DECEMBER 1, 2015
Fellow members:
I hope this update fi nds you well and I hope you and your family members
are enjoying the holidays. Over the last several months, Tribal Council
members and staff have been meeting to discuss the 2016 budget and to
work on a number of important issues that are important to the Tribe
and our Tribal members.
Willamina Creek Fire
On Aug. 19, the Tribe learned that a fi re had started up Willamina Creek
in Willamina. With the fi re only miles away from the forested Reservation,
the Tribe quickly activated its Emergency Operations Team and began
working with the local fi re department and emergency management to
offer assistance and provide enhanced fi re protection on our Reservation
lands. Tribal staff worked tirelessly to assist our surrounding communities,
provide enhanced services, and provided updates to the community and
Tribal Council. Our timber is a multi-million dollar asset and as stewards
of our Tribal resources, Tribal Council made the protection of our timber
lands our number one priority as the Willamina Creek Fire grew from a
few acres to more than 200.
Our staff did an outstanding job responding to the emergency and they
need to be commended for going above and beyond the call of duty. Many
of them worked well into night, through the weekends and were available
around the clock while we worked to address the situation. Without their
hard work and determination, the Tribe’s resources could have very well
been in jeopardy. Thankfully, the fi re was eventually contained and didn’t
reach our Tribal timber lands. Mo ving forward, the Tribe will continue to
look at ways to take preventive measures to protect our Tribal resources
Offi cial Tribal Facebook pages
• Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde:
www.facebook.com/CTGRgov
• Grand Ronde Tribal Council:
www.facebook.com/TheConfederatedTribesOfGrandRondeTribalCouncil
• Grand Ronde Higher Education:
www.facebook.com/grand.r.ed
• Grand Ronde Youth Education:
www.facebook.com/CTGRYouthEducation
• Spirit Mountain Community Fund:
www.facebook.com/SpiritMountainCommunityFund
• Grand Ronde Station:
www.facebook.com/GrandRondeStation
• Grand Ronde Royalty: www.facebook.com/CTGRRoyalty
• Veterans Special Event Board:
www.facebook.com/pages/Veterans-Board-of-the-Confederated-Tribes-of-
the-Grand-Ronde-Community
• Community Garden: www.facebook.com/GrandRondeCommunityGarden
• Grand Ronde Food Bank: www.facebook.com/GrandRondeFoodBank
Committee & Special Event
Board meeting days and times
Below is the most current information on the meeting days and times for
Tribal Committees and Special Event Boards:
• Ceremonial Hunting Board meets as needed. Chair: Marline Groshong.
• Cultural Trust Board meets as needed at Chachalu Museum & Cultural
Center. Chair: Perri McDaniel.
• Culture Committee meets at 1 p.m. the fi rst Wednesday of the month at
Chachalu Museum & Cultural Center. Chair: Betty Bly.
• Education Committee meets at 5:15 p.m. on the fi rst Monday of the month
in the Adult Education building. Chair: Tammy Cook.
• Elders Committee meets at 10 a.m. the third Wednesday of the month in
the Elders Activity Center. Chair: Julie Duncan.
• Enrollment Committee meets quarterly in Room 204 of the Governance
Center. Chair: Robert Schmid.
• Fish & Wildlife Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of the
month at the Natural Resources building off Hebo Road. Chair: Harold Lyon.
• Health Committee meets at 10 a.m. the second Wednesday of the month
in the Health and Wellness Center. Chair: Patti Tom-Martin.
• Powwow Special Event Board will resume meeting in January at the
Community Center. Chair: Dana Ainam.
• Social Services Committee meets at 3 p.m. the third Wednesday of the
month in the Social Services conference room. Chair: Alan Ham.
• Timber Committee meets at 5 p.m. the second Thursday of the month at
the Natural Resources building off Hebo Road. Chair: Bob Mercier.
• Veterans Special Event Board meets at 5 p.m. the fi rst Tuesday of the
month in the Community Center. Chair: Steve Bobb Sr.
To update information on this list, contact Publications Coordinator Dean
Rhodes at 503-879-1463 or dean.rhodes@grandronde.org.
S MOKE S IGNALS
3
and our Tribal timber lands.
