'Breathe.'
Refer to the link at the bottom of the blog for the correct pronunciation in S'Klallam. Please join me in reading about what a few of our departments have been up to for the month of May!
Are any grants being utilized? What for?
- We are using the Tribal Early Learning Fund grant and our program was able to host a Head Start coastal jam in the long house. We invited our friends over from the Marion Forsman-Boushie early learning center to come share some songs, dances, a meal and the teachings of gift giving. Families, children and staff had a great time, there was so much joy in our long house! We have been honored to have elders coming into classrooms and spending time with our children and staff. With this grant, we have been able to honor those spending time with our children and hope to continue these connections.
Want to highlight or give a shoutout to any individuals this month?
- Shoutout to Darlene Peters, who participated in our organizational review with AWARE interviews. Shoutout to Matt Ives and his daughter Charolette for spending time reading to our children in the center. Shoutout to Celina Decoteau, who participated in the WA Parent Ambassador program and earned her certificate for the year long program of storytelling and contacting legislators during the session. Celina plans to use her advocacy skills in her role as the ECE Family Support Coordinator.
Any projects that you completed this month?
- Jimmy Price made 70 sets of clappers, 50 child size rattles and 39 large rattles for our program. Utilizing the TELF grant, we are so excited to continue song and dance with our children and their families. Huge thank you to Dennis Jones and Joe Price who practice with our preschoolers weekly.
- We are using the Tribal Early Learning Fund grant and our program was able to host a Head Start coastal jam in the long house. We invited our friends over from the Marion Forsman-Boushie early learning center to come share some songs, dances, a meal and the teachings of gift giving. Families, children and staff had a great time, there was so much joy in our long house! We have been honored to have elders coming into classrooms and spending time with our children and staff. With this grant, we have been able to honor those spending time with our children and hope to continue these connections.
Want to highlight or give a shoutout to any individuals this month?
- Shoutout to Darlene Peters, who participated in our organizational review with AWARE interviews. Shoutout to Matt Ives and his daughter Charolette for spending time reading to our children in the center. Shoutout to Celina Decoteau, who participated in the WA Parent Ambassador program and earned her certificate for the year long program of storytelling and contacting legislators during the session. Celina plans to use her advocacy skills in her role as the ECE Family Support Coordinator.
Any projects that you completed this month?
- Jimmy Price made 70 sets of clappers, 50 child size rattles and 39 large rattles for our program. Utilizing the TELF grant, we are so excited to continue song and dance with our children and their families. Huge thank you to Dennis Jones and Joe Price who practice with our preschoolers weekly.
Have any goals been met this month? Who reached them?
- Yes! This month, the Tribe, state and federal agencies and other stakeholders entered into a consent decree to clean up and restore the southern shore and western bay nearshore habitat of the former millsite. This was a multi-year, multi-agency effort and a major success for Point Julia protection. Thanks to Steven Moe, Roma Call and her team, external legal counsel and Tribal leaders, we were able to make this happen. Also this month, the tribe's General Council voted to amend the Constitution to expand the scope of geography whichs makes more descendants eligible for automatic enrollment. While this doesn't allow every descendant to now be eligible, it helps enroll more new members than has previously been allowed for the last 20 years. This was another major accomplishment after 10+ years of two committes, council, enrollment and the tribe's legal team working together.
- Yes! This month, the Tribe, state and federal agencies and other stakeholders entered into a consent decree to clean up and restore the southern shore and western bay nearshore habitat of the former millsite. This was a multi-year, multi-agency effort and a major success for Point Julia protection. Thanks to Steven Moe, Roma Call and her team, external legal counsel and Tribal leaders, we were able to make this happen. Also this month, the tribe's General Council voted to amend the Constitution to expand the scope of geography whichs makes more descendants eligible for automatic enrollment. While this doesn't allow every descendant to now be eligible, it helps enroll more new members than has previously been allowed for the last 20 years. This was another major accomplishment after 10+ years of two committes, council, enrollment and the tribe's legal team working together.
Want to highlight or give a shoutout to any individuals this month?
- Jodi Fulton! She continues to throw wonderful, fun events. She planned a wonderful Elders Honoring, when she herself is an elder. She puts so much thought and love into these events and especially the Elders Honoring. Jodi always has a smile on her face and aims to please all guests.
Any projects that you completed this month?
- We have ordered our 6 passenger golf cart and trailer to help during these events and to give our elders rides on campus during funerals. Jodi Fulton and Nick Miller worked on this together.
- Jodi Fulton! She continues to throw wonderful, fun events. She planned a wonderful Elders Honoring, when she herself is an elder. She puts so much thought and love into these events and especially the Elders Honoring. Jodi always has a smile on her face and aims to please all guests.
Any projects that you completed this month?
- We have ordered our 6 passenger golf cart and trailer to help during these events and to give our elders rides on campus during funerals. Jodi Fulton and Nick Miller worked on this together.
Have employees received a certification this month?
- Issac Purser has completed DNR unstable sloped training and Kaitlyn Gutierrez attended the Trisec conference in Las Vegas.
Have any goals been met this month? Who reached them?
- The Forest and Conservation program is now fully staffed. Issac Purser is working hard to get up to speed in his new position. Miranda Ives assisted in presenting the Finfish Program agenda to the Fish Committee for the first time. Khadijah Homolka and Hans Daubenberger surgically implanted acoustic telemetry tags into 47 live juvenile coho from PGST's net pens. The salmon were held for observation in the Wet Lab and released in small groups over several days in the Portage Canal.
Are any grants being utilized? What for?
- The Forest and Conservation program is currently in the process of pursuing the 2024 BIA Timber Fish and Wildlife funding. BIA Endangered Species FY23 funding was used to tag juvenile salmon and release them in the Portage Canal. The EPA PSP FY22 grant was used to conduct acoustic and snorkel surveys of bull kelp beds in the Portage Canal to better understand the development of the bed over the growing season and how juvenile salmon and forage fish utilize the kelp bed as a migration corridor. The Zooplankton Monitoring grant was used to conduct vertical and oblique net tows to collect zooplankton as part of the Puget Sound Zooplankton Monitoring program.
What to highlight or give a shoutout to any individuals this month?
- Courtney Hart was interviewed by Maritime Washington for a series called Women on the Waterfront. The article can be read here -https://maritimewa.org/story/women-on-the-waterfront-courtney-hart. We would like to give a shoutout to Issac Purser, he attended his first site visit with DNR to represent the tribe's interests as a stakeholder in the TFW collaborative process. We would also like to shoutout Khadijah Homolka for the outstanding work she did, presenting our programs work on the Hood Canal Bridge at this year's salmon ecology conference. Miranda Ives gets a shoutout for always being flexible, engaged and beyond helpful with halibut sampling.
Any projects that you completed this month?
- Nikki Aikman and Issac Purser participated in DNR's Annual Olympic region compliance monitoring site visits. This is an important aspect of stakeholder collaboration and is a contract deliverable for our Forest and Fish Support Account contract. Four timber harvest applications within the tribe's U and A in Jefferson County were verified and we're happy to report that all four were in compliance with their respective permits.
- Issac Purser has completed DNR unstable sloped training and Kaitlyn Gutierrez attended the Trisec conference in Las Vegas.
Have any goals been met this month? Who reached them?
- The Forest and Conservation program is now fully staffed. Issac Purser is working hard to get up to speed in his new position. Miranda Ives assisted in presenting the Finfish Program agenda to the Fish Committee for the first time. Khadijah Homolka and Hans Daubenberger surgically implanted acoustic telemetry tags into 47 live juvenile coho from PGST's net pens. The salmon were held for observation in the Wet Lab and released in small groups over several days in the Portage Canal.
Are any grants being utilized? What for?
- The Forest and Conservation program is currently in the process of pursuing the 2024 BIA Timber Fish and Wildlife funding. BIA Endangered Species FY23 funding was used to tag juvenile salmon and release them in the Portage Canal. The EPA PSP FY22 grant was used to conduct acoustic and snorkel surveys of bull kelp beds in the Portage Canal to better understand the development of the bed over the growing season and how juvenile salmon and forage fish utilize the kelp bed as a migration corridor. The Zooplankton Monitoring grant was used to conduct vertical and oblique net tows to collect zooplankton as part of the Puget Sound Zooplankton Monitoring program.
What to highlight or give a shoutout to any individuals this month?
- Courtney Hart was interviewed by Maritime Washington for a series called Women on the Waterfront. The article can be read here -https://maritimewa.org/story/women-on-the-waterfront-courtney-hart. We would like to give a shoutout to Issac Purser, he attended his first site visit with DNR to represent the tribe's interests as a stakeholder in the TFW collaborative process. We would also like to shoutout Khadijah Homolka for the outstanding work she did, presenting our programs work on the Hood Canal Bridge at this year's salmon ecology conference. Miranda Ives gets a shoutout for always being flexible, engaged and beyond helpful with halibut sampling.
Any projects that you completed this month?
- Nikki Aikman and Issac Purser participated in DNR's Annual Olympic region compliance monitoring site visits. This is an important aspect of stakeholder collaboration and is a contract deliverable for our Forest and Fish Support Account contract. Four timber harvest applications within the tribe's U and A in Jefferson County were verified and we're happy to report that all four were in compliance with their respective permits.
Keep up the hardwork, everyone! And thank you to the departments that participated this month!
