COME SEE
The TULE LODGE
at the
McNARY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER
A NEW STATION FOR STUDY
OF CULTURE, HISTORY AND MEDITATION
Come and see the results of thousands
of working hours
by students, teachers, and volunteers.
Location
Columbia Middle School of Burbank began in October, 2000,
harvesting tule, Juncus effusus,
directed by volunteer Greg Greger and teacher Marie Leahy.
Bundles of the soft-stemed bulrush were gathered and brought
to the storage shed to dry.
The tule was sorted and trimmed.
The Great Bulrush from the sedge family, Cyperaceae,
has green stems that are round and easily squashed.
They are soft with a center resembling styrofoam,
which make them easy to work into mats.
The Buck family of the Wanapum People was consulted
in the harvesting and construction of the mats.
The tools and the 'too lee' were ready for workers.
Angela Buck of the Wanapum people, in red vest,
demonstrated weaving and tying the rushes.
Greg explained rules and procedures to Columbia Middle School
(Burbank, WA) eighth graders
before assigning particular tasks.
Students and volunteers worked for several months
to weave mats for the teepee.
Wanapum artist's sketch of a lodge using tule mats.
Lodgepole Pine poles were stripped
of bark on
April 1, 2001, by Columbia Middle School eighth graders,
who learned about sharp wood-working tools
and how to work with them safely.
(Can one become a blood brother/sister to a pole?)
Refuge staff cleared and formed the foundation for the lodge
May 22, 2001.
The poles were set in place and
with one row of mats the teepee looked like a reality.
Some students fastened mats to the poles while others
spread chips on the embankment.
Each class from Columbia Middle School installed a totem on the top of a
pole.
Ladders were used for the higher rows of tule mats.
On May 30, 2001, the teepee stood ready for public dedication
