WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2021 | SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM
PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
Forest Service taking applications
Federal agency hiring
more than 1,000
people across Oregon
and Washington
Eddy Binford-Ross Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
The United States Forest Service will
be hiring more than 1,000 seasonal posi-
tions across Oregon and Washington for
the coming spring and summer.
The federal agency will be accepting
applications from Nov. 5 to Nov. 12. Jobs
are available across a wide variety of
fields, including fire, recreation and ar-
cheology.
“We’re looking for talented, diverse
applicants to help us manage over 24
million acres of public land in the Pacific
Northwest,” said Glenn Casamassa, Pa-
cific Northwest Regional Forester. “If
you’re interested in stewarding our na-
tional forests and serving local commu-
nities, I encourage you to apply.”
The positions include a multitude of
jobs, including Forestry Technician po-
sitions across Oregon in Bend, Eugene,
Grants Pass, Portland and the Ochoco
National Forest. The jobs typically last 3
to 6 months.
Applications must be submitted on
www.USAJOBS.gov by Nov. 12. Howev-
er, the agency recommends that those
interested should create a profile on the
site as soon as possible, to save time
during the application process.
See AGENCY, Page 4A
Fire crews dig a fire line around the Bull Complex Fires in hopes of slowing the
growth of the blazes in the future. PROVIDED BY U.S. FOREST SERVICE
‘Concerns
brought to
our office’
Senators call for Chemawa
Indian School financial records,
academic achievement
Natalie Pate
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
One of the light displays at the 2020 Silverton Christmas Market immersive pathway. More than a million
lights will be on display at the event this year. PRIVIDED BY SILVERTON CHRISTMAS MARKET
Silverton Christmas Market links
German traditions and holiday magic
Geoff Parks
Special to Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
A new mural will join the spectacle of a million
lights, snowless tubing and an authentic German mar-
ket for those seeking immersion into the Christmas
spirit at the upcoming Silverton Christmas Market.
The Oregon Garden Resort’s annual Christmas
event last year was called Lights at the Garden Resort
and, prior to that, Christmas in the Garden. The event
was moved to the resort grounds for several reasons,
including financial and ownership changes between
the two entities.
“Last winter, we moved our event to keep it more
contained due to Covid-19,” Brooke Dickenson, public
events manager, said. “We’re excited to continue with
that layout. The display is incredibly immersive, inti-
mate and magical.”
The lighted pathway has changed from a ramble
through the Oregon Garden’s Rediscovery Forest to a
See MARKET, Page 4A
Karalyn Demarest, with Moonstone Hotel Properties,
owners of the Oregon Garden Resort, poses with a
new mural at the entrance to this year's Silverton
Christmas Market. GEOFF PARKS, SPECIAL FOR THE
U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley
want answers to questions they asked six years
ago about Chemawa Indian School that haven’t
been answered.
The Oregon senators submitted a letter to the
Inspector General for the U.S. Interior Depart-
ment asking for information regarding Chema-
wa’s accounting practices and student achieve-
ment.
Specifically, they want to know details such as,
“Has BIE identified Chemawa as a high-risk
school that requires additional BIE monitoring?”
and “For each fiscal year from 2018 to 2021, to
what extent has BIE audited the Chemawa
school’s annual budget or conducted quarterly fi-
nancial reviews?”
They also want the federal office to update its
2015 review of the school’s policies to determine
whether progress has been made to increase stu-
dents’ academic achievement, according to a re-
cent news release.
In the letter, the senators ask, “Does Chemawa
currently have a functioning school board?” and
“What is its composition and what role does it
play in conducting financial oversight of the
school’s administration?”
The letter was submitted a day after the States-
man Journal printed an in-depth look at Chema-
wa’s history and role in a federal burial investiga-
tion.
When asked why the senators submitted the
letter now, Hank Stern in Wyden’s office said,
“Because of concerns brought to our office.”
The Statesman reached out to the school in Sa-
lem and BIE leadership but did not receive a re-
sponse in time for publication.
Six years waiting
STATESMAN JOURNAL
Reopening of Silverton Road
delayed for bridge project
The Office of Inspector General released two
reports in July 2015 on academic achievement
and violence prevention policies at Chemawa, ac-
cording to Wyden and Merkley’s account.
At the time, the reports concluded the school
“was not properly assessing the academic needs
of its students,” and was “unable to effectively
prioritize its resources to ensure the successful
See CHEMAWA, Page 4A
Bill Poehler
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
A main route between Silverton and Salem will
continue to be closed through the end of January for
a reconstruction of Silverton Road Bridge.
Officials said utility and other unforeseen delays
have pushed out the reopening of Silverton Road NE
east of Cordon Road NE until Jan. 31. The project was
scheduled to wrap up by late November.
Traffic will continue to be detoured between Cor-
don Road and Howell Prairie Road via Hazelgreen
See PROJECT, Page 4A
Crews work on a bridge replacement project on
Silverton Road over the Little Pudding River in
June. The bridge is now expected to reopen in late
January. ABIGAIL DOLLINS / STATESMAN JOURNAL FILE
Vol. 140, No. 46
Online at SilvertonAppeal.com
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QEAJAB-07403y
Outside a dorm at Chemawa Indian School as
photographed in October 2019, after a federal gag
order was lifted around the school in the wake of
several Congressional hearings.
STATESMAN JOURNAL FILE