This weekend my wife and I were invited by our Auntie to take a canoe tour of No Name Lake in Cass Lake, Minnesota. In 2002, oil giant, Enbridge, detected a heavy crude oil spill just outside the Enbridge pumping station on the Leech Lake reservation. This 48,000 gallon spill was 28 feet below ground and borders what is now known as No Name Lake. As a result, Enbridge purchased several acres of the contaminated land and has been assessing the damage since then. Remediation remains “ongoing.” Meanwhile, just within walking distance of this spill is No Name Lake. Read more...

This extended holiday weekend was especially exciting for me and I would like to share it with you.

July 2nd
Our crew was ready and our crane was set. After plenty of hard work, our turbine tower was erected. The many months of planning are coming to fruition and I am extremely proud to be a part of it. Read more...

Our bags were packed, the car was cleaned out and we were on a mission. We woke early in the morning and watched the sun rise before beginning our long trek. We drove from the White Earth reservation following the sun from the east to the west where we arrived at the Yankton Sioux reservation just in time to watch the sun set over the gorgeous green hills. Read more...

On the wall in my office hangs a photo. Captured in the photo is a run-down car bordered by a desert landscape. This is my grandfather’s old Chevy where it sits on our family’s reservation. Just within walking distance is a hogan, a horse corral and a sheep pen. There are no paved roads. No nearby neighbors. Only “nil-chi-tso” (Navajo for big wind) and the sounds of the animals to keep my family company. Read more...

It’s getting sunny here and northern Minnesota is coming to life. Slowly people are burrowing out of their houses after many months of hibernation. For some, the winter is a good time to catch up on beadwork, jingle-dress making or reading good books. I’ve spent the last few snowy months hashing out the logistics for a wind turbine. Read more...

“The council should have been here” …. This line keeps resonating in my mind.

Last week I prepared a PowerPoint presentation for a class at the Leech Lake Tribal College. The class is learning about the tar sands project that is taking place in northern Alberta. Thus far, the students have done various research assignments on the topic, but had not yet heard the cold hard facts by someone outside of the press. That is, before I came. The class began with a tour at the Enbridge pumping station on the Leech Lake reservation and closed with my presentation at the classroom. Read more...