Author: Kim Kalliber

Contest winner Announced for National Problem Gambling Month Design

Tulalip tribal youth Jaycenta Miles-Gilford’s Indigenous Resilience design was chosen as the winner of the ‘Reclaiming Wholeness Through Recovery’ contest. The Problem Gambling Program will feature her art on t-shirts.

By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News 

Tulalip Family Services held a contest during the month of January for the youth of the community. The contest encouraged kids to explore their creative minds to create a t-shirt design for the upcoming National Problem Gambling Awareness Month in March. Open to kids between the ages of twelve and eighteen, the theme for the contest was Reclaiming Wholeness Through Recovery. Family Services’ Problem Gambling Program has several special events planned next month to help bring awareness and education to the Tulalip community about gambling addiction.

The Problem Gambling Program often collaborates with the Tulalip Youth Council to brainstorm ideas for upcoming events. The t-shirt contest idea was so popular, the council spent an extended amount of time, excitedly discussing ideas and debating whether the design should be created on computer or by hand.

“We went to the Youth Council and asked for their input on awareness month and what they want to see, because we want them to know that they’re heard and that their voices mean something. We want them to know that they’re included in this process because a lot of times we hear how gambling, whether it’s them personally or a family member, this disease is impacting their lives,” states Robin Johnson, Problem Gambling Counselor.

Family Services accepted art designs through January 30th and received several submissions. On the first of February, young Tulalip tribal member Jaycenta Miles-Gilford was informed that her art was picked as the winning design. The Problem Gambling Program will feature her art on t-shirts that will be handed-out at all of the upcoming events during National Problem Gambling Awareness Month.

“It’s the ribbon of awareness,” states Robin. “And the color for National Problem Gambling Month is blue. She also incorporated the cultural aspect with the canoe and paddle. And I love the message, Indigenous Resilience, that’s exactly what it’s all about, not giving in and fighting back. The young lady who won is going to be honored at our Annual Community Dinner and will be presented with a three-hundred dollar Wal-Mart gift card.”

The program aims to provide as much education as possible about the addiction to the Tulalip Youth. Sarah Sense-Wilson, Tulalip Problem Gambling Coordinator, believes that many times the youth become gambling addicts because they find it taboo and thrilling because of the risk and reward, as well as exciting when competition is involved which is extremely popular in the sports realm.

“March is identified as National Problem Gambling Month because of March Madness and the mainstream promoting of gambling during the entire month,” Sarah explained. “It’s really a campaign to promote awareness. Three years ago, we initiated the campaign in the tribal community here in Tulalip. We really want to show people that this is a real illness, this is an addiction and that it’s something that affects tribal communities just like it affects non-tribal communities. And given the proximity of the casino and other gambling establishments, we want to let people know that there is treatment and that treatment does works. We’re available and accessible to everyone.”

Sarah explained that when the Problem Gambling Program was in early development, they chose to focus on two age groups, the elders and the youth, who are statistically more vulnerable to the disease. For the elders, she attributes the addiction to an excess amount of time due to retirement, as well as an escape from both physical and emotional pain caused by grief and loss. Studies conducted by the American Society of Addiction Medicine show that gambling causes a chemical imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain, which seemingly appear to ‘numb’ the pain receptors, when in actuality the gamblers found a way to temporarily mute their problems and relieve their pain.

“We wanted to do community outreach, supporting these groups so they know that we’re a resource,” states Sarah. “If you want to come and learn more or see about setting up an intervention for a family member, we’re here to offer support, education, materials and anything we can do to help promote the wellness of our community. We strongly encourage people to get their families involved because statistics and data show that the more the family is involved – spouses, extended family, friends and the important people in their life – then the likeliness of that individual getting well increases dramatically.”

The upcoming National Problem Gambling Awareness Month events include the 3rd Annual National Problem Gambling Month Community Dinner on March 3rd at the Hibulb Cultural Center from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., a community movie night on March 17th at the Boys and Girls Club beginning at 5:00 p.m. as well as the Annual Honoring Elders Luncheon at the Tulalip Senior Center on March 21st from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

For more information, please contact Tulalip Family Services at (360) 716-4304.

 

Two dominant playoff Ws give Hawks chance at 1B District crown

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News 

The Tulalip Heritage Hawks basketball team ended the regular season with a (17-3) overall record, which included a (12-2) record in league play. Both those two inner-league losses came at the hands of a Cedar Park Christian team that finished their season undefeated. When the NW1B District playoff bracket was announced, many expected Tulalip and Cedar Park to meet in the Championship game.

