Tribe buys island in the Clackamas River

Tribal Council voted to purchase a 17.5-acre island in the Clackamas River for $75,000 at its Feb. 19 meeting.

Apsug Itcalxum, which means "the area of Eagle Creek" in the Clackamas Chinook language, is located west of Eagle Creek and near Bonnie Lure State Park, which is within the Tribe's ceded lands.

The island is comprised of two tax lots in Clackamas County and is of cultural significance to the Grand Ronde Tribe.

"The history of this area is very important to the Tribe," said Tribal Land and Culture Manager Jan Looking Wolf Reibach. "In addition to being a summer fishing place for the Clackamas Chinook people, this was near the birthplace of John Wacheno, son of Chief Wacheno, who signed the Willamette Valley Treaty for the Tribe."

The Willamette Valley Treaty, signed in 1855, ceded most of the northern Willamette Valley between the Cascade and Coast mountain ranges to the federal government in exchange for a reservation and benefits, such as health care and education.

Reibach said he is expecting to close on the land purchase in early March.

In other action, Tribal Council:

• Approved amendments to the Tribal Enrollment Ordinance that streamline how quickly people can be enrolled into the Tribe once Tribal Council receives a recommendation from the Enrollment Committee. Tribal Attorney Rob Greene said the amendments eliminate a 30-day waiting period that was required from when Tribal Council received an Enrollment Committee recommendation and when it could vote on the recommendation. "Tribal Council can act at the next meeting following receiving the recommendation," Greene said at the Feb. 18 Legislative Action Committee meeting.
• Approved the agenda for the March 2 General Council meeting to be held in the Tribal Community Center. The program report will focus on capital improvement projects occurring on the Tribal campus.