U.S. Geological Survey Activities Related to American Indians and Alaska Natives

Fiscal Year 2000

Technical Assistance

Maine Tribal Workshop.
The Maine Tribal Workshop on Streamgaging and Measuring was hosted by the USGS Maine District on August 30-31, 2000 in Machias, Maine. Four Maine tribes were represented. Attendees included field technicians and one natural resources program director, with various levels of experience with streamflow measuring and streamgaging. Being the first workshop of its kind to be conducted by USGS personnel, valuable input was provided by all attendees regarding the merits of the workshop and how to improve the course including topics for future workshops. Participants reported greatest satisfaction with the field trip part of the workshop in which everyone had the opportunity to make a wading discharge measurement. The classroom sessions of the workshop consisted of hands-on familiarization with all of the wading measurement gear and presentations of information from USGS CD ROMS (Data Collection at USGS Streamgaging Stations, by Nolan and others, and Measurement of Stream Discharge by Wading, by Nolan and Shields). Copies of the presentations were provided to each Tribe. Attendees offered suggestions for future short-course topics, including use and access of USGS data on the Internet, more hands-on learning with both field and laboratory equipment, and water-quality sampling methods. Contact: Robert Lent, 207-622-8201, rmlent@usgs.gov

Spirit Lake Tribe Capacity Building.
USGS personnel accompanied Spirit Lake Tribal staff in the field and provided quality-assurance regarding the collection, processing, and shipping of water-quality samples. USGS personnel have also helped the Tribal staff assemble and install wetland monitoring packages, and provided training on how to read and record water-level information, how to calibrate the equipment, and how to get data from field to office. USGS cooperation and technical assistance continue to be available to the Spirit Lake Tribe. Contact: Wayne R. Berkas, 701-250-7429, wrberkas@usgs.gov

Mapping and Geographic Information System (GIS) Activities.
USGS biologists are providing GIS and remote sensing support to the Three Affiliated Tribes (Fort Berthold Reservation) and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe related to the USGS' North Dakota Gap Analysis project. Data are being shared and USGS scientists are enhancing data for Tribal use. The work with the Three Affiliated Tribes involves constructing GIS databases for range inventories conducted by the Tribes in the summers of 1999 and 2000. The Tribes have provided access to range inventory worksheets in exchange for converting the information from paper records to electronic records in a GIS. These data will be useful to the vegetation and land cover mapping objective of the North Dakota Gap Analysis. The Tribes have also provided copies of GIS data for their lands, including soils, land ownership, and range management units. The USGS has attached digital attributes to the soil maps.

The USGS is working with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to complete digitizing National Wetlands Inventory data for the Standing Rock Reservation. The Tribe has also provided copies of GIS data for the their lands, including soils, land ownership, and range management units. As with the Three Affiliated Tribes, government scientists have attached digital attributes to the soil maps. Contact: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, 701-253-5524, larry_strong@usgs.gov

Training in Fire Management.
The USGS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit at South Dakota State University participated in a workshop on habitat management organized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs for Tribes in the region. The workshop was held at Wall, South Dakota, in June 2000, and was attended by 60 Tribal land managers. Biologists from the Unit staff led sessions on the use of prescribed fire for natural resource management. Contact: South Dakota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 605-688-6121, berryca@usgs.gov

Surface-Water Quality on Lands of the Prairie Band of Potawatomi.
USGS scientists are training personnel from the Prairie Band of Potawatomi in water-quality sampling and quality assurance/quality control procedures. The USGS also provides periodic water-quality assessments at selected sites on the lands of the Prairie Band of Potawatomi to identify and monitor potential sources of contamination that could cause human-health concerns. As part of the training program, several Tribal staff members attended the water-quality sampling course at the USGS' National Training Center in Denver. Tribal staff accompany USGS personnel during water-quality sampling trips on the Reservation and help collect and process samples for analysis. As the Tribal staff become more experienced with sample collection and processing, and as they procure more equipment, their role in sample collection and processing will expand. Contact: Tom Trombley, 785-832-3551, trombley@usgs.gov

Geographic Information Systems Support for the Prairie Band of Potawatomi.
The purpose of this project is to provide GIS support to the Prairie Band of Potawatomi. Students at Haskell Indian Nations University, using the facilities of the Haskell GIS lab, are creating and documenting geographic data layers for the Tribe under the supervision of a USGS hydrologist. Data are provided to the Tribe on compact disk or by other media. Training in GIS concepts and the use of GIS software is provided to the Tribe, enabling them to analyze relevant data. Contact: Tom Trombley, 785-832-3551, trombley@usgs.gov

