Smoke Signals 9
JULY 1,2010
201 0 Canoe Journey preparations under way
Three Tribal canoes will
be paddled up the Pacific
Coast to Neah Bay
By Ron Karten
Smoke SignaU fluff writer
For the 2010 Inter Tribal Canoe
Journey to the Makah Reservation,
the Grand RondeChinook Canoe
Family intended a roll -over practice
in which participants right a canoe
that has turned over.
"When you are going over, make
sure you hold onto your paddle," said
Henry Pettit, member of the Chinook
Tribe. "It feels like your body U gett ing
sucked under the canoe.
"Know who your partner ia. With
the adrenalin rush, it is easy to for
get, and everybody is responsible for
one another."
"We don't want to scare people,"
said Canoe Journey regular Tony
Johnson (Chinook), who is Cultural
Education coordinator for the Tribe,
"but we want people to be serious
about training."
The preparations came during a
session in the Cultural Resources
Department conference room on June
16, an afternoon when the group
intended to be in the Pacific Ocean
north of Lincoln City.
But the weather did not cooper
ate. Instead, the group, including John
son, Language and Culture Specialist
Bobby Mercier (Grand Ronde), Social
Services Manager Dave Fullerton
and Ken Cramer (Chinook), talked
about dividing into teams, one that
will hold the canoe still or rock the
water out, and another that will
work from inside the canoe to bail
water out.
"Keep the canoe balanced while
rocking it, so you don't get more
water in the boat than out," said
Pettit.
"Designate the small people who
will jump back in the canoe first and
start bailing," said Fullerton.
The work is strenuous enough that
participants are advised to trade jobs
every two minutes.
Maybe most striking about the
advice: "Try to get back in the canoe
within five minutes. Hypothermia
could set in without your realizing
it." Pettit said.
"You get sprayed with every wave,"
said Johnson, "and that will cool your
body down pretty quickly. This jour
ney will push you to your limits."
The group will meet at least weekly
for planning and practice until the
journey begins on Friday, July 9.
With crews from many Tribes last
year more than 90 canoes paddled to
Suquamish details of the journey
continue to unfold.
Roughly speaking, however, the
Grand Ronde Canoe Chinook Family
anticipates starting in Bay Center,
Wash., and continuing up the Pacific
Coast on toTaholah (Quinault Reser
vation), Destruction Island (Quinauh),
Huh Reservation, La Push (Quileute
Reservation), Ozette (Makah Reser
vation), with a final landing at Neah
Bay (Makah) on July 19, and protocol
events there from July 19-24.
In addition to the paddling work,
there are many different kinds of op
portunities to participate fur Tribal and
community members, from paddling to
providing support in other ways.
The Grand RondeChinook Canoe
Family intends to paddle three canoes
to Neah Bay. Each will be accompa
nied by a support boat, and all will be
supplied and served by drivers and
cooks, and people to put up and take
down camps and provide logistics.
For information about joining the
Canoe Family or helping with the
journey, contact Bobby Mercier at
the Cultural Resources Department,
503-879-2076.
STATION continued
from front page
had lost her husband and was not
prepared for the hard winter.
"A teaching of our Elders and our
ancestors is to acknowledge not
only working for our people, but
others," Kennedy said. "That same
spirit is alive here today. We, as
the Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde, look at the community and
know that whatever situation that
our neighbor is in and that if there
is something we can do to assist
them, we will do that.
"In the spirit of that thinking,
safety was paramount for the en-
tire community, not just the Tribal
community. When we entered into
negotiations, it was always with
that thinking."
Kennedy said Tribal Council con
sidered not only the special needs of
Spirit Mountain Casino and Lodge,
but its responsibility to protect
Tribal and Elder housing and the
hundreds of non-Tribal homes in
the Grand Ronde area.
"It is indeed a very good day,"
Kennedy said.
West Valley Assistant Fire Chief
Dave Meier stressed the 10 min
utes that will be saved now that
fire district employees are housed
in the Grand Ronde area around
the clock.
"Ten minutes can mean the dif
ference between life and death,"
Meier said. "With this agreement,
there will be a change in that 10
minutes. It will now be a much
shorter period of time.
"The effort between these two
governing bodies has brought a
much needed change to both the
Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde and the Grand Ronde com
munity at large. It is through this
government-to-government rela
tionship that lives will be saved and
property will be saved. It is through
this effort that the future of Grand
Ronde looks safer and brighter.
"We look forward to a strong part
nership and continuing to improve
the overall protection of the Grand
Ronde community."
After his speech,
Meier joined Tribal
Council Chairwoman
Cheryle A. Kennedy,
Vice Chairman Reyn
Leno, Tribal Council
members Steve Bobb
Sr. and Chris Mer
cier and Wakeland
for the ribbon cutting
that officially opened
the 5,700-square-foot
building.
During self-guided
tours of the building,
fire district employ
ees said they liked
their new work envi
ronment. "It's nice," said para
medic Ilya Golub. "It's
new and awesome. I
love the kitchen."
"Heaven's more,"
said paramedicfire
fighter Tami Tigner about the dorm
rooms when she was asked if the
station was sufficient. "It's better
than where I live. I think I might
just move in and live here."
"I think it means the community
is automatically safer," said Tribal
Council member Chris Mercier
in the fire station parking lot. "It
shows that we're serious about
helping out this community. We're
serious about developing this com
munity and we're serious about
being good community partners."
"Quicker response," said Vice
Chair Reyn Leno about the effect
of the new fire station. "You're
reducing the time for emergency,
fire, everything else. We all know
that the first five, 10 minutes is a
critical time.
"This just shows our commitment.
We always said that we would give
back to the community. This ben
efits both the community and the
Tribe. That's the bottom line."
Leno said a fire station was some
thing the Tribe should have built
when it started building Tribal and
Elder housing.
"This should have been part of
Or'- -
(I
: ill?
i k VN
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
From left, the Tribt's Dirtctor of Development Pete Wakeland, Tribal Council members Chris
Mercier and Steve Bobb Sr., Vice Chairman Reyn Leno, West Valley Assistant Fire Chief Dave
Meier and Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy, participated in the ribbon cutting
that officially opened the 5,700-square-foot Grand Ronde Fire Station on Friday, June 25.
that plan," Leno said. "I think it's
a safety issue for the community
and the Tribe."
Leno said he is impressed by the
changes that have occurred recent
ly in the community, particularly to
and along Grand Ronde Road.
"I never thought walking up and
down this road that I would ever see
a fire station here," he said.
"I think it brings a sense of se
curity to the Grand Ronde com
munity," Bobb said, "because of the
time frame that's going to be cut in
half or more than that.
"For people in an emergency
situation where every minute is a
lifetime, this is great. We're pretty
serious about making sure that ev
eryone is protected ... everybody."
Tribal Health Services Executive
Director Mark Johnston said for
Tribal Health Clinic patients, the
nearby fire station will substantially
cut down response times for those
who are stabilized at the clinic but
still need to get to a hospital.
"We are going to see a significant
increase in lives saved and that
cannot be overstated," Johnston
said.
The Grand Ronde Tribe and West
Valley Fire District signed an inter
governmental agreement in July
2009 in which the Tribe agreed to
design and build the new fire sta
tion on 2.5 acres of Tribal land.
The Tribe also agreed to buy the
Quint and equipment for three fire
fightersparamedics, three firefight
ersemergency medical technicians
and six volunteer firefighters.
The agreement also calls for the
Tribe to fund those positions with
a maximum 3 percent increase an
nually. Previously, the fire district main
tained a storage facility on Grand
Ronde Road that was not staffed and
dispatched emergency responders
from its main station in Willamina.
The West Valley Fire District is
doubling in manpower from five to
1 1 employees to staff the new fire
station.
Meier said the fire district is
ready to occupy the fire station.
Wakeland said the turnout lock
ers are scheduled to arrive in mid
July and the building will be turned
over to the fire district in a couple
of weeks. B