Category: Tulalip News
Rain gardens at Tulalip admin building are decreasing pollution runoff
Photo by Monica Brown
By Monica Brown, Tulalip News writer
TULALIP, Wash. – The rain gardens at the Tulalip administration building have had a year to flourish, and flourish they have. When you drive through the parking lot you see trees in the garden strips along with some shrubs, but towards the back you can see a spray of green areas that are roped off. Some people are not aware that these roped off garden areas are not weeds, but are native vegetation and they were chosen specifically for their ability to remove pollutants.
“It’s a menagerie, but that’s how it was designed, to be low growing and provide a green landscape that would help filter out the pollutants,” said Derek Marks of Tulalip Natural Resources.
Last year, the Natural Resources department was able to take a few garden areas within the admin building parking lot and turn them into rain gardens. Shortly after it was completed it had been sprayed with herbicides, a major no-no when it comes to rain gardens. “You don’t build a rain garden to manage it with herbicides,” said Derek. “The rain garden themselves filter the pollutants; we’re not supposed to add pollutants to them.”
The gardens contain mainly different species of sedge, rush, woodrush and grass along with western buttercup, great camas and chocolate Lily. This last spring there weren’t many blooming camas or chocolate lily because the time between when they were planted and when they bloom in spring was too short for them to become established.
Photo By Derek Marks
“We’re expecting a lot more to bloom next spring. You’ll probably see several hundred camas plants out here blooming,” commented Derek, about the shortage of blooms this last spring.
Derek explains that, “the rain gardens are filter strips.” And, “the plants and microbes work hand in hand to break down the pollutants.” They remove toxins, oils and heavy metals that are in water runoff from the parking lot. Without the rain garden the pollutants in the water runoff would make their way out and contaminate the Puget Sound. The possibility of turning other garden strips within the parking area into more rain gardens has come up, but nothing has been decided on as of yet.
This pilot rain garden project was developed by Tulalip’s Natural Resources’, Valerie Streeter and Derek Marks. They caution that although some of these plants are known for being harvestable, these particular plants, and any that may reside in other rain gardens, are not harvestable because they are full of toxins.
Photo by Derek Marks
For those that would like to start their own rain garden, Washington State University and Stewardship Partners have begun a campaign to install 12,000 rain gardens in the Puget Sound area by the year 2016. The website for the campaign has videos to explain the whole process of putting in a rain garden and lists the many resources available to someone interested in installing one. Please visit 12000raingardens.org for more information about rain garden installation.
Prep football: Tulalip Heritage 78, Rainier Christian 54
Source: The Herald
KENT — Sophomore tailback Robert Miles Jr. rushed for 209 yards and six touchdowns, and fullback Bradley Fryberg scored three touchdowns and added 21 tackles and three interception on defense as Tulalip Heritage ran away from Rainier Christian Friday night at Kentlake High School.
GED Community Meeting, Sept 18
Find out what it takes to get your GED.
September 18, 5-8 PM at the Tulalip Administration Building
Walking to remember, walking to raise awareness
World Suicide Prevention Day sparks community action
By Andrew Gobin, Tulalip News
Tulalip − “People came together to make this happen,” said Rochelle Lubbers who organized a community suicide prevention walk Tuesday, September 10th, in honor of World Suicide Prevention Day. “More than 150 people participated in Tuesday’s event,” she continued, “which was surprising, yet inspiring.”
Families wore the colors of World Suicide Prevention Day, some personalized with photos and names of people they have lost to suicide. Many also made signs in memory of loved ones that were victims of suicide.
The walk began near the Tulalip Health Clinic, and stretched half way around the bay, ending at the tribal center with a candlelight vigil and potluck.
The event was entirely community driven. The food served was brought by participants, the ribbons and craft supplies were donated by Michael’s, and Wal-Mart and Safeway each donated $25 worth of goods to the event.
World Suicide Prevention Day is held on September 10th every year, and though this is Tulalip’s first year participating, it began ten years ago.
In Indian country, native male suicide rates are 10 times the national rate, with some reservations considerably higher. For native females, the rates are 13-17 times the national average. Indian Health Service and Health Human Services record dangerously high numbers among native youth as well.
Lubbers said, “I just wanted to raise awareness about the issue. Even when it happens here, it seems that people talk about the person, which is good, but we never seem to address the issue. I think if more people were aware of the issue, more could be done to stop it.”
Stop Smoking Program at Tulalip
Stay healthy for your family and stop smoking. Tulalip Family Haven provides free supplies and support
Contact” Ashley at 360.716.5719
Affordable Care Act Community Training, Sept 18
Affordable Care Act enrollment begins October 1st – Learn about eligibility, requirements and more.
