"What a strange spring this has been for North Dakota. That winter spirit, the wolf, has dug in and is holding fast to our land.
And there is a new threat on the horizon.
When I traveled to White Shield, N.D., last weekend, I found the western part of the state looking more and more like late August. The winter grass is sparse and brown, and there is dust and worry in the air. But that feeling of late summer didn’t match the reality of the big snowflakes and freezing rain that fell off and on during my stay. Most difficult was the wind that drove the harsh air into open jackets and tugged at my ears.
On Saturday, I walked down to Lake Sakakawea, just below my aunt’s house. I had been there in the fall when ice was beginning to form in the quiet places of the lake. So, I was surprised Saturday that the waterline had crawled much closer to the heart of the lake, leaving hard, sandy shores around the outer edge.
Wind from the lake roughed up the water and made it look angry, so I turned and headed back to the car. I could see my aunt’s house on a hill above the lake.
On the long upward slope toward her house, I could see where the water’s edge had been several years ago. That old shore is covered with dry grass now and is many miles from the current lakeshore."
Get the Story:Dorreen Yellow Bird: Pollution clouds N.D.’s bright horizon (The Grand Forks Herald 4/30)
pwpwd More Dorreen Yellow Bird:
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Yellow Bird: Recovering from brain aneurysm surgery (4/17)
Yellow Bird: A fight for oil on the reservation (03/31)
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Yellow Bird: Thoughts on Sen. Obama and race (3/24)
Yellow Bird: Pray for rain in western North Dakota (3/19)
Yellow Bird: Grandchildren are the greatest gift (3/17)
Yellow Bird: UND powwow survives budget woes (3/10)
Yellow Bird: Stereotypes and Hillary Clinton (3/5)
Yellow Bird: Celebrating 125 years of UND history (3/3)
Yellow Bird: High hopes for Indian health bill (2/28)
Yellow Bird: More Plains foods that are good for you (2/25)
Yellow Bird: Chokecherries, the wonder fruit (2/20)
Yellow Bird: Sadness on a trip to Standing Rock (2/18)
Yellow Bird: It's time for a change in music (2/11)
Yellow Bird: 'Sioux' drives Indian students away (2/7)
Yellow Bird: Another cold January in North Dakota (1/30)
Yellow Bird: Tribal casinos should be alcohol free (1/28)
Yellow Bird: Race and gender in presidential race (1/23)
Yellow Bird: Barack Obama is my choice for 2008 (1/16)
Yellow Bird: Artman right on off-reservation gaming (1/9)
Yellow Bird: Barack Obama's big win in Iowa (1/7)
