Chairman’s Report
Salem casino update
Tribal members and anyone else have
until April 8 to get letters of support into
the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in sup-
port of our Salem casino project’s Draft
Environmental Assessment.
If the BIA determines based on public
comments that an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) is needed, the BIA will
schedule a public hearing on the proposed
action and develop a draft EIS.
Once the draft is available, the BIA
will publish notice and once again the
public will be given the opportunity to
comment. The BIA will then issue a final
EIS. When this is completed, the Secre-
tary of Interior will issue her decision.
When the secretary approves the deci-
sion, the governor of Oregon is then asked to
concur. The governor has one year to concur
or object. During that time, the public will
have another opportunity to provide input.
This has been a lengthy project but a
very worthwhile one. Many meetings have
taken place with the community and we
have received lots of support.
Siletz Tribe Consent Decree
A presentation on the Tribe’s hunt-
ing and fishing agreement, the Consent
Decree, will be made at the General Coun-
cil meeting in May. The Tribal negotiating
team continues to meet with officials from
the governor’s office and with the Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife.
State University on Siletz waste water
shows high levels of COVID still present
in Siletz.
Chinook Winds Casino is welcoming
guests back without masks, but we have
asked staff to continue wearing them for
safety reasons.
Congressional support in legislation
The Tribe has been helped sig-
nificantly by legislation that our elected
congressional delegation has passed in
Congress. We are very greatly for all their
assistance.
COVID-19
We still are not free from COVID
infections although the numbers have
decreased significantly. The Tribal Coun-
cil will make important decisions on re-
opening at some time in the future.
Oregon has lifted the mask man-
date but studies conducted by Oregon
Oregon Tribes meeting
The Oregon Tribes have met several
times in the past few weeks to talk about
issues that are important to us all. While
we don’t agree on all issues, we strive to
listen to each other and move forward on
the many issues that affect us all.
Delores Pigsley
Elders Council Meeting
The Elders Council will hold a virtual Zoom meeting on Saturday, April 9,
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, April 6, 2022.
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 May issue is
April 11.
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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April 2022
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