Kim Kalliber, Author at Tulalip News

New law targets how schools perform

Gov. Jay Inslee speaks to reporters during his first news conference as governor on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013 in Olympia, Wash. (AP Photo/Rachel La Corte)

By Jerry Cornfield, The Herald

OLYMPIA — One of the first Republican-sponsored education reform bills became law Tuesday and will give the state more power to intercede in schools where student performance on basic skills tests is persistently poor.

Under the legislation signed by Gov. Jay Inslee, the superintendent of public instruction will provide technical assistance to schools where student scores on reading and math assessments are consistently poor for a period of years.

If the extra attention doesn’t improve student performance, the superintendent can impose a multi-year action plan on the school that prescribes such things as teaching methods and curriculum as well as how federal and state funds are spent on campus.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn said it is a “solid bill” which will enable the state to partner with targeted schools and shift to a leading role down the line if needed.

The prime sponsor of Senate Bill 5329 did not attend Tuesday’s signing but issued a statement calling it “a great step toward ensuring that all children are successful.”

“This was one of the important ways we can go about making sure our public-education system is serving all children and preparing them for the demands of an increasingly competitive job market and global economy,” said Sen. Steve Litzow, R-Mercer Island, who is chairman of the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee.

What Inslee signed is a far cry from the bill introduced by Litzow. That version required Dorn’s office to take over and manage poor performing schools starting in January 2014.

Pressure from House Democrats and the education establishment led to much revised language, which focuses on letting each school try to turn itself around before the state intervenes.

“We just don’t believe takeovers are a long-term solution to enacting real improvement in student achievement,” said Ben Rarick, executive director of the state Board of Education.

The final version sailed through the Senate on a 45-3 vote and passed the House on a comfortable 68-29 margin. The law takes effect in July.

In the House, opposition came from liberal Democrats, who thought it gave the state much power to intervene in local schools, and conservative Republicans who thought it did not go far enough.

Rep. John McCoy, D-Tulalip, voted to advance the bill out of the House Education Committee on which he serves then voted against it in the end.

He said it was being revised and improved from his perspective as it made its way through the House but did not reach the point where he could support it.

“We have overloaded schools with so many requirements, all in the name of accountability,” he said. “I am of the mindset that we need to give schools more leeway to get the job done. We have to give them the ability to teach.”

Meanwhile, Litzow and Senate Republicans are still pushing for action on a number of other education reform bills in special session.

One of those would evaluate the performance of every school using letter grades of A-F like on a report card. Student achievement is one of the measures that would be used in determining the grade.

Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, said the law signed Tuesday lays the foundation for such a system. “I think they complement one another,” he said. “In order to have a grading system that is meaningful you have to have clearly spelled out accountability standards.”

Inslee said the door is open for dialogue.

“I don’t think that this bill obviates the wisdom of continuing to look at some better ways to evaluate our schools,” he said. “I don’t think it’s the last of the discussion in that regard.”

Chickasaw woman making dynamic impact on her students

By Gene Lehmann, Chickasaw Nation Media

“If you can read this, thank a teacher,” the bumper sticker ahead stated triumphantly.
It takes passion to be a teacher. It takes devotion. It requires patience and it requires an understanding some students are going to excel in a vocational setting while others will earn doctorates. It is why this Sunday, America observed National Teacher’s day.
Chickasaw Ellen Brooker has seen all of this in 28 years of teaching and within her own family. She accepts it and celebrates it.

Bill Anoatubby said that Ellen Brooker is a great example of what a teacher should be.
“Ellen Brooker epitomizes the best attributes of a true educator, said Gov. Anoatubby. She does more than help students learn the subject matter, she inspires them to see every situation as an opportunity to learn and grow as an individual. She helps her students understand the importance of lifelong learning.”