Tulalip entered the tournament as the #2 seed, which allowed them to host an opening round game. Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium was jam packed with friends and family who came out to root on their team on February 1st, when then hosted Shoreline Christian.

These two teams had faced off twice during the regular season and in each the Hawks came away with 30+ point victories. Because of the lopsided nature of those wins, the Hawks started the game sluggish. The defensive rotations weren’t there and the boy just weren’t playing hard. At the end of the 1st quarter, the home team only led by 1 point, 17-16.

During intermission, the Hawks coaching staff lit a fire under the team to get them playing their usual brand of up-tempo, aggressive basketball. The whole squad responded, but none more so than senior guard, Jr. Shay. He was absolutely on fire in the 3rd quarter, scoring 18 points on 7/8 shooting. His intensity was contagious and defensively the Hawks only allowed 16 points the entire 2nd half.

Heritage ended up routing Shoreline 70-39 in front of a crowd of cheering fans. Jr. Shay led all scorers with 21 points, Alonzo Jones added 14 points, and Rodney Barber chipped in 12 points.

Moving onto the 2nd round of the tournament, the Hawks traveled to Lummi where they played the Grace Academy Eagles on February 3rd.  During the regular season Tulalip had defeated Grace by 20+ in both their matchup. This game would mirror those previous ones.

Grace had no answer for the length and athleticism of the Tulalip boys. Center Rodney Barber was corralling rebounds on both ends of the floor and scoring at the rim over the shorter Grace players. After the 1st quarter, the Hawks led 17-12 and would balloon their lead from there.

Hawks players continued to move the ball well offensively, leading to all five starters finding their groove and knocking down shots. Defensively, the Hawks hounded the Grace ball handlers into committing several turnovers. In the 2nd quarter Grace would only score 8 points because of the defensive pressure.

When the buzzer sounded signaling end of game, the Hawks had notched a 67-46 victory, advancing them to the Championship round. Rodney led the Hawks in scoring with 15 points, Nashone Whitebear added 14 points, and Alonzo chipped in 11 points.

Next up, the Hawks will face off against Cedar Park Christian tonight for the NW1B crown. The Hawks nearly beat them the last time they matched up and are looking to ride their recent momentum to an upset victory over the undefeated Cedar Park.

Lady Hawks firing on all cylinders to start postseason

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News 

The Tulalip Heritage Lady Hawks basketball team finished the regular season with a (15-4) overall record, including a perfect (12-0) in league play. Going undefeated against league opponents earned them the #1 seed in the NW1B District playoffs.

Tulalip started the postseason by hosting the Lions from Cedar Park Christian in an opening round game played on February 1. It was obvious from the onset that Tulalip was the much more talented and all-around better team as they took a 5-0 lead, extending it to 13-0, before the Lions finally got on the board right before the end of the 1st quarter. After the first eight minutes of play Heritage led 15-3.

During the entire 1st half, senior guard Keryn Parks put the offense on her back by routinely attacking the basket, finishing through contact, and scoring bucket after bucket. In fact, Keryn scored an impressive 18 points in the first half, outscoring a Cedar Park team who only managed 7 points through the first two quarters.

In the 2nd half, forwards Deandra Grant and Krislyn Parks controlled the game by exploiting the smaller Cedar Park team in the paint. The Lady Hawks played through Deandra and Krislyn who were able to get quality looks from point-blank range.

It was a dominant performance from the Lady Hawks as they won 62-20. They were led in scoring by Keryn’s 26 points, while Deandra added 11 points and 18 rebounds, and Krislyn had 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Two days later, Tulalip travelled to Lummi High School to play Grace Academy in a 2nd round playoff game. The 3-ball was falling early on with guards Georgie Randall and Loralei Eli knocking down multiple shots from deep. At the end of the 1st quarter, the Lady Hawks led 15-10.

In the 2nd quarter, the Lady Hawks were hit foul calls left and right, none bigger than Keryn getting her 3rd personal foul in the early going. Due to that foul trouble Keryn hit the bench and in her absence the team stepped up admirably. From that point on the team’s defense locked in and didn’t allow Grace Academy any easy looks. Meanwhile, the coaching staff adjusted their offense to run everything through Deandra in the post.

