Smoke Signals 9
JUNE 15,2011
Tiro lb ad member TyamiDDa Smmotilh) g fives bach
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
"My whole life," says 20-year-old
Tribal member Tyanna Smith, "I've
always been an outdoor person.
Even when I was little, I always
said, 'I'll never work behind a
desk. "
Her father, Robert Smith (Yaka
ma), used to take the family- includ
ing her mother, Marcia Gustafson,
Smith and her three sisters; all
the siblings are Tribal members
- camping and hiking. And he was
a hunter on his own time.
So, Smith's volunteer job at the
Natural Resources Department is
a perfect fit. Fulfilling a require
ment for a biology class, she has
been driving out to the Tribe since
March for an afternoon every other
week.
Tribal Biologist Rebecca McCoun,
her supervisor, notes that she works
with "a positive attitude in a wide
range of weather conditions."
Smith assisted with surveying
the rotary screw smolt trap on
Agency Creek in Grand Ronde, as
sisted with radio tracking collared
Columbian black-tailed deer on
the Grand Ronde Reservation and
helped plant native plants on the
Tribe's Tyee Nature Reserve.
She also works with plants, day
to day, back in Portland.
Smith said she has "a really small
lawn" at her place in Portland, but
"it's crowded with ferns, bleed
ing hearts (that are native to the
Northwest) and tulips."
Living in Portland, she says,
is terrific, but, "It's nice to get
away from the city every once in
awhile."
Smith is finishing her last year
at Portland Community College's
Rock Creek campus. Next year,
she transfers as an environmental
science majorbotany minor to Port
land State University.
The volunteer work in Grand
Ronde gives her valuable experi
ence in addition to country air.
"It's an opportunity to get some
-y "rr- '. '
Photo courtesy of Rebecca McCoun
Tribal member Tyanna Smith assists with surveying the rotary screw smolt
trap on Agency Creek In Grand Ronde. Smith has driven out to Grand Ronde
from Portland this spring to volunteer with the Tribal Natural Resources
Department and also complement her major in college, environmental
science and botany.
experience that had to do with my
major," she said.
Also, "It was Grand Ronde, my
Tribe, so I wanted to work for
them."
The Tribe has funded her educa
tion, including tuition and living
expenses, and Smith has taken
these gifts very seriously.
In addition to her success with
school and volunteer work, earlier
this year Smith was awarded a
research internship at Portland
State for this summer and she
was recently approved for the En
vironmental Protection Agency's
Greater Research Opportunities
Undergraduate Student Fellow
ship, an Environmental Protection
Agency-paid internship for summer
2012. EPA is also partly funding
tuition expenses for her junior and
senior years.
"I love school," she says, "espe
cially now that I'm getting into
upper level biology, chemistry and
environmental science classes. The
subjects are interesting and chal
lenging, and I need to be challenged
or I'll get bored. These classes make
me work hard."
Of an Environmental Science
class, she recalls the challenges of
writing a report on a field study:
analyzing all the data, finding
legitimate references and "just
writing the report," she said. "I
liked it, though. It's kind of amaz
ing because it's tedious and you're
constantly searching for something,
but I felt good when I completed
it. Now I have something for my
portfolio."
Smith also is a dedicated biker.
"All the time, all over the city,"
though school, she adds, "pretty
much consumes my life."
Her sisters are Jennifer Smith,
who is studying English at Oregon
State University; Kayla Smith, who
wants to study biology after study
ing at the Oregon Coast Culinary
Institute; and Amanda Smith, who
just graduated from high school.
The girls trace their Tribal heri
tage through their great-grandfather
on their father's side, former
Tribal Elder Leonard Vivette.
"I have his old Chemawa jacket,"
said Tyanna. "I wear it all the time.
I love it."
"Tyanna drove down an hour
and a half from Portland to Grand
Ronde volunteering a total of 20.25
hours of her time from March 10 to
May 13," said McCoun. "With gas
prices so high, I was very impressed
with her willingness to come so
far to volunteer. Tyanna is very
driven and I am very excited for
her future."
Both have hopes that part of that
future includes Smith volunteer
ing again in six months for the fall
Coho run. D
Grand Ronde
Avenue of Flags
The Grand Ronde Avenue of Flags in an opportunity to honor
the Tribal veterans in your family.
A donation of $100 will go toward the purchase of an
American flag. A rawhide feather, with the name of your
veteran, will be attached to the flag.
The flags will be proudly displayed on Veterans Day and
Memorial Day and at the Maroellus "Maroe" Norwest
Veterans Memorial Powwow each year. It is an opportunity
to honor your family veteran.
To purchase a flag and feather please complete the applica
tion form and submit it, with your check, to the CTGR Public
Affairs Dept. Please make checks payable to CTGR Avenue
of Flags Project.
Nnme of Trlbnl Veteran:
Branch of the Service nnd Dnte of Service
Your Nnme:
Your contact information: (For office uhc only)
AddreM
Phone
Email
Ad created by George Valdez
Ad created by George Valdez