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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2025)
NOVEMBER 1, 2025 Tribal member wins Student Academic Achievement Award Tribal member Amanda Freeman was one of six Indigenous students selected by the Northwest Native Chamber for the 2025-26 Student Academic Achievement Award. “These six inspiring Native students are shaping vibrant futures while strengthening Tribal and culturally rooted communities,” a social media post stated. “NWNC is proud to support their education and leadership through the SA2 program, which provides financial support to students dedicated to community wellbeing, cultural continuity and systems change.” The six students were honored during Amanda Freeman Northwest Native Chamber’s The Gathering event held Thursday, Oct. 9 at The Castaway in Portland. “After graduation, I plan to combine my degree in psychology and mental health with my nonprofi t work to create culturally relevant, trauma-in- formed programs for Indigenous communities,” Freeman said. “My goal is to build spaces where survivors and families feel seen, supported and believed on their own terms. Giving back means honoring the sacrifi ces of those before me and creating opportunities so the next generation does not carry the same burdens.” n Visitors to EAC asked to utilize parking lots, not streets Tribal administration is requesting that non-Elder visitors to the Tribe’s Elders Activity Center utilize the parking lot across the street from the Adult Foster Care homes, as Blacktail Drive was not built to accommodate street parking. “We have allowed street parking knowing that at some point this was going to need to be addressed because of how narrow the street becomes when cars park on one side of the roadway, which only al- lows for one car to pass through at a time,” Tribal Interim General Manager Bryan Langley said in an email. “With the increase in the numbers of residents and employees, the traffi c in this area has also increased, making this area unsafe at times. Public Works will be reviewing this area to determine potential changes that will need to be made to allow cars to pass uninhibited and provide safe street parking, therefore we are asking that only Elders park on the south side of Blacktail Drive while visiting the Elders Activity Center.” The Tribe is planning on doing some curb painting and placing additional signage to raise awareness regarding the changes. n sNok signflz 13 TERO Worker of the Month October 2025 Name: Ty Cazarez Employer: Suulutaaq Position: Laborer Ty Cazares fi rst joined the TERO program in June of 2022 and soon after was referred to Roger Langeliers Construction. He remained there for almost three years until he joined the Suulutaaq team on the I-205 Abernethy Bridge Project near Oregon City. Ty has gained a vast amount of experience and skills in the past few years as a concrete fi nisher and form worker, grade checker, Ty Cazarez and equipment operator. He has proven to be very dependable, reliable and an all-around hard worker in the heavy highway con- struction industry. These are all contributing factors in why TERO has chosen Ty for the October TERO Worker of the Month. We asked Ty what the advantages were with working through the TERO offi ce; he said that TERO made the employment process very effi cient in connecting him to great contractors and people. Ty goes on to say that he learns new skills every day and has attend- ed some great trainings through TERO. Ty ended by saying that TERO initially introduced him to the trades and has helped foster his success. We are proud to have Ty Cazares on our team. Congratulations for being our October TERO worker of the month! For more information on the TERO Skills Bank and any other TERO opportunities, contact the TERO Offi ce or the TERO director. TERO Offi ce: 503-879-1488 or tero@grandronde.org Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Emergency Services & Food Security Community Conversation December 4th at 5:30 PM Elderberry Wisdom Farm 2026 TEK Habitat Restoration Internship Opportunity Grand Ronde Fire Station Join us for an evening of connection, learning, and community building! This Community Conversation will bring together local emergency services and food security resources in one place. • A panel discussion with local emergency services professionals • Fire Station tour – see behind the scenes and meet our first responders • A free community meal • Door prizes for attendees Bring your family and friends! 28480 McPherson Rd, Grand Ronde, OR 97347 Winter and Spring Internships Native American nonprofit, Elderberry Wisdom Farm is recruiting Native American and other interns of color pursuing conservation career pathways. Culturally tailored classroom education, experiential service-learning activities and mentoring support integrate Traditional Ecological Knowledge and cli- mate adaptation practices into habitat restoration, urban forestry, native plant nursery work, organic farming and micro-enterprise training and is supported by Mid-Willamette Valley conservation partners. The Winter Internship (1/6-3/12/2026) and Spring Internship (3/24- 5/21/2026) will be held three days a week Tuesdays through Thursdays for 10 weeks (200 hours). A $3,000 stipend is provided. Applicants must live near training and work sites in Marion, Polk, Linn or Benton counties, OR, and be willing to consider employment with EWF following 1-2 internships. To apply, send resume and letter of intro to accounts@elderberrywisdom.org. More info is available in newsletters at www.elderberrywisdom.org. Paid ad