September 18, Tulalip Administration Building, Room 162. Dinner 5pm; Meeting 5:30pm
Sammy Hagar donates to Tulalip food bank
Kim Kalliber, Tulalip News
Sammy Hagar performed before a packed house at the Tulalip Resort Casino Amphitheatre on August 15th, for his 40 Years of Rock tour. Along with the high-energy rock n’ roll Sammy is famous for, what make the Red Rocker’s performances even more memorable are the donations he makes to local food banks in each community he visits. As part of this ongoing support of local food banks, Sammy chose to donate $2,500 towards the Tulalip Food Bank.
“Food banks in your local community are the biggest bang for your buck in my search for the simplest and most reliable way to help others,” Hagar said in a recent Billboard article. “You see the clientele lined up and they need it. You don’t see people taking advantage of something.”
A multi-platinum, outgoing, bombastic front man of hard rock champions Van Halen, Hagar is a member in good standing of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He will be releasing his first solo album in five years on September 24, 2013. Hagar has enlisted three legendary musicians – Toby Keith, Mickey Hart and Taj Mahal – to round out the final three tracks of the album to be titled: “Sammy Hagar and Friends.”
If you are interested in donating to the food bank, you can reach the Tulalip Food Bank at 425.512.6435 or 1330 Marine Ave NE, Tulalip, WA 98271.
September 11, 2013 syəcəb
Health, Innovation and the Promise of VAWA 2013 in Indian Country
Valerie Jarrett and Tony West, Indian Country Today Media Network
Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett speaks to Tulalip Court leaders about the implementation of VAWA 2013 in Indian country. September 5, 2013. (by Charlie Galbraith, Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs)
[The morning of September 5], we made our way north from Seattle, past gorgeous waterways, and lush greenery to visit with the Tulalip tribes of western Washington, where we were greeted by Tribal Chairman Mel Sheldon, Vice Chairwoman Deb Parker, and Chief Judge Theresa Pouley. We saw first-hand, a tribal court system which serves to both honor the traditions of its people and to foster a renewed era of tribal self-determination.
The Tulalip Tribes of Washington, like many American Indian tribes, have built a tribal court system that serves the civil needs of their community, holds criminals accountable, and protects the rights of victims and the accused in criminal cases. By engaging the entire spectrum of stakeholders, including judges, the police, public defenders, tribal attorneys, as well as tribal elders, and even offenders in many cases – the system they have put in place is producing impressive results with a unique focus on innovative, restorative, and communal solutions.
Because of the successful 2013 Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which President Obama signed into law on March 7, 2013, tribal courts and law enforcement will soon be able to exercise the sovereign power to investigate, prosecute, convict, and sentence those who commit acts of domestic violence or dating violence or violate certain protection orders in Indian country, regardless of the defendant’s Indian or non-Indian status. The tribal provisions of this landmark legislation were originally proposed by the Department of Justice in 2011 to address alarming rates of violence against Native women. We believe today, as we did then, that this is not only constitutionally sound law, but it is also a moral prerogative and an essential tool to ensure that non-Indian men who assault Indian women are held accountable for their crimes.
The 2013 VAWA reauthorization might never have happened without the relentless efforts of Native women advocates like Tulalip Tribal Vice Chairwoman Deborah Parker, whose personal courage and dedication to this cause helped carry the day. The Tulalip Tribe was but one example that helped demonstrate to Congress and many others that there are tribal courts prepared to exercise this important authority that was swept away by the Supreme Court’s 1978 Oliphant ruling.
This new law generally takes effect on March 7, 2015, but also authorizes a voluntary pilot project to allow certain tribes to begin exercising this authority sooner.
After a visit to the Tribal Courthouse, we then visited the Tulalip Legacy of Healing Safe House, a domestic violence shelter housed in facilities renovated with federal Recovery Act funds, to provide victims a safe place, and the chance they need to start fresh and rebuild.
And finally, it wouldn’t have been an authentic trip to Tulalip lands and the Pacific Northwest without a traditional salmon luncheon. We joined around 50 tribal members at the Hibulb Cultural Center to learn more about the ancient tribal traditions of the Tulalip people, and of course, to enjoy the region’s most time-honored and delicious delicacy.
We were reminded this week of how much progress is being made by tribal justice systems across the country. These efforts are being led by courageous Native people like the Tulalip who are dedicated to making the promise of the VAWA 2013 Reauthorization into a reality for generations of Native American women.
A White House Blog Post. Valerie Jarrett is the Senior Advisor to the President and Tony West is the U.S. Associate Attorney General
Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/09/08/health-innovation-and-promise-vawa-2013-indian-country-151193