2015 has been an eventful year. The economy has been on an

Tribal code

Ask Donna

What actually matters in this document.

Text

Chairman’s Message

2015 has been an eventful year. The economy has been on an

upswing, the Tribe has benefited from new grants and increases

in funding from governmental entities. Our casino has prospered

and members have received additional benefits as a result.

We have been successful in getting much of our lands into

trust thanks to a willing administration, which has been difficult in

the past. We look forward to the coming year and getting all of

our purchased land into trust.

Highlights included the Tribal Council passing the equalitybased marriage and dissolution of marriage ordinances in May.

Tribal members now can receive marriage licenses from the Siletz

Tribal Court.

We’ve had tremendous participation in our cultural activities

such as Culture Camp, Run to the Rogue, pow-wows, individual

regalia making, basket weaving and the gathering of materials

and food.

We look to 2016 as being even more beneficial to the Tribe

and our membership.

Tribal Chairman Delores Pigsley

Table of Contents

On the cover, clockwise

from top: Maddy

Metcalf and Noah

Rodgers; William

(Buster) Lane; Jessie

Jackson; Mike Darcy;

and Tyee Rilatos

Tribal Court

Human Resources

Natural Resources

Housing

Public Safety

Planning

Programs 1

Programs 2

STCCF

Health

Admin

STBC

Chinook Winds

Tribal Council

The work of several

photographers appears

in this report, including

that of Illeana Blacketer,

Chinook Winds Casino

Resort staff, Cohen and

Park Portrait Studio,

Ann Goddard, Michelle

McKibben, Alicia

Keene, Kathy Kentta,

Kelly Miller, Diane

Rodriquez, Teresa

Simmons, Andrea Suitter

and Debbie Williams.

Tribal Court

Court Staff

One chief judge, one appellate judge,

one District Court judge, one Gaming Court

judge, Community Court judge (vacant),

one full-time court administrator and one

half-time deputy court administrator

cases to enrollment matters, and any other

case that may fall within the jurisdictional

boundaries of Siletz Tribal Court.

Tribal Court uses Laserfiche, a document imaging program, to store files.

Deputy Court Administrator Rebekah

Goulet has scanned past and current court

records into the Tribe’s Laserfiche storage,

saving cost and space.

The records are easily searched and

printed from the storage of Laserfiche files.

Records not on Laserfich are our juvenile

records, as we keep hard files indefinitely.

Development

 Training

Caseload

New

Average monthly new cases

Closed

Hearings, monthly average

(includes per capita caseload)

483

400

 Funding

The court is maintained with money

from the annual EPR funds and BIA funds.

Tribal Court continues to seek grant funding where we qualify as a developing court.

 Case Management

Tribal Court strives to meet the ongoing challenge of new categories of cases

and complexity of subject matter. In the

last 13 years, Tribal Court has seen an

increased caseload

from just over 100

cases in 2000 to a

caseload of more

than 500 cases in

2013. Since 2013,

the caseload is right

around 480-500.

The court staff

works in conjunction with the chief

judge to create new

or modify existing

forms relevant to

the ever-changing

case criteria.

Subject matter continues to be

increasingly complex with employment and personal

injury cases from

Chinook Winds,

other matters ranging from contract

Tribal Court promotes educational

enhancement for judicial and court staff

through attendance

and participation

in trainings and

workshops relative

to Tribal Court

issues. Tribal

Court participates

with neighboring

courts and

agencies to create

a good working

relationship.

The National

Judicial College in

Reno, Nev., is one

of our most valued

resources for

judicial training.

Spokespersons

are encouraged to

gain as much legal

education as they

can. As funding and

schedule allows,

Tribal Court sponsors continuing

legal education for

spokespersons.

 Public

Relations

Representing

litigants in Tribal

Court matters is a

pool of five active

Tribal spokespersons

(non-attorneys);

three independent

attorneys and two

attorneys with

Legal Aid Services

of Oregon.

Four peacemakers appointed by

Tribal Council make

up the peacemaker

pool. The first

qualification for

peacemaker court

is that all of the

parties in the dispute must agree to

peacemaker court.

Clockwise from top:

Arthur Betts, Terrell

Casey, LaVonna Butler,

Valentina Knott, Deenie

Rilatos and Marie

Chapman

Human Resources

Mission

Statement

It is the mission

of the Siletz Tribal

Human Resources

Department to

obtain, develop

and train the most

important resource

the Tribe has –

human resources.

This department

will provide service

to Tribal programs

and employment

applicants in an

efficient, respectful

and helpful manner. It will assist

employees with

skill development

to ensure quality

services to Tribal

members and personal growth of

Tribal employees.

Accomplishments,

Activities

One of the

department’s major

functions is to facilitate the hiring process. During 2015,

the Tribe hired 109

employees.

•

74 regular

35 temporary

In addition to the regular Human

Resources duties for the administration,

this department contracted out its services

(consulting, job description, Human

Resources Information System, recruitment,

background checks) to other Tribal entities,

including the Tenas Illahee Childcare Center

and Siletz Tribal Gaming Commission.

Recruitment Activities

The department recruited for the following positions:

New Positions

Seven new positions were created:

•

Intake Specialist/Job Coach

Referral Specialist

Natural Resources Crew Assistant Foreman

Forestry/Engineering Technician II

Early Learning Project Manager

Head Start Teacher II

Wildlife Technician

Job Descriptions

Twenty-six revised job descriptions

were approved:

•

Next Gen Implementation and Training

Specialist

Diabetes Program Coordinator

Dental Assistant I and II

Case Manager I

Self-Sufficiency Director

Home Visiting Coordinator

Vocational Rehabilitation Director

Director Internal Auditor

Internal Auditor

Clinical Applications Coordinator

Chief of Police

Administrative Assistant

H.R. Manager, Assistant and Clerk

Administrative Services Supervisor

Business Office Manager

Alcohol & Drug Program Director

Head Start Assistant Teacher/Bus Driver

Health Director

Aquatic Projects Biologist

Community Health Director

Dental Office Manager

Housing Finance Manager

Job Developer/Counselor

•

Enrollment Clerk

Case Manager I, II, III and IV

Outpatient Counselor

Medical Assistant, On-Call Medical

Assistant

Head Start Teacher, Teacher II,

Assistant Teacher/Bus Driver, Classroom Aide, Food Service Aide

Youth Services Coordinator

Intake Specialist/Job Coach

Community Health Services Tech II or

Trainee

Diabetes Program Coordinator

Referral Specialist

Job Developer/Counselor

Temporary Pharmacy Technician

Women’s Transitional Living Center

Coordinator, Resident Aide

Medical Lab Technician

Healthy Families Home Visitor

Exercise Facility Assistant

Administrative Assistant

Administrative/Quality Improvement

Coordinator/Administration

Medical Social Worker

Accounting Technician

Childcare Worker, Substitute Childcare

Worker

Patient Accounts Representative

CARE Program Advocate

Natural Resources Administrative

Assistant/Charitable Contributions

Assistant

Natural Resources Crew Foreman,

Assistant Foreman

Legal Administration Clerk

Tribal Services Specialist I or II

Optometry Assistant

Background Investigator

Patient Care Coordinator

Prevention Coordinator Trainee

Data Coordinator

Business Office Clerk

Community Health Advocate

Housing Manager

Force Account Carpenter

Service Learning Coordinator

Early Learning Project Manager

Tribal Custodian

•

Forestry/Engineering Technician II

Pharmacy Technician II

Home Visiting Coordinator

Aquatic Programs Technician

Health Director

Gaming Inspector

Community Health Director

Dental Officer Manager

•

Siletz Tribal Members

Other American Indians

Non-American Indians

150

Total Workforce

237

Employee Incentive Activities

The Human Resources Department

coordinates the Employee Incentive Awards

program. The following awards were presented at the 2015 all-staff meetings:

Labor Force

At the end of 2015, the Tribe’s labor

force was made up of:

•

Training Activities

Active shooter training, CPR/AED,

quarterly manager/supervisor meetings/

trainings to improve management skills

•

Extra Effort Award

Special Acts or Services

Time Off Award

Outstanding Performance

Employee Suggestion/Invention

Employee of the Quarter

Employee of the Year

Awards Banquet: Approximately 220

people attended the annual awards banquet at Chinook Winds.

Workers’

Compensation

Our workers’

compensation

insurance carrier

for 2015 was Tribal

First.

Employee

Assistance

Program

Our EAP provider for 2015 was

RBH. Confidential

services were available to Tribal

employees and

their immediate

families at no cost.

