No veto: Willamette Falls Trust $45 million legislative allocation will more forward

By Danielle Harrison

Smoke Signals editor

SALEM – Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has decided not to veto $45 million allocated to the Willamette Falls Trust to purchase the 60-acre Moore’s Island at Willamette Falls.

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

In an earlier press release, Kotek cited due diligence and wanting to ensure Oregonian’s tax dollars were being used appropriately as reasons for a potential veto, while adding that she supports creating public access at the falls.

Kotek’s office released a short statement Thursday, Aug. 7, regarding final veto decisions.

“Following last week’s notice of potential vetoes, I considered all perspectives and gathered additional information before making final decisions, which I believe reflect what is best for the state,” she said. “I want to thank Willamette Falls Trust for proactively reaching out to my office with additional information following my notice and subsequently committing to a set of expectations I set to approve the funds.”

Tribal Communications Director Sara Thompson said the Tribe is “deeply disappointed” by the decision.   

“This legislative appropriation was made without any engagement with Grand Ronde, despite the Tribe’s ancestral connection to Willamette Falls or meaningful public input from Oregonians,” she said in an emailed statement. “Gov. Kotek’s decision represents indifference about Oregon’s true Tribal history and sends a message to Oregon Tribes like Grand Ronde that our documented and indisputable ancestral connections to Willamette Falls and our treaties do not matter. This decision reaffirms the premise that political opportunism by affluent Oregonians will win over honoring Oregon Tribal homeland integrity. It rewards backroom deals while critical state-wide programs such as transportation and education remain unfunded.”  

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.”

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.