Many Tribal lifeways and histories come together at Willamette Falls and the region to which it is connected. The inherency of Indigenous people to the lands they have long stewarded is protected by cultural connection, reserved Treaty rights, and sacred fishing and gathering at the Falls.

Inter-Tribal collaboration is leading the way for an unprecedented public access project that will welcome people from near and far to gather together, restore, and protect the natural wonder that is Willamette Falls.

Board Leadership

In Fall 2019 the Trust formally requested Tribal representation be appointed to the Willamette Falls Trust Board of Directors to provide leadership, guidance, and support to organizational development reflective of Indigenous cultural protocols and norms. The goal was to honor and elevate the Tribal nations that have stewarded this land since time immemorial.

Following installation onto the Board, the Tribal Leadership Committee (TLC) was created. At present, it is composed of representatives from the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon. As the project evolves, the TLC will expand and welcome interested Tribes with a historic connection to Willamette Falls, as well as organizations serving Tribal citizens locally, regionally, and nationally.

Tribal Leadership Committee

Willamette Falls Trust honors our member Tribes’ sovereignty, acknowledges their autonomy as independent nations, and shares decision-making power for better public service and a livable earth. This means including Indigenous voices. The closely held tenet of Inter-Tribal collaboration not only reconnects different Tribal Councils and their leaders, but actively creates a shared future in which Native youth can access traditional lifeways to heal the landscape.

Inter-Tribal leadership is leading a national movement

Willamette Falls Trust is forging a path forward and creating a model for how public spaces not only acknowledge and honor Tribes as stewards of the land for millennia but are led by multiple Tribes and their deep wisdom and perspectives. 

Our structures are grounded in culturally relevant practices. Tribal leadership, staff, and partners build our organizational values through a shared vision for a better future that heals the landscape and its many communities.

The Tribal Leadership Committee is an inclusive Inter-Tribal group for delegates from Tribal nations and Indigenous communities to come together and build a collective vision for Native leadership in shaping public access projects in the greater Willamette Falls area. 

Member Tribes Technical Staff

Annual Board Retreats

2021 Board Retreat | Hosted by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

2022 Board Retreat | Hosted by the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians

2023 Board Retreat | Hosted by the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation

2024 Board Retreat | Hosted by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon

 Indigenous Community Engagement 

While the work and governance to reclaim the Falls is being informed by Indigenous leadership at every critical moment in this public access project, holistic Indigenous community engagement is another important part of ensuring its design and programming serve community needs and priorities.