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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2018)
PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID PORTLAND, OR PERMIT NO. 700 Employees honored for years of service — pg. 11 OCTOBER 1, 2018 Coffee, culture & acorns Medford event commemorates treaty signing; Tribal encampment highlights traditional activities By Danielle Frost Smoke Signals staff writer M EDFORD — As Grand Ronde Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy drove south on Interstate 5 toward the Table Rocks area north of Medford, she thought about her grandmother. “Her father was a treaty signer here,” she said. “As I was coming here, I was thinking of the chang- es (to the landscape) since that time and am thankful we have an agreement in place.” Kennedy’s remarks kicked off the seventh annual Coffee & Conversation event held in southern Oregon on Friday, Sept. 21, to commemorate the 1853 treaty signing at Table Rocks and the September 2011 signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Bureau of Land Management and The Nature Conservancy to manage the Table Rocks area north of Medford. “I hope our joint efforts are helping turn the dial to a better place,” Kennedy said in a conference room of the Courtyard Marriott Hotel adjacent to Medford’s airport. “From the smallest insects to the birds and wildlife See COFFEE continued on page 8 Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy addresses the annual Coffee & Conversation meeting held in Medford, Ore., on Friday, Sept. 21. The event celebrates the anniversary of the signing of the 1853 treaty at Table Rocks, as well as the memorandum of understanding with the Bureau of Land Management and The Nature Conservancy. Acorns are collected for acorn soup during cultural activities held at TouVelle State Recreation Site in Central Point on Friday Sept. 21. Photos by Timothy J. Gonzalez Comfort animals not allowed at Health & Wellness Center Tribal members now a majority of employees at Governance Center By Dean Rhodes By Danielle Frost Smoke Signals staff writer G rand Ronde campus build- ings have long had a “no pets” policy. However, with the recent increase in use of companion and comfort animals by people, the Tribal Health & Wellness Center is clarifying with patients what kind of animals are allowed. “The clinic has had quite a few people come in with their dogs because it was hot outside or because the animals provided comfort during a medical pro- cedure,” Health Services Exec- utive Director Kelly Rowe says. “One time we had a dog sitting Kelly Rowe on the couch in the waiting area whose owner said it was a comfort animal. Due to the extensive cleaning required See ANIMALS continued on page 9 Smoke Signals editor I f you’re talking to an employ- ee of the Grand Ronde Tribal government, your odds for the first time in 10 years are better than 50-50 that the employee also is a Tribal member. General Manager David Fuller- ton released employment statis- tics during the Wednesday, Aug. 22, Tribal Council meeting that revealed that Tribal members are now the majority of governmental employees. Of the 470 employees as of June 14, 254 were Tribal members and 216 were not for a 54 percent to 46 percent split. In 2013, 46 percent of the Tribal government’s 316 employees were Tribal members and in 2008 only 45 percent of the 328 employees were Tribal members. The reasons for the almost dou- ble-digit increase over the last five years in Tribal member employees are numerous, including Tribal members getting more education See EMPLOYEES continued on page 6