Bluestem Prairie

In California state court, Spirit Lake Nation files complaint against social media giants for predatory business practices that hurt kids

My Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Dakota neighbors enjoy historic ties with the Spirit Lake Nation, including the fact that both Dakota tribes secured their reservations in the same treaty in 1867.

I met a number of Spirit Lake members last September when the remains of Sisseton Wahpeton & Spirit Lake children returned home from the Carlisle Indian Industrial School.

Concern for the tribe's children underscores the tribe's legal filing in a California court, reported by the North Dakota Monitor.

North Dakota tribe files complaint against social media giants
By Mary Steurer

Native youth especially vulnerable, court document says

The Spirit Lake Nation on Tuesday filed a complaint against four major social media companies in California state court, seeking compensation for what it characterizes as predatory business practices that have contributed to a nationwide mental health crisis among adolescents.

The tribe is suing Facebook and Instagram owner Meta; Snapchat owner Snap.; TikTok and parent company ByteDance; and Alphabet, which owns Google and Youtube.

The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin simultaneously filed a similar complaint with the same court. Both tribes are represented by law firm Robins Kaplan, which is headquartered in Minnesota. A Tuesday announcement from the firm said the case is the first to combat the “harmful effects of social media use on youth” on behalf of federally-recognized tribes.

In court records, the two tribes accuse the social media companies of intentionally exploiting kids by designing their products to be as addictive as possible, despite knowing that their platforms negatively impact adolescents’ mental health.

The plaintiffs want reimbursement for damages caused by teen social media addiction as well as funding for the “prevention, education and treatment for excessive and problematic use of social media,” the court filings state. The plaintiffs are also asking the court to order the companies to stop all business practices that harm kids’ health.

“Given historic teen suicide and mental health issues on our Reservation and across Indian Country, Native youth are particularly vulnerable to the negative long-term effects resulting from the intentional, profit-driven design choices being made by these social media platforms,” Spirit
Lake Nation Chair Lonna Jackson-Street said in the Tuesday statement.

The complaints follow other lawsuits against the four companies playing out in Los Angeles county. North Dakota also joined 33 other states last October to file suit against Meta for damages related to teen social media addiction in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

“In a race to corner the ‘valuable but untapped’ market of tween and teen users, each defendant designed product features to promote repetitive, uncontrollable use by kids,’” the plaintiffs state in the complaints.

Previously, the four social companies have said that they’ve implemented practices to protect young users and that First Amendment protections and existing internet regulations shield them from legal liability.

Kids don’t have the same self-control skills adults do, so they’re especially vulnerable to social media addiction and the mental health issues linked to it, the plaintiffs argue — including anxiety, depression, suicidality, eating disorders, interrupted sleep and poor body image. They state that the tribes lack the funding and resources to adequately assist teens in the growing crisis.

“These social media giants have generated hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue, our complaint alleges, using a growth-at-all-costs strategy that comes at the expense of Native children and teenagers and the Tribal Nations they are part of,” Tim Purdon, chair of Robins Kaplan’s American Indian Law and Policy Group, said in the statement.

The filings argue that while social media use has increased mental health issues for all teens, it poses a particular risk to Native American adolescents.

A Centers of Disease Control analysis of mortality data collected between 2018 and 2021 found that Indigenous youth had higher suicide rates compared to young people of any other racial or ethnic group.

The plaintiffs also accuse the social media companies of profiting off of teenagers by collecting enormous hordes of their user data, which the businesses use for marketing purposes and/or sell to third-party users.

The tribes filed suit in California because all of the defendants base their businesses there, the complaints state.

The Spirit Lake Nation is on the Spirit Lake Reservation near Devils Lake. The federally recognized tribe has roughly 8,000 enrolled members, according to its complaint.

This North Dakota Monitor article is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Photo: The emblem of the Spirit Lake Nation, from its Facebook page.

Related posts

•  They are important to us’: Remains of Sisseton Wahpeton & Spirit Lake children returning home
• Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate & Spirit Lake Tribe strike historic deal with Army over repatriation of Amos LaFromboise & Edward Upright
• On September 11, US Army began disinterment project to return remains of more children buried at Carlisle to tribal communities

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post.

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Elections policy bill clears a divided House

Those readers who crave bipartisan civility should read Session Daily's House passes public safety policy bill with bipartisan support.

Bluestem's posting Session Daily's other article about a Minnesota House floor debate, Mike Cook's Elections policy bill clears a divided House. The Minnesota House Information Service's YouTube embedded below's got everything: amendment after amendment, an odd Mary Franson analogy, and some much more.

Elections policy bill clears a divided House
By Mike Cook, Session Daily

The November election is just under seven months away, but a plethora of changes to how and when people vote are key components of the 2024 elections policy bill.

It includes provisions relating to ballot box access, especially for younger voters; access for voters of color; and banning prison gerrymandering.

Also included are provisions related to the use of deepfakes, lobbying reporting, and school board appointments versus special elections for a vacancy.

Passed 69-62 by the House Monday evening, HF4772, as amended, now goes to the Senate.

“The bill corrects historical wrongs and federal mistakes, it improves clarity of how our elections are influenced, and it expands voter access for eligible voters,” said Rep. Mike Freiberg (DFL-Golden Valley), the bill sponsor.

At a at a pre-session news conference by the Inclusive Democracy Caucus, Rep. Emma Greenman (DFL-Mpls) added: “It really builds on last session which we took really great strides to strengthen the freedom to vote and expand inclusive, multi-racial, multi-generational participation in Minnesota. Our democracy works when everybody has a voice in the decision making.”

[MORE: Watch the press conference]

Lacking bipartisanship was a key reason for Republican objections.

“Governors in the past have demanded that elections bills be bipartisan, and this one is not,” said Rep. Paul Torkelson (R-Hanska), noting zero Republican-sponsored bills are in the final package.

Added Rep. Isaac Schultz (R-Elmdale Township): “You haven’t earned bipartisan support on this bill because you didn’t seek to.”

Among the bill hallmarks, supporters say, is the “Minnesota Voting Rights Act” that aims to ensure access and that no one is denied an equal opportunity to vote.

Coming from the Greenman-sponsored HF3527, it would do so, in part, by prohibiting state voting standards that would deny or limit any citizen’s right to vote based on their race, color or language. Examples could include insufficient polling places, redistricting plans that “pack” persons of color to weaken their voting strength, and lack of language assistance for voters whose first language is not English. It would also ensure a private right of action and allow both sides a way to work together to rectify a problem without going to court.

Passed in 1965, the Federal Voting Rights Act prohibited racial discrimination in voting. However, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in November 2023 that voters themselves in the court’s district can no longer challenge racially discriminatory laws or restricting plans under federal law.

“This will be the first time we put into Minnesota law prohibitions against discriminating based on race in voting,” Greenman said.

Added Rep. Cedrick Frazier (DFL-New Hope) at the news conference: “Every Minnesotan, regardless of their background, deserves equal access to participate in our democratic process. By bolstering our Minnesota Voting Rights Act we are defending the fundamental right of all Minnesotans and promoting a more inclusive democracy.”

Rep. Harry Niska (R-Ramsey) unsuccessfully offered an amendment to delete the voting rights act language.

Inmate counts

Beginning with the 2030 census, prisoners would be counted as residing where they come from rather than the location of the correctional facility.

