COVID-19 in Indian Country
Mapping Impacts of Novel Coronavirus across Native American Reservations of the Intermountain West
COVID-19 in Indian Country: What are the impacts, and how can we help?
Because of challenges such as lack of access to clean water, overcrowded homes, intergenerational families living together, high rates of disease (diabetes, hypertension), remotely located communities, lack of access to health care, economic challenges, and more, Native People living on reservations in the intermountain west (Northern Rockies, Great Basin and Southwestern US) are especially vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19, the Novel Coronavirus.
Since 2015, the Native Waters on Arid Lands (NWAL; https://nativewaters-aridlands.com ) project has been working with extension experts and tribal communities from across the intermountain west to understand the impacts of climate change on water resources and agriculture, and to evaluate adaptation options for increasing climate resiliency on tribal reservations. Many of the challenges that we have identified in the course of our work are now compounded by impacts of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
NWAL video call, April 3, 2020.
In March 2020, the NWAL team began hosting weekly video conference calls with Tribal leaders, Federally Recognized Tribal Extension Program (FRTEP) agents, and Tribal Colleges & Universities (TCUs) faculty from across the intermountain west to collect information about the impacts of COVID-19 on tribal farmers, ranchers, and communities and to identify actions that our team or our federal sponsors can take to help lessen the impacts of the pandemic.
Through these calls, we have documented some of the specific challenges and needs shared by each tribe, as well as their ideas for how to best move forward. The information is organized here by region (Northern Rockies, Great Basin, Southwest), then by reservation.
IMPACTS BY REGION
Northern Rockies: Cheyenne River Reservation, Pine Ridge Reservation, and Northern Cheyenne Reservation
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1
Cheyenne River Reservation
Population: 8,090
Challenges: This reservation is located in one of the poorest counties in the United States. Families are large; the average household has 15 people living in a 3-bedroom house. They have a hospital on reservation, but it is hard for many people to access due to hazardous roads. Grass and grazing leases are the tribe's only natural resources, but many ranchers are already close to bankrupcy after tough recent years. A drop in the futures market is preventing ranchers from selling their products.
Needs: Short term and long term goals for how to help local ranchers. To stop imports of foreign beef. Cheaper money to help ranchers bridge the COVID-19 crisis. Relief from irrigation fee payments for tribal farmers.
Sources: Roy Lemmon, Jim Pearman, Vicki Hebb, Tater Ward.
2
Rosebud Reservation
Challenges: On the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, a residential rehabilitation treatment center for addiction to alcohol, methamphetamine and opioids suspended admissions in early March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They would like to reopen this essential community service, but lack the COVID-19 testing kits needed to ensure safe operations for staff and patients in this 40-bed coed facility.
Needs: 100 PCR COVID-19 tests for patients and staff of meth/opioid treatment center program.
Source: Ed Parsells, Director of Rosebud Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program
3
Pine Ridge Reservation
Population: 19,779
Challenges: This reservation is located in one of the poorest counties in the United States. It has a hospital, but no ICU. The closest ICUs are in Rapid City, Sioux Falls, or Scott's Bluff. There are two grocery stores on reservation, but people from nearby cities have come to try to buy their supplies. Tribal ranchers who are able are donating beef to help feed tribal members.
Needs: To stop imports of foreign beef and chicken in support of local ranchers. To waive interest rates on producers so that they can get refinanced for the coming year.
Source: Chancy Wilson.
4
Northern Cheyenne Reservation
Population: 4,939
Challenges: Lack of running water in homes makes basic sanitation (hand-washing) difficult. Tribal members haul drinking water from several springs on the reservation -- but recent water quality testing found that only one of the water sources was “drinkable”. For ranchers, grazing rate increases have taken a financial toll, but ranchers who are able have been donating beef and buffalo to help feed the community.
Needs: Funding for fencing to protect the sources of the springs where people obtain drinking water, and to develop downstream access points for livestock. A source of economic relief for livestock operators.
Source: Phillip Beckman.
