Oregon Governor Greenlights $45 Million Willamette Falls Project Despite Tribal Opposition

After the Willamette Falls Trust leaders persuaded Oregon Governor Tina Kotek that they would use the funds effectively, the governor indicated yesterday that she won’t veto the $45 million award to the trust for a project to expand public access at the iconic waterfall, despite the intense intertribal conflict around the site.

Willamette Falls Trust Project To Go Ahead

Lawmakers included an award to the Willamette Falls Trust, a nonprofit led by former Gov. Kate Brown that has among its members four tribes with ancestral ties to the falls, in the final days of this year’s legislative session.

The award will help the nonprofit purchase dozens of acres of land near Willamette Falls.

The site has been hotly debated. The Grand Ronde Tribe, which is not a member of the Willamette Falls Trust but also has ancestral connections to the waterfall, argued that Kotek should not give money to the nonprofit.

In a June letter to Kotek, the Grand Ronde Tribe chairwoman said the nonprofit’s plan is “misguided” and that its members were excluded from the development plans.

The Willamette Falls Trust denied the claims and asserted that the tribe had long been offered opportunities for engagement.

Last week, Kotek said she was considering vetoing the award and invited the nonprofit to demonstrate that it had effectively used previous funds and had a sound plan to spend the new $45 million award.

In responses, the nonprofit pledged to work rapidly to develop the site once purchased and give the governor’s office regular updates on its progress. It is also committed to repairing its relationship with the Grand Ronde Tribe.

Kotek then announced yesterday that she will not veto the $45M Willamette Trust award.