With Keryn on the bench, Deandra shouldered the offensive burden with ease. She was often double and even triple teamed, but it didn’t matter. She was just too big and too strong. Deandra scored 18 points from the 2nd quarter on. Combine her scoring with a Tulalip defense that was locked in, they held Grace to only 5 points in the 2nd quarter and then an astounding 1 point in the 3rd quarter, and Heritage ran away with a 60-34 victory.

Deadra led all players in scoring with 20 points, including double digits rebounds and blocks, while Georgie and Keryn both chipped in 11 points.

The 2-0 start to the postseason gives the Lady Hawks a berth in the NW1B Championship game where they will play Mt. Vernon Christian tonight at 5:00 p.m. at Lummi High School.

Inslee, Ferguson, Tribes, Coastal Businesses Speak Out Against Trump’s Offshore Drilling Plan

Attorney General Bob Ferguson pledges lawsuit if plan includes Washington state

Source: Resource Media Seattle

OLYMPIA—Today, coastal and statewide elected officials, tribal and fishing industry representatives, and conservation advocates spoke in united opposition to a new federal proposal that would open Washington’s coast to oil and gas drilling for the first time in 50 years. On Jan. 4 of this year, the Trump administration released its 2019-2024 draft plan which would open up 90 percent of the nation’s coastline—including Washington’s—to oil and gas drilling.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson sent a letter today to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, opposing President Donald Trump’s proposal to allow oil and gas drilling off Washington’s coast and asking that Washington be exempted. If Washington is not removed from the plan, Ferguson warned Zinke he will file a lawsuit.

The Governor, the Attorney General, representatives from the Quinault Indian Nation, the Makah Tribe, the president of the Washington Dungeness Crab Fishermen’s Association, the mayor of Ocean Shores and the Commissioner of Public Lands spoke about Washington’s commitment to protecting a fishing, tourism and recreation economy worth millions of dollars from the threat of pollution and oil spills. They pointed to the long-term impacts from the Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon disasters on fisheries and businesses. NOAA data from 2015 states that they respond to 100 oil spills in U.S. waters every year. In December, however, the Trump administration announced it will roll back federal safety rules created following the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Jay Inslee, Governor:

“This plan threatens the health, safety and economic prosperity of our beautiful coastal communities. That’s why we are committed to doing everything in our power to make sure that Washington’s waters remain protected from offshore drilling.”

In his letter, Attorney General Bob Ferguson writes:

“On January 9, 2018, Secretary Zinke announced that he had granted an exemption to Florida, sparing that state from the risks and burdens of drilling and exploration off its shores. Every reason identified by the Secretary in announcing his decision also applies to Washington. Were the Department to grant one state an exemption without an identified process and established criteria, it would contravene the regulatory framework and processes that states rely on for fair and lawful treatment. Thus, I ask that Washington receive the same exemption as Florida, and that no drilling or exploration be considered or take place off our coast.

“If, on the other hand, the Department of Interior seeks to put Washington’s coastal communities at risk, my office will initiate litigation against the Department to protect our coast.” Contact: brionna.aho@atg.wa.gov, (360) 753-2727

Gina James, Quinault Indian Nation Business Councilmember: “The Quinault Indian Nation vehemently opposes offshore drilling off the Washington Coast. The QIN signatories of ‘The Treaty of Olympia’ were guaranteed the right to ‘take fish’ at all ‘usual and accustomed grounds and stations.’ The impact from a potential oil spill infringes on this right and will not only harm the Quinault and local economies, but the beautiful coastal environments, the aquatic sea life, and our ability to harvest our traditional foods.” Contact:  gjames@quinault.org, 360-590-0821

Larry Thevik, President, WA Dungeness Crab Fishermen’s Association: “One major oil spill can be devastating: contaminating coastlines, killing fish and wildlife, destroying livelihoods and disrupting communities. This is a risk we do not want to take, we do not need to take, and we must not take.” Contact:  thevik_rouse@yahoo.com, 360-581-3910

Chad Bowechop, manager, Makah Tribe Office of Marine Affairs:  “The Makah Tribe works to ensure the sustainability of tribal resources in perpetuity to maintain our cultural identity. Since the sustainability of these resources is wholly dependent on a healthy ecosystem, the Makah have a sovereign interest and authority to address any human activity or environmental phenomena that may directly or indirectly affect the Pacific Northwest ecosystems.” Contact: chad.bowechop@makah.com, 360- 640-0295

Crystal Dingler, Mayor of Ocean Shores:  “Our Washington coast, and the entire coast of our country, is a beautiful and productive but, fragile environment that needs our voice to be loud and clear: No offshore gas and oil exploration or drilling.”

