The Tribe experienced a difficult year! It started out looking (2020)

Tribal code

Ask Donna

What actually matters in this document.

Text

The Tribe experienced a difficult year! It started out looking

good and took a very hard turn with frightening events.

The Tribe has worked for a few years on an emergency management plan that would keep us safe in the event of natural

disasters. In 2020 the coronavirus (COVID-19) took us by surprise.

The Tribal Council and our staff had to quickly plan the shutdown

of our Tribal facilities as well as Chinook Winds Casino Resort.

The Siletz Community Health Clinic staff and other essential

staff worked in shifts; employees who could, worked from home. We

were successful in continuing to provide needed services as well as

possible. Chinook Winds had a skeleton crew during their shutdown.

We are so grateful to have a dedicated staff who worked

through this difficult time.

When we thought we were recovering, the wildfires swept

through the coast and many other places in Oregon. The fires were

devastating for everyone. Some Tribal members and employees lost

their homes and many had a lot of damage.

With the help of our Tribe, the state and federal legislation, we

were able to address many of the victims’ needs. We were lucky that

no Tribal members lost their lives during this event.

All of our staff stepped up to assist the victims in need and

the Tribe was especially thankful to our congressional folks from

Oregon for their diligence in ensuring Tribes were adequately

funded to address our members’ needs.

We look forward to 2021 as health needs are addressed with

vaccines and all our offices, the Siletz Clinic and Chinook Winds

are reopened.

Thank you to a GREAT staff.

Photographers: The work of several photographers appears in this

report, however most of them are unknown. The photos were pulled from

the many photo albums we keep in the Public Information office.

Tribal Chairman Delores Pigsley

Table of Contents

Tribal Court

Natural Resources

Planning

Health

Human Resources

Administration

Housing

Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund

Programs 1

Programs 2

Enrollment

Siletz Tribal Business Corporation

Chinook Winds Casino Resort

Tribal Council

On the cover: A photo of the Honor Guard

flags united together during the Nesika Illahee

Pow-Wow in the 1980 Pow-Wow photo album.

Caseload

From Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2020

New

123

Average monthly new cases

10.25

Closed

Hearings, monthly average

6.66

(Does not include per capita caseload, which was

canceled this year)

Court Staff: One chief judge, two associate judges, Community Court judge (vacant), one

full-time court administrator and one half-time

deputy court administrator

Development

Funding: The court is maintained with

money from 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

19 years, Tribal Court has seen an increased caseload from a little more than 100 cases in 2000 to

a caseload of nearly 500 cases in 2019 (including

new and maintained cases).

Since 2013, the caseload has averaged about

480-500, though it declined between 2018 and

2019. In 2020, the caseload drastically declined

largely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The per capita caseload was canceled by

Tribal Council for 2020. Many employees were laid

off from Chinook Winds because of its closures, all

of which affected our garnishment cases, which in

turn lowered the court’s caseload for 2020.

The court has operated on an essential office

management status, maintaining the essential

public services necessary and managing the court

office duties. Court staff work in conjunction with

the chief judge, creating new or modifying existing

forms relevant to the ever-changing case criteria.

Subject matter continues to be increasingly

complex with regard to employment, personal

injury cases from Chinook Winds, other matters

ranging from contract 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 for storing files. Deputy

Court Administrator Rebekah Goulet scans

past and current court records into the Tribe’s

Laserfiche storage, saving cost and space. The

records are easily searched and printed from

the Laserfiche files.

Records not on Laserfiche are our juvenile records as we keep hard files

indefinitely at this time.

Training: Tribal Court promotes educational enhancement for judicial and court staff through participation in trainings and workshops relative to Tribal Court issues. Tribal Court participates with neighboring courts

and agencies to create and maintain a good working relationship.

The National Judicial College in Reno, Nev., continues to be 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 eight active Tribal spokespersons, three Tribal members (nonattorneys), five independent attorneys, two attorneys with Legal Aid Services

of Oregon (Newport Branch) and one attorney with Legal Aid Services of

Oregon (Portland Branch).

Three 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.

Celebration of Honor flags set out at Chinook Winds Casino in

honor and remembrance of veterans

ronmental 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.

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.

Natural Resources is responsible for operating 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), Wetland, and Clean Water Act

Section 106 and Section 319 grants; Bonneville Power Administration (BPA)

and BIA Wildlife grants; and BIA Climate Change grants.

Additionally, the department administers grants from EPA and other

entities covering its participation in the Portland Harbor Superfund site

monitoring activities, along with contracts with the Natural Resources

Conservation Service (NRCS) to conduct precommercial thinning of

forest plantations and a number of organizations to provide aquatics

monitoring services.

The Forestry Program covers all aspects of forest management on the

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

•

The Aquatics program was funded by GAP,

106, 319 and Wetlands grants from EPA, and a

number of contracts and funding agreements

with outside entities in addition to Tribal and BIA

hatchery and climate change funding.

•

Vera Lafferty collecting mussels

Accomplishments in 2020 include:

Presales work on 7 timber sale areas totaling

444 acres and 15.82 million board feet

Planting 29,445 seedlings

Site preparation of 27 acres

Precommercial thinning of 12 acres

Completing 171 acres of stocking surveys and

67 acres of stand exams

Issuing 133 personal use firewood permits

Issuing 122 property access permits

Cutting, splitting and delivering 40 cords

of firewood during 2 elders firewood distribution events

2020 accomplishments include:

Completing second mainstem Siletz River

restoration project on three sites

Completing 56 miles of Siletz River Chinook

spawning surveys

Completing 8 wetland assessments

Monitoring native oyster restoration efforts at

8 sites in Yaquina Bay

Post-restoration monitoring of several projects in the Tillamook, Nestucca, Coquille and

Yaquina basins

Maintaining and enhancing a culturally

important native plant nursery for future

restoration projects

Completing a project to document and store

in a searchable database Siletz Tribal traditional ecological knowledge associated with

lands and natural resources throughout

Western Oregon

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 2020, accomplishments include:

Acquiring a 504-acre WWMP property

Due diligence work on a 102-acre WWMP

property acquisition

Submitting an application to acquire an

82-acre WWMP property

Reviewing and ranking 2020 WWMP projects

Development work on potential future Tribal

WWMP projects

Conducting marbled murrelet occupancy and

habitat surveys on Tribal timberlands

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 2020, accomplishments include:

Issuing 338 deer tags (46 filled)

Issuing 134 elk tags (10 filled)

Issuing 118 salmon tags (4 filled)

Issuing 128 shellfish gathering permits

Picking up, processing and distributing 4,326

pounds of subsistence chinook salmon

Distributing 358 summer run steelhead from

the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife’s

Siletz River fish trap

Providing surplus game meat to the Tribe’s

USDA program for distribution to needy

Tribal members

Participating in monitoring settlement agreements covering the

re-licensing of Eugene Water and Electric Board’s Carmen-Smith and

Portland General Electric’s Clackamas River and Willamette Falls

hydroelectric facilities

• Monitoring approval processes for the Jordan Cove energy project and the

Oregon Department of State Lands 404 permit assumption project

• Representing the Tribe at meetings about a variety of other environmental issues

•

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.

2020 accomplishments include:

Continuing to work on fee-to-trust applications for 5 Tribal fee properties

Completing environmental compliance for planned comfort station

project in Siletz

• Performing due diligence for several potential property acquisitions

• Providing support for various Tribal planning, housing, casino and

economic development projects

•

Natural Resources acquired the Camp Creek property that

provides cultural resources outside of Springfield, Ore.

The Environmental Protection

program is funded half through an EPA GAP

grant and half through Tribal funding. This

program’s main focus is as the primary repository

of all requests for natural and cultural resource

consultation from outside agencies.

2020 accomplishments include:

Reviewing 510 outside agency project consultation requests

• Participating in activities to monitor

assessment and cleanup of the Portland

Harbor Superfund Site (funded by grants

from EPA and various potentially responsible

cleanup parties) and the Astoria Marine

Construction Cleanup Site

•

20 cords of firewood the Natural Resources Department cut,

loaded and safely delivered to elders

2020 was a year of keeping the boat afloat. Planning staff worked hard

both in the office (with COVID-19 protocols) and from home as required to

provide good continuity of services.

In overview, we continued Enrollment Services; completed the Tribal

U.S. Census project, a comprehensive community survey and a culvert and

sidewalk repair project on Tootootney Court; continued transportation and

transit funding development; and continued GIS services that support the

Natural Resources Department and emergency planning.

The 2020 Neachesna Housing project was supported by the $750,000 BIA

Roads-funded project Planning had completed. That project included the road

and sidewalks, and the required water, sewer and storm drainage needed.

Other projects included cleaning up the Chemawa Indian School site,

assisting Public Works in completing the storm drain replacement from the

Siletz River storm drain outflow to Siletz child care and preparing for additional Oak Flats storm drain upgrades in 2021.

We also take pride in our BIA-funded Tribal Road Maintenance program,

which includes keeping Tribal streets and parking freshly repainted, roads

trimmed and signs replaced.

The 2020 annual community meetings in Siletz and the area offices

were held as usual, just prior to the COVID-19 shutdowns.

Transit continues to be funded by various grants from the State of

Oregon and FTA (Federal Transit Administration). The state Legislature

threw a bit of a monkey wrench into the transit funding mix by combining

STF (Special Transportation Fund) and new STIF (Special Transportation

Improvement Fund) transit funding programs (which they had promised not

to do.) This also required that these state funds be used for “new services,”

which quickly created a lot of outrage in rural transit areas struggling to

maintain existing services. For now, the state has backpedaled, allowing the

funds to be used for maintaining existing operations.

Tillicum housing being built in Siletz

The coordinator also manages transit

vehicle records and maintenance. Please contact

Planning if you are interested in this committee

or in working with your area office on transit

planning and services.

The Siletz Tribal Transit System (STTS)

Committee meets regularly and is required by

grants for community input. Rider and mileage

data must be collected regularly and are tabulated

by the transit coordinator for grant reporting to

both the State Public Transit System and FTA.

The Enrollment Department is part of the

Planning Department and it provides a wide

range of services. Enrollment is reporting independently in this annual report, see pages 22-23

for enrollment information. There is a full-time

and a half-time position to support services, in

addition to backup support provided by the data

coordinator and planning clerk.