5
Flathead Reservation
Population: 29,218
Ideas: Members of the Flathead Reservation have formed a community research partnership with scientists from Montana State University to research and develop a rapid testing program for COVID-19. The objective of the planned study is to determine the number of people with detectable antibodies (IgG and IgM) to the novel coronavirus and associated demographic characteristics and prevention behaviors from a sampling of frontline workers on the Flathead Reservation who have no known clinical symptoms or mild symptoms and, how this varies over time.
Challenges: Seasonal farmhands will be coming into the region during the spring/summer months to work in cherry fields and apple fields in the fall, and increasing the possible COVID-19 risk in the region.
Needs: Guidance as to how to best mitigate risk of COVID-19 as seasonal workers arrive in the region during harvest seasons.
Sources: Selena Ahmed, Virgil Dupuis.
Great Basin: Walker River Reservation, Pyramid Lake Reservation, Duck Valley Reservation
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1
Walker River Reservation
Population: 650
Challenges: The Walker River Paiute Tribe has imposed an 8pm-8am curfew and closed the reservation to non-residents, but a main highway from Reno to Vegas runs through the reservation and makes it difficult to enforce the closure. The reservation has a health clinic, but no COVID-19 test kits.
Ideas: The tribe has organized group grocery orders to prevent the need for individuals to leave the reservation to go shopping.
Needs: Tribal farmers need immediate relief from irrigation fee payments (due in May) and grazing fee payments (due in fall).
Source: Candice Birchum, Staci Emm.
2
Pyramid Lake Reservation
Population: 1,300
Challenges: The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe has closed the lake to non-tribal members (fishing, recreation etc) but the borders are still open. The tribal health clinic is currently closed, along with most other non-essential services.
Source: Nik Wright.
3
Duck Valley Reservation
Population: 1,309
Ideas: Stay-at-home orders are in place, but Duck Valley's successful hoop house program has been permitted to continue as an essential service to the community. Hoop house installations can be done solo, and the program is seeing a high demand from people who have never gardened before. Gardens promote food security, physical health, and mental health.
Needs: Tribal famers need immediate relief from irrigation fee payments.
Source: Reggie Primo.
Southwest: Navajo Nation, Hopi Reservation, Hualapai Reservation
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Navajo Nation
Population: 356,890
Challenges: Reservation borders are closed, with police roadblocks for reinforcements. All COVID-19 communications have to be translated into English and Navajo. The Tribe is experiencing difficulty accessing national stockpiles for equipment, and difficulty obtaining relief money from federal government. Tribal members have trouble with the stay at home policy, as families are large and close-knit. A lot of people do not have running water at home (must haul from community water sources), so sanitation is challenging and gardening projects are not a viable option. Several community gardens were being operated at schools and community centers, which are now closed. In Kayenta, schools have transitioned to distance learning, but only a small percentage of students have access to internet (10%) or cell phones (50%). Hand-delivery of paper materials was deemed too risky and stopped. An effort to set up community Wi-Fi hotspots has been made more difficult with the border closure.
Needs: Food packages for elders. Health care resources. A proactive plan for recovery after the pandemic ends.
Sources: Nathan Notah, Alex Carlisle, Victoria Manymules.
2
Hopi Reservation
Population: 9,268
Challenges: The Hopi Reservation is entirely surrounded by the Navajo Nation Reservation. All but essential services are shut down in response to COVID-19. Communication is a challenge -- a local radio station is the only decent source of tribal news, but you must listen to a lot of music while waiting for news to come on. Tribal members have not been able to get their livestock to auction because cattle inspections have been on hold. Cattle associations have cancelled or postponed many events.
Needs: According to a recent community survey, tribal members need food, household goods and cleaning supplies, wood for heat in homes, education on COVID issues, social support, and healthcare support.
Source: Susan Sekaquaptewa
3
Hualapai Reservation
Population: 1,621
Challenges: Grand Canyon West and all non-essential services have been shut down. Employees will be furloughed. The Tribe is providing breakfast and lunches to youth and elders in need. The Tribe is rounding up unbranded cattle and slaughtering them in case people need meat. The community garden is not currently operating.
