Seventh Annual Cultural Resource Protection Summit

Seventh Annual Cultural Resource Protection Summit:  Suquamish Tribe’s House of Awakened Culture.  Event website is http://www.theleadershipseries.info/summithome.html  Please contact Mary Rossi at mkrossi@eppardvision.org with any questions.  Registration is open and Sponsorships are available!

With a theme of “Bridging Policy and Practice,” the 2014 Cultural Resource Protection Summit marks the seventh anniversary of our gathering.  Since its inception, the primary goal in organizing the annual Summit has been to facilitate amongst all affected parties an open, frank discussion about the intersection between cultural resources and land use.  The Summit is designed to promote collaborative cultural resource planning as an effective means of finding resolution to issues before they escalate into emotionally-charged, divisive, and expensive stalemates or law suits.

This year, the Summit agenda will encourage attendees to examine the challenges of bridging the gap between policy and practice that often emerges as we move from paper to protection.  Keynotes, panels, and interactive sessions will address a variety of topics and case studies, including recent SEPA rule changes, local/tribal permitting, curation, dispute resolution, and creative mitigation.

Join us at the Suquamish Tribe’s beautiful and inviting House of Awakened Culture for a two-day gathering that will help you improve your technical skills while deepening your connection to why we do this work.  Leave with more tools for bridging the gaps of cultural resource protection and sharing the important stories our resources tell.

OPENING KEYNOTE BY MATIKA WILBUR OF PROJECT 562:  Matika Wilbur, Swinomish/Tulalip photographer, will discuss her work-in-progress: a new collection of images of contemporary American Indians from all 562 federally-recognized tribes in the United States.  Learn more about Matika and Project 562 at http://www.matikawilbur.com

SPECIAL PANEL DISCUSSION ON 2014 SEPA RULE CHANGES:  Join State Senator John McCoy (D-38th), members of Ecology’s SEPA Rule Making Advisory Committee, and participants in the SEPA rule making process for a discussion of recent rule changes as they relate to cultural resource policies and practices.  Find out how the new rules will shape cultural resource protection in Washington State and discuss the possibility of further improvements.

SESSION SPOTLIGHT:  Dispute Resolution Basics for a CRM Context – On the morning of Day 2 (Thursday, May 22), join us for a “mini-training” on dispute resolution basics presented by the Kitsap County Dispute Resolution Center.  Then, in the afternoon, work with your fellow attendees to apply what you learned in a facilitated small-group exercise on creative mitigation.  Leave with new tools you can apply to the real-world situations you encounter during your workday.

LUNCH KEYNOTE BY JOHNPAUL JONES OF JONES & JONES ARCHITECTS:  During lunch on Day 2 (Thursday, May 22), join us for the very popular – not to mention delicious! – Summit Pizza Party catered by Bella Luna Pizzeria located just across the way in downtown Suquamish.  Enjoy a slice while learning about the Mukilteo Ferry Terminal design from the architect himself.  Johnpaul Jones (Cherokee/Choctaw), founding partner of Jones & Jones Architects, also served as the lead design consultant for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC.