Tag: Tulalip Tribes

Marysville Tulalip Chamber announces new Board

Kirk Boxleitner, The Marysville Globe

TULALIP — The Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce’s new Board of Directors represents a rare influx of new blood, according to Chamber President and CEO Caldie Rogers.

Although Rogers estimated that the Board already averages a turnover of about one-third of its members each year, she deemed this year’s number of new Board members unprecedented in the Chamber’s history.

“We deliberately seek out folks from small businesses, corporations, nonprofits and the Tribes to represent all segments of our community,” Rogers said. “This year’s Board boasts an especially amazing spectrum.”

Rogers touted the value of a recent team-building retreat at the Cedar Springs Campground in Naches, Wash., in getting the Board members familiar and comfortable with one another.

“We wanted a camaraderie that would allow them to discuss the pros and cons of issues without fear, so that when we do adopt a position, we’re unified behind it,” Rogers said. “That’s why we’ve never lost in our lobbying efforts.”

As the new Board plots the Chamber’s course for the future, Rogers called attention to Lance Curry of Edward Jones & Co., who will be heading up the Chamber’s emissaries program as part of its public relations efforts, and The Marysville Globe Publisher Paul Brown, who will chair the Chamber’s next “Buy Local” campaign.

“Educating the community on our local businesses has been proven effective,” Rogers said. “It’s one reason why we haven’t had to raise our dues for so many years.”

Rogers, Curry and Brown are joined on this year’s Board by Chair John Bell of Willis Hall, Vice Chair Teri Gobin of the Tulalip Tribes TERO, Past Chair David Chin of Go Small Biz, Chair Elect Will Ibershof of Waste Management, and Treasurer Robyn Warren of Langabeer, McKernan, Burnett & Co.

“Rebecca and Paul Pukis [of Mosaic Insurance Alliance] are waiting in the wings to chair our military affairs committee,” said Rogers, who named Perry McConnell of Hansen, McConnell and Pellegrini as the Chamber’s legal counsel. “We’re still waiting on a government affairs chair.”

Other Board members include Al Aldrich, Dom Amor, Dr. Becky Berg, Joy Brown, Doug Buell, U.S. Navy Cmdr. Jeff Caulk, Gloria Hirashima, Jessica Joseph, Pastor Greg Kanehan, Ken Kettler, John McKeon, Becky Mulhollen, Dennis Niva, Patrick Sisneros, Jack Schumacher, Rob Toyer and Chris Winters.

 

Steve Gobin: Retiring after a lifetime of service

Tulalip Quil Ceda Village General Manager Steve Gobin speaks at his last Quil Ceda Village Council Meeting. Steve is retiring July 1st, to enjoy life with his family and especially his grandchildren. Steve Gobin
Tulalip Quil Ceda Village General Manager Steve Gobin speaks at his last Quil Ceda Village Council Meeting. Steve is retiring July 1st, to enjoy life with his family and especially his grandchildren. Photo by Niki Cleary

Niki Cleary, TulalipNews

At 62, short, grey and balding, Steve Gobin is not an imposing figure. He is humble, quiet, enjoys fly fishing and is devoted to his family. But ask him to talk about his tribe, economic development, sustainability, health care or any number of subjects connected to the wellbeing and longevity of his tribe, spark his passion, and Steve goes from mild mannered grandpa to razor sharp advocate in an instant.

After more than two decades of service for his tribe, Steve, General Manager of Tulalip’s Quil Ceda Village, is retiring. His career included labor in fisheries and forestry, 20 years of healthcare experience, work lobbying for expanded CHS (Contract Health Services) programs and funds, a stint in Governmental Affairs and finally his last two jobs, Deputy General Manager and General Manager of Quil Ceda Village. During his lifetime, he’s seen vast changes on the reservation, and he’s been a catalyst for some of them.

“I was born and raised here,” said Steve. “I think the tribe has gone through a lot of different personalities, but the leadership vision for the tribe has stayed consistent through those years. There’s still that consistency in the board today and I think that’s what kept us moving forward step after step after step.”

The tribe’s current prosperity is relatively new. Steve reminisced about his childhood.

“When I was a boy, we cut shakes for $3.00 a day, and we were happy to have the $3.00,” he explained. “We lived on a few thousand dollars a year. We lived on commodities, hunting and fishing. The priorities were making the family whole and feeding everybody.

