Regulations and laws about environmental quality abound, yet the Chickasaw Nation has little use for them.

Its citizens do not need legislation to inform them that they are stewards of the land. It is, of course, an immutable fact of existence. And Chickasaw Nation Environmental Services technician Brent Shields takes that charge very seriously, monitoring the health of rivers and streams that flow through his tribe’s territory and delivering the daily results to state and federal environmental agencies, the Chickasaw Nation said in a statement in December...