Smoke signals., March 01, 2016, Page 12, Image 20

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MARCH 1, 2016
S moke S ignals
Grand Ronde
Housing Department
Garden season
is ramping up
By Patti LeClaire
Food Sustainability assistant
Hello, Garden peeps!
It feels like spring is in the air and it’s only February. It’s time to
start ramping up and preparing for garden season.
So far, I have more than 900 plants seeded and still have at least
2,000 more seeds to do! Anyone interested in helping seed a variety
of plants for the garden can join me on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to
noon or during the week from 7:30 a.m. to noon.
Every Saturday in March will include an educational class per-
taining to gardening. Topics will include amending the soil, the
importance of fertilizing, planting, using organic/natural pesticides,
worm farming, square foot gardening and champion planting. Come
check it out and you might ind you’re a natural at gardening.
The schedule for the Garden Plant Day & Potluck will be in the
March 15 edition of Smoke Signals. I’m hoping for a huge turnout
just like last year. We’ll have the plants ready to be planted for April;
date not determined yet.
All the plants for the Grand Ronde Tribal Community Garden
will be started from seed. I’ve already started seeding some plants
and they’re starting to emerge! The irst educational class was post-
ed on the Grand Ronde Tribal Community Garden Facebook page
with the topic of amending your soil for a successful harvest. March
educational classes will be held 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays. The irst
class is on March 5 and then every Saturday in March.
Come be part of the movement in becoming self-suficient by learn-
ing how to grow your own food, organic without the preservatives.
Hope to see at there! 
Opportunity for comment on
2015 Annual Performance
Report (APR) for Housing
Under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Deter-
mination Act of 1996, (NAHASDA), the U.S. Department of Hous-
ing and Urban Development (HUD) will provide grants to eligible
Indian Tribes/Indian Housing Authorities for the development and
operation of low-income housing in Indian areas. To be eligible for
the grants, respondents must submit an Indian Housing Plan that
meets the minimum requirements of the Act, and also submit an
Annual Performance Report to HUD, and maintain records for HUD
monitoring. The Tribe, through the Grand Ronde Tribal Housing
Department (GRHD), received multiple grants under this program
that were active during 2015.
Comments on the Annual Performance Report are welcome and
copies of this report can be obtained at the Housing Department ofice
or by calling 503-879-2401 or 1-800-422-0232, ext. 2401. Comments
must be submitted in writing to GRHD no later than 5 p.m., Tues-
day, March 8, 2016. All comments will be incorporated into the inal
report submitted to HUD.
Housing Board seeks community input
The Grand Ronde Housing Board is inviting Tribal members
and Tribal housing residents to provide input to assist its mem-
bers in carrying out its advisory role to the Housing Department
and Tribal Council regarding policy guidance. The Housing Board
meets at 3 p.m. the third Thursday of each month in the Housing
Department conference room, 28450 Tyee Road. Its chair is Matt
Thomas. For more information, contact the Housing Department
at 503-879-2401. 