The concrete footings are being poured in the huge hole in my front yard as I type. Hooray! This is great progress. RPD has spent the last two weeks digging the huge hole, and the concrete guys came out to build the forms. 

Now, what it interesting to me is that, per specs to protect native fish, my little 8-foot-wide driveway will be replaced by a massive 60-foot-wide structure. None of the guys doing the construction nor I can understand the logic of how that is more fish friendly. But, who is to question the wisdom of those omniscient entities at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife?

There is something that I would like to make very clear:
Gina Piazza at DFW expected me,  a lowly working-class homeowner, to fully fund and arrange this construction MYSELF!

Let's see what we've got down there: a huge excavator, a backhoe, a concrete crane, two concrete mixer trucks, two dump trucks, a whole mess of utility trucks, and at least 20 guys who are working 12-hour shifts, 6 days a week. They will be here working 6-8  weeks. They bought us an $800 generator and are supplying us with about $50 of gas a day (as they had to cut our power line so no one gets hurt on the job site). Oh yeah, I've certainly got enough change in my mason jar to fund this kind of operation. Seriously folks, am I from another planet, or is it absolutely ridiculous for a government agency to expect a homeowner to be able to pull something like this off? When I was researching repair options after a heavy rain washed out our driveway (and after Ms. Piazza told me that she expected my repair to be "just like what DOT did at 305 and Johnson"), I discovered that the cost of the repair would be about a quarter million dollars. Folks, that is as much as my property was worth back in early 2011 when I was pricing the repair. What kind of bank do you think would give me a loan for that? I don't think I will ever wrap my head around this one.

Here are some more pictures...

The picture of the metal gangway is our new access to our house across the creek, from where we park our cars on the other side. (p.s. If you see me driving around and consider judging me for having a completely dusty, trashed-looking vehicle...keep in mind that it's been a couple of years since my car has been up to the house where the hose lives.) We still have to walk up the hill through the orchard the length of a football field. It has been fine except that we have not been able to get our huge Great Pyrenees LGD to the cars easily for his vet appointments. He just had TPLO surgery on his knee and is lame. So, the mobile vet will be visiting us tomorrow. You really don't want to know how much it costs for a house visit from the vet. But, Kenai has an infection in his sutures, so we will happily part with another paycheck to ensure his recovery is the best we can make it. RPD said they will do everything they can to help the vet get his rig parked on the job site and to get his stuff (like an x-ray machine) up the hill to our house.

Yeah, I could have titled this blog post, "The calm before the storm." Fie on clichés!

The plans are that next week the work will begin on constructing the city sewer line through my front yard. I've heard this tale for five years now. The first couple of years, I was hopeful. I believed the promises. After years of hiking the length of a football field up the steep hill to my home, I've become cynical. I'll believe it when I see the whites of the tractor lights driving into my yard.

Why would I be looking forward to having my front yard torn up by a major construction project? Because, during the installation of the sewer line, what you see below will be repaired.

That is what is left of my driveway after a big rainstorm some years back. You can see the uninsulated, high-voltage power line (7200 volts) and the pipes that carry the water from our well to our home hanging in the air. By God's grace, and His grace only, they were not damaged by the six-foot wall of raging water that tossed cinder blocks and large logs like rubber ducks.

At first, we thought that we would repair this ourselves. Ah, I was so naïve. I remember when the biologist from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife stood in my front yard and told me that she expected the repair I would perform in my front yard would be "like what DOT did at Johnson Road and 305." Shall I give you a bit of background on that? It was a 3.8 million-dollar project that took months of round-the-clock work. My sons thought there were giants in the land as we listened to the intense booms from the pipe-jacking that shook our entire home throughout the night hours. So, does it surprise you that I thought Ms. Piazza was joking? I laughed. Her eyes narrowed, and I realized I had just made one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Next, the armed DFW agent ran a criminal background check on me, and my "relationship" with DFW had begun.

I will spare you all the sordid details of my rocky dealings with government officials over the big hole in my front yard. I stopped talking about it after a while. I got tired of people asking me, "Is your driveway fixed yet?" (as if coming up with a cool couple million in greenbacks is no trouble for the average working-class family). And then there was the comment by the women's ministry leader at Poulsbo Community Church, "Get over it Melinda; It's just a driveway."  I've learned my lesson about compassion from "Christians."

Instead, I will enjoy the few days I have left of quiet and peace (there's a Maciej-ism) before the incessant beeping of tractor back-up alerts begins. It is rainy today. All of the neighbors are hunkered down inside their homes. All I hear is the tinkling of raindrops on the gutter above the window where I perch and enjoy the lovely view of my farm and the tree-covered hills above Suquamish.

