Air Pollutants and Impacts on Ecosystems:
Small-Group Activity
Introduction to Activity
Many sources of pollution can affect tribal lands. These may be located on or off the
reservation. The pollutants may come from a currently active source (e.g., an electric
power plant) or from a now-inactive source (e.g., a historic gold mine). The pollutants
can be transported by air or by water.
 You will work together in small groups for all parts of this activity, which builds on
what you already know and what you are learning from this course.
 Your group will create a hypothetical tribe that has concerns about air pollution and a
deteriorating ecosystem.
 Your group will describe problems in the tribe’s ecosystem and possible sources of
the pollutants causing these problems. Your group will suggest courses of action that
the tribe might take to address these concerns.
 By the end of the course, your group will have prepared a written statement and made
a presentation in a mock tribal/village council meeting (the instructors will be the
council members).
Procedure
Part 1
The instructors will assign you to a small group that will focus on your region of the
country.
In the small group, share your tribal land/ ecosystem description that you prepared for the
pre-course assignment.
Part 2
Read and discuss the regional scenario given to your group. Identify the environmental
concerns faced by the tribes in your region.
Create a hypothetical tribe and describe the concerns it has about air pollution and the
ecosystem. You can base your response on your tribal land descriptions and the regional
scenario as well as information from Internet research.
Your instructors will assign your group to focus more heavily on two particular pollutants
for your research, written statement, and presentation.
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Things to Consider and Include
 name and description of tribe
 air pollutants of concern and their possible short- and long-term impacts on the
ecosystem
 why the tribe is concerned about these impacts
 what can be done to reduce the exposure/contamination
 geographic location of the reservation
 topography
 regional climate
 weather patterns that affect transport and deposition of pollutants
 locations of possible sources (air emission sources and non-air sources of pollutants)
o mobile sources
o stationary sources
o point sources
o non-point sources
 water quality uses
 land use patterns
 types of businesses and enterprises taking place on and off the reservation (coal-bed
methane, farming, forestry, marinas, mining activities, etc.) that might have an impact
You will use the Internet to search for information throughout this activity. Possible
websites to get you started….
http://www.epa.gov/ebtpages/ecosystems.html —Ecosystems
http://www.epa.gov/ebtpages/air.html —Air
http://www.epa.gov/ebtpages/water.html —Water
http://www.epa.gov/ebtpages/pollutants.html —Pollutants/ Toxics
http://www.epa.gov/mercury/ —Mercury
http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/mdn/ —Mercury Deposition Network (MDN)
http://ca.water.usgs.gov/mercury/links.html/ —U.S.G.S. mercury links
http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/ —National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP)
http://www.epa.gov/castnet/ —Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNET)
http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/airdep/ —Air Deposition and Water Quality
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/nepa/index.html —National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA)
http://epa.gov/waterscience/standards/ —Water quality standards
http://epa.gov/waterscience/standards/wqslibrary/tribes.html —Tribal water quality
standards
http://www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/gr8water/ —Great Waters Program—air/ water
http://www.epa.gov/care/ —Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE)
Program
http://cfpub.epa.gov/oarweb/care/index.cfm?fuseaction=Guide.showIntro#/ —CARE
Resource Guide to lots of websites
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/climateresearch.html#dandp
National Climatic Data Center
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Part 3
 Write a statement, no more than a page, summarizing your concerns regarding the
deteriorating ecosystem. Be sure to include sources and impacts of the pollution, with
most of the emphasis on the two pollutants assigned by the instructors. Also include
actions the tribe might take to address these concerns.
 Prepare to present the material orally at a mock tribal/ village council meeting. You
may create a PowerPoint presentation, use flip charts, or use other props. Each
member of your group should take part in the presentation.
Part 4
Role Play—Mock Tribal/Village Council Meeting
Your group will have 15 minutes for your presentation, followed by 5 minutes for Q and
A from the tribal/ village council.
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