Tulalip News

4 Candidates Campaigning to Be Next NCAI President

By Richard Walker, ICTMN

Want to know what the next president of the National Congress of American Indians will be like? Take a look at the pace of the candidates in the weeks leading to NCAI’s convention and election.

One of the four will be elected to a two-year term as president when NCAI meets October 13-18 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. NCAI’s president is not salaried but leads an organization that has a staff of 33 and a lot of clout.

This is an influential crop of candidates.

Brian Cladoosby, Swinomish Chairman

Brian Cladoosby (Courtesy EcoTrust)

Cladoosby recently pulled in seine nets, getting a first-hand look at the results of ongoing work to restore salmon habitat, then oversaw the Tribe’s acquisition of more than 250 acres of land that had been removed from his reservation by executive order in 1873. The acreage includes a golf course and shellfish tidelands.

In Cladoosby’s 17 years as chairman, the Swinomish Tribe has emerged as one of the five largest employers in Skagit County and a major partner in efforts to restore the health of the Salish Sea. He served as president of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, and said the NCAI presidency would give him a national platform from which to work on economic development, education, health services, and protection of natural resources.

Cladoosby served on NCAI’s board of directors and on EPA’s National Tribal Operations Committee.

“I have no doubt that Brian has the skills to advance Northwest tribal issues at a national level,” said Micah McCarty, former Makah chairman and member of the U.S. Commerce Department’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee.

“Tribes fared well in the Obama administration but could have done better in natural resource areas of the administration. The [Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission] Treaty Rights at Risk initiative is a case in point, regarding the need for greater national attention and better regional responses [to salmon habitat needs].”

Joe A. Garcia, former two-term NCAI president

Joe A. Garcia (Courtesy indianpridepbs.org)

Garcia, Ohkay Owingeh, spoke before the U.S. Senate Energy Committee regarding nuclear waste management and storage, and advised the U.S. Health and Human Services Department on substance abuse and mental health services.

Garcia’s leadership at NCAI is a fresh memory for many. When he left office in 2009, the National Indian Gaming Association honored him as a defender of sovereignty and a strong voice for America’s First Peoples, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson proclaimed October 15, 2009 as “President Joe Garcia Day” in the state.

During his tenure, Garcia and NCAI “faced the scourge of meth, battled budget cuts aimed at cutting Indian funding, and welcomed the start of new opportunities with the Obama administration,” NIGA Chairman Ernie Stevens Jr. said at the time.

“During the 109th Congress in 2006, President Garcia’s leadership proved invaluable as Indian country came together to defend Tribal sovereignty from attacks on Indian gaming. [He] brought NCAI together with NIGA and we held over eight national meetings to develop a consensus in Indian country and take our message to Congress.”

Garcia is former governor of Ohkay Owingeh and led the 20-pueblo All Indian Pueblo Council from 2009-11. He has an electrical engineering degree from the University of New Mexico and has taught at Northern New Mexico College since 1979.

Juana Majel-Dixon, Pauma Band of Luiseno Indians council member

Juana Majel-Dixon (Courtesy NCAI)

Majel-Dixon met President Obama at Camp Pendleton, spoke on behalf of NCAI at the United Tribes International Pow Wow in Bismarck, North Dakota, and lobbied to include Alaska Native women in the Violence Against Women Act.

Majel-Dixon, NCAI’s first vice president, has been a member of the Pauma Band council since 1974, professor of U.S. policy and Indian Law at Palomar College since 1981, and the Pauma Band’s policy director since 1997. She has a doctorate in education from San Diego State University.

She has long been at the forefront of efforts to restore and expand VAWA, and is a member of the U.S. Justice Department Task Force on Violence Against Women.

Gena Tyner-Dawson, senior adviser to the Assistant U.S. Attorney General for Tribal Affairs, wrote that Majel-Dixon provides excellent leadership on national issues impacting Tribal policy matters and “provides objective viewpoints important to developing action plans, strategies and arriving at joint solutions to issues and concerns.”

George Tiger, Muscogee Creek principal chief

George Tiger (Courtesy Muscogee Nation News)

Tiger oversaw his nation’s acquisitions of Okmulgee Memorial Hospital and the George Nigh Rehabilitation Center, brokered an agreement to prevent a museum from auctioning Creek artwork and artifacts, and spoke at the annual Indian Country Business Summit on the importance of Native peoples spending money within Indian country.

Tiger has been a member of the Muscogee Creek National Council for 14 years and served as speaker in 2006-07. He is a regent of Haskell Indian Nations University, his alma mater.

Tiger leads an economic powerhouse that contributes to the copy0.8 billion economic impact on Oklahoma by the state’s 38 indigenous nations. Muscogee Creek-owned enterprises include a document imaging company; construction, technology and staffing services; travel plazas; and 11 casino/event centers. The College of the Muscogee Nation, founded in 2004, offers associate degrees and Mvskoke language classes.

Muscogee Creek’s government has an annual budget of more than copy06 million and more than 2,400 employees, and provides public services in eight administrative districts.

Associate Attorney General Tony West Delivers Remarks at the Native American Issues Subcommittee Meeting

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Thank you, Karol, for that kind introduction. Karol is one of the leading advocates for tribes at the Department of Justice, and I’m delighted that she has taken the helm at OJP.

Let me thank Tim [Purdon, NAIS Chair] and Sandy [Coats, NAIS Vice Chair] for their very capable leadership of the Native American Issues Subcommittee, and for all they do to coordinate the Department’s efforts with its tribal partners. I also want to thank Amanda [Marshall, USA for the District of Oregon] and the many tribal leaders for hosting us. I’m honored to be here among you. Thanks, too, to Marshall Jarrett for his leadership at the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys and Tracy Toulou for the exceptional work he does as Director of our Office of Tribal Justice. Finally, I extend my appreciation to all the members of the committee for your hard work and commitment to these very important issues.

