Tribe calls on membership to write to ODFW

Tribal Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez sent an appeal out to employees and Tribal members Thursday, July 3, warning that “Grand Ronde’s sovereignty is at risk.”

Hernandez appealed for people to write to the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife Commission, asking them to preserve the Tribe’s hunting and fishing memorandum of understanding with the state.

“This agreement plays a critical role in preserving Grand Ronde’s cultural traditions and legacy. It also balances the Tribe’s rights with wildlife population management needs by opening these Tribal hunting and fishing activities to a mere 7% of Oregon’s total land open to hunting and fishing,” Hernandez wrote. “Some Columbia River Tribes, however, have falsely claimed the agreement with the state of Oregon should be nullified. These other Tribes, many of whom do not even reside in Oregon, want the commission to reverse its agreement with Grand Ronde on claims that range from misleading to downright untruthful.”

The commission is scheduled to reconsider the MOU during its meeting Friday, July 11.

Hernandez provided a link for submitting comments, at  https://mstr.app/a1a77275-df45-4f08-9491-9a3af663fedf