Land, Resources, and Environmental Services Department (LRES).

LRES' mission is to oversee Coquille lands, the resources on these lands and the Tribe's aboriginal and cultural heritage. LRES strives to ensure these resources are the best managed, and best protected, in the nation and done so in a sustainable, balanced manner that reflects the cultural and economic priorities of the Coquille Indian Tribe.

Mission: Oversee Coquille lands, the resources on these lands, and the Tribe's aboriginal and cultural heritage, ensuring they are the best managed, and best protected, in the nation, in a sustainable, balanced manner that reflects the cultural and economic priorities of the Coquille people.

The Coquille Indian Tribe's LRES department was formed in 2006 under the direction of the Tribe's governing body. Under this direction, LRES is charged with meeting the following goals:

• Promoting and restoring forest and watershed health and the multiple values the Tribe recognizes in these resources including cultural, economic, recreational, fish and wildlife, etc.
• Managing Coquille forest lands as a long-term, sustainable source of revenue for the Tribe.
• Develop a connectivity between the Coquille people and their lands.

Department Structure

Four programs operate under the LRES department:

• Forestry Program Services.
• Biological and Environmental Services.
• Cultural Resources Program Services.
• Activities and Events Program.

This page is under construction and the individual program web pages are being developed. The Biological and Environmental Services Program page is available. Summaries of LRES' other programs work is available below.

Forestry Program

The Forestry program manages a variety of activities related to management of Coquille forest lands including the Coquille Forest, the Tribe's 1100 acre Empire Reservation, and other lands owned by the Tribe. The Coquille Forest Act was enacted by Congress on September 30, 1996, allowing the Coquille Indian Tribe the opportunity for stewardship of a small portion of ancestral homelands. The Forest was taken into trust for the Tribe by the U.S. government on September 30, 1998. The Coquille Forest represents a reclaimed heritage. For future generations, the Forest begins a legacy of dedication to renewal of cultural traditions and self-determination. The Coquille Forest is comprised of 14 separate parcels of former BLM timberlands in eastern Coos County, totaling 5,410 acres.

The Forestry program prepares timber units for sale. This work includes working with other LRES programs to complete necessary field work and biological surveys and assuring harvest levels in these units comply the sustainable cutting level established in the Tribe's Coquille Forest Resource Management Plan.

The program also manages a variety of silvicultural projects including re-forestation of harvested timber units, pre-commercial and commercial thinning and site preparation.

Minor Forest Product permits are also managed by the Forestry program. Personal use fire-wood permits are available to Coquille Tribal Members free of charge. Fee Permits are also issued for the sale of fire-wood and are available any individual.

Cultural Services

The Cultural Services Program provides services to many of the Tribe's departments and programs including, but not limited to, CEDCO, Education, the Community Health Center and fellow LRES programs. In addition, Cultural Services provides work and educational outreach to many members of the local community including local governments and school districts. Below is a summary of some of this work activity.

• Native Technology Workshops: The Cultural Services Program hosts a workshop every third Saturday as a way for Tribal Members and others to learn traditional skills and knowledge. These workshops are open to members of the Coquille community and invited guests.
• Kilkich Youth Corps: The Youth Corps program recruits young Tribal Members and involves them in a variety of organized and supervised activities aimed at accomplishing academic success, attain cultural and environmental education, and learning basic job skills.
• "Kids to Museum": A collaboration between the Cultural Services Program, the Coos Historical and Maritime Museum and several Coos County School District Indian Education Programs, Kids to Museum provides cultural education to all Coos County 4th Graders.
• Government to Government training: Cultural Services conducts and/or participates with many State agencies including ODOT, Oregon Department of Forestry, South Slough Estuarine Research Reserve and DEQ. Trainings are conducted with several Federal agencies including USFWS-Bandon Marsh and non-governmental organizations including Shoreline Education Awareness, Coos Garden Club and the Langlois Public Library.
• Contract Archaeology: Cultural Services provides contract archaeological services to government agencies at various locations in southwest Oregon.

Activities and Events Program

This program plans and coordinates many different Coquille events and assists other departments with the planning of their events. This program also coordinates with outside entities for events hosted, or co-hosted by the Coquille Indian Tribe. Some of the recent events either coordinated by this program or receiving assistance are:

• Annual Mid-Winter Gathering
• Coquille Indian Tribe Restoration Celebration and Salmon Bake
• Kids in the Woods Forestry Education Day
• Heart of the American Indian Women's Conference
• Family Camp
• Men's Retreat
• Fishing Derby
• Peacegiving Court Circle Workshop
• Oregon Coast Music Association event
• Hunter Education
• Coquille Women's Retreat
• Breast Cancer Awareness Workshop
• Greeting Card Classes
• Traditional Beading Project