January 2015 - Page 3 of 9

THE ESEA REAUTHORIZATION AND NATIVE STUDENTS: STRENGTHENING SOVEREIGNTY TO SUPPORT LOCAL SUCCESS

Press Release, National Indian Education Association

WASHINGTON, DC – Following yesterday’s Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Hearing on “Fixing No Child Left Behind (NCLB): Testing and Accountability,” National Indian Education Association (NIEA) President Melvin Monette issued the following statement explaining the need for an Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization that upholds the trust responsibility of the United States and fairly provides Native students education services based on principles of accountability, equity, and excellence. President Monette stated:

The ESEA is in pressing need of updating and we commend the Senate HELP Committee under the leadership of Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) for moving forward the reauthorization through recently introduced draft language. However, the current iteration illustrates a need for improvement, so we request that the federal government honor its’ trust responsibility to tribes and Native education by fairly providing comprehensive educational opportunities to Native students within any ESEA reauthorization.

During the State of the Union Address, President Obama rightfully celebrated the nation’s all-time high graduation rates among high school students. Unfortunately, the stressed graduation rates and academic successes are often not representative of many Native communities. NCLB has done little to address the longstanding challenges affecting Native students. Over the past decade, Native students continue to trail their peers in reading and mathematics (grades four and eight). Nationwide, our students face some of the lowest high school graduation rates with even fewer students graduating from college. Native education is in a state of emergency and tribes have long awaited the opportunity to partner with Congress to take bold action that will significantly improve the education systems serving Native communities.

Tribes and Native communities have an enormous stake in their children’s education. While the ESEA reauthorization must provide effective accountability and protect the civil rights of all Americans, the ESEA reauthorization must also be a commitment to the sovereignty of this country’s First Americans. As such, the ESEA draft should be revised to support tribal nations as they develop their ability to deliver education services as well as coordinate with local and state educational agencies. Only by including the following priorities will an ESEA reauthorization ensure effective and efficient use of funds and delivery of resources to Native communities as well as increase Native student achievement.

NIEA calls on the Senate to include the following priorities:

Strengthen Native Participation in Education: Tribes should have the authority to build their capacity to administer education title programs. Native leaders understand their children best and can better address their students’ unique cultural and academic needs.

Encourage Tribal/State Partnerships: While the federal government has a trust responsibility to work with tribes, tribal concerns are often excluded at the state and local level. The ESEA reauthorization should require local and state educational agencies to closely work and meaningfully consult with tribes when developing applications and plans for ESEA title programs.

Preserve and Revitalize Native Languages: The continued existence of Native languages is crucial to protecting and strengthening Native culture and tribal communities as well as increasing the academic achievement of Native students. Any ESEA reauthorization should provide resources for eligible schools to participate in a program to develop and maintain Native language immersion education models.

Increase Access to Native Student Records: Native students often transfer between federal, state, and tribal school districts, which creates information gaps as systems are not required to track and coordinate student data. The ESEA reauthorization should provide the ability for schools and state and local educational agencies to share Native student data with their local tribes. Providing such information will create longitudinal student statistics that will help schools and Native partners alleviate issues that decrease Native student achievement.

NIEA, tribes, and our national and local partners look forward to working with members of Congress to strengthen this initial draft proposal. It is critical the ESEA reauthorization serves Native students and their peers by not only ensuring equity and accountability, but also including tribes within their local education systems. This great country cannot afford to ignore the needs of its most vulnerable students. By reinforcing America’s trust responsibility and strengthening tribal sovereignty throughout the ESEA, Congress will begin to reverse the negative impacts affecting Native communities and ensure local cooperation fosters efficiency and academic excellence for all students.

Choctaw Leader: FDA Should Formally Consult With Tribes or Exempt Them From FSMA

By Dan Flynn, Food Safety News

Shannon McDaniel, executive director of tribal operations, has made a simple and straightforward request on behalf of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. He wants all 565 federally recognized tribes exempted from the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

Or, to put it in his own words and more specifically, McDaniel wants the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review the produce rule “expressly to exempt tribal nations, their lands, and their members from application of the proposed rule.”

“Alternatively,” McDaniel said, “we strongly urge FDA to schedule formal consultations with tribal nations and, until such consultation is complete, we urge FDA from enforcing the final rule on tribal nationals, their lands, and their people.”

The Choctaw Nation, which, since the “Trail of Tears” in 1830, has been located in southeastern Oklahoma, is a longtime fruit and vegetable producer. It is one of a dozen or so Tribal Nations that, during the past two years, has pressured FDA and the White House for meaningful consultation over FSMA implementation.

