ODFW rescinds Siletz consent decree

SALEM -- On Friday, March 14, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission rescinded a 1980 consent decree between ODFW and the Siletz Tribe. This means that Grand Ronde is now the only Tribe in the state of Oregon, as well as the United States, to still be bound by a consent decree.

Consent decrees are enforced by federal agreement and were used as a means of negotiation in order for terminated Tribes to get their reservation lands back. In exchange, Tribes agreed to have very limited hunting, fishing, trapping and gathering rights. Decades after these agreements were signed, the state of Oregon has  acknowledged that these were a product of the times and represented a distorted view of Tribal sovereignty.

“I couldn’t be happier for the Siletz people,” Grand Ronde Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy said. “Not only is the repeal of the Siletz Tribe’s consent decree historic in its own right but it signifies that the state is moving forward to right these historical wrongs. We look forward to working with the state to address our own.”

The state’s action came after congressional legislation and a federal court’s vacating of the Siletz consent decree.

“Today’s action rights a historic wrong and continues to advance our cooperation with the Siletz Tribe towards our shared goal of healthy fish and wildlife populations,” ODFW Director Debbie Colbert said.

 In February, U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas and U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley reintroduced legislation to restore traditional hunting and fishing rights for Grand Ronde.

The House version of the bill is cosponsored by U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle and Janelle Bynum. The Senate version is cosponsored by Ron Wyden.

If passed, this legislation would allow the Tribe to return to federal court to request the termination or modification of their current consent decree with the state of Oregon.