S moke S ignals
APRIL 1, 2018
5
Hatfield Fellow Program
seeking applicants
By Angela Sears
Community Fund Program Coordinator
2013 – A proposed Cowlitz Tribal casino within 15 miles of the
Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area received a legal setback when
U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Jacobs Rothstein ordered the De-
partment of the Interior to issue a new Record of Decision concerning
its granting of a Cowlitz Reservation near La Center, Wash. In her
12-page decision, Rothstein said that the Department of the Interior
violated the Administrative Procedure Act by unilaterally changing
a Record of Decision after lawsuits had been filed. The Confederat-
ed Tribes of Grand Ronde was one of the entities appealing a 2010
Record of Decision granting the Cowlitz Tribe a Reservation near
La Center instead of closer to its traditional homelands in Cowlitz
County.
2008 – Casino hear-
ings regarding the Warm
Springs Tribe’s proposal
to build a casino in the
Columbia River Gorge con-
cluded with several Grand
Ronde Tribal members, El-
ders and councilors testify-
ing against the proposal.
The final three hearings,
File photo
held by the Bureau of Indi- 2008
an Affairs about the Warm
Springs proposal to build a $389 million, 603,000-square-foot river-
front gaming destination in Cascade Locks, boiled down to debating
environmental concerns against badly needed Tribal revenue.
2003 – Several Tribal members who served in the military during
Operation Iraqi Freedom were featured. They included Second Class
Petty Officer Tony Norton, E-4 Specialist Frank Grammer, E-4 Spe-
cialist Frank Hostler II, Chief Warrant Officer Archie Bly and Private
Ira Harrison-Woolf. An editor’s note stated that victory in the war
would depend on the strength and commitment of the military, and
that no matter what one’s personal feelings were regarding the war
to consider supporting the soldiers.
1998 – During an annual meeting of the Grand Ronde Community
Water Association, an official reported that a lawsuit between the
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the association could affect
future operations. Tribal officials in attendance were surprised when
the issue was mentioned, as it was not on the agenda for the meeting
and there was no advance notification. After a discussion about the
lawsuit, Tribal Executive Officer Francis Somday informed attendees
that the Tribe had not filed a lawsuit against the water association
and was unaware of any pending litigation involving the group.
1993 – Shonn and Dustin Leno made history when each won an
individual state title in wrestling for their weight class, the only
brothers to ever win back-to-back state titles in Oregon. Shonn, a
senior, was also the first Willamina High School wrestler to win a
title all four years, and Dustin was the first freshman to ever win a
state title. The boys had been wrestling since they were 4, coached
by their father, Reyn Leno. Their dream was to be a part of a future
Olympic team.
1988 – Oregon Rep. Les AuCoin introduced new legislation creat-
ing a Reservation for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. The
AuCoin-Hafield Compromise Bill called for a 9,811-acre Reservation
that restricted exports and purchase of timber for 20 years, and re-
quired that a minimum of 30 percent of timber revenues go toward
economic development. Oregon Sen. Mark O. Hatfield said he would
introduce companion legislation once the bill had passed through
the House of Representatives. “This compromise is the result of
input from hundreds of western Oregon citizens,” AuCoin said. “It’s
something the entire Sheridan and Willamina area should support
because we need self-sufficiency at every level of our community to
ensure economic growth for all.”
Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in five-year in-
crements through the pages of Smoke Signals.
The web-based application for
the 2018-19 Hatfield Fellowship
opened Friday, March 16, for mem-
bers of Oregon, Washington, Idaho
and Montana Tribes and will close
on Monday, April 30.
Each year, Spirit Mountain Com-
munity Fund sponsors a congres-
sional fellowship with a member of
the Oregon delegation to enhance
the mutual understanding between
the federal government and Indian
Country.
Past fellows have served in a
number of Senate and House con-
gressional offices, including those
of Sens. Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley
and Gordon Smith and Reps. Kurt
Schrader, Darlene Hooley, Peter
DeFazio and Greg Walden.
“The Hatfield Fellowship is a
yearly investment in strengthening
the understanding between Oregon
Tribes and our congressional rep-
resentatives,” Community Fund
Director Mychal Cherry said. “By
spending eight months as part of
a congressional office, these Tribal
members come away with an invalu-
able understanding of how things are
done in D.C. During the fellowship
experience, working relationships
are formed that will benefit the
fellow throughout their career. The
congressional staff also learn from a
colleague about the realities in Indi-
an Country and the huge potential
for our communities. This is abso-
lutely a learning exchange.”
Fellows begin their time in Wash-
ington, D.C., in November with a
monthlong orientation with the
American Political Science Asso-
ciation.
The Hatfield Fellowship was
created in 1998 to honor Sen.
Mark Hatfield’s public service to
Oregon and the Pacific North-
west. Additional information
about the program is available
at www.thecommunityfund.com/
hatfield-fellowship. n
Lighthouse Church helping area homeless
Lighthouse Church, located in the Tribal building at 24697 Grand
Ronde Road, is opening its doors from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and
Thursday to provide temporary shelter for homeless Tribal members and
Tribal families in the Grand Ronde area.
If a family with children needs shelter, they will be allowed to stay
overnight if they arrive before 7 p.m.
The church provides refreshments and information on where to receive
additional help.
For more information, contact Pastor Ken Haller at 971-237-4949. n
tumwata lecture series
june 16, 2018 1 pm to 5 pm
WIC visits Community Center monthly
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 ac-
cess fruits and vegetables, whole grains, eggs, milk, cheese, juice, cereal
and more.
A WIC representative visits the Tribal Community Center on the third
Tuesday of the month, which will be April 17.
Walk-ins are welcome between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 503-879-2034. n
End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
Organized by | The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
1726 Washington St, Oregon City, OR 97045
Hosted by| The End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
greg archuleta
| virginia butler | stephen dow beckham | david harrelson
1:00 pm
2:00 pm
3:00 pm
4:00 pm
native plants and tribal uses
in western oregon
archaeology of the
portland basin
the surprising adventures of george gibbs
in the oregon country
grand ronde tribal member
and lifeways instructor
professor and chair ,
dept . anthropology ,
portland state university
pamplin professor of history
emeritus , lewis and clark college
vanishing race , buried treasure ,
and the noble savage :
modern misconceptions
of native americans
cultural resources dept . manager
confederated tribes
of grand ronde