California Indian Issues Field Trip Report
Meeting Date: August 20, 1997
Place: Yurok Tribal Office, 1034 Sixth Street, Eureka CA
Attendees: Yurok- Susie Long (Chairperson), Susan Burdick, Peter Craig, Carol Swick, Susan Wilson and Troy Fletcher; US EPA- Nancy Frost; DPR- Kathy Brunetti and Kean S. Goh
Purpose: To discuss potential environmental monitoring of forestry herbicides and meetings with local people.
Highlights of Meeting:
1) Susie Long, Susan Burdick et al. expressed desire to have local meetings to discuss pesticide issues at Eureka, Klamath, Orick, or Weitchpec. Susie Long wanted to be sure that there was adequate lead time for notification to the community about the meetings.
2) Susan Burdick shared concerns on Yurok's illnesses and cancer problems; Susie Long mentioned that the Yurok had contacted the American Cancer Society but after preliminary investigation the issue was dropped.
3) Carol Swick questioned why alternative to herbicides such as mechanical weeding wasn't practiced by Simpson. Troy Fletcher shared timber company's profitability issues with alternatives.
4) Susan Wilson shared the discovery and clean up of a lead contaminated site in Yurok land.
5) Monitoring: Peter Craig and Susan Burdick discussed considerations for potential environmental monitoring of herbicides.
a) Monitoring requires input, review and coordination with Yurok and other monitoring agencies - Water Board, Fish and Game, etc. (We agreed)
b) Preliminary monitoring should include matrices such as water, salmon or other fishes, deer, or plants. And investigate the decline of porcupines (quills are used in basketry). A list of plants were provided from Tom Gates' compilation.
c) Sampling should include at least 3 sites (Klamath, Pecwan, and Weitchpec), 4 times a year on worst case situations.
d) Monitoring may want to include other water quality parameters and heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium and copper.
6) Kean Goh wrapped up that these are preliminary discussions, once the local meetings are completed and all involved have a chance to review existing data. And if the tribal people think monitoring is a priority then we will proceed with consultation, coordination and prioritize resources for the designing the detailed monitoring plan.
7) Kean Goh will send the meeting participants a summary and a copy of locally relevant data we have so far on forestry herbicides monitoring.