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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2023)
14 APRIL 1, 2023 Smoke Signals Salinas introduces bill to fix Thompson strip mistake By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor WASHINGTON, D.C. 3 New Oregon Congresswoman Andrea Salinas introduced her orst piece of legislation on Wednesday, March 22, to fix a mistake written into the Grand Ronde Reservation Act in 1994. The Bureau of Land Manage- ment discovered a survey error on the Grand Ronde Reservation that dated back to 1871. The error was discovered after passage of the Grand Ronde Reservation Act in 1988 that returned 9,811 acres to the Tribe. Surveyor David Thompson had incorrectly surveyed the eastern boundary of the Reservation, leav- ing 84 acres unsurveyed. The land also was excluded from a 1904 sale of unallotted lands within the Res- ervation and Grand Ronde was not compensated for it. Until the error was discovered, BLM treated the land as Oregon and California Railroad Grant Lands and permitted private companies to harvest timber on the acreage. After being informed of the survey error, the Tribe determined the par- cel, called the Thompson Strip, was unmanageable because of narrow boundaries and divided ownership interests. The Tribe agreed to accept a 240-acre parcel of grant lands adjacent to the Grand Ronde Res- ervation in exchange and surrender its claims to the Thompson Strip. However, the Department of the Interior in 1994 <developed broad language that relinquished any future claims of this type within the state of Oregon= by the Grand Ronde Tribe. <In agreeing to this land ex- change in 1994, the intent of the parties was for Grand Ronde to relinquish its rights only to the Thompson Strip,= Tribal Chair- woman Cheryle A. Kennedy said during congressional testimony in 2020. <There was no intention by BLM or BIA ofocials involved in this land swap to extinguish the Tribe9s land claim rights for the entire state of Oregon.= Salinas9 bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, and Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Val Hoyle and Lori Chavez-DeRemer. <The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community were the original stewards of Oregon9s land and natural resources 3 and like so many other Indigenous peoples, they have faced tremendous injus- tices at the hands of the federal government,= Salinas said. <I9ve always believed that while we are not responsible for the ills of the past, we are responsible for reme- dying them today. My amendment to the Grand Ronde Reservation Act aligns with that important pursuit and I thank Sen. Merkley as well as the many partners and stakeholders who contributed to this process.= <Hayu masi to Sen. Merkley and to Rep. Salinas, who made this leg- islation one of her orst priorities,= Kennedy said. <Not only did the United States make errors survey- ing Grand Ronde lands, but it then took away Grand Ronde9s ability to be compensated for the errors. That9s not right. It9s great to know our representatives understand the problem and are ready to help correct the injustice.= The bill, if signed into law, would allow the Grand Ronde Tribe to pursue future oxes if other errors are found. In the House, the bill has been referred to the Committee on Nat- ural Resources, and in the Senate, it was referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs. A similar bill introduced by Bonamici and Merkley in the pre- vious Congress did not pass before the end of the congressional term. þ Clothes Closet open The Clothes Closet is open from 9 a.m. to noon Friday on the Tribal campus near the Elders Activity Center at the end of Blacktail Drive. The Clothes Closet accepts clothing, small appliances and pieces of furniture, electronics and household goods that are clean and in good condition. It does not accept books, large TVs or furniture, but there is a community board where people can post those items. For more information or emergency clothes, contact Lori Walk- er-Hernandez at 559-847-7565. þ 2023-2024 NATIVE SCHOLARSHIPS AIEF UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM Scholarship for Native American students attending a 2 or 4-year college/university full-time. The student or one parent must be an enrolled member to be eligible. Deadline: April 4, 2023 https://pwnaonline.thinkific.com/ AISES SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM Scholarships for enrolled and descendant Native American students who are interested in a career in the STEM industry (Nursing, Engineering, Computer Science, etc.) Deadline: May 31, 2023 www.aises.org/students/scholarships AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND Applicants must be enrolled memebers, or the direct descendant of a federally recognized tribe. Students must have a minimum 2.00 GPA and be full-time. Deadline: May 31, 2023 www.collegefund.org/students/scholarships/ AMERICAN INDIAN SERVICES The AIS Scholarship program is to help undergraduate Native American students with financial expenses. Open to direct descendants. Deadline: Varies www.americanindianservices.org/scholarships Higher Education is able to review and provide feedback on scholarship application materials. Contact us: Email: highereducation@grandronde.org Phone: 503-879-2275 smok signflz offering fast e-mail subscription Want to be one of the orst Tribal members to receive smok signflz? Want to receive the Tribal publication on your computer instead of waiting for it to arrive in the mail? Want to get up-to-date and in-the-know about the Grand Ronde Tribe before anyone else? Well, here9s your opportunity. 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Stopping mailed delivery of the newspaper will not affect other Tribal mail. þ 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 veteran needs it more than you or you are taking resources from another veteran, but you are not. 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! Ad by Samuel Briggs III