S MOKE S IGNALS
OCTOBER 15, 2014
5
General Council briefed on Fish and Wildlife plan
Increased sovereignty
will mean longer
hunting seasons
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
In the near future, Tribal mem-
bers will be able to hunt a week
before and a week after other Or-
egonians now that the state has
approved the Grand Ronde Tribe’s
Fish & Wildlife Management Plan,
which gives the Tribe control over
the take of fi sh and wildlife on Res-
ervation and trust lands.
“It took six years to get this plan
through,” said Tribal Fish and
Wildlife Program Manager Kelly
Dirksen at the Sunday, Oct. 5,
General Council meeting held in
the Community Center. “This plan
will give us and the Tribe incredible
opportunities.”
The Oregon Fish & Wildlife Com-
mission unanimously approved
the plan on Sept. 5, as well as an
administrative rule giving the
Tribe control over its own natural
resources within the parameters
outlined in the plan.
For instance, the new administra-
tive rule allows the taking of up to
200 Roosevelt elk annually, but the
Tribe will exercise sovereignty over
its lands by setting its own harvest
limits that do not exceed those OK’d
by the state.
Natural Resources Department
Manager Michael Wilson said that
currently, Tribal members who are
hunting with a Tribally issued tag
are doing so under the auspices of
the 1986 consent decree, which is
controlled by the state.
The consent decree established
Tribal hunting, fi shing and gather-
ing rights and set the Trask Wild-
life Unit, north of the Reservation,
Shasta
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Kelly Dirksen, Tribal Fish and Wildlife Program manager, talks about the
Tribe’s new Fish and Wildlife Management Plan during the General Council
meeting held at the Tribal Community Center on Sunday, Oct. 5.
as the area where Tribal member
rights apply.
“We get to issue the tags, but they
still come from the state, which is
their authority,” Wilson said. “As
all Tribal members know, that is a
bit of a problem because we, being
a sovereign government as a Tribal
organization, should have that sov-
ereignty to manage our resources.
… A big part of being a sovereign
and taking care of those resources
is having our own plan.”
Dirksen said the plan has three
tiers – ceded lands, the Trask
Wildlife Unit and the Tribe’s Res-
ervation and trust lands.
Dirksen said the Tribe asked the
state for infl uence on any wildlife ac-
tivities that occur in the ceded lands
and that the state recognize how
any changes to hunting and fi shing
regulations in the Trask unit will
have a direct effect on the hunting
and fi shing rights of Tribal members.
The Tribe also asked for and re-
ceived full management authority
for 17 species on Reservation and
trust lands, which will be separate
from the consent decree and allow
Welcome To Your
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the Tribe to establish its own hunt-
ing and fi shing seasons.
Dirksen said the Tribe will man-
age 17 different species, but imme-
diately concentrate in 2015 on four
– cutthroat trout, Roosevelt elk,
black-tailed deer and Coho salmon.
“These would provide the most
immediate benefi t for the member-
ship,” Dirksen said.
Dirksen said the goal in manag-
ing the four species is to gradually
increase the take allowed by Tribal
hunters.
Once the Natural Resources De-
partment creates them, the Tribe
will issue hunting tags for Tribally
determined hunting seasons, which
will run a week earlier and later
than those sanctioned by the state.
“Our goal is to continue to expand
that and provide the maximum
opportunities for the Tribal mem-
bership,” Dirksen said.
Dirksen thanked Tribal Council for
being “relentless” in supporting cre-
ation and passage of the management
plan, as well as for working on receiv-
ing state approval. He also thanked
the Tribe’s Legal Department for its
many hours of hard work.
“It is such an exciting time to
work for the Tribe,” Dirksen said.
“This is an opportunity that you
dream of, to provide this oppor-
tunity. I think we will have some
exciting things to talk to you about
in the future.”
Tribal Council Vice Chair Jack
CTGR Fish Distribution
a
We’re Here To Help
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Giffen Jr. thanked the Natural Re-
sources and Legal departments for
their work on creating the plan and
getting it approved by the state.
“We possess the skills and have
always had the skills to manage our
own natural resources,” Giffen said.
“This is a huge opportunity for the
Tribe to get back some of its sover-
eign rights. … It is a huge step in a
much larger goal that the Tribe is
after. Each one of these benchmarks
that we get to is another huge step
in recovering our sovereignty. This
is monumental, but we’re not where
we need to be yet.”
Tribal Council member Cheryle
A. Kennedy said the Fish & Wild-
life Management Plan has been a
long-term effort by numerous Trib-
al Councils to regain the Tribe’s
sovereignty lost when it was forced
to sign the consent decree in 1986.
“I believe that our ancestors are
standing tall and proud to see the
work that has been done,” she said.
Tribal Council member Jon A.
George said approval of the plan
shows that “we do know how to
take care of this land … it is a great
testament to this Tribe.”
Tribal Council Secretary Toby
McClary called it a “huge accom-
plishment” despite the oxymoron of
the Tribe having to go to the state
to seek approval to manage its own
lands. “The Tribal membership
should be very proud,” he said.
In other action, the next Gen-
eral Council meeting will be held
at 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, in the
Community Center. It will be held
in executive session to discuss the
proposed 2015 Tribal budget.
Ida Paterson, Kaylene Barry
and Isabelle Grout won the $50
door prizes and Lanae Payton won
the $100 door prize. A pair of ear-
rings and two necklaces created by
George were raffl ed off.
George, Tribal Land and Culture
Department Manager Jan Looking
Wolf Reibach and members of Trib-
al Royalty opened the meeting with
cultural drumming and singing.
A video of the meeting can be
watched at the Tribal website,
www.grandronde.org, under the
Video tab. n
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Natural Resources Department
Fish Lab
47010 S.W. Hebo Road
Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347
503-879-2424
GRAND RONDE LIVING and
ENROLLED TRIBAL MEMBERS
Must show current photo I.D.
Monday, Nov. 17, 2014 - 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014 – 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
If picking up for others, a signed release form will be required!
No early or late pickup
Fish will NOT be mailed
If you have any questions please call the Natural Resources Department 503-879-2424.
Elders will have a special line established to expediently fill their requests. To ensure this, only Elder
orders will be filled using this line. Thank you for understanding and consideration of others.