NATIVE SPRING SKIING & 10 YR OLD UGANDA KING
ONO TO LAUNCH INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE IN COLORADO
David Perry, President Colorado Ski Country USA
Doug Kremer, President Montana Ski Areas
Bob Roberts, President California Ski Areas
COVER LETTER
Dear David, Doug, and Bob:
April 2, 2002
Thank you for your continued interest in Native
Voices Foundation (NVF) programs. We targeted your states for this
update because you have been blessedwith some of America's finest
mountains, environmental leadership, and resorts and tribes who
have provided the vision and funding for our Native ski programs
that now make us a role model for the world.
Thanks to the overwhelming response from the
Native Opening Ceremonies, the first quarter of this year has been
fast and furious with Native Olympic eco breakthroughs: By the end
of the Games, 5 Utah Ski areas joined; the Olympic Alumni Assoc
announced wanting to do Olympics Exchanges in winter & summer
sports at reservations across America; we took Miss Indian World
to meet in Lausanne with the IOC whose Eco Agenda 21 recommends
inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in the Olympics; Gstaad wants to
co-sponsor with us a world sustainable conference with Native
Americans (where your pioneering efforts can be showcased); and
progress at meetings in Washington DC about working in partnership
with the National Forest Service
to bolster the stuartship of the land in view of our weakening
life support systems. Suzy's
enclosed narrative has complete details. As
per her phone conversations, NVF's understanding is that you
will meet with your board about NVF's
progress, and given the support of your boards,
broadcast a letter to your ski areas updating them
on our work and how they can participate.
By connecting as many ski areas and tribes as
possible this spring for skiing and
boarding, or just starting a dialogue, we
are also polishing a Native Eco Sports Exchange formula
to serve as the prototype for IOC's Olympic
Sports Exchanges with Indigenous tribes around
the world. In fact, Kevin Wright, Loveland's
Marketing Director, is interested in hosting
the first high profile exchange, perhaps April 20, with the 10
yr old King of Uganda
and Aspen's Ute Chief Olympic Torchbearer, Roland McCook, sharing
tribal druming and dancing. The support team will
Billy Kidd, Suzy, and Cheyenne Ross
Anderson, the "Fastest American on skis," who will be
featured in David's Colorado
Ski Country USA Magazine. Billy, who has Vt
Abenaki heritage, got $300,000 in SIA equipment for the
tribes that some ski areas like us to put in
their rental shops to help them out and be
shared by a greater number of Natives.
ased on feedback from ski areas, led by Utah, NVF is suggesting
each offers at least 50 tickets, lessons and
equipment each season to be shared by their
local tribe(s). “I hope we can share the
great outdoors with Native Americans to create a
generation of Native Olympians,” said Bjorn Dahl, former
President of Kirkwood, now Regional Forest
Director of Rocky Mt Region. We are
confident after reviewing the following, your boards you will
then send a letter to your ski areas as soon as
possible. Together with your
"sustainable slopes" initiative, you will make Americans
proud that we are finally taking an world environmental leadership
role. Please contact NVF at 970-922 5406 for
any assistance we can provide. Warmly,
Scott Halazon, International
Director, Native Voices Foundation
NARRATIVE - NVF'S OLYMPIC BREAKTHROUGHS
Thanks to the pioneering efforts of
Colorado ski areas, and funding by Coors
Foundation, Aspen's visionaries, our Olympic Ski Team voting NVF
the Texaco Star Award -
inspired by a Blackfoot Indian entertainer at
the Montana Olympic Reunion, as well as the leadership
and funding of the Tribes of Utah and
California, we were able to assist Native Americans
the Salt Lake Olympics protect and uplift
people everywhere. (See website for press
and pictures of our events that reached
1,000 top news outlets globally) The magical
aftermath helped make us the following progress in Utah, Switzerland
and Washington D.C. that benefits skiing,
Nature and all Creators children: Ski Utah’s
Kipp Pitou announced at the final Salt Lake press conference
that five of their top ski areas would be
giving Utah’s tribal youth skiing opportunities. “I want to
get all 14 ski areas to support this,” he
said, agreeing with Telluride’s pioneer
Ron Allred, that “this is a great way to heal the past and start
a new beginning.” Native Americans were also the
No 1 draw of the Games,” according to SLOC.
Led by my fellow Olympians voting NVF the Texaco
Star Award "to help insure that
future generation have a chance to ski," US Olympic Alumni
Association President John Nabor, announced that
they want to have exchanges in all winter
and summer sports at reservations across America.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) unveiled its Agenda
21 of their "Be a Champion for the
Environment" program. A key point is the
inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in the participation of the
Olympics for the sustainability of the
Games. Following Salt Lake, Miss Indian Miss
Indian World, Ke Aloha Alo, a lovely French
speaking Apache-Hawaiian Snowboarder, Scott Halazon and I were
invited by French Princess Carolina Murat to
Gstaad. Our efforts on behalf on Native
Americans were honored by international leaders and Royals. At the
encouragement of Princess Carolina we met with Gstaad Tourism
Director, Roger Seifritz. He was excited by the
idea of a world sustainable conference with
Native American Ecologists, as well as sports
stars, to be sponsored by Gstaad, NVF, and others who share this
worldview. Michale Berry and NSAA’s Golden Eagle
winners would be ideal presenters.
