Coos County man convicted of excavating local Tribal archaeological site
Oregon DOJ leads
prosecution with
help from Coos and
Coquille Tribes
A Coos County judge on Jan. 23
sentenced a North Bend man to five years
of probation and fined him $2,000 for
intentionally disturbing a Coos County
archaeological site.
David Gieselman repeatedly exca-
vated American Indian archaeological
objects from a site on the north shore of
Coos Bay despite multiple warnings that
it violated the law. Coos County Circuit
Court Judge Michael Gillespie also
ordered Gieselman to forfeit 12 Tribal
artifacts in his possession and prohibited
him from entering any Oregon state park
for five years.
The Oregon Department of Justice
environmental crimes unit prosecuted
the case. The Confederated Tribes of
Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indi-
ans and the Coquille Indian Tribe played
key roles.
“Because they tell a significant part
of Oregon’s story, these resources are
important to Oregon’s Tribes and all Ore-
gonians,” said Oregon Attorney General
Ellen Rosenblum. “The Oregon Depart-
ment of Justice is committed to working
closely with the Tribes to vigorously
enforce the laws protecting these sites.”
Oregon law states, “A person may
not excavate, injure, destroy or alter an
archaeological site or object or remove
an archaeological object located on pub-
lic or private lands in Oregon unless that
activity is authorized by a permit issued
in accordance with State law.”
Officials of the Confederated Tribes
of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw
Indians twice came upon Gieselman
digging at the site in February and May
2010 and warned him against further
collecting. Later that year, Oregon State
Police searched his house and found
180 artifacts.
Gieselman was spotted again by an
Oregon State Police trooper at the same
site in February 2012. He had 12 artifacts
on his person. The state subsequently
filed criminal charges against Gieselman
that he knowingly removed archaeologi-
cal objects and knowingly disturbed an
archaeological site.
A six-person jury found Gieselman
guilty of the charges on Jan. 11.
Chief Warren Brainard of the Confed-
erated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua,
and Siuslaw Indians addressed the court
before Gieselman’s sentencing about the
historical importance of these archaeo-
logical sites.
“Our social order was broken, we
lost our traditions, Tribal ways and our
language was forbidden,” he said. “Our
way of life forever changed, our history
was lost, stolen and changed to what our
masters told the next generation. Our
only true history is what can lawfully be
recovered from undisturbed archaeologi-
cal sites.”
The site in question was a gathering
place for local American Indians. They
fished there and may have built canoes
as well. Archaeologists with the Tribe
and the Oregon Parks and Recreation
Department determined that the artifacts
collected by Gieselman were traditional
Tribal tools.
“Archaeological sites are part of our
living legacy,” said Howard Crombie,
Natural Resources Department director
for the Coos Tribe. “They are messages
from our ancestors to our children. When
an archaeological site is destroyed, we lose
part of our past, our future and ourselves.”
Oregon law puts tight protections on
archaeological sites. It is a violation of
state law to knowingly dig in an archaeo-
logical site even if the landowner has
given permission.
More information about sensitive
sites and obtaining permits is available
at oregon.gov/oprd/HCD/Pages/con-
tact_us.aspx – the website of the Oregon
Parks & Recreation Department Heritage
Programs.
“The resolution of this case and
involvement of the state Justice Depart-
ment clearly demonstrates the importance
of protecting artifacts of ancient Tribal
cultures,” said Brenda Meade, chair of
the Coquille Indian Tribe. “It is a strong
message to amateur archaeologists to
follow the legal requirements and consult
with state and Tribal authorities when
encountering historical and cultural sites.”
Rosenblum thanked Patrick Flanagan,
senior assistant attorney general at the
Department of Justice, for his role in
prosecuting the case
The Confederated Tribes of Coos,
Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians
has its headquarters in Coos Bay. The
Coquille Indian Tribe has its headquarters
in North Bend.
New Hospital-to-Home Program to combat readmission
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Starting this
year, Oregon Health Plan members will
have a better chance of staying home after
a hospital stay for certain chronic condi-
tions because of the new Hospital-to-
Home pilot program based at Samaritan
Albany General Hospital.
