The Jamestown SKlallam Tribe Salmon Cultural Conservation Program: An Educational Booklet for the Children of the Tribe and Other Educational Institutions

A Supplemental Document for the Booklet

Developed for: David Brownell

Jamestown SKlallam Cultural Resource Specialist

Developed by:

Ash Lehto // ashes79@uw.edu

Elise Loggers // eloggers@uw.edu

Marilyn Prosser // marilyn.prosser0@gmail.com

Table of Contents

I. Introduction....4-5

II. Background of Salmon and the Sklallam Tribe.............5-8

III. Importance and Objectives of the Product..................8-9

IV. Significance of Culture in Conservation...10-11

V. Creating an Interactive and Educational Booklet.......11-13

VI. Conclusion...13-14

VII. Literature Cited..15-16

Introduction

The Jamestown SKlallam tribe has been at the forefront of recovery efforts of both the Dungeness and Jimmycomelately Watershed ecosystems through the restoration of ecosystem function and salmon habitat. The importance of the river and the resources it provides are seen in cultural rituals such as the celebration of the first fish returning each year. When the SKlallam people consume salmon, they do so respectfully, praying to the salmon people and consuming only what is needed. This is a stark dichotomy to the white settlers of the area who manipulated the landscape and over exploited salmon contributing to large reductions in population numbers. The steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is one such affected species and its decline has lead to its listing on the State Endangered Species Act. Salmon stock populations on the Olympic Peninsula have declined by as much 90% from historical accounts (Port Gamble SKlallam 2016). Salmon numbers have increased recently on tribal lands due to effective restoration efforts, but many waterways still lack natural structures needed by spawning salmon.

Salmon: For all intents and purposes, the word salmon will refer to the Chinook, summer and fall pink, summer and winter steelhead, summer and fall chum, coho, sea-run cutthroat, and bull trout. These fish are all of the Salmonidae family that utilize the Dungeness River watershed.

In an effort to engage and educate the public about salmon declines in the Puget Sound region, many schools have taken the proactive approach at teaching children about salmon life cycles and ecosystem requirements in hopes that these children will make environmentally friendly choices. Yet, there are key connections to the public lacking in this curriculum: beauty and culture. Institutions educate children about salmons ecosystem importance, yet fail to highlight their cultural importance, lacking a holistic approach to educating about this species.

This paper is a supplemental document to our educational booklet. Here we discuss the importance of considering culture of the steelhead trout in relation to conservation efforts by underscoring not only consumptive benefits, but also nonconsumptive benefits. Restoration efforts by the Jamestown Sklallam Tribe will provide examples of successful projects while highlighting the significance of salmon species both culturally and economically. We will also provide the reasoning behind our methods for captivating adolescents in the form an interactive booklet. This booklet will engage the reader through visual appeal and captivating activities to impart knowledge and respect for the natural world. Our mission for the booklet is to spark a passion for steelhead trout and educate children on the importance of restoration in the recovery of salmon while promoting environmentally friendly choices in an effort to improve salmon populations.

Background of Salmon and the SKlallam Tribe

Steelhead trout are part of the Salmonidae Family and like other salmonids are anadromous, meaning that they are born in freshwater, travel to the sea to grow and spend most of their lives, then return to freshwater streams to spawn (NOAA Fisheries). Unlike most salmonids, though, steelhead do not die after spawning as they are considered iteroparous, meaning they migrate between fresh and salt water annually and spawn multiple times. They are a form of rainbow trout, which is a similar freshwater fish.

Salmon have historically been a critical food source for many Native people in the Pacific Northwest (Hayden 1992). Steelhead runs in the Dungeness Watershed were both economically and culturally important and the Jamestown SKlallam people were accomplished fisherman with salmon as the preferred fish (Rot 2003). Traditionally, salmon were harvested by spearfishing, traps, dip nets, bag and reef nets, trolling and the use of wicker baskets. These methods were very effective but due to a small human population with strong cultural practices and beliefs, their fishing practices did not threaten the salmon populations (Menzies and Butler 2007).

When the first white people established a settlement in the area in 1877, fishing, as well as infrastructure, increased which eventually caused declines in salmon abundance and disrupted salmon habitat in the region (US Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation 2002). Not only were salmon the primary protein source of locals, but fishermen began exporting salmon thus increased the amount of fish harvested each year (Taylor 1999). The influx of fishermen to the area attracted more people who demanded a further increase in infrastructure ranging from irrigation structures to dams to housing all which encroached on salmon habitat and further reduced salmon population numbers (Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office 2010). Though many factors have contributed to the decline in salmon population numbers over the past century, overharvest and habitat manipulation are most important (Taylor 1999).

The Salish Sea is an important rearing ground for coastal salmon populations (Hume 2013), however many of these populations have declined by as much as 90 percent over the past several decades (Port Gamble SKlallam 2016). Currently Chinook, summer chum, steelhead and bull trout are listed as threatened under the United States Endangered Species Act (King 2016). Because of the cultural and ecological significance, it is pertinent to protect and restore salmon habitat to ensure that generations to come can value salmon as their ancestors before them did. To prevent the loss of salmon on Jamestown SKlallam land, the tribe put in place a long-term plan to restore salmon habitat and to stimulate population growth. The long-term goal is to restore salmon populations in the Dungeness Watershed to harvestable levels. The risk of extinction places a time pressure on recovery efforts meaning as much support ought to be behind the project as possible to bring salmon to harvestable levels.

The Jamestown SKlallam Tribe has been at the forefront of salmon habitat restoration over the last several decades striving to protect healthy and functional nearshore, estuarine and river salmon habitat and improve areas that have been degraded (Jamestown SKlallam Tribe 2012). Managing the salmon populations themselves allows the tribe hands-on action to further research in fish stock trends (Jamestown SKlallam Tribe 2012). Though the Jamestown SKlallam people have many programs to help improve salmon population numbers, relaying the programs to tribal members outside of those working on the project can be a challenge.

Over the past few decades, the Jamestown SKlallam tribe has been involved in several conservation and management projects to improve salmon habitat and encourage population growth. Of these, the Dungeness River and Jimmycomelately creek and estuary monitoring and restoration projects are the largest of scale and have had the most pronounced impact on salmon habitat (Jamestown SKlallam Tribe 2012). The tribe has moved dikes to improve water flow and restored large woody debris for shelter during early life stages of salmon (Jamestown SKlallam Tribe 2012). The tribe recognizes the importance of high quality restoration projects that will last into the future as an investment in their children, wildlife, and food supply (Jamestown SKlallam Tribe 2012).

Though the tribe has conducted many habitat restoration projects and continuously monitors salmon on tribal land, people, both tribal members, and non-tribal members, who are not directly involved in the restoration do not necessarily know the importance of restoration. This booklet aims to educate students aging from 11-13 years old about restoration efforts the tribe heads as well as explain the importance of restoration and salmon.

Importance and Objectives of the Educational Booklet

The endangerment of steelhead trout is not only an environmental problem to be taken on by biologists and policy makers, but has a social component. The Jamestown SKlallam Tribe protects salmon not only because they know it is important to do so, but also because salmon hold a prominent place in their culture. Failing to acknowledge and address the social importance of salmon ignores a tie that people have to nature thus making the plight of salmon recovery obsolete, hardly impacting humans. By not protecting salmon, we neglect a culture and fail in our social duties.

To combat this social issue, we must use social actions and outreach. One of the best means for this is education, which is why we designed an informative and interactive booklet for children. Once children become aware of environmental situations, research shows significant spillover effects occur on families of these children, meaning the childrens knowledge transfers to their families and fosters awareness in the household (Hiramatsu et al. 2014). This booklet aims to not only affect children, but to also heighten awareness about salmon, restoration, and tribal efforts in adults.

But why does this matter? Why is this specific product necessary? Children are our future, and what they learn now will help shape the way they view the world when they are grown. If we want future generations to be aware of the importance of their both culture and conservation, emphasis on these ought to be implemented now. Because of the important restoration work the Jamestown SKlallam Tribe is completing, youth involvement and education should increase to reflect the efforts of their people. The overarching goal of the project is to educate and impact, in a method that is less common and will serve as an inspiration for children to appreciate their culture as well as the environment.

We have several main objectives that serve to meet the needs we have described. Our first aim is to provide education about the cultural significance of salmon for the Jamestown SKlallam Tribe. The nonconsumptive role of steelhead brings attention to the cultural importance of natural resources and relates the booklet to children and members of the tribe. This focus provides a colorful and social aspect to the booklet and appeals to creative and cultural needs.

We also aimed to incorporate the consumptive role of humans on salmon and how it differs in the past versus the present. This makes the overall booklet more relatable to children not of the Jamestown SKlallam Tribe and applies the booklet to modern conservation actions and principles. We highlight the tribes role in conserving salmon species and habitat through past and current restoration work. This is the science and practical aspect of the booklet, which will tie the culture into the environmental practices and importance while encouraging youth to care.

Significance of Culture in Conservation

Salmon in Western culture are valuable commodities as they provide economic benefits to fishermen and sustenance to inhabitants of neighboring regions, earning the symbol for prosperity. The values of the Salmonidae Family is taught in American institutions through field trips to hatcheries and learning of life history events. Yet in these teachings there lacks a key benefit to humans that salmon provide: culture. Because culture plays such a large role on human actions and beliefs, it is exceedingly clear that conserving the steelhead trout and other species is insufficient without the acknowledgement of culture. When humans feel connected with a system, they have a greater incentive to conserve it: studies show connection between personal connection to the subject and successful conservation plans (McNeely & Pitt 1985). Integrating culture into management plans diffuses tension and dispute while creating alternatives that better include those who are most affected by environmental decisions (Poe et. al, 2013).

Without the salmon that we have lived in such close quarters with, we lose sight of who we are as individuals. Many iconic images of American culture originate from nature. Paul Shepard (1996) displays this idea in The Others: How Animals Made Us Human when he narrates from the perspective of a primate to the human race. In it, he writes about the evolution of man and their achievements that can be attributed to animals. Animals provided the framework for human evolution, whether it be through their services as a source of wisdom/knowledge, spirituality, and even comfort. Yet, humans fail to attribute these successes to nature, leaving nature to believe that, this is [humans] great misunderstanding. Shepard goes on to say, humans are wrong about natures departure, thinking it to be part of their progress instead of their loss. He says when [nature is] gone [humans] will not know who they are. Supposing themselves to be the purpose of it all, purpose will elude them. This passage identifies the connection of humans and wild animals in a nonconsumptive way and articulates the importance of including the other roles steelhead trout has played in our history and culture.

Teaching conservation with the absence of also discussing culture is a disservice. When teaching children about the biological aspects of conservation, unless there is a strong belief behind knowledge, there will be no progress in terms of conserving the natural world. There are many cases where people have expressed animosity towards goals for conservation as it seemingly opposed their own individual goals and dreams. As Poe et. al (2013) explains, Ecosystem-based conservation without cultural considerations is not only insufficient, it risks producing unaccounted negative impacts to communities and misses an opportunity to build culturally meaningful alternatives. By incorporating a person's culture into lessons about conservation, you not only allow children and adults to understand the importance of the species, you spark a passion for the subject in ways that creates more of a lasting impression.

Creating an Interactive and Educational Booklet

While creating the booklet it was imperative that we took into account all aspects of the product as to truly engage and educate children. Knowing the target audience dictated the tools we used to engage and inform. Because the primary audience of this booklet is youth from the Jamestown SKlallam Tribe, we included specific language, colors, culture and depictions designed to connect with the youth. We included games/activities that will involve the readers, provided an overview of the tribes culture, and highlighted restoration work, all of which converged to make the booklet function as an educational tool.

For the overall booklet, we mainly used the colors dark red, black, light blue, and white, which are common colors used in representing the Jamestown SKlallam tribe. We included these colors when depicting tribe artwork, as well as for extra visual stimulation in various areas. We also used the tribes style of art for visual aids and drawings, and incorporated this in the headings for each page. Our language contains tribe-specific terms for places and salmon names, and all text is a large enough font to not be intimidating or difficult for young eyes to read. The booklet is organized by topic so that there is a flow of information easy to understand, and there are boxes around the text to maintain an organized structure.

The prime time for learning is in the early years (Gustavsson et al. 2014), so we targeted the product towards younger children (ages 11-13) to have the greatest impact. We chose this age since the restoration work and science within the booklet begs a more advanced education to understand, but these ages are still young enough to enjoy the booklet and have a positive experience with it. In order to engage such young children with the project, we included games such as word searches and matching, which highlighted key aspects of the steelhead and conservation work. This means kids will be actively engaged in the booklet while learning, and the activities will help the concepts to stick. For instance, we included the salmon life cycle, but made key parts of it into a word scramble, so that the readers will need to actually be mentally involved in order to take away information.

We also included variation and comparison of phenomena. When presenting something new, it helps to relate and/or compare it to something else (Gustavsson et al. 2014). In order to teach the reader about the threatened steelhead salmon, we included accurate physical drawings of it as well as other salmon/fish, so that the reader would be able to recognize differences and better register what fish the booklet was focusing on. We also compared a healthy river system to an unhealthy one, so as to emphasize the differences and why it matters.

Since the cultural significance of salmon to the tribe is known among most tribal members, we focused more on the importance of restoration than salmon significance. We wanted to highlight the successful projects the tribe has completed to relay the impact of successful projects while speaking in a language the youth will understand. The Jimmycomelately project was highlighted because before the restoration project, only seven salmon returned to the stream to spawn due to the diversion of the channel by culverts and dikes. After restoration of the creek was completed four years later, an estimated 460 salmon returned to spawn showing the vast effects that habitat restoration has on populations.

The other project we highlight in the booklet is the Dungeness Watershed Restoration Project because of the complexity and ongoing restoration of much of the lower waterways. We emphasize the anthropogenic impacts on the river such as overfishing, diversion for irrigation, and dikes and road construction restricting water flow. As this project is still in progress, we have an activity for students to draw what a healthy area of the river will look like once completed. This will also encourage the youth to go to the river to see restoration currently in progress.

Conclusion

The goal of our booklet is to educate children about salmon habitat restoration while also encouraging children to look at relationships between their culture and conservation. The booklet will help connect children to not only the cultural importance but also the economic and ecological importance of salmon and the role that people play in the process to return salmon to harvestable levels on Jamestown SKlallam land. The children are encouraged to view the world through a scientific lens in order to further their understanding of their own impacts on salmon. Our product is meant to be used as an educational handout to the youth of the Jamestown SKlallam Tribe, but as the booklet will focus on more than just restoration of salmon habitat, it has more possible applications.

The book is meant to be used for Jamestown SKlallam as part of an educational program or simply for fun--a handout for the library or an activity book. The booklet can also be used as an educational tool in conjunction with the steelhead trout return rate analysis done by students of the University of Washington with natural resources technician Chris Burns. If it is received well by the Jamestown SKlallam youth, then the product can also be given out at different education-based forums around the Pacific Northwest, such as schools, camps, or at field trips. If given to the greater Puget Sound region, this product can introduce other children to the significance of salmon throughout Northwest history. This is will not only educate other children (and adults, from information diffusion and what their kids bring home) but will hopefully encourage students to be more curious about their own culture and values.

We hope this children's booklet will connect children to science that occurs in their local area and is relevant to them personally. Students will be able to integrate school projects on the salmon with this product to understand not only consumptive importance but also nonconsumptive. This product will provide a gateway for students to associate their actions with environmental impacts and will also spread information on the endangered salmon in their local areas.

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