www.yuroktribe.org Yurok Today The Voice of the Yurok People Tribe takes aim at lead threat See story, page 2 in Yurok ancestral territory YUROK ELECTION Tribe starts info campaign re: lead Yurok people believe humans are inextricably linked to the natural environment. Human activity can be a benefit or a detriment to any given ecosystem. One can vividly see this concept at work on a short trip over Bald Hills in the fall. Elk and deer can be viewed enjoying the new green grass produced by fires intentionally set last year under the advisement of the Yurok Tribe. Individuals, specifically hunters, can also help manage for the abundance and health of wildlife. The best part is, it can involve harvesting tasty and nutritious game. The extinction of the California grizzly and the gray wolf has moved human hunters into the role of the primary apex predator in the forests and prairies. Top predators are a critical part of every ecological system. In the Pacific Northwest, they Yurok Senior Fisheries Biologist, Chris West, tests various types of copper ammunition for made food more readily accessible for scavenging animals, accuracy and consistency. like raccoons, coyotes and opportunistic birds of prey. For Americans grant to inform tribal and non-tribal citizens of example, when a wolf pack finished feeding on a large elk the risks associated with using lead ammunition and to there was always something left over for the carrion eaters. promote alternatives to lead. The hope of the “Hunters as Hunters can serve this same purpose by leaving gut piles in Stewards” campaign is that hunters, given access to the the woods. However, depending on the type of ammunition best available information, will discontinue the use of lead used to make the kill, the offal piles may be harmful to bullets in the field for harvesting wildlife. Plink on with lead wildlife and the ecosystem. ammo. Fragmented lead ammunition remaining in carrion In the same vein, the Tribe is studying the habitat is toxic to all scavengers, most notably to opportunistic in and around Yurok Ancestral Territory to see if it can large raptors like golden eagles, bald eagles and California once again sustain a California condor population. Lead condors. ammunition fragments in carrion are the greatest limiting The Yurok Tribe recently received a U.S. Department factor in reintroduced condor populations, and the biggest of Health and Human Services Administration for Native On The Cover Contents Yurok tribal member and Wildlife Technician, Tiana Williams Page 6............CRITICAL HABITAT IN TERWER RESTORED tests copper rifle ammunition for accuracy and consistency. Page 10.......................................FALL FUNGI ABUNDANT Page 13....................EDUCATION HAS GRAND OPENING Page 15.....................................V AND P CONSTRUCTION 2 YUROK ELECTION challenge for wildlife managers trying to recover the species. Hunters started using lead ammunition centuries ago, even though it has been linked to serious health risks since the time of the Roman Empire. This is primarily because it is dense, flies fast, and breaks apart upon impact, which makes it very efficient at dropping big game. The breaking apart makes it lose energy, which is then transferred to shock in the body of the shot animal. “We would like hunters to look closely at information available from current research that examines ammunition fragmentation and lead toxicity in humans and wildlife and decide whether that’s something they want to consume and/or put into the environment,” said Chris West, who is the Yurok Tribe’s Senior Wildlife Biologist and a rabid These are some of the rifle rounds used during a recent test. hunter. “I think, by nature, most hunters are critical thinkers which often have to be treated for lead poisoning or die and conservationists. Hunters generally want to take care after consuming a lead laced gut piles and carcasses. The of the forest so that it can continue to provide for them high numbers of condors emergency transported to zoos and their families.” for treatment every hunting season clearly shows that bans When a large caliber lead bullet enters a big game are not effective in preventing access to lead by wildlife. animal it fragments into pieces so small they cannot be There are several alternatives to lead ammunition, the seen by the naked eye. The dust-sized particles of lead most common being made of copper, however, all are can be found up to a foot deep in the animal, and even accurate and have good stopping power. Modern copper a foot away from the path made by the main part of the bullets have just as much shock force as lead ammunition. bullet. When eaten, lead bio-accumulates or is stored in They also fly at a higher velocity and open up, due to the tissues of humans and animals. Once levels get too intentional cuts in the tips made during manufacture, high it can degrade a person’s vascular, renal, nervous on impact. This opening is called controlled expansion and reproductive systems. In other words, lead can and often creates even bigger holes in targets than compromise nearly every important system sustaining lead ammunition. During the first year of the grant the the human body. More