For decades, Cherokees have been noticing a change to our
water resources. When I was a boy the Illinois River was pristine, even in the
deepest areas, and at Lake Tenkiller visitors and locals alike flocked to the crystal-clear
waters during the warmest parts of the summer. Like most people in this region,
I treasure the memories of swimming, fishing and catching crawdads in the
creeks and rivers that make up the Illinois River Watershed. The entire
watershed west of Arkansas is within the Cherokee Nation, making it a uniquely
Cherokee water resource.
Today during the summer months when visitors are at Lake
Tenkiller they can see only a few inches into the water and the Illinois River is
often plagued with thick, green algae that chokes the riverbed. Sadly, after
the algae blooms and dies, vital oxygen is removed from the water resulting in
fish kills that depend on the delicate balance of the river’s ecosystem.
Parents in our community worry whether their children and
grandchildren will even be allowed the simple pleasure of growing up in a place
with clean water to fish and swim. That is a birthright for every Cherokee in northeast
Oklahoma since our people came here on the Trail of Tears.
Oklahoma has set a standard for water quality on the
Illinois River, but just last week an expert panel chosen by Arkansas and
Oklahoma politicians got together to review a study on algae in the Illinois
River- a study funded entirely by the state of Arkansas. This group, which has
excluded the Cherokee Nation and EPA from its decision-making process, will make
recommendations on whether to allow even more pollution into the Illinois River
in the coming years. It will convene again on Friday, Dec. 2nd at 9:00 a.m. at
the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel and Convention Center to discuss what the Illinois
River should look like for the next seven generations.
The Illinois River is sacred and deserves to be protected.
It is a truly scenic river and outstanding water resource that our tribal culture
and communities depend on every day. Cherokees and Oklahomans alike need to be
asking questions and attending the meetings of this committee.
We must have the power to decide for ourselves what the future
of our water resources will be, and not leave theses decision up to out of
state policy makers. Negative impacts to our water resources that happen
upstream in Arkansas could harm our natural resources for generations. We can’t afford to sit idly by and hope that
those involved make the right decisions, so we have to make our voices heard on
this important issue. These are the waters that belong to the Cherokee Nation
and flow through northeast Oklahoma.
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