Spring Nettle harvesting Photos by Francesca Hillary
Tulalip News Facebook, March 12, 2014
TULALIP, WA – Inez Bill, coordinator of Rediscovery programs at the Hibulb Cultural Center and Natural History Preserve, took a few helpers to harvest early spring Nettle on Bluff Road in Tulalip.
She was joined by Tulalip tribal members Derek Houle and Lauw-YA Spencer. Lauw-YA, a summer youth worker in the Rediscovery program in 2012, discovered she loves to be in the forest helping to gather cultural items.
Nettles are rich in vitamins A, C, iron, potassium, manganese, and calcium and Inez uses them in recipes such as the famous “Hibulb bread” and even in a Fettuccini pasta dish, using nettles which she calls “nesto” instead of pesto.
Tulalip Chairman Mel Sheldon Jr., emerges from the waters of Tulalip Bay during his 2014 Winter Challenge, where he also nominated staff at the Tulalip Administration Building. Photo/ Mike Sarich, Tulalip TV
Winter challenge takes on Coast Salish life in Tulalip
By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
TULALIP – If you are like millions of users who checked their Facebook newsfeed obsessively this past week, then you may have noticed a few of your friends posting videos of themselves dunking in frigid waters, yelling something about 24 hours. If you haven’t, then you may not know about the latest craze, the 2014 Winter Challenge.
It was started by a Vancouver Island, B.C. teen as a way to get her video-loving, outside-resistant brothers to separate from their beloved couch. “At first I wanted to go sledding, and nobody wanted to go sledding, and I thought that was so crazy,” said Kira Jacks to ChekTV News about the origins of the challenge, which requires the challenged or nominee to make a snow angel in a bathing suit. “We posted it to Facebook and then nominated some of our cousins to do it, and it just went from there.”
Melody Hatch braves the cold waters of Tulalip Bay to complete her 2014 Winter Challenge. Photo/ Mike Sarich, Tulalip TV
True to Internet’s viral nature, the challenge exploded to astronomical numbers spreading into the United States and making quite a pit stop in Washington State.
Anyone familiar with Coast Salish people know they like to represent their culture in everything that they do. This characteristic morphed the challenge into a Coast Salish style, requiring the challenged to take a plunge into bodies of water, usually an inlet, river, or if you were in Tulalip, into the bay. All with a 24-hour deadline.
There was even a Facebook page dedicated to Lummi 2014 Winter Challenge videos.If you were anywhere near Tulalip during the height of the challenge, then seeing people of all ages jump, run, or dunk themselves in the bay was common sight; you even grew nervous to check your Facebook notifications, afraid of multiple nominations.
“When you get called out in front of everyone you don’t want to chicken out and show everyone you’re scared,” said Drew Enick, who was nominated four times.
Photo/ Mike Sarich, Tulalip TV
The rules were simple, video record yourself thanking the person who nominated you, challenge your friends and family to either a snow angel or a dip in the water (you needed to fully submerge yourself to make it count) then yell ‘you have 24 hours!’ Most nominees personalized their challenge to match their personality, some wearing favorite swimwear, compling elaborate stunts while entering the water, or in some cases going au naturale.
“I think it is cool that people are getting out and being interactive with each other,” said Tulalip tribal member Kesha Fryberg.
“This is just a fun thing for us to do, and with our connection to the water it just makes it even better,” said Tulalip tribal member Waynetta Iukes.
Even Tulalip Chairman Mel Sheldon Jr. received his fair share of nominations, returning the favor on March 6, by nominating the staff at the Tulalip Tribes Administration Building.
“As you can see, I have tried to dress appropriately to jump in the water today,” he said in his challenge video, before he leaped off the free dock at Tulalip Marina.
As the weeks go by and the Winter Challenge packs up zigzagging itself across Indian Country, Natives continue to represent themselves and their culture in the most modern of times. ‘You have 24 hours!’
Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov
Tribal employee, Andrew Gobin enjoys a Spicy Tuna roll and a California roll at the new Tulalip Resort Casino restaurant, Journey’s East. Photo/Monica Brown
By Monica Brown, Tulalip News
The new Tulalip Resort Casino restaurant Journey’s East is just that, a journey into Asian cuisine. The small menu encompasses a wide array of flavors and textures and lists peculiar items such as century eggs and sweet potato noodles. Most items will be familiar though like dumplings, Pad Thai, Chow Mein, Tempura and Mongolian beef.
When you are seated at Journey’s East you are given a menu and a pot of tea to enjoy at your leisure. The menu may have some complicated items to understand if you have never heard of them, but they are all derived from the Asian culture and may be a variation of something you have already enjoyed before. From the Sake (rice wine) to the noodles, many items on the menu contain some form of rice, which is a main staple in many Asian countries, the rest of the menu ingredients are simple variations of meats, vegetables and sauces.
One item on the menu that may have some intimidated is the sushi and should not be confused with sashimi, which is a type of sushi. Sushi is a generic term for vinegared rice that is combined with other toppings and fillings such as seaweed, vegetables and some sort of meat such as seafood or tofu and may be raw or cooked. There are many types of sushi, sashimi is a distinct type that has sliced fresh fish placed atop vinegared rice and is enjoyed raw.
If you have any questions about menu items, the wait staff is very knowledgeable and can explain everything about the food that you’d like to know more about, or you can always use Google. As for the sushi, some rolls do have raw fish, if that is not something you desire, check with your waiter about which rolls are raw and which are not.
The restaurant furnishing is minimalist, the décor geometric. Seating can be limited; if you have a party of 5 or more, making a reservation would be beneficial. To make a reservation visit the Tulalip Casino Journey’s East website and click the Reservations button or by calling during restaurant hours. Journey’s East has a to go option and the menu is available on the website at, http://www.tulalipresortcasino.com/Dining/JourneysEast.
Restaurant hours are 5:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. Wednesday – Monday (closed Tuesdays). For questions or reservations, call 360-716-1880. For cuisine to go call 360-716-1766.
Wesley Monger shows with his favorite shoe at Top Shelf, the Nike Foamposite made for the Oregon Ducks released December of 2013. These are listed on ebay for as much at $1000, but at Top Shelf, these can be yours for only $600. Andrew Gobin/Tulalip News
Article and photos by Andrew Gobin, Tulalip news
Since the debut of Nike’s Air Jordans in 1985, sneakers have become more than necessary clothing, they are a social commodity. Wesley Monger, a young entrepreneur and Tulalip Tribal Member, aims to capitalize on the collectible shoe market with the opening of his first shoe store, Top Shelf, March 8th.
“There is a big online market for collectible merchandise, collectible shoes included. You really don’t see any places where you can go and sell or trade your shoes though. I thought, why not have a place to go and buy, sell, or trade your sneakers, rather than online,” said Monger.
Devante Edwards (left) and Wesley Monger (Right) are excited about the opening of Top Shelf.
He and his partner, Devante Edwards, both saw the need for a storefront location for the shoe market. On March 8th, after months of planning and preparation, they opened up Top Shelf, a unique store where patrons can buy, sell, and trade collectible sneakers.
“We had a pretty good opening day, and business is steadily picking up,” Monger said. Our website will be up in a few weeks, and then more people will know about us.”
The shop will potentially reach a wide range of customers, whether they are collectors or looking to make a fashion statement. Shoes range anywhere from $10 up to $600, varying in rarity and style.
The youth on the Tulalip Reservation may be some of his biggest customers, though some have concerns about trading shoes. When asked about their sneakers and the shop, students at Tulalip Heritage High School had interesting responses.
“That’s gross,” said Mikaylee Pablo. “What about all that fungus and athletes foot?”
Monger said, “All of our shoes are cleaned and disinfected when we get them.”
“I have six pairs of Jordans (Nike air Jordans), but I don’t think I would sell them in a shop. I wouldn’t get what I paid for them,” said Johnny Hendrix.
Hendrix raises an interesting point, how do sellers get a fair deal and the shop still make money?
“We offer comparable pricing. We look at ebay and shoe forums, and the condition of the shoe, to determine a fair price. Our offers start at about half of what the shoes are worth,” said Monger.
