1. Envisioning a Coast Salish Forest Garden Brian D. Compton, Ph.D. Environmental Science Program, Department of Science, Northwest Indian College, Bellingham, WA Abstract This two-year project involves the preliminary examination of aspects of botany, ethnobotany, forest gardening, and related topics within a Coast Salish, specifically Lummi, context. The project was designed to determine the potential for revitalizing traditional plant knowledge and harvest practices related to Pacific lowland forests and the Indigenous peoples whose traditional homelands encompass those forests. Native Environmental Science student interns worked with faculty from Northwest Indian College and Washington State University to conduct research on several topics within the broader scope of the project. Research findings include results of botanical surveys and ethnobotanical research regarding vascular plants on and near Northwest Indian College as well as a proposed site for a forest garden. Individual student topics also focused on historical impacts on native vegetation in the area, as well as traditional and novel practices regarding the management and harvest of plants for food, materials, and other applications for possible implementation at the college campus in the future. References Bateman, A. R., Meyers, R., & Russell, E. L. (Eds.). (2003). Envisioning Kwina Estate: Design options for the Northwest Indian College and Lummi Nation Master Plan. Seattle, WA: University of Washington, Department of Landscape Architecture. Crawford, M. (2010). Creating a forest garden: Working with nature to grow edible crops. Totnes, England: Green Books. Google Earth. (July 20, 1998). Northwest Indian College. 48°47’37.55” N and 122°37’09.66'" W. Retrieved on August 6, 2014. Google Earth. (November 3, 2011). Northwestern Indian College. 48°47’37.55” N and 122°37’09.66'" W. Google Earth. Retrieved on August 6, 2014. Grindell, C. E. (2009, May 27). Study area (Lummi Natural Resources Dept., 2008) [map]. Retrieved August 3, 2014, from EGEO 452 final project website: http://deptweb.wwu.edu/huxley/huxweb/gis/EGEO452/09_projects/Cynthia_Grindell/EGEO_452_Fi nal_Project.html Kruckeberg, A. R. (1991). The natural history of Puget Sound County. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. Mithūn. (2004, June 2). Northwest Indian College master plan. Bellingham, WA: Northwest Indian College. Moerman, D. (2003, May 14). Native American ethnobotany. Dearborn, MI, University of Michigan. Retrieved August 3, 2014, from http://herb.umd.umich.edu/ 1 PLANTS database. (2013, August 6). United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. Retrieved August 6, 2013 from http://plants.usda.gov/java/ Pojar, J., & MacKinnon, A. (Eds.). (2004). Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia & Alaska (Rev. ed.). Renton, WA: Lone Pine. (Original work published 1994) Rosiere, R. E. (n.d.). Pacific northwest forests. Range types of North America. Retrieved August 3, 2014 from http://www.tarleton.edu/Departments/range/Woodlands%20and%20Forest/Pacific%20Northwest%2 0Forests/PacificNorthwestForests.html Seattle University (n.d.) Lushootseed and Coast Salish culture [map]. Taqwsheblu Vi Hilbert Ethnobotanical Garden Retrieved August 3, 2014 from http://www.seattleu.edu/grounds/gardens/ethnobotanical/lushootseed/ UW Herbarium at the Burke. (2014). Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Retrieved August 6, 2014 from http://www.burkemuseum.org/herbarium 1 Ethnobotanical data from Moerman (2003) derives from Gunther, E. (1973). University of Washington publications in anthropology: Vol. X, No. 1. Ethnobotany of western Washington: The knowledge and use of indigenous plants by Native Americans. Seattle: University of Washington Press. (Original work published 1945) Acknowledgements Hy’sh’qe to Charlotte Clausing (Northwest Indian College [NWIC]), Dr. Marco Hatch (Director of the National Indian Center for Marine Environmental Research and Education [NICMERE]), and David Given- Seymour (NWIC consultant); James R. Freed (Washington State University Extension); Ane Barrett and Nicole Jefferson (NWIC Indigenous Service Learning); the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) and Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy (Director of NIFA); Rebecca Saxton, MFA (NWIC Science Writing Mentor); and Renae Stanley (for the image of Prosartes hookeri, Hooker fairy-bell). Figure 2. View of vegetation typical of the Pacific lowland forests of northwestern Washington (Rosiere, n.d.). Figure 5. View of the SSRC with the cedar grove in the background where a Coast Salish Forest Garden is envisioned. Introduction Northwest Indian College (NWIC) is a regional tribal college chartered by the Lummi Nation and located near Bellingham, WA. NWIC received a two-year grant (2013-2015) from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture in support of a project entitled “Telling the Story of the Land: Revitalizing Traditional Plant Knowledge and Harvest with a View Toward Sustainability.” Is it possible to revitalize traditional plant knowledge and harvest practices related to lowland forest ecosystems with a focus on promoting sustainability? Our approach examined aspects of Coast Salish traditional plant knowledge and practices, as well as the nature and application of forest gardening, and a food production and land management system based on replicating woodland ecosystems. In this system, native forest species are maintained and enhanced but the forest garden may also incorporate other fruit and nut trees, shrubs, herbs, and vegetables which have yields directly useful to humans. The project included Native Environmental Science students and integrated with other efforts on campus, including those associated with Indigenous Service Learning, AmeriCorps VISTA, and the U.S. Environmental Projection Agency’s Tribal ecoAmbassadors Program. Year One (2014) Summer Science Internship Students:  Paul Cline (Nooksack-Lummi), Na’ta’ne Miles (Pima-Maricopa) and Renae Stanley (Lummi). Project Focus:  Coast Salish, specifically Lummi, homelands (Figure 1).  