The Metropolitan Council has added two staff positions to its Environmental Services division to engage staff with Minnesota’s 11 federally recognized Tribal Nations as well as Native residents across the metro area. The new staff will also help our agency comply with state and federal laws. More Native people live, work, and recreate in the Twin Cities metro area than in any other region of the state. Because Native people were the first people living in the area, the region has numerous areas of deep cultural significance to Tribal communities. The Met Council’s critical wastewater infrastructure often overlaps with these sites. The new staff will help ensure that our work is carried out respectfully and protects culturally significant areas. Hunter works to strengthen relationships John Hunter, Tribal Relations program manager, brings a career rooted in environmental protection, technical expertise, and community partnership. His early career focused on high-stakes cleanup projects, ranging from Superfund sites to nuclear testing grounds. Hunter later shifted toward more localized, community-centered work. This included protecting aquifers, ensuring drinking water safety, and supporting environmental planning for state agencies. He also helped create a green energy career training program for Native youth in Minneapolis, reflecting his commitment to equity and education. Hunter collaborates with Environmental Services and Tribal communities to help strengthen relationships, including his recent contribution to the Metro Sulfate Study. The Met Council increased monitoring to support the study of wild rice growth in our region and measure sulfate concentration levels in the Mississippi River. By inviting input early and before results were published, the Met Council created an opportunity for Tribal voices to shape the study’s direction and identify shared areas for future collaboration. “We want to be recognized as a trusted partner,” Hunter said. “We have award-winning scientists, engineers, and operations staff in Environmental Services. Our work with Tribal Nations should be held to the same standard of excellence.” Reiners helps ensure protection of cultural resources A key priority for this work is protecting cultural resources during construction. Lindsey Reiners, senior cultural resources specialist, supports the Met Council’s effort to protect these sensitive areas. Having expertise within Environmental Services will help this work get done in a way that protects culturally significant areas, complies with state and federal law, and reflects the Met Council’s values. With many of the region’s interceptor sewer pipes and water infrastructure projects intersecting with Dakota lands and other culturally significant areas, Reiners is helping ensure that our planning and construction practices respect Tribal sovereignty and heritage. The new Tribal Relations Program staff work closely with Allison Waukau, Met Council’s Tribal Liaison, who supports the Met Council leadership with Tribal Nations and Native community policy issues and outreach. Learn about Met Council Tribal Policy. Posted In: Council News