American Indian tribes are sovereign nations, and their authority stems from treaties, acts of Congress, and presidential authorities. President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order (EO) 13175 in 2000, which was reaffirmed by President Obama in 2009, and requires federal agencies to consult with tribes when promulgating rules and regulations impacting their reservations.

To comply with EO 13175, FDA’s parent agency, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has its own plan to consult, saying that the tribes will be consulted “to the extent practicable and permitted by law … .”

This is not the first time tribal leaders have raised their request for “meaningful consultation.” And, it’s not as if FDA has not been listening.

In November 2013, FDA conducted a two-hour webinar with the tribes on the FSMA rule package. Afterward, Raymond Foxworth of the First Nations Development Institute told Food Safety News that the webinars were small steps and that there was a long way to go for “meaningful consultation.”

Then, last April, FDA met with tribal leaders for a half-day consultation session in New Mexico. The discussion centered on the produce rule, the Environmental Impact Statement for the produce rule, and questions and other feedback on all seven FSMA rules. A side meeting was held with the Navajo Nation in Window Rock, AZ.

But, as the recent Choctaw letter indicates, those meetings, along with all the normal public input opportunities, are still considered inadequate by tribal leaders. They say that FDA, which is also under federal court orders for completing the rules, opted not to follow the established Tribal Consultation Policy and did not engage the tribes during the development stage for the rules.

Notice of 2014 Board of Directors Election

Snohomish County medication “take back” locations

Submitted by Lori Hartelius M.S. LMHC MHP, Tulalip Family Services

What’s wrong with throwing my medicines in the garbage or flushing them down the toilet?

About 30 percent of medicines are not used. Flushing waste medicines pollutes the environment. Medicines are now found in our surface and ground water, as well as drinking water supplies. Wastewater treatment facilities do not remove most medicines. Throwing medicines in the garbage – especially controlled substances like OxyContin and other pain relievers – is not safe because the drugs can be found and used by others. Medicines thrown in the trash can also get into the environment. Leaving them in your medicine cabinets at home can also be dangerous and get into the wrong hands. Taking any unused medication to a “take back” location is easier than ever. There are numerous locations all around the county including most Bartell Drug stores and local police stations.

Stillaguamish Tribal Police 22714 6th Ave. NE, Arlington WA 98223 Mon-Fri, 8am – 10pm Accepts controlled substances 360-654-0645

Arlington Police Station 110 E. Third St., Arlington WA 98223-1300 Mon-Fri 9am-4pmAccepts controlled substances 360-403-3400

Bothell Police Department 18410 101st Ave. NE, Bothell WA 98011 Mon-Fri, 7am-4pm Accepts controlled substances 425-388-3199

Bartell Drugs, Bothell – Canyon Park 22833 Bothell-Everett Hwy , 98021 No controlled substances 425-485-3525

Brier Police Station 2901 228th St. SW, Brier WA 98036 Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm Accepts controlled substances 425-388-3199

Darrington Police 1115 Seeman St., Darrington WA 98241 Monday-Friday, 9:30am-12pm and 1:30pm-5pm Accepts controlled substances 425-388-3199

Bartell Drugs, Edmonds Pharmacy 23028 100th Ave. W, Edmonds WA 98020 Mon-Fri 9am-9pm; Sat 9am-6pm; Sun 10am-6pm No controlled substances425-774-4916

Edmonds Police 250 Fifth Ave. N, Edmonds WA 98020 Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm Accepts controlled substances425-388-3199

Snohomish County Sheriff – Jail 3025 Oakes Ave., Everett WA 98201 Monday-Friday, 8am-10pm Accepts controlled substances 425-388-3199

Bartell Drugs, Everett – Silver Lake 11020 19th Ave , Everett WA 98208 No controlled substances 425-379-5390

Bartell Drugs, Everett – Broadway 1825 Broadway, Everett WA 98201 No controlled substances. 425-303-2583

Bartell Drugs, Everett – Seattle Hill Road 5006 132nd Street SE Bldg. A, Everett WA No controlled substances 425-357-6129

Everett Police – North Precinct 3002 Wetmore Ave., Everett WA 98201 Monday-Friday, 8am-6pm Accepts controlled substances 425-257-8400

Everett Police – South Precinct 1121 SE Everett Mall Way, Everett WA 98208 Monday-Thursday, 10am-5pm Accepts controlled substances 425-388-3199

Group Health Cooperative, Everett Medical Center Pharmacy 2930 Maple St., Everett WA 98201 – Mon-Fri 8:30am-9pm; Sat 9am-3:30pm; Sun 9am-12:30pm No controlled substances 425-261-1560 425-388-3199

NCIS – Naval Station Everett 2000 W Marine View Dr., Bldg. 2000, Rm 234, Everett WA 98201 Accepts controlled substances 425-388-3199