Revitalization of traditional Coast Salish plant knowledge and harvest practices related to lowland forest ecosystems with a focus on promoting sustainability (Figure 2).  Reintroduction of NWIC students and others to the basic concepts of indigenous forest knowledge.  Expansion of those aspects by exploring the potential for innovative forest gardening practices that may enhance and expand human use of local forest resources. The Vision:  Development of a Coast Salish forest garden on the NWIC Lummi campus rooted in traditional Coast Salish botanical knowledge and practice which may also incorporate novel approaches where appropriate.  Integration of cultural, educational, interpretive, and practical aspects of native and non-native vegetation.  Application of traditional and other plant cultivation and management methods (e.g., Coast Salish methods, forest gardening and hüglekultur). Methods  Literature review (Bateman, Meyers, & Russell, 2003; Crawford, 2010; Gunther, 1981; Kruckeberg, 1991; Moerman, 2003; Mithūn, 2004; Moerman, 2003; and Northwest Indian College, 2002) and archival research (Lummi Archives).  Botanical survey of the Kwina Woods, cedar grove and other NWIC Lummi campus landscape plants (Figures 3, 4, and 5).  Identification of vascular plant specimens using standard field guide and taxonomic references (PLANTS database, 2014; Pojar & MacKinnon, 1994/2004; and UW Herbarium at the Burke, 2014).  Research on Pacific lowland forests, forest gardens, and associated plants and methods (e.g., hüglekultur).  Individual student intern research topics within the context of the broader project.  Collaboration with NWIC Indigenous Service Learning. Figure 3. Arial view of the original Northwest Indian College Lummi campus to the north of Kwina Road and immediately west of Lummi Shore Road (circled) adjacent to the Kwina Woods (Google Earth, 1998, July 20). Figure 4. Arial view of the Northwest Indian College Lummi campus showing the campus expansion to the south of Kwina Road (circled), including a clearing where the Salish Sea Research Center (SSRC) and other buildings (not pictured) are now located with the cedar grove to the upper left and the Kwina Woods to the west and south (Google Earth, 2011, November 3). Discussion  At the end of year one of the project, three Native Environmental Science students engaged in research on Lummi ethnobotany and aspects of traditional plant management and forest gardening.  Individual student topics included:  Botany and Lummi ethnobotany within the context of the Western Hemlock Zone, the NWIC campus and adjacent forest;  Historical impacts on the Kwina Woods;  A contemporary view towards food forestry and Indigenous practices and theory (including hüglekultur).  The unique concept of a Coast Salish Food Forest was examined with reference to previous explorations of creative and culturally significant landscaping on the NWIC campus (cf. Mithūn, 2004; and Northwest Indian College, 2002).  Student interns engaged in the process of revitalization of traditional plant knowledge and harvest within a Tribal college setting.  Native, introduced, and ethnobotanical plants were identified and documented. The cedar grove has been identified as a possible location for forest gardening which would enhance its cultural and scientific values.  The project involved integration with other efforts at NWIC and included plans to design and implement fruit and nut shrubs as an initial stage in the development of a Coast Salish Forest Garden during the second year of the project. Figure 1. Territories of the Coast Salish peoples of northwestern Washington and southwestern British Columbia (Lushootseed and Coast Salish, n.d.); inset: Location of the Lummi Nation in northwestern Washington near Bellingham, WA (Grindell, 2009). Results The Past:  Two generations ago, tribal culture was still inextricably intertwined with the sustainable use of natural resources.  Coast Salish knowledge of plants and their cultural roles was widespread.  Age-old traditional harvest and management practices supported sustainable interactions with the environment.  Local lowland forests contained numerous native and culturally significant vascular plants. The Present:  Culturally significant plants are often scattered in patchwork mosaics next to roads or developments and are subjected to many threats, such as mowing, pollution, herbicide application, and other barriers to their safe and culturally appropriate use.  Current management systems are in stark contrast to the sustainable indigenous activities that took place for thousands of years. The Plants and People of This Place:  Initial focus on the plants of cultural significance to the Lummi within the Pacific lowland forests of the Western Hemlock Zone.  The forests are characterized in part by the presence of at least 177 vascular plant species (152 native and 25 introduced species), including 37 taxa with documented cultural roles amongst the Lummi (Kruckeberg, 1991 and Moerman, 2003).  The Kwina Woods are known to contain at least 29 native and one introduced species, including 13 Lummi ethnobotanical taxa.  The cedar grove contains 26 native species, 20 introduced species and eight Lummi ethnobotanical taxa.