Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Environment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Secretary Christina Justice outlines seed bank, watershed planning grant and 5,500-pound e-waste haul
Summary
At a Cherokee Nation Resource Committee meeting, Secretary of Natural Resources Christina Justice detailed a Jan. 13–Feb. 13 seed bank with 28 varieties, a planning grant for the Illinois River watershed, a Dec. 4 e-waste collection that yielded 5,500 pounds, and a fire-season safety reminder.
Secretary of Natural Resources Christina Justice told the Cherokee Nation Resource Committee that the nation will open a seed bank from Jan. 13 through Feb. 13, offering 28 seed varieties — 14 heirloom and 14 native — available through the Gadooi portal. Justice said community organizations may also apply to the separate “harvesting our heritage” program, which is designed to provide larger quantities of seed for community distribution; applications are requested by Feb. 11.
Justice said the department will accept applications through the seedbank portal and that staff can be contacted for assistance; she asked applicants to use the posted website contact or reach out to the Natural Resources office if they need help with submissions. “We have 28 varieties, 14 heirloom and 14 native seed varieties for people to choose from,” Justice said.
Justice also highlighted a Dec. 4 environmental programs e-waste event at the complex that collected 5,500 pounds of electronics and devices to keep them out of landfills. “That was really an awesome event,” she said, noting the haul included computers and cell phones.
On grant activity, Justice said the nation received a competitive planning award (the grant was described as having been known previously as the America the Beautiful program) to support planning work for the Illinois River watershed. She said the project is a partnership among several entities, including the Grand River Dam Authority, the Illinois River Watershed Partnership and The Nature Conservancy, and that Cherokee Nation programs will participate in the planning work, which begins this month.
Justice closed her report with a reminder about heightened fire risk and asked communities to remain vigilant. She said the nation’s land- and fire-management teams have been busy and asked citizens to report fires promptly and take precautions.
The committee did not vote on any actions tied to the natural-resources items; Justice and staff said they would provide additional data on request.