Snohomish County Sheriff – Courthouse 4th Floor Courthouse; 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett WA 98201 Mon-Fri, 9:30am-4:30pm Accepts controlled substances 425-388-3199

Gold Bar Police 107 Fifth St., Gold Bar WA 98251 Monday-Friday, 10am-12pm & 1pm-4pm Accepts controlled substances 425-388-3199

Granite Falls Police 205 S Granite Ave., Granite Falls WA 98252 Monday-Friday, 9am-12pm & 1pm-5pm Accepts controlled substances 425-388-3199

Pharm-A-Save 207 E Stanley St #A, Granite Falls WA 98252 Monday-Friday 9am-7pm, Saturday 9am-6pm No controlled substances 360-691-7778

Bartell Drugs Frontier Village Pharmacy 621 SR9 NE, Lake Stevens WA 98258 Mon-Fri 8am-9pm; Sat 9am-6pm; Sun 10am-6pm No controlled substances 425-334-8410

Lake Stevens Police 2211 Grade Rd., Lake Stevens WA 98258 Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm Accepts controlled substances 425-388-3199

Bartell Drugs Lynnwood Pharmacy 17633 Highway 99, Lynnwood WA 98037 Mon-Fri 9am-9pm; Sat. 9am-6pm; Sun 10am-6pm No controlled substances 425-743-1136

Lynnwood Police 19321 44th Ave. W, Lynnwood WA 98036 Monday-Sunday, 8am-5pm Accepts controlled substances 425-388-3199

Marysville Police 1635 Grove St., Marysville WA 98270 Monday-Friday, 8am-3pm Accepts controlled substances 425-388-3199

Snohomish County Sheriff– North Precinct 15100 40th Ave. NE, Marysville WA 98271 Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm Accepts controlled substances 425-388-3199

Washington State Patrol – Marysville 2700 116th St. NE, Marysville WA 98271 Monday-Friday, 9am-12pm & 1pm-5pm Accepts controlled substances 425-388-3199

Bartell Drugs, Marysville 6602 64th St NE , Marysville WA 98270 No controlled substances 360-658-6218

Mill Creek Police15728 Main St., Mill Creek WA 98012 Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm Accepts controlled substances 425-388-3199

Snohomish County Sheriff– South Precinct 15928 Mill Creek Boulevard, Mill Creek WA 98012 – Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm Accepts controlled substances 425-388-3199

Monroe Police 818 W Main St., Monroe WA 98272 Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm Accepts controlled substances 425-388-3199

Mountlake Terrace Police 5906 232nd St. SW, Mountlake Terrace WA 98043 Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm Accepts controlled substances 425-388-3199

Bartell Drugs, Mountlake Terrace 22803 44th Ave W, Mountlake Terrace WA 98043 No controlled substances 425-771-3835

Mukilteo Police 10500 47th Pl. W, Mukilteo WA 98275 Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm Accepts controlled substances 425-388-3199

Snohomish Police 230 Maple Ave., Snohomish WA 98290 Monday-Friday, 10am-3pm Accepts controlled substances 425-388-3199

Bartell Drugs, Snohomish 1115 13th St, Snohomish WA 98290 No controlled substances 360-568-4153

Stanwood Police 8727 271st St. NW, Stanwood WA 98292 – NOTE: Stanwood Police Department medicine take-back location is temporarily closed from December 10 through March 10,2015 Accepts controlled substances425-388-3199

Bartell Drugs, Stanwood 7205 267th St NW, Stanwood WA 98292 No controlled substances 360-939-2188

Sultan Police 515 Main St., Sultan WA 98294 Mon-Thurs, 10am-12pm and 1pm-4pm Accepts controlled substances425-388-3199

Tulalip Healing: Understanding historical trauma in a Native context

By Kara Briggs Campbell, Special to Tulalip News

Pam James often says that she carries her grandmother’s pain.

“She was born in 1899 on theColville Reservation and she was taken away and put in a boarding school in eastern Montana,” James says as she begins a story familiar in her tribal family.

Her grandmother’s longing and loneliness were transmitted to James as a girl listening attentively to the family story. Researchers and counselors, like James, say trauma can be passed between generations in more than one way. Oral histories may be the most obvious way, but researchers say traumatic memories get recorded in our brains, and pass into cellular memory which we share from one generation with the next, and the next.

In the 1980s the terms historical trauma or intergenerational trauma were coined. This condition has been documented in groups that include the descendants of Holocaust survivors, descendants of survivors of Japanese Internment and of the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890.

