TRIBAL PROGRAM NEWS
Governor Pays Visit to Siletz
By Diane Rodriquez
Gov. Ted Kulongoski toured the
Siletz Reservation on June 19, visit
ing several Tribal facilities and gaining
firsthand knowledge of Tribal issues
and successes.
After discussing various subjects
with members of the Tribal Council, Gov.
Kulongoski and his staff visited the Siletz
Clinic. In addition to guiding the group on
a brief tour of the current facilities, Health
Director Judy Muschamp also showed the
governor the plans for the new clinic to be
built on Gwee-Shut Road in Siletz.
Then everyone boarded a Tribal bus,
driven by General Manager Brenda Brem
ner, for a tour of other Tribal properties,
starting with the most recent housing built
on the west side of Siletz. Everyone got
off the bus (funded by the state’s Spe
cial Transportation Funds) to go inside
the Tillicum Fitness Center and the gym
next door, discussing the Tribe’s efforts to
encourage physical activity among its mem
bers. Then it was back on the bus for a ride
through the original Tribal housing, down
Gwee-Shut Road by the Public Works build
ings and the land for the new clinic building,
then past Elders’ housing and up the road
to Government Hill by the Paul Washington
Cemetery and Veterans Memorial.
A lunch at the community center
prepared by Bristo Bayya was enjoyed by
all, as were the desserts made by Bonnie
Petersen. The short break in the day was
followed by a trip to the dance house,
where Bud Lane explained the intricacies
of the feather dance and his teaching of
the Athabascan language.
The Tribal Council gave gifts to Gov.
Kulongoski and his staff - Kelly Skye,
legal counsel; Mike Carrier, natural re
sources policy advisor; and Griff Holland
and Dave Kammerman with the state
police security detail.
Then, despite several comments from
Gov. Kulongoski and his staff about wish
ing they could stay in the dance house for
at least the rest of the afternoon, the group
headed to Eugene for another meeting.
bADLKSHIP — Health Director Judy Muschamp gives Gov. Ted Kulongoski
a tour of the current Siletz Clinic during the governor's visit to Siletz.
Several Tribal Council members, including Delores Pigsley, Robert Kentta
and Bud Lane joined the tour and talked about issues of concern to the
Siletz Tribe and all of Indian Country.
Hunting and Fishing News
by Mike Kennedy
New Youth Deer Hunt: We are
offering a new hunting opportunity for
Tribal member youth age 12-17 who have
successfully completed their hunter safety
course. Eight tags will be available by
drawing for an Oct. 3-Nov. 6 antlerless or
spike deer hunt in the Stott Mt. and Alsea
units (four tags each unit).
To enter the drawing, youth should
fill out the drawing form that’s available
on the Tribe’s website or in the Natural
Resources Department office and return
it to the Natural Resources Depart
ment by Sept. 4. The drawing will be at
5 p.m. on Sept. 14 in the Natural Resources
Department map room. Youth must be
accompanied by an adult age 21 or older
when hunting using this tag.
Hunter Safety Course: All Tribal
youth age 12-17 who wish to hunt using a
Tribal tag must first successfully complete
a hunter safety course. The Tribe’s Hous
ing Department is working with a local
hunter safety trainer to set up a course in
Siletz sometime this summer, most likely
after pow-wow. Watch for posters in the
Tribe’s offices and on the Tribe’s website
for the date, time and place.
You also can check the Oregon De
partment of Fish and Wildlife’s website
(www.dfw.state.or.us/outdoor_skills/
hunter/courses/index.asp) to find an up
coming course near you.
Mentored Youth Hunting Pro
gram: The Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife has instituted a new Men
tored Youth Hunting Program for youth
age 9-13 who have not yet passed a hunter
education course. The Tribe will mirror
this program for Tribal youth.
Any Tribal hunter age 21 or older
with a valid license and tag can mentor
a Tribal youth age 9-13. The youth does
not need to have passed a hunter education
course to participate.
The youth will hunt under the men
tor's license and tag and any animal killed
will count as filling the mentor’s tag.
The mentor is responsible for training
the youth in firearm and hunter safety
before hunting. Both the mentor and the
youth must review and sign a Safe Hunt
ing Information form (available from the
Natural Resources Department), which
the youth must keep in his/her possession
while hunting.