sinister is the effect lead has on Wildlife Program will be reaching out the communities in development of the young. Children with only 0.0001 Yurok ancestral territory at the ground level, dispersing grams of lead per liter of blood have an average IQ 6.2 information in a myriad of ways. points lower than children with 0.00001 grams of lead per The Yurok Wildlife Program, with the help of Bullets and liter of blood. This can be the difference of only a couple of Brass and the Institute for Wildlife Studies will be holding lead ammunition harvested meals per week. three shooting demonstrations over the next year. Bullets “There is a massive body of evidence that shows lead is and Brass will provide its expertise in gun mechanics and extremely dangerous for humans and animals to consume,” Institute for Wildlife Studies will be providing lead-free said Yurok Wildlife Technician Tiana Williams, who holds a ammunition for attendees at the shooting events to try degree in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard University out. The shooting demonstrations will involve shooting and is also an avid hunter. lead and non-lead ammunition into water-filled barrels The use of lead in paint was banned in 1978, gas in to assess fragmentation. It will also include shooting into 1986 and in shotgun shells used to kill ducks in 1991. Lead ballistic gelatin so participants can view bullet expansion, ammo is banned in Southern California to protect condors, fragmentation and penetration. 3 “We want hunters to have all of the information they need to decide for themselves if wildlife- friendly ammunition is the way to go,” West said. Also in the first year, the Wildlife Program will purchase an x-ray machine capable of viewing lead particles in game shot with lead bullets. “It is really powerful to see firsthand how much lead will fragment in an animal like a deer,” said Williams. The Wildlife Program will also be exchanging copper ammunition for lead bullets in an effort to Congratulations, Councilman Myers! ensure less lead enters the food chain. Copper ammunition is difficult to get anywhere within a 100 miles of the Reservation. Election Board Chairwoman Betty Brown swears in Pecwan District Representative, Richard Myers. Redwood Marine in Eureka is the Myers will be serving his fifth consecutive term. He has served six terms in the Pecwan District. only store that sells it reliably. Most ammo is sold at big box THPO offers thanks to all who stores, and none of these have non-lead ammo. The program will also develop made raffle so successful a regulatory framework for the Yurok Department of Public Safety Officers to carry copper ammo to The Yurok Tribe’s Tribal Heritage Preservation Office would be used for euthanizing injured or problem animals. like to offer a big thanks to all who participated in the largely successful Cemetery Restoration Raffle. Please listen for announcements on the radio and look for notices The fundraiser made nearly $500, which will allow for in local newspapers advertising the continuation of restoring and improving Yurok family the shooting events. cemeteries. It will also be used for fencing and other necessary supplies to keep the cemeteries in a condition that honors those who have passed on. Thank you to all of the people who purchased raffle tickets and donated so many wonderful raffle items. 4 Panel accepts the 33-stakeholder proposal The board added a last-minute amendment that may hurt tribes The Marine Life Protection Act’s Blue Ribbon Task Force voted to accept the North Coast Regional Shareholder Group’s proposal of marine protected areas. However, the Task Force added a last-minute amendment to the proposal, which it has not made available to the public. The plan and amendment will be forwarded to to the California Fish and Game Commission. “The Tribe has made repeated attempts to get a copy of the amendment to no avail,” said John Corbett, the Yurok Tribe’s Senior Attorney. “We could agree with what’s in the amendment or we could be totally against it depending on what’s in it.” According to Cindy Gustafson, who is the Chair of the Blue Ribbon Task Force, the amendment “does not alter the placement of MPAs developed by the shareholders, but Reps from tribal nations prepare to enter a Blue Ribbon Task Force meeting in Fort Bragg. strengthens the level of protection to be consistent with government and other agencies. other regions in the state…” The Initiative, which is publically and privately funded, While the Tribe has not relinquished any of its hunting or drew substantial criticism in Indian Country all over the gathering rights, the amendment could create regulatory United States. After participating in the public process, many conflicts for tribal members because the State of California tribal members concluded that the Initiative did not honor refuses to recognize tribal rights. the fact that the State of California cannot limit tribes’ ability “The devil is in the details,” Corbett said. to traditionally gather coastal and oceanic resources. Yurok The purpose of the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative is to tribal members were particularly incensed that the Initiative’s create a system of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to protect Science Advisory Team would not allow Yurok tribal biologists marine ecosystems from within mean high tide out to 3 to participate on the science panel. The Tribe made no less nautical miles. The North Coast Study Region, which extends than seven attempts to present to the panel and were turned from the California/Oregon border to Alder Creek (north of down. Hundreds of tribal members from a number of tribal Point Arena), is the fourth of the five identified study regions nations disrupted and took over Science Advisory Team and in the State. Blue Ribbon Task Force meetings in an effort to better inform Tribal harvest of ocean resources has had no negative the process and protect tribal traditions that have taken place effects on the marine environment. since time immemorial. Under the proposal the North Coast Regional Shareholders’ The Tribe believes the MLPA process should also address proposal, Yurok gathering practices in the Tribe’s ancestral major marine resource issues such as the collapse of the territory would be minimally impacted by the protected areas. Sacramento salmon, endangered Coho, collapse of candlefish, There is an area between Redwood Creek and Gold Bluffs and the diminished Pacific Lamprey (eel) populations. The Beach where only crab, salmon and surf fish can be harvested. process should also restrict offshore oil drilling and consider There is also a special closure for Wilson Rock, which is one of the effects of a warming ocean. most densely populated bird nesting grounds on the coast. The California Fish and Game Commission will review, The Shareholder’s proposal was the only unified plan in any of approve or amend the proposal in early 2011. the Initiative’s study regions. It was also supported by 31 local 5 Two Departments restore critical habitat in Terwer Fisheries and Watershed stop sediment and enhance wetlands An ecosystem is much like a perpetually moving, Willow baffles were planted to act as shields protecting complex machine. Its parts all serve a purpose. If a minor the compromised river bank from further erosion. Conifers part is removed it will begin to act differently, inefficiently. such as Sitka Spruce, Douglas fir and Western Red Cedar, If an essential part is taken away, the system will fail. along with Big Leaf Maple and cottonwood were planted A critical part of andromous fish-populated ecosystems to one day shade the waterways and help with bank is wetlands. Wetlands are where baby salmon, including stabilization. Existing off channel ponds were deepened the threatened to give juvenile Coho salmon, and Coho and other steelhead hide from salmon species a swift winter currents safe haven when and predators. The the creek is running marshes are filled with at maximum flow. an abundance of tiny Exits were also invertebrates, Coho’s created so the small favorite food. They fish can exit the also provide seasonal deep pools when homes for numerous the water drops. other aquatic species “Coho heaven is and birds, especially what we created,” water fowl. Wetlands said Senior also act as a natural Fisheries Biologist, filter for the river, Monica Hiner, of removing man-made the NOAA funded contaminants. During project. the summer months Yurok Fisheries Technician, Delmer “Seagull” Jordan runs a backhoe on the Terwer project. Last year, the bogs seep cool Fisheries water into the creek. Biologists found a Coho tagged with a Passive Integrated This November, the Yurok Tribe’s Fisheries Program is Transponder in one of the off-channel ponds. Karuk finishing work on a wetlands enhancement project on the biologists had previously tagged the fish on Independence lower section of Terwer Creek. Excessive logging reduced Creek, which is 106 river miles up the Klamath. The Yurok this once prime salmon spawning and rearing stretch of Tribe also placed a PIT tag receiver in Terwer as part of this water to a singular sediment-filled stream channel, prone project to monitor the success of these restoration sites to eroding its barren banks during high water. and to help guide future restoration efforts. Using everything from heavy machinery to their hands, “Fish are using these ponds as a refuge during high Yurok tribal fisheries biologists and technicians worked to water,” said Dave Weskamp, a Yurok Tribal Fisheries restore complexity to the habitat for the benefit of juvenile Biologist. “We’ve made it easier for the fish by improving salmon, steelhead and pacific lamprey. The crew dug new their over-winter rearing habitat and radically reducing the side channels and lined them with willows to fortify the amount of erosion that creek has been dumping into the banks. Large wood pieces were placed in the channels Klamath for decades.” and in the actual creek to slow the water and separate silt. Terwer Creek is 14-miles long and drains into the 6 Fisheries studying kwo’-ror’, using forensic technology When Yurok elder Raymond Mattz was a child his mother used to ask him and his brothers to go catch enough candlefish for dinner. It was always a competition to see who could get to the river first because one dip with an a-frame net would gross enough of the delicious and nutritious, winter-run fish to fill a five gallon bucket. Whoever made it to the river first got to catch the fish. “I always won because I was the fastest,” Mattz remembered. “There were millions of them.” Mattz also recalled watching then Senator John F. Kennedy give a speech at the opening of the Trinity River Dam in 1960, which was built to divert water to California’s central Valley and create electricity. Candlefish are called kwo’-ror in the Yurok language. For Yurok people, kwo’-ror were a solid supplement of Clear water flows down Terwer Creek after the first fall rains. protein and fat during the winter months when other foods were scarce. Klamath about five miles from the ocean. Terwer is one of Mattz saw the runs of eulachon diminish nearly to the best Reservation streams for producing Chinook and the point of near extinction, which is something that still Coho salmon, steelhead trout, coastal cutthroat trout, and bothers him today. Last March, the federal government Pacific lamprey. The project is located 2 miles upstream listed candlefish as threatened under the Endangered from its confluence with the Klamath. Species Act. According to the justification for listing the Above the project, the Yurok Tribal Watershed species, the federal government cited reduced water flows, Restoration Department worked this fall to permanently habitat changes and diminishing plankton in the ocean as remove other unnatural sediment inputs, mainly caused potential threats to the seven to ten inch fish. by failing roads. The Watershed’s crew removed 15 This fall the Yurok Tribe was awarded a $535,000 grant deteriorating stream crossings on the nearly 26 miles of from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration old logging roads. Where the crossings were taken out, to determine if candlefish still exist in the Klamath and the team replanted the area with native vegetation to Mad Rivers as well as Redwood Creek. Candlefish were stop future sedimentation. The crew removed more than historically found from Northern California to Alaska, but 14,000 yards of silt that would have entered the creek. candlefish have not been found in the Klamath, Mad River, The decommissioned logging route was also re-graded or Redwood Creek since the late 1980’s. to disconnect the road and ditch from stream channels. “We are doing a study to benefit fish, not just sit on a shelf Additionally, cross-road drains were created to disperse somewhere,” said Yurok Senior Fisheries Biologist, Michael water from the road in a more natural way. These and Belchik. other fish-friendly road stabilization techniques saved Candlefish are also known as eulachon or “hooligan” another 11,000 yards of sediment from entering the creek. in southern Canada. The name candlefish comes from the “The Watershed Crew’s work to cut off the sediment abundance of oil found in the fish, which will actually burn sources will be a huge factor in the success of this project,” like a candle after it is dried. Weskamp concluded. 7 5 Yurok Tribal Court starting Yurok elders service Kim Yost Yurok Elder Services Program Coordinator Greeting from the newly established Yurok Elders Service Program (YESP), located within the Yurok Tribal Court. My name is Kim Yost, YESP Coordinator. I will be implementing the services that intend to meet the needs of our elders. Over the past couple years a survey was conducted in order to identify significant needs for support for Yurok Candlefish, caught near the Klamath Glen circa 1950, drip from an a-frame dip net. elders aged 50 and over in the service areas of Humboldt Candlefish, like salmon, are born in freshwater and after and Del Norte Counties. a period time enter the ocean. The Klamath population of candlefish reenters the river from January to April after three The Yurok Tribal Court will continue gathering years in the ocean, spawn in gravelly sections of river and die. information as part an on-going process to get elder input Further north, candlefish live up to five years in the ocean. Mattz and information. remembers watching swarms of fish spawn at Lamb’s Riffle, which The following is a list of services that I will help coordinate is about ten miles from the Klamath’s confluence with the ocean. with you: What is not known is whether the anadromous fish return to the • Transportation same water body it was born in. It is possible, that candlefish are • Community Events like Pacific lamprey and spawn in rivers different from where they • Meals hatched, according to Belchik. • Legal Aid Two fisheries crews will dip net, seine and plankton net for • Veteran Services candlefish in extremely challenging winter conditions from • Home Visit Outreach January through April in the Klamath, Mad and Redwood Creek. • Cultural Foods and Resources The Yurok Tribe’s Fisheries Department will also use high-tech • “Individual Elder Plans” (IEP) – person centered DNA amplification techniques to discover if the fish still return to planning, designed to meet a full range is services that elders this area. This DNA amplification technique can detect extremely may need. low levels of candlefish DNA from a water sample. “We are going to look really hard for Eulachon, really hard, for three years.” Belchik I will be working within our Tribal Programs and within the said. greater community to identify and secure resources to meet If candlefish are found in the study area, a restoration and the identified needs of our most valuable population. recovery effort can be initiated. If none are found, reintroduction from other watersheds further to the north may be considered. It is our responsibility to watch over our most fragile “In either case, our effort is ultimately intended to be the first population of people, our elders. step of bringing back this important species to the Klamath River.” Belchik said. 8 Tribe opens up access to much needed rock The quarries will save money and stop erosion into the Klamath River Yurok Road Maintenance Foreman, David Frye, stands on Iron Gate Road before the This is the road after the work was completed. crew went to work. were in “horrendous condition” before the Road’s crew The Yurok Tribal Road Department is restoring two went to work, according to Frye. Some portions of Iron roads that will massively maximize the department’s Gate road were difficult to walk through, let alone traverse ability to better travel ways on the Reservation. in a four-wheel drive truck. Both the Two Snakes Road and Iron Gate Road lead to All that is left to finish up the roads is rockwork and substantial storages of rock that can be used to fortify brushing, the latter will be completed by the Yurok dirt roads for winter travel and limit bad sediment from Forestry Department. The brushing will act as a fire break entering the Klamath River and its tributaries. in the event of a forest blaze. “The purpose of opening these quarries is to stretch In addition to benefiting tribal roads for years to come, our road dollars,” said David Frye, the Yurok Tribe’s Road Two Snakes and Iron Gate both have substantial hunting, Maintenance Foreman. “Now we can rock twice as much wood cutting and gathering grounds. The roads are lined road for half the price. Rock on.” with tanoaks, firs, huckleberry bushes and mushrooms. Previously, the Tribe had to purchase rock that was “We opened up some really good gathering areas. shipped in from out of the area. There’s a ton of acorns right now,” Frye said. Iron Gate Road is located off of Pine Creek Road and The Road Maintenance crew worked with Bob Blanchard Two Snakes is just past Tulley Creek. Both three-mile roads 9 from the Yurok Forestry Department to land the competitive Natural Resources Conservation Service grant run through the USDA. The grant— $246,000 a year for five years—is for fixing existing roads that are eroding mud into the Klamath River and its tributaries. This is the first time Tribes have had access to the grant. The relatively new, all- Yurok road maintenance specialists vary in Yurok tribal member, Jordan Carlson, holds a king bolete she harvested this fall. experience and are learning a lot working on this Fall fungi popping project, said Frye, who is a retired Trinity County road maintenance supervisor. The crew is also setting the Mushrooms are another abundant, which is white inside but stains yellow standard for roads on the healthy, traditional fall food source in after it is cut. The gills look like raised, Yurok Reservation. There Yurok territory. interlacing veins. are dozens of roads in a Chanterelles, hedgehogs, king The orange hued, trumpet-shaped similar condition to what boletes and tanoaks are just a few of fungal flowers are followed by Iron Gate and Two Snakes the abundant autumn fungi that can be hedgehogs. Hedgehogs are apricot were before the crew went found from Wehl-kwew to O sley-goych, on top and have fine white “teeth” on to work. from the Little River to Wilson Creek. the underside. These earthy-tasting “This is a great Yuroks have gathered mushrooms mushrooms are probably the safest opportunity for the new for food since the beginning of to harvest for the beginning gatherer Road Department to put time. Collecting mushrooms takes a because there aren’t any toxic look- into practice these new knowledge that is best learned from alikes. Both mushrooms can be found skills, to set the standard elders who know how to distinguish in forests mixed with fir and spruce. high,” Frye said. “We were between edible and toxic fungi. Hedgehogs particularly like to hang with real fortunate we came “I learned from my elders,” said Chris huckleberries. across this grant.” Peters, a Yurok hunter and gatherer. After hedgehogs come king boletes, The most common edible mushrooms which are one of the largest edible Place your AD here rise in succession following the first mushrooms. The sometimes knee-high Yurok Today is now selling rain. Chanterelles pop first on the coast fungi have a dense bulbous stem and advertising. Yurok Today reaches all Yurok Tribal households and is and then migrate to the mountains a tan cap. Instead of gills, kings have a available online. Please contact as the rains become more frequent. spongy looking underside. King boletes Matt Mais for rates at (707) 482- Chanterelles can be identified by gills are usually located in conifer forests. 1350 or [email protected]. located under the cap and its stem, However, unlike hedgehogs and us 10