Joining Efforts to Restore a Sacred Gathering Place
March 22, 2022
By Emilie Snell-Rood, Professor in the University of Minnesota Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, and Co-Lead of the MSP LTER Urban Contaminants Team
At the sacred site of Wakáŋ Tipi in St. Paul, MSP LTER researchers are partnering with the Lower Phalen Creek Project (now Wakáŋ Tipi Awaŋyaŋkapi) to study how urban contaminants like lead and arsenic move through soil, plants, and water. What began as a map of childhood lead levels has grown into a collaborative effort blending science with community and Indigenous knowledge—working toward restoration that heals both land and people.
