Field Trips

UST Inspection Field Trip to Shakopee Dakota Convenience Store #2 

Monday: 8:30am-1:30pm

On this field trip you will have the chance to learn all about UST system equipment and operations at a real live tribal UST site. During the mock inspection you will learn how to determine compliance at UST sites. Once on-site, you will break up into three small groups and then perform inspections on the tank pad, near one of the islands, and in the back room by the tank gauge. Please dress appropriately for real world field work, and bring water, snacks, and what you need to be comfortable during this time. Attendees will be able to buy themselves food for lunch at the gas station where the mock inspection takes place. 

Reawakening a Sacred Space: From Brownfield to Sanctuary - Plus a Volunteer Opportunity!

Monday: 9:00am - 2:30pm

On this special field trip you will join our friends from Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi, a Native-led environmental stewardship nonprofit centered in Dakota values. You will start at their new Wakan Tipi offices, which recently opened at Wakan Tipi/Bruce Vento Nature Preserve, where WTA staff will introduce you to the site and their work. You will then work with them on removing invasive plant species at the preserve. After lending them a hand, they will provide you with lunch and then take you on a tour of the site.

Before European contact, this area was a vibrant floodplain on the Mississippi River, and provided a perfect place for Dakota people to make their homes. But industrial development devastated the area for a century. Wetlands were filled in, chemicals and toxins polluted the soil and water. The entrance to Wakan Tipi, sacred caves to the Dakota people, were destroyed. The land was eventually abandoned and used as an informal dumping ground. In 1997 members of the community came together to form what became Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi, and they began to restore the land. What was a blighted land is now a vibrant nature sanctuary and reawakened space of culture and tradition. You will be able to play a part in helping repair past damage, and learn the story of how Indigenous community members, Dakota Nations, local nonprofits, and city and state entities have worked together to achieve these successes. Be prepared for pulling weeds, and bring water, sunscreen, and anything else you would want in the field. Lunch will be provided by our wonderful hosts.

Penta Wood Products Superfund Site

Monday: 9:00am-3:30pm

The Penta Wood Products site is in the unincorporated town of Daniels in Burnett County, Wisconsin. An inactive wood treatment facility is located on an 80-acre parcel of the 120-acre property. The facility operated from 1953 to 1992 and used a chemical called pentachlorophenol, or PCP, to treat wood posts and telephone poles by dipping them in an open tank. The facility contaminated soil and groundwater with PCP and arsenic by dumping process wastes at various locations on the site, spilling chemicals, and using poor operating practices. The tour will cover the history of the Site, recent actions taken at the Site, and will give an overview of the entities involved in the cleanup decisions for the Site. Be sure to wear long pants, good shoes and bring plenty of water, a lunch, and snacks! This field trip will include about 1 1/2 hours of walking on uneven terrain. 

Emerging Contaminants and the Impact of on Food Sovereignty at Prairie Island Indian Community 

Monday: 9:30am-3:30pm

Tinta Wita (Prairie Island Dakota Community) is a federally recognized Tribe that is situated along the western shore of the Mississippi River downstream of Minneapolis-Saint Paul. For the Bdewakantunwan, or “those who were born of the waters,” protecting waterways is about protecting the culture and creation story of the community. Many of community’s traditional foods such as wild rice, arrowhead root, fish, muskrat, waterfowl, and maple syrup rely on the health and well-being of the rich wetlands surrounding Prairie Island. However, emerging contaminants such as PFAS pose a threat to the Tribe’s sovereignty. Within the geography of the 3M PFAS contamination settlement zone, the Community is working to revitalize traditional food practices through gardens, wild harvest events, and wild rice restoration. This field trip will include a full day tour at Tinta Wita to learn more about the thriving food sovereignty efforts and how the community is coming together to address the impact of emerging contaminants. Please bring a water bottle and sunscreen for this field trip. Lunch will be provided by our generous hosts.

Culture, Housing, Healthcare, and More: Redevelopment in Minneapolis 

Monday: 12:30pm-4:00pm

Join us for an urban brownfield tour like no other. The heart of downtown Minneapolis is home to several truly transformational and uplifting redevelopment projects led by Minnesota’s Native American community. The sites highlight two urban nonprofit organizations and a Tribal Nation traditionally situated in far northern Minnesota. Each spearheaded unique projects designed to meet the needs of urban Native American residents. The first stop will be Bimosedaa, Ojibwe for “let’s walk together”, which offers deeply affordable, permanent, supportive housing for members of the Native community who have experienced homelessness. The project was collaboratively developed by the Red Lake Nation and Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative. The next stop will be Red Lake Tribal College the first Tribal college located within an urban center. The third stop will feature the Native American Community Clinic which is undergoing an expansion that will add 80 affordable apartments unit above the currently operating clinic. Many apartments will be large enough for families and 20 will be designated for people living with disabilities and who have experienced homelessness. The final stop will be the Minneapolis American Indian Center. Founded in 1975, the Minneapolis American Indian Center was one of the first American Indian Centers of its kind in the county. The recent expansion of the facility allows for even more programming focused on family services, culture and language arts, workforce innovation and more. We’ll end the tour at their Woodland Indian Crafts Giftshop, which offers a unique selection of handmade gifts created by local artists and has been a staple of the Minneapolis American Indian Center for more than four decades. Plan to eat lunch before you join the field trip.  

Taking Composting to the Next Level: A Visit to Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux's New Composting Facility

Monday: 1:30pm-4:00pm

Some of you may have toured the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s composting operation in the past, which began in 2011. In June 2023 they broke ground on a new and expanded facility, which you can now tour. This new Dakota Prairie Composting facility has three times the processing capacity of the old SMSC Organics Recycling facility, which makes it the largest composting facility in the Midwest. On this tour you will meet with facility staff and get an overview of the facility and Nation’s commitment to caring for all our relations followed by a tour of the facility. Please wear close-toed shoes, and be prepared for dusty, windy, muddy conditions depending on the weather. Be sure you have water and snacks.