Tribal Council approves agreement with state Department of Transportation

Tribal Council approved a memorandum of understanding with the Oregon Department of Transportation on Jan. 8 that will help Tribal members obtain jobs working on state road construction projects within a 60-mile radius of Grand Ronde.

During the Dec. 24 Legislative Action Committee meeting, Tribal Employment Rights Office Director Greg Azure said that the memorandum is similar to one the Umatilla Tribe near Pendleton has with the Department of Transportation.

The Tribe stands to also collect a fee on state road construction projects that occur either on the Reservation or within the 60-mile radius when the Tribe cites Indian preference and deploys a Native workforce. For example, the Tribe would receive $20,000 for a $3 million road construction project within the area.

Azure said the road construction season will start in earnest in April or May, which will give his office time to recruit Tribal members who are qualified to work on state road construction projects. He added that his office is assessing training needs for Tribal members that will support the memorandum of understanding.

In other action, Tribal Council approved the Needle Pig Thin Logging Unit timber sale.

Timber and Roads Manager Jeff Kuust said during the Jan. 7 Legislative Action Committee meeting that the sale includes five areas encompassing 114 acres. The blocks used to be managed by the Bureau of Land Management and include young stands that need to be thinned, he said.

The estimated sale volume is 848,000 board feet in conifer and 76,000 board feet in hardwood, Kuust added.

The Jan. 8 Tribal Council packet also included an authorization to proceed to re-nominate Tribal Council member Cheryle A. Kennedy to serve on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary's Tribal Advisory Committee.

Tribal members and employees Jan Looking Wolf Reibach, Travis Mercier and Brian Krehbiel and Tribal Council member Jon A. George provided the cultural drumming to start the meeting.