Tribal officials lobbying for lands bill

By Danielle Harrison

Smoke Signals editor

Several Tribal officials visited Washington, D.C., in late March to lobby for the Tribe’s proposed acquisition of 18,628 acres of U.S. Forest Service land in the Siuslaw National Forest.

Since the land transfer literally takes an act of Congress, Tribal officials met with the Oregon congressional delegation, as well as forest service officials, to garner support for the effort before legislation is proposed.

“We were back there lobbying for that effort,” Tribal Council member Toby McClary said during a Tuesday, March 24, Legislative Action Committee meeting. “That work has been going on for a while…the staffers in D.C. for each of our delegates back there were very informed and they knew what we were there for and were very up-to-speed with what was going on. We were able to meet face-to-face with each of our representatives and both senators…It was very good, positive feedback overall and everybody was supportive.”

McClary noted that the Tribe had draft language for the land transfer that would potentially be introduced in the Senate soon.

“It was a very productive trip,” he said. “We also met with the chief of the Forest Service and there is no opposition from their office…But there are a couple of decisions still to be made yet and some work to be done there but we are optimistic about moving this forward and putting this into play.” 

In addition to McClary, Tribal Council member Pete Wakeland, Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez and Tribal Attorney Kim D’Aquila went on the lobbying trip. They were assisted by former Tribal Attorney Rob Greene.

“Knowing the landscape back there, I was pretty impressed with the obvious amount of communication that had taken place prior to us getting out there,” Wakeland said at the LAC meeting. “As Toby said, the staffers and members that we met with were very informed on why we were out there and it was really nice walking away from there knowing that we had basically the current commitment to supporting this lands bill…Ten years ago, I never would have thought this would have even been possible but I think we’re really close. It was a really great trip.”

So far, Tribal Council has met with both the Tillamook Board of County Commissioners as well as the Yamhill County Board of Commissioners regarding the land transfer. Both have expressed their support for the Tribe’s efforts.

According to reporting in the Tillamook Headlight Herald, commissioners signed a letter of support for the Tribe’s proposed land acquisition at a Wednesday, March 18, meeting.

“The expansion would more than double the size of the reservation and representatives from the Tribe said that they planned to bring more active management to the land, achieving conservation and recreational goals they have prioritized on the more than 16,000 acres of land they currently manage,” the article stated. “Commissioners lauded the Tribe’s management, saying that they believed (that) style would lower wildfire risk and said that they looked forward to strengthening their relationship with the Tribe.”

The Yamhill County letter of support was written to Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, as well as Rep. Andrea Salinas.

“We are writing to express our strong support for the 2026 Grand Ronde Tribal Lands Bill,” it stated. “(It) will enhance and strengthen the stewardship of our region’s natural resources. The Grand Ronde Tribe is a vital part of Yamhill County’s history, economy and community.”

The letter continued that Yamhill County supports the land transfer for four key reasons, which are proven stewardship, economic vitality, enhanced safety and public benefit.

“This transfer benefits all Oregonians,” the letter stated. “The Tribe has a long-standing history of keeping their fisheries and big-game programs open to the public. We are confident that this expansion will result in increased recreation, hunting and fishing opportunities for the entire community. We respectfully urge you to support this important legislation to strengthen Oregon’s forests, economy and community health.”

Tribal officials met with Polk County Commissioner Lyle Mordhorst in February but the county commission had not yet submitted a letter of support as of Thursday, March 26.