I’m very pleased to have this chance to meet with the federal and tribal officials responsible for the safety and welfare of native communities and to talk about ways we can continue working together to strengthen the Justice Department’s work in Indian country. We have made unprecedented strides – and achieved remarkable success – in improving law enforcement and ensuring justice in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and I want to ensure that we build on our progress.

The progress has been tremendous.

Every U.S. Attorney with jurisdiction in Indian country has now appointed at least one tribal liaison, and we’ve designated a Native American Issues Coordinator to provide advice and assistance to U.S. Attorneys’ Offices on legal and policy issues. We created the Tribal Nations Leadership Council to advise the Attorney General on issues critical to tribal governments. We launched the National Indian Country Training Initiative, which last year trained some 2,500 federal, state, and tribal criminal justice professionals on issues ranging from domestic violence to wildlife and pollution enforcement. We created a Violence Against Women Federal and Tribal Prosecution Task Force and assigned additional federal personnel to investigate and prosecute cases on Indian lands. And we established the Office of Tribal Justice as a permanent component within the Justice Department.

We have also met – and exceeded – our responsibilities under the Tribal Law and Order Act. We published a final rule that authorizes the Department to assume concurrent jurisdiction over certain crimes committed in Public Law 280 states, and we have already exercised that authority. We’re enhancing our efforts to combat sexual assault by expanding support for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners and Sexual Assault Response Teams in Indian country and by establishing a SANE/SART Advisory Committee. We’ve settled long-standing trust litigation and boundary disputes to the benefit of tribes. We’ve worked to protect water rights and natural resources on tribal lands and helped preserve native cultural and religious practices. We’ve joined with our federal partners to develop, in consultation with tribes, a long-term plan to build and sustain tribal justice systems. And we’re fighting alcohol and substance abuse by coordinating services with the Departments of the Interior and Health and Human Services and by providing assistance to tribes that want to develop action plans to address these issues.

Finally, we’ve vastly expanded and strengthened our outreach to tribes. I have had the honor of joining the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General, and many other leaders in the Department at a number of listening sessions and consultations in Indian country. Attorney General Holder approved a policy statement committing the Department to regular and meaningful consultation and collaboration with tribal officials. This policy statement requires the Department to seek tribal input whenever we develop or amend policies, regulations, or legislation that will affect tribes. In addition, staff from across the Justice Department have partnered with their colleagues in the Departments of the Interior, Health and Human Services, HUD, and other agencies to hold tribal justice, safety, and wellness training and technical assistance sessions, where we’ve reached more than 5,500 participants. As a result of this greater coordination and cooperation, we’ve been able to more effectively target our resources to meet the most pressing public safety needs of tribes.

Through our Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, or CTAS as we call it, we’ve revamped and streamlined the process for tribes to tap much-needed federal funding. We’ve heard from tribes that this mechanism has been an important positive step in our relationship with tribes, and we continue to make it a centerpiece of our efforts to support tribal communities.

In fact, today I’m pleased to announce that the Department of Justice is awarding almost 200 new awards totaling more than $90 million under CTAS. These awards bring the total number of grants to tribes over the last four years to almost 1,000, totaling almost $440 million. These grants address an array of tribal justice system issues, from at-risk youth and violence against women to community policing and corrections alternatives, and they give tribes the support they need to keep their communities safe and ensure a just, fair, and effective system for fighting crime.

But there is more we must do. Violence against native women continues at alarming rates, and children in Indian country encounter violence far too often.

I was proud to witness President Obama sign the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act in March. This landmark legislation provides vital protections for all women, but it is especially important for what it does to help ensure the safety of Indian women. Now, thanks to the new law, tribes may exercise jurisdiction over certain crimes committed by non-Indians on their lands. This represents a giant step forward in our ability to hold perpetrators of domestic and dating violence accountable.

And we must do all we can to protect Indian children. More than 60 percent of kids in America encounter some form of violence, crime, or abuse, ranging from brief encounters as witnesses to serious violent episodes as victims. Almost 40 percent are direct victims of two or more violent acts. Tribal communities are no exception to this troubling phenomenon. As one tribal leader said, “For us. . . the question is not who has been exposed to violence, it’s who hasn’t been exposed to violence.”

As part of his Defending Childhood Initiative, Attorney General Holder established a national task force to study this problem and recommend ways to address it. One of the recommendations was the creation of a separate task force devoted specifically to children exposed to violence in Indian country. I’m pleased that work is well under way to stand up this task force, which includes both an advisory committee and a federal working group composed of U.S. Attorneys and other government officials, including our partners at the Department of Inteiror, working in Indian country.

We anticipate that the Advisory Committee will convene hearings and listening sessions throughout the country and prioritize consultation with American Indian and Alaska Native youth. Our goal is to develop a national strategy to reduce and mitigate the impact of violence on children in tribal communities.

The Federal Working Group of the Task Force is already hard at work and making real progress. In an effort to ensure that juveniles held in tribal or Bureau of Indian Affairs detention facilities are provided adequate and culturally-sensitive educational and counseling services, the working group initiated a close look at existing programs and services. As a result, BIA has ensured that contracts for teachers are secured for detention facilities in Towoac, Colorado, and Northern Cheyenne, Montana. To ensure that Bureau of Prison contract facilities provide culturally appropriate services to tribal youth in detention, the working group completed a survey of programs currently available and is currently analyzing the results to develop best practices to ensure consistency across facilities. These are just a few of many efforts currently underway.

This is my sixth trip to Indian country since joining the Department of Justice as a member of President Obama’s administration in 2009, and my fourth as the Associate Attorney General. Since my first trip to the Navajo Nation, where I met with brave Cold War Warriors, I have traveled from the Crow Nation and Northern Cheyenne in Montana to the Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Ute, Acoma and Laguna Pueblos of the Four Corners. Earlier this month, I visited the Tulalip Tribes in Washington, and I am so pleased to join you today here in Celilo Village.