The data coordinator continued to support the Enrollment Department and assist in

developing grants on request, including collecting and evaluating data. The data coordinator

also maintains databases, manages surveys and

supports strategic planning and evaluation for

all Tribal departments.

The coordinator was instrumental in leading

the Tribal Census project that worked closely with

the federal Census Bureau to complete the 2020

census and improved the Siletz Tribal member

response rate by 20% over the previous census.

The GIS/planner provided support for the

entire Tribal administrative structure, including

Natural Resources, Housing and Public Works.

The GIS/planner coordinates with federal, state

and local entities to gather information to keep

the extensive Tribal geographic information

system up to date.

Currently, there are 16,327 acres in the Tribal

land database. Significant work goes into documentation that keeps the Tribe in compliance with

federal requirements, such as the Tribal Emergency

Plan and the Multihazard Mitigation Plan. A huge

range of technical services are provided, from

hydrological analysis to infrastructure mapping.

Projects continued to keep the construction engineer busy. 2020 included many smaller

maintenance types of projects and plans, from

field mowing contracts at Chemawa, to sinkhole

repairs, water system planning and submitting

road report narratives to the BIA Roads program.

The construction engineer provides staff

support for developing requests for proposals

(RFPs) and provides on-call trouble-shooting for

all Tribal departments for a variety of issues that

come up throughout the year.

The planning tech/Road Maintenance

Program worked closely with the construction

engineer on various transportation-related projects – maintaining street signs, cleaning storm

drains, repainting street and parking markings,

and maintaining the solar street lights.

The painting on Tribal roads includes reflective beads, which makes the stripes more visible

in rainy and foggy weather. Painting is provided

to non-BIA Tribal facilities on an actual-cost

reimbursement basis (housing, STBC, gaming,

for example).

The Tribal grant writer position has been

unfilled during the COVID-19 crisis despite advertising the position. Departments continued to

develop their own grants and the data coordinator was available to provide support on request.

The Tribal planner manages Planning

Department operations and staffing. The

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

appointed representative to regional and state transportation and transit

planning meetings, such as CWACT (Cascades West Area Commission on

Transportation), CWACT TAC (Technical Advisory Committee); the CWCOG

(Cascades West Council of Governments) Transportation Brokerage and

chairing the Lincoln County Coordinated Transit Plan committee; economic

development; and various state committees, such as DLCD (Department of

Land Conservation and Development) planning committees.

The Tribal planner has been working with ODOT and the City of Lincoln

City on developing sidewalks and bike lanes on Highway 101 from the Neotsu

Post Office to West Devils Lake Road. This would provide a safer route for

pedestrians and bicyclists to get from the Neachesna housing development to

Lincoln City for services and jobs.

This project leverages $350,000 in Tribal Transportation Program road

funding to access $3 million in State of Oregon funds. The state funds have

been transferred to the City of Lincoln

City, which will manage the construction project.

The design is scheduled to be 60% complete in the spring of 2021. Tribal

Planning staff is participating in the design development. Hopefully, this

project will begin construction in early 2022.

The Tribal planner also participated in the City of Lincoln City’s Roads

End planning process, with the objective of supporting an off-Highway 101

connection between Chinook Winds and the Tribal golf course.

Kids greeting each other during the pow-wow

at Siletz School

This connection would make it easier to

coordinate services and share customers between

the two businesses and would reduce traffic at

the congested intersection of Logan Road and

Highway 101. This concept is included in the City

of Lincoln City’s road system master plan and was

included in the Roads End planning project.

The planner and construction engineer oversee the Indian Reservation Road (IRR, now Tribal

Transportation Program or TTP) inventory, funding and implementation. This transition to selfgovernance funding has worked well and allows

us to more easily carry over unspent funding into

other planned and Council-approved projects.

In 2020, the planner, attended mostly on

Zoom, for local, state and federal policy meetings as assigned. The Tribal Transportation

System Plan needs to be regularly updated.

Tribal members interested in participating

in a steering committee for this process in

2021 are encouraged to contact the Planning

Department.

The Planning clerk is a key position and

has a demanding multi-faceted job. The clerk

handles requests from all Planning staff, 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 clerk is key

to preparing the transit data for reporting to the

state and FTA.

programming to online sessions so Tribal

members could access workouts from home.

◊ Pharmacy expanded mailing services and

with the support of Community Health’s team,

added delivery services in the local area.

◊ The clinic’s IT and NextGen team worked

tirelessly to keep services going. Without IT’s

additional support, the ability to provide teleservices and work remotely would not have

been possible.

◊ Administration and Business Office (PRC

and patient accounts) continued to work,

ensuring no disruption to services.

2020 was a year of unprecedented change that required significant effort

within the Health Department as the clinic responded to the pandemic.

The coronavirus forced the clinic to respond quickly in order to continue

providing services safely for staff and patients.

◊ Medical immediately began offering tele-visits, including by phone, and

adding virtual visits within a few weeks of the onset of the pandemic.

◊ Dental and optometry offered emergency services. Additionally,

◊

both departments supported clinic needs, with dental facilitating

COVID testing and entrance monitoring, and optometry supporting

entrance monitoring.

Behavioral Health began offering tele-visits for both A&D and mental

health services. Youth Services coordinated creative ways to reach young

people, including virtual groups and mailing cultural packages to support ongoing youth engagement.

Community Health coordinated efforts to reach out to elders regularly

and set up a resource line for Tribal member needs. Items provided

included food, cleaning supplies and safety supplies.

Community Health organized and hosted a three-day virtual harm

reduction conference in December. The conference hosted 500

participants with additional people signing up for access to the

recording of the conference.

The Diabetes Program supported ongoing clinic needs, including monitoring and custodial services. Additionally, it expanded its facility exercise

Tribal Council cutting the ribbon at the grand opening of the

Siletz Community Health Clinic’s new building in 2010.

Basic clinic metrics include:

Kept appointments included 6,184 in the

medical clinic, 1,850 in the MAT program

(counselors and peer services), 1,426 (counselors and peer mentor) in Behavioral Health

and 621 in optometry.

• The Dental Clinic provided 1,957 dentist/

dental hygienist visits.

• The pharmacy dispensed 37,976 new and

refill prescriptions.

•

The Health Department administers several

grants in addition to our recurring Indian Health

Service compact funds:

• Healthy Traditions and the WEAVE grant provide nutrition and traditional food education

and support to a variety of programs and the

community. Additionally, Healthy Traditions

works toward attaining food sovereignty.

Healthy Traditions staff and Diabetes staff

also conduct hands-on cooking classes

entitled Cooking Matters, in partnership with

Lincoln County Food Share.

• The Diabetes Program operates the Siletz Rec

Center and 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 in partnership

with the Siletz Education Program conducts

summer programming that involves recreation and traditional games, drum circles

and dance classes.

• The MAT program provides treatment for

alcohol and opioid use disorder. The program

is multidisciplinary in its treatment approach,

including medication assistance, mental

health counseling and A&D counseling.

• 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. It

provides a variety of direct services along with

speaking out to raise awareness about the

dynamics of domestic and sexual assault for

Indian women.

Early Intervention Outreach Specialist/Harm

Reduction is a partnership with the region,

specifically Lincoln County, to provide services

to reduce the rate of HIV, other STIs and overdoses in our community.

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 called CEDARR

(Community Efforts Demonstrating the

Ability to Rebuild and Restore) in developing community-wide strategies to improve

community health, especially with substance

abuse problems.

Youth mental health provides one-on-one,

group and family mental health counseling

and coping activities.

Community Health advocates serve Portland,

Salem, Eugene and Siletz. They provide support

services through home visits, office visits and

community events; and work 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 administers the Mobile Help program, which funds

medical alert devices for Tribal elders in the

service area.

The Business Office assists with three billing

systems: ScriptPro (pharmacy), Dentrix (dental) and NextGen (medical, lab, Behavioral

Health, optometry and transportation).

Purchased/Referred Care (PRC – formerly CHS)

continued to provide level 4 care throughout

the year, thanks to the expansion of Medicaid,

the Affordable Care Act and Medicare-like

rates for hospitals and primary care.

Drummers at the Restoration Pow-Wow back when it was

held at the Siletz School gym

PRC staff administers three additional programs: Out-of-Area Health

Benefits, Alternative Health Care and Expanded Mental Health Services.

• Tribal members who live outside the 11-county service area are eligible

for one service quarterly, including medical, mental health, dental and

hearing for a combined benefit up to $2,000 annually. In addition,

Tribal members are also eligible for cataract surgery and pharmacy

benefits annually and vision benefits up to $450 bi-annually or annually

(depending on status).

• Alternative Health Care pays up to $50 per visit for acupuncture,

massage therapy or chiropractic care while funds are available.

•

Gladys Bolton, Donna Woods, Rose Bremner, Rose Lowenberg,

Liz John and Carol Blomstrom walking together at Pow-Wow

Accomplishments/Activities: One of

the department’s major functions is to facilitate

the hiring process. During 2020, the Siletz Tribe

hired 80 employees.

•

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

services 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.

55 Regular

25 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, Siletz Tribal Gaming Commission and

Siletz Tribal Business Corporation.

