SDI Puts on Middle School Night Hike and Lock-in Activity

On February 8, twenty-four Menominee Indian Middle School students participated in an overnight lock-in at the College of Menominee Nation Keshena campus. Students explored astronomy through hands-on night activities and participated in scientific, sustainable, and cultural programming.  “Nothing like this had been done on the CMN campus before, but we knew it could be done,” said Kate Flick, event organizer and SDI Education Coordinator, “It turned out great! Primarily it was to have fun, but it’s always nice when you can do fun events and teach and learn at the same time.”

Paula Fernandez, Cultural Resource Specialist for Menominee Indian School District, guided students in stories and emphasized that the group respect the night-time. Paula shared that Menominee people traditionally do not go out at night; this is the time for the sprits. Students were particularly respectful while they looked at the stars and participated in night time activities.

Students hiked on the CMN walking trail and gathered in a clearing where they identified the seven sisters/seven brothers and told the story of how those stars came to be. The stars were exceptionally visible and it was especially dark –a new moon cycle was about to begin. Students were able to match start color to their temperature and “temperament.” (As Kate described it, “The bright blue-ish/white stars are the ones burning hot and fast like hyperactive youngsters.  Yellow are a little mellower, not as hot and burn a little slower, like middle-aged people—and red stars are low temperature and burn slowly, like grandparents.  It's kind of like fire.“)

Later, around a fire, students and staff told stories. “They are very impressive story tellers!” said Kate. Musician Wade Fernandez provided the group with a performance where he played the flute in the wintry night air. Students told more stories and made s’mores before heading inside. Students slept in the CMN Commons Building where they watched movies, played pool, and got a little sleep.  

Participants woke up to a magical snowy morning where snowflakes hung on tree branches like crystals. Participants went for a morning walk—which turned into outdoor games a snowball fight! The students had a great time and the event was a big hit. Programming supplemented student’s in-class learning where they are currently learning about astronomy, stars, and the universe. SDI sends a huge thank you to all the chaperons who helped during the event.

CMN Internship Fair and Information Session A Great Success

On Wednesday, February 13, 2013, CMN students and faculty gathered for an Internship Fair and Information Session.  Attendees learned what internships are, whey they important, and got announcements about current and upcoming internship opportunities. CMN students with internship experience gave presentations and shared their research and personal reflections with attendees.

Brennan Waupoose and McKaylee Duquain presented research data from an earthworm invasion research project. CMN students and staff heard about their nationally-recognized project and how their internship gave them the opportunity to travel and opened doors for funding opportunities. 

Lloyd Frieson, current Garden Intern with the Sustainable Development Institute, gave a genuine presentation about his passion and knowledge of Menominee gardening. He talked about experimenting with winter plants and showed pictures of garden and community projects he facilitates through his internship. “I’m really excited for what we have planned for this year,” said Friesen. Friesen also mentioned global warming as a major concern. “It caused a big issue with maple syrup harvest last year,” he noted.

Amber Chevalier, CMN staff, talked about her internship experience with the USFS and highly encouraged students to apply for internships. “They look really good on a resume,” she said. Chevalier’s experience through internships helped her get jobs with the US Forest Service and with College of Menominee Nation.  Mike Dockry, USDA Forest Service Liaison to the College of Menominee Nation, announced internships with the Forest Service and how students can apply through www.usajobs.gov.  

All of the intern presenters said their experience was well worth their time and they learned a lot. “There are endless opportunities,” said Frieson, “You meet a lot of cool people and can exercise your ideas in a good way.”  Chris Caldwell, Director of the Sustainable Development Institute announced that their department may hire up to seven interns for the summer of 2013. Watch for those internship postings at www.sustainabledevelopmentinstitute.org.

If you have questions about internships or would like to get more information on how to apply and what internships are available, contact CMN’s internship coordinator Cary B. Waubanascum at 715-799-6226 ext. 3230 or by emailing cwaubanascum@menominee.edu.  For information about the internship fair, contact event organizer Julie Edler at 715-799-6226 ext. 3244 or by emailing jedler@menominee.edu

SDI Participates in Federal Outreach and Science Planning Meetings

SDI Director Chris Caldwell (right)
Photo property of http://necsc.umass.edu

Sustainable Development Institute's Involvement in NECSC: 

Chris Caldwell, College of Menominee Nation Sustainable Development Institute Director, and Dean Fellman, Director of the Center for First Americans Forestlands, recently attended two regional stakeholder meetings for the Northeast Climate Science Center (NECSC). NECSC is part of a federal network which provides scientific information, tools, and techniques to assist managers and other institutions interested in land, water, wildlife, and cultural resources to adapt to climate change.