The program is part of the health
care transformation plans for InterCom-
munity Health Network Coordinated Care
Organization (IHN-CCO) and is under
the guidance of the Senior and Disability
Services team for Oregon Cascades West
Council of Governments (OCWCOG).
“We expect this program to reduce
hospital readmissions and improve health
outcomes for our members,” said Kelley
Kaiser, CEO of IHN-CCO.
Patients can face many issues in get-
ting back to full health after a hospital
stay. But those who come home with
chronic conditions like diabetes, chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),
pneumonia, congestive heart failure
(CHF) or atrial fibrillation (Afib) face an
even greater danger. They are at high risk
of being readmitted to the hospital within
30 days of leaving.
According to Scott Bond, director
of OCWCOG’s Senior and Disability
Services, medication errors by patients
are one of the most frequent causes for
readmission.
“A patient with diabetes receives
information about a change in how to take
their medication while in the hospital. If
they don’t understand the changes or don’t
follow the new directions, they may wind
up with uncontrolled blood sugar levels
and back in the hospital,” said Bond.
The Hospital-to-Home Program
provides a transitions coach who visits
the patient within 48 hours of discharge
and keeps in touch by phone over the next
three weeks. The coach ensures that the
patient follows up with the doctor and
learns how to manage his or her drugs
and create a health record.
The patient also learns the red flags
that point to a worsening in his or her
condition and how to respond.
Hospital staff refers patients who
could benefit from the program. The
patient must agree to participate.
“The home visit is the key to this
program’s success,” explained Bond. “It
gives the coach the chance to see what
risks the patient may face in getting bet-
ter at home. It could be something like
a lack of means to get to the doctor and
drugstore or prepare their own meals. If
problems are found in the home visit, the
coach will work with the patient to con-
nect with resources in their community.”
The CCO plans to expand the pro-
gram to other hospitals in Benton and
Lincoln counties in the future. The suc-
cessful Hospital-to-Home Program at
Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital
will continue.
For more information about the
Hospital-to-Home Program at Samaritan
Albany General Hospital, visit ocwcog.
org. For more information about Inter-
Community Health Network CCO, visit
samhealth.org/IHN-CCO.
About InterCommunity Health
Network Coordinated Care
Organization
Local public, private and non-profit
partners formed IHN-CCO in 2012 to
unify health services and systems for
Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid) members
in Benton, Lincoln, and Linn counties.
The organization seeks to improve the
health of local communities while lower-
ing or containing the cost of care.
Partners include county govern-
ments and their public health, mental
health and addiction service departments;
local health care providers; federally
qualified health centers; Accountable
Behavioral Health Alliance; The Corval-
lis Clinic; Mid-Valley Behavioral Care
Network; Oregon Cascades West Council
of Governments; Quality Care Associ-
ates; Samaritan Health Plans; Samaritan
Health Services; Samaritan InterCom-
munity Health Network health plan; and
Samaritan Mental Health.
IHN-CCO currently serves more than
34,000 Oregon Health Plan members.
Healthy Kids
supplements
IHS coverage
what does this mean?
Diabetes occurs when the body
fails to process sugar in the right way.
Left untreated, diabetes can lead to
heart disease, blindness, kidney failure
and removing of infected toes, feet or
lower legs from the body. Diabetes is
the seventh-leading cause of death in the
United States.
CHF , or congestive heart failure, does
not mean the heart has stopped working.
Rather, it means that the heart’s pumping
power is weaker than normal. It is the
leading cause of hospitalization in people
older than 65.
COPD , or chronic obstructive pul-
monary disease, makes it hard to breathe
and is a disease that gets worse over time.
COPD is the third-leading cause of death
in the United States.
Pneumonia is an infection in one or
both of the lungs. Pneumonia tends to be
more serious for people who have other
health problems, such as CHF, diabetes
or COPD.
Afib , or atrial fibrillation (also referred
to as AF), is the most common type of
irregular heartbeat. It is found in about
2.2 million Americans. Its frequency
increases with age. Afib is associated with
an increased risk of stroke, heart failure
and even death.
1-877-314 - 5678
www.OregonHealthyKids.gov
We cover all the health coverage
American Indian / Alaska
Native kids and teens need.
March 2013
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SiletzNews
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