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JUNE 7, 2000

The Region 8 division of the Environmental Protection Agency honored the following tribal leaders and tribal government programs on Tuesday, June 6, in Denver, Colorado.

Seth Makepeace, a hydrologist for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, assessed the amount and causes of impairment to water bodies on the Flathead Reservation in Montana.

Rhonda L. Azure, Environmental Director for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, received the Frank DeCouteau Award for her ten years of service to the Tribe's environmental programs. The DeCouteau Award recognizes exceptional environmental work on Indian lands and is named for Frank DeCouteau who directed Turtle Mountain's programs in Belcourt until his death in 1989.

The Oglala Sioux Tribe Rural Water Supply System's (OSRWSS) dedicated team of professionally-certified operators and managers has greatly improved the operations and maintenance of its water systems on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

Kim Clausen-Jensen, Environmental Director for the Oglala Sioux Tribe in Pine Ridge, spent the last eight years addressing pollution issues, including leaking underground storage tanks, solid waste and water quality, on EPA Region 8's largest reservation. She received the award named for A. Wade Vitalis, former Water Resources Director for the Oglala, whose duties she assumed after his death in 1996.

A special "Friend of EPA Award" went to Capt. Rodney L. Coker, a Tribal Utility Consultant with the Indian Health Service in Pierre SD, for his direct, technical assistance to four tribal governments -- Standing Rock, Cheyenne, Crow Creek and Lower Brule reservations -- in establishing new utility organizations and improving existing ones.

Cdr. Michael D. Warren, Supervisory Service Unit Sanitarian with the Indian Health Service in Pine Ridge, SD, received the "Friend of EPA Award" for his technical assistance, on-site and classroom training, and direct involvement with operators in improving the community's water supply and enhancing public health protection.

Related Story:
EPA honors tribal excellence (Enviro 6/7)

Relevant Links:
The EPA Region 8 Tribal Assistance Program: www.epa.gov/region8/tribes
The EPA Region 8: www.epa.gov/region8