INDIGENOUS SCIENCE. Fort Berthold Community College's Dr. Kerry Hartman worked to create an Environmental Science program. Photo by Shannon Fox

Students at Fort Berthold Community College (FBCC, New Town, ND) have spent their entire lives hearing about the environmental issues facing the Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara). Located on the high plains of northwestern North Dakota, the area contains rich coal and oil resources, the development of which can damage air and water quality. Many tribal members hunt and fish and care deeply about wildlife. Development in some places has destroyed wildlife habitat as well as the native plants that tribal members use for medicine and ceremonies.

Currently, oil development is exploding. Dozens of oil wells in the vicinity flare natural gas into the air, treating it as a waste product. In the most recent controversy, oil companies have proposed off-shore drilling in Lake Sakakawea, the giant reservoir that splits the Fort Berthold Reservation in two. The conflicts create opportunities for scientists, who must monitor water wells, write environmental impact statements, search for endangered species, restore native plants, and test the reservoir fish populations.

For 27 years, Kerry Hartman, Ph.D., has devoted his life to preparing residents of the reservation for careers in science. Now, in response to student demand, he is spearheading the development of a four-year Environmental Science degree at the tribal college.

In the early ‘90s, he spearheaded efforts that developed several two-year degrees at the college – Environmental Science, Science, and Math. Since that time, about 25 to 30 tribal members have graduated from FBCC with those degrees. In the past nine years many of those graduates began asking when the college was going to offer a four-year degree.

Hartman says that this student interest and the escalating environmental problems made it obvious the time was right to offer a four-year degree in Environmental Science. But in order to offer a four-year degree, the tribal college needed faculty with a Ph.D. to teach those courses. The time must have been right, indeed, because the opportunity arose for Hartman to get his Ph.D. from South Dakota State University through its Prairie Ph.D. program, which targets tribal college faculty. Hartman completed his Ph.D. in spring 2008. Then a grant was written and funded.

Hartman says the work involved many people. “I want to recognize Kyle Patterson, Dr. Clarice (Big Back Baker), the college administration, and the board for supporting the effort,” Hartman says. “We are thankful that the National Science Foundation’s Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) saw the need for the program and funded it.”

The five-year project is called “Doka Hog Mahoo” (Where Do We Come From?). The grant provides for three cohorts of 10 students who have previously completed their two-year Environmental Science degrees. The students in a cohort will start at the same time, take the courses together, and support each other through their curriculum. The first cohort will be accepted in Fall 2010. Hartman hopes the students will all graduate and then “stay here and help us investigate, protect, and remediate the environment.”

JUNE BERRIES. Dr. Kerry Hartman, in cap, works with STEM students to plant June berries as part of the Environmental Science program. Photo by Shannon Fox

The grant is just a means of getting started. The college plans to continue offering the degree after the grant period ends. “The grant fits well in strengthening and expanding our ongoing research activities,” Hartman explains. It will augment the tribal college’s partnerships with Minot State University, North Dakota State University, North Dakota Association of Tribal Colleges, and NASA/American Indian Higher Education Consortium.

The grant provides for canvassing tribal members to find out what environmental issues most concern them. Hartman says, “The results will guide our research and focus our educational efforts. If the tribal members are concerned about air quality or habitat destruction or the impact of oil development on water quality, then that’s what we will focus on.”

The tribal college is also developing two other new, fouryear degree programs – Indigenous Studies, and Elementary Education with an emphasis in Science and Math. All three emphasize cultural relevance, cultural inclusion, and constructivism. Hartman is also involved in a new project involving the tribal college and the University of North Dakota called “Beyond the Earth,” which will enrich classes with culturally relevant astronomy materials.

All these projects involve input from the tribal elders regarding the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara culture, including science, history, and language, according to Hartman. “It’s going to be exciting for our science programs to better fulfill the college’s mission of providing quality cultural, academic, and vocational education and services to the Three Affiliated Tribes. It’s also extraordinarily timely, in light of the ongoing oil development and its negative environmental impact.”

Asked why he is so passionate about his work, Hartman says, “My personal fanaticism for decades has been protecting Mother Earth. I see this as a good way to do this and pass it on.”

Sarah Dea (Choctaw/Cherokee) teaches English composition, public speaking, and journalism at Fort Berthold Community College. Born and raised in Texas, she taught English at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, TX; at Louisiana State University; and at Baton Rouge Community College. She now makes North Dakota her home.