“A lot of times I didn’t start school in the fall, I had to work and take care of my family,” Steve recalled. “My dad used to fish in Alaska, he used to start in June and go to November, so I got out of school early and started late. But I didn’t know I was poor.”

In his youth, Steve said, unemployment was about 80%. Then in the 1990s Tulalip built a bingo hall.

“The tribe didn’t even have an office until around 1965, and I think we had two or three employees, my mom was one of the employees they hired,” he said. “People didn’t fit in on the outside. There was no place for them to make money, the whole reservation economy was non-existent.”

Although there is always room for growth, Steve is grateful and astonished at what has been accomplished during his lifetime.

“It may seem to a lot of people that we don’t get paid enough, but look at what the tribe has given us, just in the last 20 years. It amazes me,” Steve described a few of the programs now provided. “We’ve funded healthcare, pharmaceuticals, mental health and drug and alcohol programs to help us overcome 200 years of poverty. We have money to pay per-capita payments to our people.

“No one needs to be starving or without a job. This is not the world that I knew growing up. It’s hard for me to look at my kids, even though I wanted them to have what I didn’t, and know they didn’t have the opportunity to experience living on the beach for food and to stay alive. Some of the bonding we did as a family and as a reservation, that really made us strong and we need to find a way to bring that back to our community.”

While some see addiction and social disorder as the pitfalls of prosperity, Steve says those dangers always existed. But now we have a chance to shape our future.

“The killer drug in 1970 was Rainier Beer,” he said. “Today it’s meth and heroin. But the things that stem from addiction are the same; child abuse, not feeling safe in the home, they’re the same now as then, but now there are more of us and it costs more to deal with it.

“But, with economic development,” Steve continued, “I think we have an opportunity to change the past and create a new vision for the future. Where kids don’t have to be hurt and people don’t have to go through those things. We can bring back some of that community pride to the tribe.

“A lot of what we’ve put into the ground, past Board of Directors, John McCoy, I can see it’s a future here, a future for my kids and grandkids and their kids. We’re building a sustainable economy so that our children don’t have to deal with the economic issues that we had. We’re the second largest employer in Snohomish County now. It’s been rewarding to be here.”

Right now, Steve can’t quite envision what the tribe will look like in a hundred years or more. But, family and culture, he described, have to be part of the future.

“I grew up and raised my family with the assumption that the reservation would always be a cultural center for our people,” he said. “But the sheer growth and population over the next 50 to 100 years is going to take that natural resource away from us. We’re going to have to find another way to be culturally connected to our past without fishing, hunting and the things that are the core of who we are. It’s going to be a challenge for our future leaders to take what’s best of the past and bring it forward to make a place for our people.”

Asked what teaching he’d like to leave for future generations, Steve said, “Take pride in yourself, work for your tribe’s future and the rewards that you will get will be enriching and last forever.”

Steve’s last day is July 1st. Like all of our leaders, I have no doubts that for the rest of his days, Steve will be looking out for the tribe and teaching future leaders what it means to be Tulalip. Happy retirement, Steve.

Sheldon presents ‘State of the Tribes’

Kirk BoxleitnerTulalip Tribal Chair Mel Sheldon Jr. speculated that the economy might be on its way back during this year’s State of the Tribes address to the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce on April 26.
Kirk Boxleitner
Tulalip Tribal Chair Mel Sheldon Jr. speculated that the economy might be on its way back during this year’s State of the Tribes address to the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce on April 26.

By Kirk Boxleitner, The Marysville Globe

TULALIP — Tulalip Tribal Chair Mel Sheldon Jr. expressed optimism for the future, both in the short term and the long run, as he delivered this year’s State of the Tribes address to the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce on April 26.

“This was one of the strongest economic regions of the pre-Columbian era, and it can be so once again,” said Sheldon, citing the Native American tribes’ commerce in this area, even well before white settlers had ever arrived. “We offer gaming, retail and entertainment to visitors.”

Sheldon summed up the results of the recent Tulalip Tribal Board of Directors election by noting that he, Vice Chair Deborah Parker, Treasurer Chuck James and Board members Glen Gobin and Marlin Fryberg Jr. had all been reelected, while Marie Zackuse was elected back onto the Board as secretary, and Theresa Sheldon was elected to her first term on the Board.

