Smoke Signals 3
DECEMBER 15, 2011
General membership receives Tribal lands briefing
Holdings now exceed
12,500 acres
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
The Grand Ronde Tribe added
more than 150 acres to its land
holdings in 2011, pushing Tribal
land ownership to more than 12,500
acres, said Tribal member and
Tribal Lands Manager Jan Michael
Reibach at the Dec. 4 General
Council meeting.
In 2011, the Tribe added 141
acres when it purchased in early
February the Rink properties that
straddle Grand Ronde Road. The
eastern portion of the purchase is
being used by the Tribe to license
hay production while the western
portion, which included a house,
is being considered as the possible
location of a women's transition
house.
In August, the Tribe added an
other eight acres when it purchased
the Grand Ronde Middle School site
from the Willamina School District.
The purchase also brought the Tribe
a 27,000-square-foot building.
And the Tribe added another 3.5
acres when it purchased two sepa
rate properties immediately north
of the Tribal cemetery on the west
side of Grand Ronde Road.
"We're not out there buying ev
erything," Reibach said. 'The Tribe
just buys what makes sense."
Reibach said the Tribe now owns
12,513 acres. Broken down by clas
sification, the Tribe owns 10,052.38
acres of Reservation-Forest land,
279.92 acres of Reservation-Local
land, 401.4 acres of Trust land,
227.93 acres of Trust-Pending land
and 1,551.4 acres of Fee land.
In mid-November, Reibach re
ported that the Williams property,
almost 20 acres east of the Tribal
Health & Wellness Clinic, officially
became trust land.
"The application was completed
in 6.5 months, which is very re-
f
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Tribal member Jan Michael Reibach, Tribal Lands Manager, updates the
membership on land that the Tribe owns during the General Council meeting
held in the Tribal Community Center on Sunday, Dec. 4.
markable," he said in a Tribal-wide
e-mail. "The Tribe has earned a
reputation for having one of the
most efficient trust programs in the
western United States. We have
a great team here with some out
standing staff and a Tribal Council
that is very astute regarding the
process.
"Also, the Tribe is truly blessed
to work with the Bureau of Indian
Affairs Siletz Agency's Superin
tendent Greg Norton and Realty
Officer Art Fisher. Their profes
sionalism and due diligence are
part of our success."
Tribal member Ann Lewis, who
works with Reibach as the Tribe's
Commercial Real Estate manager,
reported that the Cherry City Cen
ter in south Salem continues to be
profitable for the Tribe as she con
tinues to manage the property and
negotiate to retain tenants.
"We had another successful year
with our Cherry City property,"
Reibach said after the meeting.
Lewis said the new Portland area
office on Barbur Boulevard now has
three tenants Lewis & Clark
College, Colonial Life Insurance
and Professional Life Insurance
paying rent.
In addition, the Tribe is still
working on development plans for
the Chemawa Station property in
Keizer.
Lewis also said that the Tribe
sold its interest in the 283-unit
Russellville Commons development
in Portland in 2011, and the profits
were used to help fund per capita,
economic development and pur
chase of the Grand Ronde Middle
School site.
"We go the extra mile," Reibach
said about Tribal management of
its lands. "We're Native Americans.
We take care of our land."
In other action during the Gen
eral Council meeting, Tribal Elders
Samantha Dala, Linda Brandon,
Margaret Provost, Louise Medeiros,
Richard Ray, Cherie Butler, Louise
Coulson and Wink Soderberg were
nominated to run for four open
seats on the Elders' Committee.
Committee Chair Gladys Hobbs
said voting to fill the positions will
occur twice at the Dec. 28 Elders
birthday meeting at the Elders'
Activity Center and at the Jan. 8
General Council meeting.
Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle A.
Kennedy and Spirit Mountain Ca
sino Chief Executive Officer Rodney
Ferguson also received plaques
from Dr. Dale Walker (Cherokee),
president of the Association of
American Indian Physicians, in
appreciation for the Tribe's support
of the organization's recent confer
ence held in Portland.
Besides financial support, Tribal
staff helped with putting on the
conference, as well as providing
cultural events, Walker said.
"Your organization did a great
job," Walker said. "And thanks to
(Public Affairs Director) Siobhan
Taylor. What a valuable person you
have working for you."
Before the General Council meet
ing started, Tribal Elder Val Grout
gave the invocation and Tribal
members Bobby Mercier and Brian
Krehbiel performed the drum song
"New Beginnings."
Tribal Elder Carol Gleason, Trib
al youth Nolen DeLoe and Tribal
member Alexandra Foster won the
$50 door prizes while Tribal Elder
Wink Soderberg won the $100 door
prize.
The next General Council meet
ing will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday,
Jan. 8, in the Tribal Community
Center.
Committee & Special Event
Board meeting days and times
Below is the most current information on the meeting days and times for
Tribal Committees and Special Event Boards:
Ceremonial Hunt Board meets as needed. Chair: Shonn Leno.
Cultural Trust Board meets at 4 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each
month. Chair: Perri McDaniel.
Culture Committee meets at 1 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month in
Modular No. 3. Chair: Kathy Provost.
Education Committee meets at 5:15 p.m. on the first Monday of the
month in the Adult Education Building. Chair: Shelby Rogers.
Elders' Committee meets at 10 a.m. the third Wednesday of the month
in the Elders' Activity Center. Chair: Gladys Hobbs.
Enrollment Committee meets quarterly in Room 204 of the Governance
Building. Acting Chair: Robert Schmid.
Fish & Wildlife Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of
the month at the Natural Resources Building. Chair: Harold Lyon.
Health Committee meets at 1 0 a.m. the second Wednesday of the month
in the Tribal Wellness Center. Acting Chair: Patti Tom-Martin.
Powwow Special Event Board meets at 5 p.m. the first Thursday of the
month at the Tribal Community Center. Chair: Dana Ainam.
Rodeo Special Event Board meets at 6 p.m. the first Thursday of the
month at the Tribal Rodeo Office. Acting Chair: Harold Lyon.
Social Services Committee meets at 4 p.m. the second Monday of the
month in the Social Services Conference Room. Chair: Ron Hudson.
Timber Committee meets at 5 p.m. the second Thursday of the month
at the Natural Resources Building. Chair: Bob Mercier.
Veterans Special Event Board meets at 4 p.m. the first Tuesday of the
month in the Tribal Community Center. Chair: Dakota Whitecloud.
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Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Tribal Vice Chair Reyn Leno, left, speaks during a meeting with Polk
County Commissioners Mike Ainsworth, second from left, Craig
Pope, second from right, and Jennifer Wheeler, right, on Tuesday,
Nov. 29. Tribal member Justin Martin, the Tribe's lobbyist, arranged
the meeting so the commissioners could meet Tribal Council, learn
the Tribe's history and work on future government-to-government
relations. Sitting between Ainsworth and Pope is Tribal Council
member Kathleen Tom.