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The Fond du Lac Natural Resource Program has been working on 

 a large FERC Relicensing project on the St. Louis River. 

 The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regulations 

 and their application and interpretation by FERC have been a 

 major problem for Tribes and Federal and State resource 

 agencies. In order to protect the instream flows, and 

 restore the watershed and wetland ecosystems which have been 

 adversely impacted by the hydropower system, we recommend 

 the changes as stated within this report. Specifically, we 

 will be sending a letter to President Clinton to appoint 

 FERC Commissioners which are sensitive to Tribal resource 

 concerns and support equal value protection of ecological 

 and non-power values. Furthermore, the EPA along with the 

 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should be able to recommend 

 and require operational changes of hydropower systems which 

 affect the water quality, instream flow, and watershed 

 ecosystems. Funds should be provided by the hydro-power 

 companies in order for Federal, Tribal, and state resource 

 agencies to maintain, enhance, and restore the affected 

 aquatic resources. The FERC should be reformed in order to 

 reflect the changes suggested here, and in the Report. 

 These reforms have also been recommended jointly by the 

 Izaak Walton League and American Rivers. 



The 1991 Wetlands Delineation Manual should be revised 

 according to regional variations and recommendations of the 

 National Academy of Sciences. The restoration and 

 maintenance of wild rice in its natural environment (not to 

 be confused with "paddy rice") should also be addressed in 

 all federal regulations and programs involving wetland 

 protection and enhancement. Wild rice is a genetically 

 diverse "wild crop" which is becoming endangered in many 

 wetland ecosystems. 



Our Natural Resource Program is currently working on a large 

 wetland and wild rice restoration project on the 

 Reservation. We are also cooperating with the Minnesota 

 Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and other Bands on a 

 Wild Rice Council which is trying to address the issue of 

 the loss of unique wild rice beds on many lakes and rivers. 



We strongly recommend that Tribal (93-638) Natural Resource 

 Programs should be dealt with as a separate program within 

 the BIA, and not through the Forestry Program. Furthermore, 

 the funds for Natural Resource Programs should be allocated 

 more directly in this same fashion, and more support for 

 these programs and our environmental needs is also needed. 



In order to address the serious concerns we have about the 

 mercury contamination of the fish from our regional lakes 

 and rivers, we have conducted extensive research on 

 assessing the levels of mercury in fish, and initiated a 

 study of mercury levels in subsistence fishermen. A copy of 

 our most recent mercury Assessment, Mercurv Concentrations 



FOND DU LAC, R.B.C." 



