August 2016
Cowlitz Tribe | Town Hall Meetings
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TOWN HALL MEETINGS - Executive Summary
WHEN, WHERE, AND WHY?
Chairman Bill Iyall and the Cowlitz Tribal Council arranged for five town hall-style meetings to engage with Tribal members across Cowlitz Country and solicit their feedback on the future of the Cowlitz Tribe. With the exciting new reservation and ilani Casino Resort now underway, participants welcomed these meetings and thought they were well timed.
The Cowlitz Tribe are the “forever people.”
Members of a the Tribe’s expert panel, Tribal leaders, the Tribe’s communication team, and consultants from BergerABAM prepared for and facilitated the meetings held once monthly on Saturdays from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Toledo, Fife, Longview, Tukwila, and Ridgefield between February and June 2016. Attached meeting summaries include the names of the panel, staff and a sign in sheet for members and spouses. Attendance varied from approximately 20 to over 50 members, and all sessions produced ideas regarding programs and projects for Tribal Council consideration. Primary topics members were asked to address included education, housing, health, natural resources, and the catch-all “other” category. This executive summary highlights common themes enunciated by members over the five town hall sessions. Those participating were advised that their input would be considered by the Council. Please see the summaries of the individual meetings for more detailed information.
WHAT SHOULD THE TRIBAL COUNCIL FOCUS ON? The Overall Vision The Cowlitz Tribe are the “forever people.” The Cowlitz have a long, proud history and culture that define and shape a shared vision for the Tribe’s future. This vision for the future is characterized by prosperity and expanded choices in education, health care, and housing available to all tribal members. All members can achieve their educational goals through attendance at colleges, Cowlitz Tribe | Town Hall Meetings
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universities, and trade schools at any location nationwide. Expanded new options, facilities, and programs in physical and mental health care are available to men, women, and children of all ages. Housing choices include full-service communities with activities, restaurants, shops, and gathering places nearby. Home ownership, rental, and repair funds are available to any member.
These choices also include the Tribe’s historic activities; traditional fishing, hunting, and gathering grounds have been expanded, while Cowlitz innovations have helped to sustain and enhance its resources, extending their use for future generations. The reservation has been developed and expanded into a hub of commercial, cultural, and administrative activities for members and visitors. The reservation includes the ilani Casino Resort with its hotel, conference rooms, shops, spa and restaurants, administrative buildings, cultural facilities, a clinic, and new housing. There are cultural elements within ilani, and the site “sings” with heritage as portrayed in a historical map in the foyer, representations of other significant storylines throughout the resort, and displays of native art, all connected to the rest of the reservation by an interpretive walkway of native plants. The Cowlitz Tribe enjoys many new indoor and outdoor gathering places, new and old ways to communicate and stay connected, and a freshened but timeless identity. The reservation has become a town, renamed Cowlitz, home to the forever people.
Components of the Vision The members who attended the five town hall meetings offered particular suggestions for Council consideration. They are summarized in the table below and included in more detail in the town hall summaries (attached). The following is a summary of members’ common input by topic.
Education • Provide opportunities for lifelong learning: culture, cooking, native plants and native art • Build university partnerships • Maintain Cowlitz leadership in education • Fund education for all members • Offer college and trade school scholarships • Include Cowlitz culture test as part of scholarship application • Help repay student loans • Ensure stipends for student housing costs • Provide tuition for private and vocational schools • Instate an education committee • Begin a cedar carving program • Educate through media and travel • Provide horse camps and children’s camps to teach culture • Hold ceremonies and programs (drum, dance) • Provide health insurance for members • Cover pharmacy medication, consider a mail-order pharmacy
Health • • • • • • • • • • • •
Provide a traveling nurse for at-home elder care Expand system beyond the current 10 counties Provide mental and holistic health services Provide family support, such as day care Expand youth activities/summer camps Fund sports equipment and field trips Expand in-home care services Expand vision, hearing, and dental services Develop preventive medicine/longevity clinics Develop a warrior (men’s health) program Provide birthing/midwife classes Develop a substance abuse/addiction/ immediate needs program • Offer military family support • Provide urgent care and hospice care
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Economic Development and Interagency Cooperation
Housing • Provide more housing near services • Expand eligibility for housing programs beyond low income • Fund energy conservation improvements • Provide home improvement funds • Expand down payment and rental assistance programs • Provide visiting service and activities for elder housing • Meet transportation needs for elders • Provide gathering areas and places for children in housing developments • Design elder housing with scenic views • Provide assisted living and in-home care for elders
Natural Resources • • • • • • • • • • •
Expand hunting, fishing, and gathering lands and rights Expand camping, parks, and gardens Provide park access and fishing license fee assistance Develop a native plant interpretive trail Incorporate wetlands in reservation master plan Work with stakeholders to promote Tribal needs Create a natural resources action plan Focus on traditional harvest areas and federal lands Co-manage resource areas with U.S. Forest Service Train internal managers and expand their capacity Promote self-governance
• Provide a unique casino experience • Consider shopping/commerce on reservation • Develop new administrative building, including a courthouse, on the reservation • Build a center that embraces natural and cultural resources, education, traditional arts and crafts, and economic development • Provide summer internships for students • Continue to develop partnerships (e.g., USFS, local, state, and federal government) • Reinvest casino proceeds into programs • Institute tribal employment rights office/Cowlitz tribal member employment training and hiring preference • Fund support systems (workforce development and educational, financial and health resources) • Attain economic diversity • Encourage tribal member entrepreneurship
Next steps The Tribal Council thanks all participating members and their spouses for their valuable time and input. The Council will review and prioritize all the program and project ideas provided during the meetings. The Council will use member input to help develop and implement projects and programs, and may provide future town hall sessions to solicit further input. Please see the complete summaries of the meetings for all input collected at the five town hall sessions. Attachments: Town Hall Summaries
Heritage, Culture, and Communications • • • • • • • • • • • •
Economic Development and Interagency Cooperation Provide camps and mentoring for youth Teach culture, language, and heritage Promote Cowlitz identity and pride Create a vision statement: “One Tribe, One People” Institute travel program to broaden cultural experience (i.e., Alaska fishing trips) Show examples of beading and culture to visitors Build a 70 by 200-foot longhouse for Tribal gatherings Create a list-serve of tribal members Use website to educate about gambling, smoking, and health concerns Increase community involvement and communications Document Tribe’s history and culture in writing
Cowlitz Tribe | Town Hall Meetings
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Attachments
Town Hall Meeting Summaries