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SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. - A call was issued the evening of Feb. 23 for Native people to stand up and protect the waters of the Great Lakes Basin. During a public health forum co-sponsored by Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and the Binational Public Advisory Council, speakers encouraged people to sign a petition demanding local governments take immediate action to clean up the pollution and contaminated sediment in the St. Mary's River.
About 80 people attended the event held at the White Pines Collegiate in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Native communities on both sides of the river sent representatives to address the issue: Aaron Payment, chairman of Sault Tribe; Frank Ettawageshik, chairman of Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians; Dean Sayers, chief of Batchewana First Nations; Mike Willis, Executive Council member of Bay Mills Indian Community; and Blaine Bellows, representing Garden River First Nation and one of the early members of BPAC.
Mike Ripley, BPAC chair and environmental coordinator for Inter-Tribal Fisheries and Assessment Program, opened up the forum with an overview of the formation and goals of BPAC. Canada and the USA signed an international agreement in the 1980s to locate the most toxic spots in the Great Lakes Basin; sadly, said Ripley, the St. Mary's River is one of those spots. The river was declared one of 43 Areas of Concern requiring a Remedial Action Plan. BPAC was established in 1988 to advise the RAP team on the St. Mary's River cleanup.
The St. Mary's River BPAC is composed of stakeholders from both sides of the river representing local agencies, municipalities, universities, industry, tribes, and concerned citizens. Their goal is to inform the RAP Team about public opinion and to assist with remedial options, problem identification, and plan recommendations and adoption.
In 1992, the International Joint Commission presented its first report identifying 11 issues that included problems with contaminated sediments, and impact on the health of people and wildlife. It wasn't until 10 years later, after BPAC had pressured the IJC, that a second report was issued. However, Ripley said that report did not address how to handle the problem of contaminated sediments.
"They promised that plan but we still have not seen a plan to clean up sediments. They need to do what they said they would do," said Ripley.
Following reports of sewage washing up on the shores of Sugar Island and other areas of the river, BPAC began circulating a petition to be presented to the governments of Ontario and Canada, who have the bulk of responsibility to clean up the river under an agreement with the state of Michigan and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The forum was organized through the efforts of Cathy Abramson, member of Sault Tribe's Board of Directors. She asked Ettawageshik to speak because of his part in forming the Tribal and First Nations Great Lakes Water Accord. Ettawageshik spoke of the traditional teachings of the Anishnaabek that water is the lifeblood of Mother Earth and Native women are the protectors of the water. As he observed the efforts of the Canadian and American governments to restore and preserve water quality, he noted that the agreements had omitted a crucial element - the participation of Tribes and First Nations.
Seeing this as an issue of sovereignty, representatives of 39 Great Lakes Tribes and First Nations signed the accord at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. on Nov. 23, 2004. The accord demands that any governmental effort to protect the waters of the Great Lakes Basin include full participation by Tribes and First Nations, and pledges to work together with other governments to secure a healthy future for the Great Lakes Basin.
Ettawageshik said that President Bush's Executive Order on Great Lakes Restoration, issued in October 2004, for the first time included tribal participation in the language. "From the beginning, we helped to guide it and make sure our thoughts were involved in the process,' he said.
Sayers, too, saw government management of the cleanup as a sovereignty issue. "We never gave up our rights to manage our responsibilities and our inherent rights to take care of the water. Our women take care of the water," he said. "We support what BPAC has done and the good will gestures by the Canadian and American governments. They need to take legal responsibility. I am looking forward to seeing more cooperation."
Bellows and Willis both spoke in support of the petition on behalf of their communities. Willis said, "Whatever it takes, something must be done and done very quickly."
The evening closed with a water drum song performed by Anishnaabek women, sung seven times for the seven generations who will hopefully benefit from actions taken by this generation.
For more information, or to sign a petition, contact Mike Ripley at 906-632-0043, or Amanda Bosak at 906-248-3241 ext 1167.