Services available

include:

•

Clockwise from

top: Sunshine Keck,

Employee of the Year;

Tia Butler; Maggie

McAfee, Jaylee McAfee,

Margo Hudson, Angella

Robertson and Tina

Retasket; Santa Claus

(Don Hamilton) and

Tayven Cole; and

Tehya Seltenreich

Life Balance

Resources:

Legal service,

will preparation,

mediation services, financial

services, home

ownership program, identity

theft services,

personal advantage, worksite

services

Counseling:

RBH eAccess,

24-hour crisis

help, confidential counseling

– up to seven

face-to-face

counseling sessions for each

new issue,

including family,

relationships,

stress, anxiety

and other common issues

Natural Resources

It is the mission

of the Siletz Tribal

Natural Resources

Department to care

for, protect, enhance

and provide for the

wise use of all of the

Tribe’s natural resources in a manner

that will ensure all

generations to come

will benefit from

these resources.

This philosophy

applies to all lands

to which the Tribe is

historically tied,

including its ancient,

aboriginal, ancestral lands, its Coast

Reservation and its

current and future

land holdings.

The department

is responsible for

the Tribal Forestry,

Aquatics, Wildlife,

Hunting & Fishing,

Environmental Protection and Realty

programs.

Funding comes

from a variety of

sources, including

BIA Self-Governance,

Tribal Forest Management Deductions, Environmental

Protection Agency

(EPA) General

Assistance Program

(GAP) and Clean

Water Act Sections

106 and 319 grants,

Administration for

Native Americans

(ANA) Environmental Regulatory Enhancement

(ERE) grant, and a

Bonneville Power

Administration (BPA)

Wildlife grant.

Additionally, the

department administers grants from

the EPA and other

entities covering

its participation in

the Portland Harbor Superfund site

monitoring

activities, along

with contracts with

a number of organizations to provide

aquatics monitoring services and

conduct precommercial thinning of

forest plantations.

The Forestry Program covers all

aspects of forest management on the

Tribe’s 15,000+ acres of timberlands, including timber sale planning (environmental

assessments, unit layout and design, road

layout and design, timber cruising, appraisals, contract development), timber sale

administration (contract administration and

compliance inspections), silviculture (prescription writing, site preparation, reforestation, animal damage protection, brush control, stocking surveys), forest development

(timber stand improvement, precommercial

and commercial thinning), forest protection (fire management, insect and disease

control), forest inventory and management

planning, and firewood permits.

Accomplishments in 2015 include:

•

Presales work on five timber sale areas

totaling 323 acres and 11.333 million

board feet

Planting 39,705 seedlings on 69 acres

Site preparation of 100 acres

Precommercial thinning of 225 acres

Completing 316 acres of stand exams

• Issuing 121 personal use

firewood permits

• Issuing 134 property access

permits

• Cutting, splitting and delivering 16½ cords of firewood

during three Elders woodcuts

Clockwise from top:

Alea Schriver; Lori

Brown; Lily Whitehead,

Jayda Ingersoll, Peytan

Oliphant, Jonathon

Ingersoll and Stan van

de Wetering; Ashten

Fisher and Zay Zay

Garcia; and Jane John

The Aquatics program was funded by

GAP, 106 and 319 grants from the EPA,

an ERE grant from ANA and a number of

contracts and funding agreements with

outside entities in addition to Tribal and

BIA hatchery funding.

2015 accomplishments include:

•

Collecting 80+ Siletz River cross sections and developing a flood and

gravel transport model in conjunction

with the Bureau of Reclamation to aid

in the selection of future main stem

habitat restoration sites

Continuing to collect, analysis and

model stream temperature, sediment,

flow and macroinvertebrate data from

locations throughout the Siletz River

system, including a number of its

tributaries, for use in a variety of future

projects, including stream TMDL (total

maximum daily load) modeling efforts

and habitat restoration activities

Continuing cooperative work in a

number of coastal estuaries and rivers

with various partners, including prerestoration monitoring work in the Tillamook estuary and the Siuslaw River

Continuing a three-year effort to

delineate the various salmonid and

steelhead genetic stocks within the

Siletz River system, funded by an ANA

ERE grant

Continuing to participate in criteria

development and selection of projects

to be funded by the BPA for Willamette basin wildlife mitigation

The Wildlife program is funded by a

BPA contract covering Tribal participation

in the Willamette Wildlife Mitigation Program (WWMP). In addition to participating in this project, the program provides

wildlife expertise and support to other

Tribal programs.

In 2015, accomplishments include:

•

Wildlife presence and habitat usage

surveys on Tribal timberlands

Bat presence and identification studies

on Tribal timberlands

Review and ranking of 2015 WWMP

projects

Development work on potential future

Tribal WWMP projects

The Hunting and Fishing program

handles all aspects of issuing and tracking

deer and elk hunting tags and licenses,

salmon fishing tags and shellfish gathering permits.

The program also covers processing

and distributing subsistence salmon to

Tribal members and processing confiscated game meat.

In 2015, accomplishments include:

•

Issuing 300 deer tags (32 filled)

Issuing 113 elk tags (10 filled)

Issuing 124 salmon tags (5 filled)

Issuing 96 shellfish gathering permits

Picking up, processing and distributing

11,320 pounds of subsistence Chinook

salmon

Distributing 1,014 summer run steelhead from the Oregon Department of

Fish & Wildlife’s Siletz River fish trap

Distributing 449 Chinook salmon from

the ODFW’s Salmon River hatchery

Providing surplus game meat to the

Tribe’s USDA program for distribution

to needy Tribal members

The Environmental Protection program is funded through an EPA GAP grant.

This grant’s primary focus is on water

quality monitoring in the Siletz River basin.

In addition to the continuation of these

activities, 2015 accomplishments included:

•

Participating in activities to monitor

assessment and cleanup of the Portland Harbor superfund site (funded

in 2015 by grants from the EPA and

various potentially responsible cleanup

parties) and the Astoria Marine construction cleanup site

Participating in the monitoring of settlement agreements covering re-licensing

of the Eugene Water and Electric Board’s

Carmen-Smith and Portland General

Electric’s Clackamas River and Willamette Falls hydroelectric facilities

Representing the Tribe at meetings concerning a variety of other environmental

issues, including serving on the EPA’s

Regional Tribal Operations Committee

The Realty program is responsible for

providing a broad range of real property

management and environmental planning,

review and compliance services to

Tribal departments,

in addition to facilitating the conversion of Tribal fee

land to trust and

reservation status.

2015 accomplishments include:

•

Initiating feeto-trust

applications for

four Tribal fee

properties

Preparing seven

environmental

clearance

reports for

Housing

Working with

the Oregon

Department of

Environmental Quality to

develop a work

plan for capping

a wood solid

waste landfill on

Tribal land

The Tribe

continued working with the Willamette, Siuslaw

and Rogue RiverSiskiyou National

Forests on a variety of cooperative

projects in 2015 in

accordance with

Memorandums

of Understanding

(MOUs) with these

forests.

The Tribe also

was actively

involved as a

natural resources

trustee for the New

Carissa Oil Spill

Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan.

Housing

Mission

Statement

With funds provided by the Native

American Housing

Assistance and SelfDetermination Act

and other resources,

the Confederated

Tribes of Siletz Indians will continue the

operation of a housing program whose

overall mission will

be to ensure that

low-income Siletz

Tribal members have

the opportunity

to obtain housing

that meets his/her

needs, is affordable

and provides a safe,

healthy living

environment.

A Year in Review

2015 was a

year of stability and

progress for the

Siletz Tribal Housing

Department (STHD).

The Formula

Negotiated Rulemaking Committee

(FNRC) met once

in 2015 to review

the recommendations of the data

source workgroup.

The workgroup

did not provide a

consensus position with respect to

data source for the

funding formula.

Clockwise from top:

Dreamcatcher; Tamina

Hutchinson; Ayden

Butler; Lexi Jackson

and Coral Poole; and

Hayle Strong

Organizational

The 2015 Annual Performance Report

was submitted to HUD on March 4 and

highlighted STHD’s accomplishments for

the 2015 program year.

The 2016 Indian Housing Plan (IHP)

was submitted Aug. 4 and was the fourth

IHP using the consolidated format.

STHD staff made significant progress

in tracking and reducing tenant account

receivables. Six Mutual Help Homeownership units conveyed title in 2015.

STHD submitted the updated Formula

Current Assisted Stock information and

current Tribal enrollment data to the IHBG

(Indian Housing Block Grant) formula center and participated in OLINK meetings.

Construction

STHD began the initial planning process for obtaining Low-Income Housing

Tax Credits. We developed the initial scope

of work that is primarily rehabilitation of

1,937 low-income rental units and community improvements. We will submit an

application to the State of Oregon in 2016.

Legislative

Reauthorization of the Native American Housing Assistance and SelfDetermination Act (NAHASDA) was one

of our legislative priorities and provided a

unique networking opportunity.

The House of Representatives passed

HR 360, a bill to amend and reauthorize

NAHASDA. We were very pleased with the

strong bi-partisan support in the House.

The bill was sent to the Senate, where

it remains. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY)

sponsored S710, a bill to amend and

reauthorize NAHASDA. The bill has not

cleared the full Senate but has cleared

Senate Banking Committee and the

Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

We continue to focus on increasing

appropriations for the IHBG program and

also advancing legislative revisions to

make the program more efficient.

