North Creek Wetland Restoration Project

Having read Winona LaDuke's article "Wild Rice. Maps, Genes and Patents" a while back, I remembered that she mentioned that the "US Army Corps of Engineers began massive wetland draining efforts to make room for farms and building sites" (184). This reminded me of a wetland that wasn't a wetland not too long ago.

North Creek Wetland at the University of Washington, Bothell/Cascadia campus.

The site area lies within the former territory of the Sammamish Indian band, which is considered to be part of the Duwamish group. When lake levels were highest the area was a shallow part of a very large lake that included contemporary Lake Sammamish and Lake Washington.

• In 1872-1873 the area was bought out by Truly Farms and Stringtown areas. Logging, agriculture, and dairy farming were predominant activities.
  In 1880 the area was converted into a log plume, the creek was streightened to send timber upstream to the Sammamish River.
• In 1916 the land became a 500 acre farm, and the excesive drainage ditches were constructed to improve farming.
• Through the sixtees, seventees and eightees continued ranching, growing alfalfa, clover, and corn for the cattle.
• As recently as 1993, hay was harvested, corn grown, apples picked, and the annual round up was held.

Restoration Project:

http://www.uwb.edu/admin/fpdc/wetlands/Restoration_Project.xhtml

Prior to the restoration North Creek channel was straight, channelized, and confined within artificial levees. This resulted in a lack of contact time of floodwaters with the floodplain and had direct consequences for maintenance of water quality, and flood and cover resources for anadromous and resident fish in the North Creek ecosystem. The structure of then existing plant communities did not provide the variety of habitats found in native forested wetlands.

In 1998, the first phase took place, which involved stripping and grading all areas east of the existing channel, excavation of the new channels and placement of floodplain features. The new main channel was designed with bed and bank features, meanders, and a variety of in-channel habitats, including pools, riffles, and large wood. The rest of the site was regraded to create micro-elevation changes similar to those found in local wetlands. Now, North Creek Wetland is one of the largest wetland restoration projects in the State of Washington.

Cascadia Community College's Stewards for the Environment link:
http://www.cascadia.edu/CampusInformation/environmentalstewards.asp

I attended Cascadia from 2002-2005. I've written two papers about the North Creek wetland and the restoration project. I volunteered at the wetland in 2004 and really enjoyed my experience there. Planting trees, learning about the wetland, helping the environment and observing the wetland from within were all very benefitial to me, because I feel its very important for me, for the school, for the community and most importantly… for nature.

More Information about North Creek Wetland:

http://www.cascadia.edu/CampusInformation/WetlandsPresentation_11-07-07_files/frame.htm

by: Alex Mark

James Welch's "Winter in Blood"

I’ve read James Welch’s novel “Winter in Blood” a while back. Thinking back to it now, I can draw connections between this book and the discussions we had earlier in class about internal colonialism and historical trauma. Although this is a fictional book, with the main character being the nameless narrator; I believe that this book is very applicable here because the narrator is the author James Welch himself. James Welch attended schools on the Blackfeet and Fort Belknap reservations in Montana, which is very similar to articles we read in the beginning of the class about colonialism and historical trauma.

Below is a brief description of the story:

James Welch’s “Winter in the Blood” is a story about an unnamed Native American narrator, and the main character in the story, which lives on the Indian reservation in Montana with his mother, stepfather and grandmother. The story goes through what can only be described as a narrator’s meaningless existence. It seems that way at first, due to the fact that the main character of the story is a wanderer, who lives with his mother on a ranch, unmarried, cannot hold down a job, and for the most part is a drunk. He cannot and will not connect with anyone emotionally, including his family. At the start of the novel, I pictured the narrator as a complete and total bum, a waste, an absolute nothing. However, as the story progresses, we begin to see that although he does fit all of these descriptions, there is a lot more to him that meets the naked eye, or in this case a lot more than our first impression of him indicates in the novel. The book itself represents a lot more, thanks to many subtle themes that are introduced and reoccur throughout the book.

One of the main themes in the novel is the idea of distance. The narrator distances himself emotionally from almost all the other characters in this book. This distance is represented by emotional indifference toward his mother, his stepfather, his grandmother and even his girlfriend. All the people around him that should matter, and should be cared for, are completely unimportant to him as he feels nothing for them.

The distance is also an issue when it comes to the relationship that the narrator has with his father First Raise and an older brother Mose. This might be a little bit of a stretch, but the distance here is physical because both his father and his brother are dead.

