Shavonne F. Smith

Water for Everyone, but is Everyone for Water

Shavonne F. Smith

Water for Everyone, But is Everyone for Water

The Shinnecock Nation is an indigenous community on the eastern end of Long Island, New York. For generations before contact, their ancestors inhabited the lands from Brookhaven to Easthampton and harvested these waters known today as the Shinnecock Bay, Peconic Bay, Long Island Sound, and the great Atlantic. The waters provided an abundance to sustain the people. Continuing today, Shinnecock people rely on the water for food, travel, ceremonies and a place to offer prayers.

The direct contact that people have with water on a regular basis is one of the vital reasons its quality needs to be restored. The news too frequently reports on Harmful Algal Blooms leading to bay closures and prohibited shell fishing. Most recently, Old Fort Pond, which is the western shore of the Shinnecock Nation lands, has been closed to shellfishing. The eastern shore, Heady Creek, is already seasonally closed to shellfishing. Shellfish, especially the quahog, has an intricate relationship with the Shinnecock people. The quahog represents food, culture, and tradition in one complete being and its home, the water, is being violated.

Efforts to advocate for and protect the water include the work of the Shinnecock Environmental Department. The staff works with community members, federal, state, and other local governments to partner on addressing the most pressing issues. The Shinnecock Nation’s efforts include consistent water monitoring, supporting shellfish populations, growing sugar kelps, maintaining shoreline plants, and the ongoing effort to upgrade onsite wastewater management. Shinnecock, with the support of Indian Health Services has upgraded approximately 40 percent of these systems to reduce nitrogen entering the ground and surface waters.

We humans must restore our relationship with water…

Shavonne f. Smith
Environmental Director

Shavonne Smith is a member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation and has worked for her tribe for 20 years, as the Environmental Director. She spends as much time at the water as possible, all year round and has made water protection the foundation of the department’s work.