Right now, Monger and Edwards have no intentions of expanding Top Shelf to other footwear, such as women’s designer shoes, though they are constantly looking for ways to expand their customer base. With the launch of their website, they will begin trading and selling shoes online, though they will only purchase shoes brought to the store. Check out Top Shelf online at www.everetttopshelf.bigcartel.com or in store located at 3417 Broadway Ave Suite B Everett, WA 98201.
Andrew Gobin is a reporter with the See-Yaht-Sub, a publication of the Tulalip Tribes Communications Department. Email: agobin@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov Phone: (360) 716.4188
Read about the band’s recent harrowing adventure due to an emergency landing of their Alaska Airlaines jetduring a recent tour stop: http://www.auburn-reporter.com/entertainment/246070651.html. But as they say in show business, “The Show Must Go On” – and it did, with The Boys Of Summer playing their scheduled gig that evening at the Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn, WA.
The Boys of Summer (James Williamson, drums-vocals; Darrel Monson, guitar/vocals; Craig T. Fall, guitar/vocals; Chris Turbis, keyboards/saxophones/acoustic guitar/vocals; Bill Winkler, bass/vocals) are five hardworking musicians from Southern California who play and channel some of the greatest music ever created and produced on the West coast, that being from legendary rock group, the Eagles. With each band-member possessing many decades of professional experience, TBOS play the true musical heart and soul of the Eagle’s music – recreating the sounds, harmonies, and most important, the feel.
“The Boys Of Summer performed to a near-capacity crowd, easily the largest of the three Starlight Concerts so far this summer,” writes the Victorville Daily Press in a recent show review. “The Boys of Summer authentically re-create the sounds and harmonies, from country-tinged ballads to hard-rocking hits with flawless craftsmanship, and, most importantly, the feel of the Eagles’ music,” the article concludes.
The Boys Of Summer – Upcoming 2014 Shows Itinerary
Feb. 15 (Sat.) WEST SIDE THEATER Newman, CA
Feb. 28 (Fri.) MUCKLESHOOT CASINO Auburn, WA
March 23 (Sun.) TULALIP RESORT CASINO Tulalip, WA
March 25 (Tues.) GATEWAY CENTER Helena, MT
March 26 (Wed.) THE RIALTO THEATER Deer Lodge, MT
March 28 (Fri.) FOUR BEARS CASINO New Town, SD
March 29 (Sat.) DEADWOOD MOUNTAIN GRAND Deadwood, SD
March 31 (Mon.) WOODYS Twin Falls, ID
April 1 (Tues.) CLUB AREA 51Salt Lake City, UT
May 2/3 (Fri/Sat.) BOURBON SQUARE Sparks, NV
May 23 (Fri.) SACRAMENTO COUNTY FAIR Sacramento, CA
May 24 (Sat.) CONCERTS IN THE GROVE PARK Clayton, CA
May 30 (Fri.) BOARDWALK CONCERT SERIES Orangevale, CA
May 31 (Sat.) ARTICHOKE FESTIVAL Monterey, CA
June 20 (Fri.) THE CLUB AT WEST PARK Private Event
June 21 (Sat.) SIERRA VIEW COUNTRY CLUB Private Event
June 28 (Sat.) FRAIZER PARK COUNTRY CLUB Fraizer Park, CA
July 3 (Thur.) WINDSOR KABOOM Windsor, CA
July 10 (Thur.) OUTDOOR CONCERT SERIES Fruita, CO
July 11 (Fri.) HITCHIN POST COWBOY BAR Norwood, CA
July 12 (Sat.) BOTANICAL GARDENS AMPH.Grand Junction, CO
July 13 (Sun.) MESA LAKES LODGE Mesa, CO
July 20 (Sun.) BLACK SHEEP BIKE RALLY SJ Capistrano, CA
August 14 (Thur.) WATERFRONT CONCERTS Eureka, CA
August 15 (Fri.) LAKEPORT CONCERT SERIES Lakeport, CA
The Boys Of Summer Promo Materials/Interviews/Reviewer Passes Avail.