Mapping Exotic Plants in the Southwest.
In conjunction with land managers, biologists in the USGS are developing a database on exotic plants in the Southwest. The database will become an important tool for inventorying, monitoring, and sharing data on exotic plant species that are invading the area. USGS scientists are gathering data on the plants and compiling it according to Federal standards. The database can also be used to generate maps of locations of the plants. The goals of this effort include developing and maintaining the Southwest Exotics Plant Database, maintaining a distribution system that integrates educational, management, and scientific information to aid in control of the exotic plant species, and facilitating a collaborative partnership among Tribal, Federal, State, and private land managers. Contact: Kathryn Thomas, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Colorado Plateau Field Station, 520-556-7466, ext. 235, kathryn_a_thomas@usgs.gov

Bird Surveys on Tribal Lands in Northeast Arizona.
USGS biologists are providing the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians with information on breeding bird populations on Tribal lands. Scientists will identify nest sites of specific species to enable the Tribe to improve management of protected-use areas. These surveys are an extension of work being done on National Park Service lands adjacent to Tribal lands in northeastern Arizona. Contact: Matthew Johnson, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Flagstaff, AZ, 520-556-7466, ext. 236, Matthew.Johnson@nau.edu

Stream-gaging Cooperation.
USGS employees helped White Mountain Apache Tribal staff to install and maintain stream-gaging equipment on White Mountain lands. Contact: Christopher Smith-Arizona 520-670-6671 x251, cfsmith@usgs.gov

Long-term Monitoring of Flycatchers.
The San Carlos Apache Tribe contacted USGS biologists about ways to monitor the population of southwestern willow flycatchers on Tribal lands as a long-term project. Biologists assisted the Tribe's Wildlife Management Department in locating, capturing, and banding flycatchers at potential breeding sites. During three trips to the Reservation in the summer of 2000, USGS researchers instructed Tribal biologists in bird capturing and banding techniques. Contact: Mark Sogge, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Colorado Plateau Field Station, 520-556-7466, ext. 232, mark_k_sogge@usgs.gov

Media Field Demonstration of Sediment Sampling on the Dungeness River, Northwestern Washington, Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe.
Bacterial contamination of shellfish in Dungeness Bay, northwestern Washington, resulted in closure of commercial shellfish harvesting in April 2000. The shellfish harvest is an important Tribal economic resource. In cooperation with the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe's Water Resources Department, the USGS sampled water from the Dungeness River at three sites for analysis of suspended sediment. The collected data will help Tribal scientists with their contamination study. In May 2000, the Tribe and USGS invited news reporters to the Dungeness River for a demonstration of USGS sampling techniques to publicize the work being done on the bacteria problem. A Tribal natural resource planner for the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe was present to answer reporters' questions, while a USGS hydrologist and a USGS hydrologic technician demonstrated sampling methods. Contact: John M. Clemens, 253-428-3600, ext. 2635, jclemens@usgs.gov

Surface-Water Quality Training for the Karuk Tribe of California.
USGS scientists are training Karuk Tribal personnel in water-quality sampling, measurement, and quality assurance/quality control procedures. The training builds Tribal capability to manage water resources. Contact: Jim Bowers, 760-247-1401,

Streamgaging by the Hoopa Valley Tribe.
Hoopa Valley Tribal employees are operating four gaging stations in the Trinity River watershed under general direction and quality assurance review by USGS scientists. Tribal employees have attended USGS classes on sediment measurement in addition to on-the-job training during USGS field work. As part of the Trinity River Restoration Program, the Hoopa Valley Tribe is planning to expand its role in stream discharge measurements and sediment sampling. Contact: Jim Bowers, 760-247-1401, jcbowers@usgs.gov

GIS Assistance-Historical Ground-Water Information. The USGS provided a bibliography and copies of individual ground-water reports to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. The Tribal Government is developing a Geographic Information System (GIS) to evaluate its ground-water resources in the Palm Springs, California area. This includes extracting historical data from the USGS and other sources. In cooperation with the Water Resources Center Archives at the University of California, Berkeley, all identified references were made available to the Agua Caliente Band. Contact: Walter Swain, 916-278-3024, wcswain@usgs.gov

Surface-Water Monitoring Stations.
The USGS operates the following surface-water monitoring stations, usually with cooperative funding from the Tribe, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), or a third party.

Surface-Water Monitoring Stations
The USGS operates the following surface-water monitoring stations, usually with cooperative funding from the Tribe, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), or a third party.

Water-Quality Monitoring Stations
The USGS collects water quality at the following sites:

Ground-Water Monitoring Stations
The USGS operates the following ground-water monitoring stations:

Sediment Monitoring Stations
The USGS operates the following sediment monitoring stations: