Menominee County Research Articles

Study Protocol to Measure the Impact of a “Farm-to-Fork” Program on Food Security and Nutrition Outcomes in the Menominee Nation

ObjectivesNative Americans have higher food insecurity and negative health outcomes than non-Native citizens. One way to address this problem are community-based programs targeted to improve nutrition and health outcomes relevant to the needs and priorities of Native Americans. The Menominee Nation (MN) is located on the Menominee Indian Reservation, also referred to as Menominee County, WI. In a 2015 Community Food Assessment (CFA) of the MN, 73% of respondents reported hunger as a concern. Additionally, county health data indicate that Menominee County ranks last in the state for both food security and health outcomes. A recent archeological discovery of MN's ancestral community garden bed sites has renewed interest in food sovereignty, with 65% of CFA respondents reporting an interest in growing their food if assistance was available. We present a study protocol of “farm-to-fork” programming developed to address these expressed needs for greater food sovereignty among MN Tribal Members. Further, we present a protocol to use primary and secondary data pre- and post- to assess outcomes. Our hypothesis is that community-centered nutrition programming and support will increase production, self-efficacy, and consumption of nutrient-dense foods by the MN.MethodsA new extension aquaponics facility is being developed to raise fish and culturally relevant produce desired by MN. Over the next four years, education programming will be offered through field days and Native Chef demonstrations at the Farmer's Market, as well as workforce training and start-up funds for new aquaponic producers. Pre- and post-surveys measuring self-efficacy, food sovereignty, and nutrient intake are combined with county health data to make comparisons before and after implementation of programming.ResultsExpected Results We expect an increase in production, self-efficacy, and consumption of nutrient-dense foods by Menominee Tribal Members, leading to an increase in food sovereignty of the MN.ConclusionsWe believe this project serves as a model for creating sustainable and effective nutrition/health partnerships with historically disadvantaged and excluded populations.Funding SourcesThis work is supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Magma Mingling in Kimberlites: Evidence from the Groundmass Cocrystallization of Two Spinel-Group Minerals

We present the results of a detailed petrographic study of fresh coherent samples of the Menominee kimberlite sampled at site 73, located in Menominee County, MI, USA. Our objective is to account for its unusual and complex paragenetic sequence. Several generations of olivine, ilmenite, and spinel-group minerals are described. Early olivine and ilmenite are xenocrystic and were replaced or overgrown by primary minerals. Zoned microcrysts of olivine have a xenocrystic core mantled by a first rim in which rutile, geikielite, and spinel s.s. (spinel sensu stricto) cocrystallized. The in situ U–Pb dating of a microcryst of primary rutile yielded 168.9 ± 4.4 Ma, which was interpreted as the age of emplacement. The groundmass consists of olivine, spinel s.s., a magnesian ulvöspinel–ulvöspinel–magnetite (MUM) spinel, calcite, and dolomite. An extremely low activity of Si is suggested by the crystallization of spinel s.s. instead of phlogopite in the groundmass. The presence of djerfisherite microcrysts indicates high activities of Cl and S during the late stages of melt crystallization. The occurrence of two distinct spinel-group minerals (spinel s.s. and qandilite-rich MUM) in the groundmass is interpreted as clear evidence of the mingling of a magnesiocarbonatitic melt with a dominant kimberlitic melt.

Heat Vulnerability Index Mapping for Milwaukee and Wisconsin.

Extreme heat waves elevate the population's risk for heat-related morbidity and mortality, specifically for vulnerable groups such as older adults and young children. In this context, we developed 2 Heat Vulnerability Indices (HVIs), one for the state of Wisconsin and one for the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Through the creation of an HVI, state and local agencies will be able to use the indices as a planning tool for extreme heat events. Data used for the HVIs were grouped into 4 categories: (1) population density; (2) health factors; (3) demographic and socioeconomic factors; and (4) natural and built environment factors. These categories were mapped at the Census block group level. Unweighted z-score data were used to determine index scores, which were then mapped by quantiles ranging from "high" to "low" vulnerability. Statewide, Menominee County exhibited the highest vulnerability to extreme heat. Milwaukee HVI findings indicated high vulnerability in the city's inner core versus low vulnerability along the lakeshore. Visualization of vulnerability could help local public health agencies prepare for future extreme heat events.

Individual and County Level Correlates of Medicaid Births in Michigan

ABSTRACT Across Michigan the share of births covered by Medicaid varies widely, from a low of 15% in Menominee County to a high of 71% in Roscommon County in 2009 (Michigan League for Public Policy n.d.). This paper uses data on women who delivered a live infant in Michigan between 2009 and 2011 from Michigan's Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) matched to county level socioeconomic information to identify factors associated with the likelihood Medicaid is used to cover the medical costs of giving birth. The results suggest that strategies to reduce Medicaid births without reducing health care available to low-income women include stimulating economic growth and expanding access to family planning resources. This analysis does not find evidence that pro-marriage policies would reduce Medicaid births.

IN MEMORIAM: George Dearborn Spindler 1920-2014

IN MEMORIAM GeorgeDearbornSpindler 1920-2014 George Spmdler athis 85th birthday celebration, 2005. (Photo courtesy of Spindler family archives.) GeorgeDearborn Spindler was an anthropologist for67 ofhis94 years,mostin close cooperation withhis wife,Louise. Theyweremarried for56 yearsand anthropologists together for50 years, untilshepassedawayin 1997.Theirfirst decade in anthropology was sharedwiththeMenomini (now Menominee) people of Wisconsin and focused on the use of psychologicaltests in ethnographic fieldwork. They workedwiththe Menominiforseven summers (1948-1954) and returned forbrief annualvisitsfordecades.They wouldhavelikedanygroupofpeople- thatis thewaytheywere- buttheMenomini touched their souls. In 1951,Georgestarted fieldwork in middle-class American schools, butthey disrupted hissoul.He disliked howthedominant American culture was forcing the Menominiintoassimilation, but he was in awe of the ingenuity andpersonal integrity withwhichthepeopleresisted. Traditional Menomini education, he saidin 1963,was "successfully refractive ... tothe educational experience contrived by theagentsof thedominant society." Among traditional Menomini,educational"encountersare nearly all favorable to thechild,and,as a consequence, [s]/he developsverylittle by wayofrecalcitrant or ambivalent feelings towards adultsor whatever they wouldhavehimlearn."In American schools, wracked byfierce competition andtheopposingdemandto appearegalitarian, bothchildren andteachers werepsychologically divided andinconstant badfaith with eachother. Spindler wastrained intheassumptions andmethods oftheculture and personality schoolthat headlined American anthropology from 1930to 1955 withstudiesof dreams,fears,wishes,and neuroses.He and Louise used projective techniques - often modified to fittheparticulars oftheculture under analysis - inall their fieldwork. Theirearlyworkwith theMenomini soughtto characterize thecorepersonality typesof individuals. After the collapseof personality studiesin thelate 1950s,Spin (as he was known) stayedthecourse,butworried moreabouttheenvironments shapingand maintaining whathebeganin 1968tocall the"cognitive orientation" ofthe people theystudied.Personality studiestendedto isolateand stereotype individuals as theproduction centerof societiesand theirproblems, but Spin'slaterwork - by1959forAmerican education, by1963for Menomini education - emphasized individualsengagedin struggles organizedby 4 Journal of American Indian Education -Volume 53,Issue2,2014 others. Ifprojective techniques showeddeeplydividedsouls,Spinwanted to showhowemerging circumstances madethedifference. Because their analyticvocabularychanged over the years, the Spindlers' workwith theMenomini canbestbe readbackwards. Theywould preferit. When theypublishedDreamerswithout Power in 1971, the "without"was meantto emphasizethe poundingput upon Menomini individuals bymainstream Americans. Whentheir Menomini friends raised an alternative perspective, theSpindlers changedthetitletoDreamerswith Power.Itfitbetter themorecritical viewthey hadbeendeveloping. Culture andpersonality theory brought them insights, butshielded them from others. Washawaythepersonality focus, andthere is muchtoappreciate. Spinwrote lovelyaccountsofgreetings, silences,andquestion-answer linkagesamong theMenomini, buttreated themas products of thecharacter structure of individuals. He appreciated whenothers longlater described thesameevents as interactional accomplishments. In hislastpaper,in 2008,Spinsuggested thatprojectivetechniqueswere disappointing scientific tools, but great contexts for meaningful conversations. He likedrenewal. Spinwitnessed anddocumented cultural changesofall kinds.During hislongteaching careerhe lovedtomentor students. At Stanford, he was a keyfaculty person for first generations ofNativeAmerican andother minority students entering university life.His struggle across 60 yearsof writing anthropology was to capturethehumanity of people getting through life together. Kind,gentle, andappreciative alwayscamefirst, although he hada goodeyefor thecontradictions inhabiting every life. He hada large institutional career, butwanted onlytoputittogooduse.He taught 40,000students, but had no desirefora following. He becameknownas thefounder of the anthropology of education, butrejected thetitleand resisted anyidolatry. With no head for business,he ran a small empirefor introductory anthropology texts,including 200 case studies, morethan20 focusing on NativeAmerican cultures. For countless students acrossthecountry, these case studies offered their first understanding ofNativeAmerican cultures as richandrewarding worlds, alternatives totheir own. GeorgeSpindler lovedto do work.He lovedtopublishhisworkand other people'swork.On a great day,he wouldblurthelinesbetween work, relaxation, family andfriends whilewaiting fora publication toarrive inthe mail.He was kindto all whocamehisway,andifanyonewas notkindto him, hewouldonlysay,"I don'tunderstand why." - RayMcDermott, Professor ofEducation andAnthropology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA Janice E. Stockard, Editor, Case Studies inCultural Anthropology and Lecturer, St.Mary'sCollege,Moraga,CA August 4,2014 Journal of American Indian Education -53,Issue2,2014 5 GeorgeSpindler andI werebothbornin North Central Wisconsin, andhe was rearedthere. I came to realizeovertheyearsnotonlyhow muchhe respected people- thedetailsoftheir dailylivesandtheingenuity oftheir dailyresourcefulness - butalsohowdeepwashisawareness andrespect for place. He had come to care verymuch forthe people who lived in Menominee County andhealso lovedthelanditself - itswaters, itsforests. He hunted and fishedin thosewoods and lakes,and did so withrespect, returning toMenominee County everysummer thathe couldandstaying as longas possibleintothefall,givena taxingacademicscheduleandcareer. Laterinlifehecametohavea similar appreciation oftheimportance ofplace as helivedandconducted research ina smallvillageinGermany. Ina sense, his critiqueof modernAmericansocietywas thatit was without place, without rootedness. Yet he didnotjustromanticize a primal utopiaas some anthropologists havedone- hewasrealistic about change, itsnecessity, andits concomitants. In all this, acrossa longlifespan,heheldtrue tothevaluesof modesty andkindliness, learned ina Midwestern childhood. - Frederick Erickson, Inaugural Kneller ChairofAnthropology and Education, Emeritus, UCLA Garrett...

Bald Eagle Predation of a White-Tailed Deer Fawn

Abstract Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Bald Eagle) is an adaptable predatory bird that commonly captures live prey, but regularly scavenges. Large mammalian prey (e.g., Odocoileus virginianus [White-tailed Deer]) have been observed in Bald Eagle diets, but were considered scavenged. To our knowledge, Bald Eagle predation of a live ungulate has only been reported once, and occurred in Menominee County, MI. In June 2009, we captured and radiocollared a female White-tailed Deer fawn (2.7 kg) in the south-central Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The fawn was last radiolocated alive 8 h after release in a short-height (20–30 cm) grassland field along a river approximately 570 m from an eagle nest. Estimated time of mortality of the fawn was 10 h post release. Approximately 27 h post release, 2 legs, >50% fawn hide, and the radiocollar were present in the nest along with 2 eagle nestlings (estimated age 9–10 wks). We believe this was a possible predation event based on the 8-h period between fawn relocations, fawn move...

Zoonotic Pathogens inIxodes scapularis, Michigan

Zoonotic Pathogens in<i>Ixodes scapularis</i>, Michigan

Geographic distribution of ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in Michigan, with emphasis on Ixodes scapularis and Borrelia burgdorferi.

A 12-yr (1985-1996) passive survey in Michigan based upon tick submissions from citizens yielded 4,755 ticks of 21 species, 16 of which were probably indigenous in the state. Three species of Dermacentor [most common, D. variabilis Say and D. albipictus (Packard)]; 2 species of Amblyomma [most common, A. americanum (L.)]; and 12 species of Ixodes (most common, I. cookei Packard and I. scapularis Say), as well as Haemaphysalis leporispalustris (Packard), Rhipicephalus sanguineus Latreille, and the soft ticks Ornithodoros kelleyi Cooley & Kohls, and Otobius megnini (Duges) were submitted. New state records were I. kingi Bishopp, I. texanus Banks, I. sculptus Neumann, and I. baergi Cooley & Kohls. Examination of gut smears from dissections of 1,037 ticks of 13 species by indirect immunofluorescent assay, using murine monoclonal H9724 as the primary antibody, revealed that 11 of 175 I. scapularis were infected with Borrelia spp. All positive I. scapularis were from Menominee County in the upper peninsula of the state, which also provided 79.8% of all submitted I. scapularis. Surveys for ticks on 5,449 hunter-killed white-tailed deer were conducted from 1988 to 1990, encompassed deer taken from 65 of the state's 83 counties, and showed that although D. albipictus was distributed widely in the northern part of the state, I. scapularis occurred only on deer taken from southern townships of Menominee County. Of 1,218 canine sera tested for antibodies to B. burgdorferi in 1992 and 1993, 25 of 299 (8.0%) from Menominee County were positive but only 1 of 919 sera submitted from 5 counties in the lower peninsula was positive.

Culture-confirmed reinfection of a person with different strains of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto.

In recent years, the utility of serum-based diagnostic testing for Lyme disease has improved substantially; however, recovery by culture of the bacterium from skin biopsies of suspected patients is still the only definitive laboratory test. Reinfection of patients has been assumed to occur but as yet has not been documented by serial isolates from the same person. We present a case of culture-confirmed reinfection of a patient in Menominee County, Michigan. Borrelia burgdorferi was isolated from the skin punch biopsy specimens during each episode of erythema migrans (EM) and was subjected to molecular strain typing, genetic analysis of two outer surface protein genes, protein profile analysis, and serum antibody response testing. Results show that these isolates are distinct strains of the bacterium and that the two episodes of EM were caused by independent infections. This report describes the documented, culture-confirmed reinfection of a human by two different strains of B. burgdorferi.

Isolation of Borrelia burgdorferi from Two Patients in Michigan

Borrelia burgdorferi was isolated from skin biopsy specimens of erythema chronicum migrans lesions on two individuals residing in Menominee County, Michigan, in 1992. To our knowledge, these are the first two cases of culture-confirmed Lyme disease in Michigan. In spite of prompt treatment and resolution of illness, antibodies to B. burgdorferi were detectable for at least 3 months in both patients. Both specimens were obtained at different rural medical practices, thus demonstrating that with adequate laboratory support it is feasible to confirm a diagnosis of acute Lyme disease by culture in rural health care settings.

Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi in host-seeking ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) from a Lyme disease endemic area in northern Michigan.

The Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt & Brenner, was recovered from the guts of questing Ixodes scapularis Say adults and nymphs and adult Dermacentor variabilis (Say), collected in Menominee County, Michigan, in 1992. Spirochetes were cultured successfully from guts placed in modified Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly II medium held in 5-ml cultures tubes or in 0.3-ml wells of microtiter plates. Most isolates were recovered within 2 wk of culturing at an incubation temperature of 34 degrees C. Spirochetes were recovered more rapidly in culture tubes than in microtiter plates. For determination of tick infection with B. burgdorferi, culturing was equivalent to examination of gut smears by immunofluorescence. We found the following infection rates: 57/179 I. scapularis females (31.8%), 62/204 I. scapularis males (30.4%), 9/54 I. scapularis nymphs (16.7%), and 5/383 D. variabilis adults (1.3%).

The Incidence of Sapstreak Disease of Sugar Maple in Menominee County, Wisconsin, and Its Relationship to Wounds and Season of Logging

Abstract Stands of sugar maple along a 0.5 chain-wide strip on both sides of 6.1 rules of major skid and haul roads logged in 1977-1982 were examined for sapstreak disease caused by Ceratocystis coerulescens. There were an average of 0.89 wounded sugar maple per chain (0.1 ac) of roadside. Sapstreak was found in 4.8% (21 of 431) of the wounded sugar maples. Only one tree per 21.2 chains (2.1 ac) of roadside was found to have sapstreak. No significant differences (P = 0.51) existed in the incidence of sapstreak in stands logged during frozen versus non-frozen conditions. Losses amounted to between $41 and $82 per acre of roadside. North. J. Appl. For. 6:65-67, June 1989.

EFFECTS OF A RECREATIONAL IMPOUNDMENT ON NEARBY NATURAL LAKES: A CASE STUDY1

ABSTRACT: Completion of a 1270 acre recreational impoundment (Legend Lake) in the glacial sands of Menominee County, Wisconsin, produced geochemical and hydrologic alterations in some nearby natural lakes. The impoundment was produced by the construction of three dams, one of which proved to be temporary, connecting 9 natural lakes and ponds of 383 acres with 951 acres of flooded lands. Water levels were raised 3–15 feet within the impounded area. Much of the flooded area was peat rich wetland associated with the prior drainage. Water depths are less than 15 feet in 70% of the impoundment.Three seepage lakes, located less than 1/2 mile from the impoundment, experienced shoreline flooding, shoreline and soil erosion, some tree kills, and increased turbidity. These lakes also experienced concentration increases in several chemical constituents which indicate an influx of impoundment water through a regional alternation in the groundwater flow paths. The three lakes were connected by canals, and a 2.3 cfs gravity drain with an auxiliary pumping station was built to return excess water to the outflow of the impoundment.Future projects of this type would benefit from a more extensive hydrologic and geochemical analysis prior to initiation. Had environmental assessments been required at the time of this development, as they now are in Wisconsin for similar projects, some of the problems encountered might have been alleviated.

Intraspecific Diameter Differentiation as a Measure of Species Replacement Potential

A method is developed to measure species replacement potentials in forest vegetation from tree diameter records taken at a single point in time. Replacement potentials are based on mean diameter differentiation within a species when occurring with other species. The technique incorporates a correction for differences in growth rate and maximum size between species.Successional trends established for Menominee County, Wisconsin and site-successional relations examined by cluster and principal components analyses agreed closely with results of earlier studies in the Lake States. The applicability and limitations of the method are discussed.

Size‐Association Analysis of Forest Successional Trends in Wisconsin

A method for quantitatively evaluating the successional relationships which exist between species was tested on data from Menominee County, Wisconsin. The method is based upon an examination of the changes in interspecific association which occur when successively larger diameter classes of one or both species are used as the basis for the calculation of an association index. With this method it is possible in most cases to determine which species tend to replace which others. In addition, by averaging replacement tendencies in various ways, index values can be arrived at which express the degree to which a particular species may be characterized as pioneer or climax. The results of the analysis agree well with other studies on succession in these forests. This method should prove useful in elucidating successional relationships, especially in areas where these are not well understood.

Menominee Termination: From Reservation to Colony

Termination policy, touted as freeing the Indians, as applied in 1954 to the Menominee of northeastern Wisconsin, has impoverished a tribe that once paid for most of its own services and administration and has resulted in less self-determination than the Menominee exercised under the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The shift from federal to state jurisdiction, implemented between 1954 and 1961, turned the former reservation into Menominee County and turned management of the tribe's land, forests, mill, and other assets over to a corporation, Menominee Enterprises, Inc. (MEI), which became virtually the only taxpayer in the new county. A situation with all the elements of classic colonialism was thus created when the federal government played realpolitik and stuck Wisconsin with a new territory it did not want. The state, which became, in effect, a mother country, endeavored to make the county pay its own way and even yield a profit to the state, and encouraged exploitation of Menominee resources to serve th...

Soil Resources and Forest Ecology of Menominee County, Wisconsin, Bulletin 85

Soil Resources and Forest Ecology of Menominee County, Wisconsin, Bulletin 85