Tulalip News

Montana’s Native Vote Could Decide US Senate Control

By Stephanie Woodard, Indian Country Today Media Network

The decision of U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D-Montana) not to run in 2014 means that the state’s Native vote could be very important next year. Just as tribal members pulled Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana) across the finish line in his neck-and-neck 2012 race, they may decide the upcoming contest, says Blackfeet tribal member Tom Rodgers, of Carlyle Consulting and voting-rights group Four Directions. That, in turn, will help determine which party controls the U.S. Senate. “If the 2014 senatorial race is anything like 2012, there may be a two-to-three-point difference between the candidates, and the Native vote can easily make the decision,” Rodgers says.

Native influence will be even greater if an ongoing lawsuit (Mark Wandering Medicine v. Linda McCulloch, now before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals) to require satellite election offices on Montana reservations succeeds, according to Rodgers. “With satellite registration and voting, Indian turnout will skyrocket—and the only way to get political power is to affect political outcomes.” (Related story: NCAI, DOJ Weigh in on Behalf of Native Voting-Rights Plaintiffs)

Both major parties see the potential of the Native vote. The Montana GOP is talking to the Republican National Committee about funding a staff position to do outreach in tribal communities, according to state party executive director Bowen Greenwood. “When a race is close, every vote counts,” says Greenwood, who argues that Native beliefs in tradition and caring for the land and their desire for economic development match Republican ideals.

The Montana Democratic Party has long had voter-registration, get-out-the-vote and voter-protection efforts in Native communities, spokesperson Chris Saeger says. “Increasing participation in American Indian communities will always be a top priority for us. We are confident that we’ll hold Senator Baucus’s seat, because we have a deep bench [of candidates] and a strong record in statewide elections.” (Related story: Montana Democrats Rebuff Native Voting-Rights Lawsuit)

Baucus will be missed in Indian country. “We are very sad to lose Senator Baucus’s leadership. Federal policy is often imposed on tribes, and we rely on our representatives in Washington to advocate for us,” says Gordon Belcourt, Blackfeet, executive director of the Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council. “And since both major parties want to reach out to tribes in the race to replace Senator Baucus, they should both support the on-reservation satellite voting offices we’re requesting via the lawsuit.”

Four Directions legal director Greg Lembrich, of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, says his organization wants both parties to embrace the Indian vote. On that front, Belcourt offers some advice to would-be senators, and to the parties as a whole: When they arrive on reservations, they will face pointed questions about their platforms and policies and will need to produce well-thought-out action plans to deal with issues like decades of high unemployment—in the 50 to 80 percent range for the tribes his group represents—and the effect of sequestration on programs that are already severely underfunded, such as the Indian Health Service. “It’s not a question of Democrats v. Republicans for Native people; it’s how the candidates address the issues.” (Related story: Montana Taxpayer Questions High Cost of Battling Against Native Voting Rights)

Belcourt says Baucus was “very receptive” to meeting with tribal leaders, so in the upcoming race for his seat, a record of personal involvement is going to count a lot with the tribes.

Lembrich notes that in 2014 Indian country will also be pivotal in South Dakota, where Senator Tim Johnson, a Democrat, has announced his retirement, and in Alaska, where Democratic Senator Mark Begich faces a tough race. “With no presidential race to distract anyone, we’ll see media saturation and lots of feet on the ground registering voters and getting them to the polls.”

Hanging over all this, he adds, is the U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming Voting Rights Act decision (Shelby County v. Holder), and a Native voting-rights suit in South Dakota (Chris Brooks v. Jason Gant). “We have some real drama ahead surrounding voting equality for tribal members.”

Go-Go’s & B-52s visit Tulalip

Tulalip Amphitheatre, Saturday July 6, 2013 8pm

Meet The B-52s & The Go-Go’s! Select From Three Different VIP Experiences!

Don’t miss your chance to meet both legendary artists! Select from three different VIP experiences which can include a premium ticket, Meet and Greet with The B-52s and/or The Go-Go’s, exclusive merchandise and more.

