CondorexhibitatOregonZooinspiresDee-NilessonsatSiletzValleySchool
On May 22, several Siletz Tribal
members attended the grand opening of
the Oregon Zoo’s new Condors of the
Columbia exhibit. 1 Tribal Elder Agnes
Pilgrim offered the opening prayer and
spoke about her efforts to educate the
public about making our water and land
safe and healthy for all.
California condors, important to our
environment and honored by our people,
have been missing from Oregon’s skies
for more than a century. Pilgrim (photo
below) spoke about her concerns and
hopes for the recovery of the condors.
“Lead is in our waterways and spread
across the land, we need to do something
about this,” she said. “I’ve worked along
with these folks on the recovery project
for many years. It is truly a blessing to
see this facility here today to help educate
everyone about this wonderful bird. Until
we can get the lead out of the bullets,
we’re all in danger.”
The condors can be viewed in their
new enclosure, a mesh-wrapped aviary
covering roughly 100 feet in which they
can take short flights between three tree
perches – only a few flaps for their 8- to
10-foot wings.
Siletz Tribal Council member Sharon
Edenfield attended the opening of the
exhibit with her grandchildren. She was
asked to come to the Siletz Dee-Ni classes
at Siletz Valley School to talk about their
visit to the condor exhibit and she gra-
ciously accepted.
Tribal member/Dee-Ni instructor Joe
Scott helped students discover the aver-
age wingspan of a California condor and
compare the size of an eagle feather to a
condor feather.
Edenfield explained that she learned
a lot she didn’t know about the condor by
visiting the exhibit. She didn’t know that
lead was such a concern or that it threatens
the recovery of the bird’s population.
“The children noticed a feather lying
inside the enclosure and they were all
excited thinking they wanted to get it,”
said Edenfield as she laughingly recalled
how excited the grandkids were. “The guy
from the zoo told us, ‘It is illegal to own
the feather without a permit.’”
She told the students, “These birds
are protected just like eagles and you can-
not hurt them.”
Scott added that you can apply for
permits through a government agency
to receive feathers from protected birds.
Tribal member/Dee-Ni teacher assis-
tant Kathy Kentta-Robinson also talked
election Board Application
Tribal members interested in serving on the Election Board must fill out the
following form and return it to the address below.
The Election Board consists of three regular board members and one alter-
nate board member. Applications will be reviewed at the regular Tribal Council
meeting on Aug. 22, 2014.
All applications should be mailed to Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians,
Attn: Executive Secretary to Tribal Council, P.O. Box 549, Siletz, OR. 97380-
0549; or faxed to 541-444-8325.
Tyrone Scott Jr. (right) helps Joe Scott (center) hold a rope to visually demonstrate the size of a
California condor’s wingspan during a presentation by Sharon Edenfield (left) at Siletz Valley School.
about the ways lead bullets endanger
humans as well. Scientists who study
wildlife agree that “lead-based bullets used
to shoot wildlife can fragment into several
small pieces, with a large proportion being
sufficiently small to be easily ingested by
scavenging animals or incorporated (in the)
meat” we process to feed our families. 2
Edenfield said, “I had fun spending
the afternoon sharing some facts about
vultures and why these birds are endan-
gered with students.”
Since 2003, the zoo has operated a
captive breeding program at its Jonsson
Center for Wildlife Conservation in rural
Clackamas County. The site is off-limits
to the public. But the center has invited the
Siletz Tribal Education and Culture staff
to various workshops to educate Tribal
staff about the program and garner support
in overcoming the difficulties that prevent
condors from returning to the wild.
In January, the most recent count for
the population of condors stood at 410,
with 232 in the wild and 178 in zoos and
breeding programs.
1
2
**
To learn more about the exhibit, visit oregon-
zoo.org/discover/animals/california-condor
For more information, see Bellinger etal, Health
Risks from Lead-Based Ammunition in the Envi-
ronment – A Consensus Statement of Scientists,
http://escholarship.org/uc/item/6dq3h64x
The Center for Biological Diversity, an envi-
ronmental group, estimates that hunters in the
United States shoot more than 3,000 tons of lead
into the outdoors every year and as many as 20
million birds die annually from lead poisoning.
Courtesy photo of Agnes Pilgrim by
Kathy Street
Courtesy photo of California condor by
Kathy Street
Courtesy photo at Siletz Valley School by
Kathy Kentta-Robinson
Vacancies on Natural Resources, enrollment
and Housing Standing Committees
(Open until filled)
City: _________________________ State: ______________ ZIP: _____________
Any Tribal member interested in serving on the committees for the vacancies
listed below must fill out the following form and return it to the address below.
Please mail or fax your application to Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians,
Attn: Executive Secretary to Tribal Council, P.O. Box 549, Siletz, OR 97380-0549;
fax: 541-444-8325.
Telephone: Day ( ) ____________________ Evening ( ) ____________________
Name: _______________________________________ Roll No.: ______________
Name: _______________________________________ Roll No.: ______________
Address: __________________________________________________________
Address: __________________________________________________________
Time to gather materials for baskets
City: _____________________________ State: ___________ ZIP: _____________
Spring is here and very soon hazel
sticks will be ready to pick and peel.
Telephone: Day ( ) ___________________ Evening ( ) ______________________
Hazel stick gathering is a must for
anyone interested in making traditional
Siletz baskets. Spruce root can be dug all
year round and is used for the weavers or
weft of Siletz baskets.
1399, ext. 1320, or 541-444-8320, or
e-mail budl@ctsi.nsn.us.
Just a reminder – basket materials
must be gathered in a timely fashion.
Here is a general breakdown of gath-
ering times for different materials:
August
Bear grass and maidenhair fern are
used for overlay to make our traditional
designs or marks in our baskets and both
are picked in late summer.
Fir sticks, spruce roots, bear grass,
maidenhair fern, hazel sticks (limited),
willow sticks
Any Tribal members interested in
gathering can call Bud Lane at 800-922-
Bear grass, maidenhair fern, wood-
wardia fern, spruce roots
September
If applying for more than one committee, please indicate your preference,
i.e., 1, 2, 3.
____Natural Resources Committee – 1 vacancy for term ending 02/15 and
1 vacancy for term ending 02/16
____Enrollment Committee – 1 vacancy for term ending 02/16
____Housing Committee – 1 vacancy for term ending 02/15
Tribal Council will review any applications received at the regular Tribal
Council meeting on Aug. 22, 2014.
If you have any questions, please call Tami Miner, Tribal Council executive
secretary, at 800-922-1399, ext. 1203, or 541-444-8203.
August 2014
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SiletzNews
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