Tribal-Focused Participatory Research That Accentuates Environmental Justice and Food Security Burdens Impacting the Penobscot Nation Tribal Community

Problem: From time immemorial, the Penobscot Indian Nation (PIN) has relied on the Penobscot River for sustenance. However, since the industrial era, chemicals have contaminated the flora and fauna of the watershed, creating an environmental injustice and a food insecurity crisis. Purpose of Article: To discuss Tribal-focused participatory research studies funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and how the results of these studies have informed the Tribal citizenry on safe fish consumption through outreach and education, while having the potential to inform future environmental policy, water quality regulations, protective permitting actions, and address environmental justice inequities associated with food insecurity. Key Points: Tribal food insecurity poses a major public health concern for Tribal communities. This Tribal-focused participatory science was conducted over time under three distinct but related projects, in partnership between EPA and PIN, among other partners. These projects, representing initial steps on addressing PIN’s environmental justice and food security concerns, involved measuring contaminant levels in fish, plants, and animals. Conclusion: (1) The findings of these EPA-funded scientific studies have furthered PIN’s goal of addressing food insecurity by revealing existing levels of contamination and associated human health impacts. (2) The studies revealed that many freshwater fish and wildlife and all studied anadromous fish species are not safe for consumption. The results nonetheless have equipped PIN with information that will both protect Tribal citizens and spur further environmental studies to determine sources of contamination. (3) Evidence from Tribal-focused studies revealing the extent of contamination in species in the Penobscot River will empower PIN to advocate for lasting change in environmental protection. (4) The participatory nature of the studies conducted, wherein PIN collected and prepared samples for analysis and contributed to the analysis of the results, is consistent with the federal government’s trust responsibility to and government-to-government relationship with Tribal Nations.