Miscellaneous

Sami Jo Difuntorum, STHD executive

director, served as the chairwoman of the

National American Indian Housing Council

(NAIHC) during 2015.

The NAIHC board of directors conducted a strategic planning session in

New Mexico to develop a transition plan

that focuses on financial sustainability. The

NAIHC board consists of nine elected

officials from across the United States.

In addition, the

National Congress

of American Indians

invited me to continue as chair of its

Housing Subcommittee and co-chair

of the Economic,

Finance & Community Development Committee.

This is a customary

duty of the NAIHC

chairperson.

The primary

purpose is ensuring

a consistent message is presented

to Tribal leadership.

Public Safety

The Tribe had

no law enforcement

services in 2015.

This has been the

case since a lack

of revenue led to

terminating contracted services in

March 2014. Since

then the Siletz

community has

experienced a rapid

rise in crime and

drug abuse.

Siletz community residents – Tribal and

non-Tribal – began voicing their concerns

about this to both the Tribe and the City

of Siletz. In response, the Siletz City

Council formed a task force to look at

ways to address public safety concerns in

the community.

Members of the task force included

Siletz Mayor John Robinson, City councilwoman Patti Skauge, Siletz Valley Fire

Department (SVFD) Chief RC Mock, SVFD

volunteer Rick Russell, Tribal assistant

general manager Bonnie Petersen, Tribal

staff attorney Cat Tufts and legal assistant

Tracy Worman.

Task force meetings were open to the

public and generally held on a weekly

basis from April through December. As

ideas for addressing public safety developed into proposed actions, the task force

held two public meetings to get community input. One meeting was held at Siletz

City Hall and the other was held at the

Logsden Community Club.

Attendees examined proposals on

contracting with security companies for

neighborhood patrols or with city or

county police for law enforcement services. Meetings were well-attended and

ended with consensus that the task force

would work toward contracting law

enforcement services for the community.

The task force determined that the

sheriff’s office proposal was the most

responsive to the community’s needs.

After several meetings and much research,

the task force

settled on a twopronged approach

to pay for services.

First, the task

force would propose a ballot

measure for the

May 2016 primary

election to establish an enhanced

law enforcement

services district

that if passed

would pay for half

of the cost. The

other half of the

cost would come

from the Tribe.

Task force

members agreed to

pursue this strategy

in 2016.

Clockwise from top:

Daniel Regan, Alina

Mason, feather dancers

on the beach and

Darlene Carkhuff

Planning

In 2015, years

of planning and

preparation came

to fruition with

construction of the

Gwee-Shut Road

sidewalk project

in Siletz, creating

new sidewalks from

Silatchee Park to

elders housing.

Roadway shoulders were widened

on Logsden Road

as part of this

project to provide

safer pedestrian

access to the USDA

warehouse. Crosswalk warning lights

also were added as

part of this project. Waterlines, a

less-visible part of

the project, were

extended to the

USDA building.

Reconstruction of upper

Gwee-Shut Road

also was added,

which had not been

constructed for

the current traffic

load. We expect the

completed work on

upper Gwee-Shut

to extend the life

of the existing

road for another

20 years.

We would like

to extend a big

thank you to

Silatchee Park residents for putting

up with the construction work.

Transit projects continue to chug along

as the Tribe continues to receive transit

grants from the State of Oregon and the

Federal Transit Administration. You now

can connect through Lincoln County Transit

north to Tillamook and east to Salem (as far

as Amtrak). Meetings are ongoing develop

transit connections south to Florence.

The data coordinator provides support

to the Enrollment Department and helps

the grant writer and Tribal departments

develop grants, including the collection

and evaluation of data. The data coordinator also maintains databases, manages

surveys, and supports strategic planning

and evaluation for all Tribal departments.

The 10-year comprehensive plan

update continued to the draft final stage,

which the data coordinator is coordinating

and reviewing.

The part-time emergency planner

continues to work with state and federal

agencies as the Tribe’s liaison on emergency planning and response – including

FEMA and tsunami response, and

pandemic flu response planning. This

ensures the Tribe’s compliance with

federal safety mandates.

The emergency planner frequently can

be found distributing information at Tribal

events. It is more important than ever to

be prepared.

Do you have a three-day emergency

plan? Do you have a safety plan for your

family in the event of a disaster? FEMA

can help you prepare! Information can be

found at ready.gov/kit.

The GIS/planner continues to provide

support for the entire Tribal administrative structure, including Planning, Natural

Resources, Housing and Public Works via

collecting and maintaining data sets and

creating maps.

In 2015, in addition to maintaining

3,712 data sets (all the digital and spatial

background data that goes into making

the Tribe’s maps), the GIS/planner was

busy with many projects, for example,

working with the Census Bureau to update

our census tract information, taking traffic

counts and mapping Tribal utilities.

The Gwee-Shut Road construction

project kept the construction engineer

busy. The construction engineer continued to refine designs for the Neachesna

subdivision, Phase II; he began developing

a sidewalk plan and a water system plan.

The new solar panels continued to help

reduce energy costs at the Tillicum Fitness

Center and the Siletz Recreation Center

(gym.) The panels generated about 100

kilowatts of power and saved just under

200,000 pounds of CO2. The value of the

energy savings was approximately $7,000.

The construction engineer was elected

secretary of the Oregon Coast Economic

Development Alliance Board and continued to participate in the Pacific Marine

Energy Center Siting Team, in addition to

appointment to the Firebare Community

Radio board (KYAQ public radio).

The planning tech implements the

Road Maintenance Program and works

closely with the construction engineer on

various transportation and other projects,

such as maintaining street signs, repainting street markings and monitoring the

solar street lights.

The transit coordinator works with the

Tribal Transportation Advisory Committee

to comply with the requirements of the

state’s Special Transportation Fund program and other transit regulations. Rider

and mileage data must be collected regularly and tabulated for grant reporting.

Transit vehicle preventive maintenance

is current and transporter training is provided to all vehicle drivers. Status

updates are provided to the committee.

All of these activities improve safe access

to rides for Tribal members.

For more information, see the Tribal

Transit webpage for links to up-to-date

transit information. Contact Planning to let

us know if you have any needs, issues or

concerns about your access to transit.

The Tribal grant writer works with all

Tribal departments, including Tribal support for the STAHS museum development

plan, with the clinic on Healthy Beginnings

and with Education on Early Learning.

The grant writer also assists with grant

reporting and evaluations and forwards

information to departments on grant

opportunities that could help support and

expand their programs.

The Tribal planner manages Planning

Department operations and staffing. The

Tribal planner is the point person on transportation planning, including acting as a

council-appointed representative to regional

and state transportation planning meetings.

The planner keeps the Indian Reservation Road (now Tribal Transportation Plan)

inventory current and funded. The Tribe’s

transportation program has transitioned to

“programmatic agreements” with BIA Roads,

essentially a self-governance program.

New projects are developed as Tribal

Transportation Improvement Projectidentified tasks. Tribal member feedback

on transportation at Planning’s community

meetings in January is critical to meeting

our federally required public input for the

road and transit programs.

In 2015, the planner attended local,

state and federal policy bodies as

assigned, from transportation to land use

to economic development.

The Planning

clerk is a key position and has a

demanding multifaceted job. The

clerk handles

requests from

all Planning staff

members, manages

the department’s

multiple cuff

accounts and processes the department’s accounts,

including construction work, complex

grants and regular

reports on department processes.

The Planning

Department continues to host Tribal

TYEE youth and

elder WEX employees, and is grateful

for both the help

and the opportunity to provide work

experience to Tribal

members.

Clockwise from top:

Emery Williams;

Delores Case; Ian

Greer; Gabriella Alonso

Chavez; Little Miss

Siletz Halli Lane-Skauge

and Junior Miss Siletz

Felisha Howell; and

Brian Billie

Programs 1

The Programs 1

Department

includes seven

social service

programs – Elders,

U.S. Department of

Agriculture (food

distribution), 477

Self-Sufficiency,

Indian Child Welfare, Vocational

Rehabilitation,

Tribal Home Visiting and Tribal Early

Learning Initiative.

Top to bottom: Laverne

Butler; Elders Council

officers Ilene Somes,

Kay Steele, Cookee

Fernandez and Elena

Cordts; and 477-SSP

staff with their national

award for outstanding

performance in

employment and

training services

The Elders

Program is partially

funded by federal

grants as well as

gaming revenue.

Through a Title

VI Nutrition and

Support Services

grant, the Elders VI

coordinator helps

elders access the

Meals on Wheels

program in the

Siletz area. This past

year, 1,767 meals

were delivered and

1,732 meals were

served at the meal

site at the Siletz

Tribal Community

Center, a total of

3,499 meals that

were provided

to help meet the

nutritional needs of

elders in the Siletz

community.

The Title VI

elders coordinator and the elders

receptionist had

17,350 contacts

and referrals

through outreach,

telephone calls,

home visits, case

management, information for elders

and referrals, and

new and updated

elders assessments.

