Tribal Council rescinds PGE agreement regarding fishing platform at Willamette Falls

By Dean Rhodes

Tribal Council voted to rescind a permit letter agreement it approved in early May with Portland General Electric that provided the Tribe access to and across the company’s property to harvest lamprey, salmon and steelhead and to plan for fishing platform construction at Willamette Falls during its Wednesday, Sept. 26, meeting.

The Oregon Department of State Lands granted approval to the Tribe to build a platform at Willamette Falls on which to harvest its annual state-approved harvest of 15 Chinook salmon and/or hatchery summer steelhead for ceremonial purposes.

Under “Other Business,” Tribal Council Secretary Jon A. George said that PGE revoked “without cause” on Sept. 21 its permission to allow Tribal use of its land to access and build a fishing platform. Therefore, the Tribe revoked its side of the agreement, which included a limited waiver of sovereign immunity.

PGE, according to news reports in Willamette Week and Oregon Public Broadcasting, claims the land where the Tribe wants to build its scaffolding isn’t state land. The company has appealed the state permit.

In addition, the Umatilla and Warm Springs Tribes are threatening to challenge the state permit in court, claiming the platform will interfere with their treaty rights to harvest lamprey at the falls.

George said the Tribe has identified an alternative, more dangerous way to access the fishing platform site for construction and eventual fishing, eliminating the need for the PGE agreement.

“We are a people of the fish,” Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy said to OPB. “It’s beyond me how anyone could object to this, but there’s objection and we’ve been denied access to the easier route or the safer route of acquiring fish.”

Grand Ronde Tribal representatives blessed the site of the Tribe’s planned ceremonial fishing platform on Sept. 4 and on Monday, Oct. 1, Kennedy and George visited Willamette Falls to pray for the safety of Natural Resources Department employees Kelly Dirksen, Matt Zimbrick and Brandon Weems, who now have to cross the river to access the platform site.