Scholarly Work - Indigenous Research Initiative
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/15852
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Item Postglacial vegetation and fire history of the southern Mission Valley, Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2017) Alt, Mio Hazel; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Cathy WhitlockEcosystems shaped by mixed - severity fire regimes cover a large area of the Northern Rocky Mountains, yet relatively little is known about the historical variability and drivers of these ecosystems. The low - and mid - elevations of the Mission Range, Montana, are dominated by mixed conifer forests, and the area has been occupied by humans for at least 10,000 years, making it an ideal location for investigating how climate and humans may have affected vegetation and fire regimes during the late - glacial period through the Holocene. Pollen and charcoal records from lake sediment cores from a small closed - basin lake (Twin Lake) were used to reconstruct the vegetation and fire history of the southern Mission Valley, Montana, and compared to other sites in the region. During the late - glacial period, data show an abundance of Pinus (P. albicaulis or monticola) Artemisia, and Poaceae pollen prior to 13,000 cal yr BP, suggesting the site was dominated by an open landscape with shrubs and grass, cold relatively dry conditions, and minimal fire activity. Increased percentages of Pinus (P. Ponderosa or contorta), Picea, and Abies pollen at 13,000 cal yr BP mark the onset of a closed conifer forest, relatively cool and wet conditions and an increase in fire activity accompanying an increase in biomass. Large increases in Pseudotsuga/Larix and Artemisia pollen between 10,000 - 6000 cal yr BP suggest warmer and drier climatic conditions developed during this interval, consistent with other records from the northwestern U.S. Charcoal influx show this interval of warm and dry conditions led to low severity fires followed by high severity fires as forests of P. contorta or P. ponderosa became more dense between 7000 and 5000 cal yr BP. The mixed - conifer forests that dominate the site today began to develop ca. 6000 cal yr BP when fire frequency and severity became highly variable. Surprisingly, fire activity from ca. 5000 cal yr BP to present remained relatively high despite a cooling and wetting trend in the region. This departure of fire activity from climatic controls suggests other local factors influenced fire activity, and may suggest a greater role of human influence during the late Holocene.Item Traditional knowledge systems and tribal water governance on Fort Peck Indian Reservation, MT(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2017) Zoanni, Dionne Kae; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Jamie McEvoy; Jamie McEvoy, Julia Haggerty and Elizabeth Rink were co-authors of the article, 'All the answers are in our culture': integrating traditional knowledge systems into tribal water governance on Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana' submitted to the journal 'Geoforum' which is contained within this thesis.The Fort Peck Indian Reservation is located in northeast Montana and is home to the Assiniboine (Nakona) and Sioux (Dakota) Tribes. Conventional oil and gas development and the disposal of produced water has led to the contamination of 15-37 billion gallons of groundwater within the aquifer that had historically been the only source of drinking water for reservation community members. Although the tribes are aware of the contamination plume, exploiting newly accessible shale resources has become a viable option as the tribes continue to try to alleviate the high unemployment and poverty rates of tribal members. Even so, tribal members and authorities also understand the importance of ecological health in fostering a healthy community. A strong movement of cultural resurgence has been in motion, with tribal members looking to traditional stories and lessons in order to guide the future of the community and create community cohesion. Traditional knowledge systems (TKS) have been heralded throughout contemporary Indigenous governance literature as an important dynamic resource for indigenous communities that deal with difficult decisions involving resource management. Using a TKS framework and interviews with tribal members, this research seeks to answer the following questions: 1) What are the TKS that surrounds water and its use for the Nakona and Dakota tribes? 2) What are some of the opportunities and barriers that exist for the successful incorporation of TKS into tribal water governance structures at Fort Peck? Challenges to validity, process, and relevance due to political histories and power imbalances, as well as diverse intertribal knowledge systems, may impede the successful integration of Indigenous knowledge in collaborative water governance initiatives with outside interests. The internal knowledge sharing process has the potential to enhance cultural revitalization efforts on the reservation -- which represent an organic solution that takes place from within the community itself. In addition, TKS-based tribal policies may uphold the expression of tribal self-determination, i.e. the 'governance-value' of traditional knowledge systems.Item Returning Fire to the Land: Celebrating Traditional Knowledge and Fire(2017-09) Lake, Frank K.; Wright, Vita; Morgan, Penelope; McFadzen, Mary; McWethy, David B.; Stevens-Rumann, CamilleNorth American tribes have traditional knowledge about fire effects on ecosystems, habitats, and resources. For millennia, tribes have used fire to promote valued resources. Sharing our collective understanding of fire, derived from traditional and western knowledge systems, can benefit landscapes