The Title VI

coordinator also

administers the

Elders WEX Program, which allowed

15 elders to return

to work in their

field of interest.

Areas of

employment

included the Ripley County Senior

Center, Scappoose

Indian Education

Program, Elders

on-call transporters, Siletz Head Start

classroom, Siletz

Planning Department, Siletz Mealson-Wheels site,

Siletz Tribal Housing

Department and

other work sites

within the Tribal

organization and

local community.

The Elders

Program continues

to partner with

the Tribal Natural

Resources Department to provide

firewood for elders

through wood cutting events. Volunteers deliver wood

to needy elders who

cannot transport the

wood themselves.

Advertising for

these events goes in

the Tribal newspaper and the elders

newsletter. The

elders newsletter is

distributed monthly

to all Tribal elders.

During the year,

the elders were

involved in 115

group events and

activities. Those

events included

council meetings,

Elder Honor Days

with other Tribes,

Run to the Rogue,

Nesika Illahee PowWow and various

concerts and events

at Chinook Winds

Casino Resort.

The council covered fuel and mileage

costs for drivers to transport elders from

the four areas to approved Elders Council

activities, which totaled 6,747 one-way

transports this year.

The elders attended monthly meetings, Elders Council and group activities,

monthly shopping trips, quarterly transporter and elders representative meetings

as well as Superstar luncheons at Chinook

Winds. Elder trips are voted on at the

monthly meetings.

At the end of 2015, there were 765

Tribal elders. Each one receives a monthly

stipend ranging from $100 to $300,

depending on their age.

Elders Program staff is responsible for

shopping, cooking and helping to organize Tribal member funerals/potlucks at

the Tribal Community Center. The Tribe has

budgeted $200 per funeral/potluck.

For the USDA Program, 2015 seemed

to be a year of “hurry up and wait.”

When we finally had a signed budget

from Washington, D.C., we waited for

approval of the Tribe’s new indirect rate so

we could adjust our budget accordingly.

Our budget year ends Sept. 30 and just

three weeks before then, our indirect proposal was approved. This caused us to have

to return unused funds. We had projects on

hold that we could have used the funds on,

but with the lengthy procurement process,

the deadline could not be met.

We are now moving forward with the

Salem site, combo box expansion. This will

create more cooler/freezer storage for the

frozen pork chops that have been added

to the food box and frozen ground bison.

We also will be able to order more fresh

fruits. As it is now, we usually run out of fresh

produce on the second day of distribution.

We also discovered, after running

through 2,000 gallons of propane in a

month, there was a leak in the propane

lines from the tank to where it comes into

the building. Everything has been dug up

and replaced with the correct materials, so

we should not have any problems with it

for a very long time.

We have received our first shipment

of ground bison, but until the national

warehouse has a good supply, we can only

offer a limited amount of the product.

We also have added the frozen pork loin

chops. They have been a big hit with all of

our clients.

Our No. 1 goal for 2015 was serving

clients by continuing to make deliveries

within our 15-county service area to those

who are disabled, elderly or who have no

transportation. We continue to make this

our No. 1 priority.

Our No. 2 goal was to continue to

order a variety of fresh produce for clients.

The food package review team has added

fresh lemons and fresh cranberries to the

approved list of produce.

Our No. 3 goal was to expand the

walk-through cooler/freezer at the Salem

warehouse. This project is finally getting

off the ground and should be completed

in the first quarter of 2016.

Goal No. 4 was create a Facebook

page for this program. I am still working

on this.

Under Public Law 102-477, the Tribe’s

477 Self-Sufficiency Program (477-SSP)

coordinates funding from several federal

agencies – Department of Labor, Health

and Human Services, the Bureau of Indian

Affairs and the State of Oregon. The programs are coordinated into a single plan

and budget that reduces administrative

costs and duplication of services.

477-SSP helps American Indian/Alaska

Native/Hawaiian participants overcome

barriers to employment by offering

employment and training services and

wellness activities. These include supportive

services such as child care, transportation,

skills testing, subsidized work experience

and on-the -job training positions with

Tribal and non-Tribal employers.

Other services include cash grants to

individuals through the General Assistance

Program and to participants with children

through the Temporary Assistance for

Needy Families Program.

The programs coordinate familyoriented activities and referrals to other

agencies and service providers. Selfsufficiency activities are unique in that

they include subsistence activities, wood

cutting, gathering of berries and basketmaking materials, regalia making, assisting

elders in the community, gardening and

cultural activities.

The 477-SSP director ended the year

administering this program and supervising

one administrative and monitoring specialist, seven Tribal services specialists (TSS)

and two intake specialists/job coaches. Two

staff are located in each area office and five

are located in the Siletz office.

TSS staff works with clients to develop

individualized case plans intended to help

clients reach their goals of independence

and self-sufficiency. In 2015, there were

475 family grants, 804 single adult grants,

41 non-needy caretaker relative grants,

30 families and individuals received emergency assistance and 36 individuals

received direct placement services.

The program also provided more than

633 separate instances of support services.

These numbers reflect a decrease in families and individuals needing assistance,

which can be directly correlated to the

improving economy in the Tribe’s

11-county service area and the country

as a whole.

The program received 717 applications

for services. Throughout the year, there

were 280 new cases and 371 approved

applications, the program provided 1,873

referrals and staff completed 3,734

appointments with clients.

Successes for the year include 72

clients who entered unsubsidized employment, 257 clients who successfully closed

their cases, 27 clients who successfully

completed a WEX contract and 132 clients

who completed a significant goal and

received incentive awards.

The objectives of the Indian Child Welfare Program (ICW) are to (1) promote the

safety and stability of Tribal children and

families; (2) establish Tribally supported

permanency options for children in the

child welfare system; and (3) enhance collaborations with outside agencies.

Funding for ICW staff and services

comes from seven state and federal grants.

The ICW Program administrator position

is the lead staff person with administrative

and supervisory responsibilities as well as

managing a portion of the ICW caseload.

The ICW case manager is primarily

responsible for case management of the

remaining child welfare cases; which at the

end of 2015 was 66 children.

The ICW foster family coordinator

recruits, certifies and provides training

to Tribal foster home parents, supervises

visits with children and families, conducts

home visits and responds to the needs of

children in care. This position is essential

to assisting with reports, paperwork and

phone contacts for the department.

In 2015, the ICW Program closed 28

children’s cases: 18 children were returned

to parents, nine entered guardianships

and one child turned 18 and aged out of

the system. At the end of 2015, we had 21

ICW-certified foster homes.

Word of mouth, articles in the Tribal

newspaper and information sessions help

bring in new foster families, but the need

for homes remains critical.

The primary case plan for all ICWinvolved children is to return them to a

parent/parents or relatives. Guardianship

with relatives is typically the concurrent

goal in the event that circumstances make

it impossible for the children to return to

their parents.

The State of Oregon, Department of

Human Services continues to implement

Differential Response across the state. ICW

participates in these activities, with two

counties in the Siletz Tribal service area

having initiated this new system.

The Siletz Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Program (STVRP) served 54 Tribal mem-

bers in various capacities and completed 85

percent of its grant goals and objectives.

STVRP provides individualized guidance and counseling to Tribal members

with disabilities in obtaining or maintaining work. Services provided include

systems advocacy, referral to services,

assistive technology, adaptive equipment,

job coaching, transportation, communication, mental health restoration, cultural

services, training placement opportunities

and rehabilitation services needed to be

successful in an employment goal.

STVRP is a discretionary grant that the

Tribe competes for every five years. 2015

was the last year of our five-year grant.

Competition is rigorous and resulted in

three Tribes not receiving their grants.

In October, the Office of Special Education Rehabilitation Services awarded our

STVRP with another five-year grant.

We look forward to meeting

and exceeding the

new grant requirements, which

include promoting

awareness, outreach, job development/employment,

accessing youth

with disabilities and

transition services.

The Home

Visiting Program

provides services to

children under the

age of 12 months,

up until their 3rd

birthday, along with

their families.

Program staff

delivers developmentally appropriate education

modules from the

Family Spirit Curriculum to families

during home visits

(weekly, bi-weekly,

monthly, or bimonthly, depending on the child’s

age). In 2015,

361 home visits

occurred for 23

families. Program

staff also acts as a

support system to

families and provides referrals to

external services as

identified.

Another successful component of the Home

Visiting Program

was added in 2015

– Family Activity

Nights. In the past

year, Emergency

Preparedness

Nights were conducted, with quarterly Family Activity

Nights planned for

the upcoming year.

The Home

Visiting Program

continues to experience a satisfactory

relationship with

the federal funder,

having overcome

challenges from the

previous year. 2015

marked a year of

successful completion with the following documents

being revised and

approved for use

by the funder: The

Implementation

Plan, the Benchmark Plan and the

Evaluation Plan.

Policies and pro-

cedures are in the

process of being

revised for final

approval.

