SMOKE SIGNALS September 1, 1995 Page 7
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Gates on reservation roads will not
interfere with hunting season
Notice of Availability
Confederated Tribes of the Grand
Ronde Community of Oregon
Notice of availability of an En
vironmental Assessment (EA)
and Finding of No Significant Im
pact (FONSI) on the proposed
timber harvest of 77 acres in the
Grand Ronde Reservation,
known as the Running Bear Log
ging Unit, located In portions of
Section 7 T.5S., R.8W., Yamhill
County, Oregon.
AGENCY: Confederated
Tribes of the Grand Ronde Com
munity of Oregon, Natural Re
sources Division.
ACTION: Notice
SUMMARY: This notice is to
advise interested parties that an
Environmental Assessment has
been prepared for the proposed
timber harvest in the Grand
Ronde Reservation. Based upon
the EA, it has been determined
' that the proposed action will not
result in significant impacts on
the human environment. A Find
ing of No Significant Impact
(FONSI) was issued by the Bu
reau of Indian Affairs, Portland
Area, Assistant Area Director
(Program Services), therefore an
Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) was not required. The EA
and FONSI are available for Pub
lic Review at the Confederated
Tribes of the Grand Ronde Com
munity of Oregon, Natural Re
sources Division Office located
at 47010 Hebo Road, Grand
Ronde, Oregon 97347.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT:
Cliff Adams, Manager
Natural Resources Division
Confederated Tribes of the
Grand Ronde Community
of Oregon
P.O. Box 70
Willamina, Oregon 97347
(503) 879-5522
Individuals wishing copies of
this EA for review should imme
diately contact the Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde, Natural
Resources Division. Comments
will be received until September
15, 1995 at the Confederated
Tribes of the Grand Ronde Com
munity of Oregon, Natural Re
sources Division.
The Tribal Fish & Wildlife Department has requested
that the 206 and 212 dead-end spur roads be gated to
conduct an elk enhancement study. The study will be
conducted by the Tribal Fish & Wildlife Department and
is supported by the Oregon State Fish & Wildlife de
partment. The two roads in the study area will only be closed to
motorized vehicles. Hunting and all other activities will
be allowed, including access by non-motorized vehicles.
The study will run for a period of 5 years at which
time an evaluation report will be made discussing the
findings of this study. If the elk population has increased,
than a decision will be made as to whether or not to con
tinue the elk enhancement project.
No other permanent gates for Fish & Wildlife studies
will be installed until this study is completed. The deci
sion to gate these roads was made by the Tribal Biolo
gist and the Fish & Wildlife Committee; and supported
by the Timber Committee except for one member.
The policy on the Reservation land has been to gate
roads only when necessary. Temporary gates are in
stalled where logging activities are taking place. When
the logging and slash removal are completed the gates
are removed. Dirt spur roads, that need to be maintained,
are gated to prevent erosion and damage caused by four
wheelers and recreational vehicles.
Two dead-end spur roads on Coast Creek are gated to
limit easy access into our special wildlife emphasis area.
The Coast Creek gates are open during hunting season.
We have installed a permanent gate at the old rock pit
stock pile area to allow us to secure equipment needed
for reservation road maintenance and construction.
Grant dollars help Fish & Wildlife improve tribal lands
This year, the Fish & Wildlife Depart
ment initiated a watershed restoration
project on the reservation. Eric Ander
son, Fish & Wildlife Coordinator, wrote
and applied for a BIA grant on behalf
of the Tribe and Polk Soil and Water
Conservation District. Also, Eric
worked with Constance Albrecht on a
grant submitted to the National Marine
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Eric Anderson, Fish and Wildlife Coordina
tor, stands on a fallen tree used to make pools
for the fish in Agency Creek.
Fishery Service. Both applications
scored among the top entries, and were
awarded total funding of almost
$250,000. The restoration project has
four distinct phases. A riparian refor
estation project was the kickoff with al
most 6,000 conifer seedlings being
planted along Agency Creek and its
forks. These trees will take the place
of the hardwoods that now
dominated this area. "The hard
woods are providing certain as
pects that are important for the
wildlife, but they have a shorter
life span," stated Eric. When a
hardwood tree falls into the
stream it provides habitat struc
ture, but is very short lived.
This is not the case with conifer
habitat structures they can have
a life span of up to 50 years.
The second phase is placing
conifer logs into the stream to
take the place of the aging struc
tures that are already present.
These will work until the new
seedlings take their place in the
future. It is done by strategi
cally placing fallen trees and
rock in the creek, slowing the
current in certain spots. The fish
will congregate in deeper, still
water. The Polk County Office
of Natural Resources Conserva
tion Service is providing tech
nical assistance. Sumco Exca-
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vating was hired to help move and place
the logs. Hampton Tree Farms donated
three loads of logs and is allowing some
of the work to be done on their lands.
Stimson Lumber Company also donated
29 loads of boulders for this phase of
the project.
The third phase includes work in a se
ries of bank erosion and culvert filter
sites to stop the introduction of sedi
ments into the streams. "Sedimentation
is a major problem in the creek, it de
stroys the areas that steelhead and trout
need to spawn," stated Eric.
The fourth phase is an Educational
Day Park, which should be completed
by November. The park is located on
the North Fork of Agency Creek and
features almost 3,000 feet of trail. The
park will have picnic tables, and inter
pretive signs that will help identify the
plants and animal habitats. Signs will
stress the importance of protecting the
areas along streams because of their
value to fish and wildlife. It will not be
an area for overnight camping, only for
day use. "We are making the trail low
maintenance and in the future, handi
cap accessible," said Eric.
The fifth and final phase of the project
is a complete survey and inventory of
all the streams on the reservation and
lands adjacent to the reservation. "The
inventory will allow us to see what we
have and where we need to focus fu
ture projects," stated Eric.