The Tribal Police Department will once again be participating in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day (NDTBD) held on Saturday, October 29th, 2022 from 10am – 2pm at the governmental offices at 1245 Fulton Avenue in Coos Bay. This event is sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and it provides the supplies to be able to collect unused or expired prescription medications to ensure that they are safely disposed of without falling into the wrong hands or unnecessarily polluting.

In order to comply with COVID restrictions, all of these events will be outside (parking lot) so that participants can just pull up and drop off their items.

After the event (on Saturday), from 2pm – 3pm, Tribal Police Officers will be available to travel within 20 miles of the governmental office to pick up any unused or expired medications from Tribal families or Tribal Elders. If you know of someone who would like to participate, but is unable to make it to any of the events, please have them contact me for scheduling at our office: 541-997-6011.

There will be no identifying information collected, and the program is anonymous. We encourage participants to remove any identifying labels from bottles prior to submission. We will be able to accept vape pens without internal batteries, controlled, non-controlled and over the counter medications with a few exceptions; Intra-venous solutions, injectables, syringes, chemotherapy medications, or medical waste WILL NOT be accepted.

If you have any questions about the program, please let me know. Our goal is to keep medications from being lost, stolen, or misused. If you would like to view information about the program from the DEA, please visit: https://takebackday.dea.gov/ . If you know someone who lives outside of the area, they can also search by zip code to find an event nearby.

In addition to the National Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, Tribal Police Officers will be at the Eugene outreach office on Thursday, October 27th from 11am – 2pm to accept any medications and also at the Florence outreach office on Friday, October 28th from 11am – 2pm.

Since we began partnering with the DEA in the NDTBD program in 2018, the Tribal Police Department has helped to keep over 282 pounds of medications from being misused or otherwise polluting our landfills and waterways. Anyone is welcome to participate, so feel free to share the information with your friends and family.

NOTICE OF CODE AMENDMENTS
The following proposed Codes was passed for First Reading by Tribal Council on August 14,2022
TITLE: 1 GENERAL PROVISIONS
Chapter 1-6 Public Records
TITLE: 7 ENROLLMENT. COMMI ELECTIONS AND REFERUMDUMS
Chapter 7-8 Gaming Facility Operational Review Board
The Tribal Council has determined amendments are needed for Chapter 1-6 Public Records and chapter 7-8 Gaming Facilities Operation Review Board.
Tribal Council hereby approves the amendments to both Codes for first reading and posting for a twenty-eight (28) day period.
DATE OF THE TRIBAL COUNCIL MEE AT WHICH THE PROPOSED CODE IS EXPECTED TO BE CONSIDERED FOR FINAL PASSAGE
October 9,2022
Please visit www.ctclusi.orq for complete draft edits to both Codes for membership to review.
The notice of the proposed amendment/creation of Code/Ordinance shall be published in the Tribal Newsletter and the text will be posted for public comment for twenty-eight (28) days in the Administration Building, Tribal Hall, Outreach Offices, on the Tribes’ website and at Three Rivers Casino (Office of the Gaming Commission). Written comments should be sent to the Tribal Council in care of Jeannie McNeil, CTCLUSI, 1245 Fulton Avenue, Coos Bay OR 97420 or email: imcneil@ctclusi.org.

Did you camp in your backyard, go on a family trip, spend a day at the beach? Show us your summer 2022 adventure photo!

All youth (5 -18 years of age) who submit a photo to be featured in the October edition of the Voice of CLUSI Paper will receive a dry bag for more outdoor adventures!

Eligible students will receive a $35 gift card for either Amazon or Walmart
Kindergarten through Seniors in High School are able to apply

Please reach out to the Education Department
if your have questions or need assistance.

Eriq Acosta— Education Specialist— eacosta@ctclusi.org 541-888-1318

Hope you all have a great first week back at school and for those already started, we hope your year has started off great!

In response to the increasing risks posed by a number of natural hazards, Tribal Council – in agreement with Planning Staff recommendations – selected the consulting team WSP in Portland to lead the effort in creating an updated Hazard Mitigation Plan for CTCLUSI in late 2019.  This process included multiple workshops with Tribal Leadership and Staff, and a thorough analysis of the natural hazard threats the Tribe and its members face.  Additionally, the Hazard Mitigation Plan identifies goals and strategies to avoid and reduce negative outcomes from identified threats.

In mid-2022, the Hazard Mitigation Plan was submitted to CTCLUSI Staff and is currently available for public review and comment prior to finalization in August 2022.