James, a counselor turned consultant who has taught groups about historical trauma for three decades, said historical trauma is a critical aspect of the American Indian experience today. It flares up when contemporary traumas trigger deeper known and unknown emotional wounds. It’s the extra weight of history that some people seem to carry in their psyches. It is a feeling of profound disempowerment.

“Historically, what have we learned after 500 years of cultural oppression? Through wars, epidemics, boarding schools, removal of children from families, removal of families from traditional lands, substance abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse – we have become in many cases the oppressors. We see these things acted out today across Indian Country,” said James, who lives near the Skokomish Reservation. “We may not have the awareness of why, but we continue to pass the pain of our experiences from generation to generation.”

Shame, blame and an abiding sense of guilt are driving forces of historical trauma. Guilt for hidden things, even for half forgotten things, for things lost to memory and time.

Historical trauma manifests publically in tribal communities in ways that include family against family, a sense of who belongs and who doesn’t, who looks Indian, who doesn’t, James said. A tribal community may even be continuing such attitudes and practices without realizing or understanding that they come from the experiences of families and ancestors, some even in the colonial era long before we were born.

“A lot of those things impact ourselves and our children because of things that happened hundreds of years ago and that we keep passing from generation to generation. Without the realization, awareness or healing, we will self-destruct from within,” James said.

What does self-destruction look like? Overdoses, addiction, suicide, dropping out, tuning out, giving up. The impacts of historical trauma can go other ways too. They can manifest behaviorally as overachievers, control freaks or people who deny their emotions. For the most part survivors of historical trauma act out these behaviors without realizing that they may be tied to the experiences of their ancestors.

“In intergenerational trauma, each generation has an impact,” said Delores Subia BigFoot, who is director of the Indian Country Child Trauma Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. “Those that have been most impacted feel greater level of disempowerment as these layers of experience get added with each generation.”

James and BigFoot agree, Native people begin the healing process when they break the cycle of trauma through awareness. Or consider this: one generation can change the trajectory of a family or a whole tribal community. And in terms of the seventh generation, healing that begins today is very important.

Healing intergenerational trauma, as well as contemporary trauma, requires healing the whole person. Counseling and treatment work to a point. Deeper healing, James said, comes from reclaiming Native cultural identity and understanding traditional and family history. For James, the medicine wheel reminds us that healing the whole person includes spiritual, emotional, intellectual and physical.

“In our traditional ways of being we had cultural practices that brought us together to heal our wounds of the past and present,” James said. “Even when I was kid growing up we would come together and share stories of our family, our community, and our tribe telling our history and so forth. Everyone had their role in the community, grandmas and grandpas, aunties and uncles. We shared common family/community beliefs, values and experiences. You were learning your relationship to all things and your place in the world.”

Also within the oral histories of tribes – whether carried in words and written in our cellular memory in our bodies – there is a steady stream of health and resiliency that enabled tribal ancestors to survive their trauma.

“The reality is that the ancestors were resilient who survived to give you life,” James said. “The resiliency of who we are as a people speaks loudly to our ability to overcome trauma.”

What does it mean to be an Indian?

Pam James was working with tribal youth in the Puget Sound area when she asked a simple question: What makes you Indian?

“I was so surprised by the responses,” James said. “Some of them said, I don’t know. Others said because I was born here. Others said because I’m enrolled.”

“What I realized from those conversations is we aren’t teaching the young generations what makes them an Indian so they are conceptualizing what an Indian is in different ways than older generations do,” she said.

In terms of historical trauma, she wonders, are we teaching our youth those issues they need to understand to withstand the pressure?

So James researched and created the list below, which she shares when she presents at regional and national Native conferences about historical trauma. Her list is based upon the thinking of many tribal peoples and it reflects the traditional and cultural elements that make up a tribe or a village.

It may be a starting point for a conversation in a family or among friends.

What makes you an Indian?

Geographic Land Base – Living, Gathering, Hunting, Tools & Implements

Medicines and Foods – Plants, Animals, and the Preparation Process

Traditional Dress – Design, Creation, and Materials used

Common Language – Shared Dialect, Verbal, Body, Sign, Writings, Art

History and Stories – Creation, Oral/Visual Stories, Teachings, Roles & Responsibilities

Traditional Cultural Structure – Beliefs, Values, Ethics, Traditional & Legal Governance, Family, Relationships to All Things

Spiritual – Beliefs, Practice, Ceremonies, Songs, Music, Laughter

Being safe on social media

By Kara Briggs-Campbell, Special to Tulalip News

Social media is a player in every aspect of society these days.

Its profound impact hit home for the Tulalip Tribes after the tragic school shooting as an outpouring of grief, resentment and anger seemed to flow in every direction. Tulalip leaders called upon families to stop using social media all together in the weeks that followed, or at least not post in anger something that would be regretted later.

