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
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students who are interested in a career in the STEM industry
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students with financial expenses. Open to direct descendants.
Deadline: Varies
www.americanindianservices.org/scholarships
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scholarship application materials.
Contact us:
Email: highereducation@grandronde.org
Phone: 503-879-2275
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