HOOPA -- Members of the Hoopa Valley Reservation's Tribal Civilian Community Corps (TCCC) learned carpentry skills at a two-day introductory orientation sponsored by the Carpenters Training Committee for Northern California in Fairfield.

Journeymen trainers worked with the Native American corps members during the Nov. 27-28 session to show them the fundamentals of hand and power tools, according to Mike White, district coordinator for the Carpenters Training Committee. He said the program is the first step in training that could lead to being a member of a Northern California carpenters union.

”We have worked with the Hoopa Valley Reservation for years to train Native American carpenters,” White said. “This connection is a priority for us because there is so much potential for building on California reservations.” He said former Hoopa Tribal Councilwoman Margaret Powell worked with the carpenters to begin training programs at the Hoopa Valley Reservation 18 years ago.

“This is a chance for corps members to learn some carpentry skills that they can take back to their community,” said Ed Guyer, director of Hoopa's TCCC. “It also is a tremendous opportunity to get into the apprenticeship program for the carpenter's union.”

White said the program encourages women apprentices. The Northern California American Indian contact for the union is Johnella Larose, a Shoshone member of the Fort Hall Reservation in Idaho. Hoopa TCCC Project Manager Julia Hostler said the students liked the hands-on training with tools. She and TCCC team leaders Stephan Lee and Viola Long observed the training sessions at the Carpenters Training Committee facility in Fairfield.

Carpentry is just one of the skills the 21 corps members from 12 tribes receive during their 10-month residential program. The Hoopa TCCC program, in its fifth year at Hoopa, trains youth to be “first-responders” who can go into disaster areas to save lives and turn off potentially dangerous utilities. The Hoopa TCCC was part of the clean-up operation in the catastrophic aftermath of Hurricanes Wilma and Katrina in the southern United States. The Hoopa TCCC was also been called in the aftermath of the 2003 deadly fire on the Barona Indian Reservation in Southern California. The Hoopa team has also worked with former President Jimmy Carter and the Habitat for Humanity to build 30 houses in Detroit.

”We had an education cycle of 80 hours that trained our people about how to enter a disaster area and make it safe,” Guyer said. “They learned how to get around downed power lines and shut off gas leaks. But most importantly, they learn how to provide aid to people.”

This first responder and carpentry training could be a combined asset if the corps members are deployed for more gulf region clean up in early 2007, according to Guyer.

Guyer said during the training program his crew would receive first aid, wilderness survival, and swift-water rescue training. The U.S. Forest Service provides resources training for the Hoopa TCCC.

Participants can also attain a high-school equivalency GED certificate through the program. In addition to the formal training, participants learn to support themselves and others while living in dormitories at Hoopa. The participants receive $115 a week and a $4,725 education credit when they complete the program. The TCCC is funded by the federal Corporation for National and Community Services under the AmeriCorps program. There are two other TCCC programs in Arizona and Alaska.

The Hoopa TCCC also receives support from the Hoopa Tribal Council, said Guyer. “I get 100 percent cooperation from them. They have never turned me down when I have gone to them and asked for help.” Hoopa Tribal Chairman Clifford Lyle Marshall said, “The Hoopa Reservation is proud to be the home for the best TCCC in the country.”