In Lausanne our team met with Shahbaz
Behrman, Director of the IOC's Sports &
Environment Commission. NVF's International Director Scott Halazon
and I watched Ke Aloha plead for us all to make concrete steps
on behalf of Native youth who have a 20 year less
life expectancy... “Indian Country loves
the way ski resorts are inviting tribes to ski in their
ancestral mountains and share their culture. We found that skiing
is the No 1 motivator of our children after
building a ski resort 25 years ago at our
White Mt Apache Reservation in Arizona,” she said. (This
story was covered on their Miss Indian World website that get
1.5 million hit per year worldwide.) Thanks
to our success of bridging the cultures in the Rocky Mountain
states, and interest by the World Olympians
Association, China, Russia and now Uganda in
doing exchanges, NVF has a champion in Shahbaz, who is working
with us on a practical partnership
to fulfill the IOC's Agenda 21.
Thanks also to the Salt Lake and IOC
momentum, we were able to make progress in
Washington D.C. with National Forest Service officials and top
aids of Senators Campbell, Daschle and Boxer. Our goal was to find
ways to support NFS’s policy/ mandate of “offering
Native Americans opportunities on forest
lands.” Fire fighting and few ranger jobs don’t include
their kids. Providing grass roots opportunities for Native Youth
at ski areas across America helps develop their
health, self esteem, and career
opportunities, with the added benefit of fulfilling the IOC’s
sustainable recommendations.
In a bold move, Floyd Thompson, Director
of NFS Recreation and Tourism, suggested
creating a partnership between the cultures in presenting conservation
education at the popular ski area Native ceremonial/cultural
gatherings where the local and now state
leaders, Olympians and celebrities honor the
contributions of the tribes.
For maximum eco impact, local and regional
forest service leaders would first meet with
Native elders & ecologists, and ski area leaders to explore
each others points of view about stewardship and find ways to
work together and reinforce eachother's wisdom at
the Native ski events.
To make the eco breakthroughs in Telluride,
first we started a friendship/bonding
through the skiing. Five Colorado Ski areas have been
giving an average of 120 tickets per season, and Deer Mt, S.
Dakota has averaged 500. Based on positive
feedback by Utah's ski areas, NVF is
suggesting ski areas offer at least 50 tickets, lessons and
equipment to be shared by their local tribe(s). We
are developing a network of Olympic racers,
freestylers and snowboarders to assist you with
your events. Billy and
Steamboat President Chris Diamond, who have a "Ute Future
Olympians Program," helped us find 28 (see website) of the
most enlightened ski areas in America who
are interested in being a part of this. Denver James,
assistant Deputy Director of NFS has already met with regional
directors suggesting they
connect with these interested ski areas and tribes.
With the snow melting, we are asking you
to please get the word out to find ski areas
wanting to start the process of connecting with their tribes.
Through your reaching out they might want to do a Mt Spirit
Blessing or Gratitude ceremony (which Vail,
Telluride, Steamboat, Deer Mt....found
does wonders for snow conditions) for you this
season, or just invite a handful to say
hello, have lunch, go skiing and plan for next season. There
is always someone who would love to volunteer to connect with the
tribes. Then once you get to know them better, plan
a real welcoming celebration for next ski
season (or even this summer). What you do now will
also give some valuable feedback to NSAA, who wants to feature
these Olympic breakthroughs in their newsletter.
To simplify this program for ski areas,
at Kipp Pitou’s request, we found a
recreational leader of the Northern Utes to coordinate ski/boarding
opportunities between the Utah ski resorts and state’s 8 tribes
and just found a Colorado coordinator. Thanks to funding from
Aspen’s Dr Alex Kaufman (started Herman’s), who
funds, with Aspen's Crown Family, youth
sport camps between the children of Israel and Arab
countries, we can help provide a coordinator
in your state.
Our website: www.nativevoices.org has the
steps Colorado ski areas took to create
successful, uplifting events, including a 6 minute promo of
our documentary, “Red Road to the Olympics,”
that we hope to air globally soon.
Meanwhile, we can still add any footage you get at your first
Native ski contact. It was the smiling Native ski youngsters who
won our Winterskol Parade that inspired Aspen's
Mayor Klenderud to invite the Chief of the
Northern Utes, Roland McCook, to carry the Olympic
Torch here - a U.S. first.
Never before has there been such alignment
of thinking between Olympians and leaders of
tribes, ski resorts, national and international sport bodies,
as well as sustainable and political leaders. They all appreciate
the vital role that Indigenous Peoples can play in creating
an abundant future for all our children. NVF is
fortunate to have many of those leaders on
our board and invite you to be a part of our “best hope
for the future,” said Senator Campbell.
NBC's Bin Laden specialist, Patrick
Weiland, says "the best thing you can
do to show the Middle Eastern Tribal People that
we've learned something from 9/11, is to do something significant
for the tribal people in our own backyard."
With "Native Americans being the
"No 1 draw of the Olympics," according to SLOC, and 5
million visitors expected in the next two
years for the "Lewis, Clark & Sakajawea
Bicentennial," giving Native Americans and other tribal
peoples around the world
sports and Olympic opportunities is also our best chance
for a better economy. Rose Anne Abrahamson, the descendent of
Sakajawea, whose family of World Champion dancers
loves to ski, presented me with a coat at the final Salt Lake
Press Conference for our efforts on behalf of Native youth. With
our Olympic Exchanges focusing
on the hotspots, we can create a safer world for a millionth
the cost.
Senators Campbell and Bradley, Michael
Berry, and President Clinton were first to
recognize that Telluride’s Native ski program, was a “role
model for American Ski Areas and America.” “I
hope we can share the great outdoors with
Native Americans to create a generation of Native Olympians,”
said Bjorn Dahl, former President of Kirkwood, now Regional
Director of Rocky Mt Region.
Please contact NVF at 970-922 5406 for any
assistance. On behalf of our Native Voices
Board, especially our Native leaders, thank you
for your consideration.
Warmly,
Suzy Chaffee Brian Wallace (Washoe Tribal
Chairman of Cal-Nev) Co-chairmen
Native Voices Foundation