The 2012 Chickasaw Nation Dynamic Woman of the Year recently came across a saying she loves: “Those who can — teach. Those who can’t — legislate. It just seems to reflect the issues that keep coming up in Texas education –my favorite saying when it comes to education is “All students can learn,” she said.
“We all have perceptions about what is fair and right and just. What we are envisioning is a perfect world and we don’t live in a perfect world,” Brooker said. At Southwest High School in San Antonio, Brooker has taught for 26 years of her career. Her enthusiasm for teaching and for her students grows exponentially each year.
“I am passionate about teaching history; passionate about American history and economics,” she said. For Brooker, history is more than remembering a smattering of important dates. It’s about equipping students to perform the task of critical thinking; of doing their own research and evaluating the problems and solutions to reach their own conclusions.
“The teacher who instructs critical thinking will give students the skills to be successful,” she states.

She challenges her students to not accept the norms of her parents, siblings, friends and associates. She expects them to research, discover, read, watch and determine for themselves what to believe and what to reject.

“I love my parents very much but my mother is a strong southern Democrat who votes a straight party ticket, and my dad is tea party,” Brooker said. “Consequently, we don’t visit about politics very much,” she explains with a hearty laugh.
What’s the best part about being a teacher? “Being there when the light bulb comes on and they get it, understand it and are excited about what they have just discovered,” she said.

What’s the worst part: “Some students just do not see the opportunities of education or how it will translate to a better life for them. They don’t work hard enough to learn and they miss opportunities that could have been available to them.”

Brooker is educated to the highest order.

Brooker has been an Outstanding American Teacher award recipient, winning grant writer, department chair and respected history and social studies teacher.

She has a master’s degree in Education with a specialization in instructional technology from Houston Baptist University and is certified in history and government, gifted and talented.

Brooker was recently chosen as a participant in the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Summer Teacher Institute and helped her department win gold performance awards for social studies.

An avid student of Chickasaw language and culture herself, Brooker incorporates traditional regalia and Chickasaw phrases in her classroom. She offers a unique study of Native culture, artifacts and storytelling in American Indian history. Brooker is the vice chair of the Chickasaw Community Council of South Texas where she assists Native American students and other community members in establishing tribal affiliation, learning about tradition, seeking benefits for higher education. Brooker promotes Chickasaw culture, tribal involvement and activities and fundraising to provide college scholarships.
She celebrates the diversity of education – even within her own family.
“My husband, Daniel, and oldest son, Shawn, tried college but decided that it wasn’t what they were necessarily looking for. Not everyone is suited for college. There are students who will excel at mechanics or welding because that is where their interests and passions are. My other son, Michael, is a computer geek – and doesn’t mind being called a geek. He will earn a degree in Internet security systems,” said Brooker as a way of illustrating education appeals to many different types of people with diverse interests and backgrounds.

North Dakota Visitor Center Honoring Sitting Bull Set to Open

Sitting Bull College/Standing Rock Sioux TribeSitting Bull Visitor Center in North Dakota — Sitting Bull College/Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
Sitting Bull Visitor Center in North Dakota

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) Member Standing Rock Sioux Tribe will partner with Sitting Bull College for the ribbon cutting and open house of the highly anticipated Sitting Bull Visitor Center on May 15 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m./MST at the Sitting Bull College Campus in Fort Yates, North Dakota.

Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Charles Murphy and Sitting Bull College President Dr. Laurel Vermillion will conduct the ribbon cutting ceremony at the Visitor Center’s Medicine Wheel Park, with a musical performance by flutist Kevin Locke, a National Endowment for the Arts Master Traditional Artist.

“This was a joint project of the Standing Rock Native American National Scenic Byway, Sitting Bull College and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe,” said LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, AIANTA Board Member at Large and Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s Director of Tourism. “The new Sitting Bull Visitor Center and Medicine Wheel Park is a dream come true for us.”

The Sitting Bull Visitor Information Center, operated by Sitting Bull College, will offer travelers information regarding local and special events, places to visit, a gift shop that will sell a variety of authentic Native American arts and crafts, and more. The Visitor Center is also the new home to the Standing Rock Tribal Tourism Office operated by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The Tourism Office provides Tatanka Okitika Historic Tours offering individualized tours on a first come first serve basis and reservations are recommended. Narrated tours are given along the Scenic Byway in both North Dakota and South Dakota. Stops include the Sitting Bull Burial Site, Standing Rock Monument, Standing Rock Tribal Administration Building, Sitting Bull Visitor Center and other points of interest.

Allard added, “We look to Native tourism to help our nation become sustainable for the future of our culture and people. We honor our great leader Sitting Bull with a center that will bring healing to our nation.”

“AIANTA is excited for our member the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and AIANTA Board Member LaDonna Brave Bull Allard,” said AIANTA Executive Director Camille Ferguson. “This is an example of how tribes are helping define, introduce, grow and sustain American Indian and Alaska Native Tourism.”

For more information about the Open House or to schedule a tour please contact LaDonna Brave Bull Allard at 701-854-3698 or lallard@standingrock.org.

AIANTA is a 501(c)(3) national nonprofit association of Native American tribes and tribal businesses that was incorporated in 2002 to advance Indian Country tourism. The association is made up of member tribes from six regions: Alaska, Eastern, Midwest, Pacific, Plains and the Southwest. AIANTA’s mission is to define, introduce, grow and sustain American Indian and Alaska Native tourism that honors and preserves tribal traditions and values.

The purpose of AIANTA is to provide our constituents with the voice and tools needed to advance tourism while helping tribes, tribal organizations and tribal members create infrastructure and capacity through technical assistance, training and educational resources. AIANTA serves as the liaison between Indian Country, governmental and private entities for the development, growth, and sustenance of Indian Country tourism. By developing and implementing programs and providing economic development opportunities, AIANTA helps tribes build for their future while sustaining and strengthening their cultural legacy.

Gathering of Nations Dance, Drum Competition and Special Contests Results

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

The 30th Annual Gathering of Nations pow wow and events held April 25-27 in Albuquerque, New Mexico was again a huge success. North America’s largest pow wow, held in “The Pit” arena on the University of New Mexico campus featured more than 3,000 Native dancers and singers representing more than 500 tribes and nations. Additionally, more than 800 artists and craftsman exhibited and sold their wares in the Indian Traders Market. Stage 49 rocked with the sounds of contemporary and traditional Native music.

A new Miss Indian World was crowned, Kansas Begaye, Diné, and she’ll serve until the 31st Gathering, scheduled for April 25-26, 2014. And when Hollywood superstar Johnny Depp, who will play Tonto in the upcoming Lone Ranger movie, sends a video greeting to those who attended, you know it’s a special event.

The Gathering’s official website has posted the results for this year’s dance, drum competition and special contests. They’ve also assembled an enormous collection of beautiful images from the event. Click here to find the results, with photos.

Lummi Master Weaver Fran James Walks On

By Richard Walker, Indian Country Today Media Network

Love was the common thread in everything Fran James did, whether serving her faith, hosting an unexpected guest, passing on a teaching, or weaving a basket, hat, robe or shawl.

She loved God and worshipped regularly at St. Joachim’s Church, where her passing was mourned May 2. She loved her Coast Salish culture, and taught countless others how to weave using cedar fiber, bear grass, or mountain goat wool. She shared her life and knowledge with everyone and taught all that wanted to learn, family members said. And she loved the company of others; her home was constantly abuzz with visitors.

“You have to ask why she always had so many people around her, what’s the magic,” said Darrell Hillaire, former chairman of the Lummi Nation. “The magic was ordinary love.”

Her view of how to live was simple: Love God. Love others. Don’t gossip. Keep your hands busy. Do your best.

“Her passing has left a void. The fabric that joins us together has weakened,” said Richard Jefferson, a nephew. “But because of all who learned from her, the fabric will grow strong again.”

James, who was known by her Lummi name, Che top ie, and by most people as Auntie Fran, walked on April 28 after surgery for a blocked artery. She was 88.

On May 2, a procession escorted her body six miles from Moles Funeral Home in Ferndale, Washington to St. Joachim’s Church on the Lummi reservation. Pallbearers carried her coffin up the flower-lined steps of the 1861 church, led by drummers and singers. Overflow seating was provided outside, with the funeral Mass shown on two screens.

