Tribal Council OKs purchase of 217.5 acres of forestland

By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Tribal Council approved the purchase and sale agreements for two adjacent parcels of land near the Reservation that will increase the Tribe’s property holdings by 217.5 acres during its Wednesday, June 1, meeting.
The two properties – one at 177.5 acres and the other at 40 acres – are located in Yamhill County up Coast Creek Road and separated from the current Reservation by a Bureau of Land Management parcel.
On May 24, Tribal Council approved a staff directive to proceed with closing on the two parcels and to proceed with a timber harvest plan as presented by Natural Resources Department Manager Michael Wilson.
In other action, Tribal Council:
• Re-appointed Ralph Baker and Steve Nuttall to the Grand Ronde Gaming Commission for three-year terms expiring in June 2019;
• Approved applying for a $500,000 Indian Community Development Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the design and construction of a 2,700-square-foot kindergarten through fifth-grade immersion education building;
• Approved applying to the Oregon Youth Development Council grant for a $60,000 Youth and Innovation Entrepreneur and Career Readiness Grant to help young people disconnected from the educational system and labor market;
• Approved applying for a $105,600 Transportation and Growth Management grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation;
• Approved the enrollment of one infant into the Tribe because the child meets the provisions outlined in the Enrollment Ordinance and Tribal Constitution;
• Approved a blood quantum correction, adding 5/32nds to one Tribal member’s quantum because the person’s ancestor parent who was never added when the member was enrolled;
• And approved a Restoration Roll correction for one Tribal member who should have been listed.
Also included in the June 1 Tribal Council packet was a summary of directives that, among other things, authorized Finance Officer Chris Leno to transfer $20,000 from contingency to fund the annual amount the Tribe provides to the Willamina School District, directed staff to process a request for the National Park Service to convey Molalla Kate items to the Tribe to be held and preserved, and outlined rules for this year’s Willamette Falls ceremonial fishing, including the allocation of $5,000 for nets, harnesses, ropes, food, fuel, travel and other necessary safety gear and fishing equipment.
Tribal Council member Jon A. George joined Ceded Lands Manager Michael Karnosh and Culture Department Manager Kathy Cole in performing the cultural drumming and singing to open the meeting.
The meeting, in its entirety, can be viewed on the Tribal website, www.grandronde.org, by clicking on the News tab and then Video.