Environmental Disaster and Response

This blog was written by Keren Masinga, a second year nursing major. On Wednesday afternoon, we drove 30 minutes to visit the Buffalo Ranch of Red Lake Nation. We all climbed into the back of several pick up trucks and headed out into the grasslands to find the buffalo herd, including three newly born calves. … Keep reading »

This blog post was written by Katie Bolander, a second year nursing major. This past Wednesday morning, we had the privilege of touring Red Lake Nation College with Whitney Spears, the Director of Admissions. Red Lake Nation College (RLNC) is a two-year tribal college located in Red Lake, MN, just off the coast of the … Keep reading »

This blog post was written by Aranza Jimenez Cruz, a first year accounting major. As we arrived at what would be our work site for the next two weeks, the reality of what needed to be done settled in. The majority of us did not have construction knowledge, so the whole volunteer experience was new. … Keep reading »

This blog was written by Madison Miller, a recent Marine and Environmental Science graduate. Over the past couple of weeks, we have all gotten to know each other in the GC group, along with the MDS crew members and long-term volunteers. Everyone we have interacted with holds different roles. Larry is the project manager and … Keep reading »

This blog was written by Laci Munger, a first-year Marine and Environmental Science major. Throughout our time with the Mennonite Disaster Service members (MDS) and living in the Red Lake Reservation, we continue to learn about the unique culture of the Ojibwe. On Saturday evening, we had the opportunity to attend an annual Mother’s Day … Keep reading »

This blog was written by Eliza Aleman, a first year sustainability major. On Saturday we had the honor of meeting Audrianna Goodwin – a University of Minnesota graduate and researcher for the TRUTH project. Audrianna took the time to share her familial stories and personal path to success with our group and some long-term MDS … Keep reading »

This blog was written by Isabella Ruiz, a second year sustainability and public health major.  When thinking of the Red Lake Nation, we’re not sure if people think about walleye, but the walleye fish population is among one of the most abundant fish on the reservation in Red Lake.   We got the opportunity to … Keep reading »

This blog post was written by Cameron Comadoll, a third year nursing major, and Regan Sheipline, a recent education graduate. Red Lake Nation is located in northwestern Minnesota and is federally recognized as an Indian tribe that possesses all the powers of a Sovereign Nation. Red Lake Nation is home to about 5,000 members and … Keep reading »

We did not arrive in Red Lake with a lot of collective construction skills or experience (not including Dale). Despite this fact, in the past 48 hours, our group has laid flooring, primed and painted walls, cut trim, installed toilets, hung lights, built bunk beds, and unloaded ceiling tiles. There is no doubt that we … Keep reading »

We headed towards Minnesota and the sovereign nation of the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe, on Friday, May 5th, in anticipation of our two week service stint with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS).  After a long day of driving, we spent our first night in Minneapolis, where we were hosted by Faith Mennonite Church for soup, … Keep reading »