Grantee Research Project Results

2013 Progress Report: Understanding the Cumulative Affects of Environmental and Psycho-Social Stressors that Threaten the Pohlik-lah and Ner-er-ner Lifeway: The Yurok Tribe’s Approach

EPA Grant Number: R833708
Title: Understanding the Cumulative Affects of Environmental and Psycho-Social Stressors that Threaten the Pohlik-lah and Ner-er-ner Lifeway: The Yurok Tribe’s Approach
Investigators: Sloan, Kathleen , Steinberg, Steven J , Steinberg, Sheila , Fluharty, Suzanne
Institution: Yurok Tribe Environmental Program , Humboldt State University
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: July 1, 2008 through December 31, 2012 (Extended to December 31, 2013)
Project Period Covered by this Report: October 1, 2012 through September 30,2013
Project Amount: $974,389
RFA: Issues in Tribal Environmental Research and Health Promotion: Novel Approaches for Assessing and Managing Cumulative Risks and Impacts of Global Climate Change (2007) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Environmental Justice , Tribal Environmental Health Research , Human Health , Climate Change

Objective:

Objective(s) of the Research Project: The project objectives were finalized in the QAPP approved by NCER for this project during Year 1/Phase 1. The attached table details the objectives, tasks and deliverables for the entire project. The original hypotheses, identified in the project proposal have been refined during the planning phase to four primary research questions:

What are the chemical stressors known to be used in the Klamath River watershed, their pathways, and known adverse health outcomes associated with those chemical stressors and contaminants?
What contaminants are currently detectable in the river and key aquatic subsistence resources?
Is there a relationship between environmental health as reflected by resource health and community health?
How can this study and the data produced from this study be used to identify and reduce risk and improve tribal member and resource health?

Phase	Objectives	Activities	Responsibility	Deliverables
One: Preliminary Assessment and Planning	A. Finalize research design	1. Review literature and archival documents to determine the types, locations, and amounts of chemicles used in the Klamath watershet and coastal region, merge data into GIS system and determine target analysis for screening. 2. Review literature & documents: consult with Tribal elders, members, and council to determine the types and locations of aquatic substance foods. 3. Complete, review, perform gap analysis & QA ixisting tribal and outside agency data (ethnographic information, GIS data, and pesticide information) to determine utility of existing data sets and needs for the project. 4. Synthesis of activities 1-3 and prepare Quality Assurance Project Pan (QAPP)	1. YTEP staff and HSU 2. YTEP staff 3. YTEP staff and HSU 4. YTEP staff	1. List of target analysis for screening. 2. List of targeted sussistence species for sampling and site locations. 3. Summary report of gap analysis on needed information and selection of appropriate data sets for project. 4. Systhesis of activities 1-3 and prepare QAPP)
Phase	Objectives	Activities	Responsibility	Deliverables
Two: Primary Data Collection	A. Physical & biological sampling.	Tier One: broad screening for contaminants Water Sampling from Klamath Tissue Sampling from suite of aquatic subsistence species Tier Two: target screening based on results of tier one screening to correlate species with positive toxin levals to harvesting sites.	1 & 1. YTEP staff and CA Dept. of Fish & Game, Fish Wildlife Water Pollution Control Laboratory	Summary report of comtaminants detected in subsistence species Summary of report of screening results of differentiating levels of contaimants in subsistence species between various harvesting sites.
	B. Public participation GIS (PPGIS)	Convene public meetings for participatory community research and incorporaion of interactive GIS focusing on health, quality, and quantity of subsistence resources.	YTEP staff and HSU	GIS based maps and geospacial information for tribal members' feedback. Summary report of environmental & resource of health issues and preceptions.
	C. Yurok health patterns	Collect and evaluate general health data on Yurok Tripe with focus on health problems associated with chronic expopsure to target contaminants. Review and GIS acceptable tribal health data, US and Tribal Census data, to facilitate correlation of possible locational patterns obtained thorugh analysis of existing data.	1 & 2. YTEP, HSU and CTEC staff	Summary report of health issues and trends associated iwht common mechanism groujps (CMG), & pathways involving aquatic subsistence resouces. GIS existing Yurok health data obtained thorugh record analysis
Phase	Objectives	Activities	Responsibility	Deliverables
Three: Analysis and Outputs	A. Interpretation	Return and ground-truth preliminary results through PPGIS. Using GIS, the water, subsistence resources, & health data, analyze and identify intersections of exposures and outcomes in space nad time between environmental conditions, subsistence resource contamination.	YTEP staff & HSU YTEP, HSU, and CTEC staff	Final report of community experiences and perceptions of project results. GIS Eco-Toxicological Assessment Tool
Three: Analysis and Outputs	B Inform Tribal Policy.	Meet with Tribal Council and staff to determine how th efindings can best be used to inform Tribal Policy, reduce Tribal Members' exposure and reduce the degradation or decline of Yurok subsistence resources.	YTEP Staff	1. Summary report with policy recommendations for Tribal Counci.

Progress Summary:

This report is the fifth annual report prepared and submitted to EPA for this grant and summarizes activities and tasks completed in Year 5 during an approved No Cost Extension. Tasks completed between October 1, 2012 and September 30, 2013 are summarized in this report.

Tasks Completed in Year 5:

Phase 2 was completed and Phase 3 tasks were initiated and near-completion during the 12 month period ending Sept 30, 2013. The No Cost Extension was requested and approved to enable the lab to completed final Tier 2 lab analysis and Drs. Fluharty and Sloan to conduct and complete tasks associated with Phase 3: Analysis and Outputs, specifically analysis of results and development of education and outreach materials on study results and findings for the tribal membership. Drs. Sloan and Fluharty continued extensive community scoping at the Yurok Salmon Festival, Yurok Annual Meeting (in August 2013) in addition to scoping sessions between April – October with Natural Resources and Culture Committees. Extensive consultation and review by the Yurok Language Program was also conducted during this time for correct use and spelling of Yurok words used in education and outreach materials being developed for this project.

Phase 2: Primary Data Collection

All Primary Data Collection was completed in 2012 and all lab testing and analysis was completed in December 2012 and provided to YTEP for analysis and interpretation.

Physical and Biological Sampling:

All Tier 1 and Tier 2 samples were collected in Year 3. Task Complete.

Yurok Health Data:

The Yurok Community Health Profile was completed in Year 3 and is available on our YTEP website. A final version will be printed in Dec. 2013 and distributed with other project materials to the tribal membership in Dec. 2013.

PPGIS Sessions

A final PPGIS verification session was conducted by Drs. Fluharty and Sloan with the Yurok Natural Resources Committee on site selection and location of sampling sites used for Tier 1 and Tier 2 testing.

Phase 3: Analysis and Outputs

Physical and Biological Samples:

All Tier 1 and Tier 2 sampling was completed in 2012 and final lab analysis were completed in December 2012.

Yurok Health Data:

The Yurok Community Health Profile has been completed and made available on the YTEP website. Copies of the Profile have been printed and were provided to interested public at the Yurok Salmon Festival and the Yurok Annual Meeting held in August 2013. A final copy will be printed professionally and included in outreach materials to be distributed to the tribal membership in Dec. 2013. A final presentation with policy recommendations specific to community health and environmental management will be made to the Yurok Tribal Council in December 2013.

PPGIS:

A final consultation and verification session with the Yurok Natural Resources Committee on PPGIS and site selection utilized in this study was conducted by Drs. Fluharty and Sloan.
The Eco-Toxicological GIS Tool was completed in Year 4 of the Project.

Future Activities:

All final project materials will be completed and distributed to tribal membership by December 31, 2013.

Final report to be complete and submitted by March 31, 2014.

Journal Articles:

No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 17 publications for this project

Supplemental Keywords:

toxicology, contaminants, endocrine disrupters, tissue sampling, PPGIS, GIS, health outcomes, disease, tribal communities, cumulative risk assessment, Yurok Tribe, Yurok Tribe Environmental Program, YTEP, California Rural Indian Health Board, CRIHB, Humboldt State University, HSU, pesticides

Relevant Websites:

Yurok Tribe Environmental Program Exit

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.