4
San Carlos Apache Reservation
Population: 1,250
Challenges: This reservation has a local hospital with 9 ventilators. The Tribal Emergency Response Commission (TERC) is delivering care packages to provide resources to community members. Non-perishable items are available, but there is no (or little) access to fresh food items within the community. There is a lack of PPE equipment, and a lack of cleaning supplies and essentials to sanitize homes. Some (an unknown number) community members do not have a connection to a phone or internet services, but the school district is working to provide services. Farmrs are concerned about the market price for livestock.
Needs: Information on relief funds and support resources.
Source: Juan Arias
Window Rock. Credit: Meghan Collins, NWAL.
URGENT ISSUES IDENTIFIED AND ACTIONS REQUESTED
Based on the results of our weekly phone calls, the following list of issues and actionable items have been identified by Tribes in the NWAL project area.
Cares Act Issues
Urgent Issue: Tribal farmers and ranchers need reimbursements for water, hay (feed) and cattle and other livestock hauling to animals alive during livestock trading shutdowns.
- Action Requested: USDA-FSA apply disaster declaration authority to cover pandemics (as it has done for droughts) to provide for immediate reimbursements for water, feed and cattle hauling to protect vulnerable livestock.
Urgent Issue: Livestock prices are fluctuating widely with futures often trading below costs for Tribal ranchers.
- Action Requested: USDA-FSA Market Facilitation Program to apply price support tools to cover livestock as it currently does for commodity crops (e.g., corn and soybeans).
Urgent Issue: Tribal farmers and ranchers will need operating loans and/or grants to cover expenses including grazing leases before these payments are due.
- Action Requested: USDA-FSA and/or BIA provide for fast track operating loan relief to cover grazing leases and other expenses without causing additional revenue losses to Tribal Governments. Tribal farmers/ranchers need a streamlined and expedited process to access these funds.
- Action Requested: Small Business Association (SBA) allow individual farmers and ranchers to apply for loans through the SBA funds available through CARES. At present only corporation can apply for these loans.
Urgent Issue: Immediate need to increase individual and community garden food production to provide food for Tribal families, elders, and children. Immediate food deliveries are needed for elders and children.
- Action Requested: USDA FRTEP, TCU Extension, and 1862 and 1890 Extension programs provide new funding for infrastructure and training and hoop house staff for increased community garden, hoop house, and other local food production programs.
- Action Requested: USDA (FRTEP and Extension Services) increase support for CSA programs to encourage local growers (tribal and non-tribal) to plant fruits and vegetables now. CSA-like programs are in danger because the market for produce has been drastically reduced due to closures of restaurants and other businesses. CSA growers could be supported to provide produce to support tribal (and non-tribal) rural families with urgent food needs.
- Action Requested: USDA, FEMA, BIA all increase funds to support food delivery to provide for Tribal elders, children and families in need.
Urgent Issue: Many Tribes need more access to medical supplies and COVID test kits.
- Action Requested: CARES funds in CDC designated for Tribes should be made available through a streamlined and expedited process similar to that used by HHS-IHS. With most non-essential staff under stay-at-home orders most Tribal communities lack the resources or personnel to write grants, secure matching funds, or submit lengthy proposals for support. These requirements should be waived and formula funding used similar to other IHS programs.
Economic Relief Needs
Urgent Issue: Tribal famers need immediate relief from irrigation fee payments due this month. Depending on the Tribe these payments are due to either BIA or Tribal Governments. Tribes affected by this issue include (not limited to) Duck Valley Shoshone-Paiute, Walker River Paiute, Cheyenne River Sioux.
- Action Requested: Request DOI-BIA not collect or reimburse producers irrigation fee payments in a way that ensures the Tribes will not incur loss of water supplies or revenues. This will allow farmers to plant and irrigate fields now thus producing food and cash crops needed to sustain Tribal communities.
Essential Resource Needs
Urgent Issue: Hopi communities have run out of wood supplies to heat homes and water. This is critical need now because the Hopi lost access to coal supplies for home heating in 2019 due to the shutdown of the Kayenta Mines. 35-40% of Hopi families live off-grid with no back up power available. Others can not afford grid power costs for home heating especially with COVID related income losses.
- Action Requested: USDA-USFS or DOI/BIA or BLM provide wood to Hopi communities as part of ongoing Fire Crew forest management operations. Available wood could be delivered starting immediately.
Urgent Issue: Hopi community members conducted a survey to assess the impacts of COVID crisis on families. The top two needs identified by Hopi families were: 1) Food and 2) Household products for cleaning/desanitizing.
- Action Requested: DHS-FEMA provide immediate funds and/or supplies to Hopi communities to alleviate the urgent need by families for fresh/dried foods staples and cleaning and paper products to comply with COVID sanitation requirements.
Urgent Issue: Several tribal communities including (but not limited to) Navajo Nation, Hopi, Northern Cheyenne do not have access to running water in their homes, relying on hauling water from central pumping stations on reservations. Stay-at-home orders have made access to water pumping stations difficult. Insufficient water supplies means frequent hand-washing is not possible when scarce water supplies must be used for human consumption.
- Action Requested: FEMA deliver emergency water tankers to tribal communities in need (primarily in the Southwest) to ensure sufficient water supplies for both consumption and mandatory hand-washing.
Urgent Issue: Springs used as a water source for some tribes (e.g., Northern Cheyenne) compromised by livestock grazing in the area. Water supplies to other tribes contaminated from legacy coal, uranium extraction and mining. Increased water use during COVID is putting families at risk.
- Action Requested: USDA-NIFA and NRCS provide resources to increase water supply testing, risk analysis, and solutions to reduce exposure. USDA-FRTEP provided with new funds to increase training and infrastructure to protect vulnerable water sources. EPA dramatically increase water quality remediation programs on reservations.
Educational Support Needs
Urgent Issue: Many tribal communities (e.g., Navajo and Hopi) do not have electricity in their homes or access to the internet making virtual teaching nearly impossible.
- Action Requested: USDA provide funds through the Rural Development’s Tribal Colleges & Universities (TCU) Essential Community Facilities Grants program, and/or other programs to deploy mobile internet vans, STEM education materials that can be used in-home without internet connectivity, and other resources for teachers and parents to continue educating children during school closures and throughout summer recess.
- Action Requested: USDA provide funds through the 1994 (Tribal Colleges & Universities) Land-Grant Extension Program to support at-distance/online community education. The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC)-First Americans Land-grant Consortium (FALCON) lead the effort to coordinate 1994 Extension programs across the TCU network to build on-line resources and delivery mechanisms for tribal educators and parents.
COVID-19 Testing Needs
Urgent Issue: Rapid testing is considered the best action for identifying new, expansion, and recovery from infections, reducing the spread and health impacts. Native communities are being more heavily impacted by covid-19, resulting in rapid spread and higher death rates.
- Action requested: CDC Deploy rapid finger-stick testing programs to measure IgM antibodies which indicate current infection as well as IgG antibodies which indicate recovery. They are specific to the virus that causes COVID-19. The measurement of these factors will enormously help epidemiologists and public health officials determine the extent and possible progression of the COVID outbreak in our rural and tribal communities. Expanded testing provides for testing of essential workers—for example, emergency responders, grocery store workers, and those caring for elders—tribes would be better equipped to stop the spread of the virus.
URGENT ISSUE: Hundreds of guest workers will be arriving to the Flathead Reservation (and other reservations in the Pacific Northwest) later this summer to pick the annual cherry crop. Additional workers will arrive later in the fall to work on the apple harvest. Most of these workers are either US citizen or permanent residents. At present, there are no guidelines regarding measures will need to be taken to ensure the safety of these workers from COVID, the safety and security of the food supply, and the health and well-being of the Tribal and non-native communities that will be hosting the guest workers during harvest.
- Action Requested: In anticipation of fruit and other crop harvests later this summer, USDA will work with Tribal representatives and State/local governments to develop guidelines for implementing COVID-19 protections for agricultural guest workers and local communities during harvest time. These guidelines will be shared broadly with Tribal and non-tribal communities throughout the West.
Since March, more than 100 cords of wood have been delivered to three Hopi and Navajo communities. Credit: Joe Dirt Excavating.
COVID-19 RESPONSE PROJECTS
Hay donation for Hopi Livestock
In late June, a load of 350 bales of hay was purchased and delivered to ranchers and livestock producers of the Hopi Nation in Arizona, through the efforts of partners from the Native Waters on Arid Lands (NWAL) project’s COVID-19 Action Coordination Group.
Potable Water Pathogen Screening Project
The NWAL COVID-19 Coordination Team has partnered with Nephros, a water testing and purification company, to analyze water samples collected from buildings on tribal reservations that have been left vacant due to COVID-19 emergency response actions.
Firewood for Hopi and Navajo Communities
More than 100 cords of wood have been donated and delivered to the Hopi Tribe and Navajo Nation in Arizona, and more is on the way, through growing collaborative efforts between USDA Forest Service, Tribal Extension agents, Tribal partners, the National Forest Foundation (NFF), Joe Dirt Excavating, and members of the NWAL team.
Handwashing Stations for Navajo and Hopi Communities
Red Feather is raising money to facilitate the construction of 100 DIY Handwashing Stations for Navajo and Hopi Communities. One the best preventive measures for stopping the spread of COVID-19 and staying healthy is thorough handwashing. Yet, for many families living on the Navajo and Hopi Nations, doing so on a regular basis is a tremendous challenge due to the lack of running water in their homes.
Learn more and donate here: https://donorbox.org/handwashing-stations-for-navajo-and-hopi-communities
Kyle Sumatzkuku (left) and Marcos Meraz, Part Owner Republica Empanada Mesa AZ (right) deliver supplies to the Upper Village of Moenkopi Community Center, 3rd Mesa.
Donation of PPE and Supplies for Hopi and Navajo Communities
Sunland Global Inc., Republica Emanada, and Sydney Smith of RISE Center for Recovery in Las Vegas have worked together to donate and deliver loads of PPE, food and other supplies to the Navajo and Hopi Nations in Arizona.
SunLand is 100% Native owned company PPE distribution supplying Indian Country with much needed personal protection equipment. Republica Empanada is a family owned restaurant in Mesa, AZ and has utilized space in their closed dining room to store weekly donated items.
The most recent donation drive included cash donations from the Rise Center for Recovery, the Desert Research Institute, and Sunland Global. It also included 50-KN95 masks, 300-3 Ply, 1 gallon of Liquid sanitizer, and 7 packages of alcohol wipes. As of June 4, 2020, this group has completed 6 donation drives.
Donation drive for Alaskan Communities
In December 2020, members of the Native Waters on Arid Lands (NWAL) COVID-19 Working Group organized a successful donation drive for several Alaskan Native communities that have been hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, supplying them with essential non-food items such as cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer, and winter clothing for children. The need for these supplies was brought to the attention of the COVID-19 Working Group by Clarence Daniel, who joined one of NWAL’s weekly Zoom calls in December.
Facts Not Fear: Supplying accurate information on COVID19 vaccines for Indian Country
In February 2021, the Native Waters on Arid Lands (NWAL) COVID19 Working Group launched a website called “Facts Not Fear” to help supply accurate information and educational resources about the new COVID19 vaccines for Tribal members and extension experts located across Indian Country. The need for accurate information about the COVID19 vaccines was identified during weekly calls organized by the COVID19 working group. By answering questions and dispelling rumors around the COVID19 vaccines, the NWAL team is working to equip individuals across Indian Country with the information that they need to make decisions based on facts, not fear.
Learn more: https://factsnotfearcovid.com
Tonto National Forest, Arizona. Credit: Janet Ward, NOAA.
COVID-19 RESOURCES FOR TRIBES
Web links shared during NWAL COVID-19 Response Calls
PRESENTATIONS
Links to presentations shared during NWAL COVID-19 Response Calls
CFA Tax Treatment presentation - additional resources (April 16, 2021)
- Taxability of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) Payments - http://ruraltax.org/files-ou/CFAPTaxTreatment.pdf
- Weather-Related Sales of Livestock - http://ruraltax.org/files-ou/RTEWeatherRelatedSalesofLivestock.pdf