“Deborah Parker has really led the charge on the Violence Against Women Act,” Sheldon said. “It’s a monumental achievement on behalf of Indian Country and all women.”

Sheldon also praised Ken Kettler, president and chief operating officer of the Tulalip Resort Hotel and Casino, for the roles that he and his staff have played in the Tulalip Resort’s host of awards over the past year, including being named “Best Casino of the Year” by KING-5.

“This place is a destination,” said Sheldon, who cited the number of organizations that take advantage of the hotel’s conference rooms. “We’re 100 percent occupied during the weekend and 80 percent occupied during the week. You can build something like the Taj Mahal casino, that people will visit once and then never again, or you can do what we did.”

While the Tulalip Resort is set to add Asian fusion cuisine and sports bar restaurants this summer, the Quil Ceda Creek Casino is due for $15 million worth of remodeling.

“There’s been rumors for a while that we might be adding a new hotel wing, and the truth is that we’re always having conversations about it,” Sheldon said. “If we’re at 80 percent of our total occupancy during the week, we could probably stand to expand.”

Although Sheldon praised the Tulalip Amphitheatre as an intimate outdoor venue for entertainment and various community events, he acknowledged that the Board has asked itself whether there should be a larger capacity events center as well. And with the Tribes meeting their budget projections, Sheldon speculated that the economy might be on its way back.

“Tulalip dollars stretch a long way,” Sheldon said. “Seventy percent of our work force lives off the reservation. We pay out $120 million in annual wages, and most of that money stays in the local economy. Last year, Quil Ceda Village paid $40 million in state sales tax.”

Sheldon touted the past year’s openings of Cabela’s and the Olive Garden, and anticipated the impending completion of 90,000 additional square feet to the Seattle Premium Outlets. At the same time, Sheldon was quick to share credit for the Tribes’ successes with its partners in the cities of Marysville and Everett, Snohomish County and beyond.

“Marysville’s got a great mayor whose work will benefit this community even long after he’s gone,” said Sheldon, who mentioned Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring’s lobbying against the traffic impacts of increased coal trains as but one example, before he directed his comments to outgoing Marysville School District Superintendent Dr. Larry Nyland. “From our hearts, we thank you. We’ve always trusted you. We’re blessed with great leaders all around. If we want a strong economy, we need to keep working together.”

Tulalip Tribes’ cultural director lived for preservation

Mark Mulligan / The Herald File, 2011Hank Gobin, museum director at the Hibulb Cultural Center, listens at the grand opening of the center in Tulalip.
Mark Mulligan / The Herald File, 2011
Hank Gobin, museum director at the Hibulb Cultural Center, listens at the grand opening of the center in Tulalip.

By Bill Sheets, The Hreald

TULALIP — Hank Gobin lived to see his dream come true: the creation of a museum to serve as the focal point of local tribal history and culture.

Gobin, 71, cultural resources director for the Tulalip Tribes, passed away Thursday — a little more than 1½ years after the Hibulb Cultural Center was dedicated in August 2011.

While the museum may be the most tangible testament to his legacy, his role in preserving tribal culture runs much deeper, tribal members say.

“Our community mourns the loss of a truly great man,” Tulalip Chairman Mel Sheldon said in a written statement.

“He was a prolific artist, activist and traditional scholar, who worked in the areas of art, education, language revitalization, museum studies and traditional foods research.”

Gobin was a force in starting the tribes’ cultural resources program in the early 1990s. This included a program to teach Lushootseed, the Puget Sound tribes’ unwritten native language, to help save it from extinction.

“He was one of the key advocates who pushed for the creation of the Lushootseed program,” said Natosha Gobin, a language teacher for the Tulalips.

The language program has grown from its fledgling origins to a year-round course in Montessori school, along with kids camps in the summer and an annual eight-week workshop for families.

“He’s always been a huge advocate for cultural preservation and bringing it all together,” Natosha Gobin said.

Her father, the late Bernie Gobin, was Hank Gobin’s first cousin.

“It was a hard loss,” she said of Hank’s passing.

Henry Delano Gobin was born in 1941 and raised on the Tulalip reservation. He left at age 21 to pursue an education and studied art at several colleges in the West, including the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M. and the San Francisco Art Institute. He received a master’s degree in painting at Sacramento State University and later taught art and ethnic studies.

