Prior Lake, Minnesota– The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development has named the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) one of 30 semi-finalists from across the country for its prestigious Honoring Nations Award. The SMSC was initially nominated for the award and then later submitted an application in the field of “Conservation Stewards” for its efforts to protect and preserve the environment.
“We are pleased to have been nominated for our efforts to take care of the environment. It is important to protect it for future generations so that they might flourish,” said SMSC Chairman Stanley R. Crooks. “Our Community members have made this a priority.”
This year 110 applications from 69 Indian nations and 10 inter-tribal collaborations were received. “The quality of the applicant pool was extremely impressive, and after evaluating each of the applications on the criteria of effectiveness, significance, cultural relevance, transferability, and sustainability, the senior management of the Harvard Project came to the consensus that your application should advance into the next round of evaluation as a semifinalist. Congratulations!” wrote Amy Besaw Medford, Director of Honoring Nations.
As a steward of the land, the SMSC engages in a number of restoration activities to preserve and protect the land for future generations. The SMSC Land Department and Natural Resources Department has re-established native prairies and wetlands on more than 500 acres of former farmland. Prescribed burns are used to maintain and improve native prairie conditions on the reservation. Wild rice is sowed in Community wetlands. Maple sap is collected from Community trees, and maple syrup is made. Honey is made from bees which forage on Community lands. Trees and other native flora are planted. Environmental specialists are also active in restoring and managing wetlands, surveying wildlife, and taking an inventory of existing natural communities. Hydrologists assess water quality, coordinate the Community’s Wellhead Protection Program, plan projects to improve water quality, and implement erosion control.
The SMSC is aggressively pursuing alternative energy solutions to meet its growing needs. Koda Energy, a biomass facility currently under construction, will become operational in December 2008. Solar panels will be installed on top of the fire station. A second 31,000 square foot green roof containing thousands of live plants will be planted atop the ice arena to open in October 2008.
A Water Reclamation Facility using state of the art technology produces water clean enough to drink and a biosolid usable as fertilizer from sanitary wastewater.
The SMSC will announce several other exciting environmental initiatives in the coming months.
Honoring Contributions in the Governance of American Indian Nations (Honoring Nations) identifies, celebrates, and shares outstanding examples of tribal governance. Created in 1998, the program has awarded 92 Contributions demonstrating excellence and innovation while addressing critical concerns and challenges facing the more than 560 Indian nations and their citizens. Honorees serve as sources of knowledge and inspiration throughout Indian Country and beyond. Honoring Nations is administered by the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development (Harvard Project) at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and is a proud member of a worldwide family of “governmental best practices programs.”
The SMSC utilizes its financial resources from gaming and non-gaming enterprises to pay for all of the internal infrastructure of the Tribe, including but not limited to roads, water and sewer systems, emergency services, and essential services to its Tribal members in education, health, and welfare. The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community has a charitable giving program which comes from a cultural and social tradition to assist those in need. Over the past several years the SMSC has donated more than $115 million to charitable organizations and Indian Tribes, including more than $19 million already in fiscal year 2008. The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, a federally recognized Indian Tribe in Minnesota, is the owner and operator of Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, Little Six Casino, Playworks, Dakotah! Sport and Fitness, The Meadows at Mystic Lake, and other enterprises on a reservation south of the Twin Cities.
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