P.S. I would like to thank the following people for working with me on this problem : Mayor Becky Erickson of the City of Poulsbo, Mark Kuhlman of Team 4 Engineering, City Engineer Andrzej Kasiniak, and Corey Watson of Quadrant Homes.

I just watched the funeral for Billy Frank Jr. One word was used by each speaker to describe Billy -- passionate. He was described as relentless by Brian Cladoosby. Governor Jay Inslee thanked the Creator for giving us such a powerful, inspirational voice. It was said he was more of a "getting arrested kind of guy" than a policy guy. He was irreverent in his use of language, but always respectful and loving in his interactions with people.

Another common theme by the speakers was the desire to continue Billy's work. The speakers acknowledged that it will take the endeavors of one thousand people to replace Billy Frank Jr. One of Billy's friends imagined a time 200 years in the future where a chairwoman will rally Indian Country to pull together and fight for the environment. She will tell tribal members that they can have victory if they all pull together as people did under Billy Frank Jr. to save the salmon 200 years earlier.

Many speakers said they had become students of the Billy Frank Jr. University of Values. He taught them to listen to the treaties because that is when their ancestors are talking to them. Even though Billy was persistent and often filled with righteous anger, he never failed to let each person know that he loved them. He would greet them with, "Jesus Christ, it's good to see you!" accompanied by a huge bear hug. He taught people to listen first, then speak. He taught us that people will listen on the hard issues when they know that you deeply care for them. TJ Greene said Billy was a great man because he was honest, courageous, and made everyone feel that he cared about them. His niece, Nancy Shippentower-Games, said that no one can replace him, but we can all learn from him.

The fight for tribal sovereignty is another theme of Billy's life. He wanted Indian Country to stay out of the court system so that someone else would not be defining who the Tribes are. He said, "Those people are not your friends!" He wanted Tribes to define themselves and to continue to fight for true sovereignty. Billy stressed the need for everyone in the family to work together to solve problems. Today, Tribal members vowed to continue to fight, to never stop until there was no longer a need to fight.

Tribal leaders acknowledged that they don't understand how they came to be in the positions they hold. They are humble people who openly credit the Creator with their rise to power and ask the Creator for the strength and wisdom needed to keep fighting until it is their time to walk on and join Billy. There was an overflowing expression of gratitude for Billy's tireless encouragement and support in forging new leaders. Billy once asked a Tribal member, "Don't give up on me. I need you." They won't.

Flags are at half-mast across the state of Washington today in honor of Billy Frank Jr. A flag that was flown over the capitol of the United States of America was presented to his son Willie Frank III in honor of his father's service as a Marine. The US Fish and Wildlife service presented Willie with a bald eagle feather in honor of his father's efforts in teaching USFW how to preserve wildlife and habitat. The McCloud family sang the Song of the Eagle for their uncle at the end of the service..."When I see that eagle fly, I know it's you, I know it's you."

Farewell Big Chief. Have a safe trip home.

Indian Country has lost a beautiful, passionate defender of tribal sovereignty and a clean environment for salmon. Billy Frank Jr. passed away today at the age of 83.

Here is the story from the NK Herald.

I listened to Billy speaking at a tribal summit just twelve days ago. The cutline I chose for my article, "Don’t put us in these processes that take years and years. We can’t wait.”

Billy Frank Jr. was a true leader, a hero for our generation. He was a natural proponent of non-violent conflict. Maybe my cousin, Jack DuVall, will include Billy Frank in his next volume of "A Force More Powerful."

Here is the first draft of an article I wrote that the North Kitsap Herald published three days ago. I am presenting this version as it contains more quotes from Billy than the print article (which had to be snipped down to fit--my editor calls it "shoe-horning").

Interior Secretary Jewell attends tribal summit hosted by Rep. Kilmer
by Melinda Weer
North Kitsap Herald correspondent


A summit of tribal leaders discussing sovereignty, economic development and natural resources was hosted by 6th Congressional District Representative Derek Kilmer at the Suquamish Tribe’s House of Awakened Culture on April 24. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell joined the summit later in the day to discuss the federal government’s response to issues raised by the tribes. Afterwards, Suquamish Chairman Leonard Forsman took Jewell on a short walking tour, visiting fishermen on a Suquamish Seafood boat and paying respects at Chief Seattle’s grave.

Participating in the summit were representatives from the Hoh, Lower Elwha, Makah, Quinault, Quileute, Jamestown S’Klallam, Port Gamble S’Klallam, and Skokomish tribes. Also present were Billy Frank Jr., President of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, Brian Cladoosby, Swinomish Tribe chairman and President of the National Congress of American Indians, Larry Roberts, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs, and Stanley Speaks, Northwest Regional Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Cladoosby started off the summit with a panel discussion of tribal sovereignty and self-determination, saying, “Tribes govern themselves and their country. You don’t need to tell us what is good for us.” But, tribal sovereignty is not so well-understood by people outside of the tribes. Jamestown S’Klallam Vice Chairwoman Liz Mueller explained that she spends a majority of her time educating Congress and Washington state lawmakers on the topic.

According to Skokomish Vice Chairman Joe Pavel, “We have a unique relationship with the United States. We would still be sovereign without that relationship. We are not artifacts. We are alive and we are still growing.”

Native Americans governed themselves and their affairs long before the Europeans even came to North America. Tribal leaders today don’t see any reason for this to change. “We are here to serve our community,” says Pavel. “The community lets us know what their wants and needs are to address and to promote the health of our community. D.C. needs to recognize and respect the huge commitment of tribal officials. We can’t pick and choose which of our community we represent. We hear all of them. We are the best people to implement [policy] on behalf of our people.”

Makah Chairman T.J. Greene explained that treaties are the highest law of the land according to the US Constitution. But court cases over the years have slowly chipped away at sovereignty. He said that people have a misconception that Native Americans get a lot of free stuff. This misunderstanding most likely stems from a lack of adequate education on the subject. “When the tribes ceded their land, the benefits that we now receive were paid for. The land was ceded so the US could have clear title in order to divide the country into states.” Now, he wishes to be treated on equal footing as any other government entity.

Mueller agrees that the education system in America “has not properly taught about our sovereignty.” Suquamish Chairman Leonard Forsman recommends a curriculum available for Washington teachers called "Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State" (http://tribalsov.ospi.k12.wa.us/).

One of the greatest concerns for tribes right now is funding. Frances Charles, Chairwoman of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe said, “Native tribes have been underfunded for generations. We have limited resources to protect our elders, education, culture and resources. We know what the issues are, what we lack are the dollars.” Charles is frustrated by the layers of government agencies that she has to work with, affecting her ability to get anything done.

According to Mueller, part of the problem is that there are a lot of small tribes in Washington, making it harder to raise money. She states that, “The amount of people needing assistance is close to 45-50%, compared to 35% in the general population, but we have a great difficulty accessing these funds.”

Pavel explains how the concern about funding relates back to tribal sovereignty, “Somebody else [outside the tribe] has already decided what our priorities are and that’s where the money goes. One priority has been jails, but we need to get out ahead of that so our people don’t need those. Our priorities are our spiritual and cultural values, our physical and emotional health, our resources.”

Tribal sovereignty also relates to the ability of tribal governments to respond to climate change and manage their natural resources. Quinault Chairwoman Fawn Sharp opened the panel on climate change and natural resource management by saying, “Tribes are not at the table to determine policies regarding climate change nor treaty-based resources.”

Yet, Quinault natural resources adviser Gary Morishima points out, “Tribal communities are among the most vulnerable to climate change because of their place-based nature and connection to the environment. Tribes are in the best position to detect changes and determine in their own community how to remedy those changes.”

Quinault Chairman Jeremy Sullivan echoed Charles’ earlier comment about the number of government agencies impeding progress, stating that a consolidation of all the government agencies that the tribes have to deal with is needed. Frank agrees, reminding the audience that they took their treaty rights at risk to DC three years ago and still have not gotten any answer (http://treatyrightsatrisk.org/). He passionately relayed, “We ceded land to the US under treaties. The US needs to recognize those treaties. Our people depend on the natural resources. We need to restore the habitat that has been destroyed. Don’t put us in these processes that take years and years. We can’t wait!”

Morishima said that the major obstacle in climate change initiatives is fragmentation of responsibility in the government agencies. “In order to maintain functional ecologic conditions across the landscape, someone needs to be in charge. Instead, we are tied to communications composed of tweets, bullets and teaspoons. Tribes need the ability to sort truth from fiction. The information needs to be relevant to decisions they are making. Tribes need to be involved in national and international policy decisions regarding climate change.”

The tribes have a holistic approach to dealing with issues as they all relate to each other. For example, climate change can have a negative impact on tribal economies. Greene says of the Makah Tribe, “We are an ocean-going nation. We are spiritually connected to the ocean. Seventy percent of our economy, our songs, dance and culture connects us.

Billy Frank Jr. laments that they are not able to celebrate the First Fish Ceremonies because of the lack of salmon, which are so important to their culture and way of life.  “Our hatcheries are under attack by lawsuits by NOAA. Our hatcheries are there because the habitat is gone. Big business is saying it costs too much to have clean water. Our salmon, animals, eagles need clean water. We cannot allow that poison to take over our country!”

Another major concern of tribal leaders is the lack of reliable, high-speed internet. Much of Indian Country is remote, where there is no broadband available. Not only does this affect their ability to do business and get information, their students are at a disadvantage. Rep. Kilmer has responded to this issue by introducing the Promoting Rural Broadband Act of 2014 (HR3916). This legislation directs the FCC to promote the expansion of broadband to unserved and underserved locations.

Secretary Jewell reassured tribal leaders that she understands their concerns and supports them. “The President and his Administration are firmly committed to our trust and treaty responsibilities and to upholding a strong government-to-government relationship with tribal nations,” she said. “As chair of the White House Council on Native American Affairs, what we heard today will help us in our comprehensive efforts to enable agencies across the federal family to work more collaboratively and productively with tribal leaders to advance tribal economic, social and environmental priorities.”  

Jewell understands the funding is a major concern for the tribes, but makes no promises because of constrained resources at the federal level. She is encouraged that the federal FY 2015 budget for Indian programs includes a modest 2.5% increase over FY 2014 enacted levels, and that recommendations involved consultation with the tribes about their priorities.

Jewell is especially excited about President Obama’s commitment to restore tribal homelands. Over 240,000 acres have been restored since 2009 through the fee-to-trust application process. Jewell said, “My goal is to take 500,000 acres of fee lands into trust and I encourage the Tribes to continue to submit their applications and emphasize this administration's commitment to processing these applications.”

The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 gave the Secretary of the Interior the authority to hold land in trust for Indian tribes in order to remedy the incredible loss of Indian lands to the US government. Earlier in the day, Cladoosby mentioned that trying to get land out of trust is a lengthy process that needs to be simplified.

Rep. Kilmer said that DC understands this problem. In response, Assistant Secretary Washburn issued a memorandum in November, 2013, to put parcels over 200 acres on high priority, under his responsibility, in order to speed up the process. Washburn said, "Restoring tribal homelands is critical to promoting tribal self-determination and self-governance and remedying the negative effects of repudiated policies of allotment and assimilation."

At the end of Jewell’s presentation, Greene and Charles invited her to visit their homelands. Jewell thanked them, but reminded them that she is just one person responsible for 566 tribes. She recently told Senator Kerry that his job is easy compared to hers as he only is only responsible for 196 nations.

Later, Greene commented that “treaties were negotiated on our own lands.” He would like to see more visits from DC noting that what hasn’t changed is the responsibility of the US to honor the arrangements of the treaty. Greene added that he applauds Jewell’s visit to Port Madison Reservation, saying he’s “excited that she’s willing to listen. I’m very optimistic that she is working on the issues important to us.”

My small herd of Nigerian Dwarf goats are absolutely loving the sunshine today. Nigerian Dwarf goats are a miniature breed of milk goat. Mine are registered with the American Dairy Goat Association.

This will be the fifth year that my family has lived in the Puget Sound area. It is still a surprise each year when we finally get a sunny, warm weekend. It is almost as if something inside us loses hope that we will experience anything other than grey skies.

My goats literally kicked up their heels, or should I write "hooves," when I let them out to pasture today. But, the prancing was short-lived as they needed to get down to the work of filling their bellies with lush new grass. Can you imagine having to graze for a few hours each day to fill your belly...and then having to regurgitate that food and chew your cud for a few more hours? My goodness, that's a lot of work. I think I'll make myself a smoothie after I write this post.

The title of my blog post today is a tip of my hat to Dr. Maciej Bartkowski. While copyediting one of his recent blog posts, I became enamored with his use of American clichés.  Actually, some prescriptivists might call it abuse of clichés. In my opinion, tired, old clichés could use a bit of roughing up. Dr. Bartkowski moved to the United States from Poland eight years ago. So, his use of English is fresh and flavored by his Eastern roots. In this particular blog post, I noticed that he flipped the words in two clichés. I found that it really helped to wake up my brain when I ran across a fresh arrangement of words. This adds life to his text. Many authors struggle with avoiding the rote, hoping to make their writing more dynamic. Newer speakers actually have a distinct advantage over the rest of us in this case. Yes, those of us with years of college-level English classes should be jealous. Here is the blog post for you to read; you may find the two flipped clichés yourself.

I recommend subscribing to Dr. Bartkowski's blog. He is a brilliant man with an important message -- that of empowering people to stand up to oppressive regimes through nonviolent conflict. I especially appreciate his recent focus on Ukraine. Dr. Bartkowski is the Senior Director of Education and Research at the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict.