Smoke Signals 3
MARCH 1,2006
February General Council Meeting Held In Portland
Public Affairs Director, Portland Satellite staff give reports to members.
By Ron Karten
The February General Council
meeting was held on Sunday, Feb
ruary 12, at the Embassy Suites
Hotel in Portland. Here are the
highlights:
Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle Ken
nedy called the meeting to order;
Tribal member Jon George offered
the invocation.
Siobhan Taylor, Tribal Public Af
fairs Director, presented an overview
of Tribal business in 2005. She said
that the Tribal glass "is brimming
over," but described a future with
"still a way to go."
Much of the presentation for this
Portland audience reviewed the
program contributions that she
described in January to the Grand
Ronde audience.
She described the work of
Member Services, including
per capita and timber pay
ments, Elders pensions along
with Social Security Insurance
and Disability payments. She
described Medicare offerings
and tax preparation services
available to Tribal Elders.
She described many of the Cul
tural Resources Department's
projects and programs, including
the success of the Maori visit
and used a photo of the proposed
Cultural Center to describe this
developing project.
When she described the Chi
nook Wawa immersion program,
'she added, "What a gift to hear a
pre-schooler conversing with an
Elder in Chinook Wawa."
She also cited the Fort Yam
hill Park project as a success
story in process.
"We're working with the state
Parks Department to be sure that
our story is never forgotten," said
Taylor.
She described the Education Divi
sion's "lifelong learning" approach to
education and said that it fosters a
"sense of community in Grand Ronde"
because it serves Tribal members and
members of the community.
"Love and respect" for Tribal Elders
translates into "much going on in the
community that others could learn
from," said Taylor. Elders are also
valued "for what they still continue
to teach us."
Also from the Education Division,
Taylor cited programs that bring
interns to New York to work with
the Museum of Natural History each
year; college preparation classes, the
Media Center, and a successful fed
eral review of the program.
The growing Tribal Library in 2005
received 2,500 patron visits, 3,000
plus items in circulation, with 4,000
items on hand, and new items still
coming in.
She said that Tribal Council mem
ber Chris Mercier often gives his
books to the library after reading
them, and said, "Just think if all
Tribal members read a good book and
then gave it to the library."
She talked about the Elder Foster
Care homes nearing completion, the
Eugene office, grants like the Meth
Task Force grant, the Tribal mentor
ship program with both professional
and non-professional tracks.
She thanked Tribal member and
Public Works Director John Mercier
for the "safe, comfortable, well-lit
places that Tribal members and El
ders have to live and work in. She
noted the public benches now all over
campus for those who need a rest
while walking, or just want to sit out
side and have lunch. She expressed
appreciation that Tribal members are
doing much of the Tribe's work them
selves, and among those projects,
noted the remodel of the Community
Center bathrooms last year.
Engineering and Community De
velopment work coming out of Eric
Scott's office include parts of the Fort
Yamhill project, the new pow-wow
grounds, the day use park and the
many other road and water projects.
For the Public Affairs office, she
promised "improved communication
among all members. Help us tell
your story to the rest of the world."
She described the addition of the new
and Culture classes, along with pro
viding applications and assistance
for electricity support for low income
Tribal members. Vocational reha
bilitation services also serve Tribal
members in Clackamas County.
"They do everything," said Taylor.
"The work that goes on there is in
credible." Sixty three Tribal members sought
help with employment from the Port
land office last year, said Taylor, and
16, so far, have worked at jobs for at
least 90 days.
There also is room in the Adult
Education program in Portland for
more students.
Cultural Resources programs in
Portland include hand drum making,
beading, carving, eel gathering along
with a program describing Lifeways
I
L
-n I
City of Roses Hosts Tribal Leadership Tribal Council Secretary Chris Mercier, Cha
Cheryle Kennedy and Vice Chair Angie Blackwell (from left) were among the full Tribal Council
over last month's General Tribal Council meeting held in Portland.
rwoman,
presiding
Tribal member-only paper called Ti
licum Wawa, bringing news directly
from Tribal Council members to the
membership. She said the depart
ment was developing a public issues
management team.
Taylor praised the Information Sys
tems Department for its "complete
redesign of the Tribal website."
The Social Services Department
last year offered parent training, the
annual Youth Conference, a Youth
Health Awareness program and a
Blue Ribbon Award from the state's
Supreme Court.
The Tribal Housing Authority of
fers the Home Repair program, home
ownership grants, an Elder Activity
Center with new housing options
coming with 72 units, including 36
for low-income families.