“Prison gerrymandering is an unfortunate flaw in the census collection system that over time has led to imbalances on population count. While the census bureau has not decided to act on this, states can,” said Rep. Esther Agbaje (DFL-Mpls), who sponsors the change as HF4043. She said this is currently done with military members, college students and others who reside in one place but are doing time or service elsewhere.

Torkelson said prison operations have direct impacts and costs on the community where it is located, and the local unit of government should not lose funding because someone is counted as residing elsewhere.

Having the change not apply to inmates who’ve served more than 10 consecutive years in incarceration or have more than a decade remaining on the sentence was the gist of an amendment from Rep. Ben Davis (R-Merrifield). It was not adopted.

Campus voting

Speaking of college students, the bill would require designation of an additional polling place for at least one day on the campus of a postsecondary institution if requested by the institution or the student government organization.

Rep. Kristi Pursell (DFL-Northfield), who sponsors HF3447, said only one of the two campuses in her hometown has an on-campus Election Day polling location. “We can absolutely see in real time in my small district the differences in voter engagement. … We know the barriers for students to vote is likely their first election, they almost certainly don’t have transportation or they’re trying to squeeze in voting between classes, extracurriculars (and) work.”

School board appointment vs. election

Under current law, a vacancy can be filled by a school board appointment until a special election is held; however, a special election is not required if the vacancy occurs less than 90 days prior to Election Day in the third year of the member’s term.

Coming from HF4287, sponsored by Rep. Bianca Virnig (DFL-Eagan), the bill would eliminate the need for a special election if the vacancy occurs less than two years prior to the term’s expiration.

Rep. Dean Urdahl (R-Grove City) successfully added an amendment whereby a special election must be held for that seat if a board member is removed for cause.

[MORE: Other provisions in the bill]

Here's the Minnesota House Information Services YouTube of the floor hearing of the bill:

 

Photo: Rep. Mike Freiberg introduces HF4772, the elections policy bill, on the House Floor April 8. Freiberg chairs the House Elections Finance and Policy Committee. (Photo by Michele Jokinen/Session Daily).

Related posts

•  The 2023 MN Legislature did a lot on election laws. Here’s a (nearly) comprehensive look
• Poll shows South Dakota voters question integrity of elections; South Dakota War College names rise of election truthers #1 2023 story
• Max Hailperin points out more Crockett ignorance on voting in Minnesota  
• MN Reformer opinion: Max Hailperin writes MN tradition of one-stop voting must be protected
• Income, geography, and the amendments: A look at the association between income and voting
• Former small-town Minnesota mayor Rick Weible is behind the rise of electoral activism in South Dakota. He's just getting started
• Election deniers appointed to Minnesota House Elections Finance & Policy committee
• SD Searchlight: Incoming Secretary of State looks to hand-count ballots, audit each election 
• Crockett and crew share curious definition of "common sense" at Pine Island rally
• The big lie goes on tour in Minnesota [Minnesota Reformer]
• Westrom wouldn't talk to local reporter about why he attended sketchy election fraud event

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post.

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DNA, inbreeding issues: Rusty patched bumble bees' survival may take more than habitat

A new scientific study reveals a potentially dire situation for Minnesota's state bee, the endangered Rusty Patched Bumble Bee.

As the Entomological Society of America posted today on the X platform:

For rusty patched bumble bees, low genetic diversity between colonies and other genetic factors underscore the fragility of their limited populations, according to a new study.

🔗 Genetic Analysis Guides Conservation of Endangered Bumble Bee https://t.co/zmn9lVazV8

— Entomological Society of America (@EntsocAmerica) April 9, 2024

At Minnesota Public Radio, Dan Gunderson reports in Study finds Minnesota state bee in tough shape:

For the first time, researchers have analyzed the DNA of rusty patched bumble bees across the insect’s range. The results add urgency to efforts to conserve the endangered species.

Using a non-lethal technique, scientists collected tiny leg sections from bees to determine their genetic makeup. They found low genetic diversity, and inbreeding.

“The numbers of colonies that those individuals represent are much lower than expected,” said lead author John Mola from Colorado State University. “Even in areas like the Upper Midwest, where the rusty patched bumblebee, at least insofar as insects can become famous, has become a little bit emblematic as a stronghold, this species is still at risk.” . . .

Starting about 25 years ago the bumble bee experienced a precipitous 90 percent population decline.

It was listed as endangered in 2017. In 2019 the rusty patched bumble bee was named the Minnesota state bee. . . .

One of the remaining known populations is found around the Twin Cities.

University of Minnesota researcher Elaine Evans has been observing the rusty patched bumble bees for 20 years.

This DNA analysis reinforced her concern that just adding more habitat might not be enough to save the species.

“As bee conservationists we all just want to think about the bees out there living their best lives out in the wild, having enough habitat out there to do what they need to do,” said Evans. “But the reality of the situation might be they might get to a point where to keep the species going they might need to be brought inside by people and captively raised.”

The study found genetic differences among isolated populations. The Appalachian bees are different genetically from Midwest bees, and the Minnesota bees had genetic variations from other Midwest bees. . . .

Evans is a co-author of the study, which can be accessed through the link in Mola's post:

New paper! Rusty patched bumble bee population genetics. Here's the open access pub: https://t.co/nqWPevBREu

— John M. Mola (@_JohnMola) April 4, 2024

Colorado State University published news of Mola et al's study in Rusty-patched bumblebee’s struggle for survival found in its genes:

A team of researchers has uncovered alarming trends in the first range-wide genetic study of an endangered bee species. The study, led by Colorado State University and published in the Journal of Insect Science, will inform conservation and recovery efforts for the rusty-patched bumblebee – a species that was once common in the United States but has declined from about 90% of its historic range. 

The rusty-patched bumblebee was the first bee species to be federally listed as endangered in 2017 through the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Its numbers dropped rapidly starting in the late 1990s, likely due to a combination of pesticides, pathogens, habitat loss and degradation, and climate change.  

“If that trajectory continues, this species could blink out in the next couple decades,” said lead author John Mola, an ecologist and assistant professor of forest and rangeland stewardship. 

The outlook is dire for remaining populations of this important pollinator, according to the in-depth genetic examination by a large team of collaborators, including federal and state agencies, universities, nonprofits and consultants.  

Even in strongholds where the bee is still found, scientists observed fewer colonies than a stable species would have and a high rate of inbreeding, which can threaten the long-term viability of a species. Of the bees sampled, 15% showed evidence of inbreeding, through the presence of what are called diploid males. In bees, males are typically haploid and have only one set of chromosomes, but when they’re inbred, they can have two sets of the same chromosomes and lack genetic diversity. 

“When that happens, those populations essentially face a death sentence,” Mola said. “They basically have incompatible genetic systems with other populations of the same species.” 

Analysis revealed three genetically distinct populations among rusty-patched bumblebees – in the upper Midwest, central Midwest and Appalachians – that will need to be handled differently for potential recovery efforts. Understanding population differentiation is key for captive rearing programs because bees from different populations might not be genetically compatible or might not survive once they’re released into the wild. 

“This research is invaluable – it helps us refine healthy colony targets and shows us the importance of optimizing conservation efforts in genetically distinct areas, like the Appalachians,” said co-author Tamara Smith, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Protecting pollinators

Pollinators, including bumblebees, are critical for food production and support many other species. Pollinators improve ecosystem health and resilience, and many crops and flowering plants depend on them. 

“There are approximately 50 species of bumblebee in North America, but there are big differences between bumblebees in the same way that there are big differences between songbirds and hawks,” Mola said. “They’re not substitutable.” 

Decline of the rusty-patched bumblebee could be a harbinger of die-offs of other species that were once common. 

“Unfortunately, we’re looking at a future scenario where about one in five bumblebee species in the United States could be endangered,” Mola continued. 

But there is hope. 

The rusty-patched bumblebee’s endangered listing has led to programs that restore habitat and the bee’s preferred plants. Pollinator-friendly home and community gardens make a difference, too, Mola said. 

“At times, there can be doom and gloom in conservation, but there are good examples of butterfly species that have been recovered through careful conservation planning,” he added. “The same thing applies with bumblebees.” 

Additionally, restoration projects that benefit bumblebees benefit other wildlife and landscape health in general. 

Project partners, process

Surveying the rusty-patched bumblebee across its entire U.S. range required a vast network of collaborators with proper permits to collect genetic samples from the endangered species. Sampling involved catching the bees in nets, briefly putting them on ice and clipping off a tiny bit of leg – enough to conduct the study but not so much that it would interfere with their ability to function.  

“Numerous partners recognized the importance of collecting these data, and we thank them for their contributions,” Smith said. 

The project was mostly funded by the U.S. Geological Survey Science Support Partnership and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative’s Threatened and Endangered Species Template through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The study was led by authors Mola, Smith, Ian Pearse (USGS), Michelle Boone (University of Minnesota), Elaine Evans (University of Minnesota), Mark Hepner (Metamorphic Ecological Research and Consulting), Robert Jean (Environmental Solutions and Innovations), Jade Kochanski (University of Wisconsin–Madison), Cale Nordmeyer (Minnesota Zoo), Erik Runquist (Minnesota Zoo), James Strange (Ohio State University), Jay Watson (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources) and Jonathan Koch (U.S. Department of Agriculture). 

Let's hope this research helps to save the species.

Photo: The rusty-patched bumblebee, once common in the United States, has declined from about 90% of its former range. Researchers conducted the first range-wide genetic study of the endangered species to inform recovery efforts. Photo by Jay Watson, via Rusty-patched bumblebee’s struggle for survival found in its genes /Colorado State University.

Related posts

• Rep. Rick Hansen & Mason Sargent: Minnesota making progress in protecting pollinators
• House ag committee approves bill that would let cities regulate use of some pesticides 
• O! my! Minnesota's #Lawns2Legumes makes Live Your Best Life list in Oprah Magazine
• Lawns to Legumes program earned great media for MN; 5 GOP senators want to rob funding
• Pollinator Friendly Alliance: the natural world, enviro policy & bringing back a healthy planet
• Good & bad news for pollinators: a news digest
• Pew Charitable Trusts Stateline looks at Minnesota's bee lawn program national buzz
• VIDEO: Watch Republicans get totally offended by neonic-treated corn & soybean seed tag bill
• VIDEO: MN House Enviro Finance endorses $7 million in funding for Clean Water Fund projects
• Background reading on the buzz: here's the study discussed in MPR's "Bee Proud" story

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email [email protected] as recipient.

I'm on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6

EPA data reveals South Dakota industrial chemical releases rise amid national decline

Last week, Bluestem republished two South Dakota Searchlight articles about water quality here in South Dakota: SD Searchlight: 80% of tested surface water in South Dakota fails to meet state standards and Commentary: Mention of agricultural causes comes too late in SD water pollution report.

In Sunday's Searchlight, those articles were joined by John Hult's report, EPA data: South Dakota industrial chemical releases rise amid national decline.

Lest readers grow nostalgic for news of the environmental purity of other upper Midwest state. Bluestem recommends Troy Mewes' '50 years of promises, all of them broken': Southeast Minnesotans worry over state water pollution response in Saturday's Star Tribune and Jared Strong's Manure overflowed from hog confinement into SE Iowa creek at the Iowa Capital Dispatch.

As Hult points out in the article below, South Dakota’s EPA reporting region Region 8 includes North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana and Utah. Perhaps I shouldn't be looking at Summit's near neighbor to the east, or those manure slackers in Iowa.

EPA data: South Dakota industrial chemical releases rise amid national decline
By John Hult

Temporary spike at Smithfield pork plant partially to blame

Most mountain and plains states have seen reductions in pollutants released to the air, water and soil since 2013 at a rate of decline more than double the national average.

In South Dakota, though, toxic releases increased by 16%.

That’s according to recently published 2022 data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxics Release Inventory.

Above: Charts from the EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory for 2022. The top chart shows changes in waste managed in South Dakota since 2013. The lower chart shows changes in the EPA’s Region 8 as a whole. South Dakota is a part of Region 8. (Courtesy EPA)

The trend is largely attributable to a temporary spike in nitrate emissions from the Smithfield Foods plant in Sioux Falls, which discharges treated wastewater into the Big Sioux River. Smithfield is owned by China-based WH Group, with U.S. operations headquartered in Smithfield, Virginia.

The Sioux Falls plant’s pollutant loads increased between 2020 and 2023 as it worked to complete an update to its on-site treatment plant, a project finished in mid-2023. The good news, according to East Dakota Water Development District Manager Jay Gilbertson, is that the next inventory release should show improvements reflective of that change at the pork processing facility.

“When the data comes in that will include the latter part of 2023, then there should be a big crash in that number,” Gilbertson said.

A stricter limit on nitrate releases after the Smithfield wastewater upgrade was a condition of the plant’s recently renewed surface water discharge permit. The permit was issued through the EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, administered inside South Dakota’s borders by the state’s Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. 

Prior to the issuance of the plant’s new permit, there were no limits on its nitrate releases. 

“It is anticipated those upgrades will improve nitrate treatment and should result in diminished discharges of nitrate moving forward,” said Dana Munyon, a public affairs specialist at the department.

An overabundance of nitrates in rivers, lakes and streams can harm aquatic life, boosting algal growth and potentially leading to fish kills. High levels of nitrate in drinking water can effect blood oxygen levels, and can lead to methemoglobinemia (also known as blue baby syndrome).

EPA data: Snapshot of industrial pollutants

Of all the South Dakota companies required to submit pollutant data though the Toxics Release Inventory, Smithfield is the largest producer and emitter of toxic materials. 

Other major sources include the Wharf Mine near Lead and Aurora-based Novita, a facility that uses byproducts from the nearby Valero ethanol plant to make animal feed and vegetable oil.

Above:  A chart showing the top five emitters of pollutants in South Dakota the 2022 update to the EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory, a data source that tracks chemical releases from certain industrial sources. TRI data excludes releases from facilities such as city wastewater treatment plants. (courtesy EPA)

But the inventory isn’t an all-inclusive database of discharged pollutants. 

It tracks production-related chemical waste from certain industry operations in each state and U.S. territory. Companies are required to report their releases if they’re part of a covered industry, release chemicals on the inventory’s list of those with potential to harm human health, and employ 10 or more people. 

That leaves several pollution sources unaccounted for, including municipal wastewater treatment plants like the one found in Sioux Falls. That plant also releases wastewater and nitrates into the Big Sioux River under the terms of its permit with the state, and at a higher overall volume than Smithfield.

“Smithfield kind of ends up taking the black eye on this one because they’re the reporter of the biggest load on a list of entities that is not all-inclusive,” said Gilbertson of East Dakota.

The inventory also does not set benchmarks for the amount of chemicals that can be safely released. Those levels and the enforcement of release limits are tied to separate programs under the EPA umbrella, including the surface water discharge permitting program.

The inventory, which launched in 1986, simply serves as a public data source. It lumps more than 800 chemicals together into a list and requires annual public disclosure of the amounts released for covered industries. Waste can be reported as treated, recycled, recaptured as energy, or disposed of in the air, water or soil.

“By making information about industrial management of toxic chemicals available to the public, TRI creates a strong incentive for companies to improve environmental performance,” the EPA’s Honor Morgan wrote in an email to South Dakota Searchlight.

South Dakota is not a high-level emitter of pollutants on a nationwide level, ranking 53rd of 56 states and territories in total chemicals released. There are 108 facilities required to report to the inventory in South Dakota, compared to 21,752 nationwide.

Unlike South Dakota’s EPA reporting region, however, its trendline is moving up, not down.

The national decline for pollutant releases into the environment stood at 21%, according to the 2022 dataset. For EPA Region 8, which includes North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana and Utah, the reduction was 47%.

South Dakota, with its 16% increase in releases, is an outlier in that group.

Gilbertson wasn’t surprised to hear it, though. The state has a long history of taking a “wait and see” approach to pollution management. 

“We like to wait until things go really bad and then do something about it,” Gilbertson said. “Because if you start trying to be preemptive, a lot of people who think their ox is going to get gored start to scream and yell.”

There is at least one bright spot in the inventory’s trendlines for South Dakota, though. In 2013, facilities reported recycling 1.19 million pounds of material. In 2022, that figure had grown to 2.8 million pounds, for an increase of 135%.

The total amount of chemicals released fell in Region 8 as a whole from 2013-2022, but its level of recycled chemicals fell by 75%. That figure is eclipsed, however, by a 545% increase in the amount of chemicals reused for fuel rather than released. 

In South Dakota, the amount of waste captured and reused was slightly less in 2022 than 2013.

Smithfield upgrade

Smithfield’s position as South Dakota’s top polluter in the limited dataset may not change in the coming years, but overall releases should be far lower.

Pound for pound, Sioux Falls-based Smithfield released quadruple the waste of the next-nearest emitter in South Dakota, the Wharf Resources gold mine. The pork processing facility released 4.9 million pounds of chemicals total in 2022, nearly all nitrates. All but approximately 160,000 pounds of it was discharged into the Big Sioux River.

The plant’s $45 million “denitrification” upgrade started to impact release levels with its completion last summer. The new process reduces nitrates in wastewater, Smithfield spokesman Ray Atkinson told South Dakota Searchlight via email, which “has far less impact to aquatic life.”

“The new denitrification process has reduced Smithfield’s overall nitrogen load to the Big Sioux River by more than two-thirds,” Atkinson said.

Nitrates are a combination of nitrogen and oxygen.

For nitrates specifically, the release of which are now regulated in Smithfield’s state-issued EPA discharge permit, Atkinson said the new treatment process has allowed the company to hold nitrate releases at half its permitted limit.

The plant has also reduced total suspended solids in wastewater by 84% compared to April 2023, and ammonia discharges by 60%, Atkinson said.

Photo: Smithfield Foods in Sioux Falls, as seen from the city bike trail. Smithfield has a wastewater treatment facility on site, and deposits treated water into the Big Sioux River. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

Related posts

• Commentary: Mention of agricultural causes comes too late in SD water pollution report
• SD Searchlight: 80% of tested surface water in South Dakota fails to meet state standards
• Agency soup: MPCA, DNR, MDH & Ag release "Preventing fish kills in MN driftless region"
• Decline in freshwater mussels an indicator of poor river and stream health in South Dakota
•  More Minnesota lakes and rivers placed on impaired waters list
• WRAPS: erosion, stormwater & ag practices dirty water in Yellow Medicine River watershed

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. 

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email [email protected] as recipient.

I'm on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6

News update on Noem's pairing reservations, tribal leaders with cartels; Rep. St. John's reply

Last Thursday, Bluestem had posted Noem calls for audit of tribes; ICT News/Rapid City Journal reporter finds the receipts.

As readers may remember from Bluestem posts like  Winner, Noem links tribal leaders to cartels, Malice: she's on it. Tribal leaders insulted after Governor Noem claims they "are personally benefiting from the cartels being here"  and Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Chair responds to Noem's latest linking tribes to drug cartels.  

Noem's been more than dog whistlinng anti-Indian stereotypes since her border crisis speech to the South Dakota state legislature at the end of January in which she claimed Drug cartels have infiltrated reservations. 

Since I posted at the end of March, there's been a swirl of news here in South Dakota about this crusade and the tribes'' reactions to it.

On Tuesday, Noem issued a statement to the press, Gov. Noem to Tribes: "Banish the Cartels."

Also on Tuesday, Associated Press's Jack Dura covered the issue in Tribes blast South Dakota governor's claim that leaders are benefitting from drug cartels (used  in this link by ABC News).

At the South Dakota Searchlight, Joshua Haiar reported on Wednesday in Tribe worries about police staffing, not cartels, officials tell congressman:

WAGNER — Yankton Sioux Tribe officials said Wednesday they know where the drugs on their tribal lands are coming from.

“Not the cartels,” said Justin Song Hawk, a former tribal police officer. 

Other members of the Ihanktonwan Oyate — as the tribe is called in the Dakota language — chuckled in response. The comment was a reference to Governor Kristi Noem, who’s alleged repeatedly in recent months that Mexican cartels are bringing drugs to tribal reservations, and has accused tribal leaders of benefitting from the activity.

Song Hawk’s comments came during a meeting with South Dakota Republican U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson about the tribe’s law enforcement needs. The tribe, headquartered in southeast South Dakota, is one of nine Native American tribes in the state.

Tribal Chief of Police Edwin Young said drugs are coming from cities including Sioux Falls, and the primary drug is methamphetamine. He also told Johnson about several problems his department faces.

Young said he has one day off per month and has been working that schedule since December. He said there are only three officers, and the tribe needs about 12.  . . .

Read the rest at the Searchlight.

On Thursday, the Center Square's Merrilee Gasser reported in Tribe president says Noem's approach to tribal relations is not working:

(The Center Square) - Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out said Gov. Kristi Noem should examine how she is handling tribal relations after the governor called Mexican drug cartel presence in Indian country “a problem across the nation.”

In a statement sent to The Center Square, Star Comes Out said Noem’s current approach to tribal relations is not working for her or the tribes.

“A better approach would be to reinstitute the previous Board for the South Dakota Indian Affairs Office with a representative from each of the nine Tribes,” said Star Comes Out. “This has worked in the past. It would ensure better communications between the Tribal governments and the State government and ensure that Tribes’ interests are heard, not just the State’s.” . . .

Star Comes Out says inadequate funding for law enforcement is not unique to the Biden Administration and has existed for decades – something the tribe is addressing with a pending federal lawsuit.

”Perhaps, if the South Dakota Governor is so concerned about Tribal Law Enforcement, she could equalize the state Law Enforcement Funding, so Tribes receive equal amounts per person as the state does,” Star Comes Out said.

The back and forth between Noem’s office and the tribes comes on the heels of a Tribal-Federal meeting where both the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe say Noem made an uninvited appearance and brought members of the press with her.

There's more a Center Square. The back story? On Thursday, ICT News published Kristi Noem banned from Cheyenne River Reservation. Amelia Schafer reported:

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has been banned from a second reservation following a vote taken during the April 2 Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe’s tribal council meeting.

Representatives from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe were angered by Noem’s presence at the quarterly Pe’ Sla meeting uninvited and unannounced on March 29 in Rapid City. She made the appearance after making a series of allegations regarding cartel involvement, mismanagement of funds and poor education towards Native Nations in the last few weeks.

District Five representative Robert Walters presented a motion by resolution to ban Governor Noem from the reservation and the council voted unanimously, 12-0, to ban Noem from Cheyenne River lands.

“This person has made a lot of accusations about the tribes, about the cartel, council representatives being in bed with the cartel, stuff like that. It’s all false information. I make a motion at this time to banish her from the Cheyenne River Reservation,” Walters said during the April 2 council meeting. “Mr. Chairman, I believe there has to be some kind of policy set up for her to show up at these tribal meetings. She can’t just go in there and do her thing.” 

Prior to the vote, Chairman Ryman LeBeau expressed concern about Noem’s attendance at the Pe’ Sla meeting and claimed she brought cameras in with her to document her attendance and use it for “her agenda.”

LeBeau reported to the council that during the Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association meeting on March 30, the leaders from the nine tribes in South Dakota discussed how to approach Noem’s recent allegations. . . .

Read the rest at ICT News. 

As I had posted in SWO Dakota to Governor Noem: don't single out reservations when drugs are a statewide problem and Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Chair responds to Noem's latest linking tribes to drug cartelsbthe Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate was one of two tribes mentioned in Noem's border speech at the end January. The speech prompted this new round of quarrels between the governor and the tribes.

It's gotten less attention. but a statement released by District 1 state representative Tamara St. John, a Republican who is the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate tribal archivist clearly spells out some of the issues Noem's approach raises with regard to tribal sovereignty and jurisdiction. As published on her campaign Facebook page and in the April 3 issue of the SWO's tribal newspaper, the Sota Iya Ye Yapi, St. John wrote:

All tribes as individual sovereign nations address things differently. Each tribe can only speak for themselves. It’s a disservice to paint us all as “doing nothing” or not addressing the criminal issues in our communities.

Sisseton Wahpeton Tribal law enforcement works hard and works well with Roberts County and other state or federal law enforcement. They could all use additional resources and support.

 

I “back the blue” and appreciate them all. It’s a hard job.

 

I don’t believe the State of SD has a “ban on Cartels” and SWO like other tribes has a law and order code that makes drug activity illegal and there are federal charges for some crimes that take place on tribal lands. Jurisdiction is a very complex thing and it varies from tribe to tribe how crime is addressed. Just like any city or community we have these discussions and they are ongoing topics in the tribal community. Yes we always feel we could do better and strive to do that. There will always be critics and they are loudest.

 

Again, I stand by our tribal law enforcement and support their need for additional resources if they voice a need for that.

 

As for audits we at SWO have regular yearly audits and many tribes like us are not worried about a call for an audit anymore than we usually are. We know the value and need for clean audits and would not be able to do many of the things we do as a tribe without them. These are longstanding policies that have been put in place in our own accounting manuals to ensure compliance in many ways. Tribal leaders years ago created these things and they have been upheld by leadership past and present. We care about those things.

 

Like anyone or anyplace there are mistakes at times and we work to fix them. Every audit is different and if problems arise we address them just like the State of SD or any entity does. Yes sometimes there are bad actors or issues arise, but we are pretty much the same as the rest of the world.

 

I would invite people to learn more about how tribal governments work, how we operate, and what our responsibilities are to our members. AND how we work with or partner with others around us.

 

It may not be as provocative of a story but we have many great things happening and have many wonderful strong families who love and support the future of our children. Our children are not hopeless.

 

It’s unfair to generalize or paint all tribes or Native American people with one brush.

 

I also want to recognize that the Governor is speaking about specific issues brought to her by another tribe(s) and/or their tribal members on issues they might be facing related to drug crime or federal funding and audits. I am not a part of those discussions and cannot comment on them.

Representative Tamara St John

The calm, thoughtful, and correct statement is dated March 29 in the Sota.

 

Bluestem will continue to watch this evolving story.

 

Photo: Noem stirred the pot at a town hall in Winner, talking about tribal leaders "personally benefitting from the cartels being here." From a Governor Noem's Facebook Watch video.

 

Related posts

• Noem calls for audit of tribes; ICT News/Rapid City Journal reporter finds the receipts
• Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Chair responds to Noem's latest linking tribes to drug cartels
• Malice: she's on it. Tribal leaders insulted after Governor Noem claims they "are personally benefiting from the cartels being here
• In Winner, Noem links tribal leaders to cartels
• SWO Dakota to Governor Noem: don't single out reservations when drugs are a statewide problem
• Noem banned from Pine Ridge Reservation over remarks in border speech to state legislature
• Explaining and gaining? Noem concedes Texas costs were gift to Lone Star state; meets with two South Dakota House tribal members
• Drug cartels have infiltrated reservations, Noem says, but some tribal voices call speech ‘political’
• Noem to address Legislature on ‘potential South Dakota response’ to Mexico border situation
• No word on who paid or if she packed razor wire: Noem travels again to Texas-Mexico border
• South Dakota Searchlight: Tribal leaders urge legislators to support reestablishment of Lake Traverse Reservation boundaries

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Minnesota Republicans introduce legislation inspired by the chemtrails conspiracy theory

Christopher Ingraham's latest article in the Minnesota Reformer includes just about everything that can warm an old-time country blogger's heart, especially conspiracy theories and Minnesota Republican leaders like Eric Lucero, Glenn Gruenhagen, and Nathan Wesenberg in the Senate and Dawn Gillman in the House.

Readers already knew Wesenberg was challenged by a flag rally crowd count and legislative history, and Gruenhagen by climate science, while accounting is a problem for Gillman. There are more gems in the "Related Posts" at the bottom.

As Ingraham reports below, "Some of the language in the bill is nonsensical."

From the Minnesota Reformer:

Minnesota Republicans introduce legislation inspired by the chemtrails conspiracy theory
By Christopher Ingraham

Republicans in the legislature, including Senate assistant minority leader Justin Eichorn, R-Grand Rapids, have introduced legislation (HF4687/SF4630) inspired by the “chemtrails” conspiracy theory. 

The bill contains a mishmash of conspiratorial pseudoscience, including references to made-up phenomena like “xenobiotic electromagnetism and fields,” with just enough parroting of actual science to give it a veneer of credibility. 

It requires county sheriffs to investigate citizen complaints of “polluting atmospheric activity,” and grants the governor the authority to call up the National Guard and ground any aircraft suspected of spreading pollutants.

To professionals who study and understand atmospheric science, the legislation bears all the hallmarks of the “chemtrails” conspiracy theory, which posits that airplane exhaust is deliberately laced with harmful chemicals for various nefarious purposes, including forced sterilization and mind control.

“Because the text of this bill focuses so much on electromagnetic radiation, you can tell that it is coming from the community of people concerned with chemtrails,” said Holly Buck, who studies geoengineering at the University at Buffalo in New York.

Lawmakers in at least seven other states have introduced similar bills recently. While most have stalled in committee, a Tennessee bill recently sailed through the GOP-controlled House and Senate and awaits a signature or veto by the Republican governor there.

Sponsors in some of those states have explicitly referenced the chemtrails conspiracy in discussing the legislation.

“If you look at a thousand planes, you won’t see one (chemtrail). But then all of a sudden you see one,” the author of the Tennessee Senate bill told the Tennessee Lookout last month. “So we’re just asking the question: Are they putting anything in the air that could be toxic?”

The Minnesota House version of the bill was authored by GOP Rep. Jeff Dotseth of Kettle River and co-sponsored by Reps. Pam Altendorf of Red Wing, Dawn Gillman of Dassel and Krista Knudson of Lake Shore.

The Senate version was authored by GOP Sen. Eric Lucero of Saint Michael and co-sponsored by Sens. Glenn Gruenhagen of Glencoe, Bruce Anderson of Buffalo, Nathan Wesenberg of Little Falls and Eichorn, the assistant minority leader.

Some of the language in the bill is nonsensical.

“I don’t think xenobiotic electromagnetism and fields is a thing — it doesn’t even make sense,” Buck said.

The lead authors of both chambers’ bills did not respond to a request to define “xenobiotic electromagnetism,” or to provide a real-world example of it.

Among other things, the legislation seeks to ban “weather-engineering, cloud-seeding, stratospheric aerosol injection, or other atmospheric activity that is harmful to humans or the environment” as well as the emission of “xenobiotic agents” and “excessive electromagnetic radiation.”

It requires local law enforcement to “encourage” the public to monitor “polluting atmospheric activities” and report them to authorities. If any such report is made, county sheriffs and commissioners must follow up and investigate, “without limitation.”

It further instructs sheriffs and county commissioners to order the grounding of any aircraft suspected of engaging in “weather-engineering or other atmospheric experimentation that involves releasing xenobiotic agents or producing electromagnetic radiation at harmful levels.”

The bill also gives the governor the authority to call up the National Guard and ground any aircraft suspected of engaging in “prohibited activity.”

Taken at face value the legislation could ban all air traffic in the state, due to its apparent blanket prohibition on “polluting atmospheric activity” that is “harmful to humans or the environment.” Similarly worded legislation in other states has been shot down over concerns about the effects on agricultural operators, ethanol producers, radio and TV broadcasters, and other industries.

The bill has no chance of becoming law under a DFL trifecta and is highly unlikely to even receive a hearing. But the support of multiple Republican members, including a member of leadership, gives a sense of how the party might govern were it to return to power.

This Minnesota Reformer article is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Screenshot: Senator Eric Lucero on the floor of the Minnesota Senate in April 2023. From Daily Kos. Raising the dead is a bridge too far for this Minnesota Republican.

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Commentary: Mention of agricultural causes comes too late in SD water pollution report

On Wednesday, Bluestem posted SD Searchlight: 80% of tested surface water in South Dakota fails to meet state standards.

The Searchlight also shared the commentary below from Brad Johnson of Watertown, who is president of the South Dakota Lakes and Streams Association and vice president of the South Dakota Wildlife Federation.

Mention of agricultural causes comes too late in state’s water pollution report
By Brad Johnson

When you put the fox in charge of the henhouse, it’s entertaining to see who gets blamed for the chicken parts scattered around. 

The fox is the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR), created from Gov. Kristi Noem’s 2021 merger of the Department of Agriculture with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The hens, unfortunately, are our lakes, rivers and streams.

The disingenuous story now being told is found in the 2024 South Dakota Integrated Report for Surface Water Quality Assessment. Every two years, federal law requires the state to report on the status of water pollution. 

The 2024 report says 78% of the assessed river and stream miles and 80% of the assessed acreage of lakes are too polluted to support one or more assigned beneficial uses. Those uses may include domestic water supplies, fishing, swimming or irrigation, among others.

The DANR, sometimes derisively described as the Department of Agriculture and “No Rules,” blames lake pollution primarily on mercury and describes mercury pollution as a global problem beyond the ability of South Dakota to solve. How convenient, then, to blame it for South Dakota’s polluted water.

“The primary source of mercury in South Dakota comes from global atmospheric deposition,” the report says. “Therefore, the high incidence of nonsupport for lakes is not likely to improve until measures to reduce mercury are implemented at a global scale.” 

Guess that’s as good a reason as any for the state not to invest in fighting water pollution.

The state not only diverts the blame for lake pollution, but also makes only a glancing mention of agricultural contributions to river and stream pollution.

“Total suspended solids (TSS) contamination from nonpoint sources and natural origin was the primary cause of nonsupport for fishery/aquatic life uses. Escherichia coli (E. coli) contamination from livestock and wildlife contributions was the primary cause of nonsupport for recreational uses,” the executive summary says. 

The report later reveals that 91% of lakes fell below the good category for total nitrogen and 94% fell below the good category for phosphorous pollutants. 

“Similar to lakes, the rivers and streams survey points to excessive amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus with over 73% and 60%, respectively, falling into the poor category when compared to their ecoregional benchmarks,” the report says.

Based on reading the executive summary, one can only guess the source of those pollutants. 

Travel back in time to the 2014 report, before the EPA lowered its mercury standard, and there was little mention of mercury. 

About 69% of rivers and streams and 56% of the lakes did not support all their beneficial uses, that report said: “Similar to previous reporting periods, nonsupport for fishery/aquatic life uses was caused primarily by total suspended solids (TSS) from agricultural nonpoint sources and natural origin.” 

Notice how the word “agricultural,” which was important in the 2014 executive summary, disappeared from the same part of the 2024 report. 

It is only when the reader gets to page 37 in the new report, a point far beyond what the general public likely would read, that you find in reference to lakes, “Runoff carrying sediment and nutrients from agricultural land is the most significant source of nonpoint pollution.”

“The major water quality problems in South Dakota lakes continue to be excessive nutrients, and algae due to nonpoint source pollution (primarily agricultural),” the 2024 report continues, on page 40. “Nonpoint source runoff and internal phosphorous cycling continues to negatively impact the trophic state of many lakes. Aging reservoirs have also become more eutrophic as many are now approaching their expected life spans.”

In other words, some of our surface water bodies are dying, and we aren’t doing much to stop it.

The effect of these subtle shifts in reporting is that political leaders do not see water pollution as a problem. Very little state money is spent on cleaning up our lakes and streams, and the state’s approach to agricultural pollution is all voluntary.

But when the state’s own report fails to mention the “agricultural” contributions to water pollution until the 37th page, it does not create any urgency for landowners to voluntarily participate in water quality programs. 

South Dakota, which depends on its surface water for tourism, fishing, hunting and community health, may not spend much money on protecting one of its more precious resources.

But at least we should be honest in acknowledging that the fox isn’t the best guard for the henhouse.

This commentary from South Dakota Searchlight is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Photo: Big Sioux River floodwaters flow over farm fields, sending sediment downstream toward Lake Kampeska and beyond on April 13, 2023. (Brad Johnson/For South Dakota Searchlight).

Related posts

• SD Searchlight: 80% of tested surface water in South Dakota fails to meet state standards
• Agency soup: MPCA, DNR, MDH & Ag release "Preventing fish kills in MN driftless region"
• Decline in freshwater mussels an indicator of poor river and stream health in South Dakota
•  More Minnesota lakes and rivers placed on impaired waters list
• WRAPS: erosion, stormwater & ag practices dirty water in Yellow Medicine River watershed

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SD Searchlight: 80% of tested surface water in South Dakota fails to meet state standards

I read the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources final draft of its 2024 report on surface water quality that's linked in the South Dakota Searchlight article republished below, and that experience has left me pleased that Joshua Haiar decoded the document for readers.

What didn't please me? Freedom may work here, as our sloganeering governor may pay an outside firm to say, but it might not want to eat the fish in this part of the state.

But South Dakota isn't alone in its water quality problems. The New York Times reported late last month Iowa Fertilizer Spill Kills Nearly All Fish Across 60-Mile Stretch of Rivers, echoing Jared Strong's earlier report for the Iowa Capital Dispatch, Fertilizer killed more than 750,000 fish in Nishnabotna.

To compare apples-to-apples, three weeks ago Strong reported More than half of Iowa’s tested streams and lakes are ‘impaired.’

And Minnesota? Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Kraker reported in November's State officials add dozens of lakes and streams to impaired waters list for sulfate and PFAS pollution:

The draft 2024 list includes nearly 200 new impairments for a variety of pollution issues, including nutrients that grow algae, mercury levels that lead to limits on fish consumption, sediment that clouds water and unhealthy conditions for fish and bugs.

That brings the total amount of listings for all years to nearly 2,800 water bodies, with more than 6,300 impairments. A single lake or stream can be listed for multiple reasons.

I'd think this is a competition a state would only want to win by being in last place for impaired waters.

From the South Dakota Searchlight:

80% of tested surface water in South Dakota fails to meet state standards
By Joshua Haiar

About 80% of the rivers, streams and lakes tested in South Dakota are too polluted for at least one of their intended uses.

The state Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources recently released the final draft of its 2024 report on surface water quality. 

The state has criteria to ensure a body of water is safe for its assigned uses. That means a lake where people swim and fish may have a stricter standard than a creek that’s rarely used for recreation. 

The percentage of sites not supporting all of their intended uses is about the same as the last report in 2022. 

The report is required as part of the federal Clean Water Act and is reviewed by the Environmental Protection Agency. 

South Dakota’s rivers and streams span 11,929 miles, with an additional 135,128 miles of streams that are dry at least part of the year. Of these, 6,148 stream miles were evaluated over the last five years, and 22% were clean enough to support all of their assigned beneficial uses. Those could include fishing, swimming, irrigation or supplying domestic water, among other uses.

Causes of river and stream pollution include runoff bringing too much soil and other solids into the water, and E. coli contamination from livestock and wildlife waste.

The report also covers the state’s 577 lakes and reservoirs, of which 180 have been assessed. Eighty percent of tested lakes were too polluted to support all of their assigned beneficial uses, and the report primarily blames mercury detected in fish.

Mercury levels in freshwater fish across the U.S. are rising due to more mercury in the atmosphere as a result of coal combustion and other human activities.

Agriculture also contributes to lake pollution, according to the report: “These lakes have sizeable watersheds of nutrient-rich glacial soils that are extensively developed for agriculture. Runoff carrying sediment and nutrients from agricultural land is the most significant source of nonpoint pollution.” Nonpoint pollution comes from many sources via runoff, as opposed to a single point source like a factory.

The report includes public comments that were submitted about the draft report. Two groups, including the Environmental Protection Agency, shared their thoughts. The EPA praised the state for finishing the report but suggested making the data easier to understand.

Jay Gilbertson, speaking for the East Dakota Water Development District, raised some questions. He noted a portion of the report that says South Dakota “primarily” uses volunteer efforts to prevent pollution from runoff, like when rain washes waste from livestock feedlots into waterways.

Gilbertson said the word “primarily” made it sound like regulatory enforcement is also used, but he doesn’t know of any examples of that happening. He suggested the report should either drop the word “primarily” or change it to “exclusively.”

The state changed the report to say it “encourages volunteer efforts.”

Among other comments and questions, Gilbertson also said the report indicates the state didn’t get any information from the Department of Game, Fish and Parks or any group that monitors beaches in the state. He found it worrisome that one state department wouldn’t share needed data with another, especially since it could affect public safety.

The state’s response to that was a single word: “Noted.”

Gilbertson told South Dakota Searchlight that the state’s binary “pass-fail” approach to the water quality report masks some progress. He said along the Big Sioux River, for example, the state financially incentivizes better livestock waste management and the planting of grass buffers to filter out waste before it reaches the water, which has improved the water quality. 

This South Dakota Searchlight article is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Photo: Lake Andes in southeast South Dakota (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight).

Related posts

• Agency soup: MPCA, DNR, MDH & Ag release "Preventing fish kills in MN driftless region"
• Decline in freshwater mussels an indicator of poor river and stream health in South Dakota
•  More Minnesota lakes and rivers placed on impaired waters list
• WRAPS: erosion, stormwater & ag practices dirty water in Yellow Medicine River watershed

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. 

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I'm on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6

[VIDEO] State vet briefs MN House Ag Committee on avian flu (HPAI) in dairy cows and people

On Monday, Bluestem reported Not an April Fools' Day joke: Person in contact with HPAI infected cows in Texas catches bird flu.

That followed articles in March about the jump of the disease to goats, then dairy cattle

I was able to learn more today when Dr. Brian Hoefs, Minnesota's state veterinarian, testified about HPAI in dairy cattle to the Minnesota House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee meeting. Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen also testified following Hoefs' appearance.

At the Star Tribune, ag reporter Christopher Vondracek looked at the evolving situation in Minnesota livestock growers on high alert as bird flu has jumped to cattle in three other states:

The devastating avian virus has already infected baby goats in Stevens County. Now Minnesota ag officials brace for what feels like the inevitable. 

Bird flu has jumped to cattle for the first time in the United States and recently infected a dairy worker in Texas.

Agriculture officials in Minnesota are watching closely for infections in the state's cattle herds and dairies, while public health officials continue to say the risk to humans remains low and pasteurized milk remains safe.

"I'd be surprised if it isn't here already here [in cattle]," said Dr. Joe Armstrong, a University of Minnesota Extension livestock educator.

The ongoing highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak began in 2022 has resulted in the mass culling of turkeys and chickens across the state whenever an infection is found. Although evidence suggests the fast-spreading disease is not lethal in cattle, Armstrong said Tuesday federal and state officials are working with farmers and veterinarians to keep animals safe.

So far there are no reports of HPAI in cattle in Minnesota. Last week, dairy cows and their milk in Texas and Kansas tested positive for the virus. By Friday, a dairy herd in Michigan that had received cows from Texas also had sick cattle.

Last month, Minnesota officials reported the nation's first positive bird flu infection of a ruminant. A litter of Stevens County goat kids shared water with infected poultry and later several tested positive for the virus.

Animal health officials say livestock owners should be on the watch for symptoms. Dr. Brian Hoefs, Minnesota's state veterinarian, told the state's House agriculture committee Tuesday the infected Texas cattle ate less feed, showed respiratory stress and had dark, tacky manure. Evidence of HPAI was found in tests of raw milk

"It's basically the same virus that's been circulating since 2022," Dr. Hoefs said. One distinct difference from birds, however: all the sick cows recovered.. . . .

So far, the species jump hasn't proved as deadly to dairy cows and humans as it has for poultry and kid goats. Learn more by reading the rest of Minnesota livestock growers on high alert as bird flu has jumped to cattle in three other states.

At the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) Lisa Schnirring reports in Tests confirm avian flu on New Mexico dairy farm; probe finds cats positive:

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service yesterday announced that tests have now confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a New Mexico dairy herd and that the virus has now been confirmed in five more Texas dairy herds.

Part of quickly evolving developments, the announcement came shortly after Texas health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the first human case, which involves a person from Texas who had contact with dairy cattle, highlighting the risk to farm workers.

And in another development, Texas officials yesterday said that cats showing illness signs in the dairy farm settings were also positive for the virus.

So far, the virus has now been confirmed on seven Texas farms, along with two in Kansas, and one each from New Mexico and Michigan. The USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, is working to confirm a presumptive positive from a dairy herd in Idaho.

Cats tested positive in Texas farm sampling

Following yesterday's announcement of the first human H5N1 infection linked to dairy cow exposure, the Texas Department of State Health Services issued a health alert that urged health providers to be vigilant for people with symptoms from H5N1, especially those who have had contact with potentially infected animals.

It also noted that in March, investigators collected samples from several animals in Texas and Kansas. Wild birds, cats, and dairy cows were tested because they showed illness signs. "Further testing of these samples indicated the presence of avian influenza A(H5N1)," the TDSHS said. A press officer from the TDSHS confirmed in an e-mail that sick cats tested positive for the virus.

The Texas Animal Health Commission said in an e-mail that it has received lab confirmation of HPAI for three cats.

Wild birds on affected farms had earlier tested positive for H5N1, and evidence is growing that the virus may be spreading cow to cow. Investigations are still underway to sort out how the virus is spreading on farms, which includes identifying the extent of virus circulation in other animals or wildlife.

Cats are among the mammals previously known be contract H5N1, with infections reported in the United States, Poland, and South Korea. . . .

I'm glad my cats are indoor dwellers. Schnirring continues:

Who's most at risk on dairy farms?

Federal health officials have said the avian flu outbreaks in dairy herds and the new infection in Texas doesn't change its threat assessment, which is low for the public. They have also emphasized the safety of the nation's milk supply due to safety nets including pasteurization, while warning against drinking raw milk that can harbor pathogens.

In the latest Moos Room podcast, Joe Armstrong, DVM, a cattle production expert with the University of Minnesota, urged dairy farm operators at farms where the virus is confirmed or suspected to focus on those at greatest risk, especially if personal protective equipment is limited. The Moos Room podcast is part of University of Minnesota Extension outreach.

He said the most at-risk groups are anyone who works with raw milk, including those in milking parlors, employees who work with calves, and people who work with bulk tanks. He also said those with immunocompromised conditions, such as pregnancy, are at greater risk.

Armstrong also urged dairy operators to ensure that workers, including those from other countries who don't speak English as their first language, know the illness symptoms to report. "They may or may not be willing to seek medical help when they need it."

"If you are out there and you have employees who fit that description, you need to be advocating for them and watching out for them," Armstrong said. "Check in with them, make sure everything's OK. Make sure they understand what's happening." . . .

Bluestem will keep an eye on this evolving story.

Photo: A barn cat, from CIDRAP's Tests confirm avian flu on New Mexico dairy farm; probe finds cats positive,

Related articles

• Not an April Fools' Day joke: Person in contact with HPAI infected cows in Texas catches bird flu
• Dairy cattle in Kansas and Texas catch highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) from wild birds
• Minnesota Board of Animal Health: Stevens County goat tests positive for avian influenza
• MN Board of Animal Health: HPAI confirmed in commercial Meeker County turkey flock 
• MN DNR: Wild fox in Minnesota tests positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza
• In America's turkey industry, SD producers hit hardest by highly pathogenic avian influenza
• Board of Animal Health: Minnesota poultry sales and exhibitions temporarily banned for 31 days
• Board of Animal Health: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza confirmed in two Minnesota flocks 
• SD Game, Fish & Parks: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) detected in South Dakota 
• Associated Press: Bird flu detected among commercial flock in southeastern South Dakota
• Minnesota Reformer: Menacing bird flu detected in western Iowa backyard chicken and duck flock
• Shocking photos in state vet's report to Midwest lawmakers reveal bird flu toll to farmers & flocks 

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Not an April Fools' Day joke: Person in contact with HPAI infected cows in Texas catches bird flu

March 2024 was the month during which Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) jumped from birds (and possibly some mammals) to goats and cattle. Today, news reports tell of the spread of the disease to a person.

Last Tuesday, Bluestem posted Dairy cattle in Kansas and Texas catch highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) from wild birds. That was just six days after I posted  Minnesota Board of Animal Health: Stevens County goat tests positive for avian influenza.

It's April 1. The Associated Press's Mike Stobbe reports in Person is diagnosed with bird flu after being in contact with cows in Texas:

ATLANTA (AP) — A person in Texas has been diagnosed with bird flu, an infection tied to the recent discovery of the virus in dairy cows, health officials said Monday.

The patient is being treated with an antiviral drug and their only reported symptom was eye redness, Texas health officials said. Health officials say the person had been in contact with cows presumed to be infected, and the risk to the public remains low.

Last week, dairy cows in Texas and Kansas were reported to be infected with bird flu — and federal agriculture officials later confirmed infections in a Michigan dairy herd that had recently received cows from Texas.

Since 2020, the bird flu virus has been spreading among more animal species – including dogs, cats, skunks, bears and even seals and porpoises – in scores of countries. However, the detection is U.S. livestock is an “unexpected and problematic twist,” said Dr. Ali Khan, a former CDC outbreak investigator who is now dean of the University of Nebraska’s public health college.

This bird flu was first identified as a threat to people during a 1997 outbreak in Hong Kong. More than 460 people have died in the past two decades from bird flu infections, according to the World Health Organization.

. . .t’s only the second time a person in the United States has been diagnosed with what’s known as Type A H5N1 virus. In 2022, a prison inmate in a work program picked it up while killing infected birds at a poultry farm in Montrose County, Colorado. His only symptom was fatigue, and he recovered.

Bluestem hopes local dairy herds stay healthy.

Photo: Some Holsteins.

Related posts

• Dairy cattle in Kansas and Texas catch highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) from wild birds
• Minnesota Board of Animal Health: Stevens County goat tests positive for avian influenza
• MN Board of Animal Health: HPAI confirmed in commercial Meeker County turkey flock 
• MN DNR: Wild fox in Minnesota tests positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza
• In America's turkey industry, SD producers hit hardest by highly pathogenic avian influenza
• Board of Animal Health: Minnesota poultry sales and exhibitions temporarily banned for 31 days
• Board of Animal Health: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza confirmed in two Minnesota flocks 
• SD Game, Fish & Parks: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) detected in South Dakota 
• Associated Press: Bird flu detected among commercial flock in southeastern South Dakota
• Minnesota Reformer: Menacing bird flu detected in western Iowa backyard chicken and duck flock
• Shocking photos in state vet's report to Midwest lawmakers reveal bird flu toll to farmers & flocks 

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. 

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email [email protected] as recipient.

I'm on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6