The Earthworks team of the Band’s Community Development department recently attended a conference through the Uni- versity of Minnesota in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Nearly 1,800 operators from other tribes, counties, and the state attended the conference for continuing credits as heavy equipment operators. As part of the conference, attendees could participate in a "Roadeo" which was a timed obstacle course while operating an excavator. While seated in the excavator, the operator had to pick up various materials, including a ball to drop inside of a garbage can, stack blocks of wood, and pick up a tennis ball and gently place it on top of a cone. At the end of day two of the Roadeo, Scott Tossey took first place, Chad Dunkley took second place, and Guy Davis placed in the top ten.
The Earthworks department was created in 2005 in an effort to provide Band members the opportunity to work as heavy equipment operators, and to save the Band dollars by relying less on outside contractors. The Earthworks department was a vision of former District III Representative Harry Davis, and became a reality soon thereafter.