Gobin returned to Tulalip in 1989 and quickly began working on preserving tribal culture, including pushing for the museum. Finally, after a long haul, the tribal board in 2005 approved the building, which opened in 2011.

Gobin used his artistic talent and education to closely supervise the design of the cultural center. The day the $19 million building opened, Gobin recalled a conversation he’d had years earlier with the architects.

“One of the things I want you to do,” he told them, “is to capture the light.”

The 23,000-square-foot building’s main corridor is equipped with skylights. The museum houses traditional tribal cedar baskets, tools, clothing, canoes, totem poles and other items, some of them hundreds of years old. Many of the items had sat stored away in people’s homes on the reservation. Lectures and other programs are held at the cultural center as well.

The museum’s grounds at 6410 23rd Ave. NE are home to a native plant cultivation and harvest program in which young people learn traditional tribal culinary ways.

“I think it’s an exciting time for the Tulalip Tribes and Tulalip people,” Gobin said shortly before the museum’s opening.

Gobin also was instrumental in reviving the annual tribal family canoe journey and setting the traditional protocol for the event, according to an obituary issued by the tribes.

“His spiritual beliefs were a prominent aspect of who he was; and it was this spiritual way of life that enabled him to carry out his responsibilities to protect his people’s cultural and environmental interests,” the obituary read.

“Everything about Hank was genuine and his magnetic personality touched the lives of all those who he crossed paths.”

Gobin is survived by his wife, Inez Bill-Gobin; two sisters and three sons. Services were held Monday.

New coalition of regional leaders formed to oppose coal exports

Leadership Alliance Against Coal includes leaders from cities and tribes

 

Source: Office of Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn

SEATTLE – Leaders of city governments and tribal nations across the Pacific Northwest today announced the formation of a new coalition to oppose coal trains and coal exports. The Leadership Alliance Against Coal will work together to raise awareness about the damaging economic, cultural, and health impacts of coal trains and coal exports, as well as take action to protect their communities.

“These coal trains threaten the health of our communities, the strength of our economies, and the environmental and cultural heritage we share,” said Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn. “We will stand together to stop the coal trains.”

“For thousands of years Washington State tribes have fought to protect all that is important for those who call this great state home. We can no longer allow industry and business to pollute our water and land; we as leaders need to protect our treaty resources, our economies, and the human health of our citizens and neighbors,” said Brian Cladoosby, Chairman of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community.

The Leadership Alliance Against Coal grew out of conversations between leaders from cities and tribal nations concerned about the impact of coal trains on their communities. Alliance members are calling for agencies to work together to explore the impacts on the health of people living near the rail tracks and the coal terminals. They urge state and federal agencies to deny permits for coal export proposals, as their proposed benefits do not outweigh the likely costs to local economies, health, natural environment, and cultural resources.

The City of Seattle conducted a study that found coal trains could add an additional two hours of gate downtime at major street crossings of the railway by 2025. Similar delays are likely in cities large and small along the proposed route of these trains

Tribes are concerned that coal trains and the proposed coal terminals would violate their treaty rights and damage their cultural heritage, as well as cause economic and health impacts.

“The economic, environmental and health issues raised by this 19th Century proposal are below us as a city and a state,” said State Representative Reuven Carlyle. “We need to focus on high quality, innovative, entrepreneurial markets and ideas that lift us up – not unhealthy, dangerous commodities that assault our global economy.”

“The risks not only to our tribe can be devastating, but also to the entire region,” said Chairman Melvin Sheldon, Jr., of the Tulalip Tribes. “We’ve made substantial retail investments that depend heavily on quality of life. Tulalip supports job creation. We are one of the largest employers in Snohomish County and contribute to economic solvency in the Northwest. However, we do not support an industry such as this one that we believe will damage our natural and cultural resources or diminish existing jobs in our region.”

“This increased rail traffic will have a significant impact on our local community by among other things increasing traffic congestion, creating a higher risk of accidents, decreasing our ability to provide effective emergency response times, impacting local commerce, and interfering with local truck freight delivery systems also affecting the local economy,” said Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring.