Click here for Tickemaster package option or visit the Tulalipcasino.com

Marysville’s ‘Junk in the Trunk’ seeking vendors

MARYSVILLE — Marysville Parks and Recreation is seeking vendors for an ultimate flea market called, ‘Junk in the Trunk.’ The annual event takes place on Saturday, July 13, at the Municipal Courthouse at 1015 State Ave.

Interested vendors can sell garage sale items, house hold, tools, vintage, antiques, collectibles, crafts and more. Park your car in one space and then sell from the open space next to it for just $25. Call for an application or email the city at mburgess@marysvillewa.gov. For complete details call 360-363-8450.

County could become a leader in cranberry production

Canadian grower has bought up 1,500 acres along the Snohomish River to grow the tart berry.

By Noah Haglund, The Herald

SNOHOMISH — The largest cranberry crop in Washington could be sprouting from the Snohomish River Valley a few seasons from now if a Canadian berry-grower’s plans take root.

Golden Eagle Farms for more than a year has been buying up farmland, hundreds of acres at a time, in the floodplain south of Lowell-Snohomish River Road.

The company wants to turn most its newly acquired terrain into cranberry bogs, with a few hundred acres set aside for growing blueberries.

While blueberries have long been grown here, cranberries would be something new. Moreover, Golden Eagle’s plans would put Snohomish County at the forefront of the industry statewide.

“We’re excited about it,” said John Negrin, who oversees the renewable energy division of Golden Eagle Farms’ parent company. “This is going to be a fascinating project.”

The words “exciting” and “fascinating” came up a lot Wednesday after Negrin gave a presentation to stakeholders in Snohomish County’s Sustainable Lands Strategy. The initiative to boost farming and fish habitat in local river valleys includes farmers, environmentalists and tribal leaders, as well as members of state and local government.

Many of them liked what they heard about remaking a patch of the valley into productive berry fields, potentially bringing dozens of full-time jobs and tens of millions of dollars in investment.

“It increases land in production, using the land for the highest and best use,” said Linda Neunzig, Snohomish County’s agriculture coordinator.

Before planting, Golden Eagle Farms must convince federal, state and county authorities that it can clear regulatory hurdles.

The company can expect to spend up to a year obtaining required federal and state permits related to water quality and wetlands, said Sheila Hosner from the Governor’s Office of Regulatory Assistance.

“We’re working step by step and working with all the appropriate agencies,” Negrin said.

So far, Golden Eagle Farms has acquired about 1,500 acres in the floodplain between Everett and Snohomish. It paid more than $3.3 million a year ago for the largest piece, 900 acres that has been used for growing poplar trees. Other parcels in the area, which is known as Marshland, have been used previously for growing peas, sweet corn and broccoli, or for livestock pasture.

The areas’s abundance of water and peaty soil — drawbacks for other crops — might benefit cranberry production.

“There’s a huge investment out there in the diking and drainage systems that needs to be utilized,” said John Misich, whose family has been farming in the area since the late 1800s.

Golden Eagle Farms’ proposal would eventually put more than 1,000 acres into cranberry cultivation. The plans include more than 30 bogs of 40 acres each, Negrin said.

To put that into perspective, all current Washington cranberry farms combined total about 1,800 acres, mostly in Pacific and Grays Harbor counties.

“It would be a large farm by any stretch of the imagination,” said Kim Patten, a Washington State University Extension professor based in Long Beach. The Pacific County community is known for cranberries.

Washington’s existing cranberry farms are small and, for the most part, have been in the same family for generations, Patten said. The largest is probably about 100 acres.

Washington’s overall cranberry crop is far smaller than states such as Wisconsin, Massachusetts and New Jersey. Regionally, British Columbia’s production exceeds Washington’s many times over.

“The bulk of the industry in the Pacific Northwest is in Canada,” Patten said.

Growing cranberries is a tricky business. For starters, it takes a lot of money and know-how to get started.

The cost of establishing cranberry bogs runs up to $60,000 per acre, Negrin said. That means investment in the Snohomish County proposal could easily exceed $50 million.

