Smoke Signals 7
NOVEMBER 15, 2012
Royalty holding Christmas Raffle
Grand Ronde Royalty girls are selling raffle tickets during the
month of November to raise money to attend a powwow in Washing
ton state next summer.
Prizes will include Pendleton items, jewelry, Christmas baskets
and more.
Winners will be announced on Sunday, Dec. 2, at the Tribal Council
Christmas Party. People do not have to be present to win.
Tickets, at $1 for one or $5 for six, can be purchased from Royalty
queens and princesses Kiana Leno, Kailiyah Krehbiel, Kaleigha
Simi, Iyana Holmes, Elizabeth Watson-Croy, Makenzie Aaron, Madi
son Ross and Amelia and Amaryssa Mooney.
For more information or to contact one of the girls, contact Halona
Butler at 503-580-9865. B
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RESTORATION continued
from front page
ter of ceremony and Deitrich Peters
will be serving as Arena Director.
Host drums include Johanaaiee,
Geary Villa, West Coast Boyz, The
Woodsmen and All Nations.
A light box supper also will be
provided before the celebration
ends.
A host of volunteers will make
all this happen: Elders Bob and
Julie Duncan, Sam Dala, Darlene
Jones, Gladys Hobbs, Violet Folden,
Darlene Aaron, Dee Anna Cham
berlain, Claudia Leno, Kathryn
Harrison, Linda LaChance, Lou
ise Coulson, Georgene Gray and
Val Grout all are pitching in. Lisa
Archuleta and Jon A. George also
are helping.
Special thanks go to Tribal Coun
cil, Spirit Mountain Casino, Nick
Sixkiller, Deitrich Peters, Ken
dra Kurst, Kristen Ravia, Michelle
Alaimo, George Valdez, Chelsea
Clark, Kristy DeLoe and the Well
ness staff, Jolanda Catabay, the
Grand Ronde Tribal Honor Guard,
Natural Resources Committee, Fa
cilities and Maintenance crews and
the Culture Committee, whose help
has been indispensable, said Public
Affairs Director Siobhan Taylor,
who is helping organize the event.
The Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde, which was terminated in
1954 as a federally recognized Tribe
by the Western Oregon Indian Ter
mination Act, was restored to fed
eral recognition on Nov. 22, 1983,
when Reagan signed the Grand
Ronde Restoration Act.
Reagan's signature occurred after
almost a decade of Grand Ronde
Tribal members working diligently
to restore the Tribe. Tribal Elders
Margaret Provost and Marvin Kim
sey and the late Merle Holmes are
credited with getting the ball roll
ing, but contributions from many
Tribal members aided in the even
tual restoration of the Tribe.
Nov. 22 has been called by cur
rent Tribal Council member Steve
Bobb Sr. "the most important day in
Grand Ronde Tribal history."
Adult Foster Prograa
"A Place To Call Home
The Tribe's Adult Foster Care lodges are committed to offering quality
care to our Elders and helping them remain as independent as possible, while
providing the personalized assistance they need. At our lodges, a wide range
of services is available in a comfortable setting where privacy is respected
and maximum independence is supported. For information, contact the Adult
Foster Program Director Kari Culp at 503-879-1694. H
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Tom Finegan, left, district conservationist for the Natural Resources
Conservation Service, talks with Zach Haas, middle, a senior forester
for the Tribe, and Michael Wilson, Tribal Natural Resources Department
manager, during the Oregon Association of Conservation Districts awards
banquet held at the Valley River Inn in Eugene on Thursday, Nov. 8. During
the banquet, Natural Resources received the 201 2 Cooperator of the Year
for large acreage award. In August, the department was named the 2012
Polk County Large Conservationist of the Year by the Polk Soil and Water
Conservation District, which made them nominees for the state award.
Finegan originally nominated them for the county award.
Natural Resources wins
statewide award
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
The Tribe's Natural Resourc
es Department is on a winning
streak.
After being named the 2012 Polk
County Large Conservationist of
the Year award winner on Aug. 23
by the Polk Soil and Water Con
servation District, the department
was nominated for an award at the
state level.
On Nov. 2, Natural Resources De
partment Manager Michael Wilson
was notified that his department
was named 2012 Cooperator of the
Year by the 46-member Oregon As
sociation of Conservation Districts.
Wilson, Tribal Senior Forester
Zach Haas and Tribal Council
member Jon A. George accepted
the award on Nov. 8 at the Valley
River Inn in Eugene.
"This was a very nice event and
a great award for the Tribe, espe
cially as we get close to Restora
tion," Wilson said. "The Tribe has
a strong interest in restoring both
our land base and partnerships
with other natural resource agen
cies. This award signifies progress
in both areas.
"The new forest lands we acquire
meet a strategic goal, but are often
in need of maintenance work to
bring them up to the Tribe's high
standards. Working with the Natu
ral Resources Conservation Service
and Polk Soil and Water District
helped us to find additional funds
and create some local jobs."
In August, the Natural Resources
Department was praised for imple
menting large-scale conservation
work during the past three years
that is building "on a history of
dedication with smaller projects."
The Tribe was cited for working
with the Natural Resources Con
servation Service and enlisting
Tribal personnel to carry out tim
ber stand inventory data collection
and sharing that information with
the Conservation Service and Polk
County Soil and Water Conserva
tion District.
The Tribe also was praised for
starting large-scale restoration
projects, including oak savanna and
wetland habitat while cultivating
culturally significant plants.
Wilson said the Natural Resourc
es work is made possible through
several Tribal Council resolutions
approving the department to pur
sue cost-share grant funding from
the Conservation Service.
The Tribe was nominated for
the Polk County award by Tom
Finegan, district conservation
ist with the Natural Resources
Conservation Service. By winning
that award, Natural Resources
became eligible for the state honor.
Now that the department has won
the Oregon title, it is eligible for
national honors that will be an
nounced in 2013.
Girls Lock-In set for Dec. 7
A Girls Lock-In for sixth- through 12-grade girls will be held from
5:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 7, through 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, at the
Tribal Youth Education facility.
Activities will include a pizza party, obstacle course, staff make
over, "Jeopardy" contest, 4-corners, talking circle, midnight campus
walk, movie, breakfast and fire pit release ceremony.
For more information or to sign up, contact Youth Education at
503-879-2101. D