- Details
- By Chez Oxendine
- Real Estate
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde could add about 18,600 acres of federal forest land to their reservation under new legislation introduced by Oregon lawmakers.
The Grand Ronde Land Transfer Act, introduced Sept. 17 by Rep. Andrea Salinas, D‑Ore., and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D‑Ore., would transfer approximately 18,628 acres, according to the bill text, of U.S. Forest Service land in Tillamook and Yamhill counties into federal trust for the tribe. The land would become part of the Grand Ronde Reservation.
The bill would keep the land open for hunting, fishing and general recreation. The tribe could regulate or restrict access for public safety, land administration, fish or wildlife management, or emergencies. The measure would prohibit Class II and Class III gaming on the property and apply federal restrictions on exporting unprocessed logs harvested from federal land.
Tillamook and Yamhill counties, the Oregon Department of Forest, the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians and several conservation groups support the proposal, according to a joint statement from Merkley and Salinas.
“The transfer of these lands helps us rebuild the reservation, community and economy we lost as a result of termination,” said Grand Ronde Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy in a statement. “We will care for these forests with the knowledge our people have carried for generations, the same way we care for the nearly 16,000 acres we manage today. Under our care, this land will stay healthy for generations to come.”
The legislation would require the Interior Department to provide a legal description and survey the property’s boundaries within two years of the bill becoming law.
The proposal follows Oregon’s transfer of the 110-acre Fort Yamhill State Heritage Area to the tribe in 2025. The former Army post was established near the Grand Ronde Reservation in the 1850s.
