Author: Brian Bull

Preserving Indian Mounds

  • Roger and Margaret Martin visit the effigy and burial mounds. (Photo by Brian Bull)

Historians, archaeologists, and Native American tribes are fighting to save ancient
mounds. The mounds are found scattered across much of North America. These
earthen, man-made formations mark the presence of prehistoric, indigenous people. But,
Brian Bull reports many are disappearing because of development or neglect:

Transcript

Historians, archaeologists, and Native American tribes are fighting to save ancient
mounds. The mounds are found scattered across much of North America. These
earthen, man-made formations mark the presence of prehistoric, indigenous people. But,
Brian Bull reports many are disappearing because of development or neglect:



Jay Toth is walking through the Kingsley-Bend Indian Mounds site. Toth is an
archeologist with the Ho-Chunk tribe in Wisconsin. He surveys nearly 30 mounds here,
including several that he says contain human remains. Toth says these mounds range
from 800 to 2000 years old, and are considered sacred, which is why Toth isn’t happy
when a man lets his dog use one for a bathroom:


“There’s a sign right there…”



“The guy saw the sign coming in, he didn’t bother…think that’s a good reflection on why
mounds are continually destroyed. There’s just no consideration.”


The tribe has painstakingly restored and maintained this site with its own money. But
Toth says out of 20,000 groups of mounds across Wisconsin alone, only a quarter
survive today. Many are still being desecrated or destroyed by construction and
development:


“It’s just too bad that we don’t have the respect for the religious aspects of what these are
all about. No one would expect the Ho-Chunk Nation or
any other tribe to go in and buy up public cemeteries and subdivide it up for housing
development, but somehow mound sites and other native burial seem to be okay.”


And it’s not just in Wisconsin. Similar problems exist for Indian mounds in other states,
including Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota, and Tennessee. Development is supposed to stop if a
mound is discovered, but authorities can only act on the calls they receive.


Samantha Greendeer is a Ho-Chunk attorney. She’s working with tribal, state, and federal
officials to revive legislation first introduced by West Virginia Congressman Nick Rahall.
It would proactively protect burial mounds, rather than after they’re disturbed:


“We seem to have to deal with this a little bit more just because a lot of the old ancestral
mounds and burials of native people are not in organized European-type cemeteries that
are zoned and properly accounted for. They don’t get that extra
bit of protection that a normal burial site would get.”


If passed, the federal government would have to deal with Native American and Native
Hawaiian tribes before taking action that would affect any land deemed sacred. Attitudes
about the mounds are changing.


(Sound of jackhammers)


Construction workers are tearing up old concrete foundations, to help set up new
buildings on the University of Wisconsin campus. But it’s a different story near the
University observatory. Campus developers plan to displace newer structures with the
older architecture. Gary Brown points to a sidewalk built in the 1950s. It’s right next to a
centuries-old bird effigy mound which some Native Americans still use for ceremonies:


“We’ll be coming back several feet away from the edges of the mound, carefully remove
the sidewalk, reconstruct the sidewalk a little bit further away. It’ll be a lot of hand labor,
there won’t be a lot of major big machinery…”


And moving the sidewalk will create a buffer zone to help protect the ancient mound.



Some people outside of the tribes realized the value of the mounds decades ago.
Roger and Margaret Martin walk in the rain with umbrellas, to show several effigy and
burial mounds in their backyard:


“When friends come to visit, we take ’em out back and point them out…We’re standing
on the bird effigy, swept back from both sides are the bird’s wings…the one on the left is
much more pronounced.”


Back when the neighborhood was being built, most people flattened the mounds. But, he
Martins signed up with what’s called an archaeological covenant program. They’ve
promised not to alter the mounds on their property. They also get a tax break on any land
containing a mound.


The Martins say they’d like to begin a ceremony where they visit the mounds and think of
their makers, the early North American cultures. Such reverence means a lot to Ho-Chunk
archeologist Jay Toth, who says the formations are rich in meaning and history for his
people:


“These mounds represent the deed to the land for all Native Americans. This you can’t
take away.”


Toth and other preservationists hope Congress passes laws to better protect ancient
mounds. They hope in time that people come to regard both burial and effigy mounds as
items to preserve, rather than destroy.


For the Environment Report, I’m Brian Bull.

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No Soot Reduction Funds

It’s been two years since Congress passed the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act – or DERA
– to help states cut down on pollution. But as Brian Bull reports, an advocacy group says
no money’s gone to support any efforts yet:

Transcript

It’s been two years since Congress passed the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act – or DERA
– to help states cut down on pollution. But as Brian Bull reports, an advocacy group says
no money’s gone to support any efforts yet:


Congress authorized up to one billion dollars over a five-year period, to enable states to
“retrofit” their diesel vehicle fleets with special devices. Backers say they can reduce up
to 90 percent of emissions caused by buses, trucks, and other state vehicles.


