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A Publication of the Grand Ronde Tribe
June 1, 2000
Governor signs proclamation
for American Indian Week
By Brent Merrill
Oregon Governor John Kitz
haber signed a ceremonial
proclamation declaring May 14-20
as American Indian Week on Thurs
day, May 18 at the State Capitol in
Salem. May 18 was Oregon Tribal
Information Day at the Capitol.
All nine Oregon Tribes were rep
resented at the signing. Each Tribe
had displays set up in the Capitol's
atrium that shared information
about the Tribes.
A reception immediately followed
the signing ceremony.
Secretary of State Bill Bradbury
participated by chairing a discussion
on how to increase voter participa
tion in elections.
Kitzhaber said he has benefited
from his relationships with the
Tribes during his years as Governor.
"The opportunity to get to know
and learn from the sovereign Tribes
in the state has been one of the best
parts of this experience," said
Kitzhaber to those gathered in his
office. "I hope the executive order
that we have put together on the
government-to-government
relationship is one that we
will continue to use in the next
two-and-half years. I think it
is important that it survive
this administration. Only by
using it and demonstrating its
power will we hope to institu
tionalize it."
The Governor's Executive
Order formalized the State of
Oregon's government-to-government
relationship with the
state's sovereign Tribes.
"The Governor's Executive
Order has been a positive step
towards creating better relationships
between state agencies and Tribal
agencies," said Grand Ronde Tribal
Intergovernmental Affairs Coordi
nator Justin Martin. "It has also
increased the awareness of how both
governments operate and we have
been able to educate not only Indian
Country on how state government
operates, but we have been able to
do a reciprocal education as well. We
have been able to educate state ad-
I is. r
V -
h
On May 18, Oregon Governor
John Kitzhaber signed a procla
mation declaring May 14-20 as
Oregon American Indain Week.
ministrators and state agencies to
how we operate in Indian Country."
Kitzhaber said the executive order
is a tool that helps to smooth nego
tiations over fee-to-trust land trans
fers or natural resource issues.
continued on page 3
il
pi
I
TRIBAL COUNCIL
ELECTION
Diana George
EdPearsall
RickMcKnight
Bob Merrier
Tom Leno
Cheryle Kennedy
Margaret Provost
Leona Jeffers
Eugene LaBonte
Mark Mercier
LesHouck
Shelley Hanson
WestleyWest
Lottie Child
Val Grout
Albert Jeffers
Marcia Bolton
Tim Holmes
JanReibach
Claudette Parazoo
Loren Holmes
Steve Rife
WilberWest
Leon "Chips" Tom
CANDIDATES: if you would like your
name to appear on the Election Ballot
different than what is seen here,
please call 879-2271 by June 15.
Mail-in ballots and the election date
will be announced.
Willamette Restoration Initiative seeks to
improve the health of the Willamette River Basin
Board of Directors presents their initial recommendations to Governor.
By Brent Merrill
The traditional homelands and
waterways of the people of the
Grand Ronde Tribe will never be as
healthy and pristine as they once
were.
But, the Willamette River Basin,
once the traditional waterways of the
Grand Ronde Tribes, could see im
proving conditions if the Willamette
Restoration Initiative Board of Di
rectors gets their way.
The Board of Directors, led by
Oregon State University President
Dr. Paul Risser, presented their ini
tial recommendations to Oregon
Governor John Kitzhaber on Thurs
day, May 18 at the State Capitol in
Salem.
The Board, which is made up of
representatives of local businesses,
local government, utilities, Tribes,
academics, watershed groups, soil
and water conservation districts,
agriculture, forestry, environmental
groups and state and federal gov
ernment, is part of the Willamette
Restoration Initiative that seeks to
protect the remnants of a once,
beautiful and thriving ecosystem.
Grand Ronde Tribal Chair Kath
ryn Harrison sits on the Board of
Directors and relies on the expertise
of Grand Ronde Tribal Environ
mental Specialist Kathleen Feehan
to keep her in touch with the latest
in environmental issues that effect
the Tribe.
Harrison, Feehan, Tribal Council
Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde
Community of Oregon
9615 Grand Ronde Road
Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347
Address Service Requested
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Smoke signals
Secretary Ed Pearsall and Tribal
Council members June Sell-Sherer
and Butch LaBonte represented the
Tribe at the event.
According to Feehan, the Wil
lamette River Basin is the most
populated area of the state. And the
most polluted.
"The Willamette Restoration Ini
tiative is a group of people that has
representatives from all different
continued on page 3
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V.fr I t :
Tribal Council member Butch LaBonte (left) and Tribal Chair Kathryn
Harrison (right) discuss the benefits of the Willamette River Restora
tion Initiative with Grand Ronde Tribal Environmental Specialist Kathleen
Feehan (center) and Oregon State University President Dr. Paul Risser.