Once up and running, the Snohomish Valley operations would employ an estimated 35 full-time workers, Negrin said. About 100 workers would be needed come harvest time, in September and October. Those figures do not include construction jobs.

Cranberry bogs generally need three to five years to start yielding a commercial crop.

“This is not your average farm production,” Patten said. “There is a lot of very specialized nuance here. You have to know what you’re doing. The learning curve is very steep, so I make it my job to talk people out of the business.”

That said, Golden Eagle Farms is coming to the game with lots of experience — and capital.

It already has extensive, well-established blueberry and cranberry farms in British Columbia. It’s a member of the Ocean Spray cooperative.

The landscape around its farms in the Pitt Meadows area east of Vancouver, B.C., looks remarkably similar to the Snohomish Valley, with view homes overlooking the low-lying agricultural area.

Golden Eagle Farms isn’t likely to have any trouble securing financial backing. It’s part of the Aquilini Investment Group, a multibillion-dollar Vancouver, B.C., conglomerate.

The company was founded more than 50 years ago by Italian immigrant Luigi Aquilini, who now runs the company with his three sons.

Currently, the group’s vast interests include hotels, restaurants and renewable energy projects. It also owns the Vancouver Canucks NHL team, vineyards and resorts.

Pulling off the Snohomish County project won’t come without challenges.

Cranberry production requires flooding the bogs at harvest. More water is needed for irrigation, to ward off frost damage. That means extra regulatory scrutiny, particularly for any fertilizers or pesticides that might wind up in the runoff.

There are economic unknowns, as well.

At current prices, independent cranberry growers struggled to break even, Patten said. If the berry market softens further, many could be operating at a loss.

“Right now, there’s an oversupply of cranberries on the market,” he said. “There’s been a huge planting in Quebec.”

Still, if the project comes to fruition, it could give Snohomish County a real economic boost, Patten said.

Obstacles aside, the prospect of a deep-pocketed agriculture investor who’s willing to bring a new crop to the Snohomish Valley has local farmers buzzing.

“I think everybody should be excited,” said Brian Bookey of Arlington, a member of the Snohomish County Agricultural Advisory Board. “These are folks who have their act together. I hope everybody gives them a fair shake.”

NRCS helps improve water quality in watersheds across the country

By Ciji Taylor, NRCS Public Affairs

WASHINGTON, April 25, 2013 – USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service announced today additional funding for the second year of the National Water Quality Initiative.

NRCS will make available nearly $35 million in financial assistance to farmers and ranchers in 164 priority watersheds this year to implement suites of conservation practices intended to improve water quality.

“These are voluntary efforts focused in small watersheds where the implementation of conservation systems can yield results for locally important waters,” said NRCS Acting Chief Jason Weller. “When farmers and ranchers work to improve water quality, they also help provide the nation with clean waterways, safe drinking water and healthy habitat for fish and wildlife.”

During the first year of the initiative in 2012, NRCS provided $34 million in financial assistance to farmers and ranchers in 154 small watersheds, ranging from 10,000 to 40,000 acres in size. This initiative builds on efforts that NRCS already has underway in areas such as the Mississippi River Basin, the Gulf of Mexico, the Chesapeake Bay and the Great Lakes.

The agency worked closely with partners, including state water quality agencies, to refine the eligible priority watersheds this year. These partners assisted in selecting one to 12 priority watersheds in every state where on-farm conservation investments will deliver the greatest water quality improvement benefits. These watershed projects will each address one or more of the following water quality concerns: excess nitrogen, phosphorous, sediment or pathogens.

Eligible producers will receive assistance under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program for installing conservation systems that may include practices such as nutrient management, cover crops, conservation cropping systems, filter strips, terraces, and in some cases, edge-of-field water quality monitoring.

Through this water quality initiative, NRCS is also piloting its new Water Quality Index for Agricultural Runoff. The tool will help landowners determine how alternative conservation systems they are considering will impact water quality improvement. Additionally, state water quality agencies and other partners will do in-stream and watershed-level monitoring to track water quality improvements in many of the project watersheds.

