10
S moke S ignals
april 15, 2014
NRD sets goals, sees outcomes grow
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
The Tribal Natural Resources
Department is all about the out-
doors.
The department provides valu-
able work experience for Tribal
and community youth, organizes
Tribal timber sales, consults on
Tribal land purchases and steward-
ship arrangements at important
cultural sites, maintains clean and
productive waterways on Tribal
properties, fi ghts fi res both in the
community and across the country,
and plays a big role in bringing
Tribal traditions back to life.
For more than 20 years, says
Natural Resources Manager Mi-
chael Wilson, the department has
filled summer youth crews with
about 16 hires. Each summer, the
youths work in the program for
seven weeks.
In those two decades, Natural
Resources has employed more than
300 youths (some of them repeats)
plus 50 crew leaders and supervi-
sors.
They build trails through the Res-
ervation forests and keep the trails
clear, but just as importantly they
learn about expectations for staff
members, interview skills, starting
work on time, team building and
many other general job skills.
“For many kids,” says Wilson,
“it’s their fi rst job.”
Many who have been a part of the
summer youth crew program now
have successful careers. Included
among them is Chris Mercier, for-
mer Tribal Council chairman, and
for many years a member of Tribal
Council. Today, he is attending law
school at Michigan State.
The department lays out and sells
timber stands every year, Wilson
says. Sales managed by the Tribal
Forest Enterprise are sold through
public auction.
Often, department staff mem-
bers complete road maintenance
and construction before logging
to help with access. After logging,
the department ensures that the
Reservation roads are still in good
shape.
In recent years, Tribal foresters
have pursued new markets for
Tribal timber, including wood for
transmission poles and export. All
of the work aims “to get the best
value from logs that come from the
Recreation Department
hosts Walking Club
The Tribal Recreation Department is hosting a Walking Club, which is a
competitive and social activity to track steps and miles walked per day.
The club focuses on low-level impact exercise for beginners with the goal of
transitioning Walking Club participants into other fi tness activities offered
by the Recreation Department. Participation levels vary from individual and
team steps, as well as individual and team miles. Teams consist of three in-
dividuals. The Recreation Department encourages people to sign up since it
will be an ongoing activity. Pedometers are available to new participants one
week after they sign up. At the end of each month, prizes are awarded.
In addition, Weighted Wednesdays set appropriate weight goals for people
to reach a target weight by the end of the month. Participants are encouraged
to stop by the Youth Education Building to track their weight and body mass
index. Weight is taken privately with only a recreation assistant present and
all information is confi dential. Like the Walking Club, prizes will be awarded
each month to those with the most amount of fat percentage lost.
For more information or to sign up, contact Recreation Assistant Kendra
Steele at 503-879-1921 or Kendra.steele@grandronde.org. n
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Reservation,” says Wilson.
Some of the forest timber makes
fi rewood available for powwows.
Natural Resources manages
hunting and fi shing programs, in-
cluding work aimed at Tribal mem-
bers exercising traditional hunting
and fi shing rights. Tribal member
hunting and fi shing tags come from
the department. It also assists with
the management, preservation and
distribution of traditional foods
hunted and fi shed by Tribal mem-
bers for Tribal ceremonies.
Additionally, Natural Resources
co-hosts the First Fish and Salmon
celebrations. It also creates and
displays exhibits to educate Tribal
members and the public about
the Tribe’s traditional food, the
lamprey.
The Fire Enterprise program
provides about 30 fi refi ghting jobs
in the summer, says Wilson. Tribal
and community trained fi refi ghters
battles wildland fi res, often across
the country, Wilson says. They suit
up and take Tribal engines to fi re
sites 15 to 20 times a summer.
“They are a federal resource
across the U.S.,” says Wilson. “They
join other Tribes that also are do-
ing this, mostly with the Bureau of
Land Management and the Forest
Service. They are hard-working
and highly trained crews, and get
a lot of good evaluations from the
fi re bosses.”
To get a fuller sense and more de-
tails about goals and performance
for many of the Tribe’s outdoor
activities, the department recently
completed its 10-year plan for
managing the Reservation, Wilson
says.
“The plan is based on sustainabil-
ity and among other details helps
to guide staff to collaboratively plan
timber sales, build and maintain
forest roads, develop recreational
opportunities, preserve wildlife
habitat and work with adjoining
land owners to ensure resource
protection,” he says.
With the management plan, the
department has been improving
relationships with federal, state
and local agencies and the public.
Most recently, the department
signed an agreement to work with
the Willamette National Forest
and many other public and private
stakeholders to protect and restore
the South Santiam Community
Forest Corridor, where the Tribe
has an interest in the culturally
signifi cant areas.
Plans for the future include
implementing the 10-year man-
agement plan, which covers depart-
ment work in every area and great
detail.
Progress continues toward full
implementation of the Tribe’s 2010
Strategic Plan. Requested by Tribal
Council, the plan’s implementation
is spearheaded by the Executive
Offi ce.
The plan covers all Tribal depart-
ments and programs: Tribal Court,
Housing Authority, Public Affairs,
Legal, Executive Office, Audit
Services, Finance, Information
Systems, Procurement, Economic
Development, TERO, Land and
Culture, Social Services, Engineer-
ing/Public Works/Facilities, Natu-
ral Resources, Health and Wellness
and Tribal Police.
“The 2010 Strategic Plan may
sunset in 2015,” says Planning
Director Rick George, “and I antici-
pate that the Tribe will have fully
implemented performance-based
budgeting and work planning in
the 2015 fi scal year. Performance
measures will be tied to budget
components, which will link di-
rectly to Strategic Plan projects,
deliverables and outcomes.” n