Tribal Council OKs applying for four grants

By Dean Rhodes

Smoke Signals editor

Tribal Council approved applying for four grants during its Wednesday, June 17, meeting.

The largest grant applied for -- $150,000 from Spirit Mountain Community Fund’s Tribal Grant program – would help design and build a community building in Grand Ronde that could be used by community programs and organizations, including partial use by a local church.

Other grants applied for include $33,207 in funding from the Natural Resources Conservation Service to conduct early seral habitat enhancement projects on two of the Reservation’s elk meadows and on portions of the Thomson and South Yamhill properties, a $62,500 Oregon Emergency Management Performance grant that would cover part of the Emergency Operations coordinator and a half-time assistant, trainings and event exercises, supplies and communications equipment, and a $107,360 Transportation and Growth Management grant that would cover the cost of updating or replacing the Tribe’s 2007 Transportation System Plan.

In other action, Tribal Council approved a memorandum of agreement between the Portland Harbor Natural Resources Trustees and the Freshwater Trust, which provides for Tribal oversight and input, as well as associated funding, on a potential project benefitting Tribally important species such as salmon and lamprey near West Hayden Island.

Tribal Council also approved the enrollment of five applicants into the Tribe.

Land and Culture Department employees Michael Karnosh, David Harrelson and Jordan Mercier performed the cultural drumming and singing to open the meeting.

The meeting, in its entirety, can be viewed on the Tribal website, www.grandronde.org, under the News tab and then click on the Video link.