For me, these visits to Indian country are a great privilege. They are a great privilege for me because they remind me of the rich legacy that First Americans have bestowed upon this country, and that we are a stronger America because of that legacy.

They remind me of the important trust relationship between the United States and tribal nations, and that the struggle for tribal sovereignty and self-determination has too often been waged in the face of disruption and devastation caused by assimilation and termination policies pursued in the not-so-distant past.

The work we’ve done to strengthen public safety in Indian country – and the work we are doing to protect tribal sovereignty – is a collective responsibility, one that we all must share, federal and tribal officials alike. I’m pleased with what we’ve been able to accomplish thus far. I believe we have written a great chapter in the story of our government-to-government relationship with tribes. I look forward to working with all of you to continue that story into the next – and even greater – chapter.

Thank you.

Nez Perce v. Megaloads: Another Treaty-Based Consultation Victory

An Indian Country Law Firm

On September 12, an Idaho federal district court stopped massive industrial equipment headed for the Alberta Tar Sands — now commonly known as the Megaloads — from traversing Nez Perce Treaty-protected ceded lands. The federal court’s decision affirms the power of Indian Treaties and the intrinsic consultation requirements of those sacred pacts.

Article III of the Treaty with the Nez Perces of 1855 reserved for Nez Perce Indians the “right of taking fish at all usual and accustomed places” and “the privilege of hunting . . . upon open and unclaimed land.” As the court explained: “Although the Nez Perce ceded the lands now encompassing the Nez Perce Clearwater National Forests to the United States, ‘they did not relinquish rights to hunt, fish, and gather, or to practice traditional religious and cultural ceremonies on these ancestral homelands.’”

Critically, even though Article III of the Nez Perce Treaty does not mention the word “consultation,” the federal court ruled that: The duty of the Forest Service to conduct a consultation after finding that the mega-loads might affect cultural and intrinsic values is commanded by Treaty rights” – “there is no discretion to refuse consultation.” And “[w]hen the duty to consult runs to a Tribe, the federal agency generally must consult with the Tribe before taking the action at issue.” Indeed, “meaningful consultation takes place “typically before undertaking a course of action” (emphasis in original).

The Nez Perce Megaloads decision is at least the second recent decision from the federal courts, affirming Treaty-based consultation requirements over ceded or off-reservation lands, even though the Treaty Articles at issue do not mention the word “consultation.” In 2010, a Washington State federal court enjoined the United States from allowing a private garbage contractor from importing municipal waste from the Hawaiian Islands into the Yakama Nation’s ceded lands and fishing, hunting and gathering areas. That court ruled that there were “serious questions about whether Defendants adequately consulted with the Yakama Nation as required by [Article III] of the Yakama Treaty of 1855,” even though that Treaty Article, too, does not expressly require consultation.

Under international legal norms, “the treaty obligation to consult that is intrinsic in any bilateral agreement between nations.” G. Galanda, “The Federal Indian Consultation Right: No Paper Tiger,” Indian Country Today; see Restatement (Third) Foreign Relations Law of the United States §§ 325, 337 (1986). When will the United States begin to truly honor this norm? Indeed, Nez Perce v. Megaloads, like the Yakama Hawaiian garbage case and the Quechan solar power case, illustrate how even the “pro-tribal” Obama Administration will flout federal Indian consultation rights in order to cut red tape for, and otherwise fast-track, pet projects like Tar Sands.

In fact, when the political and economic stakes are high, and the choice must be made between siding with either mega-corporations, or Indians, the United States and its President will always — ALWAYS –– side with almighty corporate interests, and ignore guaranteed Indian rights. That paradigm is nothing new to Indian Country; it has been happening for centuries. What is new is the United States talking out of both sides of its mouth about tribal consultation.

Gabriel “Gabe” Galanda is a partner at Galanda Broadman PLLC, of Seattle, an American Indian owned law firm. He is an enrolled member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes of Covelo, California. He can be reached at 206.691.3631 or gabe@galandabroadman.com.

– See more at: http://www.galandabroadman.com/2013/09/nez-perce-v-megaloads-another-treaty-based-consultation-victory/#sthash.jW1VLQKa.dpuf

St. Helens’ tribal significance marked

Mt S — Mount St Helens
source: Mountsthelens.com

Mountain given status of Traditional Cultural Property

By The Chronicle (Centralia)

September 19, 2013

For its significance to the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Mount St. Helens on Sept. 11 was designated a Traditional Cultural Property and listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

According to the Forest Service, Mount St. Helens’ qualified for listing in the register because of its position as a cultural landscape central to local tribes’ oral traditions and identities.

The listed area encompasses 12,501 acres of the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

“The Forest Service has profound respect for the cultural significance of the area,” Gifford Pinchot National Forest Supervisor Janine Clayton said. “This formal recognition further validates our deep and long-standing relationships with our tribal partners.”

The mountain is of particular importance to the Cowlitz Tribe; it falls within the area of their land claims made during treaty negotiations with the federal government in the 1850s.

An image of the volcano appears on the official seal and emblem of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe.

“For millennia, the mountain has been a place where Tribal members went to seek spiritual guidance,” Tribal Council Chairman William Iyall said. “She has erupted many times in our memory, but each time has rebuilt herself anew. She demonstrates that a slow and patient path of restoration is the successful one.”

The National Register is part of a program intended to coordinate and support efforts to protect America’s historic, archaeological and traditional cultural resources.

Mount St. Helens’ nomination process took several years and was a collaborative effort between the Gifford Pinchot and the Cowlitz, the Forest Service said in the news release.