Due to the loss of the only two people that he ever cared for, his indifferent emotional state, inability to connect with people on any level, lack of self-identity, purpose and direction, the constant reminder of guilt, and the alienation from his “own people” – the distance just keeps growing. These things are all interconnected and at time influence one another to contribute to the narrator’s “distant” state of mind.

The second important theme of distance is presented in narrator’s alienation from the Indian culture and tradition. This is due to the aforementioned fact that his mother was not a “true Indian”, and the significant issue of the mother and grandmother concealing the identity of the narrator’s biological grandfather. Later in the book we see how his “real” grandfather became the narrator’s link to his Indian heritage and culture.

During that time his father and brother were alive, and his grandmother, who now was blind and did not speak, would tell him stories of her past living among the Indian tribes. These stories could have possibly been the narrator’s connection to his Indian traditions, but were now completely lost and abandoned.

After finally meeting his “real” grandfather, the narrator begins to feel a clearer understanding of his own self, the people around him, and I believe that toward the end he finally becomes his own man. The man capable of making decisions, in touch with his Indian heritage, a man that could possible sustain a relationship, a man who could shorten the distances between himself and his surroundings.



by: Alex Mark

Tulalip Tribes and Salmon

Indian tribes have always lived in the river valleys of what is now western Washington. As part of these ecosystems, they co-evolved with the natural resources of this area, their cultures centered on fishing, gathering and hunting. The tribes in Western Washington fish commercially, and for subsistence and ceremonial purposes. They fish for all species of salmon and steelhead in marine and freshwater areas of Puget Sound and the Washington coast. Today, the wild salmon upon which they have always depended are disappearing. More than a century of timber harvesting, dam construction, rapid population growth and other factors have destroyed and degraded important salmon spawning and rearing habitat. Past overharvest drove salmon populations lower.

NorthWest Indian Fisheries Commision

http://www.nwifc.org/fishmgmt/index.asp

Because many wild salmon runs are currently depressed or endangered, the hatchery returns are especially important to the Tulalip Tribes. The Tulalip Tribes are one of twenty Northwest tribes that have a fisheries program, and their program is considered by many to be one of the better-managed hatchery programs in the state. The main focus of the Tulalip Tribe’s hatchery program is to mimic, where possible, ecological conditions of the natural environment and to infuse the genetic constituents of local natural population, which has evolved with the natural habitat conditions in the Snohomish basin. The hatchery raises and releases three species of salmon, Coho, Chinook and chum, which are currently incubated and reared at the hatchery. Tulalip hatchery helps to preserve wild salmon runs through their hatchery practices. The long-term vision of the Tulalip Tribes is the restoration of wild salmon production to levels that will support fishing needs.

Tulalip Hatchery Link: http://www.tulalip.nsn.us/htmldocs/salmonhatchery.htm

All hatcheries, including Tulalip, are required by the government to mass-mark (clipping of adipose fin) their fish prior to its release. This process provides the fisherman with an easy way to tell the difference between the hatchery catch which they can keep, and wild salmon which must be thrown back in the water. Extensive handling, such as is required to “mass-mark” hatchery juvenile salmon, has been shown to increase the transmission of infectious disease agents in salmon. In fact it is well documented in the literature that handling juvenile salmon causes stress and abrasions to the fish that in turn increases the chances for them to contract infectious diseases. Recently the salmon returns have been negatively affected by bacterial diseases like BKD (Bacterial Kidney disease) and vibriosis. Tulalip Tribes Natural Resource department conducted the study to measure the potential of mass-marking to spread bacterial kidney disease and exacerbate vibriosis in Tulalip Chinook salmon during and after the marking procedure.

In Tulalip laboratory preparing slides for a Gram stain and FAT tests.

I wrote a scientific essay about this experiment (which I can't attach), but it's abstract can be accessed at:

http://courses.washington.edu/envircon/autumn08/

I also presented a poster at this year's Program on the Environment's Capstone Conference:

Posted by Alex Mark

Declaration of the rights of Indigenous Peoples

It is ironic that the United States proclaims their ability to establish individual rights and freedoms, but they fail to live up to it. The UN declaration on the rights of Indigenous People in September of 2007 was passed by a majority of one hundred and forty-four states. Surprisingly to me, the four states that voted against it were Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. There were also eleven abstentions.

Within the Declaration, there is a minimum standard that all humans will be able to have. Survival and well being of the indigenous people are the main goals of the declaration. Other aspects include cultural rights, identity, education, health, employment, and language. The declaration encourages harmonious interaction between states and indigenous peoples.