The Home

Visiting Program

is research-based

and data-intensive.

As such, it was

intimately involved

in developing the

EagleSun database home visiting

module to collect data on our

program-specific

benchmarks. After

developing, testing and completing

the training on the

database, the staff

began entering all

historical data into

the system and now

enters information

into EagleSun on a

daily basis.

Program staff

participates in

weekly reflective

consultation services provided by a

third party contractor, Mara Brenner.

The Home Visiting

Advisory Committee

continues to meet

to guide program

implementation.

We applied for

and received the

Tribal Early Learning Initiative to

the Home Visiting

Program. This grant

will help provide a

collaborative service

between the Head

Start, Home Visiting

and Child Care

Assistance programs at the Tribe.

The Programs I manager

is responsible for

oversight of these

seven social service

programs, which

includes direct

supervision of six

supervisors and

one program clerk.

The manager is a

backup for directors in the seven

programs when

needed and is

responsible for

meetings and communication and

coordination of the

programs and staff.

The Programs

I clerk is responsible for office

administration and

is trained to be a

backup for clerical

staff in the other

seven programs as

needed.

Top to bottom: Debra

Jubinal-Brown; Maria

Westervelt and Shirley

Walker; and Maori

weavers from New

Zealand

Programs 2

In 2015, Programs II provided

the following

services: Child Care,

Head Start, Culture,

Education, Traditional Arts and Language, Pow-Wow

and Youth Services.

Of the eight

Tribal Standing

Committees, three

are within Programs

2: Culture, Education and Pow-Wow.

The Culture

Committee’s staff

representative is

Robert Kentta, with

Bev Youngman

for Education and

Buddy Lane for

Pow-Wow.

In 2015, Programs 2 staff continued

excellent team development, collaboration

and coordination on numerous projects

including:

•

Easter Egg Hunt on the day before

Easter Sunday

Student Gathering to honor adult vocational and higher education students

Memorial Day dinner following a ceremony at the Veterans Memorial

Summer Solstice in June to celebrate

the change of season

Culture Camp to teach Tribal history

and traditional arts; a three-day event

for families in mid-July

The Nesika Illahee Pow-Wow, a threeday event in August

Run to Rogue, a three-day relay run

from Siletz to the ancestral Rogue River

area in memory of our ancestors’ forced

journey to the reservation in Siletz. This

is the longest relay run in Oregon.

Restoration Pow-Wow in November to

celebrate the restored recognition of

the Tribe by the federal government

Student Incentives, an award for graduating students in all levels of education

Tribal Youth Education and Employment (TYEE) Program, providing summer jobs and learning experiences

Winter Solstice in December to celebrate the change of season

Culture classes scheduled throughout

the year

Child Care

The objectives of this program are

to assist Tribal families in the 11-county

service area with securing child care services and with child care expenses, and

to provide training and development of a

provider referral list.

This year, the program served 39 families and 50 children throughout the service

area. The average number of hours per

month that child care was provided per

child is 160.

For the year, the following were served:

4 Siletz-area children, 2 Eugene-area children, 1 Salem area child, 2 Portland-area

children and 30 at the Tenas Illahee Child

Care Center.

Cultural Resources

Culture Director Robert Kentta represents the Tribe on cultural issues and participates in various work activities, as well

as state, regional and federal meetings.

He reviews archaeological permits and

coordinates with other Tribal, state and

federal entities to ensure protection whenever possible. Our ancestral lands cover a

large area and we are responsible for any

investigation of ground disturbance, legal

or illegal.

Robert responds whenever a Tribal

burial has been disturbed and does reburials of skeletal remains or cultural items

found in burials.

Robert also gives presentations to

various local, state and regional entities

as well as archaeological field schools. In

addition, he serves on various regional

committees and has worked on the Siletz

Historical Research Project for a number

of years.

Robert has expanded Tribal cultural

and historical/archival collections. He is

now working on Phase II of the culture

complex, which is the museum.

Number of Students Served Through

Education

Program

Total

Adult Education

110

Child Care

Head Start

112

Higher Education

135

Adult Vocational Training

Tribal Youth Education and

Employment (TYEE)

Education

An education specialist is located in

each area office to provide services and

resources for supplemental education,

adult education,

adult vocational

training and higher

education. The

specialists also

assist students in

the FAFSA process

and work with universities/colleges.

Head Start

We have a very strong Head Start program that prepares 3- and 4-year-olds to

enter kindergarten.

An average of 109 children were

enrolled in four programs located in Siletz,

Salem, Lincoln City and Portland. Average enrollment for 2015 was 74 percent

American Indian children – 73 percent

were Siletz Tribal children and 27 percent

other Native. Of the children enrolled, 12

percent met the criteria for special needs.

All centers

provided round-trip

transportation services with a Head

Start bus. Teachers

and staff provide

developmentally

appropriate curriculum for the all

Head Start children.

The children

receive health

screenings, dental

exams, immunization assessments

and proper hygiene

instruction. The

children participate

in activities in a

culturally enriched

environment.

The Policy

Council of Head

Start parents also

receives training

and meets on a

monthly basis. Staff

and parents also

sponsor fundraising

activities.

They work at

the Youth Conference, Culture

Camp, Run to the

Rogue and both

Tribal pow-wows.

Johnson

O’Malley (JOM)

activities are

included in supplemental education,

such as tutoring,

school supplies and

numerous educational, recreational

and cultural

activities, as well

as working with

local schools.

Seven students

attended the Unity

Conference this year

in Washington, D.C.

Top to bottom: Ember J.

Hudson; Teila JuradoSalas and Gabriel

Jurado; and Lincoln

City Head Start at the

post office

Language and Traditional Arts

Bud Lane teaches Athabaskan language

classes in each area office once a month.

He also has developed language CDs and

DVDs for home study for Tribal members.

The Athabaskan Language Dictionary

is available for Tribal Members on CD disc,

a hard copy and on the Tribal website.

Other components of the language also

are available on the website. Tribal members can access Siletz Dee-ni, Volumes 1,

2 and 3. More components will be added

periodically.

The Language program has produced

material for our Head Start program. Language classes are taught at Siletz Valley

Schools through the 12th grade.

Bud teaches Siletz basket making on an

ongoing basis as well as at Culture Camp. In

the area offices, interested Tribal members

receive instruction prior to language class.

The gathering of materials also is

taught and the Tribe continues to work

to secure accessible areas for gathering forest products for traditional uses.

Bud also teaches Tribal members how to

make regalia when they request assistance

through set appointments.

Several times a year students, teachers

and administrators are taught Siletz culture

at the Dance House, including the Feather

Dance. Our philosophy is to increase the

cultural knowledge of community members. Other schools come to the Dance

House as well.

Other work includes hosting evening

cultural classes in basketry, rope and string

making, feather tying, making acorn soup,

a project night so Tribal members can finish regalia as well as participate in several

Literacy Nights throughout the year with

Education and other Programs II staff.

Bud also gives culture presentations

for Tribal programs and outside groups

throughout the year. He coordinates all

Dance House events, including hosting

school class visits and representatives from

state and federal agencies. Feather Dances

are held for various events.

Bud participated in planning meetings

for Culture Camp and taught open work

basketry during the camp and daily language classes. He meets monthly with the

Oregon Department of Education and language staff from the other Oregon Tribes.

Cultural Education and Events

All four large Tribal events were a great

success under the direction of Buddy Lane.

This includes Culture Camp, Nesika

Illahee Pow-Wow, Run to the Rogue and

the Restoration Pow-Wow.

All events require coordination with

the city, county and state governments;

Oregon State Parks and Recreation (OSPR);

and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).

Culture Camp attendance was high

again this year, with 630-660 Tribal members attending. This is the fourth consecutive year with more than 600 attendees.

Tribal staff teach participants by having workshops, in the kitchen and where

needed. The staff has a wealth of talent.

Buddy regularly works with the PowWow Committee and Royalty, planning

and assessing objectives and responsibilities. Other events on the schedule are the

Loyalty Days parade, Elders Honor Day,

Memorial Day, solstices, Culture Camp,

pow-wow, Run to the Rogue, Restoration

and the Siletz Valley School Mini Pow-Wow.

Approximately 310-345 people participated in Run to the Rogue with no injuries

or accidents. Coordination includes working with the drivers, runners, cooks, local

police, USFS, City of Port Orford, OSPR

and other agencies to ensure the success

of this event.

Cougar Lane Lodge was under new

management, so that relationship was cultivated with the hopes that our Run to the

Rogue will be able to continue to use its

area and services for the end of our event.

Restoration was a great success with

45 vendors, numerous dancers and several

drums. The Pow-Wow Committee almost

sold out of all merchandise. Once Restoration is over, planning and preparation

begin for the next year’s large events.

In coordination with Education staff

in the area offices, 73 Tribal members

received an individual cultural grant.

Youth Services

We now have

a youth coordinator, Jeff Sweet. He

was able to hit the

ground running

and has coordinated many activities

for young children

and youth.

