S MOKE S IGNALS JANUARY 1, 2016 5 Tribal Council OKs Restoration Roll changes By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor Tribal Council voted to correct or add the names of 19 current Tribal members to the Restoration Roll during its last meeting of 2015 held on Wednesday, Dec. 23. Member Services Manager Penny DeLoe said during the Tuesday, Dec. 22, Legislative Action Com- mittee meeting that three were corrected names and 16 additions. The corrections and additions, which went through a Tribal pro- cess and were recommended by the Enrollment Board, will be forward- ed to the Secretary of the Interior for approval. Tribal Attorney Rob Greene said during the Legislative Action Com- mittee meeting that the process of adding names to the Restoration Roll started in 2012. At the time, Department of the Interior staff members were not sure they could add names. The department’s Bu- reau of Indian Affairs then devel- oped a process for its approval of corrections and additions to the Restoration Roll, which requires specific representations be made by the Tribe in a Tribal Council resolution. “Because they were not sure they had the authority to do this, they had to do a lot of work with their D.C. offi ce. Then we had to develop a process for them to actually do it. We worked closely with them to develop that process. Now we have a process in place, and so with that process in place, these things should run very smoothly,” Greene said. In response to questions during the Tribal Council meeting, DeLoe said that for the 16 individuals be- ing added to the Restoration Roll that the action will not affect a split family situation created by passage of the 1999 enrollment amendment. Tribal Council Chairman Reyn Leno said being added to the Res- toration Roll is an individual choice made by Tribal members, but that he would recommend Tribal mem- bers be added if they qualify be- cause one never knows what Tribal enrollment requirements will be in the future. “I would tell anybody if you had an opportunity to be on the Resto- ration Roll and you’re not on the Restoration Roll but you qualify, I would tell anybody to go through that process because you don’t know what the enrollment criteria are going to be 10 years from now, 20 years from now," Leno said. "I would make sure that I had every ‘T’ crossed and every ‘I’ dotted for the potential of how it might affect your family down the line. That would be my recommendation, but it’s solely a person’s choice.” Tribal Council member Chris Mercier added that having your name on the Restoration Roll al- lows members to count all of their Indian blood as Grand Ronde blood. “If you’re someone who wants to extend their bloodline, this is a useful way to do it,” Mercier said. In other action, Tribal Council approved the 2016 Tribal budget. Changes to the proposed budget that was released in November will be compiled and distributed to the membership in an upcoming Tilixam Wawa. Other actions included: • Setting the agenda for the Sun- day, Jan. 3, General Council meeting, which will feature a program report from the Natural Resources Department and El- ders Committee election results; • Naming Ceded Lands Coordina- tor Brandy Humphreys as the Tribe’s representative to the Port- land Harbor Nature Resource Trustee Council and Tribal Hon- ors Attorney Holly Partridge as the alternate; • Signing an agreement with In- dustrial Economics for Portland Harbor environmental services; • Establishing a Youth Council and adopting bylaws for the new council; • Changing the Governmental Operations Trust Fund Policy so that “communication with our members” is listed as an essen- tial governmental service so that interest earned also can be used to fund Tribal publications; • Approving a lease/operational agreement with the Lighthouse Group to use a community build- ing being constructed on the Risseeuw property; • And approving the enrollment of four adults and three infants into the Tribe because they meet the requirements outlined in the Tribal Constitution and Enroll- ment Ordinance. Culture Department employees Bobby Mercier, Jordan Mercier, Brian Krehbiel and Travis Stewart joined Tribal Council member Jon A. George, Ceded Lands Manager Michael Karnosh and Public Affairs Administrative Assistant Chelsea Clark in performing the cultural drumming and singing to open the meeting. The meeting, in its entirety, can be viewed on the Tribal website, www.grandronde.org, by clicking on the News tab and then Video. n Map created by George Valdez Tribe in planning stages for development of site PARK continued from front page Ad created by George Valdez build a private casino at the former racetrack. Oregon Tribes successfully com- batted both measures and Oregon voters overwhelmingly rejected the idea of private casinos in the state during the November 2012 election. Wood Village in eastern Mult- nomah County is located within the historic homelands of the Cascade and Clackamas Chinook Tribes, two Tribes that confeder- ated to Grand Ronde in the 19th century. The Tribes ceded the area to the federal government in the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855. Multnomah Greyhound Park closed in 2004 and still has the old grandstand facilities in place. “Property cleanup and demolition of existing structures will com- mence in early 2016,” Reibach said. After news of the Tribe’s interest in the property broke in mid-Octo- ber, Tribal Council members met with the Wood Village City Council on Nov. 2 to discuss possible uses for the property. “While we cannot rule anything out in terms of the future of gaming in Oregon, our priority at this time is to develop this property in a man- ner that diversifi es our investment holdings,” Leno said. Reibach added that the Tribe is in the planning stages for develop- ment of the site. The property joins the Portland Area Offi ce on Southwest Barbur Boulevard as Tribal holdings in Multnomah County. Reibach said that Tribal mem- bers interested in more information about the property should contact him at jan.reibach@grandronde.org or call 503-879-2394. n