12
S moke S ignals
DECEMBER 1, 2014
Flier stresses education for her success
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
It started at her grandmother’s
backyard swimming pool in south-
east Portland, says Meagan Flier
(pronounced Fleer), 24, the
Tribe’s latest success story to
benefit from Tribal educa-
tion funding.
That pool is where her
love of water, and then the
whole outdoors, began.
Fleer accounts for her
success in a couple of ways.
“My mom, who prepared
me for college,” she says. “She
gave me a lot of support. She
said, ‘Get good grades in ele-
mentary school so you can get
into a good high school.’ And right
through college. I always strive to
go above and beyond. Having those
expectations was a really good
driving force.
“Also, sports really help kids by
teaching discipline and teamwork,
exercising patience. I did soccer,
softball, swimming and roller skat-
ing. Three sports a season; no big
deal. I would’ve done more if I could
have.”
She also points to College Hori-
zons, a company that makes an ap-
pearance at different universities
to help Native students get through
the college application processes
and exposes high school students to
“a ton of different colleges. Tribal
members can get into that.”
“Aspirations to go to college really
helped me,” she adds.
Today, after college at Stanford
University and graduate school
at the University of Miami, she
is the Natural Resources Depart-
ment’s Environmental Resources
specialist.
“I’ve always kind of strived to live
in a way that I can be a role model
for others,” she says. “Grand Ronde
helped put me through a lot of my
schooling, so I always wanted to
find a way to give back to
the Tribe.”
She also says that this
work is a good fit for her.
“I can use my education
and my passion for water
and the environment to help
the Tribe with its commitment
to the environment.”
She says she aims to be a
good steward of Tribal land and
water resources.
In her new position that she
started on June 2, she is respon-
sible for many things, from ocean
planning to designating wetlands
on Tribal property.
She also is looking at the Tribal
position on climate change to see if
it needs to be updated. “To assess
our vulnerability and see if there is
more we can do to adapt,” she says.
Natural Resources Manager Mi-
chael Wilson says that one of the
big things Flier has been hired to
do is environmental compliance.
“To help the Tribe to take control
of its environmental resources,”
Wilson says, “to ensure that the
Tribe will be a leader on environ-
mental resources issues.”
Flier brings to the job a 2012
bachelor’s degree in Earth Systems
and a 2013 master’s in Profession-
al Science in Marine Affairs and
Policy.
This schooling, she says, pointed
her to environmental problems and
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Meagan Flier is the Tribe’s new Environmental Resources specialist in the
Natural Resources Department.
a way to develop solutions.
“I knew I loved the water,” she
says, “and I love math and science
in general.”
The Natural Resources position
is essentially her first job, but she
also has had internships, including
one at the Oregon Department of
Geology and Mineral Industries
and at Oregon Health & Science
University, doing a lot of work with
ocean and estuary planning.
“They are working to bring Na-
tives in,” she says. The program is
not an obvious choice for a medical
center like OHSU, but it exists
there because ocean health is relat-
ed to human health. Water is the
basis of human life.
She also interned with the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers in Miami.
Her goal in Grand Ronde is to
help the Tribe accomplish goals al-
ready set out, to work toward being
the best environmental steward the
Tribe can be.
“I want to be the best representa-
tive for the Tribe that I can be, and
act as a bridge between scientists
and other government entities,”
she says.
When Flier was younger, she re-
members, she used to get education
awards at the Tribe for good grades
and educational success.
After her travels in education and
sports, she returned to the Tribe, all
these years later, by joining Chinuk
Wawa classes at the Portland office.
It was November 2013, and it led
to this year’s job, a good match
for both and a story worth telling
again and again for those still on
the way n
ATTENTION TRIBAL MEMBERS
COMMITTEE AND SPECIAL EVENT BOARD VACANCIES
For Who:
Native American JR/HS
School Students; includes
Home school & their
Families
Where:
The following Committees and Special Event Boards have vacant
positions.
Social Services Committee
1 Vacancy
Cultural Trust Board
1 Vacancy
Powwow SEB
2 Vacancies
Culture Committee
1 Vacancy
Fish & Wildlife Committee
1 Vacancy
Please send completed applications to Stacia Martin, 9615
Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, OR 97347.
CTGR Youth Education
Building
Dates/Days/Time:
s Tuesdays 5pm- 7pm
s October 28 – December 16
s (Not on Nov 11 due to
Youth Education Presents:
Portland State University & OHSU College Visit Trip
For: Native Youth 6-12 grade
When: December 15, 2014
Veterans Holiday)
Departure/Arrival: Leave YED 7:30am - Arrive back
at YED approximately 5pm
Dinner:
Youth Education will be taking a trip to explore PSU
and OHSU colleges for campus tours. Learn all what
is offered at both of these colleges, meet students,
explore the campus and more.
Provided for those
attending the tutoring and culture
activities only.
Lunch will be provided
Cost: FREE
Limited Openings: There are
limited openings, pick up your
permission slip at Youth
Education to secure your spot!
For more information: Contact
Tiffany Mercier @503-879-2101