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March 14, 2025
SALEM, Ore.—The Fish and Wildlife Commission today rescinded a 1980 Agreement between ODFW and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, the last remaining step to remove the restriction on the Siletz Tribe’s hunting and fishing rights. Their action was in keeping with U.S. Congress and a federal court’s vacating of the Siletz Tribe Consent Decree and complies with federal Public Law 118-33 (enrolled H.R. 2839 of the 118th Congress).
The 1980 Agreement was enforced by a federal consent decree and gave the Siletz Tribe and its members very few hunting, fishing, trapping, or gathering rights in exchange for the creation of the Siletz Reservation. Oregon has since acknowledged that the 1980 Agreement was a product of its time and represents a biased and distorted position on tribal sovereignty. Today’s action also advances cooperative fish and wildlife management efforts by recognizing the voluntary 2023 Memorandum of Agreement between the State and Tribe as the prevailing framework guiding the relationship between the Siletz Tribe and ODFW.
“Today’s action rights a historic wrong and continues to advance our cooperation with the Siletz Tribe towards our shared goal of healthy fish and wildlife populations,” said ODFW Director Debbie Colbert.
In other business, the Commission:
- Approved a list of non-land-owning state agencies that can play a role in Southern Resident Orca conservation. The Commission listed the Southern Resident orca as endangered under the Oregon Endangered Species Act (OESA) in February 2024. While an OESA listing primarily affects management decisions made on state-owned, managed, or leased lands, OESA also recognizes the important role that agencies other than state land-owning or managing agencies have in the conservation of an endangered species. The agencies identified as playing a role include the Oregon State Marine Board, Department of Environmental Quality, and others.
- Approved 17 grants to fund selected projects recommended by the Advisory Committee for the Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund (OCRF), a public-private partnership that supports projects to implement Oregon’s State Wildlife Action Plan (the Oregon Conservation Strategy) and connect people with the outdoors. Funded projects include an Oregon State University project monitoring at-risk amphibians in floodplain systems and a river access project led by Adventures Without Limits.
- Approved funding for two Access & Habitat projects that will keep nearly 2 million acres of private land open to public hunting access by continuing to fund increased OSP enforcement.
The next Commission meeting is April 17-18 in Winchester Bay.
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