“The quality of our nation’s water affects so much. Across the country farmers, ranchers and foresters are actively and voluntarily using conservation systems to improve water quality,” said Weller.

NRCS accepts applications for financial assistance on a continuous basis throughout the year. Check with your local NRCS office to see if you are located in a selected watershed.

For more information on NWQI read here: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/programs/financial/eqip/?cid=stelprdb1047761

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service helps America’s farmers and ranchers conserve the Nation’s soil, water, air and other natural resources. All programs are voluntary and offer science-based solutions that benefit both the landowner and the environment.

Feds accept petition on captive orca Lolita

Source: The Herald, Associated Press

SEATTLE — The federal government has agreed to accept a petition that asked to have captive killer whale Lolita included in the endangered species listing for Puget Sound orcas.

Lolita was captured from that whale population in 1970 and is now at the Miami Seaquarium.

Her fellow orcas spend most of their time in Western Washington and British Columbia waters. Lolita is a member of the L pod, or family.

The National Marine Fisheries Service has listed these southern resident orcas as endangered since 2005. The wild population currently numbers 84.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which is working with other animal rights groups to have Lolita freed from captivity, filed this petition.

The decision announced Wednesday will add Lolita to a current review of the status of Puget Sound orcas as an endangered species.

‘Project Runway’ Star Patricia Michaels and the Parasols on the Plaza

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

Tonight, designer Patricia Michaels of Taos Pueblo will face off against the other two finalists in part two of the season finale of Project Runway. It’s a moment that has many fashion fans and Native style aficionados on the edge of their seats.

Although Michaels may have seemed the exotic outsider in this Project Runway class, those familiar with her work knew she’d be a force to be reckoned with, and can hardly be surprised she’s made it this far. In fact, on one notable occasion, many people who don’t follow fashion got a glimpse of her talent and were bowled over. It happened at Santa Fe Indian Market, 2011: Michaels paraded a group of models through the streets wearing her fashions and toting parasols. Many who witnessed the display considered it the highlight of the week.

As Cynthia Whitney-Ward reported the “Parasols on the Plaza” happening on her blog Chasing Santa Fe, “who would expect white-wigged maidens holding playful parasols — dressed in glorious designer frocks — to sashay out of La Fonda on the Plaza and wend their way through Indian Market? Well, Native American designer PATRICIA MICHAELS of Taos Pueblo, loves to delight and surprise … The Indian Market crowd was enchanted.”

Honoring the River: How Hardrock Mining Impacts Tribal Communities

“Access to clean drinking water, clean air, and healthy fish and game are inherent human rights that no lawmaker can give away.”

By Lacey McCormick, National Wildlife Federation

For more than a century, American Indian tribes and Alaska Natives have suffered the impacts of hardrock mining while enjoying few of its benefits.

A new National Wildlife Federation report, Honoring the River: How Hardrock Mining Impacts Tribal Communities tells the story of hardrock mining and tribes, from the checkered history of federal legislation allowing mining companies to lease minerals on tribal lands—often without tribal consent—to the many new mines being proposed near tribal communities.

“Access to clean drinking water, clean air, and healthy fish and game are inherent human rights that no lawmaker can give away,” said Mike Wiggins, chairman of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians, whose land has been threatened by Gogebic Taconite’s proposed open-pit iron mine. “Some of the environmental impacts, like acid mine drainage, will last into perpetuity.”

The report was endorsed by the following tribes and tribal organizations impacted by hardrock mining: Alaska Inter-Tribal Council, Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and the Sokaogon Chippewa Community.

Two loopholes in the regulations implementing the Clean Water Act have allowed mines to treat rivers, lakes and wetlands as waste dumps for toxic, acid-producing tailings. According to the report, the metals mining industry has already contaminated an estimated 40 percent of the headwaters in western watersheds.

That figure doesn’t surprise Rich Janssen, head of the Department of Natural Resources at the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in northern Montana. These tribes have been working to help threatened bull trout recover from 100-year old mining and smelting operations. The tribes now find themselves fighting two proposed silver mines adjacent to the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness.

