Smoke signals., April 01, 2025, Page 5, Image 5

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APRIL 1, 2025
5
Tribal Council approves fi rst reading of amendments
By Danielle Harrison
Smoke Signals editor
Tribal Council approved a fi rst
reading of proposed Enrollment
Ordinance amendments at its
Wednesday, March 19, meeting.
The Enrollment Ordinance
is being amended to align with
the lineal descent constitutional
amendment, which was certifi ed
by the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Tuesday, Jan. 21.
Currently, enrollment for those
older than six months and all
non-emergency enrollments is on
pause until Tuesday, June 3. At
that time, open enrollment will be-
gin for non-infant/non-emergency
applications. It will close at 5 p.m.
Friday, July 18.
Staff will publish a list Monday,
July 21, of completed applications
that are eligible for a random draw-
ing. The Tribal Constitution sets a
limit of 150 to 200 applications per
year. That limit doesn’t apply to
infants younger than six months
or minors who are the subject of
pending juvenile dependency pro-
ceedings.
Before the fi rst reading was ap-
proved, Tribal Council Vice Chair
Chris Mercier read a statement.
“The Tribe’s path to lineal de-
scent has been a long one. We
appreciate the time everyone has
taken to participate in this process
and be part of the discussion. The
community meetings, surveys, and
ongoing conversations have all
been an important part of where
we are now. We’ve heard your
comments and are happy to be
rolling out the proposed changes
to the enrollment ordinance for its
Council to limit online chat function
When the COVID-19 pandemic
began in 2020, most everyone
had to make a quick switch to
remote meetings. The Confeder-
ated Tribes of Grand Ronde was
no exception.
Fast forward five years and
hybrid meetings have become the
norm, with Zoom a regular feature
of Tribal Council and General
Council meetings, allowing the
Tribal membership from across
the globe to participate.
However, along with the bene-
fi ts of this technology have come
issues as well, which is why the
Tribal Council said it has decided
to partially disable the “chat”
feature button for meetings going
forward.
During the Wednesday, March
19 Tribal Council meeting, Chair-
woman Cheryle A. Kennedy read
aloud the following statement.
“I would like to thank our mem-
bers for continuing to engage
in meaningful dialogue with us
during our regular Tribal Council
and General Council meetings,”
she said. “We greatly value the
thoughts and feedback of our
fi rst reading.
He continued, “We have decid-
ed to move forward with an open
enrollment period for first-year
applicants and a drawing to cre-
ate the waitlist. While we realize
that this approach may not be the
preferred path for some, it was im-
portant that we come from a place
of fairness and equity. This process
CTGR Member Services
Requests for
Descendancy Options
members. Unfortunately, over
the years we have encountered
some issues with our hybrid
formatting and have seen the
chat feature used by some in
ways that aren’t appropriate for
public meetings. In addition to
that, the chat is extremely fl uid
and challenging to keep up with
distracting some participants
from the presentations and/or
dialogue at hand. More recently,
we have also had trouble verify-
ing peoples’ identities as links are
shared with others. As a result,
we have decided to limit some of
the online chat features.”
Moving forward, the chat will
only be enabled for online partic-
ipants to message all hosts and
panelists during the meeting.
If a member would like to ask a
question but is not comfortable in
a public setting, they will be able
to message anyone of the panelists
to request the question be asked
on their behalf. Thank you all for
your understanding and patience
as we work to improve our hybrid
meetings. We look forward to con-
tinued communications.” n
will not discriminate against indi-
viduals with different application
factors. We believe that this process
will also alleviate concerns mem-
bers have shared with us around
other types of processes…We will
be providing additional updates as
we move forward.”
Tribal members will have until
Thursday, May 1, to comment on
the proposed changes. Those can
be sent to the Tribal Attorney’s
Office, 9615 Grand Ronde Road,
Grand Ronde, OR 97347, or by
email to legal@grandronde.org. The
proposed changes will run in Smoke
Signals in the Tuesday, April 1 and
Tuesday, April 15 editions.
In other action, Tribal Council:
• Approved appointing Pamala
Warren-Chase to the Tribal Mem-
ber Review Board;
• Approved the Tribal Transporta-
tion Program funding agreement
between the Tribe and U.S. De-
partment of the Interior Bureau
of Indian Affairs;
• Approved amending a contract
with Maul Foster & Alongi for a
maximum amount of $196,350
for demolition permits and over-
sight related to the latest round
of demolition at tumwata village
in Oregon City;
• Approved amending a contract
with Elder Demolition Inc. for
a maximum of $1.89 million to
demolish 40 structures at the
tumwata village site, including
all fire damaged buildings and
warehouse buildings;
• Approved an application to
Philanthropy Northwest for its
EPA Region 10 Environmental
Justice Thriving Communities
Grant for up to $250,000;
• Approved an application to the
National Oceanic and Atmo-
spheric Administration for the
Transformational Habitat Res-
toration and Coastal Resilience
Grant for up to $10 million;
• And approved the enrollment of
three infants into the Tribe be-
cause they meet the requirements
under the Tribal Constitution
and Enrollment Ordinance.
To watch the entire meeting, visit
the Tribal government’s website at
www.grandronde.org and click on
the Videos tab. n
2025-26 Royalty Courts
Currently accepting applications.
1. Descendancy letter (no DNA testing)
Application deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 9.
2. Certificate of Descendancy (DNA testing required)
Late applications will not be accepted.
Process:
Submit completed application (digital signatures are not accepted)
along with a copy of an original state certified birth certificate (we
cannot accept copies) and proof of payment for the DNA from
the Finance Department. Once application is received, Enrollment
Office staff will process and setup the DNA appointment.
DNA at the Grand Ronde Health & Wellness Center: Cost of DNA
testing is $50 and you must pre-register with the clinic prior to your
appointment. To pre-register, contact Ashley Stonebrink at
503-879-1325 or Stacy Pond-Bissonette at 503-879-2096.
General requirements:
• Enrolled Grand Ronde Tribal member and/or direct
descendant of a Tribal member (must show proof
via a descendancy letter and/or certificate).
• Must be drug, alcohol and tobacco free.
• Attend school regularly and be in good standing.
• Must be single with no dependents.
To request an application or if you have any questions,
contact the following:
Memberservices@grandronde.org
• Attend mandatory orientation and sign
and comply will all royalty guidelines.
Enrollment staff:
Tristin Armstrong 503-879-1619, Tristin.armstrong@grandronde.org
Nick Labonte 503-879-2490, Nick.labonte@grandronde.org
Please send completed applications to:
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
Attn: Enrollment Office
9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, OR 97347
For information contact:
Shannon A. Simi
503-879-1358
Shannon.simi@grandronde.org
Ad by Samuel Briggs III
Ad by Samuel Briggs III