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DECEMBER 15, 2012
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CELEBRATION continued
from front page
salmon at the side of a fire as it
leaned on wire stretched between
posts. Everybody got a taste before
the big meal at the gym.
The cedar plank salmon selected
and prepared at Spirit Mountain
Casino was "the real deal," said
Spirit Mountain Casino Executive
Chef Richard Burr. "Line caught
wild king," he said.
The celebration comes in late fall
or early winter in Grand Ronde,
said Bobby Mercier, Culture and
Language specialist, because that
is when the big run occurs here.
In terms of numbers, he said,
Agency Creek represents about
3l,000th of the Columbia-Willamette
watershed, but gets 4.5
percent of the watershed's Coho
salmon run.
After years of habitat work on
Agency Creek, said Dirksen, and
though numbers go up and down
each year depending on ocean con
ditions and many other factors, the
Tribal waterway is bringing back
about as many salmon as it can.
"We have to be reasonably close to
its carrying capacity," he said of
Agency Creek.
To accomplish this, Natural Re
sources staff members over the
years have opened 22 miles of
stream, added 160 logs, installed 13
new culverts and returned count
less fish carcasses to the source.
Fish, travel 215 miles from the
ocean to reach the fish weir at
Agency Creek, Dirksen said, and
their chance of survival is about
one in 1,250. "Look around you," he
said, "if we were among these fish,
it is unlikely that any of us would
be back again next year."
"It takes a lot of work to keep the
area maintained," said Natural Re
sources Manager Michael Wilson.
"Sometimes, in the cold and in the
rain, they work at the fish weir all
night."
The Tribe won a grant five years
ago to build the weir that Natural
Resources uses to count, assess,
record and mark the fish coming
back upstream, all in the service of
evaluating fish run numbers, which
in turn validate the success of the
Tribe's habitat improvement.
Tribal Council came out, all
but Chairman Reyn Leno, who
was having a medical procedure
performed. Giffen welcomed the
group at the fish weir with a little
historical summary of the Tribe's
age-old relationship with salmon. "I
hope you leave the ceremony today
with a better understanding of how
we have been good stewards of the
waters," Giffen added.
Tribal Council member Chris
Mercier remembers growing up and
seeing few fish but many nutria in
and around Agency Creek.
Travis Mercier shared fish and
other Native stories with staff and
guests.
Salmon celebrations give the
Tribe an opportunity to say thanks
to many state and federal partners
for their support, to show off the
results of the effort and also to use
this teachable moment to show how
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Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Kelly Dirksen, right, Tribal Fish and Wildlife program manager, talks about the life
stages of Coho salmon and their survival rate during the second annual Salmon
Celebration at the Tribal fish weir on Friday, Dec. 7. Holding an informational board of
improvement projects the Tribe's Natural Resources Department has done to Agency
Creek are Grand Ronde Royalty Princess Amelia Mooney, left, and Little Miss Grand
Ronde Kaleigha Simi. Third from left is Lindsay Belonga, Tribal biological technician.
important salmon are to Tribal life,
said Public Affairs Director Siob
han Taylor.
Tribal Council Secretary Toby
McClary introduced almost 25
special guests to the celebration,
representing the city of St. Helens,
Ecotrust, Ecumenical Ministries of
Oregon, Ice Age Floods Institute,
the Lower Columbia River Estu
ary, the Oregon Department of Fish
& Wildlife, the offices of Senators
Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, the
Oregon Department of Forestry,
Oregon Live, the Tryon Creek
State Natural Area, the Oregon
Watershed Enhancement Board,
The Sheridan Sun, Spirit Mountain
Community Fund, Sybaris Restau
rant, the University of Portland,
the federal Department of Agricul
ture and the Forest Service.
Tribal Council member Cheryle
A. Kennedy said she remembers
when "the fish were bigger than
the children. I'm hopeful that we
will continue to enjoy the return of
fishing and hunting that the Cre
ator gave us. When we can't hunt
and fish, that does away with our
culture."
Through celebrations like this,
the Tribe has been re-kindling a
culture. Twenty-nine years mark
the time since Restoration, when
the Tribe began the long process of
restoring federal recognition and
clawing back traditional rights.
Along the way, the Tribe also began
the process of reclaiming the local
environment of which this celebra
tion is a part.
"It was clear from the start that
Tribal Council and Tribal member
ship wanted to see the fish restored
to Agency Creek," said Dirksen.
With Tribal Council on board,
Natural Resources had all the sup
port the department needed, Dirk
sen said, to improve the habitat and
lure the salmon back.
The meal, prepared by Spirit
Mountain Casino food and bever
age staff, brought back some of the
best in traditional foods, including
cedar plank salmon, fall mushroom
crusted beef tenderloin, dauphinois
potatoes, roasted root vegetables,
with rolls and butter, petit fours,
cookies and dessert bars.
Bobby Mercier, Brian Krehbiel,
Travis Mercier, Izaiah Fisher, 11,
and Susun Fisher, 14, performed a
blessing song for the event.
"Last Friday," said Tribal Public
Affairs Director Siobhan Taylor,
who led the preparations for the
event, "the Tribe celebrated its
second annual Salmon Celebration.
It may have been a wet and dreary
day, but the spirit, generosity, joy
and Tribal pride that event demon
strated surpassed any cloudy skies,
or damp clothes and feet."
She had many people to thank in
a staff-wide e-mail.
"Thank you to Mike Wilson from
Natural Resources for his support
of the event. Your department came
in full force to help and to celebrate.
Kelly Dirksen, as always, did a
stellar job of telling the story of our
fish and the efforts of our Natural
Resources crew to protect and im
prove habitat.
"Thank you to Bobby Mercier,
Brian Krehbiel, Cristina Lara
and members of the Canoe Fam
ilyGrand Ronde Singers for their
help with our salmon pit, moving
pop-up awnings, building the fire,
helping prepare our fish, your beau
tiful songs, dances and the joy you
brought to the day. Thank you Dave
Fullerton for coming to
support them.
"Thank you to Halona
Butler and all our young
Grand Ronde Royalty for
your gracious help.
Thanks to Greg Archu
leta and Jordan Mercier
for preparing our fish.
'Thank you to Procure
ment for your assistance
in making sure our feast
paperwork for the ca
sino was expedited and
our salmon delivered.
Speaking of feast, thank
you to Chef Richard Burr
and Shawna B. at Spir
it Mountain Casino for
your amazing meal and
the team of hospitality
experts who assisted in
serving it.
'Thank you to Wendell
Olson and T.J. McKnight
in Information Systems
for all your technical as
sistance in the gym.
"Thank you to Tribal
Council for your support
of our event and for your atten
dance and good words. Thanks to
Stacia Martin, Mindy Lane and
Lauri Smith for helping out with
last-minute details.
'Thank you to Travis Mercier for
your eloquence, songs and thought
ful job as our emcee.
"Thank you to Esther Stewart
and the Education crew for bring
ing all our little ones over to share
their songs as well. They stole the
show.
"Lastly, thank you to my incred
ible team at Public Affairs: Chel
sea Clark and Kendra Kuust in
particular for your attention to all
those last-minute crazy details. No
deed was left undone thanks to you.
And thank you to George Valdez
for his super design work for our
invitations, fliers and program. And
to Michelle Alaimo for her work in
helping assemble photos of natural
resources and salmon work past
and present.
"Thanks for the help in prepar
ing for the celebration also go to
Lisa Archuleta from the Portland
office.
"My inbox is full of great com
ments from our guests who at
tended the event. My heart is full
of gratitude for all you do for this
Tribe."
Tribal Council member Jon A.
George gave the invocation before
the meal. 0
Casino holds annual toy drive
Spirit Mountain Casino is holding its annual Doernbecher Toy
s Drive that will continue through Monday, Dec. 17.
. Participants may bring a new, unwrapped toy to the Coyote Club
i" desk and receive $10 in free slot play. There is a limit of one toy per
visit with a maximum of $50 per person. Doernbecher's wish list
' includes rattles, soft musical toys and stacking rings for infants and
toddlers; Barbie dolls, action figures, tea sets, washable markers and
puzzles for preschool and school-aged children; and console games,
art supplies, journals, nail polish kits, DVDs, books and gift cards
for teens. Donations will be delivered to Doernbecher Children's
Hospital in Portland. For more information, call 503-879-3764 or
visit www.spiritmountain.com. 0