Chairman’s Report
New Year
We welcome 2022 as a year of change
and challenging times. Elections will be
held in early February. I will be pleased if
I am re-elected; if not, I have to say being
on the council for the past many years has
been extremely rewarding. Since Restora-
tion in 1977, the Tribe has been amazingly
progressive.
On Jan. 19, I listened to Tribal elder
Ed Ben talk on a webinar hosted by
Ecotrust in Portland, Ore. He spoke of
termination and the effect of termination
back in 1953. Then council member Bud
Lane spoke about progress, culture and
current Tribal issues.
The presentations should remind all
of us of the terrible policies that affected
our membership since the signing of the
first treaty.
I have been asked to be a guest
speaker at the Native American Rights
Fund’s (NARF) 50 th Anniversary Cel-
ebration in Boulder, Colo., in April. I
accepted the honor, assuming travel is
approved at that time.
NARF lawyers worked tirelessly early
on, assisting the Tribe in gaining Restora-
tion back in the 1970s. We owe NARF our
deepest gratitude for the dedication and
the effort that was put forth for us to gain
Restoration in November 1977.
Chinook Winds Casino is still open
with reduced hours and is having difficulty
hiring help even with the bonuses in effect.
As of Jan. 19, we have had the highest
number of COVID cases processed by the
clinic, where 94 positives have been identi-
fied. In December 2021, our highest count
was 38 positives.
COVID
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
released the environmental assessment in
January. Notification was published and
the BIA will hold a public hearing. It’s
really the first stage of a long process, but
progress is being made.
The Tribe is still operating under our
emergency plan, phase one. The COVID
counts in Oregon and in Lincoln County
have surged. It is now more important
than ever to follow the protocols put forth
to stay healthy.
Programs are serving Tribal members
via phone, email and postal mail. Employ-
ees are encouraged to work from home
and all employees must be vaccinated.
For more information about the Siletz Tribe, visit ctsi.nsn.us.
Need Rental Housing?
The Siletz Tribal Housing Department encourages you to apply for the
Low-Income Rental Program waiting list in Siletz (1-4 bedrooms) and
Lincoln City (2-3 bedrooms – Neachesna Village).
Applications can be obtained at any Tribal area office (Eugene, Salem, Portland,
Siletz) or online from the Tribal website – ctsi.nsn.us; follow links – Tribal
Services-Housing-Low Rent Apartments & Home Ownership.
For any questions, call 800-922-1399, ext. 1322, or 541-444-8322
Fax: 541-444- 8313
Siletz News is free to enrolled Siletz Tribal members. For all others, a $12
annual subscription fee applies. Please make checks payable to CTSI and mail
to Siletz News.
Name: _______________________________________________________
Address: ____________ _________________________________________
Phone: _______________________________________________________
Change of address: Tribal members – contact the Enrollment Department
at 541-444-8258; 800-922-1399, ext. 1258; or enrollment@ctsi.nsn.us. All oth-
ers – call the newspaper office.
Deadline for the March issue
is Feb. 10.
Send information to:
Submission of articles and
photos is encouraged.
Siletz News
P.O. Box 549
Siletz, OR 97380-0549
Please see the Passages
Policy on page 20 when submit-
ting items for Passages.
541-444-8291 or
800-922-1399, ext. 1291
Fax: 541-444-2307
Email: pias@ctsi.nsn.us
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Siletz News
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Member of the Native American
Journalists Association
February 2022
Salem casino
Siletz Tribal general manager
The Tribal Council selected Tribal
member Kurtis Barker as the Tribe’s new
general manager (see page 1). Barker has
managed our 477 SSP program and been
an employee of the Tribe for the past 16
years. Congratulations to Kurtis!
We thank our Natural Resources
manager, Mike Kennedy, for filling in as
the GM for the past year.
Delores Pigsley
Acting casino general manager
John Wheeler, director of Finance, has
been named the acting general manager
for Chinook Winds Casino Resort. This
action was effective Jan. 1, 2022. The
Tribe will be actively recruiting for a new
general manager.
Elders Council Meeting
The Elders Council will hold a virtual Zoom meeting on Saturday, Feb. 12,
2022, at 1 p.m.
If you are interested in participating in the virtual meeting from your phone,
computer or smart phone, please contact the Elders Program at 541-444-8233
by Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022.