Dawn Fenton is policy director for the Diesel Technology Forum. She says Congress
didn’t allocate any money to the programs while it was putting together the most recent
fiscal year budget:


“Retrofitting diesel-vehicles is one of the most cost-effective ways that you can reduce
emission of particulate matter. And by funding a diesel-retrofit program, the federal
government gets more bang for its buck, in terms of the investment that it’s making”


There’s reportedly 50 million dollars in DERA funding contained in the Interior
Appropriations bill for this fiscal year. The full Senate’s expected to review it this fall.


For the Environment Report, I’m Brian Bull.

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Zebra Mussels Mend Hearts

Zebra mussels continue to plague many of the nation’s waterways,
crowding out native aquatic life and aggravating fishermen and
engineers. But Brian Bull reports that the invasive species might play
a key part in the surgery room:

Transcript

Zebra mussels continue to plague many of the nation’s waterways,
crowding out native aquatic life and aggravating fishermen and
engineers. But Brian Bull reports that the invasive species might play
a key part in the surgery room:


The Nerites Corporation specializes in bio-degradable, waterproof
tissue adhesives. The concept is familiar if you’ve ever superglued
your fingers together.


The Madison, Wisconsin company is currently developing an adhesive that
could be used in complex heart surgeries, to seal, attach, or re-join
blood vessels. CEO Thomas Mozer says they’ve based their research on
zebra mussels, which attach themselves to surfaces like ship’s hulls
and water intake pipes.


“They adhere to surfaces underwater in the rather messy environment of
the ocean or lakeshore. Where the zebra mussels attach to surfaces.
The kind of environment where synthetic adhesives made by man – prior
to ours coming along – wouldn’t work.”


Mozer predicts it’ll be about three years before the tissue adhesive is
perfected for use in hospitals and clinics.


For the Environment Report, I’m Brian Bull.

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Deer Poachers Getting Trigger Happy?

  • Wildlife officials encourage hunters to help thin the population of CWD, but some hunters may be taking it beyond what is legal according to regulations. (Photo by Dr. Beth Williams, University of Wyoming, courtesy of CWD Alliance)

In states with deer herds affected by Chronic Wasting Disease, wildlife officials have
encouraged hunters to help them thin the population. But some wardens worry that
poachers are taking this as an invitation to bag game any way they can. Brian Bull
reports:

Transcript

In states with deer herds affected by Chronic Wasting Disease, wildlife officials have
encouraged hunters to help them thin the population. But some wardens worry that
poachers are taking this as an invitation to bag game any way they can. Brian Bull
reports:


It’s illegal to shoot deer at night, from vehicles, or while trespassing. But that’s something
Wisconsin game warden David Youngquist has seen recently. He monitors that state’s
Chronic Wasting Disease eradication zone. Youngquist says in that area, there are nearly
six times as many deer as is healthy for the herd:


“Our agency feels that if we can get deer numbers down, we can halt the disease. But we
still enforce the road hunting the same as we ever
have. We want hunting to be safe.”


Youngquist says poaching activities are on the rise, because some people think bagging a
deer is the main thing, whether it’s done legally or not. In some of these eradication
zones, a record number of citations have been handed out.


For the Environment Report, I’m Brian Bull.

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Shocking Ships Keeps Pests at Bay

Some scientists say they’ve got a new answer to a centuries-old problem with ships. The problem is called “bio-fouling.”
That’s when ships pick up unwanted marine life on their hulls, such as mollusks and barnacles. Brian Bull reports on a shocking solution:

Transcript

Some scientists say they’ve got a new answer to a centuries-old problem with
ships. The problem is called “bio-fouling.” That’s when ships pick up unwanted
marine life on their hulls, such as mollusks and barnacles. Brian Bull reports on
a shocking solution:


Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison say coating boat hulls with
thousands of tiny, titanium electrodes will help stop marine organisms from
sticking onto watercraft. Initial tests show that electrodes slow build-up of
marine life by up to 50 percent. They gently zap any critters that come close to
the hull.


Scientist Dan Noguera says not only can this help curb the spread of invasive
species such as zebra mussels, but it can also help maintain a ship’s fuel
efficiency:


“If you have a surface that has a lot of bio-organisms attached, it’s going to slow
down the boat. You need to put a lot more fuel into it. So there are economic
impacts of these fouling agents.”


Besides wasting fuel, some of the hitch-hiking invasive organisms are causing
environmental damage.


For the Environment Report, I’m Brian Bull.

