Char Spruce, Environmental Specialist
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community
 Federally recognized
 L’Anse & Ontonagon
Reservations
 3,500 members; 1,000
reside on or near L’Anse
Reservation
 Situated along shores of
Lake Superior
 Rural, mixed land use
 19 miles of shoreline,
3,000 acres of wetlands,
80 miles of rivers
 Baraga Co. Population:
9,000
 Reservation Pop.: 3,800
 Villages of Baraga &
L’Anse
 Enterprises
 Ojibwa Casino, Ojibwa
Casino II
 Pines Convenience Center
 Eagle Radio
• Improper waste
management
• Lack of solid waste
service
• Very little waste
reduction or
diversion
Open Dump
Cleanup
(TSWMA), 2006
Int. Solid Waste
Management Plan,
approved 2005
Solid
Waste
Issues
Solid Waste
Management
Facility (IHS,
TSWMA)
EPA Pilot Peer
Match
 Voluntary exchange of information
 One tribe has technical assistance needs and one (or
more) other tribes has technical expertise in that same
subject area.
 Tribe(s) with technical expertise mentors tribe
requesting assistance.
 Intended to complete a specific technical task.
 RCRA authorized EPA to provide technical assistance
 Technical assistance focused on implementing SWMP
and enabling recycling
 Peer match can be productive, cost effective, culturally
relevant method of providing technical assistance on a
wide range of waste related topics
 Approached by EPA
 Specific Task: Develop Transfer Station
 Matched with Peer Tribes
 Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
 Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
 Schedule/Timeline
 Conference Calls
 Information Exchange
 Travel Funding
 Site Visits
 Approaching construction phase
Bad River
Carlton County
(MN) Transfer
Station
Fond du Lac
 Information Exchange
 Facility specifications & design review
 Expenses/revenues
 Staffing needs
 Recycling/Materials Recovery opportunities
 Site Visits – hands-on knowledge
 1 more tool in toolbox
 Low or no cost
 Peer-to-peer relationships
 KBIC Solid Waste Facility – completed 2014
 Commitments
 Time
 Travel
 Challenges
 Project delays!
 Internal challenges
A big thank you to:
Peer Match Tribes & EPA Region 5!!
Char Spruce, Environmental Specialist
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Natural Resources Department
14359 Pequaming Road
L’Anse, MI 49946
(906) 524-5757 extension 14
cspruce@kbic-nsn.gov