Andy Robertson Saint Mary’s University
The on-campus project center of Saint Mary’s University GeoSpatial Services has worked with a variety of leading national companies and organizations on natural resource management and mapping, but our continued work with Native American tribes has been particularly meaningful and enriching.
Knowing that the work has had a significant impact on improving the water quality and way of life of several tribes is gratifying – and serves as an example of Saint Mary’s long-standing mission of service, and her commitment to character and virtue and an emphasis on environmental justice.
GeoSpatial Services’ work with Indigenous tribes began in 2009 with the Mohican Indian Band of Stockbridge-Munsee. The organization has now branched out to work with seven other tribes, three of which reside in Minnesota.
When you think of Native American tribes, they typically reside and manage reserve areas designated by their treaty rights with the federal government. The challenge is that these tribes need to manage these lands sustainably for future generations as well as improve their current quality of life, and they usually have a very small professional team and little support from state and federal organizations. .
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A majority of the work GeoSpatial Services does with tribes focuses on water quality and the implementation of the Clean Water Act. For these tribes, the need for drinking water is crucial for the quality of life of current and future generations.
A variety of agricultural practices, urban development, diffuse source pollution and general use have a significant impact on the water supply of many reserves, used for drinking, subsistence activities such as agriculture, hunting. and fishing, and commercial uses.
We provided geographic analyzes, and they used that data to make several strategic land purchases and implemented practices on those lands to improve water quality and quantity. The end result is a cleaner and safer water supply for the tribal community.
It can be difficult to establish working relationships with tribal nations due to trust issues. We need to spend a lot of time building relationships and working with communities to gain their trust and demonstrate that we understand their realities and can actually help them – that we’re not just involved in getting a paycheck.
For GeoSpatial staff, it has become much more than a job.
Katrina Danzinger, a junior biology student, said working with Geospatial Services opened her eyes to the value of their applied research.
âI know this research will benefit a community dependent on nature,â she said. âI could not have had this experience in class. GSS showed me what it is like to meet a need in an underserved community. Thanks to our work, I feel like I am making a difference.
And the impact is continuous. We have designed systems with checks and balances that allow tribes to demonstrate that the practices we have implemented have made a difference. We are also working with tribal colleges to develop course materials to educate tribal members.
Hopefully this creates some level of momentum for the change.
It’s really exciting to be able to provide tribes with tools and data that really help them change what happened to them in the past and bring some level of environmental justice to these underserved communities.
Meet These 12 Notable Saint Mary’s University Alumni In Winona
Antoine Adducci, 1959
Co-founder of Cardiac Pacemakers Inc., the company that manufactured the world’s first lithium battery-powered artificial pacemaker
Judge Arthur Boylan, JD, 1971
Retired United States trial judge for the United States District Court. Was justice to arbitrate the 2011 NFL labor dispute.
Brother James Miller, 1966, M ‘1974
Beatified by the Catholic Church in 2019; shot dead while working with students in Guatemala.
Jane (Weydert) Homeyer, Ph.D., 1986
Former forensic scientist, crime scene investigator, FBI executive who brought the perpetrators of the “Brown Chicken Murders” to justice in Palatine, Illinois.
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John Hoffman, Ph.D., 1951, and Robert Hoffman, Ph.D., 1956
The only group of brothers (or immediate family members) who had instruments on the same NASA satellites, Atmosphere Explorers C and D.
Rick busch
John McDonough, 1975
Former CEO and President of the Chicago Blackhawks
John Stegeman, Ph.D., 1966
Principal Scientist and Director of the Center for Oceans and Human Health at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Mass.
Denise Klinkner, MD, 1997
assistant professor of pediatric surgery; director of trauma at the Mayo Clinic; Played a role in the successful separation of Siamese twins at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston in February 2015.
Mary dempsey, jd, 1975
Former Chicago Public Library Commissioner.
Michael Johanns, JD, 1971
Former Secretary of Agriculture, Governor of Nebraska and Senator of Nebraska.
Andrew “Roo” Yori, 1999
Regular and successful competitor in American Ninja Warrior.
At the end of the year, for many, it’s a time to reflect on the past year and dream of the next. Prominent members of the Winona community andâ¦
âI know this research will benefit a community dependent on nature. I could not have had this experience in the classroom. GSS showed me what it is like to meet a need in an underserved community. Thanks to our work, I feel like I am making a difference.
Katrina Danzinger, a major junior in biology,