Activities

include rec and

field games,

Toledo and Lincoln

City swims, rec

center movie days,

Thanksgiving crafts,

a pumpkin distribution for Halloween

and a dance, Tech

Wizard, Portland

Winterhawks

game, healthy food

preparation with

Health Traditions

staff, school supply distribution and

supervising TYEE

for Culture Camp.

STCCF

The Siletz Tribal

Charitable Contribution Fund was

established in 1999

to distribute net

revenue to charitable organizations or

local governments

in the Siletz Tribe’s

11-county service

area and to Native

American organizations anywhere in

the United States.

Categories for

funding include

education, health,

public safety,

gambling addiction, prevention,

drug and alcohol

treatment, housing,

the arts, environment and natural

resource preservation, cultural

activities, historic

preservation and

other charitable

purposes.

Awards are distributed four times

per year at public

receptions at the

Siletz Tribe’s Chinook Winds Casino

Resort in Lincoln

City, Ore.

The 2015

Advisory Board

was composed of

Cheryl Lane,

Rebekah Goulet,

and Kurt Arden,

Siletz Tribal members; Karen Gerttula, Mike Holden

and Dick Anderson,

non-Tribal community members; and

Sharon Edenfield,

Siletz Tribal Council

representative.

During the year,

we received a total

of 325 applications.

The Advisory Board

recommended and

Tribal Council

approved grants

totaling $683,539.74

to 158 organizations, charities,

schools and local

governments. Fortynine percent of

applicants

received funding.

2015 Distribution Totals by Categories

Arts $6,966

Public Safety $39,942

A&D, Prevention,

Addiction $42,623

Health, Housing, Other

$168,347

Cultural, Historic

Preservation $32,550

Education $393,112

Clockwise from

top: Crystal BakerMartin, Ayla Ben,

representatives of

various gleaner groups

accepting STCCF

grants and Misti

Warren

Health

2015 was

another year of

change and significant effort within

the Health Department. An exceptional amount of

time was invested

in two particular

accomplishments:

•

Achieved

accreditation

from the

Accreditation

Association for

Ambulatory

Health Care –

this certificate

of accreditation is a sign

that our health

care organization meets or

exceeds nationally recognized

standards

Implementation

of the NextGen

EHR system – a

digital version

of our patients’

paper chart.

EHRs are realtime, patientcentered

records that

make information available

instantly and

securely to

authorized

users.

This year also saw the retirement of

our long-time health director, Judy

Muschamp, as well as the transition of

personnel both into and out of the clinic.

The Siletz Community Health Clinic

again used several locum tenens in 2015.

We understand that continuity of care is

impacted and patients dislike new providers, but as recruitment efforts continue

they provide a valuable service.

Basic clinic metrics include:

•

Kept appointments for 2015 included

7,993 in medical clinic, 1,042 in Behavioral Health and 1,064 in optometry.

The Dental Clinic provided 3,637

dentist/dental hygienist visits and 168

Head Start screenings. Sixty-eight

patients were screened for funded

orthodontic services and 30 were chosen. One hundred sixty-eight patients

participated in the 2015 Sealant Clinic,

which provided complimentary screenings, sealants and fluoride treatment

to local school children.

The pharmacy dispensed 33,777 new

and refill prescriptions.

The Health Department administers

several grants in addition to our recurring

Indian Health Service compact funds:

•

The CARE program provides culturally

specific services to victims of domestic

and sexual violence in terms of advocacy, crisis intervention, prevention,

outreach and education. CARE collaborates intensely with community

partners across the 11-county service

area to address the underserved

population of American Indians and

Alaskan Natives and provide a variety

of direct services along with speaking

out to raise awareness about the

dynamics of domestic and sexual

assault for Indian women.

Tobacco Prevention and Education

continues to provide information to

youth about the long-term health

effects of tobacco use and facilitates

access to cessation tools.

Substance Abuse Prevention helps

youth acquire the life skills necessary

to avoid substance use and abuse.

Behavioral Health Programs: Alcohol

& Drug and Substance Abuse Prevention assist the community coalition

CEDARR (Community Efforts Demonstrating the Ability to Rebuild and

Restore) in developing communitywide strategies to improve community

health, especially with substance abuse

problems.

Youth mental health provides one-onone, group and family mental health

counseling and coping activities.

The Diabetes Program organizes a wellattended exercise challenge, operates

the Tillicum Fitness Center in Siletz,

pays for gym memberships outside

of the Siletz area and offers monthly

educational Talking Circles, individual/

family counseling and education.

Tillicum Fitness Center staff also conducts summer sports camps for youth.

Healthy Traditions grant through

the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention ended in 2014. The Tribal

Council, however, has approved the

use of clinic revenue to fund ongoing

HT activities.

Community health advocates serve

Portland, Salem, Eugene and Siletz. They

provide support services through home

visits, office visits and community events,

working on a variety of health and wellness topics including diabetes, medical

transports, proper car seat installation and

much more. Services are individualized to

meet the needs of Tribal members.

The Community Health Department

arranged 440 medical transports.

The Business Office transitioned from

the PAMS account management system to

NextGen in March. The setup and transition into the new billing and EHR software

system was a very intensive process. Our

NextGen specialist has played a key role in

capturing all charges and setting up our

Medicaid Encounter Rate library.

The Business

Office processes

payments for

three billing systems – ScriptPro

(pharmacy), Dentrix

(dental) and NextGen (medical, lab,

Behavioral Health,

optometry and

transportation).

Health E Practice

Solutions continued to provide

billing and posting

services for the

Siletz Clinic.

Contract Health Services (CHS) continues to provide level III care throughout the

year, thanks to the expansion of Medicaid,

the Affordable Care Act and Medicare-like

rates for hospitals and physician services.

More than 700 patients now have Oregon

Health Plan coverage, which allows CHS to

increase its level of care.

CHS staff administers two additional

programs, Out-of-Area Health Benefits and

Alternative Health Care.

Tribal members who live outside the

11-county service area are eligible for one

service per year for either vision, medical,

dental or hearing. Alternative Health Care

pays up to $50 per visit for acupuncture,

massage therapy or chiropractic care while

funds are available.

Top to bottom: Patti

McKinney; Woody

Muschamp, Judy

Muschamp and Delores

Pigsley; and visitors

from Papua New

Guinea, clinic and

administrative staff, and

Tribal Council members

Administration

Sharon A.

Edenfield, administrative manager,

oversees Accounting, Fringe Benefits, Information

Systems, Public

Works, Facilities &

Fleet, Property &

Procurement and

Administrative

Support Staff.

She also serves

as BIA selfgovernance

coordinator, plan

administrator and

trust officer. Additionally, she serves

as a member to the

Audit and Investment committees

and staff representative to the Budget

Committee.

The Accounting Department continued to function smoothly throughout

2015. The firm Egghart & Associates, out

of Reno, performed the 2014 audit, completing its ninth year with the Tribe. There

were no findings against the Tribe or Siletz

Tribal Business Corporation.

The Information Systems Department

provided services to all Tribal programs

and employees. Highlights of a few

accomplishments include:

•

Virtualize server environment – Have

virtualized majority of the servers in

the Admin server room. This will help

staff with updating machines and has

reduced from 20 servers to eight.

Unity upgrade – The voice messaging

server was upgraded to the most current version.

Email system upgrade – Upgraded

the Exchange mail system to a cloudbased mail system called Office 365.

This system uses software and equipment that is on the cloud.

Infrastructure changes – Upgraded 45

workstations, added 15 new printers

and upgraded new switch after failure.

Replaced the Patient Management

and Electronic Health Record system

with NextGen.

Continued training – All staff continue

to learn new technologies as things in

the IT world change.

Clockwise from top:

Travis Dedmore; Bella

Gomez and Jaretzi

Alonso; Alfred Lane Jr.;

and Boston Stringer

The Public Works Department provided daily services and assistance to Tribal

programs and members. Listed below are

a few accomplishments:

•

Provided assistance with 12 funerals

Maintained and mowed 40 acres of

grass per week from March-October

for a total of 1,280 acres mowed

Completed all required testing of

water systems for EPA. All generators,

building fire sprinklers, fire alarms,

elevator and HVAC systems received

maintenance and service. Flow-tested

all existing fire hydrants.

Installed 400 feet of 10-inch water line

to clinic. Re-piped existing fire hydrant

to meet coe, added fire hydrant at

Gwee-Shut and Ropes Course Road.

•

Painted Annex building (old USDA),

which included power washing, caulking, minor repairs, taping, etc.

Performed 1,115 chlorine tests.

Purchased new tractor and generator.

The Facilities & Fleet Department

maintained 41 GSA vehicles and 30 E Plate

vehicles. The Tribal Community Center was

utilized for 205 events, which included

Tribal program activities, Meals on Wheels,

family events, funerals and fundraising

functions.

