N O V . 2 0 2 0 • V O L . 1 • I S S U E 3 E-LO-HI VIEW E B C I D I V I S I O N O F A G R I C U L T U R E A N D N A T U R A L R E S O U R C E S

Just one of these biological “super- A heavy price comes when a species is lost, filters” can remove particles from up to especially to the community. 15 gallons of water in a single day. Our Ecosystems and their ability to sustain recent research suggests they will clean air, water and land are diminished. thrive and once again sustain Connections between wildlife and themselves, so we’re bringing them Cherokee culture involving language, back. subsistence, and art can be severed. Diverse wildlife populations are also Restoring and protecting healthy essential to many facets of the Cherokee ecosystems is at the heart of our economy. So here at Cherokee we are

- Wavy-rayed lampmussel (Lampsilis fasciola) agencies mission and fuels the passion playing are part – spending hours behind behind many of our staff. Today, the computer screens, attending meetings world faces a mass extinction crisis, upon meetings, and completing Averting a where thousands of animals and plants backbreaking field work to get our job are threatened to disappear forever done. By re-building and restoring our Crisis due to habitat loss, pollution, non- rivers and forests we can ensure that we native species and disease, and climate are not simply protecting, but also BY MIKE LAVOIE, NATURAL change. Species extinction levels are improving the natural world for future RESOURCES MANAGER believed to be 1,000 – 10,000 times the Cherokee generations. The river water took my breath away natural background rate and humans for a minute as I acclimated in my are the cause. wetsuit to the Little River’s October chill. It was an important morning. EBCI Natural Resources staff along with partners from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission and Western Carolina University were looking for mussels to stock in Cherokee waters. Freshwater mussels are believed to have been eradicated from the upper Oconaluftee River many decades ago from various sources of pollution. Their absence has diminished the river’s ability to maintain clean water and ultimately threatens the resiliency of the entire ecosystem.

- Nick Reed (Biological Technician) examining native mussels bound for stocking in the Oconaluftee River N O V . 2 0 2 0 • V O L . 1 • I S S U E 3 E-LO-HI VIEW E B C I D I V I S I O N O F A G R I C U L T U R E A N D N A T U R A L R E S O U R C E S IN THIS EDITION CONTACT INFORMATION

Averting a Crisis NC Cooperative Extension Office: Family and Consumer Sciences Facebook Classroom Chumper Walker, Extension Director: EBCI Tribal Cannery (828) 359-6930 or [email protected] EBCI Natural Resource Regulatory Office Julie Wilnoty, Finance: Horticulture Office Updates (828) 359-6938 or [email protected] Laura Lauffer, EMFS Project Director: (828) 359-6926 or [email protected] Adam Griffith, RTCAR: UPCOMING DATES (828) 359-6930 or [email protected] Tracie Edwards, Admin: (828) 359-6939 or [email protected] Christine Kanott, Cannery: Sept 1-Dec 31: Bear hunting season (828) 359-6933 or [email protected] Sept 1-Feb 28: Groundhog, fox, raccoon, opossum and Tammy Jackson, Community Development: coyote hunting season (828) 359-6934 or [email protected] Oct 1-Jan 1: Squirrel hunting season Janet Owle, Family and Consumer Sciences: Oct 1-Feb 28: Grouse hunting season (828) 359-6937 or [email protected] Nov 19th : Community Club Officers Emergency Sally Dixon, 4H Youth Development: Preparedness Review & Facebook/Virtual Training 6:30 – (828) 359-6936 or [email protected] 8:30 pm in the Extension Office Classroom. For more Benjamin Collette, Agriculture: information or if you have any questions please contact (828) 359-6928 or [email protected] Tammy Jackson, EBCI Community Development Coordinator at 828-359-6934. Natural Resources office: Nov 19-Jan 31: Rabbit hunting and trapping season Joseph Owle, Secretary of Agriculture & Natural Resources: December 7th: AgriBusiness Summit, Experience a one- (828) 359-6260 or [email protected] day conference developed specifically with food, Michael J. LaVoie, Natural Resources Manager: beverage and agriculture based businesses in mind. 828- (828) 359-6113 or [email protected] 339-4211 Paula Price, Program Coordinator: (828) 359-6110 or [email protected] Brittany Mathis, Fiscal/Grants Coordinator: (828) 359-6112 or [email protected] Michael Bolt, Water Quality Section Supervisor: (828) 359-6225 or [email protected] Dylan Rose, Watershed Coordinator: (828) 359-6093 or [email protected] Tommy Cabe, Forest Resource Specialist: (828) 359-6225 or [email protected] Maria Dunlavey, Conservation Outreach Coordinator: (828) 359-6141 or [email protected] Katie Tiger, Air Quality Supervisor: (828) 359-6115 or [email protected] Caleb Hickman, Supervisory Fish and Wildlife Biologist: (828) 359-6109 or [email protected] Micah Walker, Lead Wildlife Biologist: (828) 359-6108 or [email protected] David Anderson, Horticulture Operations Supervisor: (828) 359-6099 or [email protected] Doug Reed, Hatchery Supervisor: (828) 359-6097 or [email protected] David Rowland, Fish Culturist: (828) 359-6096 or [email protected] Gary Sneed, Environmental Regulatory Specialist: (828) 359-6119 or [email protected] Derek Tahquette, Environmental Compliance Specialist: (828) 359-6119 or [email protected] Family and Consumer Sciences Facebook Classroom

BY JANET OWLE In November, the Lifelong Improvement through Fitness Together (LIFT) classes

