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PERMIT NO. 178
General Council
meeting — pg. 5
NOVEMBER 15, 2014
Banking on food
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Water fountains in the Governance
Center were taped off so people
could not drink from them due to
coliform bacteria being detected
in water samples taken by the
Grand Ronde Community Water
Association at the end of October.
Bacteria
detected
in water
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
G
rand Ronde residents re-
ceived a scare just before
Halloween, and it didn’t
come from children dressed as
ghosts and goblins.
The Grand Ronde Community
Water Association, which has more
than 950 service connections in the
area, alerted its customers that
coliform bacteria had been detected
in two of the five water samples
taken in October. The drinking wa-
ter standard is that no more than
one sample per month may indicate
the existence of coliform bacteria.
A notice sent to Water Associ-
ation customers in late October
characterized the situation as a
non-emergency and said that users
T
he local food bank, oper-
ated by the Grand Ronde
Community Resource
Center out of a building near
Uxyat Powwow Grounds, is a
nonprofi t funded by the Tribe
and government grants, with
in-kind contributions from Mar-
ion-Polk Food Share.
The facility is moving to a new
building with new management
closer to Tribal housing. Food
Share, partnering with the
Tribe, will operate the facility
that opens on Monday, Dec. 1.
Food Share intends to in-
crease the food bank’s hours in
January, says Ian Dixon-Mc-
Donald, vice president
of Programs for Mari-
on-Polk Food Share, from
once every other week to
once every week. In De-
cember, it will keep the
previous operating times:
Dec. 5 and 19, 9 a.m. to
1 p.m.
Under Tribal Council
direction, Food Share will
bring a new outlook with
input from the commu-
nity and experts in the
fi eld to meet local and ongoing
emergency food needs.
“We’re looking forward to
having Food Share’s wealth
of expertise as we open this
state-of-the-art food pantry,”
says Rick George, interim gen-
eral manager for the Tribe and
current point man for the new
operation.
George’s direct responsibility
will eventually be turned over
Photos by Michelle Alaimo
Jesse White, above left,
Tribal Engineer and Public
Works manager, shows a
group from Marion-Polk
Food Share around the
new Grand Ronde Food
Bank building on Friday,
Nov. 7.
Grand Ronde Community Resource
Center Board members, from left,
Secretary Julie Duncan, Vice Chair
Claudia Leno, Chair Ellen Fischer,
Louise Medeiros and Candy Robertson
have been running the Grand Ronde
Food Bank off Hebo Road.
to a Tribal department still to be
named.
“The larger vision the Tribe has,”
he says, “is to understand the
entire emergency food
system.”
“We want to be part
of the Grand Ronde communi-
ty,” says Dixon-McDonald, “to
understand community needs
for the long term. It’s more than
providing food. We want to be
involved with community gar-
dening, nutrition and cooking
efforts. We want to make sure
we’re doing what the communi-
See FOOD BANK
continued on page 6
See WATER
continued on page 13
Presentation discusses mushrooms
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
T
here is something growing on the Tribal
Reservation besides timber that might
have value to Tribal members – mush-
rooms.
Almost a full house at the Elders Activity Cen-
ter on Tuesday, Nov. 10, listened to Bureau of
Land Management Botanist Ron Exeter discuss
mushrooms.
Tribal Elder Harold Lyon, a member of the
Tribe’s Fish and Wildlife Committee and orga-
nizer of the presentation, along with community
member Bob Duncan picked the majority of some
50 varieties on display during the event. Lyon
See MUSHROOMS
continued on page 12
Jay Ojua, Tribal Silviculture/Fire Protection technician, looks at a lobster mushroom during a mushroom
identifi cation seminar held at the Elders Activity Center on Monday, Nov. 10. Attendees learned how to
identify edible mushrooms and suggested locations on where to fi nd them.
Photo by Michelle Alaimo