Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 2007)
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT In the August issue of Siletz. News, I made a very brief statement about the fact that nearly 4.000 acres of land had been turned over to the Siletz Tribe to manage for the restoration of the marbled murrelet population and habi tat. The murrelet, which already had been declared a threatened species, were virtually wiped out by the oil spilled by the New Carissa, a cargo ship that ran aground off the Oregon Coast in 1999. An extensive account of the New Carissa disaster and subsequent resto ration plan was made public in a news release on July 31 by Phil Carroll, a member of the Public Affairs staff of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Readers of Siletz News already may have read the news items that were immediately published by the media in various local and national publications. Stories of the ship disaster and plan for restoring the murrelet also were re ported to the Siletz General Council by Mike Kennedy, Siletz Natural Re sources Director, who also wrote an excellent article on this subject in the July issue of Nesika Illahee, the tribe’s confidential newsletter. The trustees responsible for over seeing the restoration of the murrelet decided that ownership and manage ment of the 3,951 acres be turned over to the Siletz Tribe because the tribe “has a long history of forest manage ment and community involvement, a multi-disciplinary staff and a demon- Delores Pigsley strated ability in resource restoration and species conservation.’’ The trustees that came to this con clusion included the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wild life Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (all of which are agencies within the U.S. Department of Interior); the Oregon State Department of Fish and Wildlife Service; the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians; and the Con federated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians. Among the multitude of functions for which the tribe is responsible is the preparation of a detailed management plan every year, subject to review by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Bureau of Land Manage ment and the Fish and Wildlife Service. And as long as the following ac tivities don't adversely affect the murrelet. the tribe will be responsible for keeping selected areas of the land open for public hunting, fishing and other recreational uses, and also will enable limited commercial timber har vest in order to provide revenue for the management of the property and pay ment of county property taxes. I am pleased that the trustees’ de cision was based on the recognition that the Siletz. Tribe has competence in for est management and community involve ment, has a capable multi-disciplinary staff and proven ability in resource res toration and species conservation. We need to be reminded that the Siletz Tribe has values beyond those attributes. In fact, it’s the respect for all living creatures that is, and has al ways been, of deep cultural signifi cance to the Siletz Tribe. In fact, the marbled murrelet has been a significant natural resource that dates beyond the .New Carissa disas ter. Five years before this disaster seri ously threatened the existence of the marbled murrelet, the Siletz Tribe’s 1994 Comprehensive Plan specifically identified the protection, acquisition and development of the spotted owl and the marbled murrelet habitats as major tribal priorities. The preservation of part of the tribe's forest land as a recreation area also was identified in the 1994 comp plan as a natural re source priority. A most important step in the com prehensive planning process is always direct input by tribal members through community meetings held in each of the four federally recognized tribal areas (Siletz. Portland. Salem and Eugene). Tribal members are given the op portunity to identify priorities and list methods and activities to achieve those priorities. So the fact that the tribe iden tified the marbled murrelet and its habi tat as items of high priority during the 1994 comprehensive planning process has special significance. The basis upon which the Siletz Tribe has conducted its natural and cultural resources is reflected in the Natural Resources Mission Statement: To care for. protect, enhance and provide for the wise use of all of the tribe’s natural resources in a manner that ensures that all generations to come will benefit from these resources. This philosophy applies to all land to which the tribe is historically tied, in cluding its aboriginal ancestral lands, its Coast Reservation, and its current and future land holdings. We enjoyed a great pow-wow and parade this year. Thank you. Sister Francella Griggs, for being our grand marshal and to Hiroto Zakoji for ac companying her. Restoration Committee Working on 30th Anniversary Celebration by Tina Retasket The Tribal Council has appointed a committee to work on this year's Resto ration Celebration. As you may already know, this year marks the 30lh anniver sary of Restoration. The committee is working on many events leading up to the Restoration event in November. If you have any photographs of people or events that are significant to pre- or post-restoration, we would like to make a copy of them. Please bring your photos to the Public Information office in the admin istration building in Siletz. Diane or Laurel will scan your photo, ask you who the people are in the picture and what the event is, and return the photo to you. They will forward the copies to the com mittee and you will have the original. We appreciate everyone’s assis tance in this event and hope to use as many pictures as possible to show the recent history of the Siletz Tribe. Most Often Requested Numbers Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians Salem Area Office Salem Finance Office Portland Area Office Eugene Area Office Springfield Siletz Tribal Head Start Contract Health Services (CHS) Siletz Community Health Clinic Siletz Alcohol and Drug Chinook Winds Casino Resort Chemawa Health Clinic Bureau of Indian Affairs Web Site 1-800-922-1399 503-390-9494 1-888-870-9051 503-238-1512 541-484-4234 541-747-0161 1-800-628-5720 1-800-648-0449 1-800-600-5599 1-888-244-6665 I-8OO-452-7823 1-8OO-323-85I7 www.ctsi.nsn.us September 2007 • Siletz News • 3