New positions: Seven new positions

were created:

• Behavioral Health Case Manager

• Dental Patient Care Coordinator Trainee

• Medical Laboratory Technician II

• Laundry Attendant

• Head Start Health Data Clerk

• Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner

• PC Support Technician Trainee

Job descriptions: Thirteen revised job

descriptions were approved:

• Dental Patient Care Coordinator

• Occupancy Specialist I

• Outpatient Counselor II

• Health Services Protégé

• Medical Patient Care Coordinator Trainee

• Medical Patient Care Coordinator

• Natural Resources Timber Sale Forester

• Staff Attorney

• General Manager

• Controller

• Peer Recovery Mentor

• Human Resources Manager

• Health Navigator

Recruitment Activities: Human

Resources recruited for the following positions:

•

The flag at Chinook Winds during the September fires

Accounting

Bookkeeper I – Payroll & Retirement

Bookkeeper II

Finance Assistant

Controller

Administration

• IT Systems Administrator

• PC Support Technician

• PC Support Technician Trainee

•

General Manager

Assistant General Manager

Receptionist

Human Resources Manager

Clinic

Women’s TLC Coordinator

Outpatient Counselor

Outpatient Counselor II

Patient Care Coordinator-Medical

Patient Care Coordinator Trainee-Dental

Patient Benefits Coordinator

MAT Mental Health Peer Mentor

Medical Laboratory Technician II

Medical Assistant

Behavioral Health Program Administrator

Behavioral Health Case Manager

Pharmacy Technician III

Mental Health Therapist

Harm Reduction Outreach Specialist

Prevention Coordinator Trainee

RN Case Manager

CARE Program Domestic Violence Victim

Advocate

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner

Resident Aide-Men’s Facility

Business Office Clerk

Purchased Referred Care Tech I

Dental Assistant I

Housing

Force Account Carpenter

Junior Force Account Carpenter

Maintenance Worker/

Groundskeeper-Housing

Natural Resources

Biological Programs Biologist

Timber Sales Forester

Crewmember

Programs I (Social Services)

• Family Preservation Case Manager

• Vocational Rehabilitation Director

•

Programs II (Education & Culture)

Head Start Classroom Aide-Portland, Salem,

Lincoln City

Head Start Food Service Worker-Salem

Head Start Assistant Teacher/Bus

Driver-Portland

Head Start Health Data Clerk

Language & Traditional Arts Instructor

•

Public Works

Maintenance Worker/Groundskeeper

•

Siletz Tribal Business Corporation

Assistant Property Manager

Commercial Property Manager

Office Support Coordinator/Loan Administrator

Property Management Specialist

Siletz Tribal Gaming Commission

• Licensing Agent

• Licensing Assistant

• IS Representative

•

Tenas Illahee Childcare Center

Cook Trainee

Childcare Worker

Labor Force: At the conclusion of 2020, the Siletz Tribal labor force

was made up of:

Siletz Tribal Members

176

Other American Indians

Non-Indians 35

Total Workforce 222

•

Training Activities

Holiday Stress during COVID-19

Employee Incentive Activities: The Human Resources

Department coordinates the Employee Incentive Awards program. The

following awards were presented in 2020:

Years of Service-5 years

Years of Service-10 years

Years of Service-15 years

Years of Service-20 years

Years of Service-25 years

Years of Service-30 years

Years of Service-35 years

Years of Service-40 years

Policy Development: Revised Personnel Manual – April 17 and

July 17

Workers Compensation: Our workers compensation insurance

carrier was Tribal First.

Employee Assistance Program: Our EAP provider was Reliant

Behavioral Health (RBH). Confidential services were available to Tribal

employees and their immediate families at no cost, including:

• Counseling: 24-hour Crisis Help, Confidential Counseling, eAccess, Free

24/7 On-Demand Emotional Wellness Support, Peer Support Groups

• Life Balance: Financial Services, Home Ownership Program, Identity

Theft Services, Legal and Mediation Services, Wills & Other Legal forms,

College Planning Program

• Workplace: Worksite Services, Supervisor Resources

The 2019 tax information was mailed out in a

timely manner and the audit of 2019 results was

completed in July. Bluebird CPAs, from Reno, Nev.,

performed the audit, completing its 14th year with

the Tribe.

Due to COVID, the audit was conducted

remotely, which led to a number of challenges.

There were no findings, however, against the Tribe

or Siletz Tribal Business Corporation.

It is the mission of the Administration Department to provide administrative support to Tribal programs and Tribal government for efficient

delivery of programs and services to Tribal membership and clients.

Sharon A. Edenfield, administrative manager, oversees Accounting,

Fringe Benefits, Information Systems, Facilities & Fleet, Property &

Procurement, and Administrative Support staff.

She also serves as BIA self-governance coordinator, plan administrator, plan trustee and trust officer. Additionally, she serves as a member

of the Audit and Investment committees and staff representative to the

Budget Committee.

Sharon was also appointed to the Treasury Tribal Advisory Committee

by Sen. Ron Wyden. She also is co-chair of the General Welfare Exclusion

Subcommittee for TTAC.

The Tribe, along with the nation, was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. For safety reasons, we had to close our doors to the membership and

community. Also during this time we were faced with wildfires throughout

the state of Oregon. This did not stop services from being provided to those

impacted, however, whether staff used staggered schedules to come into

the office or worked from their homes. This will reflect throughout this

annual report.

The Accounting Department continued to function smoothly

throughout 2020, even though the number of checks generated by the

Accounts Payable staff approximately doubled from 2019. The increase was

due almost entirely to payments related to COVID relief.

2020

Ȁ –

ͶͺǡͻʹͶ

Ȁ – ʹǡ͸Ͳʹ

Ͷͷ

ͳ͹ǡ͸͹ͳ

ͳǡ͸ͺʹ

͹ǡ͸ͺͺ

ͳͲͻͻȀ

ሺ ሻ ͷǡͻͶ͵

2019

ʹͳǡͺͺʹ

͵ǡͳͻͲ

ͳͲ͸

ͳ͵ǡ͹ͷͲ

ͳǡͷͲͳ

2018

ͳͷǡʹͷͳ

ͺͲ

ͷǡ͹Ͳͳ

ͳǡͻ͹͸

2017

ͳͶǡͶͳʹ

͸͹

ͷǡͶʹͲ

ͳǡͻʹ͸

͵ǡͻ͸ʹ

ʹǡͷͶͳ

ͳǡͺʹͳ

ͶǡͶͶͶ

Ͷǡʹ͹ͺ

Ͷǡͳ͵͸

•

Accounting Stats

4,016 stimulus checks

5,523 per capita checks, mailed or deposited

into Trust accounts

4,073 COVID Emergency Assistance payments

100+ grants and contracts

58 EPR programs

6,786 payroll payments processed

536 W-2s issued

0 audit findings

The trust officer provides assistance to

minors, adult trust and unclaimed funds:

• 77 minor trust payments totaling $713K

• 1,647 minor trust accounts with 88 new

accounts for CY20

• Overview of minor trust at Investment

Committee

• CFO issued request for proposal (RFP)

for advisory services on minor and adult

trust accounts

• 15 adult trust accounts

• 2 adult trust payment requests totaling $9K

• 1 paid and liquidated court-appointed

account of $28K

• Address comparison between Enrollment

and Minor Trust database – Updated 488

minor addresses

• Mailed 1,700+ minor and adult trust Stifel

annual account statements

The Information Systems

Department provided services to all Tribal

programs and employees. Highlights of its

accomplishments include:

• Ordered 1,000 IPads and 500 laptops for the

Tribal membership

• Upgraded Admin II Sonitrol and fire panel

• Set up 150 users to connect to the network

and work from home

• Ordered and configured 175 laptops for home

use with AnyConnect

• Set up the use of TEAMS, Zoom and

GoToMeeting for employees to meet virtually

•

Upgraded NextGen software system

Upgraded I2I software with all of the

Covid-19 changes

Upgraded Windows 10 operating system

Hire web content specialist to work on all

social media for the Tribe from Facebook,

Twitter and our website

Upgraded Eaglesun software

Upgraded network security

Upgraded OmniSys Fusion IVR for pharmacy

Upgraded MIP and HR management

Replaced medical X-ray server

Replaced Check Point device

Continued training – All staff continues to

learn new technologies as things in the IT

world change.

The Facilities & Fleet Department

maintains usage of Tribal facilities and vehicles. In

2020 the Tribal community center was used in the

first quarter and closed in March due to COVID.

The department maintained 43 GSA vehicles,

with 26 for departments to check out. Fourteen

are in Siletz with four in each area office.

The remaining 17 vehicles are assigned to eight

different programs. The Tribe owns 28 vehicles

that are dispersed among seven departments. The

department also continues its responsibility for

Public Works bills.

During the year, staff also assisted with

folding monthly newsletters, stuffing 1099s,

Jennifer Easter

making necklaces for Elders Department and Central Administration,

and assisted with the computer project.

The Property & Procurement Department processed 6,249

requests from stock inventory and purchase orders for a total savings of

$133,586. The department, along with Fleet, worked staggered hours due to

the pandemic and assisted with programs where needed.

Procurement accepted excess surplus on a regular basis from Chinook

Winds Casino. Also the department has continued to recycle obsolete computers from Tribal programs.

The Administrative Support staff provides daily clerical assistance to Central Administration managers and other Tribal programs, plus

assistance with Tribal functions. Administrative staff also were charged

with the computer project. Due to limits on the number of computers

that could be ordered, iPads were also issued.

•

Overall:

500 computers were shipped

1,000 iPads were shipped

Staff continues to distribute The People Are Dancing Again history book

to Tribal members. To date 1,900 have been distributed to the membership.

Books are also given to new hires at the Tribe and gifted to organizations with

which the Tribe works closely.

Additionally, staff:

Distributed 20 laptops to higher education/adult vocational

training students

• Sold 46 Pendleton saddle blankets

• Sold 151 Pendleton robe blankets

• Sold 4 Tribal flags

•

Pauline Ricks and Sara Bell-Tellez at the Nesika Illahee

Pow-Wow Parade

with first preference to enrolled members of the

Siletz Tribe. The remaining units will also provide affordable housing for Native households,

including Siletz families, and some units will have

preference for artists.

The development is located at Going and 42nd

streets and similar to the Nesika Illahee apartments will have a multitude of art features.

STHD staff provides technical assistance and

will conduct monitoring to ensure compliance

with NAHASDA.

Mission Statement: With funds provided by the Native American

Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA) and other

resources, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians will continue the operation of a housing program with an overall mission 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: 2020 was a year of challenges, change and

continued growth at the Siletz Tribal Housing Department (STHD) as we

adjusted to working remotely and making necessary changes due to the

COVID-19 pandemic.

Construction of the Mamook Tokatee apartment complex in Northeast

Portland began. This is the second partnership with the Native American

Youth and Family Center for developing off-reservation housing.

The Mamook Tokatee development is a 56-unit apartment complex

with 20 dedicated units of affordable housing for American Indian families,

Organizational: The 2019 Annual

Performance Report was submitted to HUD

(Housing and Urban Development) and highlighted STHD’s accomplishments for the 2019

program year.