Ocean Shores was the first city in Washington to pass a resolution against the Trump proposal. Contact:  cdingler@osgov.com, 360-581-5386

Johannes Ariens, Loge Camps, Westport, and Surfrider Foundation: “As a surfer, business owner and employer on the Washington coast the idea of offshore drilling this close to home is terrifying. My peers and I have thriving businesses that employ thousands of people, we are suppliers of some of the world’s greatest seafood, hosts to travelers who come from around the globe to enjoy our world-class recreational opportunities, and we depend on a clean and thriving coast to survive. A spill such as that in the Gulf would decimate us all and have economic impacts that reach far beyond our coastline.” Contact:  chair@seattle.surfrider.org, 206-799-3298 

Hilary Franz, Commissioner of Public Lands:  “Washington State did not ask for offshore drilling and we do not want offshore drilling. Offshore oil and gas drilling is dirty and dangerous and will further endanger our state’s aquatic resources that are already struggling with ocean acidification and warming waters.” Contact:  Carlo Davis, carlo.davis@dnr.wa.gov, 360-999-9165

Washington coastal communities power an economy dependent on the ocean. Tourism, recreation and fishing jobs are all dependent on a healthy coast:

  • In 2014, commercial (non-tribal) fisheries landed a total of 129 million pounds into Washington’s coastal ports with an ex-vessel value of $93 million.
  • Annual recreational fishing effort on Washington’s coast averaged 47,000 trips on charter vessels and another 98,000 trips on private vessels between 2003 and 2014. In 2014, trip-related expenditures for coastal recreational fishing generated over $30 million in coastal spending, supported 325 jobs in coastal counties, and contributed $17 million in labor income.
  • Shellfish aquaculture in Pacific and Grays Harbor counties provides an estimated 572 direct jobs, supports 847 total jobs, and generates $50 million in total labor income in the coastal region alone.
  • Washington residents took an estimated 4.1 million trips to Washington’s Pacific Coast in 2014, with nearly 60 percent indicating their primary purpose was for recreation. These trips generated an estimated $481 million in expenditures.
  • Recreational razor clamming generates between 275,000 and 460,000 digger trips each season and provides between $25 million and $40 million in tourist-related income to coastal communities in Washington.

BOEM’s Washington state public meeting has been postponed until further notice after their venue in Tacoma, the Landmark Convention Center, cancelled the room rental for Feb. 5. BOEM is accepting public comments on the 2019-2024 drilling proposal online through March 9. After the comments are received and environmental reviews conducted, the Proposed Program will be released, triggering another comment period. The Final Proposed Program is expected by 2019. The current plan includes six lease sales off California and one off Oregon and Washington.

The livestream of the press conference can be viewed via TVW: https://www.tvw.org/watch/?eventID=2018021102 (this link will be archived)

Helen Lucille Fenrich (1951 – 2018)

Helen Lucille Fenrich “Woman Warrior”, 66 of Tulalip, WA, went to be with her creator on January 31, 2018 with her family by her side. She was born March 29, 1951 in Everett, Washington to Elliott and Arlene Brown. She worked for the Tulalip Tribes for over 45 years in many positions advocating for our children, treaty rights, and overall best interest of all Tribal people. Her expertise as a Policy Analyst Liaison taught many who worked with her to be a fierce advocate never giving up on their battles to protect the children. She worked with three governors, Gregoire, Locke, and Inslee earning their respect. Helen’s boys, grandchildren, and nieces and nephews always came 1st! Her goal was to keep her family together, for them to be successful, and have a good life. She is survived by her husband of 46 years, Alan; eight boys, Vincent Hatch, Tony Hatch, Alan Fenrich Jr., Austin Brown, Kedryn Hatch, Danny Fenrich, Tayler Hatch, and Jesse Hatch; four siblings, Carol Davis, Wayne Brown, Richard Brown, Elliot Brown Jr., three aunties, Anita “Keeta” Sheldon, Maxine Williams and Lorraine Hatch; and numerous grandchildren. She was preceded in death by numerous family members. A visitation will be held Monday, February 5, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. at Schaefer-Shipman with an Interfaith service to follow at 6:00 p.m. at the Tulalip Gym. Funeral Services will be held Tuesday, February 6, at 10:00 a.m. at the Tulalip Gym with burial to follow at Mission Beach Cemetery.