ADA Cathlapotle Plankhouse

ADA Build-it-Right
Cathlapotle Plankhouse at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

E-mail Complaint from ADA Build it Right

Date: Mon, 13 Jun 2005 15:13:50 -0700
To: .....@fws.gov
From: Wayne Yarnall <wayne@adabuild.com>
Subject: To ADA Coordinator - Cathlapotle Plankhouse

Yvette Donovan, Refuge Manager:

Reference: Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge Complex http://www.fws.gov/ridgefieldrefuges/RNWRCulture.htm

Please direct this message to your ADA Coordinator.

I would like to file an official complaint under the ADA because the Cathlapotle Plankhouse is inaccessible to the disabled. Actually it may be under a different law than the ADA, maybe the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. I was at the Carty unit recently but was unable to cross the bridge over the BNSF railroad tracks in my power wheelchair. The bridge was too steep and blocked with posts to prevent access.

The point is the Carty unit didn't need to be accessible because "equivalent facilitation" was provided at the River "S" unit. However this changed with the Cathlapotle Plankhouse project http://plankhouse.org/.

The concept of "equivalent facilitation" permits agencies to adopt approaches different than those specifically detailed in the standards as long as they provide "equivalent or greater access."

It is my opinion that the other units cannot provide "equivalent facilitation" for the Cathlapotle Plankhouse.

I can't locate a specific reference to the concept of "equivalent facilitation" in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, here is the reference from the ADA/ABA Guide 2004 (Proposed).

103 Equivalent Facilitation
Nothing in these requirements prevents the use of designs, products, or technologies as alternatives to those prescribed, provided they result in substantially equivalent or greater accessibility and usability. Advisory 103 Equivalent Facilitation. The responsibility for demonstrating equivalent facilitation in the event of a challenge rests with the covered entity. With the exception of transit facilities, which are covered by regulations issued by the Department of Transportation, there is no process for certifying that an alternative design provides equivalent facilitation.

Please find a way to make the Cathlapotle Plankhouse accessible to the disabled in the next year. Is there a private road into the Cathlapotle Plankhouse? There must have been some road access to transport the construction materials.

Another possibility is to offer special dates by reservation only when one could be escorted on the private road to the Plankhouse. Or offer special access with 48 hours notice to the office.

I will be happy to meet with you in your Ridgefield office if you need more details.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely yours,

Wayne Yarnall, President, ADA Build it Right, Inc.

Plankhouse information from: http://plankhouse.org/
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The Plankhouse has Become a Reality!

On March 29, 2005, the 199th anniversary of Lewis and Clark's visit to the Cathlapotle people, the door to the Cathlapotle Plankhouse on Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge was officially opened! Though it will be several months until the building is staffed with volunteers and open to the public on a regular basis, the Door Opening ceremony marked a major milestone for the project. Over 100 volunteers and 3500 hours of labor went into building the plankhouse, largely from donated timber. For photographs of the Housewarming 2005 events, go to Noel Johnson's Lewisriver.com

Now that the structure is standing, focus will shift to training volunteer staff and conducting workshops and work parties to furnish and interpret the plankhouse. If you're interested in learning more about volunteering, click here.

Project Background

It was one of the largest Chinookan villages encountered by Lewis and Clark, but today Cathlapotle is one of the few archaeological sites on the Lower Columbia River that has withstood the ravages of flooding, looting, and development. A decade of archaeological research -- the result of a partnership between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Chinook Tribe, and Portland State University -- has produced a wealth of information about the Chinookan people who lived on the river long before Lewis and Clark first observed Cathlapotle in 1805.

We are very excited to be building a full-scale Chinookan-style cedar plankhouse on the Refuge which will serve as an outdoor classroom for interpreting the rich natural and cultural heritage preserved on Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge through the site of Cathlapotle.
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