“The proposed coal trains pose a detriment to the health, economy, and quality of life of the people and communities I represent,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips, Chair of the King County Council’s Transportation, Economy, and Environment Committee. “I stand united with neighborhood, business, environmental, tribal, and government leaders in protecting the prosperity and beauty of our state by opposing coal trains.”

“The City of Spokane cannot afford to have additional coal trains coming through that disrupt truck routes, emergency services and the health of our citizens,” said Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart. “In addition we must address climate change as elected leaders and must take action. I am proud to be part of the Leadership Alliance and look forward to working with Tribal and elected leaders across the state to represent our communities.”

“The citizens of Edmonds, like so many in our region, are committed to protecting our environment, improving our public health and safety, and building our economy. Coal trains run counter to every one of these important goals,” said Edmonds City Councilmember Strom Peterson.

“Washington State has been a national leader in creating clean-energy technologies and jobs that promote sustainable global economic development. Coal exports promote damaging and unsustainable energy programs. Shoreline stands in opposition to the proposed coal export terminals and the environmental, health and economic damage that will ultimately result,” said Shoreline Mayor Keith McGlashan.

“The City of Bainbridge Island supports economic growth that does not jeopardize Washington State’s commitment to fight the serious impacts of climate change,” said Bainbridge Island Mayor Steve Bonkowski, on behalf of the City Council. “The City urges the Governor and the Legislature to work on a comprehensive policy opposing coal export terminals in Washington State.”

“What is most concerning to me are the affects and impacts created by increased coal export put upon down-line communities like ours and we are just expected to take it,” said Sumner City Councilmember Nancy Dumas. “There is zero direct benefit for pass through communities like ours, yet our taxpayers are expected to bear the burden of expense, responsibility and liability that the increase in coal train traffic bisecting and disrupting our towns will bring.”

“On Earth Day, the city also introduced our Climate Action Plan, the city’s roadmap to be carbon neutral by 2050. Despite all our efforts to invest in energy efficient homes and an active transportation system, we will not achieve our climate goals if we allow a massive expansion of coal exports through our community,” said Seattle Councilmember Mike O’Brien. “I’m proud to stand united with cities and tribes to oppose coal exports and promote a climate friendly future.”

The following individuals are members of the Leadership Alliance Against Coal:

•           Mayor Mike McGinn, Seattle

•           Councilmember Mike O’Brien, Seattle

•           Councilmember Larry Phillips, King County

•           Mayor Jon Nehring, Marysville

•           Mayor Keith McGlashan, Shoreline

•           Deputy Mayor Chris Eggen, Shoreline

•           State Representative Reuven Carlyle

•           Council President Ben Stuckart, Spokane

•           Mayor Dave Earling, Edmonds

•           Councilmember Strom Peterson, Edmonds

•           Councilmember Nancy M. Dumas, Sumner

•           Mayor Steve Bonkowski, Bainbridge Island

•           Chairman Melvin Sheldon, Jr., Tulalip Tribes

•           Chairman Brian Cladoosby, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community

•           Councilmember Jay Julius, Lummi Nation

Earth Day celebration at the Qwuloolt Estuary

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Qwuloolt Estuary Restoration Project and earth Day Celebration

Article by Monica Brown

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Ecologist Walter Rung demonstrates how to plant a native tree.
Photo by Monica Brown

TULALIP, Wash. – Community members chose to celebrate Earth Day on April 20th, by helping plant native trees and shrubs in the Qwuloolt Estuary located on the South end of Marysville. The Adopt a Stream Foundation (AASF) is guiding this portion of the project by planting the native trees and shrubs which have been made possible by a grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology through a $250,000 Allen Creek Grant. The main focus of the grant is  to work with and  inform nearby homeowners that live near the Allen Creek watershed about the restoration project. Walter Rung, Ecologist from the AASF says “We are going to door to door and talking to them about ways to help improve water quality in the creeks.”

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A plastic shield is placed around the tree in order to help it thrive and prevent it from being cut down when the invasive species are removed from the area.
Photo by Monica Brown
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A peek iside that the freshly planted tree.
Photo by Monica Brown

The expected outcome of  the restoration project is to raise the population of salmon, and migratory birds that inhabit the Qwuloolt Estuary and it’s tributaries. Planting native vegetation is one way of helping to improve water quality. CK Eidem from the AASF informs, “Today we’re putting in about 100 potted stalk and 100 live stakes; potted stalk are potted plants and live stakes are a cutting from a tree which will grow into a shrub if planted at the right time of year,”

Other environmental changes are being made such as improving natural channel formation  and eventually removing the tide gate. The tide gate is located just south of the storm water Treatment Facility and should be taken down within a year.