Multnomah Greyhound Park
On Oct. 14, Tribal Council voted to pursue the purchase of the Mult-
nomah Greyhound Park in Wood Village. Since then, Tribal Council has
met with the city of Wood Village and the mayors of the surrounding
communities and is looking forward to strengthening its relationship with
the local municipalities. For more than a decade, economic diversifi cation
has been a priority for our Tribe. And while some ventures don’t always
reap the benefi ts one would hope, the Tribe has continued to grow and has
built a solid foundation for our future generations. Our investment port-
folio and Tribal endowments have helped us become more self-suffi cient
and we continue to look at ways to improve and expand our holdings on
the behalf of our members. We’re looking forward to the project and as we
continue to move forward on the property I will keep you updated on our
progress. I also encourage you to provide Tribal Council with feedback as
we continue to forge a path forward.
Tribal endowments
After Restoration in 1983, the fi rst Tribal Councils recognized the im-
portance of establishing Tribal endowments to help get the Tribe through
diffi cult times. As most of you know, Tribes are often subject to uncertainty
when it comes to federal funding and grant cycles. Our endowments have
allowed us some fl exibility when it comes to our Tribal budget and have
helped us ease some of the burden on our gaming dividend funds. Today,
the Tribe has six endowments: Elders, Forest Management, Health, Gov-
ernment Operations, Housing, and Education. Each year, Tribal Council
steers a percentage of our gaming dividend funds to our endowments to
help grow each of the accounts and to earn interest on the account bal-
ances. After years of growth, a few of our endowments have reached a size
where Tribal Council can now look at ways to shift a percentage allocated
for a particular endowment to another that may need additional growth.
In 2016, Tribal Council will be revisiting this issue and plans to keep the
membership informed of its decisions.
Tribal Flag Ceremony
On Nov. 16, the Tribe joined the Willamina School District for a Tribal
Flag Celebration that not only celebrated the hanging the Tribal fl ag in the
school’s gymnasium, but educated staff and students on the importance of
the fl ag and Tribe’s history. It was an important day for the Tribe, Tribal
students, the Willamina School District and Tribal staff as we celebrated
this momentous occasion. For decades, the Tribe and the Willamina School
District have worked hand-in-hand to address issues facing our youth and
our public school system. The Tribe has had several productive discus-
sions with the School District and the School Board and we look forward
to strengthening our relationship and working together for years to come.
Spirit Mountain Casino Renovations
On Wednesday, Nov. 4, Tribal Council approved a capital projects con-
struction loan for Spirit Mountain Gaming Inc. at our regular meeting. In
approving the construction loan, the Tribe approved a loan amount not to
exceed $13 million for a number of renovation projects on the property in
2015 and 2016. The resolution also authorizes our Finance Offi cer to use
the Tribe’s line of credit for the projects. With the economy slowly recov-
ering from the dip in 2008, it’s important for the Tribe to tackle projects
at Spirit Mountain Casino that had previously been put on hold. As with
any aging facility, regular maintenance and updates need to be completed
from time to time. We’re looking forward to the renovations and believe that
they’ll give new life to Spirit Mountain Casino, creating a more enjoyable
atmosphere for our customers and Tribal members.
2016 Preliminary Budget Comments
As a reminder, if you’d like to comment on the preliminary budget for
2016, please submit your comments in writing to the Finance Department
by Wednesday, Dec. 2. At the end of the comment period, Tribal Council,
the Finance Offi cer and General Manager’s Offi ce will review the comments
received by the deadline and will provide written feedback to the Tribal
members who submitted them.
I look forward to providing you updates as we move through the end of
2015 and into next year. I hope to see as many of you as possible at the
upcoming holiday functions throughout the Tribe. It is a privilege to serve
you on Tribal Council.
Sincerely,
Reynold L. Leno
Tribal Council Chairman
Recreation seeking Tribal
youth for baseball camp
Tribal Recreation Coordinator Jeremy Bailey is seeking high
school-aged Tribal youth who would be interested in attending a
Linfi eld Baseball pre-season skills camp.
Run by Linfi eld baseball head coach Scott Carnahan and his
assistant coaches, the skills camp will be held from 11 a.m. to 1
p.m. or 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 29-30. Sessions
are limited to 30 players per session.
The event will be held at the Sheldon High School baseball hit-
ting facility. A pitching and hitting clinic also will be held from 4
to 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 29.
If interested, contact Bailey at 503-879-1369 by Friday, Dec. 11. n