Formal listing was recommended earlier this year.

This is the second Traditional Cultural Property listing in Washington State and one of the very few Traditional Cultural Property listings nationwide, according to by Allyson Brooks, Director of the Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation.

Apple Bans Redskins Name From App Store

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

Apple Inc., the company that created iTunes, has banned the word Redskins from its Canadian app store. But, its competitors the Redskins App on Google Play and the Washington Redskins Official Mobile App still allow the word to be used on their platforms.

According to a post written on OgokiLearning.com, the company says the name violates two sections of its policy on apps. Section 19, which relates to religion, culture and ethnicity, says, “apps containing references or commentary about a religious, cultural or ethnic group that are defamatory, offensive, mean-spirited or likely to expose the targeted group to harm or violence will be rejected.”

And section 14, which states that defamatory apps likely to place targeted individuals or groups in harms way will be rejected.

It is unclear if Apple’s Canadian app stores have a different policy than it’s US stores, but the First Nation App developers praised Apple’s decision, according to NBCWashington.com. “We as Nation App developers applaud Apple Inc. in taking a stand and recognizing that Native Americans and First Nation people are not ‘Redskins,’” the company said. “We are distinct people with the same rights as we afford to every man woman and child who set foot on this earth.”

Darrick Glen Baxter, president of Ogoki Learning Systems, also weighed in on his company’s web site OgokiLearning.com.: “There is nothing more important than being recognized as a people and being treated as a human being.”

Apple Inc. joins the growing list of media companies that also oppose the Redskins name, including Sports Illustrated, USA Today, and The Washington Post.

Obama Nominates Native American Woman to Federal Court

Diane J. Humetewa has been nominated by President Barack Obama for the U.S. District Court for Arizona.

By Rob Caprioccioso, Indian Country Today Media Network

Responding to widespread requests from tribal leaders and Indian legal advocates, President Barack Obama has nominated a Native American to serve on the federal bench.

The president announced September 19 that Diane J. Humetewa is a nominee for the U.S. District Court for Arizona. She is a Hopi citizen, and from 2002 to 2007 she served as an appellate court judge for the Hopi Tribe Appellate Court.

Obama has previously nominated one tribal citizen to serve on the federal bench, Arvo Mikkanen, of the Kiowa Tribe, but Republican senators successfully blocked that nomination during the president’s first term. Oklahoma’s senators in particular expressed frustration that the administration did not consult with them on the nomination, but they would not say specifically what their problem with Mikkanen was at the time. The administration pushed back, with White House officials laying full blame with Senate Republicans, saying it was part of their overall plan to thwart the president.

If Mikkanen would have been confirmed, he would have been the only American Indian to serve on the federal bench, out of a total of 875 federal judgeships, and he would have been only the third Native American in history to secure a federal judgeship.

If Humetewa can pass muster with the Senate Judicial Committee and Arizona’s senators, then she will have the distinction of being the first Native American appointed and confirmed to the federal bench by Obama. It is already known that she has a strong ally in U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) who previously recommended her for a U.S. attorney position during George W. Bush’s second term.

Indian affairs experts had been pressuring the president to make another Native American federal judgeship appointment – several more, in fact – citing the large number of Indian law cases heard in federal courts and the U.S. Supreme Court’s tendency not to understand tribal law.

Jack Trope, executive director of the Association on American Indian Affairs, told Indian Country Today Media Network earlier this month that getting more Indians appointed to the federal bench during Obama’s second term was a top priority for a range of tribal advocates.

“We just have to hope the administration goes through the process of consulting the appropriate senators,” Trope said. “We don’t want another situation like what happened with [Mikkanen].”

Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn, a law dean at the University of New Mexico before joining the administration last year, expressed optimism on learning of the selection.

“Diane Humetewa will make an excellent judge,” said Washburn, a Chickasaw Nation citizen. “She was a very capable U.S. Attorney for Arizona and a capable career prosecutor before that. She is tough, but compassionate, and I know that she can gracefully handle the stress of being the first Native American woman to travel this path. This is a historic nomination.”

Matthew Fletcher, director of the Indigenous Law Center at Michigan State University, said Humetewa was “a wonderful selection,” and he expected that she should be easily confirmed.

Humetewa was previously nominated by President George W. Bush in his second term to serve as the first female Native American U.S. attorney in history. She resigned from that position in July 2009 as part of the political appointee process in Obama’s then-new administration. Some Native Americans asked the administration if Humetewa could stay on in that position at the time, but the White House declined.

RELATED: Humetewa Officially Resigns

In an interview with Indian Country Today Media Network in June 2008, Humetewa said she was “humbled” to be chosen for the U.S. attorney position, and she hoped her promotion would encourage more young Indians to consider careers in the legal field.

“The opportunity arose when one day I was sitting in my office, and the telephone rang—a gentleman said, ‘Please hold for John McCain,’” she shared. “Sen. McCain simply asked me whether I wanted to provide this service for Arizona. Frankly, I was pretty taken aback and surprised and flattered. I felt I certainly couldn’t say no.”

Humetewa’s biography, as provided by the White House, follows:

“Diane J. Humetewa currently serves as Special Advisor to the President and Special Counsel in the Office of General Counsel at Arizona State University. She is also a Professor of Practice at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. From 2009 to 2011, Humetewa was Of Counsel with Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP. She worked in the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Arizona from 1996 to 2009, serving as Senior Litigation Counsel from 2001 to 2007 and as the United States Attorney from 2007 to 2009. During her tenure in the United States Attorney’s Office, Humetewa also served as Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General from 1996 to 1998. From 1993 to 1996, she was Deputy Counsel for the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Humetewa received her J.D. in 1993 from Arizona State University College of Law and her B.S. in 1987 from Arizona State University. She is a member of the Hopi Indian Tribe and, from 2002 to 2007, was an Appellate Court Judge for the Hopi Tribe Appellate Court.”