Off the reservation, law enforcement contacted those who posted hateful messages toward the tribe and its members, while regional and national news media scoured social media posts for information and photos of the victims.

Social media is an important form of communication for teens and adults. Increasingly, it is used in suicide prevention and education as way to directly inform teens and young adults, said Dr. Richard McKeon of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

“Social media is here to stay and it is up to those who use it to use it wisely,” he said.

Social channels are increasingly cooperating with organizations that seek to prevent everything from bullying to suicide.

In 2013, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline announced its partnership with Facebook, which allows Lifeline to connect via an online chat with people who are posting suicidal ideas. Users can report suicidal posts by a friend on their news feed by clicking “mark as spam” then on the pop up screen choose, “violence or harmful behavior,” on the next pop up choose, “suicidal content.” Or enter your friends name or contact information.

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin, when announcing the partnership in 2011, said, “We must confront suicide and suicidal thoughts openly and honestly, and use every opportunity to make a difference by breaking the silence and suffering.”

Social media for many of us is more than just a tool. It is a way that we connect, stay in touch, entertain ourselves and share information.

Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, founder and director of the Trauma Stewardship Institute, said finding the people who are healthy for you to be around is the same on social media as it is in real life.

“People need pay very close attention to who they are spending time with,” she said. “It is a turning point in life when you can give thought to who you spend your time with.”

The same way someone in sobriety should avoid the old friends they used to drink and use with in person, they also need to avoid them online.

Social media can be beneficial for people who feel isolated and need to interrupt the isolation, she said. But if people are going online and reading negative stuff that is poison.

“The question is what do you take in? You can drink a lot of water and its good, or you can drink a lot of poison and it will kill you,” Lipsky said.

In a tribal community meeting last month with Dr. Robert Macy who is president of the International Trauma Center in Boston, tribal parents talked about the pressure that social media places on teens. Some talked about complex decisions to monitor teen’s online presence at the same time as respecting their privacy.

Macy said as long kids are dependent upon their parents to pay the rent and keep the lights on, parents have the responsibility to monitor everything that happens in their rooms or on their Facebook page or Twitter feed. For parents, the attitude must be, “I love you too much to let you hurt yourself.”

Macy had a warning for parents too.

Being too connected electronically can make you disconnected personally.

A 2014 study published in the Journal Academic Pediatrics found that mothers were regularly distracted at meal time by their smart phones. Overall, the study found that the use of cell phones and other devices during meals was tied with 20 percent fewer verbal interactions between mothers and their children, and 39 percent fewer nonverbal interactions. Those who had the highest use of mobile decides during meals were far less likely to provide encouragement to their children, researchers found.

So Macy urged the tribal families gathered to put their smart phones away during family time, and if you visit a friend, leave the phone at home or in the car. Then use the time to make a real person-to-person connection with someone you love.

Tips for students using social media

This list is based upon one published on the website of Carlton University in Canada. The tips are geared to college students, but apply as well to younger teens and for that matter to adults. The concern that Carlton University raises is that your social media posts will last forever on the World Wide Web. It is not overstating to say that this is new era in the history of the world. In past generations you could put your past behind you, you could move away, change your outlook. Now, if you have posted your life digitally on your social media sites, it will live online and be searchable by people in your future.

Privacy: Set all of your social networking accounts to private and maintain your privacy settings so you avoid posting too much personal information. On Facebook, don’t forget to set your privacy settings to include photos and videos that others post of you to avoid being found via basic Web searches.

Don’t over share: Don’t say anything you wouldn’t normally share with a prospective employer or your mother or your grandmother.

Stay offline when under the influence: If you’ve just spent a night partying with friends, keep your computer off, or your online mistakes could come back to haunt you. Sometimes referred to as “drunk Facebooking,” posting inappropriate comments or photographs while inebriated may cast a negative reflection on your online persona.

Stop Complaining: Avoid speaking negatively about school, current or previous jobs, family or friends. Similarly, don’t update your Facebook status only when you have something negative to say; find a balance so your digital persona doesn’t look too angry.

Separate social networking from job networking: Avoid using social networking sites like Facebook for professional or scholastic networking, and build up your career contacts on other sites like LinkedIn.com.

Generate positive content: Experts agree that the best way to counteract negative content is by generating positive information that will rank high on search engines like Google.

Where can I call for help?

