Native Education: Bitter Past, Hopeful Future
First Person: Slipping Through the Cracks
In the Language of Our Ancestors
Charter School Keeps Native Language Alive
Salmon Camp Spawns Career Options
William Demmert (Native Voices)
I am writing to thank you for your issue in support of licensed teacher-librarians ("Nexus of Knowledge," Fall 2003). It is not often that we see such strong support for our profession. Those of us who work in public schools in Oregon often feel misrepresented in the press or—at the very least—misunderstood. Your articles did much to improve our morale. Librarians who fight for their programs and their jobs every day in school districts throughout Oregon appreciate every bit of good publicity.
Martha Decherd
President-Elect, Oregon Educational Media Association
Portland, Oregon
I am a 23-year-old Athabascan male who is going to school to be a fisheries biologist. I am familiar with the lifestyle of rural Alaskans as well as their concerns for the wild stocks of Pacific salmon (described in "Fin and Feather," Spring 2002).
I tend to look at myself as a mediator between local residents and the state or federal government or, in other words, the urban-rural divide. I understand the frustrations that come forth about outside enforcement (by government agencies). I also understand the position of the government, having spent the past two seasons working for U.S. Fish and Wildlife counting, monitoring, and sampling salmon that run up the Kwethluk River.
I am aware of the dismal runs that plagued both the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers over the past few years. However, this past summer, the runs of the chinook, chum, and coho salmon were counted in record proportions compared to previous years.
I just thought that I would share with you that I had the pleasure to be part of a year when salmon counts were so high that they definitely bring hope for future runs. Besides my normal duties as a fisheries technician, I took it upon myself—as a self-appointed advocate—to inform as many locals as I could on why we are really there: to save a valuable resource so that future generations can utilize what we have been blessed with—rivers full of salmon.
Derek Van Hatten
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska
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