Art calendar

EVENTS

Everett Art Walk: The monthly art walk takes place from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 21 (third Saturday of the month) in downtown Everett. In addition to galleries and studios, participating businesses include Wicked Cellars, Zippy’s Cafe, Port Gardner Bay Winery and Artspace Everett Lofts. For a map and more information, go to www.everettartwalk.org.

Decoy show: The third annual Fall Decoy Show will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 21 at the Best Western Convention Center, 33175 Highway 20, just north of Oak Harbor, on Whidbey Island. Admission is free. Entertainment includes a silent auction and a raffle. Call 360-678-4868 for details.

Sistine Ceiling: Art historian Rebecca Albiani, who works with the Burke Museum in Seattle, will present a program on the artwork of the Sistine Chapel at 2 p.m. Sept. 28 at Everett Public Library, 2702 Hoyt Ave., Everett. The free program will introduce the work of Michelangelo, painted from 1508 to 1512, on the ceiling of the chapel in the pope’s residence in the Vatican. The images, among the most well known in the world, include “Creation of Adam.” For information, call 425-257-8000.

Schack-toberfest: A free autumn festival features the glass pumpkin patch, selling more than 300 hand-blown glass pumpkins made in the Schack’s hot shop. Family-friendly daytime activities include a demonstration of carving real (not glass) pumpkins, classes in how to make your own glass (not real) pumpkin and fun for kids. From 5 to 9 p.m. Sept 26, “Beer and Brat Night” is for those 21 and over. Camano Island’s String Slingers will provides music, and beer, bratwurst and hard cider will be available; tickets are $25 for Schack members, $30 for nonmembers and include a sourvenir glass. Schack-toberfest runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept 27 (plus Beer and Brat Night), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 28 and noon to 5 p.m. Sept. 29. Admission is free; Schack Art Center, 2941 Hoyt St., Everet; 425-259-5050; schack.org.

Stanwood Art Walk: The fifth annual “Art Walk: Yor Passport to Art” will cover the historic east end of Stanwood, encompassing the 8700 block of 271st Street NW one block north of Highway 532, from 5 to 8 p.m. on the last Friday of September, Sept. 27. Get your “passports” stamped and initialed at the participating businesses then turn in your completed “passport” for a chance to become a winner in the free drawing. Fifteen small local businesses are showing paintings, pottery, jewelry and more.

Duvall Quilt Show: The 13th annual quilt show, “A Festival of Color,” takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 28 in downtown Duvall. The event is free and includes live music at different locations. for details, see www.DuvallQuiltShow.com, or call The Quilter’s Garden at 425-844-1621.

“Ink Stomp”: More than 40 adults and kids with special needs from Lynnwood High School Life Skills class and the All Aboard program in Everett will participate in an art event to create monoprints to music on Oct. 4 at in Studio 1 and 2 at the Schack Art Center, 2941 Hoyt St., Everet; 425-259-5050; schack.org.

EXHIBITS

Snohomish County

3231 Creatives Gallery: 3231 Broadway, Everett; 425-740- 5030; 3231creatives.wordpress.com; noon to 7 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday, noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. “The Machine” is a visual exploration of machinery and forms crafted from machines. The exhibit features the work of Michael Gardner, Stephen Lastat, Reg Akright, Don De Leva, John Olsen and Dan Ishler. Through Sept. 28. Classes offered in a variety of topics including making Halloween costume, mosaics and beading. ;

Anabel’s Framing & Gallery: 2531 Broadway, Everett; 425-258-6402; www.anabelsgallery.com. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.

Arts of Snohomish Gallery: 1024 First St., No. 104, Snohomish; 360-568-8648; www.artsofsnohomish.org.

Brushstrokes Art Supply: 5702 172nd St NE, Arlington; 360-658-4044; www.brushstrokesartsupply.com; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays.

Christopher Framing & Gallery: 537 Main St.,Edmonds; 425-778-5150; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

City Hall: 121 Fifth Ave. N., Edmonds; 425-775-2525; www.ci.edmonds.wa.us; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Murphey Collection paintings in the third floor reception area’s permanent display.

Edmonds Arts Museum Gallery: Frances Anderson Center, 700 Main St., Edmonds; 425-771-1984. 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Artist Judith Larsen will present a memorial painting exhibition, “Frontline Heroines,” oil paintings of slain female journalists and human rights workers. The show runs through Oct. 29. The artist will make a presentation from noon to 2 p.m. Oct. 6.

Everett Community College: The Russell Day Gallery, 2000 Tower St.; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays; closed Saturdays and Sundays; www.everettcc.edu. “Incommensurable Things,” works by Emily Gherard and Stephanie Pierce, will be on view from Sept. 23 to Oct. 25. The artists will speak at a reception from noon to 2 p.m. Sept. 26.

Fisherman’s Market & Grill: 1032 W. Marine View Drive, Everett; 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Sunday. The Art Loft Sisters, a group of like-minded women who promote new and emerging artists, present entries to “Art at the Island for Kids” through September. Works by Shannon Danks are also on view.

Fogdog Gallery: 233 N. Olympic Ave., Arlington; 505-660-6825; www.fogdoggallery.com; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Local artists in mixed media.

Gallery North: 509 Main St., Edmonds; 425-774-0946; www.gallerynorthedmonds.com; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Hibulb Cultural Center: 6410 23rd Ave. NE, Tulalip; 360-716-2635; www.hibulbculturalcenter.org. “Ramp It Up: Shateboard Culture in Native America,” an exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, reflects the popularity and influence of skateboarding on American Indian culture. The show features 20 skate decks, videos and skateboards with Coast Salish designs.The show runs through Oct. 13 before continuing on its national tour.