To report an emergency dial 911

National Suicide Prevention Line: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Snohomish County Crisis Line: 1-800-584-3578

Crisis TEXT Line: Text “Listen” to 741-741

24 Hour Crisis Line: 1-866-427-4747

TEENLINK: 1-866-833-6546

Tulalip Tribes Behavioral Health Family Services: 360-716-4400

Your road to success with Sno-Isle Libraries

Submitted by Jeanne Steffener, Tulalip Higher ED

Sno-Isle Libraries is there for you! Whether you’re an entrepreneur just starting out or an experienced business owner/manager, Sno-Isle Libraries has services to help you save time and money. Think of Sno-Isle Libraries as your partner on the road to success

Sno-Isle Libraries serves 687,000 residents through 21 community libraries across Washington’s Snohomish and Island Counties as well as through online library and mobile library services.

Need help figuring out how to get that project done or find the latest industry information? PERSONALIZED SERVICE is available through the Book-a-Librarian service. This amazing asset is like having a personal information search consultant at your service. A FREE 30-60 minute session can be booked to explore any research topic for personal or professional use

Examples of in-depth assistance on business research may include: industry research, demographics, market research and how to write a business plan. Technical coaching is also available through Book-a-Librarian, including topics such as: website creation and spreadsheet basics. You can contact your local to Book-a-Librarian. Start here: www.sno-isle.org/locations.

Enterprising people find tremendous opportunity and cost savings when they take advantage of the equipment and software available at the Sno-Isle Libraries Tech Centers in both Marysville and Lynnwood. The creative and multimedia resources of these centers can be used for individual or group projects. www.sno-isle.org/locations/creative-tech

Sno-Isle Libraries can be your DO-IT YOURSELF OFFICE. There is Wi-Fi available at all Sno-Isle Libraries, including parking lot access at most locations. Additional resources include parking outgoing faxes, scanners, color printers and copiers. Meeting rooms are also available at many Sno-Isle Libraries for FREE use for non-commercial activities. For meeting use guidelines and scheduling contact your local library.

Finally, you can save hundreds of dollars on eRESOURCES (subscription fees for the vital trade and market information) that you need. You can use premium online research services for FREE if you are a Sno-Isle Librariescustomer. Sign-up for a library card and gain access to popular business resources, including:

ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry Journal articles, market reports, and news on every major industry

AtoZdatatabases – Millions of business and residential profiles. Ideal for sales leads, mailing lists and research

Business Source Premier – Search regional, national and international business news – including marketing research and reports, emerging business trends, and detailed company profiles for the world’s 10,000 largest companies from Datamonitor.

Demographics Now…Business & People – U.S. demographic data for gaining consumer and market insight for opening a business, finding an audience for products/services, or analyzing the shifts and needs of a given population. Standard and custom reports for download.

Learning Express Library – interactive practice exams and guides for academic (GED, GED Spanish, ACT, SAT, GRE), U.S. citizenship, civil service, military, and professional licensing and certification tests – plus computer software tutorials (Wordperfect, Microsoft Office, Windows & Mac operating systems).

LegalForms – Customizable online legal documents, including Washington state specific forms.

Legal Information Reference Center – Full-text publications and legal forms to address a range legal issues including business law financial planning, family law, property & real estate and rights & disputes.

Microsoft IT Academy – Training in fundamental technology skills, such as Windows 8, and more. Provides unlimited access for more than 400 courses.

Small Business Reference Center – All areas of starting and operating a business including financing, marketing, taxes, business plans, and more.

No Library card? Register for one at any library or online at www.sno-isle.org/getacard and get instant 24/7 access to most of Sno-Isle Libraries eResources

In February, we are having the Sno-Isle Libraries program Getting Started with Craigslist. February’s offering is Idea Management & Innovation. You can also check out monthly programming information on the Higher ED Webpage, on Tulalip TV and through information mailed to your home. You can call us at 360-716-4888 or email us at highered@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov for additional information.

7th Annual Tulalip Tribes and U.S. Forest Service MOA Meeting

Representatives for the Tulalip Tribes and Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest staff sat down to discuss changes to forestry projects and future developments.Photo/Mike Sarich, Tulalip News — Representatives for the Tulalip Tribes and Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest staff sat down to discuss changes to forestry projects and future developments.
Photo/Mike Sarich, Tulalip News

By Micheal Rios Tulalip News Scenic photo courtesy Libby Nelson, Tulalip Tribes Natural Resources

In November 2007, the Tulalip Tribes signed an historic Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the U.S. Forest Service to work together on a government-to-government basis regarding the Tribes reserved hunting and gathering rights on off-reservation ancestral lands, specifically the 1.7 million acres that total the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie (MBS) National Forest. Every single acre of the 1.7 million that totals the now MBS National Forest was ceded land as part of the Treaty of Point Elliot of 1855. The MOA lays out a framework for increased communication and collaboration in areas such as planning, policy making, and sharing of technical expertise and data, to provide stewardship and conserve the natural resources that the Tribes value and depend upon.