Natural Resources has provided
environmental studies for each of the
Tribe's building projects, has provided
fire fighters for forest fires and other
projects including the search for parts
of the Space Shuttle Columbia that
exploded in space in 2003.
"We talk about preparing for seven
generations out," said Taylor. "Natu
ral Resources is working for (that)
future."
The Portland Satellite Office also
gave a report.
Tribal members Jon George and
Lisa Archuleta, along with Social
Services Employment Specialist Chris
Garcia and Adult Education Coordi
nator Joanne Carr staff or work part
time out of the Portland office.
The office serves Washington and
Multnomah counties with employ
ment and training, adult education,
of the Lower Columbia.
Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle Ken
nedy gave a presentation describ
ing Tribal projects in the Portland
area. They include 1) a Bonneville
Power Administration (BPA) Wild
life Mitigation project in which
the Tribe will work with BPA to
acquire funds to purchase lands for
wildlife mitigation; 2) a Clackamas
River hydroelectric project which the
Tribe has negotiated a settlement
agreement with Portland General
Electric and other interested parties
to balance the need for hydropower
with environmental, wildlife and
recreational values; 3) a Columbia
River project to solve traffic problems
on 1-5 over the river in a way that
does not disturb many important
Indian sites along the river; 4) Site
protection for Columbia River South
Shore burial sites; 5) Consulting for
Portland Harbor Superfund Sites;
including 6) the McCormick and Bax
ter site, one of the Portland Harbor
Superfund sites; and 7) Fish passage
improvements for the Willamette
Falls, where Tribal members gather
lamprey each year.
Tribal members Sean Beauchamp,
Jackie Leno Grant and Antoine
Auger each won $50 in the door
prize drawings. Tribal member and
interim Director of Operations Pete
Wakeland won $100. Tribal member
Marjorie Scheese won a beaded neck
lace donated by the Portland office,
and Tribal member Rebecca Crocker
won a gift basket donated by the
Health & Wellness Center.
There was some discussion about
adding provisions for candidates
seeking election to Tribal Council, but
Tribal attorney Rob Greene said that
requirements for office are written into
the Constitution and a Constitutional
amendment would be necessary to
change that. Currently, the only re
quirements for running for the Tribal
Council are that the person be a Tribal
member and be 18 years old or older.
Tribal member Klairice A. Westley
requested help in the form of emergen
cy preparation from the Tribal Council,
and expressed dissatisfaction with her
experiences in Tribal employment and
the Social Services department.
"We need to let go of bureaucracy,"
she said, "and work with people."
The Tribe currently has a disaster
preparedness plan, said Chairwoman
Kennedy, but it does not currently
extend beyond the Grand Ronde
area.
Westley also suggested
that the Tribe fund its
own police force.
Chairwoman Kennedy
said that there are not
enough funds to hire a
Tribal police force. "I
wish we could do it all,"
she said.
There was a suggestion
that the Tribe may need
a separate newspaper to
cover health issues.
Questions came up
about the decision to end
bingo at the Spirit Moun
tain Casino.
"It was not a spur of the
moment decision," said
Tribal Council member
Jan Reibach. Consultants
to the Tribe described
threats to the Spirit Moun
tain Casino from the east
and the north, said Reibach.
Tribal member Jade Unger, who
has earned a Mechanical Engineering
degree from Portland State University
and is now pursuing a second degree
in Physics, thanked the Tribe for the
help he received in his education. He
invited Chairwoman Kennedy to give
the opening presentation in an up
coming American Indian Engineering
Students event. Unger also heads up
a suicide prevention group at his school
called, No More Fallen Feathers.
Vice Chair Angie Blackwell thanked
him for "taking leadership roles."
A question came up about the
Tribe building or purchasing apart
ments in Portland for Tribal mem
bers. Tribal Housing Authority
Director Carina Kistler Ginter said
that there has been talk about this
for a few years but apartments in
Portland remain too expensive.
A request that casino customers
be allowed to carry alcoholic drinks
around the casino is now being con
sidered by Tribal Council, according
to Vice Chairwoman Blackwell.
Tribal member Eric Fernando asked
if the Tribe was doing anything to im
prove the job picture in Grand Ronde.
Tribal positions offer preference to
Tribal members, said Chairwoman
Kennedy but the area doesn't have
many other job opportunities.
Tribal Elder and Employment
Specialist Patsy Pullin said that the
federal 477 program uses federal
funds to open up job opportunities
for Tribal members.
The next General Tribal Council
meeting will be held in Grand Ronde
on March 5.