The Property & Procurement Department processed 10,411 requests from

stock inventory and purchase orders for a

total savings of $82,204.83.

The Administrative Support staff

provided daily clerical assistance to

Central Administration managers and

other Tribal programs. Staff also

coordinates the

annual Community

Christmas Program.

Staff continues

with the distribution of The People

are Dancing Again

history book to

Tribal members.

To date 1,672 have

been distributed to

the membership.

Administrative Support staff

also distributed 20

laptops to higher

education/adult

vocational training

students.

Clockwise from top:

Rope; Rowan Greer;

Spc. Michael Martin

and Spc. Eleeziaa

Howard; Miss

Chemawa SuSun Fisher;

and Jesse Boe

Siletz Tribal Business Corporation

STBC continued

to focus on streamlining operations,

increasing enterprise and property

revenue and profitability, and performing long-term

maintenance planning while containing costs in 2015.

STBC also oversaw

the redevelopment

of Imprints Print

Shop into Siletz

Tribal Prints & Gifts.

Financials

Overall, STBC’s

bottom line was

down slightly in

2015 compared

to 2014 primarily

due to a number

of capital projects

increasing overall administration

expenses, but its

annual bottom line

remained significantly improved

overall historically.

Personnel

The STBC Board of Directors revised

and renamed the STBC economic development director job description to chief

executive officer (CEO) to better align the

position with STBC’s strategic vision. The

CEO position advertisement is expected by

the end of the first quarter 2016.

Brenda Bremner, the Tribe’s general

manager, continues to serve as the acting CEO with an interim manager in place

to oversee continued operations during a

reorganization transition.

Enterprises

Siletz Tribal Prints & Gifts (formerly

Imprints): Siletz Tribal Prints & Gifts’ yearly

performance was down from the previous year, carrying a loss. The STBC board

realigned Imprints’ focus in quarter four

2015 to better align with its larger strategic

vision and priorities for STBC and its operations to include the opportunity for Tribal

members to sell their products through

both the retail and online storefronts.

The interim manager at Siletz Tribal

Prints & Gifts is a Siletz Tribal member.

Logan Road RV Park: The RV park’s

performance improved dramatically in 2015.

finishing with a profit for the first time in

park history. Revenue was up 20 percent,

expenses down just under 2 percent and

occupancy up 12 percent compared to 2014.

Logan Road’s 2016 goals include

strengthening its partnership with Chinook

Winds Casino Resort, developing a mobile

version of its website for the increasing

number of smartphone and tablet users,

upgrading Wi-Fi infrastructure to increase

bandwidth access for guests and installing

new picnic tables and pedestals.

Hee Hee Illahee RV Resort: The RV

resort had a strong 2015, with record revenue up 19 percent from 2014’s previous

record revenue, occupancy up 4 percent to

79 percent for the year – the best in resort

history – while expenses were up 8 percent.

2015 marked the best annual revenue

and operational performance in resort

history for the second year in a row. The

resort contract manager position was

advertised and awarded to a Siletz Tribal

member through 2016.

Resort goals for 2016 include upgrading pedestals, installing a new children’s

playground, updating its Wi-Fi network,

finalizing installation of the new clubhouse meeting room entertainment

center, redesigning its website to target mobile users with tablets and smart

phones, and implementing an updated

operations manual and other general

maintenance to continue to make Hee

Hee Illahee “A Fun Place to Be.”

Properties

The occupancy rate of the six commercial real estate properties owned/managed

by STBC ended 2015 at 97 percent. 2015

overall property management annual revenue increased 5 percent from 2014.

The Salem Flex building, Lincoln

Shores building, Siletz Business Complex,

Depoe Bay building and Siletz Gas & MiniMart building ended 2015 fully occupied.

Goals for 2016 include developing new

long-term maintenance plans and evaluating the best use for each property.

Siletz (Portland) Business Complex:

Revenue was up in 2015 compared to

2014 due to a new tenant and full building

occupancy. Expenses also were up in 2015

due to the large tenant improvement project for the new tenant, Caregiver Training

Institute, which signed a seven-year lease.

Eugene Office Building: Revenue was

flat in 2015 compared to 2014. The roof

and gutters were replaced in 2015 and

STBC continues to market the upstairs

space that remained the only vacancy for

property management.

Depoe Bay Building: Revenue was

up in 2015 compared to 2014 and the

property generated a profit. A number of

building maintenance, repair and upgrade

projects as well as tenant improvements

were performed.

Goals for 2016 include maintaining

tenant occupancy and evaluating the property for its best use over the long term.

Siletz Yaquina Riverfront Industrial

Property: This property ended 2015 with

five tenants, with revenue remaining flat

compared to 2014. Expenses were up primarily due to removal of an old home on

the property, with the property generat-

ing a small loss for the year. The property

continues to be marketed.

Salem Trust Property: This property

generated a profit for 2015, retaining its

tenant. STBC re-signed a Tribal landscaper

to perform monthly and annual maintenance for 2016. STBC continues to market

the property for development.

Salem Flex Office Building: The building remained fully occupied throughout

2015, with all tenants signed through 2016.

The property generated record annual revenue in 2015 and improved its bottom line.

Goals for 2016 include updated longterm maintenance planning.

Siletz Gas & Mini-Mart: This property

remained fully occupied throughout 2015

and the tenant signed a new long-term

lease. It generated a positive cash flow.

Goals for 2016 include evaluation of

the structure and

analysis of upgrade

opportunities.

Lincoln Shores

Building: This

building was fully

occupied throughout 2015 by Tribal

tenants and is

projected to

remain fully occupied through 2016.

Goals for 2016

include installing a

fiber circuit for the

building through

STBC for utilization by STBC, the

Siletz Tribal Gaming

Commission and

Internal Audit.

Logan Road

Parking Lot: This

property, owned by

the Siletz Tribe, is

currently leased by

STBC for its Logan

Road RV Park and

Chinook Winds

Casino Resort for

additional parking.

It generated a profit

for 2015 and is

projected to do so

through 2016.

Clockwise from top:

Santa (Don Hamilton)

and Aviana Bokuro;

Roberta Aspria, Shee-Ne

DePoe-Aspria, Marie

Aspria and Frank

Aspria; Dr. Samantha

Chisholm Hatfield; and

Haley Case-Scott

Siletz Tribe Revolving Credit Program

STRCP began monthly reporting of

all loans to TransUnion in 2015, helping

to fulfill the primary mission of STRCP to

increase the overall credit worthiness of

Tribal members by increasing their credit

score with successful loan repayments.

Since 2001, STRCP has provided nearly

$3 million in loans for Tribal members. The

STRCP webpage on the STBC website was

expanded to include more educational

resources, online application forms, financial

calculators and useable budget templates.

The STRCP Declaration of Policies was

revised twice and approved by Tribal Council. It is available online at the STBC website.

Goals for 2016 include developing

online access for Tribal members to review

and potentially pay for their loans.

Projects

STBC issued a

request for proposal for master

planning for Chinook Winds Casino

Resort in 2015 and

awarded a contract

to a Native-owned

professional services firm. A Clearinghouse Committee was formed to

oversee the RFP

to include a Tribal

Council representative. A final master

plan is expected by

the end of quarter

two 2016.

Siletz Management Inc.’s website

went live in 2015

at siletzmanagementinc.com to

help market its

accounting and

property management services.

The STBC Board

is conducting a

reorganization of

STBC to enhance

the capability of

successfully evaluating future investments into profitable business ventures, as well as to

successfully manage current assets

to provide ongoing

profitability.

The Clearinghouse Committee

met on a quarterly basis and as

needed in 2015

to review several

different internally

proposed projects

as well as external

business opportunities presented by

third parties.

Chinook Winds Casino Resort

An anniversary

never looked so

good! Our 20th year

in business was

celebrated all year

long with monthly

promotions on

social media,

radio, in print and

throughout the

casino.

We shared the

story of the Siletz

Tribe and Chinook

Winds throughout

the state. We also

had great improvements throughout

the resort with the

hard work of our

Facilities staff and

dedicated executive

management to

increase the positive experience of

our guests.

Dining venues

were aggressive

with weekly specials

and menu changes

increasing revenue

numbers and offering greater opportunity to promote

the resort.

2015 was a

year of excitement,

improvement and

energy that gave

a boost of pride

to team members

throughout the

resort and Tribe.

We are proud of the

year we had and

look forward to continuing the momentum in 2016.

Successful Entertainment and Events

In 2015 we kicked off our 20th

anniversary year with the legendary Willie

Nelson. Two sold-out concerts in January

was a great way to start the year.

We followed up in March with a

resounding success partnering with a local

high school to raise money for the music

program and the hit rock band Foreigner.

The school received $1,000 from Foreigner

and all proceeds from their CD sales went

to its National Music Scholarship program.

This concert was a prime example of

combining sold-out shows, community partnerships and earned media in to one event.