We successfully submitted the 2021 Indian

Housing Plan (IHP). It reflects continued diversity of programs as we broaden services to Tribal

members in innovative ways by leveraging Indian

Housing Block Grant (IHBG) funds.

The needs of Tribal members are everchanging and we consistently seek new funding

and methods for expanding housing opportunities

to keep pace.

STHD submitted the updated Formula

Current Assisted Stock information and current

Tribal enrollment data to the IHBG formula center

and assisted with document preparation and

facilitation of the OLINK meeting.

Construction: Following the successful completion of the environmental review, we

received approval to use funds for construction

of the workforce housing development known as

Neachesna 2 in Neotsu, Ore. The project was 92%

complete at the end of 2020.

Sami Jo Difuntorum and Delores Pigsley at the grand opening

ceremoney for the Nesika Illahee housing in Portland, Ore.

Miscellaneous: The Siletz Tribal Housing

Department deployed substantial resources to

assist Tribal households impacted by COVID-19:

$1,254,033.17 in mortgage relief, $1,106,845.04 in

rent relief, and $416,600 in energy assistance. We

continue to provide assistance to households at or

below 80% of median income.

Many thanks to Jeanette Aradoz, Valerie

Hibdon, Cecelia DeAnda, Brett Lane, K.C. Short,

Isaac DeAnda and Casey Godwin for their extraordinary effort and work!

Valerie retired after more than 20 years of

working for the Tribe and we wish her all the best

in retired life.

COVID did not stop the work of the Siletz

Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund. The STCCF

Advisory Board met each quarter during 2020 to

review applications and send recommendations

to Tribal Council for distribution of charitable

funds to a variety of nonprofit organizations.

Funding for charitable distribution was

based on excess pledge revenue generated two

years prior to the 2020 fund year plus interest

and carryover. A total of $1.25 million was available for distribution, with 331 eligible applications received for the year.

The Advisory Board developed recommendations and Tribal Council approved 170 awards

totaling $931,119.31. Overall, 51% of applicants

received a charitable award with a median of

$2,500 per award. To help mitigate the

economic impact of COVID, special one-time

food security awards were made to 31 gleaner

and food share groups.

First quarter awards were distributed in

February at Chinook Winds Casino Resort. This

was the only public reception in 2020; the award

checks for remaining quarters were mailed.

Members of the STCCF Advisory Board

included Tribal members Sharon Edenfield

(Tribal Council), Cheryl Lane, Rebekah Goulet

and Kurt Arden; and non-Tribal community

members Karen Gerttula, Mike Holden and Dick

Anderson. Holden served as board chair and

Denise Garrett as board secretary.

Bill DePoe dancing

2020 Charitable Awards by Category

The Arts

$21,410.00

Cultural Activities

$18,634.00

Education

$363,218.12

Drug and Alcohol Treatment

$7,630.00

Health

$184,658.25

Other Charitable Purposes

$38,093.49

Environment and Natural Resource Preservation

$29,500.00

Historical Preservation

$97,345.70

Housing

$27,630.00

Prevention

$59,017.47

$83,982.28

Public Safety

Total

$931,119.31

Celebration of Honor at Chinook Winds

The Programs 1 Department includes six social service programs

– Elders, U.S. Department of Agriculture (food distribution), 477 SelfSufficiency, Indian Child Welfare, Vocational Rehabilitation and Tribal

Home Visiting.

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 Title

VI coordinator helps elders access the Meals on Wheels program in the Siletz

area. Due to the COVID-19 virus, the Elders program delivered meals to any

elder who requested them. This year, 2,600 meals were delivered; 1,145 of

them were new COVID meals and were paid for by separate grants.

One hundred ninety-two meals were served at the meal site at the Siletz

Tribal Community Center, all in January, February and March before the

COVID-19 pandemic began. A total of 2,792 meals were provided to help meet

the nutritional needs of elders in the Siletz community.

The Title VI elders coordinator and the elders receptionist had 14,366

contacts and referrals through outreach, telephone calls, home visits,

case management, information for elders, referrals and new/updated

Elders assessments.

Ten elders worked as a direct result of the Elders Work Experience (WEX)

Program, one of whom had not utilized this program before. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic, no elders worked after the week of March 27.

This program is funded through excess pledge revenue and allows elders

to return to the work force in a field they have an interest in but may have

had no formal training. Elders are paid $13.25 (minimum wage increased

from $12.50 on July 1) per hour with up to 40 hours of paid work per week,

not to exceed 500 hours per calendar year. They accrue no leave or benefits.

Elders worked at Basile Construction, Siletz Head Start classroom,

Scappoose Indian Education Program, Wee Wisdom Preschool, Siletz

Planning Department, Siletz USDA, Becky-Sue’s Gardens, Portland Area

Office and Taft Elementary School.

The Elders Program continues to partner with the Tribal Natural

Resources Department to provide firewood for elders through woodcutting

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.

We had two woodcuts this summer.

During the year, the elders were not involved in very many activities due

to the COVID-19 pandemic. Elders Council meetings took place in January

and February but the rest were done virtually via

Zoom. All other elder trips were canceled.

The council covered fuel and mileage costs

for drivers to transport elders from the four

areas to approved Elders Council activities,

which totaled 537 one-way transports this year,

all in the first quarter.

At the end of 2020, there were 906 Tribal

elders. Each one receives a monthly stipend ranging from $100 to $300, depending on their age.

Elders Program staff is responsible for coordinating Tribal member funerals/potlucks at the

Tribal Community Center. The Tribe has budgeted

$200 per funeral/potluck.

What a year it was for the USDA

Program. Due to the pandemic, our client

numbers were way up and then way down.

We were fortunate to be able to offer “disaster

feeding” to our community. We were initially

approved for 100 food boxes, but by the end of the

first week, we had served almost 200 individuals

so we requested an extension from USDA and were

approved to serve 300.

Through CARES Act funding and USDA,

we requested funds to purchase a used forklift

for Salem and a new one for Siletz along with a

much-needed ceiling fan for the Salem site. We

also will request additional funds through the

CARES Act to fix our walk-in cooler in Siletz and

the roof of the Siletz warehouse.

We have also been approved to offer a bonus

food package to our clients. Along with their usual

shopping list items, clients can choose additional

meat, fruits and juices, and additional vegetables,

fresh or canned, along with bonus grains and rice.

We were approved to do these bonus packages in

the months of January, March and June.

We have also added some new products

into the food package. We have already received

shipments of frozen 4-ounce orange juice and

2-pound fully cooked breakfast sausage patties,

and will soon receive Campbell’s brand condensed

cream of chicken soup.

The 477 Self-Sufficiency Program

(477-SSP) coordinates funding from the following federal agencies: Department of Health

and Human Services, Department of Labor and

the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

In addition, we coordinate funding from the

State of Oregon’s Department of Human Services.

We consolidate our funding into a single budget, allowing us to prioritize programs most in

demand. This reduces administrative costs and

prevents duplication of services.

We help American Indian/Alaskan Native/

Hawaiian participants overcome barriers to

employment and promote self-sufficiency by

offering 15 distinct programs. We offer cash

assistance through Temporary Assistance for

Needy Families (TANF), Non-Needy Caretaker

Relative (NNCR) and General Assistance for

Single Adults (GASA).

We provide employment and training services through Classroom Training (CRT), Work

Experience (WEX), On-the-Job Training (OJT),

Direct Placement (DP), Core Service, Summer

Youth Employment Program (SYEP), and

Diverted Services.

In addition, we offer a Home Visiting Program

that utilizes the Family Spirit curriculum. Once

enrolled in services, we may offer child care assistance, support services, employment and wellness

workshops, and culture activities.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our

goals and priorities changed. This report will

focus on our pandemic and wildfire response.

477-SSP administered the COVID-19 Food

Assistance Program and the Water/Sewer

Assistance Programs. The food program processed 709 applications in 30 different states.

These applications served 1,331 adults and 897

children in about seven months.

The Water/Sewer Program processed 464

applications in 24 states. These applications

served 895 adults and 666 children in the same

seven-month period.

•

Other COVID-19 Activities

Created an electronic application process and

waived certain eligibility criteria

Provided compliance incentives to eligible

clients

Engaged clients on a monthly basis through

phone, email or video conferencing

Developed virtual family engagement

activities

Completed a technology survey to evaluate costs associated with virtual client

workshops/trainings

Wildfire Response: 477-SSP modified

our existing Emergency Assistance Program

to assist Tribal members impacted by the

Oregon wildfires.

We approved 55 households that were in level

2 or level 3 evacuation zones. We served six households that lost their home due to the wildfires.

Program expenses totaled $41,042. Services included food, clothing,

basic household items, personal sanitation items, transportation assistance

and deposits/move in costs. The 477-SSP staff also assisted those impacted

with referrals to various federal, state, county, nonprofit and other organizations for direct assistance.

477-SSP received a $5,000 grant from United Way that supplemented

program services.

•

477 Program Highlights

Processed 277 TANF grants

Processed 662 GASA grants

Processed 286 applications with 155 new cases

811 outside referrals

2,720 client appointments

41 clients gained unsubsidized employment

198 clients had an overall successful case closure

1,406 combined open cases

In 2020, the Indian Child Welfare Program closed 18 children’s cases – twice the number closed in 2019. Ten children were returned

to parents, four entered guardianships and the remaining four “aged out” of

foster care.

In these instances, Independent Living services were offered as well as

credit education and readiness coaching. These services give foster youth the

information and skills they need for that next big step.

The Siletz Tribe along with Tribes across Oregon continues to experience

a shortage of foster homes. This shortfall impacts Tribal communities and

the placement of Tribal children.

ICW is currently in a passive recruitment phase. This means ICW will follow the guidance of Tribal administration by minimizing contact with clients

and working from home whenever possible. If an emergency placement

resource needs to be certified to place a Siletz child, ICW staff will observe all

safety measures and work to certify that placement.

The default case plan for ICW-involved children is to work a return to

parent/parents or relatives. Guardianship with relatives is the preferred

concurrent plan in the event that circumstances make it impossible for the

children to return to their parents.