EBCI Cooperative Extension Family and return and will be held Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 9 AM. LIFT is a Consumer Sciences (FCS) program is an strength-training program that promotes balance and flexibility with the goal of educational program that strengthens and improving functional fitness and independent living in older adults. However, it transforms families through evidence-based is a great program for anyone who is beginning their healthy living journey. classes on important issues that affect our Join our EBCI Extension FCS Classroom at community. The core FCS programs are www.facebook.com/groups/EBCIExtensionFCS . Other classes that can be found nutrition, health, food safety, and home food in the classroom include Sewing Basics and Personal Finance, with more classes preservation. In addition to the core classes, to come including classes for youth. Hope to see you there! other programs that are addressed include important community issues related to housing, parenting, family resource management, human development and aging. Since COVID-19 has temporarily stopped in- person classes, we have adjusted the way we deliver our programs to a virtual setting. In October, an EBCI Extension FCS Classroom was opened on Facebook to help deliver programs to our community. Inside the classroom, programs are delivered through a variety of methods including three-minute demonstration videos, recorded instructional classes, as well as, live classes. On November 2, 2020 we started the Med Instead of Meds program that focuses on the Mediterranean Way of eating. In this series, we are looking at how we can prevent and control chronic diseases and promote overall health by eating the “Med Way”.

"The core FCS programs are nutrition, health, food safety, and home food preservation."

— JANET OWLE

E A S T E R N B A N D O F C H E R O K E E I N D I A N S EBCI Tribal Cannery

BY CHRISTINE KANOTT

The Tribal Cannery has had a busy year. We Our farmers have harvested their Flower corn for cornmeal or are now at the end of October. With the Hominy. And most have dug their Potatoes. It would be an stunning leaves changing in front of our eyes, understatement to say that we have all been busy. Under hay rides, corn mazes and children curving these trying times with the virus we follow the Chiefs Orders, their Pumpkins for Halloween. The crisp but we are going to try to stay open until Christmas Break. If cooler weather rolling in reminding us all of you have something we can assist you with please TEXT 828 our CHEROKEE BRAVES football. 2020 has 736 9203 or call and leave a message. been a challenging year to say the least. We have all practiced our 3w’s and hunkered down at home during this Covid 19 pandemic. Something we never thought would happen. But we have all pulled together to protect our families and love ones. At the cannery we are now in full swing with preserving our pumpkin’s for pies and pumpkin rolls. And lots of apples for apple butter, spiced apples, and apple pie filling. Not to forget the apple jelly. Many have also gathered their WISHI mushrooms to preserve, picked up chestnuts for chestnut bread and black walnuts for cakes and cookies. Most of us have planted our Winter turnip and mustard greens.

"Many have also gathered their WISHI mushrooms to preserve, picked up chestnuts for chestnut bread and black walnuts for cakes and cookies."

— CHRISTINE KANOTT

E A S T E R N B A N D O F C H E R O K E E I N D I A N S EBCI Natural Resource Regulatory Office

BY DEREK TAHQUETTE

The EBCI Natural Resource Regulatory Office is responsible In future newsletters I will go into each of our responsibilities in for evaluating and monitoring environmental conditions greater depth and detail how they affect members of the that could degrade the environment on EBCI tribal lands. Cherokee community. We are available to consult anyone who This office enforces and monitors compliance with federal has any questions about developing commercial property, and tribal codes. We are responsible for monitoring building or remodeling homes, or any other projects there may underground storage tanks compliance, erosion and be questions about. Please contact our office early in the sediment control, hazardous materials disposal, development process to ensure compliance with federal and commercial project review, wetland and stream impacts, tribal codes and to avoid any lengthy delays. If anyone has floodplain management, and addressing any complaints or complaints or concerns about any ongoing activities on tribal concerns the surrounding community may have about please contact the EBCI Regulatory Office, we will keep all environmental concerns. To summarize our responsibilities complaints confidential. Our contact info is Derek Tahquette our main goal is to prevent and mitigate contamination to (828)359-6118 & Gary Sneed (828)359-6119. the waters, land, and air on tribal lands.

- Before and after views of an erosion control project. Our office worked with the landowner to revegetate the site.

"our main goal is to prevent and mitigate contamination to the waters, land, and air on tribal lands."

— DEREK TAHQUETTE

E A S T E R N B A N D O F C H E R O K E E I N D I A N S Horticulture Office Updates The EPA granted funds to the Horticulture Office for use to assist with pesticide related projects. The funds are being used to purchase shared use equipment for tribal farmers, pollinator habitat development, invasive species treatment, BY DAVID ANDERSON educational materials, and to develop an integrated pest management plan for The EBCI Horticulture Office has had a very tribal agricultural leases. A partnership with BASF-Living Acres led to the busy and successful year despite the donation of 890 milkweed transplants, 6 different native milkweed species, that coronavirus outbreak. The Horticulture Office will be installed in the Natural Resources field at Kituwah, for the creation of has worked this year to implement two grants monarch butterfly habitat. In the fall of the year the is located the office received from The University of along the “Butterfly Highway”, an annual migration route of monarch butterflies at Chapel Hill and from the from the eastern and Canada to Mexico. The Horticulture Office Environmental Protection Agency. The also produced 1,065 different native plant species that included but not limited Healthy Native North Carolinians Grant to pawpaw (Asimina triloba), pignut or black hickory (Carya glabra), elderberry received from UNC-Chapel Hill will be used to (Sambucus canadensis), and river cane (Arundinaria gigantea). If you have any purchase a new cooling unit for tribal seed questions for the Horticulture Office, please contact the Horticulture Operations banking, educational programming regarding Supervisor David Anderson at his office 828-359-6099, or cell 828-788-3960, or traditional plants, community garden by email at [email protected]. development, and to install a botanical teaching area for the community.

"A partnership with BASF-Living Acres led to the donation of 890 milkweed transplants, 6 different native milkweed species..."

— DAVID ANDERSON

E A S T E R N B A N D O F C H E R O K E E I N D I A N S