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S moke S ignals
JULY 15, 2015
Timber briefing
2010 – Oregon Tribes were organizing to combat two November
ballot measures that would have a “devastating effect” on Indian
gaming statewide. Backers of a private casino in Wood Village had
collected enough signatures to put the issue on the Nov. 2 ballot.
2005 – Tribal member Shelley Hansen was named Spirit Mountain
Community Fund director, taking over from Adam Henny, who was
named interim director in July 2004.
2000 – The Tribe made a $500,000
donation to the Portland Art Museum
to create the new Grand Ronde Center
for Native American Art, which will give
museum visitors a better sense of the
museum’s Native American collection.
“To know us, you have to know our art,”
said Tribal Council Chairwoman Kathryn
Harrison.
1995 – Tribal Council members Kath-
ryn Harrison and Mark Mercier attended
a fundraising luncheon for Congress-
woman Elizabeth Furse at the Governor
Hotel in Portland. Furse is a longtime
friend of the Grand Ronde Tribe and an
File photo
instrumental figure in Tribal Restoration
efforts in the early 1980s.
1990 – Enrollment Director Margo Mercier reported that member-
ship totaled 2,646 with 80 new enrollees after people responded to an
application sent to households whose children were not yet enrolled.
1985 – A fry bread stand to raise money for the powwow did well,
earning $150 at Phil Sheridan Days and more than $200 during the
two-day celebration in Willamina. Volunteers also introduced the
“Grand Ronde hamburger,” which was a hit along with the original
fry bread and strawberries and shortcake.
Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in five-year in-
crements through the pages of Smoke Signals.
Photos by Michelle Alaimo
Standing on Yoncalla Bridge on the Tribe’s reservation land, Tribal
Wildlife Biologist Lindsay Belonga, right, talks about stream
enhancement projects the Grand Ronde Tribe has conducted on the
land while on a reservation tour with representatives from the United
Auburn Indian Community on Wednesday, July 1. United Auburn Indian
Community, from Auburn, Calif., is considering buying timber land in
southern Oregon, which would be a new investment for their economic
portfolio. Auburn representatives came to Grand Ronde to learn about
how the Tribe manages its timber land. Also on the tour was additional
staff from the Natural Resources Department, General Manager Dawn
Doar and Assistant General Manager Bryan Langley, Chief of Staff Stacia
Martin, Tribal Attorney Rob Greene and members of Tribal Council.
Adult Members’ Trust and Minors’
Custodial & Rabbi Trust Funds
Investments in the Adult Members’ Trust Fund and the Minors’ Custodial
and Rabbi Trust Funds are updated each business day.
If you are a trust participant and/or if you are the parent/guardian of a mi-
nor member, you can access and review your balance and your minor child’s
balance by visiting www.401Save.com.
To log-in, the initial User ID is your (or your child’s) Social Security number,
and the initial Password is “00” followed by your (or your child’s) membership
number. Once logged in, you can customize your User ID and password for
security purposes. If you have any trouble logging in to or using the system,
contact the 401Save Call Center at 1-888-700-0808 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Pacific Time, Monday through Friday. n
Tribal Senior Forester Zach Haas, right, shows representatives from
United Auburn Indian Community an area of the reservation that
has been thinned while on a reservation tour on Wednesday, July 1.
Auburn representatives also were shown an area that was clear cut for
a timber sale.
Tribe receives two grants
Ad created by George Valdez
The Confederated Tribes of Grant Ronde received two grants from the
Bureau of Indian Affairs as part of the $11.8 million in funding awarded
from the Tribal Climate Resilience Program.
The federal funding will help federally recognized Tribes with climate
change adaptation and ocean and coastal management planning projects.
The Grand Ronde Tribe received a $38,945 grant to conduct a fisheries
inventory and vulnerability assessment. In addition, the Tribe received
a $5,841 grant to help support travel for climate adaptation planning
training and cooperative efforts.
The Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians also received a $249,719
grant to design and host Tribal trainings and workshops to build skills and
gather information needed to coordinate and implement Tribal adaptation
planning processes.
“These funds will help American Indian and Alaska Native communities
on the front lines of climate change prepare, plan and build capacity,”
U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in a July 9
press release announcing the grant awards. “The Obama administration
remains committed to supporting these communities as they adapt to the
effects of rising sea levels, stronger storms and other manifestations of a
warming climate that we see and feel across the country.” n