Governor may veto legislature’s $45 million to Willamette Falls Trust

By Danielle Harrison

Smoke Signals editor

SALEM – Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has provided notice that she may veto a $45 million grant allocated to the Willamette Falls Trust to purchase the 60-acre Moore’s Island at Willamette Falls.

The funding was part of the Oregon Legislature’s “Christmas tree bill,” an end-of-session boon to various organizations seeking funding.

“The governor supports the opportunity of creating public access to the natural wonder that is Willamette Falls, from both sides of the falls,” a press release from the governor’s office stated. “She is exercising her due diligence to understand more fully the use of these dollars and wants to hear more from all interested parties. She has been a supporter of creating public access to the falls in the past and is committed to dedicating public funding that builds that access in the most equitable, responsible manner possible.”

Grand Ronde Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy had asked Kotek in an early June letter to deny or at least delay funding the Willamette Falls Trust, stating, “This project is misguided, disingenuous and comes at a time when our own Tribe is in litigation with the state’s largest utility over our ability to practice our culture.”

The governor’s office press release noted that Kotek is “a steward of tax dollars,” and was interested in how past monies, including $12.5 in state lottery funds and $20 million in Metro parks and nature bonds, were being spent before another $45 million is approved.

Kotek has until Friday, Aug. 8, to make a final decision.

Willamette Falls Trust is a nonprofit organization comprising the Yakama, Siletz, Umatilla and Warm Springs Tribes, along with government representatives from Oregon City, Metro and the state. It was established in 2015, with Grand Ronde as a member and stated its mission was to re-open the falls to the public and provide more Tribal input to management of the area. However, relations soon became rocky.

A year or two after the Trust was established, Grand Ronde began negotiating with Portland General Electric, to place a fishing platform at Willamette Falls. Although negotiations initially went well, in 2018, PGE abruptly notified the Tribe it was ending the discussion because of objections from the Warm Springs and other Tribes. PGE operates the Pelton Round Butte hydroelectric complex on the Deschutes River, in partnership with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.

Grand Ronde then sought and received authorization from the state to install its fishing platform. That authorization was opposed by PGE and all four of the other Willamette Falls Trust Tribes, who filed an unsuccessful appeal of the decision.

In 2019, Grand Ronde purchased the former Blue Heron Paper Mill and announced plans to demolish the mill structures and restore the property, including public access to the falls.

In 2021, Grand Ronde withdrew from the Willamette Falls Trust. Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle Kennedy accused the Trust of undermining the Tribe’s sovereignty and complained of “micro-aggressions” from staff and board members. The withdrawal left the Trust without property on which to conduct its mission.

In 2022, PGE sued the state of Oregon, seeking to seize ownership of the falls. It was supported by the Tribes involved in the trust. The Siletz participated as a friend of the court, siding with PGE. Grand Ronde contended that PGE is misusing the federal condemnation process to intervene on behalf of the Tribes with whom it has business dealings.

The case went to trial in federal court this past April in Portland. The judge is expected to issue his decision sometime this summer.

Tribal Communications Director Sara Thompson said the Tribe appreciates Kotek’s, “thoughtful approach and her commitment to transparency and accountability in evaluating future investments at Willamette Falls.”

“However, we urge the governor to veto the $45 million allocation to the Willamette Falls Trust,” she said. “This private nonprofit has operated without transparency, declined public input and has not accounted for how past funding has been spent. The Trust has not completed a feasibility study, has failed to demonstrate meaningful progress and has excluded the public and Grand Ronde from its visioning efforts. Any investment at this sacred site must center the rights and voices of the original Tribes and bands that called Willamette Falls home - not a nonprofit with a long track record of exclusion and unanswered questions.”