In 2012 disposal cells for radioactive waste at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) were capped with mounded soil “evapotranspiration closure covers” designed to prevent rainwater from percolating through the waste and contaminating underlying groundwater. However, the highly disturbed, nutrient-poor and compacted soils used to construct the covers lacked the necessary vegetation for this concept to work. After three failed revegetation attempts by government contractors, since 2017 the Tribal Revegetation Project has achieved remarkable success.
This project is guided by principles of Tribal Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and led by members of the Southern Paiute (Nuwu), Western Shoshone (Newe), and Owens Valley Paiute (Nuumu) Tribes comprising the Tribal Revegetation Committee (TRC) along with researchers from Portland State University and the Desert Research Institute. Briefly, TEK is a way of understanding natural resources, developed over countless generations through experience and direct interaction between Native people and the land where they live. From this perspective, the highly disturbed land at the NNSS is seen as a relative in need of healing.
The TRC worked to establish a relationship with the land, communicating with it through prayers, songs, regular visits and physical touch. The TRC made sure that NNSS managers understood that revegetation of the highly disturbed land at the site is an ongoing healing process requiring consistency and patience, rather than a finite project with a beginning and an abrupt end. They stressed the importance of providing supplemental irrigation for the first three years of plants’ growth, gradually tapering it off so that the plants become acclimated to the natural precipitation at the site.
Other key aspects included using nearby topsoil rich in organic matter as a soil amendment, adding mulch, selecting a certain mix of native species including outplants as well as seeds, physically touching and interacting with seeds, and planting in both spring and fall seasons.
Many findings from this program are generalizable, such as the value of using outplants, drip irrigation, and nutrient-rich topsoil for restoration of desert land, and of taking a holistic approach that prioritizes long-term land stewardship. Challenges to wider implementation of TEK-led revegetation strategies include the necessity of protecting tribes’ privacy, respecting tribal values, and the long time scale required.
For more information, see the full case study on the Water Adaptation Techniques Atlas.