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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 2023)
sNok signflz JANUARY 1, 2023 7 Tribe renamed site Tumwata Village in 2022 CLEANUP continued from front page at Willamette Falls for $15.25 mil- lion in August 2019. It purchased an adjacent half-acre plot for $1.235 million in 2020 in order for the site9s future use to be complemen- tary to Blue Heron9s development. In 2022, the Tribe renamed the site Tumwata Village. In 2021, the Tribe was awarded an $800,000 Brownfields grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to address a multitude of environmental issues at the former mill site that has been used for myriad industrial ventures since the mid-1800s. The EPA grant funds environ- mental testing and decommission- ing of underground storage tanks, and allows the Tribe to create plans for larger remediation projects that Tribal Council wraps up 2022 business By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor Tribal Council held its onal meeting of 2022 on Wednes- day, Dec. 28, by handling items brought to it during its Tuesday, Dec. 20, Legislative Action Com- mittee hearing. In addition of approving the enrollment of seven people into the Tribe, Tribal Council accept- ed a portion of the fiscal year 2023 Tribal Transportation Pro- gram funds from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Grand Ronde Tribe will receive $311,591.15 with more funding to come later. Tribal Council also approved a contract with River Design Group of Corvallis to replace an aging narrow bridge on Shad- ow Lane north of Uyxat Pow- wow Grounds that accesses the Tribe9s 30-acre Shadow Lane forestlands property. Tribal Council approved the Katsaq logging unit as presented by Natural Resources staff. Tim- ber Resource Manager Michael Karnosh said the unit will include three blocks encompassing 123 acres and cut approximately 5,256 thousand board feet of timber. Finally, Tribal Council approved the agenda for the Sunday, Jan. 8, General Council meeting, which will feature a program report on the community development plan and start at 11 a.m. in Tribal Council Chambers and on Zoom. Tribal Council did not receive any additional action items during its Tuesday, Dec. 27, Legislative Action Committee meeting. To watch the entire meeting, visit the Tribal government9s website at www.grandronde.org and click on the Government tab and then Videos. n h o w l will focus on repurposing portions of the site and making preparations for demolition. EPA Brownoelds Project Manager Margaret Olson discussed different assistance options for grant recipi- ents, such as reuse of contaminated sites for renewable energy produc- tion, planning activities around contaminated site reuse, and future activities with a focus and multiple agencies involved. <When we talk about land reuse and revitalization, it doesn9t always mean a built environment,= she said. <It can also be restoring land to its natural state.= Olson also shared information from the Brownoelds ACRES online database about accomplishments in other Tribal communities. During the past 10 years, there have been 135 environmental assessments, 36 cleanups completed, $87 million generated, 343 jobs created and 97 properties ready for use. Next, Tribal Historic Preservation Manager Briece Edwards shared the site9s history and how the Cul- tural Resources Department will be a point of contact for any potential archeological discoveries. He said that Willamette Falls had been a sacred cultural, oshing and gathering place for the Grand Ronde people since time immemo- rial, and that the Tribe still honors its obligation as keepers of the falls. <It is a very unique place within the Grand Ronde9s homelands,= he said. <It is very important to the Tribe and has been so for a long time. For the Grand Ronde, their engagement with this place began with its establishment ... to take the responsibility of stewardship and carry it through generations. Today, it is a place of healing with steward- ship and maintenance obligations.= Edwards also said that the Tribe has developed an inadvertent discov- ery plan to be implemented in case of any archeological onds during con- struction or remediation site work, with the Tribal Historic Preservation Ofoce as the point of contact. <We have experience working in these areas,= Edwards said. <We have a well-developed Cultural Resources Department and it is unique being able to carry histor- ical information forward in a way that provides understanding. This is a place of deep connection.= Webb said that the Brownoelds grant has a lot of flexibility and could be used for sub-surface in- vestigation work, cleanup and planning activities. He added that the Tribe would focus on funding in- vestigation work, with potentially some cleanup as well, and planned to complete all work within four years. The grant will help the Tribe restore the site after generations of neglect by creating cleaner water and a healthier overall habitat. <We have a great, well-rounded team and will focus on additional assessment and investigation work in 2023 and 2024,= he said. <We9ll see where the contamination is and make sure everything has been cleaned and remediated, and that water going through that system is clean water going into the Wil- lamette River.= Webb ended his approximate 35-minute presentation by asking if anyone in the audience had ques- tions. None were submitted. <I appreciate everyone taking time out of their busy evening to see what we are doing and what we plan to do in the future as well,= he said. n THE ART AND LIFE OF FRANK KOWING Frank Kowing (Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde) had a prolific career as a visual artist, as shown by a reflective record of significant sketches, paintings, and sculptures over the last 60 years. These works, along with photos and excerpts of writing, reveal an intimate topography of his being. From his many peaks of creativity, charm, and adventure to the valleys of physical pain and personal loss that brought Kowing to choose his time for walking on eternally with his ancestors, howl creates an experience to view the woe and wonder Kowing inhabited and manifested. OCT. 6 , 2022 - JAN. 6, 2023 TRIBAL VETERANS SERVICE OFFICE Contact us at (503) 879-1484 or via e-mail at CTGRTribalVSO@GrandRonde.Org Veterans! You may not need it now, but you could in the future. As a veteran who has served your country, you deserve to apply for these beneots and resources. You may think another verteran needs it more than you or you are taking resources from another veteran, but you are not. “I want to engage the viewer, to somehow draw them into my world, therein to wander freely around and come up with their own personal conclusions.” You may not want beneots, but having them can beneot your spouse and your family. Contact the Tribal Veterans Service Ofoce to ask questions, ond out more information or ole for a service-connected disability today! FRANK KOWING 1944 - 2016 Ad by Samuel Briggs III