After Mass, the funeral moved on to the Lummi Nation Cemetery. One by one, mourners dropped handfuls of dirt into the grave and offered hugs and words of comfort to the family. There was a mix of Native songs and Christian hymns, a melding of her faith and her culture. A priest said James had long prayed for the canonization of Kateri Tekakwitha, saying, “She was not only a devout Catholic, she was a devout Native American and wanted to see those two things together.”

The family hosted lunch at the Wexliem Community Building. Love offerings were made to the family, and the family gave gifts to all guests; among the gifts were art prints, beaded necklaces, and bundles of James’s fabric tied with a strand of spun wool—a reference to James’s favorite saying, “Weaving together the fabric of our lives.”

She was born Frances Gladys Lane on May 20, 1925 on Portage Island, Washington. She was raised by her grandmother there, where they raised 500 head of sheep. Her grandmother knitted and sold socks for about 25 cents a pair. Fran learned to spin and knit from her grandmother at the age of 9. She also learned to gather traditional materials and became a master weaver. Her work included twill-plaited cedar and cherry fiber bags; cedar and bear grass baskets of all shapes and uses; cedar hats; split and braided mats of cattail or cedar; elegant blankets and robes of handspun, twill-woven mountain goat or sheep wool.

She taught basketry and weaving at Northwest Indian College. She was a guest artist and instructor until her passing; events and venues included the annual Gathering of Native Artists at the Skagit County Historical Museum, the Northwest Native American Basketweavers Association, and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, which houses a collection of her work. Her work is shown in major Northwest galleries, among them Stonington Gallery in Seattle and Arctic Raven Gallery in the San Juan Islands.

Today, James and her son, Bill—a well-known artist and hereditary chief of the Lummi Nation—are credited with reviving and continuing the traditional weaving skills of the Lummi people. In 1990, the Washington State Historical Society presented Fran and Bill James with the Peace and Freedom Award for “[advancing] public understanding of the cultural diversity of the peoples of Washington state.” In 2002, Fran James was inducted into the Northwest Women’s Hall of Fame as “a nationally recognized Native American artist.”

Theresa Parker, Makah/Lummi, a niece, told of learning how to weave from her Aunt Fran.

“I used to love watching her weave with wool,” Parker said. “I told her, ‘We only have two or three wool weavers down here [at Makah]. That’s something we’re lacking.’ She said, ‘You can come up here anytime.’ ”

During one visit, James had acquired wool from 28 shears, each weighing 5 to 8 pounds. “We washed the wool and laid it out to dry in the back yard. It was such a sight, I’ll never forget that,” Parker said.

One of the sheep that had been sheared was named Henry; he was considered spoiled because his owner allowed him to wander wherever he pleased. As a result, his wool often had burrs that had to be removed.

Midway into removing the troublesome burrs, James told her niece, “Whenever you’re having a rough day, just remember Henry and you’ll get through it.”

In his eulogy at St. Joachim’s Church, Jefferson said his aunt’s work ethic made an indelible impression. He told of a time he and his sons took a load of wood to Aunt Fran’s home. She pointed to the place where she wanted it unloaded, and told them she’d stack it later.

“I was amazed. She was in her 80s then, but that’s how she was,” he said. “She wasn’t afraid of hard work. She was strong, confident and proud.”

Amid that indefatigable energy was humility. The Rev. Khanh Nguyen, pastor of St. Joachim’s Church, said James “put a lot of time and energy into the church. But she didn’t tell you about it. She never said, ‘I did this.’ ”

Throughout the day, people shared with each other what they learned from Aunt Fran, how her legacy will live on through those who follow her example and teachings.

Hillaire said James was not one for idle time or gossip. She only had good things to say about others, and would always end a thought about someone else with “God bless their heart.”

“Her legacy will live on through us and the lives we lead,” she said.

Addressing the vast crowd that gathered graveside to honor his aunt, Jefferson spoke of the importance of spending time and sharing love with others, as his Aunt Fran did. “Don’t let them be alone, go share a meal with them,” he said. “You have those teachings. Follow through.”

