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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2004)
4 OCTOBER 1, 2004 Smoke Signals Wednesday, August 11, 2004 5:03 p. m. Meeting was called to order by Tribal Council Chairwoman, Cheryle Kennedy. A quorum was present. Present was Jack Giffen, Jr., Val Grout, Bob Haller, Cheryle Kennedy, Ed Larsen, Reyn Leno, Jan D. Reibach and June Sell-Sherer. Excused was Valorie Robertson (personal leave). Invocation was done by Val Grout. PREVIOUS MINUTES APPROVEAMEND Reyn Leno moved, June Sell-Sherer seconded to approve the July 28, 2004, Tribal Council regular meeting minutes as presented. Motion carried 7-0-0. NEW BUSINESS LEGISLATIVE ACTION COMMITTEE Enrollment Infant Determination. Jack Giffen, Jr. moved, Ed Larsen seconded to adopt Resolution No. 113-04 approving a minor numbered 5412 for Tribal membership, because, based on the investigation and recommenda tion of the Enrollment staff, the minor has been found to meet the eligibility requirements for enrollment as defined in the Enrollment Ordinance and Tribal Constitution. Motion carried 7-0-0. BIA Water Resources Grant Application. Val Grout moved, Reyn Leno seconded to adopt Resolution No. 1 14-04: 1) authorizing the submission of two rrant applications to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs Water Resources Pro g.am with the highest priority being the Oregon Land Use Goal 11 Exception planning project grant request for $12,931.60 and the second priority being the Coast Creek Stream Restoration planning project grant request for $ 14,489 ; 2) authorizing the inclusion of matching funds to cover the 10 percent match re quested including $1,475.04 of in kind staff time form the Grand Ronde Tribal Housing Authority and $1,629 in matching funds from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Pacific Coast Salmon Restoration Fund; and 3) authorizing the Tribal Chair to sign documents associated with this application for funding and execute modifications and amendments as necessary within the general intent of this application. Motion carried 7-0-0. HIS Tribal Management Grant Chemawa Health Center Compacting Feasibility Study. Bob Haller moved, Jan D. Reibach seconded to adopt Resolu tion No. 1 15-04 authorizing the submission of an application for a one year Tribal Management Grant to the U.S. Indian Health Service on behalf of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, for $46,502 and authorizing the Tribal Chair to sign documents associated with this application for funding and to execute modifications and amendments as necessary within the general intent of this application. Motion carried 6-1-0. Reyn Leno voted no. Archive Storage Building Construction. Jack Giffen, Jr. moved, Val Grout seconded to adopt Resolution No. 116-04: 1) transferring $390,000 from the Tribal Capital Projects Contingency Budget to the Tribal Engineer's Capital Projects Budget for construction of a 3,700 sf Archive Storage Building and associated site work and utilities; and 2) authorizing the General Manager, with the assistance of the Tribal Engineer and Tribal Attorney's Office, to negotiate and execute con tracts for this work. Discussion followed. Motion carried 7-0-0. MBR Sanitation Treatment Facility and Sewage Construction. June Sell Sherer moved, Reyn Leno seconded to adopt Resolution No. 1 17-04 autho rizing the use of prior years unexpended appropriations to fund the cost of con struction of MBR Sanitation treatment facility main for the Blacktail Drive development area in an amount not to exceed $1,089,000. The Executive Direc tor of the Housing Authority request release of $1,089,000 from prior years unexpended appropriations for the cost of construction of the sanitation treat ment facility needed to serve the Adult Foster Home and Elder Community Center and future development in the immediate area. Discussion followed. Motion carried 7-0-0. Enrollment Infant Determination. Bob Haller moved, June Sell-Sherer seconded to adopt Resolution No. 1 18 04 approving two (2) minors numbered 5413 and 5414 for Tribal membership, because, based on the investigation and recommendation of the Enrollment staff, the minors have been found to meet the eligibility requirements for enrollment as defined in the Enrollment Ordinance and Tribal Constitution. Discussion followed. Motion carried 7-0-0. Tribal Member Review Board. Jan D. Reibach moved, June Sell-Sherer seconded to adopt Resolution No. 1 19-04 approving the following individuals to serve as a slate of Tribal members from whom the Chief Judge shall appoint to serve on Community Review Boards for the purpose of reviewing cases of children in Tribal Custody: Joann Merrier, Patricia Tom-Martin, Sharon Hanson, Debra Larsen, Orrin "Bud" White. Discussion followed. Motion carried 7-0-0. Adult Foster Home and Infrastructure for two Adult Foster Homes Construction. June Sell-Sherer moved, Ed Larsen seconded to adopt Resolu tion No. 120-04 authorizing the release of contingency funds in the amount of $661,597 for the construction of an Adult Foster Home. Discussion followed. Motion carried 7-0-0. 6:03 p.m. Reyn Leno moved, Jan D. Reibach seconded to adjourn the meet ing. Motion carried. Juvenile Justice Experts Meet At Grand Ronde Tribal representatives from across Oregon seek to make the system work for Indians. By Ron Karten More than 100 juvenile justice advocates and representatives of eight of the state's nine Tribes fo cused for two days last month on making the justice system work for the statewide Indian popula tion. At the Native American Juve nile Justice Summit held in Grand Ronde, advocates worked toward better relationships be tween state agencies and Tribes as well as discussing how the movement toward evidence-based programs fits the Native Ameri can lifestyle. Oregon law today based on the 2003 Oregon Senate Bill 267 requires that the programs and services provided by the state in Human Services, Corrections and many other departments dedicate steadily increasing portions of their budgets to providing evidence-based programming. Be ginning July 1, 2005, these pro viders will have to meet the crite ria for delivering evidenced-based programming. But the Grand Ronde Tribe's So cial Services Program Coordina tor Ron Hudson was concerned that evidence-based programming would run into a Tribal roadblock because, "as a sovereign nation our sacred information will not be divulged." As an example of Native Ameri can practices that do not appear to fit into the evidence-based model, one participant said, "We believe that religious participation (for those) behind bars is good at prevent ing recidivism, but it is not measured." However, Geralyn Brennan of the Commission on Children and Families, suggested, "Where there is no evidence based research but a program seems to work, we ought to try to figure out how to document it." The same issue came up with the Round Dance, an all-night spiritual experience that has been very good for Tribal youth, but does not yet fit with evidence-based criteria. "Tribes have lots of programs that work well and fit with 267," said Rich ard Acevedo (Flathead), Tribal Rela tions Liaison for the DHS Director's Office. "For others, it is just a matter of codifying them so that legislators funding them can see that they work." And he added, "Anything to do with religion, 267 does not affect." For most of the conference, however, participants aimed at developing Tribal-state relationships in a way that will keep Tribal kids out of trouble. Communications in recent years between the state and Tribes on juve nile justice issues have experienced "a lot of stopping and starting," accord ing to Acevedo, who noted that this was only the fourth such meeting in the last 10 years. Nevertheless, according to Jack Lawson (Creek), Tribal Liaison for the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA), "the summit laid a good foundation for a close working relationship with the Tribes." Part of these relationships, Lawson said, are Memos of Understanding (MOU) between OYA and each Tribe (five Tribes, not yet including Grand Ronde, have signed these MOUs) in which the Tribes agree to pro vide input into treatment for their Tribal members, and provide transi tional help back into the community when an incarcera tion ends. Underlying many of the issues raised is the fact that 90 percent of the juvenile justice contacts take place between Tribes and coun ties. Only 10 percent of Tribal kids are in some sort of state care, said Acevedo. Currently, of youth held by the OYA, Native Americans comprise 4-6 per cent while the state population in cludes only slightly more than one per cent Native Americans. Of those In dians held by OYA, only 6-7 percent are from Oregon Tribes. More than 90 percent come from Tribes outside '"nil i iiiiuiPiii!iuiiwiwjii Miiwimmiiiiiiiu ihiiupwihii m I .'! - . ,!.' r - fcmMli mmmmmm i I niHin On . n.rMi m I Ml 11 i Warm Springs Tribal Elder Lyle Rhoan the state. In the end, said Acevedo, "a con ference work group put together ideas to develop into recommenda tions that will go to a juvenile crime prevention committee and from there to the governor, and Tribal input will go with it." The summit was funded by a grant from the Governor-appointed Juvenile Justice Advisory Commit tee to the Native American Reha bilitation Association (NARA). NOTE: A Governor's summit on minority over-representation in the juvenile justice system is scheduled for November 16 at the New Hope Church, 11731 S.E. Stevens Road in Portland For in formation, contact: Anna Sikel, 503-986-4573; or see the website: www.oya.state.or. usdmc summit.htm.
