4 3
Committee Feature
Enrollment continued from page 3
"We have a few cases like that," said Medeiros.
"Records can be lost through adoption or death.
Sometimes a parent just disappears and we can't
track them down."
Even if they must take such instances on a
case-by-case basis, Medeiros still believes the
Tribe should make exceptions for some appli
cants. But that requires making amendments
to the Enrollment Ordinance, which means go
ing to Council with a proposal.
"Obviously, changing the rules is a major un
dertaking," she said. "But if there's a problem
we can fix it."
Due to the sensitivity of their duties, Enroll
ment Board members can, like the Election Board,
go into Executive Session. B
Fish & VJildlifo Committee
BACKGROUND: December 22, 1986 was
also the day Tribal Council approved the pass
ing of the Fish & Wildlife Ordinance. With that
ordinance came the establishment of the Fish &
Wildlife Committee.
PEOPLE INVOLVED: This particular com
mittee consists of seven (7) members, with Tribal
member Lonnie Leno serving as Chair. The staff
meets the second Tuesday of every month, with
an annual retreat with Natural Resources.
Members are paid on an hourly basis, and are
supposed to serve terms, though details about
that are still in the works. Pre-requisites matter
with this committee, as members are expected to
be well versed in state and Tribal hunting laws,
and well as the geography of the Tribal hunting
and fishing area. Applicants are rejected if
they've been proven guilty of violating a hunt
ing or fishing law within two (2) years prior to
their appointment.
MEMBERS: Sara Daniels (Secretary), Tim
Holmes, Dale Langley (Vice Chair), Lonnie Leno
(Chair), Rick McKnight, Cory Meneley, and
Matt Thomas.
FUNCTION: While serving as an advisory
panel to Tribal Council, the Fish & Wildlife Com
mittee runs the gauntlet of issues, dealing with
planning, environmental and ecological con
cerns, and legal matters. Plus they help distrib
ute salmon, and through the State of Oregon,
fishing and hunting licenses.
"Our main thing is helping put together a Ten
Year Plan with Natural Resources on how to
manage the Rez (Reservation)," said Leno. "We
have to do that in conjunction with the Timber
Committee."
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In fact the Fish & Wildlife Com
mittee not only works with numer
ous other groups and individuals,
ranging from state representatives
to biologists, but anything major
that happens on the Reservation al
most never occurs without their in
put. Looking out for the interests
of the fauna is really their specialty.
"When Timber sales happen, we
oversee them," Leno added. "We
help with the wildlife, look at how
big to leave the buffers, look at
streams and whether they're fish
bearing or not. We check the ero
sions in the creeks."
They attend conferences, espe
cially those pertaining to animals.
They've even done studies on notable species like
the silver salmon, the spotted owl, and the
marbled murrelet. Quite often the committee
seeks the advice of Tribal Environmental Spe
cialist and Tribal member Kathleen Feehan or
Fish & Wildlife Coordinator Kelly Deorkson.
In recent times the committee has begun to
look at alternative uses of the Reservation. Or
in other words, uses besides logging like recre
ation for example. It is one industry with possi
bilities hiking trails could be developed, camp
sites built. Outdoor enthusiasts would have a
10,000-acre playground. The notion has poten
tial, especially in light of that many Tribal mem
bers already hit the Reservation for leisure, from
hunting to swimming to barbecuing.
But that too, like most committee ideas, is one
in the works. B
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a.
New Culvert - The Fish & Wildlife Committee works closely
with the Tribe's Natural Resources department to get projects like
replacing this culvert accomplished.
Grand Rondo Gaming Commission
BACKGROUND: Long before Tribal Coun
cil passed the Gaming Ordinance, there was the
Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. That
piece of legislation made gaming on Indian Res
ervations possible for Tribes nationwide, in ad
dition to setting up the National Indian Gam
ing Commission. Tribal members should know
that, because without the approval of NIGC,
council would have been unable to pass the Gam
ing Ordinance on May 12, 1993.
PEOPLE INVOLVED: Unlike other commit
tees and boards, the Grand Ronde Gaming Com
mission features two divisions. One consists of
the actual commissioners themselves, five (5) in
total, three of which must be Tribal Members.
Commissioners are appointed by Tribal Coun
cil, needing a majority vote, and serve three
year terms. They are paid a minimal amount
and meet every other Friday. Lynn Hillman
serves as the Chair.
The second division consists of a full-time
workforce that functions under the supervision
of an executive director, who in turn works with
a very specialized staff. Eric Reiss is the present
director.
MEMBERS: Gene Davidson, Leonette
Galligher (Vice Chair), Lynn Hillman (Chair),
Pat Mercier, and Mary Mode (Secretary).
FUNCTION: Gaming is an issue of legality,
where a miscue here or a misstep there, an over
sight, a spelling error, or even a missed phone
call can upon up a Pandora's box of troubles.
Keeping that box locked up and safely tucked
away is the goal of the Gaming Commission.
Much of what goes on within Spirit Moun
tain Casino is all due to licensing and compact
(contract) agreements the Tribe has with the
federal and state government. Even bringing
in new slot machines requires all manners of
Gaming continued on next page
' 1 '-'1
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V A look at the Spirit Mountain Casino from the
Tribe's Communication Tower.