The mentor can only hunt with one
youth at a time, but the mentor can hunt
with different youth at different times and
a youth may hunt with different mentors
during the year.
Only one legal firearm is allowed
between the mentor and the youth. The
mentor must remain in immediate control
of the youth, meaning the two must stay in
close proximity to each other at all times
while the youth is in possession of a legal
hunting weapon.
Cultural Hunts: Every year the Natu
ral Resources Committee sets aside several
antlerless elk tags as cultural tags. These
tags are hunted by Tribal member volun
teers and the meat is given to the Tribe for
distribution to needy Tribal members.
If you are interested in volunteering to
hunt one of these tags, please contact Mike
Kennedy in the Natural Resources Depart
ment to get on the list of cultural hunters.
The Natural Resources Committee will
then choose from the pool of volunteers.
The Tribe does not reimburse the vol
unteer for any of his/her hunting costs, but
it does take care of the cost of processing
the meat. Anyone volunteering must be
willing to spend the necessary time and
effort to harvest an elk.
Deer and Elk Bow Tags: Deer and
elk bow tags will be available for the early
bow season (Aug. 29-Sept. 27) on a first-
come, first-served basis beginning July 27
at 8 a.m. at the Natural Resources Depart
ment office. Hunters must physically show
up to obtain a tag. A waiting list will be
developed for the late season bow hunt if
all of the early season tags are issued.
The distribution schedule for the rest
of the hunting tags, along with the fishing
tags, can be found at the Tribe’s website,
at the Natural Resources Department and
in this issue of Siletz News on page 4.
Natural Resources Department staff also
will visit the Eugene and Salem Area
Offices in late August to issue tags.
Subsistence Fish Distribution:
As of mid-June, the Tribe had received a
portion of the annual allotment of subsis
tence salmon from the Oregon Depart
ment of Fish and Wildlife. The rest was
expected by the end of June. Each area
office will distribute the packages of fish
on its own schedule. Watch for notices in
the offices and on the Tribe’s website for
the distribution schedule.
Each Tribal member will be allowed
to pick up one package of fish. If you are
picking up for anyone else, you must have
a note from that person authorizing you to
pick up for them. Depending on availabil
ity, we also might have a limited number
of fish heads, along with cured eggs for
all of you fishermen (and women).
Siletz Whole Bodied Steelhead:
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wild
life periodically supplies the Tribe with
surplus steelhead from the Siletz River
fish trap. These fish are available to Tribal
members on a first-come, first-served ba
sis while the supply lasts. The number of
fish available at any particular time varies
anywhere from 10 fish to more than 75,
depending on the conditions at the time.
This year the fish will be distributed
from the area near the Tribal Housing
office on Tolowa Court, where a new
fish-cleaning station is available for Tribal
member use. Watch the Tribal website for
announcements of when the fish are in.
We also maintain a call list if you wish
to receive a phone call when fish are
expected. Call Mike Kennedy or Kelley
Ellis in the Natural Resources Department
to get on that list.
Shellfish Permits: Tribal members
can be issued a shellfish gathering permit
from the Natural Resources Department
for harvest in Lincoln County of sea
anemones, rock oysters (piddocks), salt
water mussels and clams.
If you get one of these permits, be
sure to report your harvest to the Natural
Resources Department. No permits are
required to harvest eels, seaweed or fresh
water mussels within Lincoln County.
Willamette Falls Eel Permits:
Tribal member harvest of eels at Wil
lamette Falls for personal use is open from
June 1 -July 31, 2009, on Fridays through
Mondays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (no harvest
allowed on Tuesdays through Thursdays).
Tribal IDs serve as the permit, but Tribal
members must contact the Natural Re
sources Department to obtain a copy of the
harvest regulations and a harvest record
card before going to Willamette Falls.
The card must be filled out before leav
ing the falls with eels and then turned in to
the Natural Resources Department by Aug.
10. Depending on equipment availability
and water levels at the falls, Tribal staff
may lead a small contingent of Tribal mem
bers to the falls to gather eels and bring
them back for general Tribal distribution
sometime in late June or early July.
If you have any questions about any
of the Tribe's hunting, fishing or gather
ing opportunities, call Natural Resources
Manager Mike Kennedy at 541 -444-8232
or 800-922-1399, ext. 1232.
July 2009
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Siletz News
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