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Jonny’s Gifts
When I met Jonny Skye , the Peoria tribal citizen, she allowed LEAD to choose one of her paintings to visually represent this year’s Tar Creek Conference, only to discover the title “It is in the Water” would also serve as our theme. The other paintings needed to be seen and I was pleased when she agreed to allowing us to host an art show for the public. Downtown Miami came to life one night this week at the time most towns close up. LEAD Agency held space open to the public
leadagency
Oct 293 min read


Reflecting on the 27th Tar Creek Conference
Earlier this month, LEAD Agency held our 27th National Environmental Tar Creek Conference on Oct. 7, 8 and 9 at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami.
To kick off this year’s conference, on October 4 we co-hosted an inaugural disc golf tournament, the Tar Creek Open, at the Veterans Memorial Disc Golf Course, located near Tar Creek in what used to be a residential neighborhood before residents were forced to move due to repeated flooding. It’s been our dream for many

Kim Barker
Oct 223 min read


The Project: What’s in the Air in Your House
The investigation of what’s in the air inside homes in Miami, OK in the far NE corner of Oklahoma is based on a discovery made 28 years ago.
A family moved into a home in a nice neighborhood, moving from a state that required childhood blood lead testing, both testing negative. After living in their home only 6 months 2 of the children tested positive. Upon investigating the playroom, the air vent cover was lifted and the HVAC duct had deteriorated and what seemed like gr

Rebecca Jim
Oct 123 min read
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The Great Conjunction
“Justice is calling people to action,”

Rebecca Jim
Feb 183 min read


What if it Mattered?
I have been so very proud of your actions to write to FERC and let them know how you feel and tell them YOU DO NOT want to FLOOD! Your...

Rebecca Jim
Apr 9, 20243 min read


What You Don’t See
"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." Henry David Thoreau Paul, Stephanie and I walked and knocked and talked...

Rebecca Jim
Feb 5, 20243 min read


And Then You Win
We are left with questions. What will happen now? And when does NOW begin? What will the new normal be? Two important announcements were...

Rebecca Jim
Jan 23, 20244 min read


Grandmas’ Letters
Morning came and I went looking for a letter one of my grandmothers had written me. It was easy. There in the closet on the shelf in the...

Rebecca Jim
Jul 24, 20233 min read


It will Kill You
Sometimes people say, “It will kill you,” and, hey, it doesn’t, won’t, hasn’t, so we tend to downplay the warning. I have been guilty of...

Rebecca Jim
Jul 5, 20233 min read


Something’s Wrong
Those words woke me at 4 this morning. I rose to find nothing wrong. The clarity of the voice bridged the chasm of the place between...

Rebecca Jim
Jun 29, 20233 min read


Flooded by Memories
I want to swim in Tar Creek ~ I want to fish in Tar Creek ~ I want to play in Tar Creek ~ Maybe someday Tar Creek is my creek ~~ EPA...

Rebecca Jim
Jun 5, 20233 min read


I Drove Home
I drove home facing the sun again. All these years coming and going to work the Sun greets me each day and leads me home again. Tonight,...

Rebecca Jim
May 24, 20233 min read


I Come Back
Many years ago, my dad experienced a moment that occurred one afternoon in downtown Vinita. Two old Cherokee men were walking toward each...

Rebecca Jim
Mar 26, 20233 min read


You Have a Right
2/12/2023 Channeling my thoughts with you, from my heart to yours. I am angry that YOU have been disrespected. People who made decisions...

Rebecca Jim
Feb 12, 20233 min read


We All Dream
Life's most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others? Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream. I had one too. His...

Rebecca Jim
Jan 19, 20233 min read


No Body's Story
"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” ― Charles Dickens Dickens' A Christmas Carol is read on Christmas...

Rebecca Jim
Dec 26, 20223 min read


Off Duty
Jennifer Little, the gift LEAD Agency got for Christmas arrived early enough to capture the seasons of joy and the stark reality of our...

Rebecca Jim
Dec 11, 20224 min read


It's Hard
I knew it would be hard. The questions on the Flood Survey need to be answered but the heartache and disgust of what past floods have...

Rebecca Jim
Nov 26, 20223 min read


Survey Your Moment
What is LEAD Agency doing right now? We are deeply into surveys. The word survey can be both a noun and a verb, since a survey can be a...

Rebecca Jim
Nov 21, 20223 min read


A Night Out
Red Dirt and Brownfields was not a place but a time. A Geography professor, a filmmaker, an author, a photographer and an activist met...

Rebecca Jim
Nov 21, 20223 min read
Who Done It?
"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” ― Maya Angelou This town has...

Rebecca Jim
Nov 21, 20224 min read
The Bridge
"Action is the bridge between thoughts and reality" ~ Richie Norton I'd like there to be a future. Of course there will be a future,...

Rebecca Jim
Oct 30, 20223 min read


Wednesday Morning
Together we have thought and pondered. We have tuned up our voices. And practiced believing our lives matter. There have been alignments...

Rebecca Jim
Oct 15, 20224 min read
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