Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
of the people. Across the YRITWC science efforts, we realize that the fusion
of both modern science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge is fundamental
in protecting and preserving the Yukon River for future generations.
The Healing Journey becomes a way to promote the river and build allies, while
reconnecting the Indigenous communities with its waters.
Departments
To carry out its mission, the Council is organized into five distinct, but
complementary, departments including: Sustainable Lands, Solid Waste, Science,
Circuit Rider, and Energy.
The Sustainable Lands department's central responsibility is to coordinate the
Brownfields Tribal Response Program. Cleaning and redeveloping contaminated
sites containing hazard substances and pollutants or contaminants is a huge issue
in rural Alaska, where waste disposal is incredibly expensive due to the terrain and
lack of infrastructure to move bulky items. Rural communities in Alaska and the
Yukon are particularly vulnerable to contaminated lands because of their extreme
poverty (in some areas with the highest poverty rates per capita in North America),
coupled with growing political influence of resource extractive industries (whose
wealth does not tend to empower the local communities).
Contaminated sites are of particular concern for under-represented and
marginalized communities, including First Nations and Native Americans. The
link between poverty and contamination is well documented through environ-
mental justice literature (Boyd, 2012). Originally, the environmental justice move-
ment tended to focus on links between urban poverty and industrialization, but
increasingly scholars are documenting the links between Indigenous communities
and environmental justice (Westra, 2008; Holifield, 2012).
The YRITWC (2013) identifies the following examples of Brownfields within
the Yukon Watershed:
•
old or illegal dumps;
•
petroleum spills;
•
abandoned or idle structures with lead paint, asbestos, or other hazardous
materials;
•
old fuel storage areas or former gas stations;
•
mine-scarred lands.
The disposal of solid waste is also a key area of concern within the Yukon
Watershed. The frozen tundra environment and the remote nature of much of the
watershed with limited transportation makes removal of waste very expensive and
the health and environmental concerns of leached contaminants high. To address
these issues the YRITWC started a Backhaul Program in 2004 to address solid
waste issues in the watershed, including removing materials that are possible soil,
air, and water contaminants. Between 2004 and 2008, the program removed and
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