S moke S ignals
JULY 1, 2016
Journey stopover
Tribal Council approves
ocean-related resolutions
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Tribal Elder Carol Logan, middle, enters the Tribe's Adult Education
building as she walks with 2016 Peace and Dignity Journey runners,
and some of her family members, during the group’s overnight stop
in Grand Ronde on Friday, June 17. A meet and greet and dinner
were held for the runners and they spent the night in Grand Ronde
before continuing their trek southward. This year's run is dedicated
to the seeds and traditional foods that are threatened by industrial
agriculture. Peace and Dignity Journeys started in 1992 to fulfill the
prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor and continue in the spirit of the
traditions of Native American ancestors.
WIC visits Health & Wellness Center
Pregnant? Breastfeeding? Does your family include a child under the
age of 5?
If so, you may qualify for the Women, Infants and Children program.
With WIC, people can receive answers to nutritional questions and access
fruits and vegetables, whole grains, eggs, milk, cheese, juice, cereal and
more.
A WIC representative visits the Health & Wellness Center on the first
and third Tuesday of the month, which will be July 5 and 19 this month.
Walk-ins are welcome between 8:45 and 11 a.m. When WIC clients arrive
at the Health & Wellness Center, they should enter through the Wellness
Department located at the back of the medical wing.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 503-623-8175,
ext. 2297.
7
Tribal Council approved applying
for five grants as part of the Bureau
of Indian Affairs’ Tribal Resilience
Grant program on Wednesday,
June 15, that will help strengthen
the Tribe’s connections with the
Oregon coast.
The first grant for ocean and
coastal management would bring
the Tribe $222,477 to hire a ma-
rine resources specialist for two
years, said Tribal Environmental
Resources Specialist Meagan Flier
during the June 7 Legislative Ac-
tion Committee meeting.
“They would do some shellfish
work, some toxicity work along
with prioritizing the Tribe’s marine
resource efforts,” Flier said.
The second grant for $10,565
would fund a Tribal Estuary Coali-
tion workshop that would bring the
four federally recognized coastal
Oregon Tribes together to collab-
oratively evaluate Tribal marine
resources and develop management
recommendations.
The third grant for $193,196
would fund the completion of a
forest risk assessment and supple-
mental monitoring that will more
fully define the effects of climate
change and other stress factors on
Tribal forestry resources.
The other two grants of about
$5,000 each would provide travel
support for the other grants.
In addition, Tribal Council ad-
opted a resolution to sign the West
Coast Regional Planning Body
charter and the West Coast Ocean
Partnership strategic framework,
making the Grand Ronde Tribe
an active member of each marine
planning body.
“These are similar marine plan-
ning bodies, but they are also very
different,” Flier said about her in-
volvement in both. “The idea is that
they will work in parallel. … What
we are looking to do is officially sign
on as members of both of these par-
ties. The simple act of just showing
up at the table to show people that
the Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde is there and present, and that
we care about marine resources and
the future of the ocean.”
Tribal Council Chairman Reyn
Leno said during the Legislative
Action Committee meeting that it
is important to re-assert the Tribe’s
connection to the Oregon coast.
“I think it is important when we
start these deals that we need to
show the history and the connec-
tion,” he said. “A lot of our peo-
ple gathered mussels at Lincoln
City. The Trask (Hunting) Unit,
of course, borders up against the
ocean. Tillamook County has a
coastline. We actually own prop-
erty just north of Tillamook now.
We need to make all of those con-
nections, which will make us a lot
stronger at the table.
“For our membership, too. A lot
might be wondering, ‘We’re in the
Valley, why are we doing these
grants for the ocean?’ A lot of people
don’t realize that Tillamook County
was given to us at Restoration, so
we have a huge area there that we
have interest in.”
In other action, Tribal Council:
• Appointed Joanna Brisbois to the
Culture Committee with a term
expiring in March 2018;
• Re-appointed Steven Holmes to
the Powwow Special Event Board
with a term expiring in March
2018;
• Appointed Khani Schultz to the
Timber Committee with a term
expiring in March 2018;
• And adopted a resolution urging
the Oregon Transportation Com-
mission to move forward with
Phase II and the completion of
the Newberg-Dundee Bypass
project, including acquisition of
rights-of-way and using Phase I
savings for those acquisitions.
Tribal Council member Jon A.
George joined Culture Department
Manager Kathy Cole, Public Affairs
Administrative Assistant Chelsea
Clark, Teen Pregnancy Prevention
Specialist Cristina Lara, Youth
Prevention Supervisor Lisa Leno
and Culture Department Office
Assistant Nick Atanacio in per-
forming 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.
BIA creates electronic
Tribal Leaders Directory
Ad created by George Valdez
The Bureau of Indian Affairs’ popular Tribal Leaders Directory is now
available as an electronic searchable map that provides current contact
information for the nation’s 568 federally recognized Tribes and all BIA
regional offices and agencies.
The map can be accessed via www.bia.gov and www.indianaffairs.gov
by clicking on the Tribal Leaders Directory link.
“The BIA’s new Tribal Leaders Directory electronic map offers the abil-
ity to more quickly find information to reach Tribal governments and our
field offices,” said Acting Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Lawrence
Roberts. “With the map’s launch, we are taking another step forward
in transforming the BIA into a 21st century service provider for Indian
Country.”
The directory’s new format is a searchable interactive map where users
can click on icons to locate Tribal governments and BIA offices across the
United States. The map is accessible via most modern Web browsers on
desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones.