The Environmental Section works with all of GLIFWC's sections and staff to investigate threats to resources from many different sources. The five major areas in which the section specializes are climate change, nibi (water), contaminants, metallic mining, and oil pipelines.
The Section has contributed to the development of climate vulnerability assessments for beings (species) in the Ceded Territories, planning for adaptation to climate change, and seed collection and storage. The GLIFWC contaminants program has focused on mercury and PFAS contamination in fish and the risks of herbicide applications to aquatic organisms. Establishing baseline water quality, monitoring water flows downstream of mining projects, and characterizing manoomin (wild rice) waters are key to GLIFWC's efforts to protect the quality of nibi. The Section reviews mining and pipeline projects in the Ceded Territories, submits technical comments, and assists member tribes in understanding the potential impacts of mineral development and pipeline construction/operation. The Section's efforts include collecting, preserving, and incorporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) into its work. A satellite office allows GLIFWC to maintain contact with state agency staff and faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as well as access to a wide variety of research, hardware, and software resources.
The GLIFWC Environmental Section participates in a number of projects related to chemical contamination of fish, wildlife, and the environment of the Ceded Territories. GLIFWC works closely with other GLIFWC sections (e.g. Wildlife and Inland Fisheries) as well as many tribal, state, and federal agencies to characterize and respond to contaminant threats to treaty resources. GLIFWC will continue to become involved in new projects as directed by our member tribes. For more information on contaminants, click here.
GLIFWC requests support for Buffalo Reef stamp sand removal.
Buffalo Reef is a natural cobble feature in Lake Superior, located just off the eastern edge of the Keweenaw Peninsula in the U.P of Michigan. The reef has historically maintained invaluable spawning habitat for fish species such as lake trout and lake whitefish.
Climate change is altering our environment, shifting and disrupting plant and animal habitats and affecting how Anishinaabeg hunt, fish, and gather. GLIFWC’s Climate Change Program is working on several projects to characterize the extent of these changes in the Ceded Territories in order to help its member tribes maintain their way of life. This word cloud shows the beings that were mentioned the most in climate change-related TEK interviews with GLIFWC member tribes. For more information, see the Climate Change Program page.
A primary focus of the Environmental Section biologists and staff has been to evaluate the environmental threats from mine projects and mineral exploration from a tribal perspective. Those activities can impact natural resources across the Ceded Territories.
Environmental Section staff participate in the environmental review of proposed mines by interacting with federal and state regulatory agencies and advocating for thorough analyses of the environmental impacts of the proposed mines. The Section also conducts independent data gathering and analysis to identify and describe possible mine related impacts to the environment. Impacts of existing mines and past mining activity on the environment are also investigated and the section keeps member tribes informed on all issues that may affect the health and availability of treaty resources and the ecosystems on which they depend.
The Environmental Section works to protect the health of Gichigami (Lake Superior) and the beings who depend on the diversity of the watershed's ecosystem.
Environmental Section staff also work to characterize the past, present, and potential future impacts of pipelines that cross the Ceded Territories with a particular focus on Line 5. This information is used to inform technical comments on federal and state environmental impact assessments and permitting decisions.
A Decision Support Analysis of Line 5 Crude Oil Pipeline Within the GLIFWC Ceded Territories and the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.
This interactive map is intended to demonstrate the status of an ongoing project to identify important habitat in the Lake Superior region. Data are summarized from existing information submitted to the Lake Superior Partnership Working Group. While this database is extensive, it is not complete, and important habitats exist outside of this database. Environmental Section staff create and maintain many cartographic products like this one.