Smoke Signals
Community Fund keeps on giving
The Spirit Mountain Community Fund has granted $15,150 to A Child's
Place Un Lugar Para Ninos for a "school readiness" project. This project is
intended to provide the low income and Hispanic children attending the
center with the skills they need to be prepared to enter the public school
system. .
A Child's Place is a non-profit, childcare, family advocacy, bilingual agency
set-up to address the needs of low-income working parents, single parents
and Hispanic families in the HillsboroCornelius area. Traditionally, the
program has been a daycare to assist families, by providing a place for
children to be safe, well fed and cared for in a loving manner. A Child's
Place Un Lugar Para Ninos has won many accolades for its efforts and
recently was named "Agency of the Year" for the PortlandVancouver area
by the United Way of Columbia Willamette.
RIGHT: The Tribe hosted a recent gathering for Community Fund
recipients at the Portland Art Museum, which included speakers from
OMSI and the fund's Board of Directors. Photo by Dale Peterson
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Managing Forest land
Continued from page 1
and maintained over the next de
cade. "
This stewardship agreement will
allow the Tribe to cooperatively man
age Forest Service land in the same
watershed basin as the reservation,
thereby maintaining and promoting
a healthy ecosystem throughout the
Siuslaw National Forest.
This agreement benefits everyone
involved," said Michael Wilson, the
Tribe's lands coordinator. "It will al
low the Tribe to look at the entire
watershed to find ways of manag
ing the land more efficiently and ef
fectively while building partnerships
with other government agencies."
The Tribe's 10,052 acre reservation
lies within the watershed of the
South Yamhill River and its princi
pal northern tributaries. The head
waters of these streams are mostly
on federal lands, with the reserva
tion in the center of the watershed.
"Since these federal lands wrap
around the reservation, it makes
sense that management be coordi
nated," said Mike Wilson.
Don Gonzales, a Forest Ranger for
the Hebo District of the Siuslaw
National Forest, has worked hard to
consummate this agreement with
the Tribe. "It is about working to
gether to ensure efficient packaging
of the forest and its waters,"
Gonzales said.
At the signing, a Bureau of Land
Management official, Warren
Tausch, was also present. He said
that a similar agreement with the
Tribe will be forthcoming to coopera
tively manage 4,200 acres of BLM
land. This land also is in the same
watershed as the Tribe's Reservation
and Forest Service lands.
Wilson said that the Natural Re
sources department will go to work
right away collecting information on
the Forest Service land. "We will in
ventory the timber stands, look at
snags, woody debris and monitor
streams. Kelly Doerksen will work
to get an overall picture of the habi
tat by looking for threatened or en
dangered wildlife such as the north
ern spotted owl and marbled
murrelet. Basically, we are going to
collect some baseline information
about the land, so we can develop a
stand-alone management plan that
will coordinate with our own ten
year plan for the reservation," said
Wilson. "We hope to learn new ways
of managing the forest more effi
ciently, and lower the costs involved
for everyone."
Tribal Chair Kathryn Harrison,
who signed the agreement, said that
it was a cooperative effort by all par
ties involved that led to such a pro
ductive working relationship. "We
always had a good working relation
ship with the Forest Service," she
said. "Even before the Tribe was re
stored. I know our Natural Re
sources staff did not ever dream of
this. Cliff Adams has been here
from the beginning. He has put to
gether an excellent staff, and treats
this land like it was his own. That
is what led us here today."
Although other federally recog
nized tribes have signed agreements
with the Forest Service, National
Park Service, and other governmen
tal entities allowing involvement in
management and restoration efforts,
this is the first agreement that will
allow an Indian tribe to coopera
tively manage the Forest Service
land near its reservation.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: Collaborative Stewardship Agreement
Continued from page 1
The Tribe will develop a ten-year management plan for the 6,600 acres. This plan will
be created with the goal of accomplishing the objectives of the Northwest Forest Plan
and the Adaptive Management Area. The Forest Service will participate in the develop
ment of the plan and upon completion will determine if the plan meets their manage
ment needs.
Will there be public review and comment on the Stewardship Plan that will be
developed?
Yes. All current applicable laws and policies will be followed. The plan that is devel
oped will go through the NEPA process which includes a public review and comment
process. Copies of the Environmental Assessment that will be developed will be publicly
advertised and available upon request to any interested member of the public.
Does the Stewardship Agreement change any of the regulations, manage
ment objectives or authorities over the U.S. Forest Service land?
No. The Forest Service and Tribe have discussed and will work together to assure
compliance with all applicable regulations and policies. The Hebo Ranger District has
provided the appropriate documents including the Northwest Forest Plan, the amended
Siuslaw Forest Plan, the Adaptive Management Guide, the LSR Assessment and the
Yamhill Watershed Analysis. The Tribe is accustomed to working with a variety of
federal agencies and adapting to the regulations and policies of each. ;
Will the Stewardship Agreement change existing policies for the harvesting
of timber on U.S. Forest Service land?
No. The agreement will not change existing harvest levels or authorities. No existing
permits or timber sales will be affected.
Will the Stewardship Agreement impact water resources on U.S. Forest Ser
vice land or in the area?
No. The agreement requires conducting a forest inventory and wildlife research on
Forest Service lands. These activities will not affect the quality or supply of water
coming off federal land. The only water resource related change that will occur because
of this agreement is that the Forest Service will have better information about its streams.
What does the Tribe hope to gain from the Agreement?
Efficiency. The Tribe manages the reservation intensively, providing social, economic
and biological benefits. This type of management requires a staff that has a variety of
knowledge and skills. By operating over a larger area a staffing economy of scale is
reached.
Jobs. Staffing limitations and a heavy workload prevent the Forest Service from plan
ning projects for this area. This agreement will help to create jobs in a variety fields such
as: habitat restoration, recreation, silviculture and road stabilization.
Improve conditions in the South Yamhill Basin. Through coordinated long-term
management the tribe seeks to improve current conditions of aquatic, riparian, and
upland resources in the South Yamhill Basin, while considering the social and economic
needs of local communities.
Cultural. All of the lands included in this agreement are within the ceded lands of the
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. The Tribe has a concern for identifying, preserv
ing, and interpreting archeological and historic resources. Some examples are trail and
wagon routes; village, hunting camp, cabin, town, and homestead locations; and sites
with religious significance.
Is the Tribe qualified to perform this agreement?
Yes. The Tribe's Natural Resources department has a staff of ten professional resource
specialists and six technicians, plus two administrative support specialists and a variety
of seasonal workers. Specialties represented include forestry, logging and road engi
neering, silviculture, wildlife biology,. fisheries, water quality, environmental protection,
and realty. This staff has the qualifications, experience, and facilities to provide high
quality forest management services to a considerably larger area than the 10,052 acres
contained in the Grand Ronde reservation.
For more information about the Stewardship Agreement call Mike Wilson,
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde at (503) 879-2380 or Don Gonzales,
Hebo Ranger District at (503) 392-3161.