Kern County Water Agency
North Kern Water Storage District
Friant Water Users Authority
San Joaquin Valley Agriculture Industry

CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE GRAND RONDE OF OREGON:
NEA Selected by the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde to Consult on Social and Economic Assessment Project

"One of our key objectives was to create a people-oriented project rather than a report that would sit on the shelf. NEA worked closely with tribal members and employees and displayed care and sensitivity to tribal cultural concerns to ensure that this happened. As a result, the Social and Economic Assessment project and survey data have been useful to people from all departments in identifying and quantifying community needs. The team appreciated the flexibility of NEA staff and the high-quality, professional product they provided to the CTGR. We look forward to further work with NEA."

Perri McDaniel, Cultural Resource Protection Specialist and Member of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde

Project Highlights
The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon (CTGR) identified the need for a social and economic assessment (SEA) of the several communities within which they operate. The assessment was necessary to identify the needs and wants of both the tribal membership and the local non-tribal community, and to establish baseline data allowing the CTGR to measure progress over time. In addition, the CTGR also planned to use the assessment to raise community awareness about common issues, trends, and public opinions regarding the CTGR’s direction and planning process.

NEA worked with the CTGR in all phases of the project, from conceptualization through analysis and reporting. Dual objectives were established: (1) development of baseline data describing the status of the communities, and (2) initiation of an ongoing assessment process that would continue to engage community members in the future. NEA conducted personal interviews with over members and employees of the CTGR, and used the results to draft a survey instrument for all tribal members. After the survey was thoroughly reviewed and pre-tested, it was mailed to more than 2,300 community members. Data were tabulated and analyzed, and NEA distributed the results to tribal members through public meetings and newspaper articles. In addition, a report was prepared summarizing key findings. These results established the baseline against which future assessments will be compared.

To complement the collection of baseline data, NEA also prepared a separate regional economic profile of the communities within which the CTGR operate. The profile incorporated an input-output model to analyze the interactions between economic sectors within the local counties. Specific recommendations for economic sectors that might warrant further development were made.

Initiating a process of continual assessment required a commitment to ongoing project involvement. To accomplish this goal, NEA worked with managers from all tribal divisions to design a shared information network that serves as an electronic repository for data from all divisions, including the data from the SEA project. In addition to the network, NEA is currently working with the CTGR to establish a set of community indicators and to conduct a system of regular project monitoring and evaluation.

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