By Verna Teller, Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico

The Native Peoples Native Homelands Climate Change Workshop held in October 1998 in Albuquerque, New Mexico has motivated a chain of positive events among Native Americans that will facilitate continuing dialogue and communication with the science community regarding the impacts of climate change on Native Homelands. These are some of the activities related to the Native Peoples climate change concerns:

• Efforts are being made to identify key Native people from different regions to participate in the assessment with the National Assessment Synthesis Team and with Regional Coordinators.
• Participants of the Native Peoples' workshop continue to distribute the Albuquerque Declaration, a position paper drafted at the workshop, thereby helping to facilitate public awareness and participation in global warming and other environmental issues.
• Native Peoples in the Northern Great Plains and the Great Lakes regions are discussing plans for a gathering of Native spiritual elders and participants of the Workshop to share oral history and traditional knowledge regarding environmental and other pertinent issues related to climate changes.
• Tribal colleges have recognized the interest in climate change and global warming among their students. One of the tribal colleges has developed a course on climate change and has integrated it into its curriculum. Materials from the Native Peoples' workshop (including posters, NASA and other climate-related publications, videos, and other information) have been distributed to middle schools, high schools, and libraries located on Native lands.

Thus, the information and dialogue on global warming and climate change issues is continuing in Indian country. Recent conditions such as severe drought in the Southwest, heaps of snow in the Northwest, and a severe winter in the North and Northeast have heightened interest in these topics within the Native American community.

As a closing note: Native People have been deeply saddened by the sudden death of Mr. Walt Bresette, an Anishinabe peace and justice advocate of the Red Cliff Chippewa Band of Wisconsin. A member of the Loon Clan, Mr. Bresette defended treaty rights and fought to prevent metallic sulfide mining, and to prevent acid from a mining operation from being shipped across northern Wisconsin.

He was a US Army veteran, co-founder of the Witness for Non-violence, was a member of the Midwest Treaty Network, Anishinaabe Niijii, Lake Superior Greens, Wisconsin Greens, and was an inspiration to many. Mr. Bresette was a facilitator at the Native Peoples Workshop in Albuquerque and contributed greatly to its success. He will leave a void in Native America.We wish him well on his journey.