Page 12 - Chehalis Tribal Newsletter - March, 2018

CHEHALIS TRIBAL NEWSLETTER

The Confederated Tribes NEWSLETTER STAFF
of the Chehalis Reservation, Frazier Myer, Fred Shortman,
‘People of the Sands’ Audra J. Hill and the
Information Technology Team
Articles and opinions expressed
are not necessarily those of this TRIBAL CENTER
publication or the Chehalis Tribal
Business Committee. Main line: 360-273-5911
Address: 420 Howanut Road
SUBMISSIONS Oakville, WA 98568

We encourage tribal members to Office: 360-709-1726 BUSINESS COMMITTEE chehalistribe.org
submit letters, articles, photos Fax: 360-273-5914
and drawings to be considered for Harry Pickernell Sr. Chairman © copyright 2019
publication (subject to editing). VISION STATEMENT Jessie Goddard: The Chehalis Tribal
Contributing writers, artists and To be a thriving, self- Vice Chairman Newsletter is a
photographers include Chehalis sufficient, sovereign Sheilah Bray: Treasurer publication of the
tribal community members and people, honoring our past David Burnett: Secretary Confederated Tribes
staff. Submission deadline is and serving current and Leroy Boyd Sr.: of the Chehalis
the first of each month. future generations. Fifth Council Member Reservation

12

THE PROCESS
Steps to proclaim reservation
trust land:
Locate property for sale
Complete sale for “fee”
ownership
Survey land/approval
of survey by Bureau of
Land Management
Business Committee
passes resolution to
apply to for “trust”
Fee to trust application
End of the Trail 4 team members await customers to the business during its grand opening in January. The written/submitted to
gas station is part of a booming new business area named Station 88 in Grand Mound. It took years for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
land to be officially proclaimed as reservation trust. BIA notifies county and
governor
Land in trust opens up more
FUTURE opportunities for tribal housing land in Grand Mound where the County/governor have
End of the Trail 4 gas station
From page 1 and economic development opened in January. The process 30 days to respond
BIA director makes
in the separation of tribal land. through new businesses. to officially proclaim land as decision, informs tribe
Territory was removed out of Tax purposes also play a reservation trust took years. Environmental analysis
communal ownership and sold key role for the operations of To place land into trust, the ordered and complete
to individual Native Americans. Chehalis Tribal Enterprises. following steps must be taken:
Sections of the land sold to And, individual tribal members n Environmental assessments Deed authorized by
non-natives, which is evident receive property tax exemptions carried out Chairman and returned
even during current times if they own a home on trust n Check for archaeological to BIA. 30-day period.
when looking at maps of tribal land. sites on the acquired land If no appeals, BIA sends
territory. Crowell used the term Crowell has worked with the n Multiple surveys conducted signed deed to tribe to
“checker-boarding” to describe Chehalis Tribe since 2014. She and approved record at the county
this scattered ownership of the explained that the process of n Tribal resolutions passed Letter goes out
land. getting territory into reservation n Letters approved by various to county and governor
trust land can be lengthy. parties
Fee to trust A common misunderstanding The Chehalis tribal Business announcing decision
In addition to preserving about acquiring land (or fee) Committee, BIA, the county, Letter goes to BIA
regional officer for
the heritage of Chehalis tribal and then moving it from fee to governor and tribal DNR are final opinion. Deed
ancestral lands, putting land in trust is the time, diligence and all components in reaching the recorded, allotment
trust protects natural resources attention to detail required to final steps of recording the land number assigned
such as timber, water quality and make everything official. deed and receiving an assigned
fisheries. A recent example is the tribal allotment number.