Hoopa Indian Tribe uses excess property to set up fish cannery

Through the reuse of excess property, GSA's Pacific Rim Region has helped the Hoopa Indian Tribe realize their vision of having a working fish cannery and commercial kitchen in Hoopa, Calif.

The region's group responsible for personal property for reuse and sale coordinated and facilitated the transfer of excess property, including a portable building from the National Park Service in Crescent City, Calif. The Hoopa Tribe refurbished this portable building, which is now used to operate the cannery and commercial kitchen.

“GSA has made a positive impact to the local people as they help to put tools into the hands of people who can use them,” said Daniel Jordan, Hoopa Tribe’s Self-Governance Director. “We are beginning to teach ourselves once again how to fish, and to grow stuff, and to make stuff, and to stop waiting for the future just to arrive. This property would not be available locally if GSA's program did not exist.”

The last public cannery in the Hoopa Reservation was closed in the early 1950s, resulting in a significant loss of opportunities for the local community. The old cannery was not able to be replaced because of limited funding. Unemployment levels have increased on the reservation since the cannery closure. Through the property transfer, GSA’s efforts have been instrumental in the creation of up to 50 new jobs for tribe members over the next two years, helping to ease the unemployment levels.

“Even though we don't have much funding, the GSA program has allowed us to move forward by gaining access to property and equipment,” said Jordan. “The GSA excess property program has provided us tools to address local problems that would not exist without it.”