This Spring, Fred and Germaine Pidgeon have reason to celebrate. On May 3, the Friends of Powers Bluff are hosting a Spring Gathering and Homecoming at present day Powers Bluff County Park in Arpin, Wisconsin, also known as Skunk Hill or Tah-qua-kik. This area was originally home to the Potawatomi, Ho Chunk, Ojibwe, and Menominee People. After years of work by the Pidgeons, the land is being preserved, and this will be celebrated with presentations, walks, crafts, and giveaways. 

The Pidgeons tell host Esty Dinur about the historical and traditional importance of this land, the generations of Native children from this area who were taken and put into boarding schools, the Religious Crimes Code of 1883 that forbade Indigenous people from practicing their traditions and religions, the goblin ferns that grow at Skunk Hill, the work of cataloging the burials at Sunk Hill, and the harmony they want to build in the world.

Later in the show, we’re also joined by Paul DeMain who talks about all the environmental protections that Trump is ending through executive orders and threats to the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and many more.

The Friends of Powers Bluff Spring Gathering & Homecoming will be held on Saturday, May 3 from 10am-3pm. Parking at 7073 County Rd N (1 mile west of Arpin). Shuttles will be available.

Paul DeMain is a citizen of the Oneida Nation and a long time and well known environmental activist. He is speaking with us today from Madeline Island where he participates in environmental organizing for the regional community based organization, Communities United by Water.

Fred Pidgeon is the caretaker of the Skunk Hill Project. He is a descendent of Blackhawk, Redbird, and Red Cloud on the Ho Chunk side, and a descendent of Potawatami chiefs, Wahpausee, Shabonnay, and Nesakah. 

Germaine Pidgeon is Fred’s wife and teammate. She is a graduate of Carroll College and has used her education to research the history of Skunk Hill. 

Featured image: a map of petroforms on Skunk Hill, courtesy of Fred and Germaine Pidgeon.

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