February 1993
Page 9
Land Acquisitions: Purpose and Procedure
The following article is a compilation of data provided by the Tribal Planning Department. This article addresses the issue of land purchased
by the Tribe and some of the goals the Tribe hopes to accomplish in the future for the tribal membership and the Grand Ronde community.
Smoke Signals
As many of us are aware, the Grand Ronde Tribe
proudly manages a 98 1 1 acre Indian Reservation which the
United States returned to the Tribe in September of 1988.
This Indian Reservation is exclusively a beautifully forested
area with a variety of trees and shrubs. There is an excellent
road network which assists the Tribe with harvesting some
of the timber. The timber harvest provides the tribe with a
revenue base. A network of beautiful streams drains the
reservation. These streams provide opportunities for
recreation, and opportunities for stream management which
may enhance fish and wildlife areas. The Natural Resources
Division manages this 9811 acre reservation.
Despite the size of the Reservation, it is unsuitable
for any development of streets, buildings, or houses. In
1 989, the tribe began a master plan which involved identifying
properties within the Grand Ronde community to establish
a "Homelands Base." The purpose of establishing a
Homelands Base was to give the tribe a place to develop some
streets and buildings. Athough the Tribe already owned the
Cemetery, and Depot properties when the Master Plan
began, there was not enough room on these properties for
streets and buildings. After researching and negotiating on
several parcels of property within the Grand Ronde community
area, the tribe eventually purchased properties on which to
develop. The results of tribal development can be seen on the
properties the Tribe has acquired within the Grand Ronde
community.
Since this development began, the tribal
organization has grown rapidly. In an effort to accommodate
this growth, the Tribe is in the process of acquiring more land
for the development of tribal facilities and infrastructure.
Land acquisitions have become an intricate part of the tribal
business. Everyone knows that we cannot manufacture land,
so the Tribe must carefully consider acquiring more land to
accommodate tribal and community growth.
To date, the Tribe has acquired approximately 380
acres of land outside of the Reservation area (this does not
include the treatment center in Keizer). Land acquisitions
require the Tribe to carefully consider many issues which
will affect the tribal membership, and the goals of the tribal
organization. The most important issue to consider is the
needs of the tribal membership. Three of the most important
needs to consider for the tribal membership are health,
shelter, and economic development. Another important
issue tocoraiderwithanylaiKlacqmsitionistheopportunities
the land will provide. Three important opportunities to
consider are accessability (roads), consolidation (acquiring
lands which adjoin existing tribal lands), and recreation. An
example of these considerations can be explained with the
recent purchase of a piece of property which was reported in
the previous newsletter.
The January newsletter reported the purchase of a
property from the Zimbrick family. Careful considerations
were taken into account which led to the purchase of this
property. The property is situated next to the existing
Forestry property. This provided the opportunity to
consolidate the Forestry property and the Zimbrick property.
The Zimbrick property is right onthe Salmon River Highway
(State Route 18) which provides immediate access to the
property. The Salmon River Highway is heavily traveled,
and if the Tribe was to develop an enterprise on the Zimbrick
property, there would be the opportunity of attracting travelers
to stop and visit the property. This appears to be a realistic
opportunity since many travelers stop at the nearby Strawberry
Patch (fruit stand).
The figure below indicates a potential development
possibility for the Zimbrick property. This possibility, of
course is only one of many ideas. All ideas must be carefully
considered before they can be actually developed. Aside
from the previous issues identified in this report, there are
otherissues, such as the availability ofutilities (water, sewer,
electricity), future improvements on the Salmon River
Highway, tourist attraction considerations, providing
opportunities for Tribal Members to set up small businesses,
and other underlying issues which are too many to name in
this report. As ideas begin to develop for the Zimbrick
property, all issues must be considered as part of an overall
plan for the Zimbrick property, and how this plan fits in with
the goals of the Tribe.
The figure represents an idea of how to utilize the
Zimbrick property next to the highway to attract travelers.
An area next to the highway could be allocated for a shopping
area. The area below the shopping area could be utilized as
a parking and rest area. If travelers and passers by stop at
these areas, the property could begin to generate revenue.
This generation of revenue could create jobs, such as
maintenance and upkeep jobs for the property. The creation
of jobs could assist tribal members in meeting economic
needs, helpingto improve theeconomy of the local community.
An area which is not shown on the figure, is an area
which includes the South Yamhill River. The South Yamhill
River is approximately 14 mile south of the highway. The
lands on both sides of the river were included as part of the
Zimbrick Property purchase. The river frontage area is a
beautiful area, and has excellent recreational opportunities.
That area could eventually become a park.
Another area included as part of the Zimbrick
property purchase is a hillside area which rises south from
the river. Although this part of the property is not shown in
the figure, it is not being ignored. The hillside is partially
wooded, although the woods cannot be seen from the highway.
The hillside is also being drained by some streams. There is
also a small man-made pond near the bottom of the hillside.
With all these characteristics, the opportunities for the
Zimbrick property acquisition are numerous.
Land acquisitions for the Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde are a lengthy undertaking which requires input
from all aspects of the tribal organization. The ideas which
were presented in this report are only, if you will, the "tip of
the Iceberg." Land acquisitions, transfers to Indian
Reservation status, development of roads, construction of
buildings, all require careful planning. Once development
begins, to change our minds or correct mistakes after roads
and buildings are placed in the ground would prove to be an
extremely difficult and costly process.
The process of Land Acquisition takes time, effort,
and a great deal of careful planning. It is unfortunate that the
process of losing Tribal Lands so many years ago was not so
difficult. The Tribal Administration is proud to be a
participant in re-establishing the Tribal Land Base. The re
establishment of the Tribal Land Base will serve the Tribe
and its members for many years to come.
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