and people. We organized two workshops to investigate how traditional and western knowledge can be used to enhance wildland fire and fuels management and research. We engaged tribal members, managers, and researchers to formulate solutions regarding the main topics identified as important to tribal and other land managers: cross-jurisdictional work, fuels reduction strategies, and wildland fire management and research involving traditional knowledge. A key conclusion from the workshops is that successful management of wildland fire and fuels requires collaborative partnerships that share traditional and western fire knowledge through culturally sensitive consultation, coordination, and communication for building trust. We present a framework for developing these partnerships based on workshop discussions.Item Structural controls and chemical characterization of brecciation and uranium vanadium mineralization in the northern Bighorn Basin(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2016) Moore-Nall, Anita Louise; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: David R. Lageson; Margaret Eggers, John Doyle, Myra Lefthand, Sara Young, Ada Bends, Anne Camper and CEHSC were co-authors of the article, 'Potential health risks from uranium in home well water: an investigation by the Apsaalooke (Crow) Tribal Research Group' in the journal 'GeoSciences' which is contained within this thesis.; Ranalda Tsosie was a co-author of the article, 'Ree data support oil with a Permian phosphoria formation source as a source of metals for U and V mineralization in the northern Bighorn Basin' submitted to the journal 'Minerals' which is contained within this thesis.The goals of this research were to determine if the mode of mineralization and the geology of two abandoned uranium and vanadium mining districts that border the Crow Reservation might be a source for contaminants in the Bighorn River and a source of elevated uranium in home water wells on the Reservation. Surface and spring waters of the Crow Reservation have always been greatly respected by the Crow people, valued as a source of life and health and relied upon for drinking water. Upon learning that the Bighorn River has an EPA 303d impaired water listing due to elevated lead and mercury and that mercury has been detected in the fish from rivers of the Crow Reservation this study was implemented. Watersheds from both mining districts contribute to the Bighorn River that flows through the Crow Reservation. Initial research used the National Uranium Resource Evaluation database to analyze available geochemistry for the study areas using GIS. The data showed elevated concentrations of lead in drainages related to the mining areas. The data also showed elevated uranium in many of the surface waters and wells that were tested as a part of the study on the Crow Reservation. The author attended meetings and presented results of the National Uranium Resource Evaluation data analyses to the Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee. Thus, both uranium and lead were added to the list of elements that were being tested in home water wells as part of a community based participatory research project addressing many issues of water quality on the Crow Reservation. Results from home wells tested on the reservation did show elevated uranium. Rock samples were collected in the study areas and geochemically analyzed. The results of the analyses support a Permian Phosphoria Formation oil source of metals in the two mining districts. Structural data support fracturing accompanied by tectonic hydrothermal brecciation as a process that introduced oil and brines from the Bighorn Basin into the deposits where the uranium vanadium deposits later formed.Item Can the Adoption of Desalination Technology Lead to Aquifer Preservation? A Case Study of a Sociotechnical Water System in Baja California Sur, Mexico(2015-09) McEvoy, JamieThere is growing concern about the sustainability of groundwater supplies worldwide. In many regions, desalination—the conversion of saline water to freshwater—is viewed as a way to increase water supplies and reduce pressure on overdrawn aquifers. Using data from reports, articles, interviews, a survey, and a focus group, this paper examines if, and how, the adoption of desalination technology can lead to aquifer preservation in Baja California Sur (BCS), Mexico. The paper outlines existing institutional arrangements (i.e., laws, rules, norms, or organizations) surrounding desalination in BCS and concludes that there are currently no effective mechanisms to ensure aquifer preservation. Four mechanisms that could be implemented to improve groundwater management are identified, including: 1) integrated water-and land-use planning; 2) creation of an institute responsible for coordinated and consistent planning; 3) improved groundwater monitoring; and 4) implementation of water conservation measures prior to the adoption of desalination technology. This paper concludes that viewing water technologies, including desalination, as sociotechnical systems—i.e., a set of technological components that are embedded in complex social, political, and economic contexts—has the potential to create a more sustainable human–environment–technology relationship. By assessing desalination technology as a sociotechnical system, this study highlights the need to focus on institutional development and capacity building, especially within local water utilities and urban planning agencies.Item The Legacy of Uranium Development on or Near Indian Reservations and Health Implications Rekindling Public Awareness(2015-02) Moore-Nall, Anita L.Uranium occurrence and development has left a legacy of long-lived health effects for many Native Americans and Alaska Natives in the United States. Some