+1 918-678-2297
8 Turtle Drive, Wyandotte, OK 74370

Environment

PLANNING & NATURAL RESOURCES

Natural Resources
Environment

Environment

Environmental Department activities include recycling, educational events, water sampling, and more. We also host an annual Environmental Festival and Tire Collection event.

Both Surface water and drinking water is sampled for quality in our tribal jurisdiction. Under the NPS program, area septic systems are inspected and we completed one septic improvement.

The Department manages three EPA programs which are now rolled into a Performance Partnership Grant or PPG.

We also manage the Lost Creek Recycling Center (See Below).

In 1992, Congress passed the Indian Environmental General Assistance Program Act (42 U.S.C. 4368b) which authorizes EPA to provide General Assistance Program (GAP) grants to federally-recognized tribes and tribal consortia for planning, developing, and establishing environmental protection programs in Indian country, as well as for developing and implementing solid and hazardous waste programs on tribal lands.

The goal of this program is to assist tribes in developing the capacity to manage their own environmental protection programs, and to develop and implement solid and hazardous waste programs in accordance with individual tribal needs and applicable federal laws and regulations.

Through our GAP grant we , prioritizing on recycling with an Environmental Education Program that is working in conjunction with the Wyandotte Public Schools as a mentoring program for Jr High and High School Students.  We also use “RENIE (Recycling Environmental Needs In Education),” the Recycle Robot. “RENIE” is a visual aid with curriculum to help children in learning the importance of recycling.

Thru our water EPA 106 Grant, department staff monitors 6 ambient water sites on a monthly basis. They are Neosho and Spring Rivers at Twin Bridges, three Lost Creek sites, and two Sycamore Creek sites. All data collected is uploaded to an EPA Data Base. In 2014 our department purchased and deployed a stationary continuous water EXO – 2Sonde that records real time data on a 24/7 time frame.  This data is then uploaded to the Storm Central data base.

The department continues to monitor the Tribal Water System through monthly, annual, three-year and six-year tests to make sure it complies with all regulatory standards of the EPA, with which our tribal well is permitted. Private well bacteria and heavy metals testing is an ongoing resource that is provided free of charge to tribal members within a 50-mile radius of the Wyandotte Nation.

Congress amended the Clean Water Act (CWA) in 1987 to establish the section 319 Nonpoint Source Management Program because it recognized the need for greater federal leadership to help focus State and local nonpoint source efforts. Under section 319, States, Territories, and Indian Tribes receive grant money which supports a wide variety of activities including technical assistance, financial assistance, education, training, technology transfer, demonstration projects, and monitoring to assess the success of specific nonpoint source implementation projects.

The Wyandotte Nation has prepared a Nonpoint Source Management Plan in conjunction with Tribal Environmental Management Services in order to address the environmental degradation caused by the nonpoint sources (NPS) of pollution identified in the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma Nonpoint Source Assessment.  The overall goal of this Management Plan is to improve water quality on Wyandotte lands.  Specifically, the Wyandotte Environmental Department and the Wyandotte Tribal Council would like to ensure that all water sources on tribal lands meet the water quality standards for their designated uses.  The Neosho River, Spring River, Sycamore Creek, Lost Creek, and Brush Creek are the primary water sources on Wyandotte jurisdictional lands and will be the major focus of restoration efforts.  The primary long term objective of the Tribe is to ensure that these water sources are restored to high quality cold/warm water aquatic community standards, depending on the designation of the water source.  This NPS Management Plan will greatly help the Wyandotte Environmental Department in achieving this goal.

The Environmental Department monitors surface water quality within Wyandotte Nation’s historical jurisdiction. Non-Point Source pollution is water pollution affecting a water body from diffuse sources, such as polluted runoff from agricultural areas and is a major cause of water quality issues in our area.

In 2011 -12 Fiscal Year we added Septic System Assessments and Replacement of failing systems.  If you would like to have your system assessed and live within the Grand Lake Watershed, please contact our department.

Principle types of NPS pollution:

Sediment – Caused by eroding stream banks and improper plant cover. Lowers light penetration which can inhibit aquatic plant growth which can affect fish that are dependent on them.

Control – Farmers can both retain their valuable soil and prevent water pollution by utilizing techniques such as contour plowing, crop mulching, crop rotation, planting perennial crops and installing riparian buffers.

Nutrients – Excess Nitrogen & Phosphorus applied as fertilizers. Lowers oxygen levels in the water, harming or killing fish. Farmers can implement plans to reduce excess application of nutrients.

Pathogens – Contaminate runoff from poorly-managed livestock operations, pet waste and faulty septic systems.

Consumer Confidence Reports

NRDAR Documents

Tar Creek Report

Other Resources

The Lost Creek Recycle Center opened in 2013

Items We Recycle

#1 Plastics (clear plastics such as pop bottles, juice bottles, etc.), #2 Plastics (milk jugs), Newspaper, Office Paper, Magazines, Aluminum cans, Tin Cans, Cardboard and shredded Office Paper.

Items we DO NOT Recycle

Glass, styrofoam, medical waste (syringes/needles), plastic grocery sacks, clothing and large appliances (stoves, refrigerators, etc.).

Hours of Operation

Monday thru Friday:

8 AM to 4:30 PM

There are also bins on the outside of the center that may be used for after hour and weekend drop offs.

Recycling Routes

We have a collection route that services the Wyandotte Nation Departments and businesses, the Heritage Acres Housing Complex, and also businesses in the Town of Wyandotte, and the Wyandotte Schools.

Equipment

Since we opened, we have expanded our operation to include 3 balers (for plastics, metal, cardboard and shredded paper), 4 cardboard trailers, and 2 Alley Cat recycle trailers.
Environment

Recycling Center

Environment

Tire Collection

Environment

Cardboard Recycling

Tires Collected in 2021 at Tire Collection Events
+
Tons of recyclable material collected in 2021

HOURS

Mon – Thu : 8 AM – 4:30 PM
Fri : 8 AM – 3:30 PM
Sat – Sun : Closed

LOCATION

Wyandotte Nation Administration Building
8 Turtle Drive
Wyandotte, OK 74370

Lost Creek Recycling Center
4 Lost Creek Drive
Wyandotte, OK 74370

CONTACTS

Director Christen Lee, clee@wyandotte-nation.org
Environmental Program Manager Kathleen Welch, kwelch@wyandotte-nation.org
Environmental Technician 2 John Gerhard, jgerhard@wyandotte-nation.org
Recycling Center Coordinator John Quick, jquick@wyandotte-nation.org

CONTACTS

Land Management Technician Robby Graham, rgraham@wyandotte-nation.org
Water Utilities Operator Braulio Ramirez, bramirez@wyandotte-nation.org
Grant Writer / BIA Self-Governance Coordinator Debbie Dry, ddry@wyandotte-nation.org
Grant Writer 2/ 477 Coordinator Michael Lowery, mlowery@wyandotte-nation.org

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