In all cases ICW staff makes every effort to identify and certify a relative

or Tribal placement that is culturally appropriate for every Siletz child who

enters foster care.

Since COVID-19 happened, ICW has been uniquely situated to provide

our services remotely. In many instances our cases occur outside of our

geographic and service area. Since that is the case, ICW was already prepared

to conduct our work remotely. ICW has been able to nearly seamlessly apply

those ongoing practices to our local work.

The one area that has been impacted is the foster home certification

process. Due to safety concerns, staff is only certifying homes in urgent or

emergency instances.

We are in the fifth and sixth years of our five-year grant for the Siletz

Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Program. We closed our fifth

year with consecutive successful years of 100% + grant objectives fulfilled.

STVRP has been fully staffed for the whole year, which shows that STVRP

has staff who are passionate and ambitious to help disabled Tribal members

excel in the work force. STVRP has developed working relationships with all

Oregon Tribes to help aid their Tribal members who reside in our service area

and cannot benefit from their TVR, while continuing to provide services to a

plethora of Tribal members from various locations.

STVRP provided services to 51 Tribal members this fiscal year. With 36

new IPEs (individualized plan for employment) to serve Tribal members and

15 continued IPEs from the previous year, STVRP has excelled with the grant

objective as outlined, per funding allocation, at 150%.

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.

Vocational Rehabilitation Highlights

STVRP is on the committees for WIOA (Workplace Innovation and

Opportunity Act) implementation in our 11-county service area, which

has fostered beneficial collaboration among state programs and STVRP.

• STVRP has developed state YTP (Youth Transition Program) services

for our Tribal youth age 16-21 at Siletz Valley School for transitional

services that are in tandem with STVRP and Oregon vocational

rehabilitation services.

•

STVRP has also met with staff and students

at Chemawa Indian School to provide those

same services and training.

• STVRP obtained an Advancing Disability Justice

Grant for $5,000 to help community disabled

and LGBQT get together and learn from each

other. We are going to focus on four different

virtual learning sessions for those who are

interested due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• STVRP staff has stepped up to help Programs

1 with providing essential services to Tribal

members in the 11-county service area during the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine,

and fire victims.

•

The Siletz Tribal Home Visiting

Program provides parenting and life skills for

successful and positive parenting. We serve Siletz

Tribal families that are either expecting or have

infants under the age of 12 months, continuing

through the child’s 3rd birthday.

We travel throughout the Tribe’s 11-county

service area. Our numbers were down a bit due to

the COVID-19 pandemic but as a team we worked

through many obstacles to serve our Tribal families in the best way we could. Due to the current

pandemic ,the Tribe has taken on many programs

to assist families in need.

Home Visiting has worked closely with other

Tribal programs to assist our families with all

the COVID-19 programs the Tribe has to offer. It

has worked closely with social service programs

in their county to find other local resources for

clients, including help with food, housing and

child care needs.

In January, 477/SSP put on a monthly training in each of the four Tribal offices. Chris Sherrod

and Kathy Kentta talked about the Healthy

Traditions program. They provided information

on foods and plants our ancestors hunted and

gathered and also talked about how the program

can support our Tribal members.

In February, 477/SSP invited Eli Grove to

come to each area office and do a presentation

on emergency preparedness. He talked a lot

about water supply, food supply, shelter, heat

and everything else you need to know if a natural

disaster would occur.

Due to COVID-19, we were not able to schedule

any formal activities like we normally do. We did

send clients fun activities like scavenger hunts

and other things they could do safely at home.

Home visiting staff provided care baskets to our

families participating in the program. Each bas-

ket contained diapers, wipes, laundry soap, fabric

softener, stain remover and trash bags.

In July/August, we partnered with the Coos

Tribe to offer a six-week online parenting workshop that was open to the community with

morning and evening sessions. Topics included

Traditional Native American Parenting in

Contemporary Times; Guiding Lessons in Story

Telling; Talking about the Pandemic to Children;

Home Self-Care, Routine and Harmony; Social

Media – Friend or Foe; and Learning from Mother

Nature – Our Teacher.

Home Visiting worked in collaboration with

the Education Program to create early learning

Tribal language children’s books. Our vision is to

create at least four different books to introduce

early readers to our Tribal language.

As a group, we have decided on the story lines

and plan to have Tribal members of all different

ages and skill levels volunteer to do the illustration. We decided to focus on one book at a time.

By the end of the year, we had received all the

drawings to complete the first book.

We put on a family engagement activity

for Siletz families who received a list of family

fun activities to complete. They took a photo of

each activity as they completed it and sent it in

as proof. We offered prizes and then decided to

create photo books and sent them to the families

who participated.

The 477/SSP coordinator worked with Head

Start of Lane County to get a Tribal-specific

classroom in one of their sites. We had an

advisory group and met once a month until

COVID hit hard, then we stayed connected via

conference calls.

Head Start of Lane County submitted its

2020 grant and it included the Tribal classroom. In August they hired teachers for the

classroom and children enrolled. The open

house was placed on hold and kids are doing

classes via Zoom, but we are excited to have a

Tribal classroom.

The Produce Plus program served 550

households throughout the year, totaling 1,699

people served.

•

Home Visiting Highlights

Four families successfully graduated the

program

Completed 196 home visits

Enrolled six new families

Three new babies born in the program

Served seven of our 11 counties

During 2020, Programs 1 departments and staff continued to work collaboratively on a number of projects, including coordinating the COVID Food

Distribution Program and the COVID Water Program. We also worked with

Community Health to distribute care packages to all Siletz Tribal elders. We

have combined with various other Tribal staff to conduct these activities.

All Programs 1 staff participated in a virtual team-building activity in

December 2020. While this was far different than the team activities we’ve

held in the past, it was the best attempt to gather us all for the purpose of

building connection and providing some training.

The Programs 1 Department remains fully staffed, with the exception of on-call elder transporters in Eugene and Siletz, the Vocational

Rehabilitation Program coordinator and the foster family coordinator. At

this time with COVID restrictions being set out further into the future, we

are currently not recruiting for any of these vacant positions. This will be

re-assessed and acted on when we begin our return to the workplace.

All Programs 1 staff are able to work remotely from their homes. The

Programs 1 workplace emphasis remains fully on serving clients in a timely

manner. Every program component that we can conduct continues at the

same service level as pre-COVID.

The Programs I manager is responsible for oversight of these social

service programs, which includes direct supervision of six supervisors and one

program clerk. The manager is a backup for directors in the 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 programs as needed.

Gladys Bolton and Craig Whitehead

“Disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic defined the year 2020

as school closures and office shutdowns forced a dramatic reorganization of

program operations. Through the uncertainty, staff sought to maintain a

sense of continuity for students and families by maintaining uninterrupted

services, resources and opportunities while cultivating virtual spaces where

Tribal students of all ages had the opportunity to build connections with

their peers, Tribal community and culture.” Nick Viles

Nonetheless, Program 2’s staff accomplished many things and continued to

provide many of the usual services, some with adaptations, but none in person.

In a normal year, Programs II provides the following services: Child Care,

Head Start, Culture, Education, Traditional Arts and Language, Pow-Wows,

Run to the Rogue, Culture Camp 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 Buddy Lane for Pow-Wow and Bev

Youngman for Education.

In 2020, Programs 2 staff continued excellent team development, collaboration and coordination on numerous projects, although the following

were suspended:

• 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

• Nesika Illahee Pow-Wow, a three-day event in August

• Run to the Rogue, a three-day event in early September

• Restoration Pow-Wow in November to celebrate the restored recognition

of the Tribe by the federal government

• Tribal Youth Education and Employment (TYEE) Program that provides

summer jobs and learning experiences

• Winter Solstice in December to celebrate the change of season

• Culture classes scheduled throughout the year

We continued with:

• Student Incentives, an award for graduating students in all levels

of education

• Higher Education, Adult Vocational Training, Adult Education, JOM and

Youth Fees funding

Kitti Kavanaugh cooking salmon at the

Nesika Illahee Pow-Wow

•

A workshop on higher education, as well as

ongoing information.

Child Care: Services are rendered from

the Tribal administrative offices and provided to

families who were employed for respite care or

participating in training or education activities.

Applications for the program are available at

each area office and at the front desk at the Tribal

admin building. Additionally, clients can request

to have an application mailed directly to them.

We maintain lists of providers who are

currently registered with us and provide these

names to families upon request. We also refer and

help families utilize the Child Care Resource and

Referral services in their area, and assist providers with meeting the State of Oregon’s child care

provider requirements.

At this time we have six providers certified

in Siletz; no providers in Salem; one provider in

Portland and one provider in Eugene.

We served 23 children throughout the

11-county service area – seven Siletz-area children, one Salem-area child, nine Portland-area

children, one Eugene area child and five children

at the Tenas Illahee Childcare Center.

Cultural Resources: Culture Director

Robert Kentta represents the Tribe on cultural

issues and participates in various work activities,

such as site protection, as well as in state, regional

and federal meetings by Zoom. All work was completed in 2020 within the parameters of COVID.

Robert is the cultural resources issues contact

person for the Tribe, such as Tribal laws and traditions, government policies, and applicable local,

state and federal laws (e.g., NAGPRA, etc.). He is

also responsible for implementing the Tribal

repatriation policy.

He reviews archaeological permits and

coordinates with other Tribal, state and federal

agencies to ensure protection whenever possible. Our ancestral lands cover all of Western

Oregon and we are responsible for any investigation of ground disturbance, legal or illegal.

Robert responds whenever a Tribal burial or

other culturally sensitive area has been disturbed and does reburials of skeletal remains or

cultural items found in burials.

Robert has expanded Tribal cultural and historical/archival collections with the assistance of

staff member Peter Hatch. Phase II of the culture

complex, which is the museum, is now under the

Siletz Tribal Arts and Heritage Society.

Education: “W hile the COVID-19 pandemic was still with us, we continued to adapt our

services to the membership. During the fourth

quarter we continued to deliver all youth activities

via virtual/digital format, but found more creative

ways to engage with our students and families.

