PAGE TITLE for all Oregon counties,” Santos said. “At the same time, notifying a tribe and consulting with them clearly does not reflect all the interests, concerns, and needs of Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes.” NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES At a federal level, Santos noted, two Oregon tribes recently became the first to be nationally recognized for their forest management systems. The Coquille Indian Tribe was the first to apply for, and to be granted, the Indian Trust Asset Management Plan. This federal program gives Coquille the authority to manage their lands, which are held in trust by the Department of the Interior, without needing approval from the secretary of the Interior. Earlier this year, the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians in Southwest Oregon became the second tribe to win land management sovereignty through the Indian Trust Asset Management Plan. The program gives the Coquille and Cow Creek Umpqua tribes sovereignty to manage their forest lands as they see fit, but it doesn’t provide funding or engage them with statewide land use planning or wildfire prevention efforts. Susan Ferris, public affairs person with the Cow Creek Umpqua Tribe, said Native people should be included in statewide discussions about land management and wildfire prevention. “In the beginning,” she said, “all the forest lands in Oregon were managed, and managed well, by Oregon’s Indigenous peoples. … It would seem now that people are making a concerted effort to manage our forests better, that it would only be sensible and right to include Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes.” USING KNOWLEDGE, BUT NOT LEADERSHIP While Native people are largely omitted from state wildfire legislation, Native knowledge is not. Controlled burns have arrived at the doorstep of Oregon law. House Bill 2572 would allow neighboring property owners to collaborate on controlled burns. This would update the current state law, which calls any fire crossing property lines “uncontrolled.” And House Bill 2571 would commission a study of liability for prescribed fires, to see what’s worked in other states. Marsh, the Democrat from Ashland, acknowledges these two bills are explicitly based on traditional Indigenous knowledge. “When we talk about them, we always note that we are trying to re-establish traditions that were known and implemented by our tribes,” she said. These two bills pave the way for more prescribed burns, but they don’t mention Natives, designate Native leadership, or fund Native wildfire efforts. Santos said there remains a lack of understanding of how much tribes have to contribute to statewide discussions. “While challenges remain, there have been great advancements in having tribal voices around the table,” Santos said. At a meeting on 13 April for the Natural and Cultural Resources Task Force, part of Gov. Kate Brown’s disaster cabinet response to the wildfire relief and recovery efforts, Santos said, “Tribal representatives got information and made valuable inquiries related to tribal interests” and were “made aware of funding opportunities.” He said tribal consultations like this are happening more frequently across other cabinets and state agencies, as well. Government-to-government relations between tribes and the state have improved, Santos said, but there’s still a long way to go. ■ Courtesy of Street Roots / INSP.ngo The Hard Times Writing Workshop is a collaboration between Denver Public Library and Lighthouse Writers Workshop. It’s open to all members of the public, especially those experiencing homelessness. Each month, the Denver VOICE publishes a selection of writing from these workshops. Virtual workshops: lighthousewriters.org/workshop/denver-public-library-hard-times More writing by these featured poets: writedenver.org WRITING THROUGH HARD TIMES COURTESY OF DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY AND LIGHTHOUSE WRITERS WORKSHOP DANIEL ANGEL MARTINEZ MY MAKESHIFT HOME Why would I want a roof over my head? Why would one want boxed-in isolation? I would rather have open space instead. I can go anywhere in nature’s spread With no particular destination. Why would I want a roof over my head? As for partnerships that share a bed, Maybe I don’t need cohabitation. I would rather have open space instead. “There is room for everyone,” they said. Yet, shelters lack accommodation. Why would I want a roof over my head? With a world of campsites, no need to dread Whether one can book a reservation. I would rather have open space instead. All the so-called comforts of home I shed In my bittersweet emancipation. Why would I want a roof over my head? I would rather have open space instead. A COLLABORATION BY THE EDGEWATER HARD TIMES WRITING WORKSHOP HOPE Hope is the breath that makes survival possible, a little word, well-balanced. When you’re an outsider, it’s almost impossible to come inside— so hand out public encouragement, for we are picked & pruned for the purpose of romance. Hope is a bird once nestled in a tree beneath your ribs, an eagle in flight that will escape. It is the phoenix within us that will soar. Hope is the last crumb that tells me I can go on. June 2021 DENVER VOICE 11
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