Progress 09/15/01 to 09/14/06
Outputs
The four Tribal Colleges and four 1862 institutions concluded their five year interdisciplinary partnership outreach to communities and capacity building activities to strengthen natural resources education in Tribal College communities in September, 2006. Project evaluation through Talking Circles most mentioned accomplishments were 1) the trust and relationships established among partners institutions, 2) the expanded natural resources academic and community outreach programs conducted by instructors hired through the project, and 3) the opportunity to combine traditional ways with modern practices. Partners maximized outcomes during the final (extended) year through diffusion of information carried by local radio and print media, distribution of CSREES Partners 15 video magazine "Tribal Natural Resources," DVDs of the final NRE Website http://ifafsnrep.ag.iastate.edu/ and publication of Partnerships, a summary of the NRE project accomplishments. Natural Resource
Education career DVDs were developed and distributed to partners and other Tribal Colleges. Nine graduate theses/dissertations have been or will soon be completed through NRE research and the Prairie PhD program. Participants commemorated NRE through tree plantings at partner campuses and at an honoring ceremony to close the project.
Impacts
Tribal College community members, including small and mid-size ranchers, benefited through improvement of native habitat, establishment of riparian buffers and planting of thousands of native trees and woody florals. Products from Juneberries and hazelnuts plantings will reestablish native foods while also having commercial potential. Healthy foods were provided to elderly while students and community members acquired knowledge and experience in developing community and family gardens. Water testing assured reservation communities their drinking water was safe. Improved prairies stimulate food sources, native plant availability, economic opportunities, soil conservation and cultural connections with the land. Tribal College natural resource programs were strengthened through establishment of new courses, student internships and youth experience programs, faculty development in the Prairie PhD Program, post-project retention of instructors funded through NRE and
involvement in NRE research investigating selenium in bison, native herbs, hazelnut plantings, prairie dogs and tourism opportunities on tribal lands through a multi-institutional approach. Collaboration among the eight participating institutions continues resulting from cultural understanding and trusting relationships established during the five year NRE project
Publications
- de Baca, Mary M. and Karol Crosbie. Half-way there: recognizing achievements, re-energizing goals. http://ifafsnrep.ag.iastate.edu/. Iowa State University. 2004.
- de Baca, Mary M. and Veronica Fowler. Partnerships: The final report of a land-grant network to enhance tribal college community natural resource education programs. http://ifafsnrep.ag.iastate.edu/ . Iowa State University. 2006.
- Decker, Jason, and Melissa Nasers. Natural resource education career DVD. A land grant network to enhance tribal college community natural resource education programs. http://ifafsnrep.ag.iastate.edu/. Iowa State University. 2006.
- Hammond, Elizabeth A. Identifying superior hybrid hazelnut plants in southeast Nebraska. M. S. Thesis. University of Nebraska. 2005.
- Hartman, Kerry. Effects of irrigation, soil type and site selection on transplant success among selected cultivars of almalencia alnifolia. PhD Dissertation in progress. South Dakota State University. 2006.
- Hugelen, Linda. Influence of grazing on the soil seed bank of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. PhD Dissertation in progress. South Dakota State University. 2006.
- Miller, Henry. A morphological study of native blue flax under prairie restoration conditions. M.S. Thesis in progress. South Dakota State University. 2006.
- Spaur, Jeanne D. The knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation regarding pispiza (black-tailed prairie dog, Cynomis ludovicians). M. S. Thesis. Iowa State University. 2006
- Swensen, Stacey L. Selinium accumulation in bison, soil, and vegetation from tribal lands in the Dakotas. M.S. Thesis. North Dakota State University. 2006.
- Teig, Paula, Mary M. de Baca, Jerry Stubben, and Jason Decker, Iowa State University. Partnering to Enhance Natural Resource Education in Tribal Communities. North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture. Vancouver, BC, Canada. 2006.
- Tribal Natural Resources: Partners 15. CSREES Partners Video Magazine. USDA. http://www.csrees.usda.gov/newsroom/partners/partners_15.html. 2006.
- Tuscherer, Sheldon. Preferences of tourists and locals toward ecotourism development on the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation. M.S. Thesis. North Dakota State University. 2006.
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Progress 01/01/05 to 12/31/05
Outputs
Tribal Colleges partnered with 1862 institutions on community outreach and capacity building activities to meet NRE objectives. Participants developed strategies to maximize outcomes in the final year and proposals to promote sustainable partnerships and projects. All institutions collaborated in producing Tribal Natural Resources video with CSREES Partners Magazine and conducting evaluation Talking Circles in the four Tribal College communities. DVD and website summaries of all NRE projects, career DVDs and final project reports are being developed.
Impacts
Water test findings were incorporated into college courses and reservation work and Sitting Bull College is seen as playing an increasing role in health standards on the Standing Rock Reservation. Involvement in herb research, greenhouse, and Lakota horse programs at Sinte Gleska University prompted enrollment in natural resources courses, increased participation in Sinte Gleska University activities, and increased community interest in general health. Community gardens and a Juneberry project connected elders and youth, scientists and laypersons in experimental research and cultural application related to botany, soils, nutrition, and economics at Fort Berthold Community College. FBCC has attracted Native American students from 7 high schools on and around the Fort Berthold Reservation through the science based Sunday Academy program. Over 300 woody florals and hard wood trees were planted in prairie restoration plots, community locations and as a conservation
practice in a riparian buffer setting at Nebraska Indian Community College. Improved prairie will stimulate food sources, native plant availability, economic opportunities, soil conservation and cultural connections with the land.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/04 to 12/31/04
Outputs
Tribal Colleges continued community outreach and capacity building activities to meet NRE objectives. Advisory Committee recommendations were implemented to promote sustainability, share stories with USDA and potential funders, and increase involvement of 1862 land-grants with 1994 partners. Partnerships and cultural appreciation were strengthened by participation in the inauguration of the National Museum of the American Indian, expanded communication and project meetings.
Impacts
Tribal College natural resources programs are stronger through a greater number of courses being offered by NRE instructors, faculty development, particularly through the Prairie PhD program, collaborative projects such as the recently submitted Tribal College Research Grant, and Tribal College student internships at partner institutions including Iowa State University and North Dakota State University. Community members, including farmers and ranchers, have been impacted by NRE outreach programs that incorporate scientific and traditional knowledge, as in the cases of 1) re-establishing Juneberries organized by Fort Berthold Community College and North Dakota State University, 2) water quality testing on Standing Rock by Sitting Bull College, 3) community gardening, greenhouse development, and Lakota Horse Program by Sinte Gleska University, and 4) prairie restoration at Nebraska Indian Community College.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/03 to 12/31/03
Outputs
All four Tribal Colleges have hired Natural Resources Education (NRE) instructors. The institutional development component of the project is underway at all four Tribal Colleges. Findings from the needs assessment provided background for prioritizing activites for Capacity Building Plans submitted by the Tribal Colleges this year. Major components of the capacity building plans are for recruitment, retention, professional development, curriculum development and outreach. NRE Community Projects, integrating teaching, research, and extension are underway at all four Tribal Colleges. Project management changes were made to be more accessible to Tribal Colleges. Tribal College partners responded to the need to handle financial resources and project accountability more smoothly. Evaluation continued for all major events and through a series of interviews for a mid-project report. Workplans for all capacity building and NRE community projects include their own evaluation
plan.
Impacts
The Tribal College Natural Resources instructors served to build institutional capacity, increased community involvement, sought collaboration of 1862 partners, and contributed to decision making in the project. Aspects of the natural environment are being improved in culturally appropriate ways through community outreach projects and institution capacity building at each Tribal College.
Publications
- Mary M. deBaca (2003, March). Iowa State University Tribal College Partnerships in Natural Resource Education. Poster session presented at the 2003 Annual American Indian Higher Education Consortia Conference, Fargo, North Dakota.
