Cathlapotle Plankhouse January 2022

This year’s Winter Solstice has me a bit more reflective than usual. It has long been my second favorite holiday of the year and I have my own personal routines that I follow to honor our shortest day and longest night. However, amid all of the chaos of 2020 I don’t have strong memories of last year‘s entire holiday season. Which means, for me, I was greatly distracted and focused on other things besides gratitude.

Yesterday, while checking on the Nettle that our Native gathering group tends on the Refuge, I encountered many of our four-legged and winged relatives. It had been a very challenging morning and I was grateful for duties that called me outdoors. The short errand quickly became an exercise in grounding. Wildlife abounded and I did not want to disturb my family. What was required was focus on the living present moment rather than the concerns of hours past. I drove quietly and cautiously enough that I spooked none of the Columbia White-tailed Deer I passed on the way to the location. The resident Eagles near our spot did not stop chattering, nor did they flow away. And the Redtail Hawk that regularly complains at the noisy two-leggeds when we tend and gather just quietly stared. Frequently I am overwhelmed and humbled by the work I get to do and by the landscape that holds us all. My day was turned around brought my thoughts back to the present, my plans for the Solstice, and a reminder to my own personal practice of spending the longest night in deep gratitude.

hayu masi to the Chinook Indian Nation, the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, and greater Urban Indigenous Community. Without their collective guidance, I would be unable to support the Lifeways & Landscapes Programs in an authentic manner. Please consider learning more about our Urban Indigenous partners: KelipiCamas and the Indigenous Nations Studies Program at Portland State University, Native American Community Advisory Council (NACAC), Native American Youth and Family Association (NAYA), Native American Rehabilitation Association (NARA), The native Gathering Garden at Cully Park (Portland Parks and Rec), and Community Gathering for Community (Metro).

My coworkers, who not only do the gritty work (both indoors and out), and yet still manage to make work fun more often than not. Samantha, Elena, Keith, Jared, Josie, and Mesha thank you so much for your support both on screen and off. Special applause and thanks to our leadership team Juliette, Anna, and Drew. I hope everyone you work with knows how magnificent and capable you all are.

Local partners that we’ve gone through the best and worst of Covid together also deserve a special nod. Brad and April and the rest of your team at the Clark County Historical Museum deserve much more than I can offer here. What an adventure it has been. Thank you so much for the exchange of labor, ideas, and laughter. Peter and his crew at Portland Rewild have been phenomenal in offering programming support and intentional brainstorming. Being able to reach out whenever I need has been a gift. This also includes every single one of our Second Sunday Series speakers, presenters, and participants.

This year we received a major influx of funding from the FWS Region One’s Cultural Resources Department providing a boost our programming and maintenance budgets. Words can’t describe my appreciation for Anan and Virginia and the ways they encourage the Lifeways and Landscapes Programs to grow. The Friends remain grateful to the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington for their ongoing financial support for the care and maintenance of the Cathlapotle Plankhouse. We look forward to inviting everyone in after the new floor refurbishment taking place this coming spring.