The Tribal Program

In New England, there are 10 federally recognized Tribes with an approximate land base of 260,000 acres. Throughout Indian Country, Tribes have primarily elected to place environmental activities within their Natural Resource Departments. The New England Tribes have done likewise. Currently, all the New England Tribes have Tribal environmental management programs. The Tribes have developed capability to assess environmental quality through monitoring, data collection, and reporting. Most of the Tribes are conducting air and water monitoring, and a few have approved assessments and Best Management Practices for non-point source pollution. The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, which received federal recognition in 2007, is just beginning to develop an environmental capability. The New England Tribes run across a spectrum from upland blueberry barrens to large and sophisticated gaming operations and resort hotels. Agriculture contributes to non-point pollution in rural areas whereas tribal gaming enterprises generate vehicle trips which generate air emissions. Ozone generation from upwind sources, atmospheric deposition of toxic contaminants, accumulation of persistent, bio-accumulative and toxic (PBT) compounds, and water quality are specific concerns of the tribes.

Tribal members rely on natural resources to a greater extent than the general population to provide the Tribe with food and spiritual sustenance. Many tribal members engage in hunting, fishing, and gathering. Medicine men and women and ethno-biologists gather plants, herbs and animals as part of cultural practices on tribal land and other traditionally occupied areas. Therefore, Tribal members are at greater risk due to a higher level of environmental exposures than the general population. In addition, with regard to climate change, because the New England Tribes often live in coastal or riverine areas and rely on specific ecological settings for their cultural existence and subsistence any changes in sea level or climate will be particularly felt. The Tribes also have continuing concerns about environmental contaminants and their impact on tribal health.

The Tribal Programs

National Tribal Conference on Environmental Management
At the biennial National Tribal Conference on Environmental Management (NTCEM), several hundred attendees from tribes across the country, along with federal and state agencies participated in four days of programs on important tracks, including air water, waste and public health. Four of the ten tribes from EPA's New England region were represented along with the Indian Program office of EPA. Two of the tribes received important awards, with Dan Kusnierz of Penobscot Indian Nation accepting the Environmental Merit Award for their work on the Penobscot River Restoration Project and Jean McInnis of the Mohegan Tribe (CT) received an Environmental merit Award on behalf of the Mohegan Tribe for being one of two tribes in Indian country to receive first delegation of authority to run the Clean Air Act on tribal lands.

Also attending were Steve Crawford (Passamaquoddy Pleasant Point) who presented multiple programs related to tribal health issues, Bill Thompson, Penobscot Nation air program manager and George Frantz (EPA), who presented on the collaborative nature of work between the Tribes in Maine and the Maine DEP.

Mohegan Tribe Food Waste Recycling Program
The Mohegan Tribe is one of 25 EPA Waste Wise national partners. Members are required to have an effective waste reduction program and are asked to report their waste reduction efforts each year. They qualify by having a highly effective recycling program. The Mohegan Sun food waste recycling program was started in 2002 when 8,698 tons of food waste was recycled. The program has steadily increased to 12,555 tons being recycled in 2007. In addition to food waste, they recover scrap metal, wood, bottles/cans, and paper. Since the food waste is picked up by a local piggery, incineration and transportation costs are also avoided.

We present this information about solid waste management programs for your information. For further information about the Mohegan program, contact Jean McInnis at 860-862-6112; for Waste Wise, contact Janet Bowen at 617-918-1795, and for solid waste, call Chuck Franks at 617-918-1554.

Mohegan Tribe food waste recycling program (PDF) (27 pp., 2.51 MB, about PDF)