The Ponca Tribe Office of Environmental Management is responsible for the environmental health of the Ponca People. We are generally funded exclusively by grants from the EPA, BIA, IHS, and/or ANA. We are a small staff of well-trained and well- educated professionals committed to protecting the local environment and the lives it supports. Soon to be housed in the brand new Clyde Warrior Multipurpose Building, the OEM hopes to expand our services in the future by providing a centralized trash and recycling collection facility and other innovative approaches to addressing the environmental needs of the Ponca People.
Our Current Projects: EPA General Assistance Program:
This program funds the Director and Office Manager and provides money for office space, supplies, and certain small projects. Most of these projects have centered on wetlands, which are a very important ecosystem, especially when discussing traditional Native lifestyles.
EPA Solid Waste:
This program is one of the premier Tribal Solid Waste programs in the country. With 6 years of funding, we have cleaned and closed more than 20 illegal dumpsites, instituted a recycling program, purchased equipment, and received valuable training regarding all manner of solid waste issues. We have just submitted a grant proposal that, if funded, will build a transfer station inside White Eagle that will serve as a centralized waste collection center for the entire community. EPA Hazardous Waste:
Our hazardous waste project is winding to a close. It had two main focuses – 1. Collect household hazardous waste from Tribal members (paint, pesticides, etc.), and 2. learn to use our new drilling rig so that we can conduct groundwater monitoring projects in the future. The household hazardous waste event was held in October 2006 in conjunction with City of Ponca City and Conoco/Phillips, Inc. With more than 600 visitors, it was the most successful event that the City has ever held, and we look forward to future projects with Ponca.
The drilling rig is an acquisition that the Tribe made from our GSA Government surplus program, where we can obtain equipment that the federal government no longer needs. This is an extremely sophisticated piece of equipment, worth over 300,000 dollars, that can drill a sampling hole and take measurements along the way. With no means to obtain direct training, OEM staff have been studying manuals (there’s an entire box of them), and working with the machine to learn its operation. In the future, we hope to be able to install groundwater monitoring wells at strategic locations throughout Tribal lands to develop an understanding of the possible or actual contamination that decades of heavy industry has introduced into our groundwater. BIA Mineral Assessment Program:
This project allows us to hire a geologist as a consultant to study our lands and look for the best possible places to drill for oil and natural gas. While this entire area has been developed heavily, the river structures in our subsurface are very complex. Equipment for studying that subsurface gets better with each year, so that possible oil and gas traps that couldn’t be identified 30 years ago may be apparent now. Also, big companies in the past were out for the easy finds, so geologists weren’t allowed to study the area in great detail. With the price of oil continuing to climb, small fields that weren’t worth developing in the 60’s and 70’s may become more worthwhile now. The consultant we’ve hired has decades of experience in Oklahoma oil and gas developing, and is conducting an exhaustive (and very impressive) search for that “Texas Tea.”
ANA Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requires that all States, Counties, Municipalities, and Tribes develop and implement a Pre-Disaster Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan. This plan establishes all the steps to be taken once a natural disaster (tornado, flood, etc.) occurs. The value of the plan is that it is already developed prior to the disaster, taking a lot of the guess work and panic out of the activities following a crisis. It also allows us to know who is supposed to do what, and even allows us to respond preemptively in some situations to minimize damage or loss of life.
Our Personnel Environmental Director:
Jesse Beck:
Jesse has been working with the Ponca Tribe for almost 8 years. He has a B.S. in Geology and Geophysics from the University of Missouri at Rolla.
Solid Waste Coordinator
Jerome Warrior:
Jerry has worked with the OEM for over 4 years. He is a Marine Corps veteran with decades of heavy equipment, demolition, and construction experience, and is intimately familiar with the needs and the ways of the Ponca People.
Environmental Scientist
Melissa Palma
Melissa is a new addition to our Team. She has a B.S. in Analytical Chemistry from The Evergreen State College in Washington State. Her current primary job function is to develop our Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan. She will also be responsible for collecting soil samples when needed, and will perform other duties requiring an experienced and knowledgeable scientific hand.
Phone: (580) 765-2218
Mailing Address: 20 White Eagle Drive, Ponca City, OK 74601
