Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2018)
18 JUNE 1, 2018 Tribe receives $62,227 Historic Preservation grant The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde received a $62,227 grant from the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service to help operate the Tribe’s Historic Preservation Office. The grant was one of 175 totaling $11.4 million awarded to Tribes throughout the United States. Planning & Grants Manager Kim Rogers said the annual award will help cover salaries in the Tribal Historic Preservation Office within the Cultural Resources Department. The funds are collected from drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf and assist communities and Tribes in ensuring diverse historic places, culture and traditions are protected for future generations, a Department of the Interior press release said. Congress passes Tribal Economic Development Act By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor WASHINGTON, D.C. – A possible hurdle to the Grand Ronde Tribe developing its privately held land is one step away from being removed. Congress passed the Oregon Tribal Economic Development Act, which now heads to the desk of President Donald Trump for a signature before it becomes law. The Senate approved the act on Nov. 30, 2017, and the House of Repre- sentatives OK’d it on Wednesday, May 16. The act allows five Oregon Native American Tribes, including the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, to purchase, sell, lease or convey their interests in non-trust property without the approval of the federal government. The bill does not apply to Tribal interests in property that the federal government holds in trust. The legislation is intended to allow the Oregon Tribes greater control over transactions involving property. The bill was submitted by Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley on May 25, 2017. Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio introduced an identical bill in the House of Representatives on July 13, 2017. “(The act) will clear up any potential ambiguity regarding federal law as it pertains to Tribal lands. This is a proactive step as our Tribe has not experienced any issues regarding transfer of fee lands,” Tribal Lands Manager Jan Michael Reibach said in December when the act cleared the Senate. “It’s absurd that Tribes were forced to get congressional approval be- fore they could develop property that they privately own,” Merkley said in a press release announcing House passage of the act. “Several Oregon Tribes asked me for help on this issue as they encountered barriers to development projects, and I could not be more pleased to see it heading to the president’s desk to be signed into law. This legislation is critically important to Tribal sovereignty and economic growth, allowing Tribes to take ownership over development opportunities on their Reservations.” Tribal Attorney Rob Greene mentioned the legislation to Merkley when the senator met with Tribal Council on May 4 and expressed concern that it could affect development of Chemawa Station, a joint economic devel- opment project between the Grand Ronde and Siletz Tribes. “Tribes in Oregon should have the authority to set their own economic course, and an essential piece of that decision-making must be the flex- ibility to develop their privately owned property,” said Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden. “I am gratified that common sense and fairness have prevailed so that Tribes throughout our state can choose to pursue development opportunities that create jobs and revenues.” Oregon’s only Republican in Congress, Rep. Greg Walden, said he looks forward to Trump signing the bipartisan measure into law. “Passage of this measure will help improve the lives of Oregon Tribal members by giving them new opportunities to manage their lands without unnecessary federal red tape,” Walden said. Currently, under the Indian Non-Intercourse Act, Tribes are required to obtain federal approval to purchase, sell, convey, warrant or lease lands they own privately. This makes it difficult, expensive and impractical for Tribes to take advantage of economic development opportunities because they have to get approval from Congress every time they want to obtain a commercial mortgage for non-trust property. The Oregon Tribal Economic Development Act allows five Oregon Tribes to forego that additional approval on privately held lands. In addition to Grand Ronde, the act affects the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indi- ans, the Siletz Tribe, the Warm Springs Tribe and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians. “Economic development and investment is vital to improving the lives of our Tribal members,” Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy said in a press release. “The bill removes a significant barrier to the Tribe leasing and developing fee land. The Tribe is grateful for Sen. Merkley’s leadership on this issue and his role in passing the legislation.” S moke S ignals Smoke Signals starts own Facebook page Smoke Signals has launched its own Facebook page and is posting its stories, photos and podcasts to that page as of Tuesday, May 1. Deputy Press Secretary Sara Thompson, who is a Tribal member, took over administrative duties for the Tribal Council and The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Facebook pages, which were previously adminis- tered by Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez and Smoke Signals Editor Dean Rhodes, respectively. Popular features, such as photo galleries from Tribal events and links to Smoke Signals podcasts and stories, are now be featured on the news- paper’s Facebook page. “This is part of the continuing evolution of an independent Tribal press for the Grand Ronde Tribe,” Rhodes said. “The other two Facebook pages are outlets for official Tribal government announcements and positions, while the Smoke Signals Facebook page will be a conduit of information dissemination for the independent Tribal press that was created in January 2017. This also accomplishes a goal of the Grand Ronde Editorial Board, which seeks to create a defined separation between the Tribal government and the Tribal independent press.” Rhodes will be the moderator of the Smoke Signals Facebook page, which can be “friended” at www.facebook.com/SmokeSignalsCTGR/. “Although I will miss having the more than 4,500 friends on the main Grand Ronde Facebook page, I am hopeful that many of them will quickly friend Smoke Signals on Facebook so that they can keep abreast of in- dependently reported news about the Tribe,” Rhodes said. “In addition, this separate page will give us more latitude to post links of other stories about Native American Tribes and issues regionally and nationally that Tribal members might be interested in reading about.” For more information, contact Rhodes at dean.rhodes@grandronde.org or call 503-879-1463. Medication drop box installed The Grand Ronde Tribal Police Department, 9655 Grand Ronde Road, now has a medication drop box located in the front lobby. Lobby hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The drop box is for any prescribed or over-the-counter medication. If the containers are too large to fit in the drop box, please repackage them in a zip-lock plastic bag. Tribal Police employees cannot handle the medications so the person dropping them off must repackage them. Needles and liquids are not allowed in the drop box. Tribal Police suggest mixing liquid medications with cat litter or coffee grounds and then throwing them away with the household trash. For more information, call 503-879-1821. Ad created by George Valdez