SEVERE WINTER STORM PELTS AREA - Eastern Band of Cherokee

8 cherokee one feather THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2010OPINIONSLeers to the EditorThank YouThank you to Joe-hi Griffin for being a good neighbor during the storm! Weppreciate you!Your neighbors on Bradley Branch and Ensley RoadConcerns over Natural Resources inSwain CountyMany citizens in Swain County are concerned about the quality of our naturalesources. Some are worried that the natural heritage – healthy forests, clean streams,ood fishing and hunting – is threatened. Others see immediate threats: eroding roads,andslides, muddy water, and litter along highways and creek banks.hen I talk to people in Swain County about environmental problems, many shrug theirhoulders suggesting that’s the way it always has been and always will be. But, I haveet many people who are concerned. They want a healthy environment for themselvesnd for their children. The concern can be a form of self-interest; a clean environments more prosperous, with a healthier economy, than a degraded or polluted one. Mostly,he concern grows from a sheer appreciation for these god-given mountains, forests,reeks and rivers. With all of our technology, we have become stewards of these treasres.We must act wisely.There will be a meeting entitled “Swain Green Networking and Planning Workhop”to be held on Thursday evening Feb. 11 in the conference room at the Mariannalack Library in Bryson City. There will be a potluck dinner at 6:15pm followed by aeeting from 7-8:30pm. Please call my office at 488-8418 if you plan to attend thepotluck so we make sure we have enough drinks.The purpose of this workshop is to bring together environmentally minded peopleto discuss common problems, to share plans, and to come up with solutions. Thegroups organizing this event are the Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River,the Little Tennessee Land Trust, the Green Women of Swain County, and the Swain 4Hand Youth Council. We sense that there are other groups who mend their roads andclean up their creeks, or are simply concerned about our landscape, whom we don'tknow about. This is an opportunity to meet each other, share ideas, and partner. If yourgroup needs volunteers, then come with a sign-up sheet.We especially invite folks from Cherokee. In the coming year, thanks to a grantfrom the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, WATR will be working in partnership withgroups across the Tuckasegee River watershed, from Lake Glenville, Cullowhee, Sylva,Dillsboro, Cherokee, Whittier and Bryson City. We will be partnering with tribal governmentagencies and working with community groups on the Qualla Boundary, too.We intend to bridge communities and provide opportunities to learn about stream ecologyby actually collecting bugs and fish from the creeks. There is nothing more excitingthan seeing first-hand the incredible biology of healthy mountain creeks. No previoustraining required. It is easy to become a “citizen scientist,” which leads naturally to defendingclean streams and objecting to pollution. What better way to bond young andold, upstream and downstream, community and community?Letters PolicyRevised December 2008The Cherokee One Feather is available as a forum for any opinion or point of viewconcerning issues of general interest. Letters should be typed, exclusive to the One Featherand are not to be longer than 250 words. We do not edit letters for length, and letters inexcess of the maximum will not be accepted. Letters must be signed and should includea name, address, and phone number for verification. Only the name will be printed.No letter writer may have more than two letters published in any 4-week period. Libelousor unsigned letters will not be considered for publication at all. Letters endorsingindividual political candidates or parties will not be accepted. The One Feather will notaccept poetry submissions as a letter or requests for pen pals.Those of us who devote time and work to safeguarding our environment are init for the long-haul. For this reason we take the challenges seriously and fight for solutionsand sustainability that will ensure a healthy community and landscape for our children.We also find joy and friendship in this work, and we don't take ourselves tooseriously.This is an invitation for the public and particularly for representatives of communitygroups to convene, meet each other, and plan together. In short, we want to startanswering the question: “How Green will Swain County be in 2010?” in the 40th yearsince Earth Day.Let’s Make Indian Country CountRoger ClappExecutive Director WATROn Jan. 25, the 2010 Census kicks off in the Inupiat Eskimo village of Noorvik,Alaska. No roads lead to this community, so Census workers will arrive by air, snowmachine or dog sled – and they will need to get there early before the ice melts and theresidents leave for fishing and hunting season.It is important to recognize the significance of Noorvik as the first place thecensus count begins. Our community of American Indians and Alaska Natives is one ofthe nation’s hardest populations to count, because of language barriers, barriers to traveland transportation to remote and rural communities, and a historic mistrust of governmentinstitutions and efforts.Counting all Alaskans is critical, but it is especially so for Alaska Natives, giventhe unique, historical relationship between the United States federal government andthat community. An accurate count of Alaska Natives means fair access to federal resourcesand fair representation in state legislatures and the United States Congress.But equally important, it determines the annual distribution to states and tribes– and our communities and children – of more than $400 billion in federal funds annuallyover the next 10 years.This federal money based on census data is used for everything from schoolsand roads to health care for low-income residents, veterans and senior citizens.The goal of the 2010 Census is to paint a “Portrait of America.” Because theAmerican Indian and Alaska Native population is relatively small, every Native personwho is counted makes a huge difference in getting that portrait right.We know Indian country faces many hurdles to an accurate Census count. PastCensuses have missed more than 1 in 10 Native people. The Brookings Institution recentlyfound that for every person missed by the Census, the community loses morethan $1,000 every year. The future of Indian country will be built on a foundation of reliableand accurate Census data.As the president of the National Congress of American Indians, I encouragetribal leaders to get the word out to Native communities about how important the Censusis to our future generations. I also urge all local leaders across the nation to encouragetheir community members to participate in Census 2010.NCAI is working closely with the Census Bureau and other national and localpartners to prevail over the challenges of the past to make sure there is an accurate countof all Native peoples.We know Indian country counts. Let’s make sure its people are accuratelycounted in the Census.Jefferson KeelNational Congress of American Indians presidentDisclaimer: the opinions expressed on the Opinions pages do not necessarily reflectthe views of the Cherokee One Feather, the Principal Chief, the Vice Chief or TribalCouncil of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.