All education services during the fourth quarter

were provided via telephone, Zoom and email. The

Education Department has become efficient at the

use of Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google docs and

approved Tribal social media formats to advertise

activities. We have been very successful at engaging with youth and students via these formats. We

also continue to get information to the membership via our local area office and larger Siletz

newsletters.” Alissa Lane-Keene

An education specialist is located in each

area office to provide services and resources for

supplemental education (JOM), adult education,

adult vocational training and higher education.

The specialists also assist students in the FAFSA

process and work with universities/colleges on

student financials.

They help organize and work during the

Youth Conference and Culture Camp. The education specialists also work and participate in Run

to the Rogue and both Tribal pow-wows; conduct

cultural presentations at area schools and organizations; sit on scholarship committees; and one

is the chairman of the Chemawa School Board.

Johnson O’Malley (JOM) activities are

included in supplemental education, such as

tutoring, providing school supplies and numerous

educational, recreational and cultural activi-

ties, as well as working with local schools, with the Title VI Indian Education

Association and with public schools in their area.

Number of Students Served through Education Program

Child Care

Head Start

109

Adult Education

Higher Education

156

Adult Vocational Training

Supplemental Education (JOM)

1,011

Tribal Youth Education and Employment (TYEE)

Head Start: Due to COVID-19, all classrooms closed mid-March 2020

and then offered virtual services.

We have an excellent Head Start program that prepares 3- and 4-yearolds for entering kindergarten.

An average of 109 children were enrolled in four programs located in

Siletz, Salem, Lincoln City and Portland. Average enrollment for 2020

was 74% American Indian children – 73% were Siletz Tribal children and

27% were other Native. Of the children enrolled, 12% met the criteria for

special needs.

The Policy Council of Head Start parents receives training and meets on

a monthly basis. Staff and parents also sponsor fundraising activities.

Language and Traditional Arts: Monthly Athabaskan

language classes in each area office were suspended mid-March due to

COVID. Bud Lane has developed language CDs and DVDs for home study for

Tribal members.

The Athabaskan Language Dictionary is available for Tribal members on

CD, a hard copy and on the Tribal website. Other components of the language

also are available on the Tribal 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. Level 2 Athabaskan is available to high school students who have

already taken level 1.

“All CDs, DVDs, sound files, our dictionary and lesson plans, songs and

other learning aids are all created by the Language Program. All materials are reproduced, copied or burned by the Language Program, with the

exception of the hard copy of the Language Dictionary, which will need to be

reprinted from time to time by professional printers. The Talking Dictionary

is completely recorded and I also continue to go through our own Tribal audio

archives and using a sound editing program, find and isolate words and

phrases into audio wave files from many different Siletz speakers. These files

will be integrated into the Talking Dictionary in place of my own language

recordings so we will have a good representation of many different Siletz

speakers in the dictionary. I am also working on a key to identify the individual speakers and their Tribal origins as much and as accurately as possible.

There are now 10,555 entries, 10,313 audio files and 203 images entries in

the Talking Dictionary. The Talking Dictionary is accessible on the Language

Project website.” Bud Lane

Bud retired from the Traditional Arts and Language program in August.

The position is now filled by Nick Viles.

Cultural Education and Events:

“The past year was one like none that I have

experienced. 2020 carried with it the COVID-19

pandemic and changes for all aspects of life, work

and community. Over the last year change was

the one constant. These changes made me look to

technology and outside-the-box thinking in my

position as the cultural education director. The

inability for us to gather eliminated the possibility for any of our traditional events to take place.

Our department responded by formulating a

plan to move aspects of our beloved events onto

a secure platform online where our membership

could participate safely from their homes. This

was a balancing act and careful consideration

was taken as to what elements would be shared

via this method. We looked to the past and took

direction from our ancestors who dealt with

pandemic in the 1920s. Many of the things we do

are steeped in tradition and this was anything

but a traditional year. This last year was a one of

learning and has shown me that we are capable

of acclimating and adjusting to meet any challenge.” Buddy Lane

COVID-19 pandemic: The pandemic

has changed the way we provide services to

our membership. During the year we continued to create digital events in the place of our

large in-person gatherings, like Culture Camp,

Nesika Illahee Pow-Wow, Run to the Rogue and

Restoration Celebration. We have utilized email,

G-drive, Google docs, YouTube and Vimeo to

provide services safely.

◊ Virtual Culture Camp: With COVID-19

preventing us from gathering, we developed Virtual Culture Camp, which started

July 14 and was accessible for two weeks.

Traditionally Culture Camp is only three

days, but we added the additional time for

participants to do all activities, lessons

and crafts.

◊ Nesika Illahee Pow-Wow Tribute: This was

an online event taking the place of our

beloved pow-wow. A coordinated effort was

made to produce slideshows and videos to

pay homage to all those who came before us

and helped contribute to making our event

so special. We assembled a collage of photos

from all eras of our celebration. One of our

Siletz drum groups provided its songs for us

to use. We also displayed pow-wow artwork

from past events. We created a past royalty

video with past royalty courts. This was also

temporarily displayed our Tribal website.

Tony Whitehead next to his mom, Betty Whitehead

◊ Digital Run to the Rogue: This was a digital event to take the place of

our traditional Run to the Rogue during the same dates in September.

We assembled information about the sites we pass on the run and

created maps of the route we run and historical markers along the way.

This allowed people to experience the run in very different way. Photos,

direct quotes, and village places and names helped breathe life into the

stories we are told about the places we pass every year on our trek to our

ancestral homelands.

Youth Services

◊ Non-School Day – Newport Cinemas “Onward”: This was our last

hands-on event before COVID-19. Newport Cinemas is always so easy to

work with and very helpful.

◊ 2020 Virtual Youth Conference: This was a very different Youth

Conference compared to our previous ones, but it was a great experience

with great turnout to match. The key speakers were amazing and kept

youth in tune to the activities. It was also great seeing all the youth over

the Zoom call and learning how everyone was doing.

◊ Tribal Youth Facebook Page: This established outreach to our youth

about upcoming activities and events, and also ensured safety for staff

and youth.

Past pow-wow photos of Tribal members

The Enrollment Department is under the Planning Department within the

Tribal organization. Enrollment staff consists of one full-time and one part-

time (20 hours) Enrollment officer. The half-time position was vacant from

September 2020 through the end of the year. The Planning clerk provides

backup to the Enrollment officer.

Enrollment staff operates under the Enrollment Ordinance as their

guide of policy and procedure. The Enrollment Ordinance and all Enrollment

forms can be found on the Tribal website.

It is important for Tribal members to keep their

contact information up to date with the Enrollment

Department. Not having an address on file with Enrollment causes items

such as Tribal publications, Tribal Court notices, per capita payments and

election information to not be received by the Tribal member.

The Address & Contact Information Update form can be found on the

Tribal website, requested via email from angelar@ctsi.nsn.us or requested to

receive one via mail by calling the Enrollment Department at 800-922-1399,

ext. 1258, or 541-444-8258.

The quarterly deadline for actions affecting the

Tribal membership roll is the first Friday in the months

of January, April, July and September each year. There is a

blackout period from Dec. 1 through Election Day on the first Saturday in

February the following year, where no new enrollment of adults or name

changes that would affect the voting process of the election are made.

Effective April 11, 2020, a DNA test is required for all

applicants, regardless if their Tribal parent is the mother and/or father,

with the Tribe paying for the cost of the first DNA test. See §2.309(e)(3)

beginning on page 14 of the Enrollment Ordinance for more information.

Once an application is submitted, Enrollment staff will work with the

applicant to schedule the DNA sample collection at a lab near their home.

The Enrollment officer reviews requests affecting the Tribal membership

roll – applications, name changes, blood quantum corrections, relinquishments and removals. The Enrollment officer is the staff representative for the

Enrollment Committee.

The Enrollment Committee meets on a monthly basis, generally the second Wednesday of each month, except during the blackout period. Requests

are reviewed by the Enrollment Committee in the months of February, May,

August and October.

The committee makes a recommendation to Tribal Council that is

publicly posted for 20 days in the area offices and on the Tribal member area

of the website. Tribal Council makes the final determination on all actions

affecting the Tribal membership roll. Their

determination is publicly posted in Siletz News,

in the area offices and on the member area of the

Tribal website.

The current Tribal membership roll is

updated after the quarterly actions by Tribal

Council and posted on the Tribal website under

the member area and Enrollment Posting tab. The

“Termination Roll” and “Restoration Roll” can

also be found there. Quarterly enrollment actions

by Tribal Council occur in the months of March,

June, September and November annually.

The Enrollment officer is responsible for

overseeing and administering the death benefit

program. The Siletz Tribe provides a death benefit

of up to $6,000 to cover funeral expenses for all

Tribal members, adults and children.

There is also a $1,000 benefit

if the Tribal member designates a

beneficiary. There are just over 1,500

Tribal members (27%) with no designated beneficiary on file. The Funeral

Assistance and Benefits policy as well as a

brochure can be found on the Tribal website under

the Enrollment section.

The Tribe also has caskets with a Tribal

Pendleton blanket liner provided at cost to Tribal

members that can be charged against their

funeral benefits. Caskets will be delivered within

the 11-county service area for a fee.

If a Tribal member is not sure if they have a

beneficiary on file or don’t know who it is, they

should update the form by printing it from the

Tribal website or contact Enrollment staff to have

a form mailed.

In July 2020, the Enrollment Department sent

out a survey packet for COVID-19 effects, general

socioeconomic information and a free space for

needs/input to be used for planning purposes,

with a 45.1% response rate from Tribal

households. The Planning Department intends

to send out an annual survey beginning in 2021.

In 2020, the Enrollment Department was

responsible for the physical preparation and mailing of the Tribal member distribution checks. One

Enrollment Committee member volunteered their

time to assist with preparing the mailing.

There were 4,047 Tribal members eligible

for a per capita check on July 1, 2020. Twentysix checks were not mailed that were “Missing

Moccasins.” Twenty-one checks were returned

by the post office as “undeliverable” and only

three were not able to be mailed back out by

Aug. 21, 2020.

To ensure that per capita checks

are mailed to the correct and current address, Tribal members should

update their address as soon as it

changes but no later than July 1 each

year. The Address & Contact Information Update

form can be found on the Tribal website and submitted via email, fax or mail.