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Study: The Human Factor and Wildfires

Wildfires account for a lot of property damage every year in the US, and forestry officials are constantly assessing how to predict when and where they will occur. One researcher says a largely overlooked predictor is the human factor. Brian Bull reports:

Transcript

Wildfires account for a lot of property damage every year in the US, and forestry officials are constantly assessing how to predict when and where they will occur. One researcher says a largely overlooked predictor is the human factor. Brian Bull reports:


Generally, vegetation and terrain are examined to figure out fire-prone areas. But Alexandra Syphard, a University of Wisconsin researcher, says most blazes happen along developments or roads, where forestland borders urban areas. Syphard says while she used southern California for her research model, her findings can be applied anywhere there is natural terrain along with man-made roads and structures.


“While the variables may differ a little bit in their degree of influence in different regions, you can still use these same kinds of methods to account for all of the factors that influence fires, as opposed to what a lot of people commonly do which is just simply looking at areas where fuels have accumulated.”


Syphard presented her research at the Third International Fire Ecology and Management Congress. She says variables such as terrain, climate, and vegetation still figure largely in active burns but that the human factor needs to be reviewed more closely.


For the Environment Report, I’m Brian Bull.

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White Buffalo Brings Legend to Life

  • A statue depicting White Buffalo Calf Woman, holding a sacred pipe atop a white buffalo. (Photo courtesy of Brian Bull)

Small crowds are gathering at a buffalo ranch in Wisconsin. They’re hoping to catch a glimpse of a rare white buffalo. This is the second white buffalo to draw crowds from around the world to the ranch, and as Brian Bull reports, the white buffalo holds special significance to some Native Americans:

Transcript

Small crowds are gathering at a buffalo ranch in Wisconsin. They’re hoping to catch a glimpse of a rare white buffalo. This is the second white buffalo to draw crowds from around the world to the ranch, and as Brian Bull reports, the white buffalo holds special significance to some Native Americans:


Nearly twenty people huddle behind a metal fence, standing tip-toed and pointing cameras towards a hilltop. Rancher Dave Heider drives his Bobcat tractor nearby, dumping hay into pens, as his buffalo herd comes down to eat. Among the lumbering shaggy brown bodies, is a speck of white that excites the crowd.


“There he is, here he is, he’s coming.”


The petite, snow-white calf stays close to his mother. Heider shuts the pen, fielding questions from onlookers, some of them remembering the first white buffalo known as Miracle.


“Is this the same family as Miracle? ‘No Relation.’ What’s the new one’s name? ‘Miracle’s Second Chance.'”


“Miracle’s Second Chance” is luring visitors from as far away as Mexico, Canada, and South America, as well as the immediate region. A biker even sports a white buffalo tattoo on his enormous bicep.


Carrie Singer is an Ojibwe Indian living in Milwaukee. Like others, she’s waited several hours in the rainy weather to glimpse the white buffalo calf.


“I believe it signifies peace and renewal, new beginnings for all our people. These are hard times, times of war, and this is something to have people gravitate towards, that new life, that new beginning.”


Buffalo are traditionally important animals to the Plains and upper Midwestern tribes. They were a vital source for food, tools, and clothing. And Lakota legend speaks of White Buffalo Calf Woman. They say she appeared with the first sacred pipe, to bring spirituality and prosperity to Indian nations.


That spiritual association is what drew Jimmy Kewakundo of Ontario, Canada, to the Heider’s ranch. Kewakundo is of Ojibwe, Potawotami, and Odawa descent. He and several other native people came to sing and honor the calf.


“I’ve brought my bundle and sacred pipe to do a ceremony with my brothers here. It teaches us how to live and to remember the old ways, and the importance of white buffalo calf woman.”


That Miracle’s Second Chance is a different gender than that of the legendary Lakota icon doesn’t phase Kewakundo and friends. And the Heiders say crowds and publicity are good, but nowhere near the levels seen for Miracle when she was born in 1994. Inside their bison-meat gift-shop, Valerie Heider stands near Miracle, who is now stuffed and on display. Heider says she has no guesses yet as to what it means to have several white buffalos born on their ranch.


“The Natives are telling us how blessed we are, and they’re also telling us we are in balance now because we have a male and a female.”


For many, the sheer novelty of a white buffalo is enough to stir people’s interest.


Dave Carter is executive director of the National Bison Association. He says the odds of a white buffalo being born are at least one in two-hundred thousand, though some estimates are as high as one in six-billion. Either way, Carter says it’s an incredible event.


“Particularly with a ranch where it had a fairly closed herd and these are non-related animals. Of course for the Native American folks, this is something that gets into a spiritual level, and so it has some additional significance when it gets to the Native American community.”


Back at the ranch, Indian spiritual leader Jimmy Kewakundo greets Dave Heider and shakes his hand.


