6
S moke S ignals
AUGUST 15, 2017
Public Notice Open For Comment
Photo by Dean Rhodes
As seen from Fort Yamhill State Park on Wednesday, Aug. 2, a smoky haze
settled in the Grand Ronde Valley during a triple-digit heat wave during the
first week of August. The smoke originated from wildfires burning in British
Columbia, Canada, and prompted a health advisory.
Grand Ronde experiences heat,
smoky haze in early August
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Grand Ronde endured triple-digit
heat and smoke from British Co-
lumbia wildfires on Tuesday, Aug.
1, through Thursday, Aug. 3.
According to temperature gauges
in cars parked at the Governance
Center, the heat reached as high as
107 degrees on Wednesday, Aug. 2.
In reaction to predicted hot tem-
peratures, the Tribe opened a cool-
ing center in the Tribal gym for the
entire week. Chairs and tables were
set up in the front lobby and water
and snacks were available.
Recreation Specialist Harris Rei-
bach said three people – a mother
and her two children – took advan-
tage of the cooling center.
Facilities Manager Tyson Mercier
said the cooling center also came in
handy for the K-2 program when
the air conditioning unit serving
that classroom stopped working,
needing a new condensing fan
motor.
On Wednesday, Aug. 2, the Na-
tional Weather Service issued an
air quality alert for most of western
Oregon, including Grand Ronde.
Smoke from wildland fires in
British Columbia moved south-
ward and engulfed most of western
Washington and Oregon in a haze.
“Basically, with this heat wave
we have lower pressure over Or-
egon, which produces a north to
south pressure difference, creating
wind from the north and north-
east,” Silviculture & Fire Protection
Program Manager Colby Drake
said in a government-wide e-mail.
Pollutants in smoke can cause
burning eyes, runny noses and
aggravate heart and lung diseases.
People were encouraged to limit
outdoor activities and keep children
and the elderly indoors.
Health Services Director Kelly
Rowe said no one visited the Tribal
Health & Wellness Center regard-
ing symptoms related to either the
heat or smoke.
The triple-digit heat wave broke
on Friday, Aug. 4, as temperatures
moderated to a more tolerable
90-degree range in western Ore-
gon and an on-shore flow started
pushing the haze out of the Grand
Ronde Valley.
The Grand Ronde area experienced
similar conditions in August 2015
when fires burning in eastern Oregon
and Washington state blanketed the
Willamette Valley in a smoky haze.
'Everything is self-serve'
E-MAIL SERVICE
continued from front page
cia Hernandez said if interest in the
service is great enough, more lists
will be added for different areas of
Tribal business.
LISTSERV is an industry stan-
dard e-mail list management soft-
ware that manages opt-in e-mail
lists, including e-mail newsletters,
announcements, discussion groups
and e-mail communities.
The Tribe’s Information Systems
Department has installed a trial
copy of the software, which will
be used until the end of the year.
If the Tribe decides to purchase
a middle-range software package
that would handle 20 separate lists,
it would cost $5,000 initially with a
$1,000 annual renewal fee.
“Everything is self-serve, mean-
ing you can sign up and maintain
your subscriptions without having
to call anyone,” Hernandez said.
Tribal members can visit the
website listserv.grandronde.org to
sign up.
Tribal Council unanimously ap-
proved Finance Officer Chris Leno
and General Manager David Ful-
lerton researching the establish-
ment of a Tribal member listserv in
an authorization to proceed dated
March 23.
This is a Public Notice for Comment on the Grand Ronde Tribe’s
application for 2018 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program
(LIHEAP) Funding. The Grand Ronde Tribe obtained a LIHEAP
grant last year from the Division of Energy Assistance within the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This grant program
assists income eligible Tribal members with energy assistance (utili-
ty bills, fire wood, etc.), crisis energy assistance, and weatherization
(e.g. furnace repair, caulking, insulation).
The Tribe’s LIHEAP service area includes Polk, Yamhill, Marion,
Multnomah, Washington, Tillamook and Clackamas counties. If you
are interested in obtaining services from the current program please
contact Social Services at 800-242-8196 for energy assistance and
Tribal Housing at 503-879-2405 for weatherization.
The Tribe is taking public comment on the 2018 LIHEAP applica-
tion and plan and the associated policies which are to be submitted
by Sept. 1, 2017. The Tribe is looking at adding a cooling component
to this year’s application. The latest draft will be available for review
at the Social Services department at the Community Center starting
Aug. 18, 2017. It will also be available at Tribal Housing’s booth at
the powwow starting Aug. 18, 2017.
You may also call the Planning & Grants Development at 503-879-
2250 with your comments on the plan or to obtain more information
about the plan.