Fran James is survived by her son; sisters, Ernestine Gensaw, Rena Ballew, and Beverly Cagey; and numerous nieces and nephews. Her memorial program said she was also “culturally survived by many sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, grandkids, and great-grandkids.”

Tyler Fryberg takes the gold, qualifies for Special Olympics State Tournament

Killian Page, Isaiah Pablo, Tony Hatch, Tyler Fryberg, Drew Hatch, Donovan Hamilton

By Tony Hatch, Tulalip Tribes

May 5^th, 2013 was a rewarding day for many. Tulalip Tribal member, Tyler Fryberg swept all four of his events, qualifying him for the Special Olympics State Tournament. Marysville Pilchuck produced just about 100 student athletes to volunteer with this years’ Special Olympics, Regions/State Qualifier.

The boys volunteered to help every athlete, but had a special interest in fellow Tulalip athletes, Tyler Fryberg and Bruce Williams (not pictured). They were really happy to be there to help, but the amount of intensity that comes along with these athletes is amazing. They take their events serious and train very hard to compete and hopefully make it to the State Tourney, held at Fort Lewis. Tyler is not only a hero for people of Tulalip, but his fellow athletes, their parents and coaches make if clear that they enjoy watching him compete.

Tyler competed in four events Sunday, the Shot Put, 400-meter run, 100-meter, and the 400-meter relay. He swept all four events, bringing home four gold medals. Although, Tyler had his own cheering section of Tulalips, crowds would gather when it was his heat to race. Tyler pretty much dominated all of his events with the exception of the 400-meter sprint. This was very intense, as he was in second place for most of the race, but coming into the home stretch, Tyler turned on the afterburners and closed the gap on the leader, and with about 20 feet to the finish line, he passed the leader and won the race. This was a great finish to a great race and the crowd went crazy.

Bruce Williams also qualified for State, winning a gold medal in the 200-meter sprint, where he blew away his competition, by 40 feet or so. (Sorry Bruce, my phone went dead before I could get pictures of you, but we are very proud of you as well!)

We as fellow Tulalips are very proud of these guys and of course their fellow athletes for their heart and dedication. You are definitely an inspiration to the Tomahawk Athletes who were there, showing that with drive and determination, we can all be great. When 1 Tulalip succeeds, all Tulalips succeed.

Thanks you guys, for the great day, and good luck at State.

Native American activist Horse Capture dies

Native American activist, curator and professor George Horse Capture has died in Great Falls. He was 75.

The Associated Press

GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Native American activist, curator and professor George Horse Capture has died in Great Falls. He was 75.

Horse Capture, a member of the Gros Ventre tribe, died April 16 of kidney failure, his family said.

Horse Capture was an author, archivist and curator at the Plains Indian Museum at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyo. He served as assistant professor at Montana State University, taught at the College of Great Falls and worked for the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian.

But his foremost passion was for the Gros Ventre – also known as the A’ani, or White Clay People.

“What he did in his life, he did for his tribe,” Kay Karol said of her husband. “He wasn’t looking for fame or fortune. He was looking for a positive response for Indian people in a white world that still can be pretty discriminating.”

Horse Capture was one of hundreds of protesters who filled the abandoned prison grounds of Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay in 1969, while 14 Native American protesters occupied the prison itself, the Great Falls Tribune reported (http://gftrib.com/18cwBXt).

The protesters demanded the U.S. government’s acknowledgement of its broken promises to Native Americans.

“I had to be part of it,” Horse Capture later told his friend Herman Viola. “I realized that history was being made. This was the first time tribes from across the country had gotten together for a cause – our cause.”

Horse Capture was born in 1937 and spent his early childhood in poverty on Montana’s Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. He moved to Butte as a teenager to live with his mother.

After graduating from high school, Horse Capture enlisted in the Navy. He later moved to Los Angeles, got married, began raising a family and was hired as state steel inspector for California’s Department of Water Resources.

Then the Alcatraz Island protest happened. Horse Capture wasn’t there for the entire 19 months the prison was occupied, but he said the experience still changed his life.

