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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2015)
S moke S ignals JULY 1, 2015 Dirksen wins award By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor Tribal Fish and Wildlife Program Manager Kelly Dirksen received the Earle R. Wilcox Individual Achievement Memorial Award for the Northwest Region during the 39th annual National Indian Timber Symposium held Thursday, June 11, at the Mill Casino in North Bend. The award, according to the In- terTribal Timber Council of Port- land, honors individuals who have made significant contributions in the field of Indian forestry and natural resources. The award is given in honor of Wilcox, who is remembered for his significant achievements on behalf of Native people and their forests. The InterTribal Timber Council was established in 1976 and is a nonprofit, nationwide consortium of Tribes, Alaska Native corpora- tions and individuals dedicated to improving the management of nat- ural resources important to Native American communities. Dirksen has worked for the Con- federated Tribes of Grand Ronde for more than 19 years. “I didn’t know I was getting this award,” Dirksen said. “I thought I was invited to the event to have dinner with Reyn (Leno, Tribal Council chairman) and Mike (Wil- son, Natural Resources Depart- ment manager). I was a bit shocked and don’t remember everything the master of ceremonies said. I just remember thinking, ‘Wow, this guy is describing a lot of the stuff I do.’ I vaguely remember hearing about help on the ceremonial hunts, the Tribal Wildlife Management Plan and the NRD Youth Crew, and as- sorted details about those projects.” Despite the name of the award, Dirksen said at the Wednesday, June 17, Tribal Council meeting that he did not win it individually. “I have not done anything indi- vidually in years,” he said. “I have a great team that really won the award. This is a great reflection on the Tribe. One of the great joys of working for the Tribe is that the Photo by Dean Rhodes Tribal Fish and Wildlife Program Manager Kelly Dirksen received the Earle R. Wilcox Memorial Individual Achievement Award for the Northwest Region during the 39th annual National Indian Timber Symposium held Thursday, June 11, at the Mill Casino in North Bend. Tribe gives you no excuses. Every- thing that you need is given to you, so you have no excuse for failure.” “Kelly has done a lot of fantastic work for this Tribe,” said Tribal Council Vice Chair Jack Giffen Jr. “Not only on our timberlands, but also in fish recovery and eel habitat.” Giffen also recognized Dirksen for his work to restore lamprey above Fall Creek Reservoir southeast of Eugene. “Fish are in Fall Creek for the first time in 50 years solely because of the Tribe,” Dirksen said. “Kelly was nominated for this award in part due to his persistence with the state of Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission to get approval for the implementation of the Tribal ceremonial hunting rights and the Grand Ronde Tribal Wildlife Management Plan,” said Wilson. “This is an important part of our Tribal sovereignty and will benefit the Tribal members for years to come. We are proud of Kelly and happy to see him get this recognition of his hard work.” n 7 Tribal Elder publishes two books Tribal Elder Samantha Dala has published two books, “A Special Case” and “The Holly Tones,” which became available on Friday, June 12, in the bookstore section of the website www.xlibris.com. “A Special Case” is a 128-page detective story that Dala has been working on for about five years. The book’s summary reads: “Someone stole an important document from the White House, a blueprint of how to make underground bunkers. Sam is the detective who was assigned this case and her cleverness and resourcefulness is put to the test. She wasn’t alone in this sleuthing business, though. Join Detective Sam and her newfound friends on a mystery adventure as they solve the crime and nail the guilty.” The 25-page “Holly Tones” is about Holly and Nick, who go on a “whirlwind of Christmas adventures just to take their singing team to the top.” Dala said “The Holly Tones” was a Christmas movie screenplay that was converted into a book. “You name a subject and I will write about it,” she said. “I just love to write. It keeps me out of trouble.” Dala is already working on a sequel to “The Holly Tones,” appro- priately named “The Holly Tones 2.” The softcover books sell for $19.99 and $21.99, respectively. Dala said they also will be available at www.amazon.com soon. Next up? “I’m working on a book titled ‘Growing Up in Oregon,’ ” she said. n Lamprey season opened on June 1 The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has designated the lamprey harvest season at Willamette Falls as 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Monday between June 1 and July 31. Harvesting is not allowed Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Harvesting is confined to the east side of Willamette Falls and does not include the horseshoe area at the peak of the falls. Gear is restricted to hand or hand-powered tools only. A permit is required, but Tribal members are allowed to use their Tribal enrollment card in lieu of a state-issued permit. Catches must be recorded on an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife harvest card available from the Tribe’s Natural Resources Department or by contacting the Clackamas ODFW Office, 17330 S.E. Evelyn St., Clack- amas, OR 97015. Harvest cards must be returned by Aug. 31, 2015. For more information, call the Natural Resources Department at 503- 879-2424. n Blessing ceremony set for Little Libraries There will be a blessing ceremony and grand opening for the Lit- tle Libraries project from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 8, at Tribal Housing’s fire pit area. Boxed picnic lunches will be served and there will be a drawing for a Pendleton blanket. The project is still seeking books to fill the Little Libraries. It accepts books for all age groups and paperbacks or hard covers. Drop off book donations at Adult Education or call 503-879-2069 or 503-879-2095. n Royalty seeking past members Previous Grand Ronde Royalty queens and princesses are being sought as the current Royalty Court is compiling a picture and biography collec- tion of current and past Royalty for the Chachalu Museum & Cultural Center, 8720 Grand Ronde Road. “It would be great to have any past pictures and dates that you were on Royalty Court, as well as a short bio of who you are,” said Royalty Coordinator Chelsea Clark. Contact Clark at 503-879-1418 or through e-mail at chelsea.clark@ grandronde.org. Letters can be sent to 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, OR, 97347. n Elders seeking baby food jars for jelly, jam Tribal Elders are seeking donations of baby food jars in which to make jelly or jam for Elder Honor Day being held Monday, July 13, at Spirit Mountain Casino. If you have jars to donate, please leave them at the Elders Activity Cen- ter, 48940 Blacktail Drive. For more information, call the center at 503-879-2233. n Ad created by George Valdez
