12
NOVEMBER 1, 2023
SMOKE SIGNALS
Grand Ronde efforts cited in proposed
delisting of Nelson9s checker-mallow
By Dean Rhodes
Publications coordinator
A perennial herb that the Grand
Ronde Tribe has been trying to save
from extinction for almost 30 years
will be taken off a list of threatened
species in the near future.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser-
vice announced on Monday, Oct. 16,
that the Nelson9s checker-mallow
will be coming off the Endangered
Species Act list 30 days after an
upcoming notice appears in the
Federal Register.
In April 1995, the Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde signed an
agreement with the Fish and Wild-
life Service to continue upkeep of
the plant that was found growing
in the path of the planned Spirit
Mountain Casino site.
Although the Tribe was under no
legal obligation to transplant the
plants, 299 of them were moved to
a different location on Tribal prop-
erty and most of them survived the
ensuing winter.
At the time, a Fish and Wildlife
representative said the Grand
Ronde Tribe was setting a positive
example for other Tribes and devel-
opers to follow.
Since then, the Tribe has estab-
lished reserves for the plant and
performed prescribed burns related
to it, said Natural Resources De-
partment Manager Colby Drake.
Nelson9s checker-mallow grows
from south of Corvallis, Ore., to
north of Vancouver, Wash. It was
classioed 30 years ago as threatened
under the Endangered Species Act.
It grows 15- to 40-inch-tall spikes
of deep pink nowers that dot prai-
ries, wetlands, edges of woodlands
and riparian areas in the Willa-
mette Valley and Coast Range. It
was placed on the threatened list
because of habitat loss caused by
agricultural development, stream
alterations that limited water to
meadows, recreational activities
and roadside spraying.
However, 33 independent popu-
lations are now thriving in more
than 50 locations in the Willamette
Valley and Coast Range, the Fish
and Wildlife Service said. Some
sites are publicly owned, have been
purchased by conservation groups
or are enrolled in conservation
programs.
The Fish and Wildlife Service
said it expects the number of loca-
tions where Nelson9s checker-mal-
low plants currently grow to remain
constant for the foreseeable future.
The wildlife service cited land-
owners and more than a dozen
federal, state and Tribal entities,
including the Grand Ronde Tribe,
as contributing to the recovery of
Nelson9s checker-mallow.
Prairies require continued distur-
Tribal nonemergency text line
The Grand Ronde Tribal Police Department has a nonemergency text
line at 541-921-2927.
<If you have a nonemergency situation or question, feel free to contact
my ofocer via text through this line,= said Grand Ronde Tribal Police Chief
Jake McKnight. <When one of my ofocers receives the text, they will call
you back when they have time.=
McKnight said that emergency situations still require calling 911.
For more information, contact McKnight at 503-879-1474. n
School Supplies
Photo courtesy of Annaliese Ramthun
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
announced on Monday, Oct. 16, that
the Nelson9s checker-mallow will be
coming off the Endangered Species
Act list 30 days after an upcoming
notice appears in the Federal
Register.
bance, such as prescribed burning,
to keep them from turning into
woodlands. Many landowners
are helping with that by mowing
areas and working with the Fish
and Wildlife Service to maintain
habitat.
Natural Resources Specialist
Annaliese Ramthun said the Tribe
maintains ove refuge sites around
the Grand Ronde area for the plant.
<These areas have been mowed
and occasionally burned to main-
tain the wet prairie habitat that
the plant needs,= she said. <We9ve
been monitoring these populations
since that time.=
Since 2008, the Tribe also began
working with the Institute for Ap-
plied Ecology to restore the Tyee
Preserve near Tribal housing to
bolster the number of checker-mal-
low in the area along with other
native species with cultural and
ober value.
<The Plants for People grant
which started in 2014 extended
similar restoration efforts to re-
store habitat at the South Yamhill
property and that has been ongoing
until this year,= Ramthun added.
<Within the last two years, we have
been cooperating with the USFWS
to provide population estimates
for Tribally managed properties to
help inform the delisting decision.=
The delisting of Nelson9s check-
er-mallow coincides with the 50th
anniversary of passage of the En-
dangered Species Act. More than
100 species have been removed
or down-listed from endangered
to threatened since the act was
approved by Congress. In Oregon,
15 plants remain on the list, said
Jodie Delavan, a Fish and Wildlife
spokesperson. n
Are you frustrated with your diabetes control?
Do you have ques}ons about diabetes?
Do you need help managing your diabetes?
If so&
Call the Medical Clinic today at 503-879-2002
To schedule an individual diabetes educa}on appointment
ILAUNCH Back to School Program
The ILAUNCH program has backpacks filled
with supplies and an Amazon Gift Card ($30)
available for Tribal Descendants, entering
grades K-3. Supplies will be given on a first
come, first served basis. Applications are
available at the Behavioral Health front desk,
or by emailing ilaunch@grandronde.org.
Tawna Jo Norwest
Young Child Wellness Community Coordinator
(503) 879-1396
Help us look for chronic was}ng
disease in our herds!
Chronic was}ng disease (CWD) is a highly infec}ous, fatal disease
that can infect both deer and elk. CWD has not been found in
Oregon, but has been detected in 31 states. In 2021, Idaho had two
detec}ons in their free ranging popula}on within 30 miles of the
Oregon border.
NRD will be coopera}ng with ODFW to collect lymph nodes of
harvested deer and elk for CWD tes}ng. Staf will be available to
collect samples from animals brought to NRD during business hours
and there will be an aver hours drop of sta}on at the ceremonial
cooler at the lower shop at NRD. Hunters are asked to oll out a brief
informa}on card to include with the head of the animal, which
requires orst vertebrae below the skull. Heads will be returned upon
request.
RAFFLE for a $50 Cabela9s giv card for par}cipa}on!
Natural Resources Depart-
ment CWD sampling aver
hours drop of:
47010 S.W. Hebo Road
Contact Wildlife Biologist Marie
Vicksta at 503-879-1458 or
marie.vicksta@grandronde.org if
you want more informa}on.