“Our tribes do not oppose all mining but we do take our stewardship commitment seriously,” said Janssen. “Nobody should be permitted to store untreated mining waste in rivers or streams. We strongly support closing the mining loopholes in the Clean Water Act.”

“The indigenous view on water is that it is a sacred and spiritual entity,” said Jessica Koski, mining technical assistant of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, which has been affected by Rio Tinto’s Eagle Mine operation. “Our communities have a historically intimate connection to water and we are especially sensitive to the impacts of mining on our sacred places and the waters that feed Lake Superior.”

Honoring the River discusses one of the nation’s worst mining disasters, the Zortman-Landusky gold mine near the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in north-central Montana. The mine is infamous for its cyanide spills and acid mine drainage—and the responsible company ultimately filed for bankruptcy, leaving the Fort Belknap tribes and taxpayers to pay millions in clean-up costs.

“A lot of people made money from the Zortman-Landusky mine, but we were not among them,” said Tracy King, president of the Fort Belknap Indian Community. “We were left with degraded cultural sites, smaller fish and wildlife populations, and a huge price tag for reclamation and water treatment. Tribal communities should be wary of the economic promises made by mining companies.”

The report also focuses on the controversial Pebble copper and gold mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska. The Pebble mine would be the largest open pit mine in North America and would be in the headwaters of the greatest remaining wild sockeye salmon fishery on earth. The Bristol Bay watershed sustains more than two dozen Alaska Native communities that have practiced a salmon-based culture for millennia.

“Tribes have been disproportionately harmed by hardrock mining and the pollution caused by mining waste,” said Tony Turrini, senior attorney for National Wildlife Federation and one of the report’s authors. “We’re calling on the Obama Administration to close Clean Water Act loopholes that allow mines to store untreated waste in natural waters. Closing these loopholes won’t stop hardrock mining, but it would help protect tribal communities from the chemicals, heavy metals, and acid drainage produced by modern mines.”

“National Wildlife Federation has worked with tribes for more than 20 years to protect wildlife,” explains Garrit Voggesser, national director of Tribal Partnerships for NWF. “Our current efforts to minimize the threats of hardrock mining exemplify how tribes and NWF can make a difference in our shared values for the protection of environmental and cultural resources.”

Tulalip Art Festival Tonight

Chickasaws Celebrate Cultural Traditions At Chikasha Ittifama

Source: Chicksaw Nation Media Relations

Loski (turtle) races, moccasin making, a stickball tournament, Chickasaw games and a cornstalk shoot will be the highlights of the 16th annual Chikasha Ittifama (Chickasaw Reunion) set Friday and Saturday, May 17-18, at Kullihoma.

The gathering is free and welcomes Chickasaw and guests from across the country.

“Chikasha Ittifama is a special time for Chickasaw people to celebrate and share our culture, heritage and traditions. This annual reunion offers an opportunity for Chickasaws and friends from across the country to renew friendships and develop new relationships,” said Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby.

Chikasha Ittifama will begin at 5 p.m. Friday with posting of the colors by the Chickasaw Honor Guard and an opening prayer followed by a hamburger fry, youth and co-ed stickball, cultural demonstrations and a social dance.

The cultural demonstrations will include corn husk dolls, beadwork, moccasin making, Chickasaw games, language, basket weaving and traditional clothing.

Saturday’s events will begin at 9 a.m. and include a youth fishing derby, cornstalk shooting contest, youth and adult archery competitions, squirrel-stick throw, loksi (turtle) races and stickball tournament.

A traditional meal of pishofa, fry bread, salt meat and grape dumplings will be served Saturday for lunch.

For guests wishing to stay the night, overnight camping spaces are available including tent spaces and a limited number of RV hook ups.

To reach the site, travel to the Kullihoma sign seven miles northeast of Ada on S. H. 1, then travel three miles east and one mile south.

For information, contact the Chickasaw Nation Cultural Resources at (580) 332-8685.