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sNok signflz
OCTOBER 15, 2022
Tribal employee seeking office on Conservation District board
By Dean Rhodes
POLK COUNTY SOIL &
WATER CONSERVATION
ZONE BOUNDARIES
Smoke Signals editor
Longtime Tribal employee and
Tribal spouse Lindsay McClary is
on the Nov. 8 ballot in Polk County,
seeking her first elected position.
McClary, 38, is running for the
Zone 2 seat on the Polk Soil &
Water Conservation District Board
of Directors. The seat is currently
held by19-year incumbent David
Simmons, who is also seeking
re-election.
McClary, who married former
Tribal Council member Toby Mc-
Clary in 2019, has worked for
the Grand Ronde Tribe’s Natural
Resources Department since 2010.
She is currently the Tribe’s resto-
ration ecologist and fish and wild-
life policy analyst.
Before that, she worked for four
years with the U.S. Forest Service
as a biological technician.
She graduated from Central
Michigan University in 2007 with
a degree in recreation, parks and
leisure services administration and
a minor in natural resources man-
agement. She received a master’s
degree in the same fields of study
in 2016.
The Polk Soil & Water Conser-
vation District is a subdivision of
state government that is admin-
istered by seven elected directors
who serve without pay for four-year
terms. The board is made up of five
landowners from different zones
and two at-large directors who
represent the entire county and
meet monthly.
“The reason I am running is
my desire and position to bring a
different voice and also a positive
influence on the board,” McClary
said during a Thursday, Oct. 6,
interview. “I’d like to bring a fresh,
positive voice to the current board
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V e t e r a n s
ZONE 2
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Contributed photo
Tribal employee Lindsay McClary
is a candidate on the Nov. 8 ballot
for the Zone 2 position on the
Board of Directors of the Polk Soil
& Water Conservation District.
She currently works for the Tribe’s
Natural Resources Department as
the restoration ecologist and fish
and wildlife policy analyst.
ZONE 1
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ZONE 4
ZONE 3
ZONE 5
that’s going to create a positive
working environment for the staff.”
McClary said her interest in run-
ning for the position was sparked
by her Tribal job duties and the
partnerships the Tribe has with
the Polk Soil & Water Conservation
District.
“I work regularly with the staff.
We collaborate. We partner. I’ve
been involved in my profession in
that way and knew that there were
some opportunities for shifting
some of the board’s focus and social
environment,” she said.
According to the district’s website,
board members work cooperatively
to plan and oversee implementation
of the district programs.
“Conservation is a team effort
requiring strong partnerships,” Mc-
Clary said in her candidate state-
ment available at www.polkswcd.
com. “One of the most rewarding
aspects of my current position and
past experience is the relationships
VETERANS DAY
LUNCHEON
A l l
N
w e l c o m e !
Thursday, November 10, 2022
11 A.M. - 2 P.M.
At 25500 SW Grand Ronde Rd. Grand Ronde, OR
VA Portland Community Care Presentation
Gifts
Lunch
Raffle Drawing
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411
Map by Samuel Briggs III
I have made with other profession-
als, practitioners and partners
through land management projects.
“I would like to serve as a Polk
SWCD director and bring my nat-
ural resource management ex-
perience to address the priority
concerns in Polk County. I also
offer a Tribal partnership and
perspective, including historic
land management principles, to
conserve and restore Polk County’s
natural resources and production
capabilities.”
McClary says her qualifications
include managing more than 2,400
acres of Tribal lands designated for
fish and wildlife habitat of which
827 acres are within Polk Soil
& Water Conservation District’s
boundaries.
“Board priorities for me will
include creating a positive board
environment, which will enhance
and empower current staff and
result in a positive working atmo-
sphere,” she said in her candidate
statement. “Recruiting and retain-
ing high quality staff to assist Polk
County residents in conservation
efforts, including filling open posi-
tions, and building landscapes that
are resilient in the face of climate
change.”
Zone 2 of the Conservation Dis-
trict includes the northeastern
portion of Polk County. McClary
lives in west Salem.
Her opponent, Simmons, did not
provide the Conservation District
with biographical or profile infor-
mation.
McClary added that she has re-
ceived support from her Natural
Resources Department colleagues,
some of whom have offered to place
campaign signs in their yards, and
from her husband, who won two
terms on the Grand Ronde Tribal
Council.
“He’s very supportive,” McClary
said. “He’s my campaign manager.
He’s very excited to be back in the
political scene.”
In addition, former Natural Re-
sources Department Manager
Michael Wilson, who is a Grand
Ronde Tribal member, is running
unopposed for re-election to the
Conservation District’s Zone 5 seat.
Zone 5 includes most of southern
Polk County.
Free Playgroup in
Grand Ronde!
*
When: First Thursday of each
month 10:00 am-11:30 am
Where: CTGR – Community
Service Center 9615 Grand Ronde
Road Grand Ronde, OR 97347
Who: Parents and caregivers of
children under 5 years.
Why: Come to play, have a snack
and have fun!