Lynnwood Library Gallery: 19200 44th Ave. W, Lynnwood; Open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays, 425-670-5518.

Mountlake Terrace Library Gallery: 23300 58th Ave. W., Mountlake Terrace; 425-776-8722; www.sno-isle.org. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays; 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. The work of photographer Syrinda Sharpe will be on display through Sept. 30.

Ornamental Arts Gallery: 13805 Smokey Point Blvd. Suite 105,Marysville. 425-422-5232; OrnamentalArtsGallery.com; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Susan Cohen Thompson will show her oils and watercolors, as well as recent ceramics, through September. Thompson is influenced by nature in the Ecuadorian Amazon and the Guatemalan jungle.

Port Gardner Bay Winery: 2802 Rockefeller Ave, Everett; 425-339-0293; portgardnerbaywinery@hotmail.com.

Schack Art Center: 2921 Hoyt Ave., Everett; 425-259-5050; www.schack.org. “Generations”is the art of Tulalip artist James Madison, who is the 2013 Artist of the Year, traditional pieces with a contemporary twist. Joye Melby, 2013 Artist Advocate of the Year, shows her new paintings inspired by Japanese art prints. Both shows run through Sept. 21.

The Sisters: 2804 Grand Ave., Everett; 425-252-0480; 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.”Real and Abstract in Watercolor” by Art Dujardin, through Oct. 11.

We are Art: ArtSpace Everett Lofts, 2917 Hoyt Ave., Everett. Features artist is Patricia Ariel, a fine art painter and illustrator. An opening reception will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 21 during the Everett Art Walk, including a discussion of her latest project at 6:30 p.m.

We Do Art: 5612 Evergreen Way, Everett; 425-238-2585; wedoart.net; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

Wicked Cellars: 2616 Colby Ave., Everett; 425-299-3360; www.wickedcellars.com. Lisa Spreacker, who does assemblage and collage art using found objects and memorabilia. Spreacker was Snohomish County Arts Council’s Artist of the Year in 1997. Her show opens with the Everett Art Walk from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 21.

Island County

Bayview Cash Store: 5603 Bayview Road, Langley; 360-361-4145. “When Your Plow is Your Paintbrush,” a group show of artists interpreting life on the farm, runs through Oct. 30. The show is in conjunction with the Whidbey Island Farm Tour.

Garry Oak Gallery: 830 SE Pioneer Way, Oak Harbor; 360-240-0222; www.garryoakgallery.com/; open daily 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., first Friday of each month, till 8 p.m. The gallery’s newest artists are Marcia Muchnick, free form pottery; Michael Watkins, photography; Ron Apgar fused glass; and Gay Shuell, carved and embellished gourds.

Matzke Fine Art Gallery: 2345 Blanche Way, Camano Island; 360-387-2759; www.matzkefineart.com. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends, weekdays by appointment. “Autumn Winds,” glass metal, stone and Northwest paintings. Artists include Mike Adams, Todd Horton, Anne Martin McCool, Jennifer Phillips, Susan Cohen thompson and Hioshi Yamano. Through Nov. 10. Opening reception with music by Ford Giesbrecht, 4:30 to 9 p.m. Sept. 28.

Penn Cove Gallery: 9 Front St., Coupeville; 360-678-1176; www.penncovegallery.com/; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday.Watercolor artist Randy Emmonds will show his work through October. Eddmonds will demonstrate his work style from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 18.

Raven Rocks Gallery: 765 Wonn Road, C101, Greenbank, 360-222-0102, www.ravenrocksstudio.com. “Songs of September: Elegant to Kicky Jewelry Designs” by Lynne Adams and Windwalker Taibi, hand-crafted neckwear of semi-precious gems, hand-dyed buffalo bone, blown glass and hammered metals through Oct. 3.

Rob Schouten Gallery: Greenbank Farm, C-103, 765 Wonn Road, Greenbank; 360-222-3070; www.robschoutengallery.com. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and Wedneday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends. “Sumi and Ceramics,” sumi paintings by Fumiko Kimura and Angie Dixon and ceramics by Maryon Attwood, Joan Govedare and Dan Ishler, will run from Oct. 4 to 29. An opening receptions with light refreshments will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 4.

Taste for Wine: 5603 Bayview Road, Langley; 360-321-0515; www.tasteforwinewhidbey.com; noon to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays. Janie Cribbs has been painting owls for a long time, mainly on found wood. Also, Maggie Hanley-Welles is a watercolorist whose many pieces are of local scenes or people or florals or abstracts.

Skagit County

Museum of Northwest Art: 121 S. First St., La Conner; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday; 360-466-4446; www.museumofnwart.org. “Reflections: Selections From the Permanent Collection” runs through Sept. 29.

La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum: 703 S Second St., La Conner; 360-466-4288; www.laconnerquilts.com. “Kaleidoscope: Fiber Embroidery by Liz Whitney Quisgard,” on display through Oct. 6. Regina Benson’s art quilts and textiles also through Oct. 6.

BILLBOARD

Contest for young artists: WSU Snohomish County Extension Beach Watchers is seeking submissions for a contest on what Puget Sound will look like when they, are the artists, are older. Deadline for submission of “Hopeful Visions of Puget Sound” is 5 p.m. Oct. 18. Students from pre-school through high school are eligible. Details are available at www.beachwatchers.wsu.edu/snohomish. Call 425-357-6028 for more information. Note that the deadline was extended from Sept. 10. Entries will be displayed Nov. 9 at Everett Community College, in the WSU Learning Center in McCollum Park and other venues including libraries.

Donate artwork: Artwork is being accepted for the eighth annual Previously Loved Art Sale on Oct. 5 in Edmonds. Donate paintings, drawings, art posters, pottery, art books or periodicals. Donations can be made between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at ArtWorks, 201 Second Ave. S., Edmonds, or by appointment; call 425-774-6049. For more information, call Meredith Arnold at ArtWorks at 425-774-6049.

