Siletz news /, January 01, 2017, Image 1

SILETZ NEWS
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
Vol. 45, No. 1
January 2017
Presorted
First-Class
Mail
U.S. Postage
Paid - Permit
No. 178
Salem, OR
Siletz News
Confederated Tribes of
Siletz Indians
P.O. Box 549
Siletz, OR 97380-0549
Delores Pigsley,
Tribal Chairman
Brenda Bremner,
General Manager
and Editor-in-Chief
Photo above by Diane Rodriquez; courtesy photo below by Alicia Keene
First they made them, then they wrapped them
A multitude of children made Christmas gifts on Dec. 20 at the Siletz Tribal
Community Center, including Connor Mason.
Photo by Diane Rodriquez
Left to right: Brenda Bremner, general manager; Anita Bailor, Programs 1
manager; and Maggie McAfee, Human Resources assistant
Employee of the Year
Anita Bailor, Programs 1 Manager
From the nomination form: Anita is always thinking of ways to improve the
social services programs to better serve our Tribal families. Programs I is chal-
lenging in that it provides services to Tribal members before they are born up
until they are an elder and can be taxing at times. Anita always supports her staff
and never leaves a job undone. Her dedication to the Siletz Tribe has allowed for
programs to run smoothly. She does a fabulous job.
The Siletz Tribe wishes you the happiest of new years.
May this be your best year ever.
Congress passes provisions to help rebuild lost housing for Columbia
River Tribes as Tribal members exercise treaty-protected right to fish
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jeff
Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA)
and Ron Wyden (D-OR), as well as
Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR-3),
announced on Dec. 9 that provisions to
help fulfill long-unmet housing obliga-
tions to Tribes along the Columbia River
have passed both the House and Senate
as part of the Water Resources Devel-
opment Act of 2016 (WRDA), now the
Water Infrastructure Improvements for
the Nation Act. The bill then was sent to
the president’s desk to be signed into law.
Beginning in the 1930s, the construc-
tion of the three lower Columbia River
dams displaced members of the four
Columbia River Treaty Tribes – Warm
Springs, Umatilla, Nez Perce and Yakama.
These Tribes have a treaty-protected
right to fish along the Columbia River in
their usual and accustomed places. The
senators and congressman have been
fighting to address the urgent need for
adequate housing and infrastructure at
Tribal fishing access sites constructed by
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army
Corps) following construction of The
Dalles, Bonneville and John Day dams.
The Army Corps designed the sites
to be used primarily for daily, in-season
fishing access and temporary camping.
In many cases, however, Tribal members
now use the areas as longer-term or even
permanent residences.
A Fact-Finding Review on Tribal
Housing prepared by the Army Corps
found that as many as 85 Tribal families
who lived on the banks of the Colum-
bia River prior to construction of the
Bonne-ville and The Dalles dams did not
receive relocation assistance, despite the
fact that several non-Tribal communities
inundated by dam construction did receive
such assistance.
“Leaving our Tribes displaced with-
out safe, reliable housing is simply wrong,”
said Merkley. “Ever since the construction
of the Columbia River unjustly displaced
these Tribes starting over 75 years ago, the
federal government has owed it to them
to provide the housing and infrastructure
that was promised. These provisions bring
us one step closer to making good on our
commitments.”
“This is an incredibly important step
toward repairing decades of injustice in
the Pacific Northwest, but our work does
not end here,” said Murray. “In the com-
ing months and years, we must continue
the fight to ensure our country honors
its promise to respect Tribal treaty rights
and uphold this region’s rich legacy of
salmon fishing.”
“Today, the Congress has made real
progress toward starting to repair a long
and painful history of injustice against
Native American communities and their
families,” Wyden said. “It is only right to
protect children and families from seri-
ous health and safety hazards along the
Columbia River by providing safe and
permanent housing for Tribal communi-
ties that have been displaced.”
“I’m proud we’re on our way to right-
ing this wrong,” said Blumenauer. “We
will not stop fighting until the federal gov-
ernment meets its basic responsibilities to
improve the conditions of these sites and
deal with unmet Tribal housing needs.”
Specifically, the provisions that passed
the Congress as part of WRDA will help
fulfill unmet housing obligations by:
•
•
Authorizing the Army Corps to pro-
vide relocation assistance to Native
families displaced by the construction
of Bonneville Dam
Authorizing the Army Corps to
conduct a study of Native families
displaced by the construction of the
John Day Dam and make recommen-
dations to Congress with a plan to
address unmet obligations for reloca-
tion assistance