JUNE 1, 2002
Smoke Signals 3
Boots, Barbed Wire and a Brighter Future
Tribal youth Torrey Wakeland changed his life for the better by following his
father's advice and joining the Oregon National Guard's challenge program.
By Peta Tinda
Tribal member Torrey Wakeland is in the
army now.
Well, the Oregon National Guard Youth Chal
lenge Program, to be exact, but it would be hard
to spot the difference. The cadets snap to at
tention, march with practiced precision and keep
their boots polished to a high gloss.
The program is for "at risk" teenagers ages 16
to 18 that are drug free, unemployed or under
employed. The Challenge is designed to be an
intervention program rather than a punitive
measure. The goal is to provide work skills and
learning opportunities, all in a military-like set
ting, nestled in the hills outside of Bend in Cen
tral Oregon.
"I really like it here," said Wakeland. "And
the food is pretty good, too."
Cadet Wakeland plans on joining the Air Force
after he finishes the program.
"Then a S.W.A.T. team after that. I also want
to get a degree in criminal justice, that's my main
goal," he said.
Before Wakeland went to the program, he was
a sophomore at Sprague High School in Salem,
and by his own account, wasn't doing very well.
"My grades started to slip, I was skipping
classes and mostly just hanging out," said
Wakeland.
Then his father, Pete Wakeland, Natural Re
sources Manager for the Confederated Tribes
of Grand Ronde, found out about the program
and suggested it to his son, who liked the idea
from the start.
"It seemed awesome," said Wakeland.
Now that he's in the program, Torrey's class
room performance has improved greatly.
"I'm doing much better. The difference be
tween here and regular school is that you learn
at your own pace here," said Wakeland. "As far
as what we're taught, it's just like regular school
- science, literature, history. And they really
want you to succeed. I feel a lot better about
my educational future."
Wakeland has adapted well to his new milita
rized life.
) 1
t
"We sleep in barracks, like the movies. Every
morning we get up at 6 a.m., when an instruc
tor wakes us. We all line up, then get dressed.
After that we raise the flag and then its time
for breakfast," said Wakeland.
"We go to class most of the day, except when
we have P.T. (physical training) or when we
run the obstacle course. That's my favorite, the
obstacle course. It's one and a half miles long
and you jog through it. There is ladders, ob
stacles to crawl over, a pit with a rope swing
and the long, low crawl. That's the hardest -the
long, low crawl. You have to crawl on your
belly in a shallow pit that's covered with barbed
wire. You have to stay close to the ground and
crawl 50 or 75 yards. You get tired really quick,"
said Wakeland. "The best obstacle is the high
wire obstacle. There is two wires strung between
two trees. They are about four feet apart and
you have to shimmy 20 yards between the two
trees. It's so fun. I love running obstacles,"
said Wakeland. "And it builds self confidence."
When the cadets aren't in class or doing P.T.,
they can often be found working in the commu
nity. "We go into the community and help people
out. We help out at the humane society, or the
thrift store. The base has miles and miles of
trails, so sometimes we maintain the trails, clean
out the rocks and make it look nice. The work
crews are pretty relaxed and it feels good to help
out," said Wakeland.
Despite the marching, saluting and uniforms
of the program, the cadets never handle weap
ons or firearms.
"There is no weapons," said Wakeland. "Ex
cept the drill team and all they learn is how to
spin their rifles around. Instead of fighting, it's
more like school."
Wakeland says he feels good about his future
since he joined the program.
"I feel better about myself nowadays. I went
home for spring break and it's nice when people
say that they see a big improvement in me.
People have said I'm more disciplined and that's
how I feel. I used to procrastinate, but now I
get done what needs to be done."
The worst part, Wakeland says, is being away
from family and friends.
"The first week I was pretty home sick. You
can't help it. We're always in contact, but not
being able to see your family is the worst. So
you get to know the people in your squad really
well. I've made some really great friends since
I've been here. It's pretty close-knit."
Like any cadet stationed away from his family,
Wakeland is kept afloat with support from home.
"My dad is very proud of me, I always get let
ters from him about how proud of me he is. It's
good to hear him say that," said Wakeland.
That pride is evident when talking to Torrey's
Father, Peter.
"I'm very proud of him," explained Dad.
"Things are going great, he's got all the credits
he can have and he's making his mind up. I
think it took a really drastic environment change
for him to realize he was on the wrong track,
but he's responded well. It's been really tough
on Bonnie (Torrey's mom and Pete's wife) and
myself to have him gone, but it's been the best
for him and we feel good about that."
Cadet Wakeland seems to feel pretty good
about it too.
"I feel better suited to handle challenges now.
Before, I was just hanging out," he said.
"This has been a life changing experience. I
have more confidence; more skills and I feel more
self-assured. I feel like I'm just getting my life
started, and this is going to help me a lot."
New Natural Resources Manager Sees A Balance Between Timber
Harvesting and Forest Protection On The Grand Ronde Reservation
Tribal member Pete Wakeland will succeed Cliff Adams.
By Peta Tinda
Tribal member Peter Wakeland enjoys the chal
lenges of his new job as Tribal Natural Resources
Manager.
"It presents a professional challenge and op
portunity that I have'nt had yet," said Wakeland.
Wakeland has worked for the Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde in Natural Resources in
different capacities since June of 1995. He has
also worked in the office of Oregon's senior Sena
tor Ron Wyden and with the Legislative Affairs
office of the Natural Resources Conservation Ser
vice in Washington, D.C.
He also serves as Chairman of the Board of
Directors for Spirit Mountain Development Cor
poration (SMDC).
"I very much enjoyed the fact that the work
we were doing was the planning phase for our
corporation, nailing down our policy and proce
dures," said Wakeland of his time at SMDC. "It
was challenging to be part of the development
stage of our investment strategy."
Wakeland likes the idea of working close to
his Tribe and community.
"I think it's unique to come work for the Tribe.
This really means something because it's hap
pening right here at home," said Wakeland.
As Natural Resources Manager, Wakeland will
work with all of the Natural Resources depart
ments. Wakeland believes he can attain a balance
between the Tribe's timber interests and its en
vironmental concerns.
"I'm a believer that we can make it work up
there for everybody. We're able to protect our
water resources, our riparian habitats, our fish
and wildlife habitats, and still harvest timber. I
also think we can provide recreation opportuni
ties for Tribal members," said Wakeland.
Wakeland said he looks forward to meeting the
challenges of his new position and maintaining
the high standards of his predecessor, Cliff
Adams, who held the position for 14 years.
"I certainly appreciate all the support I've re
ceived over the years and the opportunity to
learn from Cliff. I've a lot of respect for him. I
look forward to towing the line and meeting that
mark he set," said Wakeland.
Wakeland also said that he wants all Tribal
members to know that his door is open and they
should feel free to stop by talk about any con
cerns or questions they might have.
When asked what he thought the most impor
tant aspect of his new job is, Wakeland said
"It's twofold. First, we need to produce revenue
Pete Wakeland,
Natural Resources Manager
by cutting timber. In my estimation, because
you harvest timber, you must protect the re
source. My most important job is providing rev
enue and protecting the environment.
"As a manager, I want people to feel that
they're doing meaningful work," said Wakeland.
"That's very important." O