Dwight Yokum was another sold-out

show and added to the anniversary celebration weekend. Happy Together and

Lynyrd Skynyrd were two new shows to

our venue that proved successful in the

ticket sales. We ended the year with an

energetic Christmas show featuring the

Oakridge Boys singing to a sold-out

venue both nights.

A TV partnership with Survivor was

an example of added value with our TV

purchases. Not only did the event bring

guests to our casino it garnered thousands

of dollars in added value TV exposure.

The Whirlwind of Cash promotion was

not only a great successful gaming promotion, but with the TV support we also were

able to negotiate with KGW and KATU to

come onsite to promote the promotion.

We hosted two major poker events,

drawing hundreds of players and generating Twitter followers throughout the year.

These events create national buzz about

our resort in the poker world.

Clockwise from

top: Josh Blacketer,

Celebration of Honor,

Jenifier Leake and

Mike Fisher

Exciting new slot machines were added

throughout the year, providing more

opportunity for fun and exciting promotions on the gaming floor. Marketing

brought in floor characters like The Flintstones and Britney Spears to promote new

machines on the gaming floor.

Our Bingo Department keeps getting better and Cosmic Bingo had record

nights throughout the year.

Events like roller derby, arm wrestling,

bubble ball, a tattoo convention and King

of the Cage were not only strong events

drawing in crowds, but also provided the

opportunity of earned media and exposure

for the resort. The goal is to try new opportunities to broaden our customer interest.

On Sept. 12, we hosted the first Beach,

Bacon and Brews event, raising money for

local charities. This was our first opportunity to partner with the City of Lincoln City

to secure a $20,000 grant to help fund the

promotion of this first-year event.

We secured KGW’s morning out-andabout reporter Drew Carney to come on

site to promote this event. World-ranked

competitive eater Joey Chestnut was here

as a celebrity judge, which helped us garner

additional press coverage for the event.

Chinook Winds also hosted the Oregon

Chamber Ambassador Convention on Sept.

17-20. More than 100 chamber ambassadors from all over the state attended in

order to learn more about our area.

Native American Heritage

In February, we hosted the annual

ATNI (Affiliated Tribes of Northwest

Indians) conference. Our Banquet and

Marketing teams partnered to host hundreds of Tribal attendees for a four-day

event. This was a showcase of team members working together to represent the

resort in a positive light.

We were proud to spread the news of

Tribal history throughout the community to

showcase the importance of the Tribe and

Chinook Wind in the promotion of coastal

tourism. We participated and sponsored

numerous Tribal events including: Elders

Honor Day, STAHS Past is Present Native

Fair, Siletz Nesika Illahee Pow-Wow, Rez

Kitchen Tour, Lincoln City Chowder CookOff Native Day, Restoration Pow-Wow and

the Siletz Tribal Craft Fair in December.

Siletz Tribal

member and Executive Chef Jack

Strong represented

Chinook Winds and

the Siletz Tribe at

the Annual Oregon

Governor’s Conference on Tourism

in Eugene. Strong

also represented

the casino and the

Tribe on International soil in China.

He was invited to

showcase and talk

about the indigenous foods of his

Native culture and

menu consultation.

Hotel

Improvements

The hotel

stayed committed

to upgrading the

guest experience

by including inroom safes, iPod

docking stations

and Keurig coffee

makers in the Jr.

Suites Building.

The hotel lobby

was remodeled

creating a warmer,

more welcoming

environment for

our guests.

The hotel

increased revenue

by 2.48 percent

over 2014. Over

the course of the

year, we replaced

the refrigerators

and microwaves in

the rooms, added

Keurig coffee makers in the junior

suites, improved

the lobby amenities

and added several decorative art

pieces throughout

the common areas.

To improve operating efficiency, we also

purchased new luggage carts and laundry

bins. Our renewed dedication to outstanding guest service has led to an increased

amount of positive customer feedback on

comment cards and social media sites.

Facilities

Casino

 Replaced all lighting in main convention

rooms with energy-efficient LED

 Added dimmer switches to convention

rooms

 Replaced all parking lot lights with

energy-efficient LED

 Demo storage rooms behind deli and

added one walk-in cooler and one

walk-in freezer

 Added way-finding signs at bottom of

escalator

 Replaced old neon bingo showroom

sign with new LED

 Replaced elevator, deli and espresso

neon signs with LED

 Demo old walk-in cooler in deli,

creating more space in kitchen

 Replaced deli cabinets with new ones

and granite counter top

 Replaced worn out equipment on deli

hotline, griddle, reach-in cooler and

deep fryer. All new equipment received

ETO incentives and is Energy Star rated.

 Replaced the three main water heaters

for all kitchen areas

 Added new carpet to bingo paymaster

along with custom storage cabinets

 Installed a new keg rack system in

both beer coolers

 Finished new upholstery on remaining

pit chairs

 Replaced one chiller pump

 Completed full clean down and

preventive maintenance on escalator

 Installed new carpet at the front

entrance and employee entrance

 Removed parking lot entrance across

from Marketing and paved new

entrance so vehicles no longer bottom

up pulling into and out of parking lot

 Installed three new light poles in lot 57

for overflow employee parking

 Built wall in bingo for six new flatscreen TVs

 Built and installed new cabinets for

card storage room

Hotel

 Finished the suites building installation

of new siding, windows and doors

 Repainted all ocean-side balcony

decks on suites building

 Replaced old two-well deep fryer with

new three-well Energy Star-rated deep

fryer

 Completed refinishing all wood

handrails on B, C and D buildings

Aces/Golf/Fitness

 Completed Aces new roof project

 Installed backup generator for Aces

 Installed new gutters and fascia for Aces

Casino F&B Highlights

Chinook’s Seafood Grill’s revenue in

2015 was up 13 percent over 2014. In

2015 ,free live entertainment was added to

Friday and Saturday nights in the lounge.

The successful Wine Wednesdays and

introduction of various food specials

added to the 2015 increase in revenue.

Rogue River Steakhouse revenue in 2015

was up 9.1 percent over 2014. We are concentrating on the guest experience, offering

multiple options to fit all tastes. Chef Jack

Strong and his team constantly look for new

ideas to introduce to the culinary flavors.

All dining venues went through menu

updates based on customer input and

venue inventory. The attention to detail on

the guest experience was a large reason

why all dining venues saw an increase in

revenue over prior year.

Golf Course

Rounds of golf at Chinook Winds Golf

Resort increased by 4.7 percent over the

previous year, including an 18 percent

increase by junior golfers. Overall, golf

course and fitness center revenue

increased by 40 percent.

Multiple improvements were made to

the golf course, including several remodeled/improved tee boxes, improved irrigation, remodeled maintenance shop and

new cart path paving.

The golf course continued to host the

largest single-night independent Men’s

Golf League in Oregon. The course also

hosted multiple public and private golf

tournaments, many of which were benefits

for local charities.

All of these factors, plus a 2.6 percent

decrease in expenses, led to an overall

increase to the bottom line of 160 percent.

Human Resources Plays Important

Role in Team Development

The Human Resources Department

focused on the development of our Management Team by providing leadership

training through web-based training, classroom-style and Leadership IQ seminars.

In addition, we implemented a 10minute training series that is provided to

directors, managers and supervisors on

a monthly basis. Overall we provided a

dozen different management trainings to

our directors, managers and supervisors.

Tribal member placement and

advancement is a priority for Chinook

Winds. We average 12-14 percent Tribal

member employment, with 26 Tribal members in management positions.

We interviewed and selected two protégés to begin the Mentor/Protégé Program

in 2015. This two-year program intends to

provide Siletz Tribal members with the skills

and knowledge to help form the future

management team for Chinook Winds.

Human Resources worked closely with

the departments to help streamline the

hiring process. We held quarterly Job Fairs

that were very successful.

2015 was a busy year in hiring staff for

the resort. We offered 583 positions; 411

of the applicants were successful.

Annual employee events including

the employee golf tournament, employee

picnic, holiday party, annual Health/Safety

Fair and two SOLV Beach Cleanups (spring

and fall), are programs and events that

help us keep our team environment and

company morale at a high level.

Quarterly Superstar Award recipients

included First Quarter, Gaspar Pedro, RRR

server; Second Quarter, George Linden,

line cook; Third Quarter, Vicki Baker, Keno

supervisor; and Fourth Quarter, Kathy Lee,

Cage supervisor.

In addition, we had the honor of recognizing eight 20-Year employees – Nathan

Metcalf, Surveillance; Abe Martin, Surveillance; Darrel Schroeder, Slots; Barbara John,

Slots; Pricilla Sweitz, Slots, Robert Dumond,

Games; Cliff Smith, Transportation; and

Jenifier Leake, Human Resources.

Giving Back to

the Community

Casino staff

volunteered their

personal time to

help coordinate

and serve meals

during Operation

Christmas Spirit.

This community

program offers

a complete hot

Christmas dinner to

anyone, although

its main purpose is

to feed those who

are most in need.

As part of the

annual Lincoln City

Community Days

celebration in April,

Chinook Winds