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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 1998)
2 News Smoke Signals Grand Ronde staff joins Native firefighting strike-team By Oscar Johnson Piling into a fire engine and driv ing over 1,200 miles just to hang out in three-digit degree weather, squelch blazing brush fires, chase runaway cows and build fences my not be everyone's idea of summer fun. But for Jeff Nepstad and fellow Grand Ronde foresters Pete Wakeland and Mike Wilson, "it's the thrill of arriv ing at the fire the unknown adven ture that's the big kicker." The three-man firefighting team from Grand Ronde' s Natural Re sources Division made the journey to New Mexico and Texas last month as part of a cooperative effort by the Tribe, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Texas' forestry department. The trio joined a crew of four Na tive strike-teams with five fire engines from California, Idaho, New Mexico, Alaska and Tennessee to help local firefighters combat summer blazes that accompany the dry season. "It was really nice being our own little forestry family made up of strike-teams and engines from the Nez Perce, Laguna, Luni and Grand Ronde reservations," recalls Wilson. The Grand Ronde Natural Resources Lands Coordinator adds, "There's a lot of pride in Indian tribes' firefighting capabilities." Wilson's team was the first of two that traveled to the Central Southern states to help fight fires. A second crew consist ing of Natural Resources staff, Bill Miller, Mike Karnosh and Lynn Robertson returned last week after this issue of Smoke Signals went to press. The first strike-team started working in the Mescalero Reservation in New Mexico before moving on to the nearby towns 'of Ruidosd arid Roswell. The crew then made its way to Waco, Texas. In addition to helping the two states shoulder their burden of summer fire fighting, Wakeland says the tribal fire engine brings in $36 per hour during the trip and both he and Wilson also earned their cer tification as "engine bosses." Nepstad, a veteran crew leader who oversaw the training, says the engine boss is "in charge of the fire engine, the techniques and strategies of fire suppression and keeping the crew alive." He says the certification also means there are two more Grand Ronde staff who can take charge of the Tribe's six fire engines if the need arises. There was little need this year, how ever, for Grand Ronde's first strike team to engage a full-fledged inferno. With the exception of a farm fire of hay and cow manure in Roswell, New Mexico which Wakeland says made for a colorful metaphor for the task at hand, the crew saw little action. He says they spent most of their 21 days in the field just keeping busy. "They put us on projects building and repairing fences and getting their cows off the road," says Nepstad. Citing the boredom that often comes with the long waits between fires he adds, "anything is better than bore dom when your on fire watch,".. The fires the crew watches for and. fights' have several causes , such' as 1 lightening. In fact Wakeland says his most harrowing experience was when lightening struck just a hundred yards or so from where the crew was spending the night. "It was loud!" says Wakeland, re calling the intensity of the moment. "They've got some really great light ening down there." Electrical wires and arson are also common causes of many deadly sum mer infernos, according to Nepstad. He says carelessness is also a major contributor. "Believe it or not, people throwing cigarette butts out of their car win dows is also a reason," Nepstad says in disbelief. "It's amazing how many fires you find by the side of the road. " Although Wakeland and Nepstad say last month's trip was not the most adventurous of their fire watch ca reer, they both say they were glad to be a part of the team. However, it was not just the Grand Ronde crew that was glad to help, but all three members say their hosts' appreciation was extended in the form of warm hospitality. From needed tools to gracious meals they say they were well received and looked after by the Texas forestry service and especially the Mescalero Reservation community. - For Wilson, this warm reception was the biggest reward of all. "I really enjoyed being on the Mescalero Reservation it was re ally Beautiful a'rid we" 'itieV some ' re ally nice people there," says Wilson. "By being a part of their forestry team we got to be a part of the reservation." Tribe partners with Hewlett-Packard Officials of the Grand Ronde Tribe announced the signing of a long-term contract to provide services to Hewlett-Packard's Corvallis-based inkjet supply unit. Under the new business relation ship, the Tribe's Spirit mountain De velopment Corporation will receive, clean, and ship "totes," the hard plasr tic boxes that the component manu facturer uses to receive supplier parts. The Tribe's new venture will employ 12 workers in its tote cleaning opera tions and related warehousing and distribution systems. "We're delighted to have a business relationship with one of Oregon's great companies. We see it as an op portunity to diversify our economic base, give something back to the Corvallis community," said Bruce Thomas, Spirit Mountain Develop ment President. Its relationship with Hewlett-Packard marks the Tribe's first venture into high technology sec tor. This new economic venture does not involve gaming and does not use any special property tax or other ben efits. The Tribe's relationship with Hewlett-Packard will not displace any HP employees. 'Indian Women in Action' take on health issues By Oscar Johnson Grand Ronde health officials last month joined forces with nearly a dozen other experts on topics as di verse as domestic violence, breast and cervical cancer, welfare reform and women in prison to address health issues affecting women in In dian Country. ,v The "Indian Women in Action Workshop" was facilitated by Grand Ronde Health and Wellness clinic's part-time Physicians Assistant, Kathleen Marquart. Tribal Health Promotion Specialist, Darlene Aaron was also on hand. The two-day-event was part of the networking efforts fostered by the National Indian Women's Health Steer ing Committee a nonprofit group representing 19 different tribes and urban Indian organizations, jointly sponsored by Indian Health Services (IHS) and the U.S. Public Health Service's Office on Women's Health. "We want to promote health educa tion on reservations; a national health policy on Indian women's health; and identify women leaders in women's health," said IHS West's Director of Liaison Services, Corolyn Lofgren. Although ex perts at the work shop agreed that lack of research specific to Native Americans makes it hard to determine ex actly which dis eases are the big gest risks, local representation offered some in sight into what might be taking the lead in Grand Ronde. "In addition to diabetes, now we are finding a lot of cases of cancer," said Aaron who regularly pays home visits to Grand Ronde tribal Elders. But she adds with concern that "now we're seeing cancer in all ages El ders, people in their 30s and 40s. I don't know why." Marquart, who also works part-time at the Native American Rehabilitation Association's (NARA) Portland clinic, expressed concern that many Indian women especially those over 50 0" o r V Kathleen Marquart are not getting regular women's wellness exams. "If detected in time cervical cancer is 100 percent curable," Marquart said in her workshop presentation on the Status of Indian Women's Health in the Northwest. "Unfortunately," she added, "women quit getting pap exams when they're older but the risk of cervical cancer is higher in older women."