Mukilteo Art and Frame: Seeking original art for shows. The theme in November and December is”Spaces.” The theme in January and February is “Through the Looking Glass,” which is “Alice in Wonderland” interpreted art. Submit photos and artist information to mukilteoartandframe@comcast.net.

Call for artists: The Lynnwood Arts Commission invites all visual artists in Washington to apply. Deadline is Sept. 30. The commission will select artists for six-week exhibitions for 2014 and the artists selected will be notified by the end of October. The exhibition site is Art Gallery at Lynnwood Library in Lynnwood at 19200 44th Ave West. Applications at www.ci.lynnwood.wa.us/PlayLynnwood/Arts.htm or by request to lynnwoodarts@gmail.com.

Whole Foods campaigning to support food labeling initiative

Mark Mulligan / The HeraldWhole Foods is encouraging shoppers to "Say Yes on 522" with signs and other literature distributed around its stores, including at their Lynnwood location Thursday morning. — Mark Mulligan / The Herald
Whole Foods is encouraging shoppers to “Say Yes on 522” with signs and other literature distributed around its stores, including at their Lynnwood location Thursday morning.

By Jerry Cornfield, The Herald

LYNNWOOD — You can’t go far inside the Whole Foods Market in Lynnwood without knowing the company’s stance on Initiative 522, the food labeling measure on this November’s ballot.

There are banners hanging from the ceiling, brochures above the salad bar and a poster on an easel in the poultry section, all proclaiming, “We say Yes on 522.

The same message can be seen on every aisle and even under selected products of like-minded companies. It’s coming to checkout stands soon. It’s outside, too, where, parked a few strides from an entrance, is a forest green Chevy truck with Yes on 522 painted on the driver’s side door.

And the store’s roughly 155 team members — Whole Foods code for employees — carry literature in their aprons and are trained on the basics of the initiative should they be quizzed by a customer.

It’s not just here but in each of the company’s seven Washington stores, a reflection of how serious the international chain wants to win.

“We don’t dabble a lot in the political world,” said Leah Abell, marketing team leader for the store. “This is different because this is such a hot topic and we have been leading the way for organic labeling.

“Our customers are telling us we want to know what is in our food,” she said. “We want to give that to them.”

Whole Foods spent $250,000 trying to pass a similar measure in California last year. It has reached that mark in Washington already and expects to spend more, spokeswoman Susan Livingston said.

“We’re trying to engage people in every way we can,” she said, noting the company is funneling many resources through its Will Vote For Food effort.

If voters pass Initiative 522, many packaged and processed food products sold in retail stores will need labels revealing if the item was genetically engineered or contains genetically engineered ingredients starting in July of 2015.

There are a host of exemptions. For example, food sold in restaurants is exempt as are alcoholic beverages. And meat from animals that ate genetically engineered feed is also exempt.

Proponents contend requiring labels will give consumers needed information about the food they are eating. Opponents say it amounts to a costly new regulation that will manifest itself in higher prices.

Campaigns for and against the measure expect to spend millions of dollars in the next few weeks, much of it on the airwaves. Both sides launched their first television commercials this week.

Against that backdrop, individual farmers and businesses are trying to reach voters in a simpler and more direct way. Up and down the I-5 corridor and across the Cascades, businesses known for offering organic foods and products without genetically engineered ingredients are marketing a political message to customers.

Employees at PCC Natural Markets, which operates a store in Edmonds, wear Yes on 522 buttons. Information about the measure is available in the stores and has been sent to members of the nation’s largest consumer-owned natural food retail co-operative.

“This is an affirmation to our customers that we are doing what they have been asking us to do for 20 years,” said Trudy Bialic, director of public affairs.

So far no one’s complained.

“I have not received one letter from one shopper that they didn’t appreciate it,” she said.

A spokeswoman for the opposition expressed little concern about the strategy.

“Proponents can share the information as long as they are reporting it to the PDC (Public Disclosure Commission),” said Dana Bieber, spokeswoman for the No on 522 campaign.

Bieber wouldn’t say if they’ll have retailers opposed to the measure put up materials too.

“We’re committed to sharing the facts with voters,” she said.

She did point out that one Whole Foods infographic echoes the message of their campaign as it urges customers to look for products with the USDA organic label if they want to avoid GMOs.

“That’s what our campaign has been saying,” she said. “They’re reinforcing the message that the organic label is a better way to know if GE (genetically engineered) ingredients are in their food. It is better than 522.”

Such tactics are not novel in Washington.

Two years ago, Costco used its shopping warehouses to gather signatures for the liquor privatization initiative and then dole out materials backing the measure. Other grocery stores and many restaurateurs put up materials in their businesses.

It’s too soon to gauge the effect of such in-store campaigning on Initiative 522 because voters aren’t focused on the election yet.

“I think it can make a small difference,” said Seattle political strategist Christian Sinderman, who’s not involved in the campaign. “People have more opinions about food than they do about politicians so to reach people where they shop and where they eat will have more impact than a yard sign.”

Sinderman doesn’t think it will swing the outcome.

“Voters are smart enough to know that the businesses only engage in these things because they impact their bottom lines,” he said. “If they support that (company’s view) they won’t have a problem.”

Obama takes on coal with first-ever carbon limits

Coal-power-plant — Coal power plant
Photo source: Wiki

September 19, 2013

By DINA CAPPIELLO — Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Linking global warming to public health, disease and extreme weather, the Obama administration pressed ahead Friday with tough requirements to limit carbon pollution from new power plants, despite protests from industry and from Republicans that it would mean a dim future for coal.

The proposal, which sets the first national limits on heat-trapping pollution from future power plants, would help reshape where Americans get electricity, moving from a coal-dependent past into a future fired by cleaner sources of energy. It’s also a key step in President Barack Obama’s global warming plans, because it would help end what he called “the limitless dumping of carbon pollution” from power plants.

Environmental Protection Agency administrator Gina McCarthy said in a speech Friday morning to announce the proposal that, rather than damage an industry, the proposed regulations would help the industry to grow.

McCarthy pressed her case by linking global warming to a suite of environmental problems, from severe weather to disease to worsening other types of air pollution.

“We know this is not just about melting glaciers,” McCarthy said. “Climate change – caused by carbon pollution – is one of the most significant public health threats of our time. That’s why EPA has been called to action.”

However, since the proposal deals with only new power plants it will have a limited effect on global emissions of heat-trapping pollution. A separate standard for the existing fleet of power plants, the largest source of carbon pollution, is due next summer.

Despite some tweaks, the rule packs the same punch as one announced last year, which was widely criticized by industry and by Republicans as effectively banning any new coal-fired power plants.

That’s because to meet the standard, new coal-fired power plants would need to install expensive technology to capture carbon dioxide and bury it underground. No coal-fired power plant has done that yet, in large part because of the cost.

Coal, which is already struggling to compete with cheap natural gas, accounts for 40 percent of U.S. electricity, a share that was already shrinking. And natural gas would need no additional pollution controls to comply.

“It is clear that the EPA is continuing to move forward with a strategy that will write off our huge, secure, affordable coal resources by essentially outlawing the construction of new coal plants,” said Bruce Josten, the vice president for government affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Follow Dina Cappiello on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dinacappiello

Canada nixes UN review of violence on aboriginal women

Canada rejects UN rights panel call for review of violence on aboriginal women

The Canadian government has rejected UN calls for a panel review of violence against aboriginal women. The Harper government has previously butted heads in with UN special rapporteurs on other issues. (Canadian Press)

Source: CBC News

Cuba, Iran, Belarus and Russia used a United Nations body Thursday to criticize Canada’s human-rights record, as the Canadian envoy rejected calls to develop a comprehensive national review to end violence against aboriginal women.

Canada was responding Thursday to the UN Human Rights Council, which is conducting its Universal Period Review of Canada’s rights record, on a wide range of issues from poverty, immigration, prostitution and the criminal justice system.

Countries have their rights records reviewed every four years by the Geneva-based UN forum, but the Harper government has been skeptical in part because it allows countries with dubious rights records to criticize Canada

Canada’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Elissa Golberg, offered a brief rebuttal to Belarus, but did not engage directly with the other countries that criticized Canada.

“Canada is proud of its human-rights record, and our peaceful and diverse society,” Golberg told the one-hour session.

While no society is entirely free of discrimination, she noted, Canada has “a strong legal and policy framework for the promotion and protection of human rights, and an independent court system.”

Recommendations from those countries were among the 40 of 162 that Canada chose to reject.

That also included a rejection of a series of resolutions calling on Canada to undertake sweeping national reviews of violence against aboriginal women.

Golberg said Canada takes the issue seriously and that provincial and local governments are better suited to getting results on those issues.

Shawn Atleo, national chief of Canada’s Assembly of First Nations, said there is deep concern among aboriginals over the government’s refusal to conduct a national review of the problem.

“There is strong support for this action domestically among provincial and territorial leaders and the Canadian public and strong international support, not to mention a multitude of reports and investigations that urge Canada to act,”Atleo said in a statement.

He said talk is not enough.

“It is especially clear that words need to be supported by actions, that commitments and declarations need to be accompanied by concrete and concerted efforts in collaboration with First Nations to ensure all of our citizens, including women and girls, are safe.”

The countries that called for a national review included Switzerland, Norway, Slovenia, Slovakia and New Zealand.

Other countries with poor rights records, including Iran, Cuba and Belarus, also supported the call for an investigation into the disappearances, murder and sexual abuse of aboriginal women in Canada.

In a response to be formally tabled Thursday in Geneva, Canada says it is “strongly committed to taking action with aboriginal and non-aboriginal groups to prevent and stop violence against aboriginal women” through a series of federal and provincial initiatives.

“There have been a number of inquiries and resulting proposals for improvements over the years,” says the reply.

“In addition, race-based statistics are not recorded in a systematic manner across Canada’s criminal justice system due to operational, methodological, legal and privacy concerns.”

Canada faced similar calls to better address the concerns of its aboriginal population in 2009, when it faced its last review by the UN body.

“Such comments were made by a range of states, some of them close allies, some not. For example, the United Kingdom, Norway and the Netherlands, as well as Cuba and Iran, recommended that Canada better address Aboriginal Peoples’ concerns,” said an April 2013 Library of Parliament review of the UN review process.

The issue reared its head again in February when the New York-based group Human Rights Watch issued a highly critical report alleging police abuse of aboriginal women in British Columbia.

It too urged the Harper government to strike a national commission of inquiry along with the B.C. provincial government, a measure that was endorsed by the NDP, Liberals, the Green party and the Assembly of First Nations.

James Anaya, the UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, is scheduled to visit Canada in October to conduct his own inquiry.

The federal government will get a chance to respond to Anaya’s findings before a final report is circulated and presented to the UN rights council.

The Harper government has butted heads in the past with previous UN special rapporteurs.

Conservative cabinet ministers have blasted the UN’s right-to-food envoy Olivier De Schutter for saying too many Canadian citizens are going hungry.

It is all part of a periodic war of words between the Harper government and various UN bodies. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has criticized a Quebec law on demonstrations, prompting a quick response from Ottawa.

The UN Committee Against Torture has also accused Ottawa of being “complicit” in human rights violations committed against three Arab-Canadian men held in Syria after 9-11.