’s
also a good
idea to switch
over to LED light bulbs which
consume less electricity and are
easily recyclable
Manage your thermostat.
If you have
electric heat,
lower your
thermostat by
2 degrees to
save 5% on
your heating
bill. Lowering
it 5 degrees could save 10%! You
By Taylor Hummel
By Bryan Printup
ABOVE: Frederick Rickard, born 1880, to George Rickard
and Lucy Garlow.
Page 8 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, February 2018
Lockport Union-Sun and Journal Thursday, October 21, 1937
INDIAN TO EXHIBIT CRAFTS AT
TUSCARORA RESERVATION
Display Will Feature Ancient And Modern
Materials And Corn Cooking Methods.
The gymnasium on the Tuscarora reservation,
near Sanborn will be the scene of one of the season’s
unique exhibits tomorrow evening, featuring a display
of ancient and modern material peculiar to Indians,
sponsored by the Tuscarora Home Bureau.
Organized for ten years, the Indian Women’s
club is one of the most active civic groups in this
vicinity having sponsored schools in hygiene, nursing,
meal planning, handicraft, and decorating during its
existence.
The Tuscarora women have busied themselves
this week in collecting moccasins, modern beadwork,
Indian husk dolls, stones, ancient Indian maize for the
“educational night” display beginning at 6 o’clock
tomorrow.
An interesting side display will be that of
pictures, old and new, touching Indian life or art,
supervised by Nellie May Gansworth, a frequent
contributor to the Niagara Falls Arts club displays. Mrs.
Gansworth, a Tuscarora artist of ability, is a graduate of
the old Lincoln school in Philadelphia, having
specialized in designing.
Another feature of the exhibit will be that of
pre-Columbian methods of Indian corn cookery. There
will be a demonstration showing how Indian women
prepared soups and a peculiar bread from the ancient
maize in early Iroquois times.
Without admission charges, the Indian show
will be free to the public.
ABOVE: unknown family. Tintype photograph.