“We’re expecting once they remove the tide gate that there will be a lot more salmon in the creek,” said Walter Rung.

At the estuary project, informational booths and speakers informed people about how to protect the estuary and streams in the area by simple methods of not using toxic chemicals in their yards for weed control, disposing of pet droppings properly and regular maintenance their septic systems. Staff from Tulalip Tribes Natural Resources Department explained the stages and reason of the restoration project and provided delicious samples of Sitka Spruce tea and Nettle Tea.

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Josh Meidav and Kelly Finley hosted The Tulalip Tribes booth.
Photo by Monica Brown

This project has been made possible through a large partnership between The Tulalip Tribes, City of Marysville, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, Sound Transit, Wash. Dept of Fish and Wildlife, Wash. State Recreation and Conservation Office, Natural Resources Conservation Services, Snohomish Basin Salmon Recovery Forum, Sound Salmon Solutions and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Clean Sweep Week offers many activities

Source: The Marysville Globe Guest Opinion by Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring

As many community members are already aware, the City and a multitude of enthusiastic, civic-minded volunteers are readying for our 2nd Annual Marysville Community Clean Sweep Week.

Clean Sweep is our weeklong blitz of free activities aimed at joining with neighborhoods, businesses and residents to get our collective spring cleaning off on the right foot, and hopefully inspire others along the way toward making Marysville a safer, attractive and more livable community.

Neighborhood Clean Sweeps, painting over graffiti, Adopt-a-Street litter control pickup, the Shred-a-Thon and PC recycling are just some of the free activities that will make for a busy week around Marysville’s streets and neighborhoods.

Final_EarthDay2013One free activity during Clean Sweep Week that can sometimes get overlooked is the annual Earth Day Celebration hosted and sponsored by the Allen/Quilceda Watershed (A/QWA) Team. That’s only because while most other activities are happening along busy streets or urban areas, the A/QWA Team’s popular native tree and shrub planting projects happen off the beaten path.

The Earth Day Celebration is an integral part of Clean Sweep Week, a testament to the importance we and all the Earth Day participating agencies place on preserving and protecting clean water and a healthy watershed. It’s no coincidence that it falls during Clean Sweep Week.

I invite you to come out and help at this year’s Earth Day Celebration, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 20 at the Qwuloolt Estuary Restoration Project Site in Harborview Park, 4700 60th Ave. NE, in Marysville.

The A/QWA Team chose the location to raise awareness about the Qwuloolt Estuary Restoration Project, which is lead by the Tulalip Tribes and includes various federal, state and local governments and agencies.

The Qwuloolt Estuary Restoration Project is a critical restoration project that will restore tidal influence to nearly 400 acres at the mouth of Allen and Jones Creeks. The event will include educationally focused booths, interpretive trail walks, face painting and a service activity.

The first 200 participants will get a free Earth Day T-shirt that can be stamped with all the parts of a healthy watershed at each of the booths. Participants will leave the event with a greater understanding of the elements within a healthy watershed and actions that they can take to improve our local watersheds. The service activity allows participants to get their hands dirty and implement a lasting beneficial change in the watershed.

This year participants will plant a native tree or shrub along the edge of the Qwuloolt Estuary restoration project and spread mulch to nourish new plants and suppress weeds. This is a fun, healthy way to do something good for the environment – if you don’t mind getting a little grubby.

To sign up, or for more information, contact Erin Martin at (425) 388-3463 Ext. 4661 or Erin.Martin@snoco.org.

The A/QWA Team is a diverse community group working together to implement the Quilceda/Allen Watershed Management Plan and to improve the overall water quality of streams in the Allen/Quilceda Watershed. The A/QWA Team community partnership is just one of the many important coordinating groups that accomplish the City mission:

“to provide quality, innovative and efficient municipal services which promote economic growth, thriving neighborhoods, healthful living and financial sustainability for our residents and businesses.”