Continually developing an effective partnership in stewardship of national forest lands and resources is critical to maintaining a positive relationship between the Tulalip Tribes and the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie Forest Service. Ensuring this effective partnership, both parties attend a government-to-government MOA meeting once a year. The annual meeting creates a forum to address the Tulalip Tribes specific concerns as they arise and allows for the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie Forest Service to update the Tribes with any forestry policy/project changes or developments. This year’s annual meeting was held Thursday, January 15 at the Tulalip Administration Building.

The representatives for the Tulalip Tribes and the Forest Services staff from the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest sat down to discuss topics ranging from the Beaver Relocation project to the co-stewardship areas to ways to improve upon communication. Three important issues raised as a result of the open forum were the Forest Service’s sustainable roads directive, sacred sites protection on national forests, and improved communication with the national and regional level of the Forest Service.

Sustainable Roads

One of the issues that came up again this year is the ‘sustainable roads’ directive given to the Forest Service. The directive calls for the Forest Service to close a certain percentage of their roads by going through their entire road system inventory and prioritizing roads they want to keep. The roads that don’t come high on the list would be the first to be closed.

A sustainable road system means keeping only those roads that they can afford to keep maintained and in proper repair so they don’t fail and create risky situations for drivers or environmentally risky situations for the habitat.

MOA liaison with Treaty Rights Office of Natural Resources Department Libby Nelson describes the importance of having the Tribes input considered when prioritizing which roads to sustain and which to close. “The public tends to be recreational and they are going to want to preserve trailheads and certain places that the Tribes may not feel quite the same way about. Making sure that the Forest Service is really looking at how they are going to ensure treaty rights needs to take a front and center role in their analysis and evaluation of what roads to keep open and what roads to close. So that’s an issue. [For the Forest Service] it becomes a matter of budget allocation and this is where we think it is really important to say, ‘What is important to honor the rights we have to protect of the Tribes through their treaty? How do we plan to integrate that into are analysis?’ Their duty as a federal trustee to the Tribes is to ensure access for treaty right exercise.”

Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.Photo courtesy Libby Nelson, Tulalip Tribes Natural Resources — Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
Photo courtesy Libby Nelson, Tulalip Tribes Natural Resources

Sacred Sites

Executive Order 13007 Indian Sacred Sites requires Federal land managing agencies to accommodate access to and ceremonial use of Indian sacred sites by Indian religious practitioners and to avoid adversely affecting the physical integrity of such sacred sites. It also requires agencies to develop procedures for reasonable notification of proposed actions or land management policies that may restrict access to or ceremonial use of, or adversely affect, sacred sites.

Sacred sites are defined in the executive order as “any specific, discrete, narrowly delineated location on Federal land that is identified by an Indian tribe, or Indian individual determined to be an appropriately authoritative representative of an Indian religion, as sacred by virtue of its established religious significance to, or ceremonial use by, an Indian religion; provided that the tribe or appropriately authoritative representative of an Indian religion has informed the agency of the existence of such a site.” There is no review of such determinations by a Federal agency.

Executive Order 13007 was discussed in the MOA meeting because it appears that one of the conflicts, potentially, would be the executive order and some other federal statutes don’t specify or differentiate treaty rights from federally recognized tribes across the country. This leads to situations where you could have members of other federally recognized tribes coming onto treaty rights lands to practice their culture and/or religion.

The issue that surfaced was that there would be concern if that was happening on the ancestral territories of Tulalip. There should be a protocol for talking to the Tribes here first who have reserved rights on those lands. The Tulalip Tribes and Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest staff will have further discussions about this potential conflict, while also focusing on the general issue of continued co-stewardship of maintaining sacred sites.

Improving communication

Local-level communication between the Tulalip Tribes and the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest staff has developed quite nicely since the signing of the MOA eight years ago. However, the Tulalip Tribes has observed the communication from the national and regional Forest Service offices needs improvement.

“We do have a good working relationship locally now, and that’s great because a lot of things do happen on the forest level, but when the national and regional issues come up we have a ways to go to achieve good communication. On a regional and national level with the U.S. Forest Service, as whole, we often get their policies last minute. Sometimes we don’t hear about them until it’s really late to comment. So we talked about ways to improve that,” says Nelson.

To further increase the capacity for open dialogue on the local level, the Tulalip Tribes are focused on getting the District Ranger and Forest Service staff from the nearby Snoqualmie District to attend future MOA meetings.

Overall, the meeting was a success as both the Tulalip Tribes and Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest staffs were able to discuss a range of topics, have an open dialogue regarding potential issues that may arise in the foreseeable future, and exchange ideas about foreseeable projects as a result of the MOA. Most importantly, the meeting served as a reminder of the efforts the Tulalip Tribes has remained steadfast to in the always on-going battle to protect Tulalip’s treaty rights.

As Libby Nelson states, “In order to protect the real exercise of treaty rights reserved Tulalip in their treaty, it’s going to take continued vigilance and pushing back. The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie is surrounded by a lot of people—most of the State’s population lives within easy driving distance. There is now, and will continue to be a lot of pressure from people in urban centers, like Seattle, who would like to see the forest become more and more park-like and provide for their recreational uses. Treaty hunting, gathering and other cultural uses aren’t always very compatible with these other recreational uses or too many people.”

Number of Homeless Native American, Black Students in Washington State Increases

Simon Moya-Smith, Indian Country Today

The state of Washington’s Native American and black K-12 students are three times more likely to be homeless than their white peers, a new study finds.

In the 2013-14 school year, 7.6 percent of Native American students in Washington were counted as homeless. Likewise, 7.6 percent of the black students there were also counted as homeless, according to a reportby the state’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

That same year, Washington’s Hispanic and Latino students suffered a 4.1 percent homelessness rate. In comparison, 2.3 percent of white students were counted as homeless.

The overall percentage of homeless K-12 students throughout the state jumped six points from the previous year, Joseph O’Sullivan of The Seattle Timesreported. During the 2012-13 school year, there were 30,609 homeless students. The next year, there were 32,494.

Elected officials in Washington are struggling with a recent state Supreme Court ruling to fully fund all K-12 schools, which threatens the funding to some social services programs.

“These numbers make it clear that funding education at the expense of the safety net is a false choice,” Rachael Myers, executive director of the The Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, told O’Sullivan in a statement. “Sufficiently funding basic education means funding what children need both inside and outside the classroom.”

Caleb Dunlap, Ojibwe, who worked with Washington’s Native American homeless community for three years as program manager for the Seattle-based Chief Seattle Club, a local nonprofit that works to provide homeless Natives with basic needs and services, told ICTMNhe believes the increase in homeless students is due to the spike in homeless families.

Dunlap said even the state’s health and human services information line, 2-1-1, where families in need can seek assistance, often falls short.

“All they’re telling you is ‘this shelter’s full’ and ‘that shelter’s full’,” he said. “They’re just giving you the run around.”

Dunlap added that the endemic of homelessness in Washington is punctuated by certain rules and regulations. The age of a child, for example, is reason enough to deny a parent access to temporary housing, he said.

“I would say that Seattle needs to provide better direct access to emergency shelters and temporary to permanent housing options for families facing homelessness,” he said. “Often family services can be limited due to the age of children. In the case of single mother families it can be harder for them to find housing placements if they have male children over the age of 13 due to often being in housing placement with domestic violence victims.”

Seattle, Dunlap said, was designated as a relocation city during the Indian relocation acts of the 1950s and ’60s. The acts encouraged Native Americans to relocate from reservations to cities with promises of jobs and vocational training. The city soon experienced a growing number of homeless Native Americans after some began to lose employment.

“They ended up not getting the very best jobs and that’s kind of where it started,” he said.

State of the Union: Climate Change Is Greatest Threat to Future Generations

Mandel Ngan/APPresident Barack Obama delivering his State of the Union address for 2015. — Mandel Ngan/AP
President Barack Obama delivering his State of the Union address for 2015.

Indian Country Today

Though the State of the Union address focused primarily on the economy, President Barack Obama underscored the importance of continuing to deal with climate change and its attendant issues, calling this the biggest threat that modern life faces.

In his hour-long speech, Obama devoted just over two minutes to the subject of climate change—both reiterating that it is real, and listing the major measures that the White House has taken to alter and adapt to its course.

“No challenge—no challenge—poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change,” Obama said near the end of the address. “2014 was the planet’s warmest year on record. Now, one year doesn’t make a trend, but this does—14 of the 15 warmest years on record have all fallen in the first 15 years of this century.”

Answering critics who have said that Congress cannot make scientific rulings because legislators are not scientists, Obama said he is relying on the know-how of the scientists researching and compiling the data. He highlighted some of the measures that his administration has undertaken, such as the landmark emissions agreement reached recently with China.

“The best scientists in the world are all telling us that our activities are changing the climate, and if we don’t act forcefully, we’ll continue to see rising oceans, longer, hotter heat waves, dangerous droughts and floods, and massive disruptions that can trigger greater migration, and conflict, and hunger around the globe,” Obama said. “The Pentagon says that climate change poses immediate risks to our national security. We should act like it.”

View the President’s full climate remarks below.