10
FEBRUARY 15, 2021
Smoke Signals
‘ Clean off your boots and your pets when you finish a hike ’
PLANTS continued
from front page
National Invasive Species Aware-
ness Week is an international event
occurring in the spring to raise
awareness about invasive species,
the threat that they pose and what
can be done to prevent their spread.
The North American Invasive
Species Management Association’s
mission is to “support, promote and
empower” invasive species preven-
tion and management in North
America.
“They want to bring awareness
to the public about the presence of
invasive species and the impacts
on natural resources nationwide,”
Ramthun says. “My purpose in this
is to raise awareness of invasive
species on Tribal land and how we
can all help keep them off Tribal
land.”
Ramthun says that the most
common invasive species in the
area include decorative plants
like scotch broom and English ivy.
These displace native and ben-
eficial plants, and smother tree
seedlings, hampering reforestation
efforts. English ivy is particularly
problematic and often threatens all
vegetation levels of forested and
open areas. It can grow along the
ground and climb into the forest
canopy, according to the website
invasive.org.
Other invasive plants often found
on the Reservation include common
tansy, Canada thistle, bull thistle
and reed canary grass.
“Some of these things have been
here for decades, and others were
Photo by Timothy J. Gonzalez
Natural Resources Specialist Anna Ramthun talks about National Invasive
Species Awareness Week on Monday, Feb. 1. It is an international event
occurring in the spring to raise awareness about invasive species, the threat
that they pose and what can be done to prevent their spread.
plants that were brought back in
the 1800s and used as shipping
material,” Ramthun says. “Others
were brought by birds or cars. Each
has properties that make them de-
structive to the native plants, and
the quality of the wildlife habitat
and streams for salmon.”
An annual invasive species
awareness program was first held
in the United States in January
2010 in Washington, D.C., and it in-
cluded bipartisan groups that host-
ed workshops and presentations
on climate change, energy and the
green economy. Now, it has evolved
to include the annual program as
well as local, state, regional and
Tribal representatives who host
Join us for our
Virtual Sobriety Zoom Meeting..
February 25, 2021
6:00PM - 7:00PM
Hosted by: Post Treatment Services / Social Services
Chris Holliday (503) 879-1452
Michael Herrin (503) 879-4543
educational events and workshops
in their local communities. This
year, everything has switched to a
virtual format due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
Ramthun suggests calling or
visiting a local nursery website
to learn more about native plants
and which ones are best suited for
a particular area. Information also
can be found at the Oregon State
University Extension Service web-
site at extension.oregonstate.edu.
And as far as keeping invasive
species from spreading further?
“One of the best ways is to clean
off your boots and your pets when
you finish a hike,” she says. “It’s an
easy way to keep these plants from
being transported elsewhere.”
Tribal Restoration Ecologist Lind-
say McClary says that the Tribe has
a number of properties specifically
designated for fish and wildlife hab-
itat conservation, and that a large
portion of these require restoration
to function properly. This involves
the removing of invasive species,
especially non-native vegetation,
and the efforts tend to be ongoing.
One of the examples she gave was
that of the Rattlesnake Butte prop-
erty located near Monroe, which
the Tribe re-acquired through the
Willamette Wildlife Mitigation
Program. The site is predominately
oak habitat, once abundant in the
Willamette Valley.
“Before the Tribe re-acquired it,
the site was logged in an effort to
convert it to a vineyard,” McClary
says. “That did not happen, and
invasive species colonized the site,
from both natural transport and
likely logging equipment. In some
areas, the density is very high,
specifically scotch broom. The Tribe
has been successful in securing sev-
eral grants to support restoration
efforts on site. Although progress is
happening, it will be a long road to
remove these invasives and restore
oak habitats.”
For more information about in-
vasive species and how to prevent
their spread, visit naisma.org/
resources/resource/. 
Housing Association accepting
scholar applications
OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Northwest Indian Housing Association
is accepting applications from enrolled association Tribal members
for its 2021 Youth Scholarship Program. The Grand Ronde Tribe is
a member of the association.
To be eligible, applicants must not have reached their 24th birthday
by the application deadline, which is March 26.
Applications can be obtained by visiting www.nwiha.org and
clicking on the Youth Scholarship Program tab. Applications and
supporting documents must be submitted by e-mail to info@nwiah.
org on or before 5 p.m. Friday, March 26.
All applicants will be notified of the Executive Committee’s de-
cisions and successful applicants will be recognized at the spring
conference being held April 13-14.
For more information, call 360-220-9212 or e-mail info@nwiha.org. 
Download the Zoom app or enter Zoom in your browser.
Ask to join meeting then enter the information below.
Meeting ID: 945 4811 1618
Passcode: 276766
If you have any questions feel free to contact Social Services at
(503) 879-2034
Let’s get together and Support Recovery..
Did we mention there will be door prizes!!!!
WINTER CULTURAL SHARING
February 25th, 2021
3pm-5pm
You are invited to join us for cultural
sharing and visiting on Zoom
To receive the Zoom link please send an email to:
CulturalEducation@grandronde.org
Or call Cristina Lara at 503-879-1690
We look forward to seeing you online.
Chachalu Museum and Cultural Center