- Janine Pease-Pretty on Top, Ruth Short Bull, Koreen Resler, Mary M. de Baca. (2003, March) Sharing the Natural Resources Education Project. 2003 Annual American Indian Higher Education Consortia Conference, Fargo, North Dakota.
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Progress 01/01/02 to 12/31/02
Outputs
This is an integrated extension/research (IFAFS) project. Tribal Colleges (TCs) used data obtained from Talking Circles (focus groups) to identify and prioritize educational and community needs and to design workplans for their integrated community natural resources projects. Two of the four Tribal Colleges, Fort Berthold Community College and Sitting Bull College, hired Natural Resources Instructors through the grant to be responsible for community projects and to strengthen their college natural resources programs. Sitting Bull College embarked on Adoption of Natural Resources Conservation Practices as a Result of Community Water Quality Education, a three-year community project. The other TC partners, Fort Berthold Community College, Sinte Gleska University, and Nebraska Indian Community College, are in various phases of formulating workplans for community projects in collaboration with 1862 partners. Project consultant, Janine Pease-Pretty on Top, provided
cultural sensitivity training at joint meetings and was instrumental in launching the Capacity Building Initiative. Findings from Talking Circles were used to identify critical needs in each TC's natural resources program of study. Tribal Colleges, with support from 1862 partners (North Dakota State University, South Dakota State University, University of Nebraska and Iowa State University), identified curriculum development, course delivery, professional development, youth and community-based outreach programs, and recruitment and retention as areas of focus for the next three months of program planning on their campuses. A Fort Berthold student who participated in the ISU summer research internship encouraged others to consider student internships among their capacity building activities in her presentation at the 2002 Annual Project Meeting held at Fort Berthold Community College. Project management flourished through face-to-face meetings, which included several campus visits, a
mid-point meeting prior to AIHEC Conference in March, the annual meeting in October, and area Capacity Building meetings in December. Through campus visits and telecommunications, Tribal College partners responded to the need to handle financial resources and project accountability more smoothly. Communication was enhanced among the 8 partner institutions by monthly e-mail newsletters and polycom equipment installed at each Tribal College. A project website, http://ifafsnrep.ag.iastate.edu/, was created with on-line reporting, NRE Community Project descriptions, message board, archives, and photo gallery. Awareness of the project was heightened by local media coverage, through a presentation made by partner personnel at the NC Agricultural Administrators meeting and an exhibit at the 2002 AIHEC Conference.
Impacts
The Tribal College's decisions regarding their natural resource education community projects and capacity building initiatives generated opportunities for more direct involvement by 1862 partners in the coming year. Tribal Colleges increased community interaction regarding natural resources by conducting needs assessment through Talking Circles and by designing integrated community projects to include natural resources professionals in addition to tribal and area citizens.
Publications
- Crawford, Harold and Mary M. de Baca. March 2002. Iowa State University Tribal College Partnerships in Natural Resource Education. Poster session presented at the 2002 Annual American Indian Higher Education Consortia Conference, Bismarck, ND.
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Progress 01/01/01 to 12/31/01
Outputs
The organizational meeting was held September 20 and 21, 2001 at the Sinte Gleska University campus in Mission, SD. Project sub-groups met to assist in developing the initial project organizational pattern. A training session was held in October to prepare the Campus Coordinators, moderators and other persons in conducting talking circles, the Native American form of focus group. The result of this meeting was increased multicultural awareness among the needs assessment team and consistent presentation at each talking circle. During the month of November the talking circles were carried out at each Tribal College. The summary of the talking circle preliminarily demonstrates the concern by Native Americans toward the usage of their land, water and other natural resources. In addition, a concern about the lack of youth knowledge toward natural resources was cited at nearly every circle. A variety of groups were invited to participate in the talking circles to garner
diverse opinions regarding the needs of the tribal college community.
Impacts
Organizational meeting discussion resulted in a need for cultural sensitivity training, awareness of multi-cultural issues and the need to a coherent and coordinated approach to the project management. The talking circles brought to light a number of issues previously not considered such as the immediate need for youth education in natural resources and agriculture as well as business opportunities (entrepreneurship) for tribal persons.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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