When Tribal offices are open to the public,

Tribal ID cards can be obtained in four ways:

1. Contact the Portland, Salem or Eugene area

offices to schedule a time to go in to have your

photo taken and signature captured for the

Tribal ID card to be mailed to your current

address on file

2. Come to the Siletz Enrollment office. Calling

ahead to make sure the ID system is in the

office that day is a good idea but not required

to get your ID card issued in person

3. Attend one of the Tribal events that the Tribal

ID machine travels to, which will usually be

advertised in Siletz News, local newsletters

and/or a banner at the event

4. Complete the request form found on the

Tribal website and email a photo as the

instructions on the form require. This option

is always a possibility regardless of if the

offices are open to the public or not.

Enrollment staff are also responsible at minimum for the following direct services to all Siletz

Tribal members:

• Maintaining Tribal member contact information and enrollment files for Tribal

administration

• Issuing Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB) that

can be requested by phone or email

• Issuing Tribal IDs

• Researching Tribal family trees. Copies can be

provided to Tribal members by submitting a

request by email.

• Providing certification of Tribal member

enrollment to the Bureau of Indian Affairs

(BIA), U.S. Fish & Wildlife (for eagle feathers/

parts), American Indian Graduate Center,

Cobell Scholarship and other agencies as

requested by Tribal members

• Maintain and update Signature Verification

Form for Tribal elections in accordance with

the Election Ordinance

• Mailing and coordinating Tribal member

distribution checks

2015-2020 Statistics for Enrollment

Population

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

5,065 5,106 5,210 5,347 5,484 5,547

End of Year Population

Actions Affecting the Tribal Membership Roll approved by Tribal Council

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Deceased Removals

Loss of Membership

Relinquishment of Tribal Membership

Blood Quantum Corrections Approved

55 408 168 218

Name Change

Rejected Applications for Enrollment

New Tribal Members

108

76 128

189

176

Voter Registration Cards Updated

75 393

50 60

Direct Tribal Member Assistance

2015

Office Visits (walk-ins)

Outgoing Mail

Phone Calls

Address Changes

Family Tree

Certificate Indian Blood (CIB)

issued

Tribal ID issued

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

571

954

6,156

2,761

646

1,126

N/A*

2,025

485

2,069

4,762

1,573

479

1,214

2,976

1,465

590

3,987

3,881

1,574

1,183

4,318

1,112

207

717

449

516

316

737

1,073

875

903

985

464

Death Benefit Program Oversight & Administration

2015

2016

2017 2018 2019 2020

Beneficiary Form Updated

1,002

694

210

116

259

118

Caskets Sold

# of Tribal Members Benefits

Issued for

Program Expenses

$37,630 $213,856 $119,671 $157,883 $232,308 $226,876

*Phone system not able to track calls for the full year

To request information from the Enrollment Department, contact:

Telephone:

800-922-1399, ext. 1258, or 541-444-8258

Email: angelar@ctsi.nsn.us

Mail:

P.O. Box 549, Siletz, OR 97380-0549

Fax: 541-444-8296

STBC describes 2020 as the year filled with change, challenges and

accomplishments. A new commercial property manager came on board

in the beginning of March, the same time COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. Siletz Tribal offices were closed, the casino was closed, RV parks were

restricted and many of our tenants’ businesses were closed.

At this point, STBC took a proactive position and implemented a COVID

Rent Relief policy that allowed tenants to suspend payments for up to five

months. These payments were divided over several months and will be repaid

over time. Three tenants took advantage of this rent relief program. Because

of this policy, STBC was able to keep its existing tenants in place.

In addition to retaining its existing tenants, STBC executed seven new

leases with a total of 38,542 square feet and renewed four leases with a total

of 46,824 square feet, for a grand total of 85,366 square feet.

The occupancy rate of the commercial real estate properties managed

by STBC and Siletz Management, LLC (SMLLC) ended the fourth quarter of

2020 at 91%, up from 71%, the highest level since 2015.

STBC’s bottom line for 2020 shows lower expenses overall due to streamlined staffing and operations. STBC staff continues to monitor costs and

evaluate systems to improve its overall efficiency.

Personnel: STBC ended 2020 with a commercial property manager

and a loan administrator/office coordinator, and an open position for a commercial property specialist.

Financials: Overall, STBC had a positive net income in 2020,

mainly due to the addition of several new tenants and the increase in

monthly lease revenues.

Hee Hee Illahee RV Resort: Due to the state of Oregon’s COVIDmandated RV park closures and limited use restrictions, Hee Hee’s revenue

was lower than projected. When Oregon lifted its restrictions, however, Hee

Hee immediately began to see its occupancy rate improve and it ended 2020

with a positive revenue stream. Hee Hee ended 2020 up by 11%.

Logan Road RV Park: Unfortunately, not only did Logan Road RV

Park experience the same mandated RV park closures and restrictions as

Hee Hee, the closure of the Chinook Winds Casino also had a negative effect

on Logan Road’s occupancy rate. The park ended 2020 with lower revenue

then projected.

The STBC/SMLLC-managed properties generated an overall combined

profit for 2020 and reduced expenses.

Information Technology Services: STRCP upgraded its loan

processing software to Loan Servicing Soft. The new software streamlines

the data entered and cuts staff time in half. The new software is a one-entry

version vs. the old software that required three separate entries through

multiple providers.

In addition, STBC added a commercial real

estate software program that allows staff to

manage leasing, maintenance requests, vendors, tenant screening and more. These process

improvements are making our process as efficient

and effective as can be.

Properties: As mentioned above, STBC

executed seven new leases and renewed four

leases this year.

Also as mentioned above, the occupancy rate

of the commercial real estate properties managed by STBC and Siletz Management, LLC ended

the fourth quarter of 2020 at 91% (excludes the

Siletz-Yaquina Riverfront Industrial Property).

Deferred property maintenance

included:

• Replacing Harbor Freight’s roof

• Replacing new HVACs with state-of-the-art

filtration systems on all properties using

CARES Act money

• Installing touchless technology at all properties using CARES Act money

• Installing thermal imaging technology at all

STBC and Tribal offices managed by STBC

using CARES Act money

• Installing new upgraded energy-efficient

LED indoor and outdoor lighting at several

properties using Energy Trust of Oregon’s

Small Business Energy Savings Grant money

Depoe Bay Building: Suffered a revenue loss due to COVID-19 for both the apartment

and ground floor retail/restaurant space. In addition, the building experienced a fire in December.

According to the Depoe Bay fire marshal, the tenant accidentally started a fire in the second story

apartment. Most of the damage was contained to

the residence portion of the premises.

Siletz-Yaquina Riverfront

Industrial Property: Generated an increase

of revenue in 2020 compared to 2019 due to a

new tenant and an annual lease increase from

existing tenants.

STBC continues to work with Stantec, an

environmental consultant firm, to perform an

environmental site assessment and brownfield

remediation study on the properties utilizing the

EPA brownfield grant and STBC funds.

Salem Trust Property: Executed

three new leases and generated a profit for 2020

while retaining its existing tenants. STBC signed

a Native landscaper to perform monthly and

annual maintenance for 2020.

Salem Flex Building: Generated a

profit in 2020 primarily through cost control

management of expenses and no large capital

maintenance projects. The building remained

fully occupied throughout 2020 and is expected

to remain fully occupied and generate a profit

in 2021.

Siletz Gas & Mini-Mart: Generated

a profit in 2020. This property changed hands

and the building is currently undergoing a

complete remodel. The cost of the remodel is the

sole responsibility of the new tenant. In addition,

monthly revenue was also increased.

Lincoln Shores Building: Generated

a profit. It remained fully occupied throughout

2020 by Tribal entities and is projected to remain

fully occupied and generate a profit in 2021.

Logan Road Parking Lot: Generated

a profit in 2020. STBC executed a two-year lease

with FEMA for the families who lost their homes in

the Echo Mountain Complex fire in Lincoln County.

FEMA added infrastructure to the property at its

sole cost and the monthly lease payments were

increased by 33%.

STBC is performing property management of

the property for the Tribe.

Salem Development Properties

2.0: Revenue was down in 2020 due to tenant

improvement costs and the COVID-19 rent relief

program. Both these expenditures, however, will

generate a greater revenue flow in 2021.

STBC awarded the 2020 landscaping

contract to a Tribal member company and its

2021 focus is on cost control management of the

building and properties.

STBC executed three new leases at this

location in 2020.

STRCP: The Siletz Tribe Revolving Credit

Program (STRCP) worked to continuously

improve its operations and fulfill one of its

primary missions to assist Tribal members with

access to resources through a business, consumer

or home improvement loan.

STRCP finished the year issuing 25 consumer

loans and one business loan for a total of $110,680.

Twenty-nine loans were paid off in 2020, with only

three past due.

The STRCP board thoughtfully reviews

all loan applications and actively encourages

applicants to learn more about Tribal resources

available to them and outside of STRCP, and to

also gain business knowledge training should

they pursue a business loan. It looks forward to

continuing the betterment of the loan program

for the benefit of the Siletz Tribal membership.

Denise Garrett sashing the 1989-1990 Miss Siletz

An honor dance at the Nesika Illahee Pow-Wow

staying up to date on events and promotions at

the casino. In October we hosted a well-attended

Halloween party requiring the teamwork of

Marketing and Security to ensure an inviting

environment while continuing to enforce face

coverings and social distancing.

Our overall focus this year has been to engage

our guests and team members to feel calm and

secure in the state of uncertainty we are in and

offer them a place they can enjoy safely.

We had a strong kick-off to 2020 with King of the Cage, Super Party,

promotions and two strong headline entertainment events with Three Dog

Night and Dwight Yoakam. The Newport Seafood & Wine Festival was bigger

than ever and our momentum was strong heading into March ready for a

strong spring break.

As we all know, in March the global pandemic was looming and it was

clear tough decisions were coming our way. When we decided to shut down

the resort on March 17, we didn’t know exactly what was coming but we knew

we would make the best of what we were being handed.

During each closure due to COVID and the Echo Mountain Complex

fire, our team pulled together across departments and put our best foot

forward. The Security Team remained on site to secure the grounds as well

as various members from each department to continue sanitation, communication and meals.

