Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 2000)
FEBRUARY 15, 2000 3 As forest patrol officer, Marce Norwest's duties are many. Story and photos by Brent Merrill Tribal Elder and forest patrol officer Marce Norwest knows the Grand Ronde reservation and the surrounding area like the back of his hand. Having grown up in the area and spending most of his life outdoors, Norwest is a perfect fit for the job. "I look forward to going to work everyday," said Norwest. "It is a respon sible job and I honor that. I'm entrusted with a lot. I enjoy being out there helping people." Norwest, who has expe rience as a game warden, fire warden and a mili tary policeman, patrols the reservation looking for a myriad of violations that occur on tribal prop erty. Norwest also gained experience while attend ing Tillamook Community College's environmental law enforcement course. He guards against tim ber theft, provides security for the equipment used in tribal logging operations, checks firewood permits, keeps illegal greenery op erations from using tribal land, reports poachers to state and county law offi cials and educates campers, hikers, hunters and fishermen about the area and its regulations. Norwest also works with the Natural Resources department's fire crews and maintains and replaces damaged and stolen signs on the reservation. While performing his tasks, Norwest rides around in his Jeep Cherokee that serves as a mo bile communications unit. He has the capability to communicate with the Yamhill County Sheriffs Department, Polk County Sheriff's Department, State Police, emergency service's EMTs and am bulances, Lifeflight and local loggers. Norwest helps guide officers to crime scenes they are unable to locate and has guided helicopters in to remote logging accidents. It is sometimes hard to believe a man with his schedule is an Elder. Norwest also finds time to travel from pow-wow to pow-wow representing the Tribe as the chairman of the Grand Ronde Veter ans' Committee Color Guard. "Marce has an important job," said Natural Re sources Director Cliff Adams. "His presence is out there especially on the weekends. It makes us feel better knowing that people aren't going to be cutting down trees and stealing wood and creat ing other kinds of problems. We have people van dalize logging machinery. We have theft of wood off of the log decks. People have been going in and cutting logs up for firewood. People dump trash and steal (jars and take them up on the res ervation and just junk them part them out. "We want to make sure people aren't illegally taking greenery such as sal-al and different ferns and things like that. He checks permits. During the season he checks on campers with open fires. Then there are the road signs that he takes care of as well. We are always replacing those. People shoot them up or steal them. Marce checks on the buildings here and the vehicles and makes sure they are locked up," said Adams. 4 I ' i- ) - - TV ft AW 2" V Ai-s v .. -. i - : ?r?fVVi' V j Y&Hi- T ' j 4- -f .4vv -.4 -f v,'-r v-;..;r.-'.- J Ti- -tf- - 3 Ai iZL. "- ' -T. C7 tor forward to going to work everyday. It is a responsible job and I honor that. I'm entrusted with a lot. I enjoy being out there helping people." Marce Norwest j COAST CREEK A 'ACCESS ROAD,ot, I J GRAND igi- l ij RONDE Wtf K..- i t RESERVATION . " j ' w' tfc " JyVT "t'f rii w wmm in it "M i?Ty . f , Tl ,i i - ' ' v" T , i 2l Norwest spends time with local law enforcement while on the job. His local knowledge has assisted them many times and played a key role in several cases. "He (Norwest) assists the local sheriffs office from time to time," said Adams. "He really is the eyes and ears out there and just his presence really helps. We all (the Tribe and local law enforce ment) just like knowing there is someone out there patrolling the land. When word like that gets around, like it has, then it makes it a lot easier in terms of people trying to dump garbage, cut down trees, steal firewood and vandalize. "He has done a good job up there and I think he enjoys his job," said Adams. "We really rely on him to travel all the roads and see what is going on out there. His judgment is a needed part of the job." "I give people directions and help people when they are broken down or lost," said Norwest. "I do public relations by talking to the hunters at their campsites, fishermen and their families and the general public. I enjoy being out there. I was raised up on a big ranch so I enjoy being out in the open. I lived in town one time, I couldn't hardly handle it." Norwest often picks a spot on the reservation with a view and has his lunch. While he eats, he listens. "I go up to the landings," said Norwest. "I've been doing this (working in the woods) a long time and I know where the acoustics are good for hear ing. I can hear chain saws or even hear people talking from a long ways away. People might be moss pickers or illegally gathering forest products and they tend to talk a lot when they are out in the open. I can hear them. I hear chain saws. I observe and listen and eat my lunch." One of Norwest's favorite parts of the job is his interaction with the environment and its wildlife. "I love animals and I have a camcorder and quite a few pictures I've taken," said Norwest. "I see quite a few bear, cougars, coyotes and eagles. I see spotted owls, deer and elk. I'm there just about every day." The interaction he has with tribal members and other community members and visitors on the res ervation keeps him busy. Although he is a quiet man, Norwest enjoys talking to people. He ap proaches people with respect and gets respect in return. "Tribal members know me and they respect me as I respect them," said Norwest. "A lot of them are gone for many years and they come back. When they left there were just a few roads and now there is a spider web of roads and its pretty easy to get lost when you want to go up and look the rez over. We get a lot of tourists. "I'm highly entrusted and I know that and I honor that," said Norwest of the pride he has in his job. "I cherish that being trusted as I am. It makes me feels proud." Norwest, the son of Leo and Mary Norwest, has reached an age when most people slow down and start to take life a bit easier. He has not slowed down and he still remembers the w ay things used to be. He remembers the original reservation and he remembers when it was taken away. He said he is glad the Tribe has been restored and that the people are once again coming together. "I've been here all my life and we used to have a reservation and when they took it away from us it seemed everybody drifted," said Norwest. "But, I came around here and I seemed to know the roads. I helped put the markers up on the reservation. It was part of my job to know the roads so I pro grammed it in my mind." Norwest has a simple message for tribal mem bers. "I am working for them," said Norwest. "If there is any question they need to ask me, I will at any time answer their questions. I'm working for them. That's my job."
