VE, EWB Complete Initial Survey of Wounded Knee Sewage Lagoon

On May 26th April Tischer and Mark Perry from Engineers Without Borders - CSU met with David Bartecchi from Village Earth, Calvin White Butterfly from the Wounded Knee District Economic Development Association and Stanley Hollow Horn, Wounded Knee Community President, to do an initial assessment of Wounded Knee's wastewater lagoon system. Village Earth has been working closely with Calvin and the Wounded Knee Communit Board on this problem to help access the resources such as Engineers Without Borders. There is still a great deal of work that needs to be done to fix the system which backs up into people's homes during the summer months. Currently, we are working to bring all of the various stakeholders together with the community including the Oglala Sioux Tribe's Rural Water Program, Indian Health Services, engineers and funding agencies. Networking is a fundamental part of how Village Earth helps support community-based efforts on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

Planting Begins for Village Earth Supported Gardening Projects on Pine Ridge

Planting has begun for gardeners across the reservation! Village Earth is currently supporting the Lone Buffalo project run by the Red Cloud Tiyospaye (11 families) and the Red Shirt Table Community Gardening Project (5 families). Both projects are utilizing organic gardening practices and worm composting and have plans to distribute their vegetables to other families on the reservation in the fall as well as preserve foods for the winter. Plowing of fields was done with the help of Running Strong for American Indian Youth. We are also supporting efforts to grow traditional herbs and high value specialty crops. In June of 2005 the Lone Buffalo project will erect an 80' X 40' greenhouse which will be used to start plants that can be grown by families across the reservation for personal ceremonial use or sale.



Above: Henry Red Cloud planting tomatoes on the Lone Buffalo Garden located in the community of Payabya.




Henry Red Cloud teaching his children how the plant tomatoes.



John (The Worm Man) Anderson teaches methods for sorting the worms from the nutrient rich compost which will become food for the plants.



Teca-Wi Red Cloud making sure all the worms make it back into the strawbale worm bin.




John Anderson instructs members of the Red Shirt Table Gardening Project on organic methods to eradicate weeds in their gardens.