Native American communities have been impacted by processing and development while others are living with naturally occurring sources of uranium. The uranium production peak spanned from approximately 1948 to the 1980s. Thousands of mines, mainly on the Colorado Plateau, were developed in the western U.S. during the uranium boom. Many of these mines were abandoned and have not been reclaimed. Native Americans in the Colorado Plateau area including the Navajo, Southern Ute, Ute Mountain, Hopi, Zuni, Laguna, Acoma, and several other Pueblo nations, with their intimate knowledge of the land, often led miners to uranium resources during this exploration boom. As a result of the mining activity many Indian Nations residing near areas of mining or milling have had and continue to have their health compromised. This short review aims to rekindle the public awareness of the plight of Native American communities living with the legacy of uranium procurement, including mining, milling, down winders, nuclear weapon development and long term nuclear waste storage.Item Land use and landscape evolution in the West : a case study of Red Lodge, Montana, 1884-1995(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1998) Wiltsie, Meredith NelsonItem National park gateway land use evolution : a case study of Glacier National Park, 1890-2001(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2002) Baracz Lamoreux, Lisa MarieItem The national forest imperative : a historical geography of national forest landscapes, northern Rockies, Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2014) Fockler, Matthew Neil; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: William WyckoffThe United States Forest Service manages over 193 million acres of American public land. Management of these landscapes is often contentious. National forests have emerged as landscapes where conflicting ideas about nature and complex value systems are displayed in tangible ways. Current research concerning public lands of the American West has recognized the necessity of attaching material, social, and landscape changes to larger theoretical and cultural structures. This dissertation informs these dialogues by exploring national forest landscape change along the Rocky Mountain Front region of the Crown of the Continent ecosystem in north-central Montana. Using the current Rocky Mountain Division of the Lewis and Clark National Forest as a case study, this research reconstructs landscape change associated with Forest Service management and connects these tangible landscape changes to larger national political, economic, and cultural drivers that shaped agency policies, the national economy, and American society. Furthermore, it explores how local forest users have influenced and shaped forest management and landscape change. In doing so, it draws parallels between these changes and larger American attitudes towards nature, suggesting in this process the role played by the national forests in that larger national narrative. Finally, this dissertation provides a methodology in which these place-based changes on the land can be stored and assessed within a historical geographic information systems (HGIS) database schema. By incorporating significant archival, landscape, and HGIS methodologies, this research finds that national forest landscapes are shaped by national and local cultural trends. The Forest Service has modified its management imperative to address these changes. National forest landscapes are therefore the result of a largely informal negotiation process between the Forest Service, other federal and state agencies and authorities, the public, and the natural world. National forest landscapes are shown to be meeting points where diverse and complex social relations and value systems are transferred to the landscape. This dissertation therefore provides a meaningful set of interpretive tools and a methodology for examining how America public land resources and the ecological world are valued and understood.Item Settlement, identity and environment: understanding processes of vegetation change along the Wind River(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2010) Cohn, Teresa Helene; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: William WyckoffContemporary research concerning wildlands and wildlife of the American West increasingly calls for greater complexity in understanding human-environmental relationships. This dissertation investigates a culturally diverse portion of Greater Yellowstone in order to complicate these dialogues. It explores a riparian corridor along the Wind River, a region permanently settled by Eastern Shoshone, Northern Arapaho and Euro-American residents in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Using the Wind River Basin as a case study, this research observes the landscape through three different lenses: settlement geography, place identity, and vegetation change. By incorporating a variety of methods to understand regional change (including historical research, interviews with residents, and comparative aerial and ground photography), it finds that riparian change relates to a complex cultural-ecological mosaic. Not only is change perceived differently by a variety of communities in the Wind River Basin; change relates to century-old settlement geographies, government policies and cultural preferences, shifting economies and power relationships, and evolving relationships formed by interrelationships of people and environment. This dissertation argues that investigations of environmental change must not oversimplify dynamic relationships between people and place. Indeed, the complexity of these places may relate to why Greater Yellowstone has remained one of the largest intact ecosystems in the lower 48 states.