The Confederated Tribes lost federal recognition and land with the 1954 Western Oregon Termination Act
Up and down: The Siuslaw National Forest extends 630,000 acres from the Oregon Coast Range to Coos Bay. Highway 101 runs parallel along the west side of the forest and Pacific Ocean. Photo: Steven Sobieszczyk/USGS
By Kendra Chamberlain. September 22, 2026. In the Siuslaw National Forest, along the Yamhill-Tillamook county line, 18,000 acres of mountainous, temperate forestland sit near the boundaries of the Grand Ronde Reservation.
Last week, Ore. Sen. Jeff Merkley introduced a bill that would move ownership of this federal forestland to the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde…