Interagency Clearinghouse of Ecological Information

NW Huckleberry Workshop

Enhancing and Restoring Huckleberry Areas in a Healthy Watershed Approach to Management

June 10-11, 2008
Kah-Nee-Ta High Desert Resort
Warm Springs, Oregon

Sponsors: NW Oregon Ecology Group & Mt Hood National Forest, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Mt Hood Meadows Ski Resort, Pacific Northwest Research Station, OSU Extension Service


Agenda

Keynote Address

Don Motanic – Intertribal Timber Council

"A Huckleberry Trust Walk: Monitoring the Effectiveness of the Federal-Tribal Trust Relationship under the Northwest Forest Plan"

In a Trust Walk, two people alternate being the visionary leader and blindfolded follower to guide each other through an obstacle course. Both learn communication skills and develop a sense of trust. The NW Forest Plan requires monitoring of federal-tribal relationships (the consultation processes and impacts to resources, rights and interests of affected tribes). In addition, the federal government has trust responsibilities to protect and manage use and access to culturally important resources. To move forward in sustainable management of huckleberries, tribal and federal governments need to connect, share information and methods, and integrate the cultural connection with resource management; we need do the "huckleberry trust walk".

Motanic Paper

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Awareness – cultural significance of the huckleberry resource, current research, balancing needs

Heather Erickson – USFS Portland Forestry Sciences, Research Ecologist
Huckleberry ecology, summary of published research, and future research needs.

Erickson Presentation

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Cultural Panel


5 tribal perspectives of the importance of the huckleberry resource and cultural needs. (Left to right)

  • Ruth Jim – Tribal Council, Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Indian Nation
  • Jessica Bochart – archaeologist, Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians
  • David Lewis – cultural resource manager, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
  • Robert Kentta – cultural resource director, Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
  • Adeline Miller – Tribal elder, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs
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Joyce LeCompte-Mastenbrook – 2nd year PhD student of environmental anthropology, University of Washington
A dissertation proposal and preliminary results of a comparative study looking at factors that contributes to sustainability & equitable management of huckleberries and barriers.

Mastenbrook Presentation

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Frank Duran – USFS Region 6 Special Forest Products Regional Program Manager
National and regional special forest products policy from a management perspective, what forests are doing in their permitting systems or should be doing. And, policy and our ability to work with the tribes as related to huckleberries and special forest products.

Duran Presentation

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Huckleberry Management – Who is doing what?

Tony Farque –Willamette NF, Sweet Home Ranger District Archaeologist
The Cougar Rock Huckleberry Enhancement project, a Title II project involves thinning/pruning/ hand piling with a focus is on increasing collaboration with Grand Ronde & Siletz tribes.

Farque Presentation

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Bruce Holmson – Gifford Pinchot NF Silviculturist (retired)
The Mowich project is a 51 acre commercial thinning followed by a prescribed underburn for huckleberry enhancement.

Holmson Presentation

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Steve Boyer – Gifford Pinchot NF, Cowlitz Valley Ranger District Silviculturist
Precommercial thin in lodgepole for fuels reduction and huckleberry enhancement. Monitoring effectiveness of the thin to enhance huckleberries.

Boyer Presentation

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Matthew Drake – CEO of Mt Hood Meadows Ski Resort
Partnership formed with CTWS elders for berry picking areas protected (on volunteer basis) from the general public.

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Cheryl Mack – Gifford Pinchot NF Archaeologist
Sawtooth Huckleberry Restoration project, a landscape-level approach to restore the Sawtooth Huckleberry fields, a place of recognized cultural importance to the Yakama Nation. The project plans to treat 1200 acres using a variety of methods for reducing tree canopy cover. The cultural importance of the Sawtooth area will be discussed, along with historic records describing Indian use of fire in managing huckleberries.

Mack Presentation

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Susan Charnley – Research Social Scientist, PNW Research Station
Integrating traditional and local ecological knowledge into forest biodiversity conservation in the PNW.

Charnley Presentation

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Matt Jimenez/Jim Rice – BIA Planning Forester/Mt Hood Timber Products Officer
Review of a huckleberry enhancement projects using winter logging (over snow) to protect established huckleberry plants.

Jimenez Presentation

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Huckleberry Workshop Wrap Up

Literature that was available at the Huckleberry Workshop

Other Literature of Interest

Links

Speaker Contact Information

Cultural Panel Photos

 

Audience Photos

Field Trip Photos