Environmental Studies 600 Capstone “Water Stewardship and Sovereignty in the Bad River Ojibwe Community” (2014 & 2015) capstones focus on water stewardship by the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s stewardship of a pristine tributary and internationally renowned wetland within the Lake Superior Basin. Threats to the Tribe’s water resources include climate change, mineral mining, and invasive species.
The Bad River Chippewa are exemplary in their incorporation of both Native and western science to address these water issues. Students in this capstone visit the Bad River Reservation to learn first-hand about Indigenous environmental philosophy and practice. Integrating ecology, water resource management, environmental health, mapping, and science communications, we work directly with tribal members on products that were useful to the Bad River Chippewa as they shape environmental policies that protect their culture and their homeland.
Please visit the Bad River Capstone
Please explore the 2015 Capstone Syllabus
Tyler Falls. During a fieldwork trip, students snowshoed through Copper Falls State Park to explore the Mashkii Ziibi (Medicine River).
Students in the 2014 course next to Copper Falls.
Copper Falls, part of Mashkii Ziibi, during winter.
Students in the 2015 course explored Frog Bay Tribal National Park (FBTNP) on the Red Cliff Reservation during a fieldwork trip. The first park of its kind, FBTNP is part of the Frog Creek Conservation Management Area, which protects around 300 acres of the surrounding watershed.
Students gathering community feedback on projects for the 2015 course. Students also had the opportunity to interact with the Bad River Water and Culture Map.