6/16/26 Adventure day

Today we woke up at 6am, as per usual, we had cereal and made lunches then packed up and kind of just waited around until 8:30 for Casey, Brian, and Jordan to get there to take us out to measure this stream and see how much sediment build up there was. Sometimes the stream floods and takes down the breaks that they put up to help bring up the water levels. There were 32 breaks all the way down about a mile, and they have these metal plates with a reference point in case one or a few breaks flood and move. We used this tool to measure the different points at the breaks, it is called a transit and you place it in one spot and use that one spot to measure the long yard stick. We rotated and some of us put on waders but the others used the transit and one person would be a scribe, we wrote down the measurements as they said them from the transit but there had to be more than one so we could compare measurements to make sure we all heard them right. Meanwhile Brian would tell us a story now and then or he would make sure we are checking measurements and that the person using the transit could see it correctly or that it was still level.

As the day progressed we did a few different sites, we were going to shock some fish but then we took a while to do measurements. Nonetheless we came back to camp to have Brian, Casey, and Jordan formally introduce themselves event though our car was kind of tired and just woken up to a warning for evacuation we were trying our best to listen and understand what they were telling us. We sat and listened to Brain tell us about all kinds of things about when he started college and stuff then when he started working and all kinds of things that I can't quite remember since it has been a long day.

Along with barely remembering what we talked about, we went to see Warren and listen to him present to us about the history of the Spokane people along with the other tribes. I loved listening and the more I listened the more I learned, some things I thought I knew until he really went into detail. As he started he let us know beforehand that that presentation was for children in kindergarten through people in retirement homes. We sat and talked for about two hours unintentionally, but it was very informational and I would've sat there longer if we had time to listen to him talk about different things that Spokane and the river and the salmon had to go through all these years. One thing that I hear from all elders and family members is that laughter is medicine and that is heard throughout all the tribes, and that during the boarding schools and peoples kids getting taken away that not in one picture from the boarding schools none of those kids are smiling. I personally cannot imagine people threatening me and my beliefs or culture but at the same time saying they can "treat my children to all this education and work" then treating those same children so poorly and even worse than they would've had before.

As we winded down, we left Warren and came back to camp to finish up our soil samples to test the nitrates, phosphates, and potassium in the soil itself. First tacos, Monet made some good tacos and I have been wanting tacos for so long, just needed to honorably mention that. We used these kits that test for that and it took a really long time it felt like, but we are all getting along and its going really well. I was nervous that I would stand out to much or something but amongst these students I feel okay and safe. Today was a good day, please enjoy my pictures and stay hydrated.