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Intromission:
Protecting the natural resources of the Wind River Indian Reservation [Reservation] is, and has been, a way of life, and remains one of the major priorities of the Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes [Tribes]. The Tribes believe that the earth, water, and sky together sustain us as a people and that we are related to all the animals and other living things such as plants, trees, rocks, and soils. What effects all living things will also affect us. Therefore, our lives must revolve around and be dedicated to the protection of all the natural resources.
The Wind River Indian Reservation was established on July 3, 1868 with the Fort Bridger Treaty of 1868. This 1868 Treaty is between the U.S. Government and the Eastern Shoshone Tribe. The Northern Arapaho Tribe later joined the Shoshone on the Wind River, and made the Wind River their home in 1878. Today both Tribes reside on the nearly 2.3 million acres of the Reservation. Of these 2.3 million acres, 1.9 million acres are Tribally owned and controlled.
The Reservation is known to the Shoshone people as the Warm Valleys which is surrounded by the Wind River Mountain Range to the west, the Owl Creek Mountain Range to the north, and the Absaroka Mountains to the South. On the southwest and western boundaries of the Reservation is the Bridger-Teton National Forest, with the Shoshone National Forest to the northwest. One hundred and thirty miles [139 miles] northwest of the Reservation is the Greater Yellowstone National Park and Teton National Park. These parks bring thousands of visitors to Wyoming each year, which introduces many economic advantages the Tribes may pursue.
Geological Morphology
The Reservation region encompasses an enormous wealth of natural resources including: extensive crude oil, natural gas, coal, and uranium ore deposits, timber, wildlife and fisheries, and an abundance of good, clean water from the heavy snow packs that fall on the mountain areas in the winter months. From these snow banks more than 90% of the Missouri Basins annual 1.4 million acre-feet of water runoff are produced on the Wind River Indian Reservation annual. The Reservation has some of the best watersheds in the Midwestern region of the United States. In this Midwestern part of the United States, the Reservation is at the Headwaters of the three [3] of the major western river drainage and watersheds. The Snake River which becomes the Columbia River drains to the northwest into the Pacific Ocean, the Big Horn River becomes the Missouri River and drains to the southeast into the Mississippi River which ends in the Gulf of Mexico, and the Sweet water River becomes the mighty Colorado River and drains to the southwest into the Grand Canyon which eventually ends up in the Gulf of California. Overall, the Reservation contains more than 265 lakes which have more than 10,000 surface acres of water and there are more than 1,109 miles of rivers, creeks, and streams. These waterways provide for a blue ribbon cold water fishery.
In 1938, a 180,387 acre of pristine area in the western Wind River Mountains of the Reservation was designated as a National Roadless Area by the Tribes with ratification by the U.S. Congress in the same year. Surrounding the wilderness area, are the mountainous areas that include some of the highest peaks in Wyoming with numerous glaciers and glacial lakes. The Reservation lands encompass a broad spectrum of elevations, geomorphology, and climatic conditions. The complex interaction of geology, hydrology and climate is evident in the diverse rock formations. Some of the most scenic painted landscapes in the western United States can be seen on the Reservation. These colorful rock formations and scenes are the results of ontogenesis and chemic interaction between the high amorphous groundwater and the saliferous or granitelike rocks that adamantine from the landscapes. Elevations range from less than 5,000 feet to mountain peaks of more than 13,000 feet above sea level. Temperatures may reach a low of -40 to -50 degrees below zero [Fahrenheit] in the winter months to more that +110 degrees above zero in the summer, creating a temperature swing of 150 degrees. The annual precipitation on the Reservations lands ranges from 40" to 60" inches of rain and snow fall in the mountain valleys, to a low 4" to 8" inches on the open plains areas. The precipitation is the main supporter of most of the vegetation, scrubs, and trees on these lands. The major vegetation and trees are; alpine tundra, spruce/fir, lodgepole pine forests, cottonwood, aspen, sagebrush steppe, and a variety of range grasses in the desert shrub lands.
There are rich riparian zones and habitat along the waterways, with a variety of natural wetlands that provide a home to the many different kinds of rodents, macrobiotics, and microorganisms. Most of the river bottom lands are cultivated lowlands where all the ranches and farms are located. Each of these separate areas supports its own ecosystems; including wildlife, and a variety of aquatic life. Because of the sensitive nature of these lands, economic development programs must take into account the exceptional variety of the natural environments, the ecosystems, and what economic activities will be compatible with these systems. The pristine areas of the Reservation today are valued for their scenic, cultural and spiritual significance to Tribal members and they want these areas protected forever.
The complexities of environmental stewardship by the Tribes, the natural resource management and protectionism, coupled with preservation of the Tribes natural resources, the Tribal water rights, and land use planning all place significant amounts of stress and pressure on the Tribes. To represent the Tribes and take on the tasks of land, water and air stewardship the Tribes created the Wind River Environmental Quality Commission to undertake these responsibilities and to develop realistic environmental quality standards and Tribal codes to control the use of these Tribal lands and environment.
Conclusion
Being at the headwaters of the most important western drainage and watersheds in the United States, the Wind River Environmental Commission is charged with a very important task. To qualify the water and to make sure that all the water flowing downstream is of a high quality for those persons who will be using the water thereafter. This is not an easy job, with the State of Wyoming treating legal actions on just about every turn in the development of sound Tribal water practices. But the Tribes realize the importance of good clean water, for without it there can be no life on this Planet. Water is more then just life to the Tribes, it is a big part of their beliefs, cultural and spiritual practices, that we are all related by Mother Nature and that we are the Stewards of the land and water, therefore we are charged with taking care of our environments.