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JULY 1, 2019
Smoke Signals
Food Bank provides
boxes, seeks help
The Grand Ronde Food Bank – iskam mfkhmfk haws – is operated
by Marion-Polk Food Share, which has been leading the fight to end
hunger since 1987 because no one should be hungry.
Recipients of SNAP, TANF, SSI or LIHEAP assistance automat-
ically qualify for assistance at the Grand Ronde Food Bank, 9675
Grand Ronde Road. No one will be turned away in need of a food box.
“We believe that everyone deserves to have enough to eat,” Food
Bank Coordinator Francene Ambrose says. “You are welcome to get
a food box at each of our regular weekly distributions. No one will
be turned away in need of a food box.”
Upcoming food box distribution dates will be:
• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 6;
• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, July 12;
• 2 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 17;
• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, July 26.
People must check in 15 minutes before closing to receive a food
box. If you need immediate assistance, call 211 or visit 211info.org.
Those who are unable to pick up a food box can fill out an autho-
rized representative form and that person can pick up a food box on
your behalf. The authorization is good for one year.
In addition, the Grand Ronde Health & Wellness Center’s Commu-
nity Health Team will be setting up the mobile clinic at the pantry
on the first Friday of every month.
The Food Bank continues to seek volunteers to help with repacking
food, putting food on the shelves, handing out food boxes, end-of-
month inventory and picking up food donations at area stores.
Call to ensure someone is available to assist. People also can sign
up for a monthly e-mail for the Food Bank calendar and events, as
well as follow the Food Bank on Facebook.
The Food Bank is an equal opportunity provider.
Call Ambrose at 503-879-3663 or contact her at fambrose@mari-
onpolkfoodshare.org for more information or to volunteer.
Committee & Special Event
Board meeting days and times
Below is the most current information on the meeting days and times
for Tribal Committees and Special Event Boards:
• Ceremonial Hunting Board meets as needed. Chair: Marline Gro-
shong.
• Culture Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of the
month at the Grand Ronde Food Bank/iskam mfkhmfk haws, 9675
Grand Ronde Road. Chair: Francene Ambrose.
• Editorial Board meets monthly at the Chachalu Museum & Cultural
Center conference room, 8720 Grand Ronde Road. Next meeting
is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, July 19. The public is welcome to
attend. Chair: Siobhan Taylor. Contact: Editorial.Board@grandronde.
org.
• Education Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of
the month in the Adult Education building. Chair: Tammy Cook.
• Elders Committee meets at 10 a.m. the third Wednesday of the
month in the Elders Activity Center. Chair: Penny DeLoe.
• Enrollment Board meets quarterly in Room 204 of the Governance
Center. Chair: Debi Anderson.
• Fish & Wildlife Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday
of the month at the Natural Resources building off Hebo Road. Chair:
Tyson Mercier.
• Health Committee meets at 10 a.m. the second Tuesday of the
month in the Molalla Room of the Health & Wellness Center. Chair:
Bernadine Shriver.
• Housing Board meets at 3 p.m. the third Thursday of the month in the
Housing Department conference room. Chair: Kristy Criss-Lawson.
• Powwow Special Event Board meets monthly at noon at the Com-
munity Center. Dates vary. Contact Dana Ainam at 503-879-2037.
Chair: Dana Ainam.
• TERO Commission meets at 10 a.m. Monday, July 8, in the Em-
ployment Services building. Chair: Russell Wilkinson.
• Timber Committee meets at 5 p.m. the second Thursday of the
month at the Natural Resources building off Hebo Road. Interim
Chair: Jon R. George.
• Veterans Special Event Board meets at 5:30 p.m. the first Tuesday
of the month in the old Elders Craft House. Chair: Raymond Petite.
To update information on this list, contact Publications Coordinator Dean
Rhodes at 503-879-1463 or dean.rhodes@grandronde.org.
2014 – Seventy-eight Tribal employ-
ees were recognized for a combined 875
years of service to the Grand Ronde
Tribe during an employee recognition
event held at the Community Center.
Health & Wellness Business Officer
Manager Tresa Mercier reached her
29th anniversary of working for the
Tribe. She began working on Oct. 1, 2014
File photo
1984.
2009 – Tribal Elder Gene LaBonte was elected to chair the Gov-
ernor’s Veterans’ Affairs Advisory Committee. LaBonte, a Vietnam
War-era Navy veteran, was appointed to a four-year term on the
committee the year before. His one-year term as chair was set to begin
in September. The group was working toward building a second vet-
erans’ home in the state, as well as seeking legislation that equalized
payments to all veterans, regardless whether one served in a battle
zone or at a base.
2004 – Tribal member Jan Michael Reibach was chosen as one of
the nominees for the Indian Summer Music Awards to be held in
Milwaukee, Wis., in September. The awards were designed to honor
the best Native American music that had been released nationwide.
Reibach’s “Native Blues” album was nominated in the blues category
and his “One Heart, One Spirit” album was nominated in the flute
category. “My music has evolved into something unique,” he said.
1999 – The Tribe signed an agreement with the U.S. Forest Ser-
vice as a first step toward coordinating management of 6,600 acres
of national forest lands with the Reservation. The agreement was a
result of an idea that was raised at a Forest Service meeting almost
two years previously and proposed to Natural Resources staff. The
stewardship agreement would allow the Tribe to cooperatively manage
Forest Service land in the same watershed basin as the Reservation.
1994 – The Department of the Interior gave the go-ahead for the
Tribe to begin construction of its proposed multi-million gaming facili-
ty. After a compact agreement was approved by the state of Oregon the
year before, final approval was delayed by the Interior Department on
the grounds that the land along Highway 18 was not part of the Grand
Ronde Reservation. Spirit Mountain Development Corp. expected the
facility to open in mid-1995 and employ approximately 500 people.
1989 – The Tribe was developing a long-term master plan that
focused specifically on housing and community development. “A
long-term planning strategy is needed to obtain land and develop
community facilities and housing in the Grand Ronde area,” Tribal
Chairman Mark Mercier said. Once a land purchase was complete,
the Tribe would have access to funding options through Housing and
Urban Development and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
1984 – Eleven Tribal youth were hired through a contract with the
Mid-Valley Jobs Council to work in the local area through mid-August.
There were three major worksites: Tribal offices at the Depot, the
Tribal greenhouse and cemetery. Youth employees were scheduled
to scrape off old paint, care for plants, perform minor repairs, mow
lawns and keep cemetery grounds clean.
Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in five-year incre-
ments through the pages of Smoke Signals.
Lamprey harvesting
schedule announced
The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife set the lamprey harvest
season at Willamette Falls from Saturday, June 1, through Wednesday,
July 31.
Harvesting is allowed from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays through Mondays.
Harvesting is prohibited Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Harvesting is restricted to the east side of Willamette Falls and does
not include the Horseshoe Area at the peak of the falls. Gear is restricted
to hand or hand-powered tools only.
A permit is required, but Tribal members are allowed to use their Tribal
enrollment card in lieu of a state-issued permit. In addition, Tribal mem-
bers can harvest for distribution to other Tribal members. However, the
distribution must be done without charge.
Harvests must be recorded on an ODFW harvest card available from
the Grand Ronde Natural Resources Department or by contacting the
Clackamas ODFW Office, 17330 S.E. Evelyn St., Clackamas. Harvest
cards must be filed by Aug. 31.
People planning on harvesting lamprey should stop by the Natural Re-
sources office off Hebo Road and pick up an information packet.
For more information, call 503-879-2376.