The Klamath Basin spans northern California and southern Oregon and has seen frequent water crises between the farming, ranching, tribal and environmental communities. | credit: Devan Schwartz
An agreement announced Wednesday between ranchers and Native American tribes seeks to resolve contentious water rights issues in the Klamath Basin, a drought-ridden region spanning southern Oregon and northern California.
Amidst a deep drought last summer, the Klamath Tribes and the federal government called on their senior water rights –- meaning they received access to limited water supplies.
As a result, irrigation water was cut off to thousands of acres of Klamath Basin ranchland. This created millions of dollars in losses.
The new agreement seeks reduced water demand by ranchers, along with increased river restoration and economic development for the Klamath Tribes.
Tribal chairman Don Gentry said it wasn’t easy getting all the stakeholders in the Klamath Basin to reach common cause on such a contentious issue.
“It’s nothing short of remarkable that we’ve come to this point,” he said.
Last summer, Larry Nicholson saw irrigation water shut off to his family’s cattle ranch. He hopes that won’t happen again.
“Everybody can have water, where most people couldn’t before,” Nicholson said.
Proponents of the new agreement say it will bring stability to the region and represents an important step forward in a generations-long struggle.
But some conservation groups disagree.
Jim McCarthy of Oregon WaterWatch said the agreement doesn’t go far enough in limiting the amount of water that people will want to withdraw — water that others want to remain in streams to help fish and wildlife . “It’s just not enough water to solve those problems,” he said.
Drought conditions could be worse next summer and fall than they were in 2013. The Klamath Basin currently has a snowpack about 40 percent below what it was last year at this time, according to Natural Resources Conservation Services data.
The new agreement calls for an additional 30,000 acre-feet of water to help fill Upper Klamath Lake –- the source for both the Klamath River and the Klamath Project, one of the largest federal agricultural projects in the country.
This would be accomplished through a combination of reduced ranching through a land retirement program and increased management of streamside areas along Upper Klamath Lake tributaries.
As far as economic development, an additional $40 million would be appropriated for the Klamath Tribes.
Tribal Chairman Don Gentry said this agreement is historic and paves the way for a better economic situation for the Klamath Tribes, in addition to better protecting the natural resources of historic tribal lands.
The new agreement still faces votes by the ranching and tribal communities, and would be folded into federal legislation that is likely to reach opposition in a divided congress.
The legislation would combine the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement and the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement, which stipulates the removal of four hydroelectric dams from the Klamath River.
But Gov. Kitzhaber’s natural resources advisor Richard Whitman expressed confidence that the continued leadership of Sen. Ron Wyden could get the bill approved in Congress by the end of the year -– and help solve the water crises in the Klamath Basin.
On March 15, 2014 a very important vote will take place on the Deming, Washington Reservation of The Nooksack Indian Tribe. The Tribe has attempted a mass disenrollment of more than 300 enrolled tribal members. Represented by Gabe Galanda of Galanda Broadman, several lawsuits have been filed in tribal court and in federal court. Elections of the Tribal Council and its officers, however, could alter the balance of power and the attempted purge.
Galanda says that the elections are essentially a referendum on the disenrollment. “The results of the primary signaled that the current Council lacks a mandate for that mass disenrollment,” he says. “In the general election the Nooksack People, who have been silenced in all political forums for the last fourteen months, will rightfully have a say in the matter.”
In the case of most American Indian tribes, historically the tribes have had the power to determine tribal membership. For centuries tribes “banished” people as punishment for serious offenses. In recent years, however, a trend has been evident with tribes canceling membership, or “disenrolling” tribal members due to claims of inferior membership qualification.
While the most recent trend evidences the most cases arising in California, the practice is not exclusive to California and there are cases throughout the United States. Recent mass disenrollments are spreading along the West Coast to Washington and Oregon as well. Although there is no way to know exactly how many Indians have been disenrolled, the numbers are substantial. One activist group says at least 5,000 tribal members were disenrolled in California alone between 2000 and 2008.
Motivation for the disenrollment trend nationally is hotly debated. Some experts point to internal personal squabbles or political factional differences as the source of the trend. Others point to the simultaneous enrichment of tribes from casino gambling. Tribal governments universally deny that greed or power is motivating disenrollment, declaring that they are upholding membership rules established in valid internal constitutions. As proof, they say they are removing people with tangential connections to the tribe, who joined primarily for benefits, services, scholarships and in some instances monthly checks financed by the casino profits.
Galanda believes that the federal law, the Indian Civil Rights Act and the Tribe’s own Constitution guarantees the Nooksack 306 constitutional rights that have been violated and he’s hoping to convince the courts that he’s right. So far he has been unsuccessful in the tribal courts but neither Galanda nor his clients are giving up.
Great opportunities this weekend in Seattle at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center. Tonight is the Seafair Powwow Fund Raising Concert. It starts at 5pm and ends at 9. Great Native Hip-hop concert, tickets are $10 and available on brownpapertickets.com
Quilceda marsh, currently owned by The Tulalip Tribes, looking southwest down Steamboat Slough of the Snohomish River toward Port Gardner, Wa. Photo by K. O’Connell 2013
By Monica Brown Tulalip News Writer
TULALIP, WA-Wetlands are widely agreed to be some of the most beautiful places on Earth, with an array of wild and plant life that spark joy in the hearts of many.
“For many of us, water simply flows from a faucet, and we think little about it beyond this point of contact. We have lost a sense of respect for the wild river, for the complex workings of a wetland, for the intricate web of life that water supports.” -Sandra Postel, founder and director of Global Water and Policy Project, author of “Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity”, 2003.
Wetlands can be considered the hub of life, where land and water meet you will find an overabundance of life flourishing. Currently most wetlands are threatened with rising sea levels, pollutants and development.
A recent study conducted by Restore America’s Estuary, on the Snohomish estuary, begins to pinpoint the essential need for healthy estuaries and their link to global health. For the study, soil samples (from Smith Island, Spencer Island and Qwuloolt to name a few) were taken in order to establish a count of CO2 emissions that are captured and stored within estuaries that vary in health condition.
Image Source: Big Sky Carbon
There are numerous ways to remove carbon emissions, most are natural and work through plant life such as forests while others are less natural and work through power plants that capture CO2 and bury it back into the earth or ocean. Coastal wetlands have been labeled as Blue Carbon sequesters and have been found to greatly reduce atmospheric CO2 emissions. Throughout the USA, tidal marshes, tidal forests, saltmarsh grasses, seagrasses, and the mangroves along the Gulf Coast are more effective at sequestering carbon (up to a 100 times faster) and are able to store it for longer periods of time as compared to forests.
Image Source: bragio.com
“This report is a call to action. We need to invest more substantially in coastal restoration nationwide and in science to increase our understanding of the climate benefits which accrue from coastal restoration and protection efforts,” said Emmett-Mattox, Senior Director for Restore America’s Estuaries and co-author on the study. “Sea-level rise will only make restoration more difficult and costly in the future. The time for progress is now.”
Through this study a blue carbon working group can be established which will focus, for years to come, on restoring and monitoring Pacific Northwest region coastal wetlands in order to continue collectingand analyzing data which will help to influence better-quality land management, update policies that could one day apply to wetlands nationally.
Due to human impact, coastal wetlands are disappearing at a rapid rate, “at current conversion rates, 30–40% of tidal marshes and seagrasses and nearly 100% of mangroves could be lost in the next 100 years.” (Estimating Global “Blue Carbon” Emissions from Conversion and Degradation of Vegetated Coastal Ecosystems.Pendleton et al., 2012). Although, both are time consuming, maintenance of estuaries is more cost effective than restoring and with rising sea levels (estuary health and life depend on average sea levels), estuaries are losing ground and time has become an issue as well. This national loss of wetlands has branded the Snohomish Estuary as an excellent case study for restoration and estimates of carbon storage.
“It is very fitting that we are implementing some of the world’s leading Blue Carbon research here in Puget Sound,” said Steve Dubiel, Executive Director of EarthCorps. “We have always known that wetlands are a kind of breadbasket, thanks to the salmon and shellfish they support. Now we are learning that they are also a carbon sponge.”
