S moke S ignals
JULY 15, 2018
Tribal Council OKs annual
11-Tribe housing agreement
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Tribal Council approved the annual O-Link agreement between Grand
Ronde and 10 other Tribes during its Wednesday, July 11, meeting that
will net an estimated $115,350 in additional housing funds.
The agreement nets eight of the 11 participating Tribes increased fund-
ing, Housing Department Manager Shonn Leno said during the Tuesday,
July 10, Legislative Action Committee meeting.
The annual agreement is necessary because the Grand Ronde Tribe’s
Indian Housing Block Grant service area overlaps with 10 other Tribes
in Oregon and California.
The federal government requires that Tribes in overlapping service areas
agree on how to distribute the $15.7 million in funding and the 11 Tribes
have agreed to use Tribal enrollment data instead of Bureau of Indian
Affairs labor force statistics.
In doing so, the Grand Ronde Tribe sees its funding increase to approx-
imately $2.65 million.
The agreement includes the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians,
Siletz, Klamath, Coquille and Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribes in Oregon
and the Karuk, Quartz Valley, Tolowa Dee-ni’, Yurok and Fort Bidwell
Tribes in California.
In other action, Tribal Council:
• Approved a Natural Resource Damage Settlement Agreement with
Astoria Marine Construction Co. that also includes the Siletz and Nez
Perce Tribes. The company agrees to pay up to $130,000 for removal and
disposal of the dock and associated pilings that have been located on the
east bank of the Lewis and Clark River and Jeffers Slough since 1924.
• Approved $45,835 in funding from the Natural Resources Conservation
Service to conduct pre-commercial thinning on 110 acres of the Coal Creek
property in Tillamook County. The Tribe purchased the property in 2016.
• And approved the enrollment of three infants and two minors into the
Tribe because they meet the requirements outlined in the Tribal Consti-
tution and Enrollment Ordinance.
The entire meeting can be viewed by visiting the Tribal website at www.
grandronde.org and clicking on the News tab and then Video.n
Dental staff attended to
offer veterans examinations
HEAL continued
from page 10
which are usually skewed toward white males.
“I don’t want to replace that, but just want them to add us in,” she said,
adding that there are approximately 28,000 female veterans who live in
Oregon.
In the afternoon, veterans had several activity choices that included
male and female sharing circles hosted by Tailfeathers and Estabrooks,
respectively; a “Managing Trauma” discussion hosted by Courtney, who
also is a suicide prevention instructor; an “Employment Services” pre-
sentation moderated by Richard Sanchez, a Disabled Veterans Outreach
representative with Worksource Yamhill; or a trip to Lebanon to view an
All Nations Native American Veterans Memorial.
A closing ceremony was held before the summit segued into the Marcellus
Norwest Memorial Veterans Powwow.
As with other Veterans Summits, many organizations surrounded the
powwow arbor and staffed resource tables, offering help and services to
veterans. Among those organizations were the Grand Ronde Health & Well-
ness Center, Veterans Affairs’ mobile Vet Center, the Portland-Vancouver
chapter of the Northwest Indian Veteran Association, Native American
Cultural Association of Oregon, Worksource Yamhill, Military Helpline,
Oregon Health & Science University’s Casey Eye Institute and Willamina
Post 4211 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Tribal Dental Hygienist Sheila Blacketeer and Dental Assistant Shelby
Hoyt were on hand to give dental examinations and Community Health
Events Coordinator Kandee Little transported those in need of medical
attention from the powwow grounds to the clinic.
In addition to George, Tribal Council members Lisa Leno and Brenda
Tuomi, an Army veteran, attended parts of the summit, as did former
Tribal Council chairman and Marine Corps veteran Reyn Leno, who
started the Veterans Summit in 2013 after attending a planning meeting
held in San Diego.
The summit was sponsored by the Native Wellness Institute of Gresh-
am, Office of Tribal Government Relations with the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs and the Grand Ronde Tribe.
Social Services Department Manager Dana Ainam was the lead Tribal
employee in organizing this year’s event. She said approximately 100
people attended.
All attendees received a gift bag that included a T-shirt designed by
Bobb. n
11
Spirit Mountain Gaming, Inc.
Board of Director’s Position Opening
Spirit Mountain Gaming, Inc. (“SMGI”), a Tribal corporation
chartered by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde (“Grand
Ronde”), operates Spirit Mountain Casino – the largest casino
in Oregon. Spirit Mountain Casino offers Las Vegas-style slots
and provides superior entertainment and resort amenities. Spirit
Mountain is one of the Pacific Northwest’s premier casinos. Grand
Ronde invites applications to serve on the Spirit Mountain Gam-
ing, Inc. Board of Directors. There is one open board position.
Preference will be given to qualified Tribal members.
The SMGI Board of Directors is responsible to the Grand Ronde
Tribal Council. The Board oversees strategic planning, overall
fiscal accountability, budgets and operations of Spirit Mountain
Casino.
The SMGI Board meets monthly. From time-to-time, addition-
al special meetings may be held. Board members are expected to
attend all meetings in person, which are held at Spirit Mountain
Casino – although participation by telephone will occasionally be
permitted. Each board member receives a monthly stipend for at-
tending meetings. Travel reimbursement is limited to travel within
the six counties of Polk, Yamhill, Marion, Tillamook, Multnomah
and Washington.
Board members must have a superior understanding of and
experience with financial statements, strong communication and
analytical skills, experience in a hospitality or customer service
driven environment, ten (10) years of experience in a senior man-
agement position, and a solid understanding of the Portland-metro
and Salem-area economies. Experience in the following areas is
also preferred: gaming, tourism, corporate finance and accounting,
marketing and promotions, human resources, and management of
senior executives. Experience with and knowledge of Native Ameri-
can organizations is also preferred.
Ability to pass a thorough background check and obtain a gaming
license from the Grand Ronde Gaming Commission is required.
Submission deadline: Friday, July 27, 2018
Interested individuals should submit a letter of interest de-
scribing their qualifications, a résumé, and three references to:
Stacia Hernandez, Chief of Staff
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
9615 Grand Ronde Road
Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347
Phone: 503-879-2304
Email: stacia.martin@grandronde.org