Horse Capture resigned from his job and enrolled in the Indian Studies program at University of California-Berkley. He became an intern at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., which was then working to develop its tribal archives.

Horse Capture went on to receive his master’s degree at Montana State University. In 1979, he was hired as the first curator of the Plains Indian Museum.

His passion was tracking down the lost artifacts of the Gros Ventre that museums and private collectors had snapped up. He located and cataloged as many of those artifacts as he could.

In 1994, Horse Capture was selected as deputy assistant director for cultural resources at the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian, where he was determined to make it a museum for Native peoples, not just about them.

“He was really putting this out for Indian people to take pride in the beauty and richness of their culture and traditions,” said Viola, now curator emeritus for the museum.

As he got older, diabetes and a weak heart began to slow Horse Capture down. But he finished his A’ani Tribal Archive Project, a massive digital collection of words, photographs and audio recordings.

In early February, at the age of 75, Horse Capture presented his work for and to the A’ani people, as well as to various institutions of higher learning across the United States.

He died two months later and was buried April 21 at Fort Belknap.

—

Information from: Great Falls Tribune, http://www.greatfallstribune.com

Northwest Indian College launches Nisqually campus webpage

By Kapiolani A. Laronal, NWIC Extended Site Coordinator

Northwest Indian College recently launched its Nisqually Extended Site webpage to better serve the Nisqually Indian Tribal Community. The page will help answer questions about services and programming provided at the site, and provide important contact information.

In following the Nisqually Indian Tribe’s mission of perpetuating our home and our culture by helping our people thrive, Northwest Indian College (NWIC) students at Nisqually are encouraged to develop themselves and discover ways to contribute to our communities and families. They learn ways to understand and support the educational goals of the Nisqually Indian Tribal Community, especially by improving the lives and wellbeing of tribal members through social and cultural programs, education, economic development and resource protection.

NWIC brings programs conveniently into the Nisqually community, offering a variety of educational programs to meet academic, vocational and cultural needs.

Programs, classes and services offered at NWIC’s Nisqually site include:

Early Childhood Education Associate’s Degree (2-Year Program)
General Direct Transfer Associate’s Degree (2-Year Program)
A wide range of classes, including English, Math, Chemical Dependency, Communications, Carving and Traditional Plants
NWIC student-led study circle, to provide academic, spiritual and cultural support
NWIC works closely with the library and Nisqually Education programs to build a strong support network of resources not only for students, but also for their family members

The Nisqually site also partners with the Nisqually Community Garden during the summer to provide traditional plants and foods classes, which are offered as Continuing Education Unit courses.

Other programs and activities are closely tied with Nisqually Education and the library to streamline services offered to students, families and community members.

With completion of the new Northwest Indian College Nisqually Campus webpage, accessing information and announcements will be much easier. Combined with the recent NisquallyWave launch for community Internet access, this is a timely transition.

Now existing students and prospective students have greater access to educational tools and opportunities that NWIC has to offer. Look for the site to be constantly updated in the future.

The website may be found at www.nwic.edu/group/nisqually.

Northwest Indian College is an accredited, tribally chartered institution headquartered on the Lummi Reservation at 2522 Kwina Road in Bellingham Wash., 98226, and can be reached by phone at (866) 676-2772 or by email at info@nwic.edu.

Fixing the culverts is good for everyone

Bring Frank by Billy Frank Jr, the chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.

Indian tribes in western Washington have long been using our treaty rights to protect and restore the salmon resource to the benefit of everyone who lives here. A good recent example is the federal court’s March 29 ruling in the culvert case brought against the state by the tribes back in 2001.

The state of Washington must fix fish-blocking culverts under state-owned roads because they violate tribal treaty-reserved fishing rights, federal Judge Ricardo Martinez ruled in late March. The court found that more than 1,500 state culverts deny salmon access to hundreds of miles of good habitat in western Washington, harming salmon at every stage in their life cycle.

We didn’t want to file this litigation, but the salmon can’t wait. At the pace that the state has been repairing its blocking culverts, there would be few, if any, salmon left by the time all were fixed. Martinez’s ruling will result in hundreds of thousands more salmon returning to Washington waters each year. These salmon will be available for harvest by everyone who lives here, not just the tribes.

We could have avoided the suit if the state followed its own laws. One of Washington’s first laws on the books requires fish passage at any blockage in creeks and rivers.

Instead, the state chose to largely ignore the problem along with the tribes’ treaty rights, which depend on salmon being available for harvest. And once again, our treaty rights were upheld by the federal courts, just as they have been consistently since the 1974 Boldt decision that re-affirmed those rights and established the tribes as co-managers of the salmon resource.

This isn’t something new to the tribes. The state’s approach has long been to ignore treaty rights even if that means ignoring the best interests of all of its citizens.

State agencies told the Legislature in 1995 that fixing culverts was one of the most cost-effective strategies for restoring salmon habitat and increasing natural salmon production. The cost to benefit ratio goes up as the number of culverts repaired per year increases, they said. Two years later, state agencies said every dollar spent fixing culverts would generate four dollars’ worth of additional salmon production. Recent studies support that estimate.

Still, Judge Martinez had to issue a permanent injunction against the state’s continued operation of fish-blocking culverts under state roads. The reason is that the state has actually reduced culvert repair efforts in the past three years, which has led to a net increase in the number of barrier culverts. At the current pace, the state would never complete repairs, Martinez said, because more culverts were becoming barriers to salmon than were being fixed.

The federal court’s ruling will not bankrupt the state. Judge Martinez gave the state and its Department of Transportation (DOT) 17 years to complete repairs. Other state agencies were already planning to have their blocking culverts corrected within the next three years.

Culvert repair cost estimates being provided by the state are higher than the actual repair costs presented in court, Martinez ruled. The state claims that the average cost to replace a state DOT culvert is $2.3 million. But the evidence showed the actual cost of DOT culverts built to the best fish passage standards has been about $658,000.

It’s important to note that repairs will be funded through the state’s separate transportation budget and will not come at the expense of education or other social services. It’s also important to understand that state law already requires that culverts allow fish passage. The culvert case ruling directs the state to do nothing more than what is already required, except to correct DOT fish-blocking culverts at a faster rate.

The treaty Indian tribes bring much to the salmon management table. Salmon populations in western Washington would be in far worse shape without the salmon recovery efforts, fisheries management expertise, leadership, hatcheries, funding, and traditional knowledge the tribes provide. More habitat would be lost, fewer salmon would be available for harvest, and there would be far less funding for salmon recovery.

We prefer to cooperate rather than litigate to achieve salmon recovery. But if our treaty rights can be used to re-open these streams and enhance wild salmon populations, that’s a win-win for all of us.

Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe starts Washington Harbor restoration

The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe seined Washington Harbor to develop a baseline of fish populations in the harbor. The harbor’s roadway and two culverts will be replaced by a bridge later this summer. More photos can be found at NWIFC’s Flickr page by clicking on the photo.

Source: Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe is restoring salmon habitat in the 118-acre Washington Harbor by replacing a roadway and two culverts with a 600-foot-long bridge.

The 600-foot-long road and the two 6-foot-wide culverts restrict tidal flow to a 37-acre estuary within the harbor adjacent to Sequim Bay, blocking fish access and harming salmon habitat.

The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe seined Washington Harbor to develop a baseline of fish populations in the harbor. The harbor’s roadway and two culverts will be replaced by a bridge later this summer. More photos can be found at NWIFC’s Flickr page by clicking on the photo.

The tribe seined the harbor in April to take stock of current fish populations before construction begins this summer. Chum and chinook and pink salmon, as well as coastal cutthroat, all use the estuary. Young salmon come from a number of streams, including nearby Jimmycomelately Creek at the head of Sequim Bay.

Historically, the area had quality tidal marsh and eelgrass habitat until the roadway and culverts were installed about 50 years ago, said Randy Johnson, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe habitat program manager.

“The roadway and culverts appear to have severely degraded this habitat, with evidence showing that the estuary marsh has been deprived of sediment and is eroding,” he said. “The structures restrict access for fish and for high quality habitat to develop.”