Well, it was another successful year for the Native Earth Environmental Youth Camp sponsored by SUNY Environment Science and Forestry, Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force, and Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Environment. The two week long excursion was funded by the National Science Foundation and directed by Dr. Robin Kimmerer, a Native American of the Citizen Band Potawatomi assisted by SUNY-ESF intern, Meredith Kane, MCA’s Bob Stevenson, and HETF’s Dave Arquette and Noah Point.

On Tuesday August 10^th, 2010 students, environmental officials, and educators from across the Haudenosaunee Confederacy gathered at the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Environmental Division office to set out on a week long journey to Thompson Island. There, they were met for orientation by Ken Jock, Angela Dunn, Setanta O’Ceillaigh, Julie Jacobs, and Craig Arquette from SRMT Environment and Henry Lickers and Scott Peters from Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Environment. Student’s involved with the Youth Camp, sponsored in partnership with SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry and the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force, travelled from Oneida, Onondaga, Tonawanda, Tuscarora, Six Nations, Akwesasne and Cayuga Nation. There was also a student from the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin and a student from the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. In all, there were 15 students who attended. The group of students, chaperones and their gear were transported shortly after orientation from Adam’s Marina to Thompson Island. The Thompson Island Youth Camp is managed by, Bob Stevenson from Mohawk Council of Akwesasne.

The Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force (HETF) partnered with SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) Center for Native Peoples and the Environment to establish the first Native Earth Environmental Youth Camp funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). A group of educators got together with a group of environmentalist and developed an environmental youth camp integrating western science with traditional knowledge through a series of hands on outdoor activities focused on encouraging Native youth to get more involved in understanding and protection of the natural world.

Tuscarora Environment Program (TEP) continues to advocate for a cleaner site at the former Tee Pee’s junkyard. For the past 50 years this junkyard was a collector of all types of debris.  After many long hours by community members and TEP the Tee Pee’s site is now debris free.  This past fall 2010, with the support of Tuscarora Nation and the Region 2 United States Environmental Protection Agency, TEP was able to start the next round of removal of a substance called calcium carbonate.  This dense substance is scattered throughout the site making it nearly impossible to support the natural world.  Funding allowed TEP to remove at least 200 tons of the debris and to advocate for continued support on future improvements for Tee Pee’s Junkyard.