Throughout the year we pivoted quickly to make decisions on events such

as our anniversary; Beach, Bacon and Brews; Surf City; and Celebration of

Honor as well as promotions and ticketed events. We successfully reopened

each time with positive feedback from our team members and guests, securing our position as a leader not only in our community, but in the Oregon

gaming industry as well.

Marketing: Helped implement a safe and fun place for guests to visit

on the Oregon Coast. Promotionally we brought new and exciting drawings

to the casino, including Behind the Mask, Chinook Stimulus and Pick Your

Poison, while maintaining our monthly slot tournaments. We also transitioned our Bearable Mondays to Ducking Mondays and our Money Honey

to Wednesday Hump Day to give our guests more variety of games on the

promotional kiosks.

Although we had to cancel some events, we successfully modified outdoor events like Surf City and Celebration of Honor as well as indoor events

like Comedy on the Coast and the popular Halloween party.

Our Marketing Team was challenged with providing promotions

with protocols that made our guests feel comfortable while keeping

them engaged.

We continued to maintain a strong signage presence regarding our

COVID precautions throughout the resort and continued to engage our social

media community in all the offerings at Chinook Winds. Our queuing system

as well as sanitation staff set us apart from all other casinos while we welcomed our guests and team members back to their favorite gaming venue.

We successfully launched the Chinook Winds mobile app that allows

our team to send immediate updates to our guests who choose to opt into

Media and Social Engagement:

The Public Relations Department garnered more

than $2.9 million dollars in earned media this

year, including regional and national coverage.

Consistent messaging and media interviews built

a partnership with multiple outlets such as KPTV,

KATU, KGW and local newsprint sources. Chinook

Winds became an information source not only

for Oregon casinos, but Lincoln County as well

regarding COVID and the Echo Mountain wildfire.

This was a challenging year for not just

social media but also for businesses and life. We

went from having the entire 25th Anniversary

year scheduled to embracing the new normal

of change. Because of this quick change in the

world and increased focus on the technologies

that bring us together, Chinook Winds was able to

flourish under unique circumstances.

We sent virtual postcards of the “People

Coast” to everyone stuck at home from the

Chinook Winds social media pages. We not only

sustained our online audience, we also were able

to grow and get to know our followers on a whole

new level. This truly shows in our top post from

the year as people genuinely cared as the casino

evacuated in September and celebrated when

we reopened to share why It’s Better at the Beach

inside and out!

Operations: We installed stadium-style

electronic table games and have 12 socially

distanced machines that offer Blackjack, Three

Card Poker, Roulette and Baccarat. We are the

first casino in Oregon to offer these games to our

guests. The electronic table games have allowed

us to offer more games to our guests while

keeping them safe and also reduced our overall

payroll costs.

In Slots we made the decision to reconfigure

several of our slot sections for social distancing

and created a new section in our convention center. This way, our players could still find machines

to play while staying safe.

The Bingo Department had a great year

despite COVID. Seven of the 12 months in 2020

were record months for Bingo. We will continue our

successes into 2021 by increasing our player base

through unique and fun events and promotions.

Our Sports Wagering Department had a

very successful Super Bowl, taking in more than

$400,000 in bets for the game.

Food and Beverage: This was an

unprecedented year for all areas of our Food &

Beverage Department. We welcomed in the New

Year with great excitement and anticipation of

another successful one. March, however, hastily

introduced us to the beginnings of what would

become our “new normal” and our adaptability

was quickly put to the test.

After the first closure, the buffet reopened as

a new food court-style venue and all other dining

outlets were thoroughly assessed and adapted to a

service model we felt we could safely operate under

the new restrictions. All areas incorporate social distancing for our guests while also allowing our team

members to feel safe while performing their duties.

Little did we know that the year held two

additional closures we would have to navigate

before it was over. Each closure presented additional challenges our team successfully overcame

by commitment, adaptability, creativity and

overall perseverance.

2020 may not have manifested the way we

originally imagined, but the end result was a positive one where our team felt our appreciation and

our guests are thankful for all the extra efforts we

made to bring them back to a safe environment

and allow them to continue to safely enjoy their

visits with us.

•

Project Team

Completed buffet remodel for salad bar

and desserts

New automatic doors for guest smoking room

New storefront doors and metal doors at

employee entry

New roof caps for AHU 7 and RF2

New electrical panels for lighting on

gaming floor

Installed new motor for deli hood

Installed 4 new smoke eaters on gaming floor

Completed suites building remodel

Installed new fire alarm system

Completed skybridge project

Installed new 6-ton HVAC unit for elevator room

•

Installed new Hardie plank siding on marketing/child care building

Fresh new paint above the escalator/atrium area

Completed painting on ocean-side rooms in buildings B,C and D

Golf and Hotel: The global pandemic was the story of 2020. In the

hotel, we closed and reopened with additional safety protocols in place for

employees and guests and had a respectable year. The main change in customer behavior was how long before a trip they would book their room.

The golf course saw closures during at least parts of four months (March,

April, September, December), but saw revenue for rounds and cart rentals

increase 10.7% vs. 2019. We reopened with safety protocols in place, but the

pandemic prevented the fitness center from operating most of the year.

The gift shop reopened with safety protocols in place and managed to

control inventory levels through the changing environment.

Human Resources: 2020 spared no department at Chinook Winds

a host of unforeseen challenges, including the Human Resources Department.

We have never handled the return of hundreds of employees to work at the

same time. We have had to work through all the uncharted waters of being

the biggest employer in Lincoln County during a national pandemic.

We have faced massive turnover. Before the pandemic, Chinook Winds

had 739 employees and we are now down about 100. The reduction in personnel continues to put a strain on the employee work experience.

With Covid-19, we have suspended what would usually be annual

employee events and in-person training. A lot of the traditional ways we

would engage with our teams have been taken away as options, so we need

to get creative.

We hope the worst is behind us as we learn to adapt to a world that might

never go back to what it was. We are revisiting processes to look for ways to be

safe but still create positive relationships with our fellow team members and

make their employment experience at Chinook Winds a great one.

Celebrating 25-year employees during a pandemic year –

Barbara John and Abe Martin

Chairman

Delores Pigsley

Vice Chairman

Alfred “Bud” Lane III

Secretary

Sharon Edenfield

Treasurer

Robert Kentta

Lillie Butler

Loraine Butler

Alfred “Bud” Lane III

Delores Pigsley

Enter your Tribal Enrollment number

and the last four digits of your Social

Security number. Visit the Tribal

Members Only area on the Tribal

website - ctsi.nsn.us - for enrollment

postings, Tribal resolutions, language

study materials, Nesika Illahee newsletter, Tribal member unclaimed

funds, ordinance review, Healthy

Traditions, Tribal Council minutes,

Paul Washington Cemetery details

and other information.

Reggie Butler Sr.

Sharon Edenfield

Angela Ramirez

Robert Kentta

Selene Rilatos

Siletz Rec Center

1010 W Buford

P.O. Box 549

Siletz, OR 97380

541-444-8209

Fax: 541-444-2307

Salem Area Office

3160 Blossom Drive NE, Suite 105

Salem, OR 97305

503-390-9494

Fax: 541-390-8099

Chinook Winds Casino Resort

1777 NW 44th St.

Lincoln City, OR 97367

541-996-5825 or 888-CHINOOK

Fax: 541-996-5852

chinookwindscasino.com

Siletz Community Health Clinic

200 Gwee-Shut Road

P.O. Box 320

Siletz, OR 97380

541-444-1030 or 800-648-0449

Fax: 541-444-1278

Logan Road RV Park

4800 NE Logan Road

Lincoln City, OR 97367

541-994-4261 or 877-LOGANRV

loganroadrvpark.com

Siletz Tribal Community Center

402 NE Government Hill Drive

P.O. Box 549

Siletz, OR 97380-0549

541-444-2532 or 800-922-1399

Fax: 541-444-2307

Hee Hee Illahee RV Resort

4751 Astoria St. NE

Salem, OR 97305-1106

503-463-6641 or 877-564-7295

heeheeillahee.com

Siletz Tribal Business Corporation

2120 NW 44th St., Suite D

Lincoln City, OR 97367

541-994-2142 or 877-564-7298

Fax: 541-994-5142

stbcorp.net

Siletz Tribal Gaming Commission

2120 NW 44th St., Suite A

Lincoln City, OR 97367

541-996-5497 or 800-789-5189

Fax: 541-996-5492

Administration Building

201 SE Swan Ave.

P.O. Box 549

Siletz, OR 97380-0549

541-444-2532 or 800-922-1399

Fax: 541-444-2307

Siletz Tribal Court

201 SE Swan Ave.

P.O. Box 549

Siletz, OR 97380-0549

541-444-2532 or 800-922-1399

Fax: 541-444-8270

Siletz Tribal Housing

Department

555 Tolowa Court

P.O. Box 549

Siletz, OR 97380

541-444-8322

Fax: 541-444-8313

Siletz Behavioral Health

200 Gwee-Shut Road

Siletz, OR 97380

541-444-8286 or 800-600-5599

Fax: 541-444-8280

Tenas Illahee Childcare Center

930 W Buford

Siletz, OR 97380

541-444-2450

Fax: 541-444-2456

Tillicum Fitness Center

1016 W Buford

P.O. Box 320

Siletz, OR 97380

541-444-9656

Fax: 541-444-1278

Portland Area Office

12790 SE Stark St., Suite 102

Portland, OR 97233

503-238-1512

Fax: 503-238-2436

Eugene Area Office

2468 W 11th Ave.

Eugene, OR 97402

541-484-4234

Fax: 541-484-4583

USDA Food Distribution Center

Siletz Warehouse

815 Logsden Road

P.O. Box 549

Siletz, OR 97380

541-444-8279 or 800-922-1399

Fax: 541-444-2307

USDA Food Distribution Center

Salem Warehouse

3160 Blossom Drive NE, Suite 185

Salem, OR 97305

503-391-5760

Fax: 503-391-4296

Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians

P.O. Box 549

Siletz, OR 97380-0549

Presorted

First-Class Mail

U.S. Postage Paid

Permit No. 178

Salem, OR

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.