Click Here to view the CTCLUSI Hazard Mitigation Plan

Click Here to submit comments

Click Here to  view the CTCLUSI Planning Department webpage

In response to the rapidly evolving economic environment, Tribal Council – in agreement with Planning Staff recommendations – selected the consulting team Blue Stone Strategy Group to lead the effort in creating an updated Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for CTCLUSI in 2021.  This process included multiple meetings with Leadership, Staff, and community members; as well as a comprehensive survey of member preferences.  These efforts culminated in the CEDS plan that provides a thorough analysis of the Tribe’s Strengths and Weaknesses, the identified Tribal economic goals and strategies; and the associated milestones to evaluate progress.

In mid-2022, the CEDS Plan was submitted to CTCLUSI Staff and is currently available for public review and comment prior to finalization in August 2022.

Click Here to view the CTCLUSI CEDS Plan

Click Here to submit comments

Click Here to view the CTCLUSI Planning Department webpage

Culture Camp 2022 is being held this year from August 8-12th at the Mapleton School in Mapleton, Oregon. Camp this year is in-person and is available to K-12th graders of CTCLUSI families and Administration Staff. Kindergarten and 1st graders are welcome to attend during the day, while 2nd -12th graders can stay and camp overnight. 

Transportation is available from 3 locations this year: Tribal Administration in Coos Bay, the Florence Outreach Office, and the Springfield Outreach Office. Daily Transportation for Kindergarten and 1st graders is limited and available upon request. 

Deadline to sign up for camp is July 31st. Upon sign up, you and your youth will receive an email confirmation and a list of suggested items to bring to camp. No later than one week before camp, you and your youth will receive a camp agenda via email.

For more information, please contact Jesse Beers @ 541-297-0748 or Ashley Russell @ 541 888-7511

News Release

Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians

Last week, the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians (“Tribe”) submitted comments to the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) expressing significant concern about proposed development of offshore wind energy off the Oregon Coast in areas designated by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management as the Coos Bay and Florence Call Areas.

“The tribe supports any green economic development project that follows the law and does not harm our environment or tribal cultural resources. Given this, the Tribal Council takes the decision to submit these comments seriously,” said Tribal Council Chair Brad Kneaper. “These comments follow the passage of a Tribal Council resolution earlier this month that calls upon the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to engage in meaningful government-to government consultation with the tribe and to take action to ensure that offshore wind energy development in any area of interest to the tribe avoids or mitigates impacts to tribal cultural resources to the satisfaction of the tribe.” 

In multiple communications with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the tribe raised a number of concerns to BOEM about wind energy development. These comments include a request that important, cultural viewsheds be excluded from the Call Areas, that wind development, including necessary infrastructure such as transmission lines, not impact areas designated as a Traditional Cultural Property (Q’alya ta Kukwis shichdii me)(located in Coos Bay comprised of the estuary features and adjacent shoreline resources), that development not occur in areas containing cultural features located on submerged landforms, and that wind development avoid areas critical to resident and migratory species, including important areas for fishing. 

The tribe has called the coast our home since Time Immemorial. The archaeological record of Oregon tribal nations spans more than 11,000 years. Our religious beliefs, traditional practices, fishing, first foods and relations are interconnected and influenced by all that is encompassed in the greater Ocean. This claim honors our obligations to uphold our sovereignty, perpetuate our unique cultural identity, and promote the intergenerational transference of knowledge. The tribe consistently advocates that any projects, on land or offshore, avoid impacts to sites of traditional and religious significance to the tribe, including the TCP features and other sites, such as viewsheds, resources, and submerged landforms that possess associations with the cultural practices, traditions, beliefs, lifeways, art, crafts, or social institutions of our living community.

“The federal government must engage with the tribe to address our concerns. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has stated that it worked closely with tribe. While there has been engagement with the tribe, this engagement has been a one-way conversation with BOEM providing information to the tribe. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has been nonresponsive to addressing our concerns or requests to date. For example, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management solicited for tribes to provide input on environmental studies, however, BOEM did not invite further conversations with the tribe when we provided study concepts, but we did learn recently that the Bureau met with the State of Oregon extensively to identify prior studies for funding,” said Chair Kneaper. 

“The tribe initially asks the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to exclude areas of significant cultural importance to the tribe in a January letter, but BOEM included these areas anyway without engaging in government-to-government consultation with the tribe,” said Chair Kneaper. “Our comments and resolution reiterate that expectation that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management uphold its trust obligation to protect tribal resources and exclude those areas. If BOEM does not, the tribe will need to look at all opportunities to ensure that wind energy development avoid impacts to resources that are important to the tribe.”

“The tribe remains open to working with the the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to resolve the issues raised in our comments,” said Chair Kneaper. 

*This CTCLUSI Press Release was also featured on Indian Country Today online at https://indiancountrytoday.com/the-press-pool/tribe-adopts-resolution-calling-for-bureau-of-ocean-energy-management-to-protect-cultural-resources