Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2013)
Siletz Tribal members may qualify for free training in renewable energy Are you interested in learning more about renewable energy and perhaps a career in installing solar panels, solar hot water or wind turbines? Have we got a deal for you! The Siletz Tribal Energy Program (STEP) has received a First Steps grant from the Department of Energy. Part of the money from this grant will be used to pay to educate Tribal members on how to install and maintain solar panels, solar hot water heaters and wind turbines. Training will be held this spring and it may be held in Siletz. Training will be provided by a leader in renewable energy education. You must provide the time; we can pay for the training costs for you to attend the class. If you are interested, you may have to compete for a spot. We will have a scholarship application ready soon. Contact Marleen Wynn at marleenw@ ctsi.nsn.us or call her toll free at 800-922- 1399, ext. 1271, to express your interest and get on our mailing list. You do not need to be a Tribal employee; you do not need to live in Oregon. You just have to be a Siletz Tribal member and let us know you are interested. If you contacted us previously, please call again to confirm your interest. We hope to hear from you soon. Don’t delay! New solar panels at recreation center should help reduce electricity costs Have you seen the new carport in front of the recreation center in Siletz? If not, check it out. You may be surprised by what you see on the roof. The Siletz Tribal Energy Program (STEP), with funding from the Environ- mental Protection Agency, had the car- port constructed during the last week of March and first of April. Benton Electric of Albany, Ore., and its subcontractors completed the construction. The solar panels were purchased from SolarWorld, an Oregon-based company. The carport is 80 feet long and 22 feet wide. It is outfitted with 78 solar panels that can produce about 20 kW of electric- ity and are predicted to last for 20 years. The panels will be tied into the elec- trical grid managed by Central Lincoln PUD. Any power produced goes to the recreation center, but then if it’s not used by the center, it’s used by someone else in the PUD system. This is different from a system where the solar power generated is stored in batteries and only used by the systems attached to the batteries. For example, the solar street lights on Molalla Court in Siletz are not tied to the grid. They are attached to their own batteries and either work or not depending on what power they gather from the sun and what is stored in the batteries. The electricity produced by the solar panels on the recreation center will offset up to one-third of the heating and cooling bill. The bill has averaged $300 per month over the past two years. With the savings from the solar electric, we can reduce the cost by $100 per month and save the Tribe $1,200 per year. We also will reduce 5 tons of CO 2 emissions. This is equivalent to planting 130 tree seedlings and growing them for 10 years. Stay tuned for more solar to come. We will install panels on the roof of the Tillicum Fitness Center next. Monitoring equipment will be available so you can watch the production of solar as it hap- pens from the comfort of your computer at home. For more information, contact STEP toll free at 800-922-1399, ext. 1271 or 1300, or e-mail step@ctsi.nsn.us. Search for Siletz Tribal Energy Program on Facebook and “like” us for even more information and photos. Photo by Natasha Kavanaugh New solar panels at the Siletz Recreation Center should help the Tribe save $1,200 each year in electricity costs for this building. Solar Carport at a Glance Size of carport 80 x 22 feet Number of panels 78 Peak power 19.89 kW Savings in electricity per month $100 Savings over life of panels $24,000 Get ready to help out at first of three elders woodcuts set for this year The Tribal Natural Resources Com- mittee and Natural Resources Department will sponsor the first Cut Wood for the Elders Day of the year on May 18. The woodcut will be held at the log yard at the Tribe’s Toledo Mill property off Sturdevant Road in Toledo. Enter at the log yard entrance (go straight all the way to the end of Sturdevant Road, through the chain-link fence gate and down the hill to the railroad tracks and the wood cutting area). We need lots of volunteers to help cut, split and deliver firewood for Tribal Elders. Bring your chainsaws, hydraulic wood splitters, splitting mauls, axes and lots of energy. Lunch, drinks and snacks will be provided. We will meet at the Tribal adminis- tration building in Siletz at 8 a.m. and caravan to the cutting site. For anyone wishing to come later, directions to the cutting site will be posted on the front door of the building. The goal of this event is to deliver fire- wood to as many Elders as possible. The Elders Program maintains a list of Elders who burn wood for their winter heat. People willing to haul firewood to Elders outside of the Siletz area should contact the Elders Program clerk at 800-922-1399, ext. 1261, or 541-444-8261 to be paired up with an Elder in need. We especially need folks who can haul wood to the Eugene, Salem and Portland areas. Elders in need of firewood also should contact the Elders Program clerk to get their name on the delivery list. If you have parents or grandparents who burn wood in the winter to stay warm, you need to help out at this event. Come help replenish those wood piles after a long winter. Additional woodcuts are scheduled for July 20 and Sept. 14, so mark your calendars now. General Council Meeting May4,2013•1p.m. Siletz Tribal Community Center budl@ctsi.nsn.us. Just a reminder – basket materials must be gathered in a timely fashion. Here is a general breakdown of gath- ering times for different materials: Call to Order Invocation Flag Salute Roll Call Approval of Agenda Approval of Minutes Time to gather materials for baskets Spring is almost here and very soon hazel sticks will be ready to pick and peel. Hazel stick gathering is a must for anyone interested in making traditional Siletz baskets. Spruce root can be dug all year round and is used for the weavers or weft of Siletz baskets. Bear grass and maidenhair fern are used for overlay to make our traditional designs or marks in our baskets and both are picked in late summer. Tribal members interested in gather- ing can call Bud Lane at 800-922-1399, ext. 1320, or 541-444-8320, or e-mail Siletz, Oregon Programs: July Fir sticks, spruce roots, bear grass, maidenhair fern Update on Clamming Issue Elders Program Enrollment August May Hazel, willow and fir sticks; spruce roots Fir sticks, spruce roots, bear grass, maidenhair fern, hazel sticks (limited), willow sticks June September Hazel, willow and fir sticks (until mid-June); spruce roots Bear grass, maidenhair fern, wood- wardia fern, spruce roots Tribal Members’ Concerns Chairman’s Report Announcements Adjourn May 2013 • SiletzNews • 3