The A/QWA Team provides education and outreach opportunities to the community and improvements the environment by actively working in Marysville and the greater Allen/Quilceda watershed. The Team is comprised of representatives from Adopt-a-Stream, City of Arlington, City of Marysville, Marysville School District, Snohomish County Conservation District, Snohomish County Surface Water Management (SWM), Sound Salmon Solutions, Tulalip Tribes, Washington State Department of Ecology and local residents.

Don’t  miss this great opportunity to get of the house and give back to our natural environment by volunteering or simply celebrating.

Photographers caught Tulalip culture of early-20th century

A century ago, photographers recorded the tribal culture

By Gale Fiege, The Herald

Everett Public Library Northwest History RoomEverett photographer Norman Edson made this picture of himself with two Tulalip elders in 1905.
Everett Public Library Northwest History Room
Everett photographer Norman Edson made this picture of himself with two Tulalip elders in 1905.

TULALIP — There he is.

In 1905, Everett photographer Norman Edson, then 26, jumped into the middle of his shot, knelt on one knee and squeezed his shutter release.

With his newsboy cap, dapper suit and bowtie, Edson’s attire contrasts with the heavy shawls of the Tulalip women at his side. They are weavers, sitting cross-legged on mats on the ground. One smiles, the other concentrates on her work.

Edson was one of several pre-World War I photographers who captured life on the reservation, creating a valuable record of the Tulalip people more than 100 years ago.

Everett Public Library’s resident historian David Dilgard plans to talk about the photographers at a presentation set for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Hibulb Cultural Center.

The lecture examines the work of Edson (1879-1968), Marysville-based photographer Ferdinand “Ferd” Brady (1880-1967) and J.A. Juleen (1874-1935) of Everett. In addition, it was at Tulalip that the well-known Seattle photographer Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952) began his nationwide quest to photograph all the North American Indian tribes.

“Each of these men left important bodies of photographic work, remarkable images of the Tulalip tribal community a century ago,” Dilgrad said.

Of the three photographers featured in Dilgard’s presentation, Juleen’s work survives most prominently in prints at Hibulb and in the collection of his glass negatives at the Everett library.

Juleen was known for his four-foot panoramas of Northwest landscapes.

Everett Public Library Northwest History RoomJ.A. Juleen's portrait of Tulalip artist and activist William Shelton was taken in 1913.
Everett Public Library Northwest History Room
J.A. Juleen’s portrait of Tulalip artist and activist William Shelton was taken in 1913.

At Tulalip, Juleen took photos of important events: the celebration at a newly completed longhouse and the dedication of a story pole by artist William Shelton, as well as portraits of Shelton and many others.

“Unlike Curtis, however, Juleen didn’t put people in tepees or pose them with other trappings,” Dilgard said. “He took pictures of people as they were and left us photographs of high quality.”

Edson was a student of Bert Brush, who had a photography studio on Wetmore Avenue. Dilgard calls Edson a renaissance man. He played the violin, studied birds and hand-tinted his black-and-white photos.

Brady was known in Snohomish and Skagit counties for his commercial work and his photo records of industry and development.

“There are wonderful images by Brady of the paper mill at Lowell, full of women employees who wore white blouses and their hair tied up in big bows,” Dilgard said. “Brady is one of the forgotten masters of the craft. He used available light at Tulalip, instinctively shooting photos that would become historically and culturally important.”

Mary Jane Topash, tour specialist at Hibulb Cultural Center, said that most of the photos in the museum from the early part of the 20th century are by the photographers Dilgard plans to talk about.

“It’s great to have the photos of special events such as Treaty Days, canoes landing at Tulalip Bay, important funerals,” Topash said. “They provide a time capsule and offer a wealth of information the tribes would not have without these photos.”

Dilgard said he is pleased to present information about the photographers.

“Hibulb is all about the families, language and culture of the Tulalip people,” he said. “To be invited in as an outsider, as these photographers were, is flattering, as I’m sure it was to Juleen, Brady and Edson.”

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.

Tulalip’s early photographers

A presentation about the photographers who captured life on the Tulalip reservation in the early 1900s is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Hibulb Cultural Center, 6410 23rd Ave. NE, Tulalip.

The program is free with museum admission, which is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors, $6 for students, $6 for military personnel and veterans and free to members of the Tulalip Tribes.