Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2017)
Graduates! After about four years of Katy (Hol- land, education specialist at the Portland Area Office) telling me I could go to col- lege, I was finally convinced. I enrolled at Clark College in 2011 and graduated with an AA in 2013. I then enrolled at WSU and graduated this past spring with a BA in sociology. I learned a lot of things. Being an A student in high school doesn’t necessarily mean you will be an A student in college 30 years later. It is possible to miss a test, a deadline or an entire assignment even though you can read and are considered intelligent (sorry I yelled, boys). I can not only do algebra, I can under- stand physics (and enjoy it!). You teach people how to treat you and if you act like a student, you get treated like one. I am grateful that years ago, as a Tribe, we all decided that education was Courtesy photo a priority. The successes I will have in the future will remind me of those who have Siletz Tribal member and young elder helped me: Katy, for her encouragement Rhonda Green, in the midst of major life and assistance with all the paperwork; the challenges, completed her Bachelor of Tribe, which helped fill in the gaps fund- Arts degree in social science at Wash- ing classes, books and living expenses; my ington State University. The Siletz Tribe three sons, for their patient tutoring and honors Rhonda for her accomplishment encouragement and for never voicing any by presenting her with a Siletz Tribal doubt that I was smart enough to earn a Rogue River Treaty Pendleton blanket. degree even though they took great delight when I got my first C, missed my first deadline and complained that I was the only one with gray hair in the room (including the teacher). Again, I am grateful to the Tribe for all its assistance. And the Pendleton blanket is a beautiful reminder of all this. Courtesy photo Sue Martinot graduated with a Bachelor of Science with President Honors degree in nursing at Chamberlain College of Nursing while working full time at Legacy Health in Portland and raising two daughters. Congratulations! Tribal RV parks have space available for you Logan Road RV Park, Lincoln City, Ore. – loganroadrvpark.com or 877-LOGANRV Hee Hee Illahee RV Resort, Salem, Ore. – heeheeillahee.com or 877-564-7295 Courtesy photo Congratulations to Tylan Moore on graduating from the Springfield College of Beauty in Springfield, Ore. He now works at Great Clips at 55 W 29 th Ave. in Eugene, Ore. Restoring, continued from page 1 Valley School opens up the site for educa- tion and hands-on learning experiences. In the Willamette Valley, staff has been working with private land owners interested in restoring native habitats on their property. Staff is evaluating potential properties for cultural significance and ecological importance. The restoration of these sites, which focus on oak savannah habitats, would increase access to traditional Tribal food resources, such as camas and acorns. On the marine side of restoration, staff is again partnering with Oregon Oys- ter Company to begin small-scale native oyster restoration plots in Yaquina Bay. This work originally began several years ago, but ended due to a lack of funding. Staff is working to revive that effort and carry it forward with more funding support and energy as well as more part- nerships, such as The Wetlands Conser- vancy and Oregon State University. In addition, staff has started monitor- ing bay clam populations in Yaquina Bay on an annual basis, looking for shifts in species abundance and distribution. Staff also annually monitors habitat availability for bay clams, determining if there is any Restoring Oregon oak savannas, like the one below, not only will provide habitat, but also will increase access to acorns, a traditional Tribal food resource. loss of suitable habitat due to changes in ocean conditions. By monitoring current bay clam dis- tributions on a regular basis, the Tribe can better determine if changes in populations are due to yearly variability or the effects of climate change. Having this data gives the Tribe an increased ability to move forward with preserving the Tribe’s rich history of management and harvest of shellfish resources, and to preserve a shell- fish fishery in the face of climate change. The Natural Resources Department has been working to not only restore cul- tural resources, but also to increase Tribal members’ access to them. A 2016 NW Youth Corp TYEE crew constructed a 4,000-foot trail to the top of the ridge at the hatchery property, open- ing access to several mature huckleberry patches. Natural Resources plans to main- tain the huckleberry bushes to increase production. The trail includes benches to sit on and enjoy the view. Additionally, in part- nership with the Cultural Department and Healthy Traditions program, the Tribe is working to remove a 1.6-acre invasive blackberry patch on the west side of the dance house driveway and to restore camas and other native plants to the site. Through habitat restoration, not only are we able to work toward healing the land, but also on developing and main- taining important traditional and cultural resources for the future. Courtesy photos Fields of camas, which is a traditional food source, sprout up in wetlands, grasslands and oak savannas in the Pacific Northwest. 8 • Siletz News • April 2017