I believe that this Declaration is amazing and that it is a beautiful start. I think that the enforcement of the declaration could use a little work. I think that one of the main reasons that the united states didn’t favor it is because it isn’t economically pleasing to them. In the declaration, it says that states should pay restitution for indigenous people.


“Article 11
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to practise and revitalize their cultural
traditions and customs. This includes the right to maintain, protect and develop the
past, present and future manifestations of their cultures, such as archaeological and
historical sites, artefacts, designs, ceremonies, technologies and visual and
performing arts and literature.
2. States shall provide redress through effective mechanisms, which may
include restitution, developed in conjunction with indigenous peoples, with respect
to their cultural, intellectual, religious and spiritual property taken without their
free, prior and informed consent or in violation of their laws, traditions and
customs.”

http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N06/512/07/PDF/N0651207.pdf?OpenElement


More information: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/indigenous/declaration.htm


By: Ali Gosman

Left Foot Organics

In lecture we have been talking a lot commons, farming, and sustainability. Today specifically Prof. Pena's lecture about the community farm in Los Angeles got me thinking about my personal expieriences with agriculture of this nature. A few years ago when I was starting to work on my Eagle Scout project I came into contact with an organic farm, called Left Foot Organics, that was located about 4 miles away from my house in a rural area outside of Olympia. I had a wounderful expierience with this farm and I think it would be appropriate to talk about it and everything it does.

Me working on a kiwi arbor at LFO

Left Foot Organics is a small organic farm that employes people with devlopmental disabilities. The farm is able to employ 10 year round 'growers'. By hirering people with devlopmental disabilities they give these people an opprotunity to be involved and connected to the community. Because they are working in agriculture they, the people who are most often marginalized in our society, now find themselves in the pivitol role of food producers for the community around them. The growers at LFO are payed employees and with this comes responsibility of having a job and purpose which is well regarded as an important part of life for all people. The money they earn also gives them the opprotunity to contribute to their own financial lives.

A small bounty of crops grown at LFO

At Left Foot Organics they also strive to produce the finest crops. They are a USDA certified organic farm that produces healthy crops in ways that are healthy and sustainable for the earth. The farm often offers opprotunities for the the community to learn about the importance of sustainability in farming and the significance of growing food close to the market.

LFO also has several other employees that are present to assist in the farm work and help the growers. These employees are trained to work with the growers so that the farm can accomplish its many goal, both for production and helping to devlope the growers. The following link is to a video that shows how two of the employees work together in making potting soils for their young plants.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCtZFR1ia1ceft

I think that Left Foot Organics is an excelent example of applied environmental anthropology because it is taking the ideals of sustainability and working with people who can benefit from all of EA's teachings. It is also another example of how EA can be used to show how important it is to our world. As farms like this and others that apply the lessons of EA become more common the public will become more aware of their existance and start to understand their importance in the culture of the people who participate in them.

The link to Left Foot Organics website

http://www.leftfootorganics.org/index.php

By: Aaron Talmage

Indigenous Seeds

I took this picture a few days ago while I was at the bus stop across from Nordheim Court. I was extremely intrigued by the buried capsule. I really wanted to know who put it there and why they put it there. I wanted to know the reasons for choosing certain seeds, and also how they were able to place them there. I tried searching everywhere for information on these capsules, but I couldn’t find anything at all. However, I was able to find some information specifically about the seeds in this particular capsule. Thimbleberry or Rubus Parviflorus, is known to have been an important fruit for indigenous people. The fruit was eaten fresh during summer months, but was then dried for winter use. The bark was boiled and made into soap and the leaves can make a medicinal tea. The leaves could also be crushed into powder and then could be applied to burns to minimize scarring.

More information about thimbleberry: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~ecostudy/elp/hendricks/pdf_files/PlantGuide.pdf



By: Ali Gosman

History of Native American Farming

I recently found an interesting web site that talked in legth about the history of farming and subsistence methods in North America. The article focuses on research done by archeologists that have been investigating into the very oldest of Native farming and subsistence methods. It starts by arguing the common belief that over hunting was responsible for the extinction of the wooly mammoth. This is somthing we also adressed in lecture. Numerous studies have proven that over hunting was not responsible for this extinction. I think it is important to make people know and understand that the native people were not responsible for this. This is a stereotype that has been used against Native cultures for a long time as a means of trying to prove that they can be unresponsible stewards of the environment.

This cartoon exemplifies the stereotype that native people were resposible for the extinction of the Mammoths.

The article then explains how native people were using advanced farming and irrigation tehniques for thousands of years prior to the arrival of white settlers. Archeology has shown that their methods were not only highly sucessful but able to support many variaties of plant life and an abundance of biodiversity. These native people were using their farmlands for not only food crops but they allowed for other plants to grow which they could use as alternative food crops, medicine, or some other function for their society. It is important to show how Native people have been using TEK for thousands of years and carfully passing it down throught generation to insure the survival of their children and all of the environment that they live in.

http://www.agnr.umd.edu/extension/local/Howard/files/mg/schrise.htm

I also find it interesting that the fall of Native many forms of native agriculture were caused by western influences. There are several cases where diesease and being counqued ended the traditional means of food production and we then criticise them as being backwards and uncapable of caring out advanced agriculture.

This is an example of traditional multi colored Native American corn.

By Aaron Talmage

Deforestation in Brazil

In my daily perusal of the BBC online I found an interesting article on deforestation in Brazil. The article explains how the government of Brazil has been working in the past years to fight back against illegal deforestation of the Amazon rain forest. In fact they have even claimed some success in the fact that for three years prior to this year they saw a decline in deforestation. However this year they are now estimating a three to four percent increase. The government believes that an increase in the price of food and other commodities has driven farmers to cut down trees as a means of making the money they need to keep in stride with the increase in prices.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7756241.stm

Reading this article got me thinking about the different risks of deforestation, especially in the case of the Amazon rain forest. I see two different aspects of deforestation that apply specifically to environmental anthropology. The first is the loss of biodiversity that occurs when deforestation is allowed to happen. An article on wsws.org explained how much forest was actually being taken away and talked about that effect on the biodiversity of the area. It is especially frightening to think about a loss of biodiversity in the Amazon because it is historically one of the very most biologically diverse places on earth. This means that destroying this area is effectively destroying huge amounts of plant and animal species which could easily lead to the total destruction of these species since many of them live in very specialized parts of the Amazon and do not traditionally exist anywhere else on the earth.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/jan2005/amaz-j15.shtml

I think it is also important to consider the damage that is being done to the native people who live in the Amazon. Deforestation not only limits their home lands but it also harms their culture because of the loss in biodiversity. These cultures are dependent on the resources of the Amazon. They utilize thousands of different plant species but deforestation is threatening these species and therefore the native people who depend on them.

By Aaron Talmage

Homelessness

Nickelsville

An encampment called Nickelsville was named after Greg nickels the Mayer of Seattle. The name is a stab at the Mayer who initiated various acts to clean up Seattle. In his “humane” treatment, the homeless are being forced out of every possible location and their property is being destroyed. This mobile encampment once occupied a section of Discovery Park, that according to coordinators was Native American land, but they were forced to leave. They soon left to a church in the university district. They are currently facing evictions again. Despite this, the encampment has turned into a community and many people stay there to make it through the difficult economic times. There are different sanitation and safety rules that are in place to help protect the residents. The City of Seattle has said that the church could turn into a shelter if it so chooses, but the city has offered no funding for such a thing. The creators of Nickelsville hope to eventually have a permanent shantytown where up to one thousand people could live. The permanent camp would help people who are struggling until they can make it on their own once again.



“The kind words of Brendan Foster takes Nickelsville to the global audience of CNN. There will be a Benefit Concert for Nickelsville, sponsored by Q Café, Quest Church & Turning Point Seattle. It features Jeff Greer, Tim Harris and The Raging Grannies. The Q Café is in Interbay, at 3233 15th Avenue West. It starts at 7 PM on Saturday, November 15th. Hope to see you there.” (http://www.nickelsvilleseattle.org/)

By: Ali Gosman

Dr. Vandana Shiva

Dr. Shiva is an inspiration to many people, and has wrote many books about the effects of biopiracy happening in India. In the Late 1990's she started an organization called Navdayna which is a national program to fight seed monopolies. Through this program there has been many victories against corporations such as Monsanto. This program is allowing small farmers to save their seeds once again, come away from being dependent on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This is allowing these farmers to come out of debt, and start supporting their families once again. The organic small farmer crops sell for more money then the industrialized crops and taste better, along with being better for the ecosystem. In recent times Navdayna has opened three new seed banks to the public in the heart of the Green Revolution area of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Dr. Shiva is putting her TEK and high education to good use by helping the local farmers succeeded in what they have done for many generations without the influence of large corporations who many not always know or care what is best of the people or the land.

By Kassie McCann

Link to Interview with Dr. Vandana Shiva http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/shiva.html

Link to Navdayna organization http://www.countercurrents.org/shiva221107.htm

TEK and biopiracy

I just read another article about a team of scientists and explorers that went to the amazon basin in order to examine one of the most endangered environments in the world. They were lead by a woman named Dolores who is a native of the Amazon basin. She guided them through the thick forest, stopping by any significant plants and educating the scientists and explorers on the health benefits, or cures that each plant brought. Dolores demonstrated TEK, and it's importance to her community, and the world. This tour also brought up the issues of biopiracy and capitalism, where corporations are clawing their way into the amazon in order to gain cures for cash.

Dolores

-Posted by Hanna

Biodiversity, or the lack of it.

I was browsing through CNN, when I came across a very interesting article. The article brought up the issue of biodiversity. According to the article, mass amounts of extinction are occurring, and the world is not doing anything about it. Yes, there may be treaties that exist to "protect" nature, but it exists only for the politics of it.
Due to capitalism and mass expansion, many many species are dying out. Many leaders are discussing issues such as biopiracy and biosafety, but are not focusing on the real issue; which is the dying biodoversity.

Biodiversity

-Posted by Hanna Lee

Biopiracy in India

In response to Hanna Lee's post on what is being done about biopiracy, I found a great website that explains a recent triumph for the people of India. In 1994 a patent was placed the fungicidal properties of the plant called Neem. The natives of India used the Neem plant on their crops and thought of it as a form of TEK. In 1995 with the help of Dr. Vandana Shiva the opposition to this patent was filed stating that the use of this plants was public knowledge. The patent was finally revoked in 2005. While this isn't the only case of biopiracy in India, it is a major step in the right direction in curtailing this adverse way of manipulating the indigenous peoples knowledge of their ecosystem.
Kassie McCann

The website I found this on was:

http://www.indiatogether.org/2005/may/env-biopiracy.htm

Hog farms and the Meatrix

When Pena introduced the Meatrix I started looking around to find out what does it mean to be free-range or organic. This upset me to find that the requirements are minimal and are not very enforced. Recently we have heard a lot about the Acequia and the sustainability of their farming practices, which is really interesting but is being challenged like many other small farms by large corporations. I was at the library a couple of days ago and saw a book that caught my eye called Pigs, Profits, and Rural Communities. I picked it up and read the introduction and it explained how small sustainable hog farms are being over run by large unsustainable producers. It also explained that these large corporations cause damage not just to the land and environment, but also to the social system and community. But how are these small farmers suppose to compete with the low prices of mass productions especially in a time when the economy is hurting so bad? Many people here in the U.S. can and do understand the consequences of not being sustainable but cannot afford it, or don't see the repercussions of not doing so. In this book they do research and use ethnography to understand the small farmers and the consumers percective on the industial farming industry.

Kassie McCann

What's being done about biopiracy today?

Recently we learned about biopiracy, and how it ties in with capitalism. Big corproations patenting life, and trying to make huge profit from it from small time farmers.
Something that I found myself contemplating is would corporations really test the DNA of every seed to make sure that farmers are not "illegally" planting it? or do they wait until the farmer is doing well before they decide to do a DNA check on the seeds the farmer is using?
In recent years, there has been legal action in biopiracy, but so many patents on so many species of plants exsist already; is legal action going to resolve the issue? Or will it put a temporary fix for the struggling farmers, and third world countries?

Here's an article I found relating to the issue.

Biopiracy


-Hanna Lee

Collaborative Research

Hello again,
Pena sent out an email on the applications of environmental anthropology today, I hope everyone got a chance to read it. The study was a collaborative study between him and Joe Gallegos who is a farmer and activist. This study focused on how (TEK) or traditional knowledge can in most cases be more accurate than that information from so called "experts" or scientist brought in to study something, such as the how mining was going to affect the watershed of acequia. This piece showed the importance of collaborative research between the researcher and the local people, and how it can benefit both parties when done right. When researchers come in and use the local knowledge wrong or in a way that upsets the native people this can cause conflict and reason for the native people to not want to share their knowledge with the outside world. The title of this study is called Local Knowlegde and Collaborative Environmental Action Research. Check it out!
Kassie McCann

SARE

Hello everyone,

I was looking for some applications of enviro. anthro. and came across a wonderful site called SARE. It stands for Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education. It's main goal through funding small farms and ranches is to educate people on how healthy and profitable it can be to be sustainable and environmentally friendly. This site reminded me a lot of the work that our Professor Pena does on his farm with the use of mixed crops of vegetation to reduce pests. This site along with the funding it offers has created new markets to these small business owners and farmers who were on the brink of losing it all to large monoculture producing companies. Its wonderful check it out www.sare.org

Kassie McCann