Both regional stakeholder meetings took place in January 2013, the first at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA, and the second at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN. Chris Caldwell gave presentations at both meetings on Science -  “ Impacts of Climate Variability and Change on Cultural Resources”. Chris also facilitated small group discussions on this theme. Dean Fellman used the small group sessions to emphasize the importance of forests in the geographic region covered by NECSC, their vulnerability to climate change, and thus the need to include them as a priority resource for continued research.

Dr. Bill Van Lopik and Dr. Mike Dockry also participated as members on the CMN team to the consortium, and attended the Minneapolis meeting to participated and share their input.

Read an article about the NECSC stakeholder meeting here from the NECSC website.


Below is more information about the NECSC, partnerships, and grant and funding information:

“The Northeast Climate Science Center (NECSC) is part of a federal network of eight Climate Science Centers created to provide scientific information, tools, and techniques that managers and other parties interested in land, water, wildlife and cultural resources can use to anticipate, monitor, and adapt to climate change."

Recognizing the critical threats and unique climate challenges and the expansive and diverse
nature of the NE region, no one institution can provide the region-wide expertise on all critical
levels. Thus, the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass), College of Menominee Nation
(CMN), Columbia University (CU), Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), University of
Minnesota (UMN), University of Missouri Columbia (UMO), and University of Wisconsin-
Madison (UWI) have formed the Northeast Climate Consortium (NECC) to host the DOI
NECSC, providing the USGS with deep and diverse resources for successfully meeting the
regional needs for climate impact science assessment, education and stakeholder outreach
throughout the NE region. In addition to the host institutions, the NECSC will include several
resource management partners, including Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) that
exist, in part or whole, within the NE CSC bounds.” (More information about the NECSC can be
located on their website at http://necsc.umass.edu)

All of the domestic climate science centers are currently funded through grants from the Department of Interior (DOI), through initial 5 year awards which can be renewed. The NECSC is the most recently formed unit of the network and is in the process of developing a strategic science agenda to reflect evolving partner needs. The agenda essentially consists of seven “Science Themes” which will be validated through a process of review and input which includes regional stakeholders. Once validated, NECSC will produce an annual science plan that outlines the research goals for each fiscal year. These goals will then reflect priority research areas which will be used to select specific proposals offered via the consortium members for additional funding.

Menominee Culture and History Film Project for Education

On the afternoon of January 16th, Reynaldo Morales geared up and headed out to the Menominee forest.  Armed with a crew of educators, Menominee forestry buffs, sustainable development gurus, and a force of "POSOH" curriculum developers, he grabbed his camera and started the filming process for an eighth-grade lesson plan.


Instead of the traditional textbook way of learning, students are challenged to think about where they live and how issues may effect their everyday life. "They do their own thinking," says Hedi Lauffer, Director of the Wisconsin Fast Plants Program. Through different case studies and formats, students are exposed to new ways of integrated learning. "They get their head wrapped around the subject in a video, story, graph, audio, or other learning tools," noted Lauffer. The video is part a POSOH curriculum development  project. By involving students in different stories of land management practices through video and hands-on projects, students dive deeper into the material and learn applicable lessons.

In the sixteenth, the film crew was filming Menominee raised garden beds. Area students are able to see first-hand what this kind of management may be like. "The eighth grade unit puts an emphasis on demonstrating to students how value systems impact land management and what impacts they have on the land," says Kate Flick, SDI Education coordinator.
In this video, Jeff Grignon, Forest Development Forester for Menominee Tribal Enterprises, explains how Menominee people managed the land and how the raised gardens work.  Students get to compare and contrast this way of
land management verses a modern-day production farm and weigh the costs and benefits. At the end of the unit, students should understand how the ecosystem is impacted in land-based values.

"POSOH" works to develop place-based learning curriculum by developing multicultural learning materials and opportunities. The goal is to build student's understanding of sustainability and prepare them how to view and solve sustainability issues in the present and near future.