“My name’s Jimmy, I come from Ontario, Canada. I want to say thank you for what you’ve done so far, working with Miracle, on behalf of the Ojibwe nation I want to say thank you for everything that you’ve done.”


Heider says more than 500,000 people came by back when Miracle was alive. He adds at times, it’s hard putting up with all the crowds and traffic, but moments like this put it all in perspective.


“It makes you feel good that you’re making some people happy. Valerie and I looked at it when Miracle was born, everybody said ‘why don’t you sell her?’ The money was there, we had many offers. We both felt as though we were giving something back that was given to us. By law and ownership Miracle belonged to us, but she belonged to everybody.”


The Heiders say they’ll eventually put the new white bison with some of Miracle’s daughters and granddaughters, to form a new herd. For now, they’ll weather the crowds with the same reverence, patience, and wit as they have before.


For the Environment Report, I’m Brian Bull.

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Spinach Controversy to Benefit Small Farmers?

Last month, more than 150 people fell sick from spinach tainted with E. coli bacteria. The spinach has been traced to a California-based produce company. While this means trouble for large-scale agricultural producers, Brian Bull reports the outbreak might help smaller, independent farmers:

Transcript

Last month, more than 150 people fell sick from spinach tainted with
the E. coli bacteria. The spinach has been traced to a California-
based produce company. While this means trouble for large-scale agricultural
producers, Brian Bull reports the outbreak might help smaller,
independent farmers:


Bill Warner owns an organic spinach farm. He sells his crop at local
farmers’ markets and restaurants in Wisconsin and to some restaurants
in Chicago. Warner says he thinks the E. coli incident will steer
consumers toward smaller, organic farms like his.


“We just will tell people that in every step of the way we
do, we’re eating our spinach. We drink the same well water that we
water with. So it may get people more back to, ‘Y’know we don’t want
the big conglomerate foods, let’s go back to buying from who we
know.'”


Warner says many, if not most, organic farmers are extra careful.
They don’t seal their spinach in bags, and don’t use manure in their
fertilizer. Instead, they use a vegetable-based compost and wash
their greens with clean well water. Warner says this helps alleviate
the risk of E. coli bacteria contamination.


For the Environment Report, I’m Brian Bull.

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Feral Pigs Take States by Storm

Feral pigs are a big problem in many states, and while many are escapees from farms, some are actually let loose by hunters. The
GLRC’s Brian Bull reports on how the problem is playing out in one area:

Transcript

Feral pigs are a big problem in many states. And while many are escapees
from farms, some are actually let loose by hunters. The GLRC’s Brian Bull
reports on how the problem is playing out in one area:


Feral pigs have appeared in several states including Oregon, California, Indiana, Illinois
and Wisconsin. Recently they started showing up Minnesota. It was first thought wild
swine might’ve crossed frozen waterways from Wisconsin. Wisconsin wildlife biologist
Dave Matheys says the growing problem is more likely due to hunters using pigs for
hunting practice:


“Some bear hunters who train their hounds, train them on
pigs, and don’t recapture the pig. It escapes, or the hounds aren’t
trained thoroughly enough or they just don’t want to recover it, so
the pig or pigs remain out in the wild.”


Feral pigs damage the habitat of ground-nesting birds, kill
small deer, and despite their shy nature, have even attacked people.
Matheys says the wild pigs are prolific, and eat almost anything, making them hard to
monitor and control. In some states wildlife managers have declared an open season on
the pigs.


For the GLRC, I’m Brian Bull.

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Hunting Feral Pigs

As hunting season nears, many wildlife officials across
the upper Midwest are asking hunters to line up their sights on snouts and tusks, as well as antlers. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Brian Bull explains:

Transcript

As hunting season nears, many wildlife officials across the upper
Midwest are asking hunters to line up their sights on snouts and
tusks, as well as antlers. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Brian Bull explains:


In Wisconsin alone, feral pigs are roaming through 27 counties. The
animals are damaging crops and hurting native ecosystems, and have
even killed small deer. And since an adult sow can wean up to a
dozen piglets a year, their numbers are hard to control.


Bryan Woodbury is a wildlife damage specialist with the Wisconsin DNR.
He says hunters should feel free to bag any feral pigs they meet – but
they should first make sure they’re not someone’s livestock.


“They’re not the distinct pink color, or the black and white style –
they tend to be darker color with longer hair, the boar may have a tusk
that you can see… they will pose a threat if you get up close to them
and tease them or threaten them in any way, they may do a charge or try
to fight back just like any other wild animal would try to do. But
their main instinct is to run away.”


Woodbury adds that feral pigs should taste just as good – if not
better – than those on the farm. Besides Wisconsin, many other
states are having problems with feral pigs, including Illinois,
Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.


For the GLRC, I’m Brian Bull.

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