“Coastal Blue Carbon Opportunity Assessment for Snohomish Estuary: The Climate Benefits of Estuary Restoration” finds that currently planned and in-construction restoration projects in the Snohomish estuary will result in at least 2.55 million tons of CO2 sequestered from the atmosphere over the next 100-years. This is equivalent to the 1-year emissions for 500,000 average passenger cars. If plans expanded to fully restore the Snohomish estuary, the sequestration potential jumps to 8.8 million tons of CO2 or, in other terms, equal to the 1-year emissions of about 1.7 million passenger cars. In addition to the climate benefits outlined by the study, healthy and restored estuaries act as spawning grounds and nurseries for commercially and recreationally important fish and shellfish species, provide storm buffers for coastal communities, filter pollutants, and provide habitat for numerous species of fish and wildlife, as well as recreational opportunities for hundreds of millions of Americans annually.
By Billy Frank, Jr., Chairman, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
OLYMPIA – I was excited to attend a groundbreaking ceremony recently for a new state salmon hatchery at Voights Creek near Orting. The new facility replaces a hatchery – nearly wiped out by floods in 2009 – that has been operating on the creek since the early 1900s. Close tribal and state cooperation made the new hatchery a reality. It will be the first new state salmon hatchery built in the past couple of decades.
I’m glad that the old hatchery is being replaced. We can’t afford to lose any more of them or the salmon they provide, despite what you might be hearing these days.
Closing the Voights Creek Hatchery would mean the annual loss of 1.6 million fall chinook salmon and 780,000 coho salmon. That’s in addition to 400,000 more fall chinook and 100,000 additional coho that are transferred from the facility to the Puyallup Tribe’s hatchery for release into the Puyallup River each year.
Hatcheries have been getting a bad rap lately. Tribal, state and federal hatcheries are under fire from lawsuits filed by a few extremist groups who think that all wild salmon and steelhead are good and all hatchery-produced fish are evil. I’m not sure what they’re trying to achieve. All fishermen – Indian and non-Indian – rely on hatcheries, because fisheries are supported by them. Some hatcheries produce fish for harvest. Others serve as nurseries to supplement weak wild stocks.
It’s really pretty simple. No hatcheries equals no fishing. For anyone. That’s unacceptable to the treaty Indian tribes in western Washington, because our constitutionally protected fishing right depends on salmon being available for harvest.
Hatchery opponents argue that when hatchery fish breed with wild fish, their offspring don’t survive as well. But research by the Nez Perce Tribe in Idaho has shown that’s not always the case.
The bottom line is that we will need salmon hatcheries for as long as lost and damaged habitat prevents salmon recovery. We would prefer not to rely so heavily on hatcheries, but today more than half of the chinook and coho harvested by Indian and non-Indian fishermen come from hatcheries.
We’ve become dependent on the fish produced in hatcheries because we are losing the battle to recover naturally spawning salmon and their habitat. I think we are going to rely on hatcheries for quite some time, because salmon habitat is being lost and damaged faster than it can be restored and protected, and the trend isn’t improving.
While we celebrate this year the 40th anniversary of the Boldt decision in U.S. v. Washington, we’re also marking the 40th anniversary of the federal Endangered Species Act. The ESA is supposed to help recover threatened wild salmon stocks, but that’s not happening because the law is not being used to protect salmon habitat and ensure that recovery plans are being implemented.
That’s why we are also marking the 15th anniversary of the 1999 ESA listing of Puget Sound chinook, Hood Canal summer chum and Lake Ozette sockeye. Puget Sound steelhead were added to the list in 2007. While some stocks of Hood Canal summer chum are showing signs of recovery, Puget Sound coho are now a candidate species for listing.
Even closing all hatcheries and ending all fisheries would not bring back the salmon. That’s because fixing and protecting habitat are the most important components of salmon recovery. From the beginning to the end of the salmon’s life cycle, it is the overall quantity and quality of habitat that determine the strength of the resource.
It’s one thing to restore salmon habitat. It is another to protect it. If we want salmon in our world to thrive once again, we must do both.
