The Bureau of I ndian Affairs’ ( BI A) Office of I ndian Energy and Econom ic
Developm ent ( I EED) , Division of Energy and Mineral Developm ent ( DEMD)
has part nered wit h AI SES t o present t he Energy Challenge ( EC) for
Am erican I ndian/ Alaskan Nat ive yout h in grades 9- 12. The EC is an energy-
specific science fair designed t o engage and encourage high school st udent s
t o part icipat e in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mat hem at ics ( STEM)
educat ion t hrough a creat ive, hands- on, problem solving and engineering
process in an environm ent sim ilar t o a science fair. High school st udent s
m ay com pet e as individuals, or as t eam s consist ing of up t o 3 st udent s. All
st udent s/ t eam s m ust have an adult sponsor. The sponsor can be eit her a
parent , t eacher, or m ent or.
The EC occurs in t wo phases:
Pha se 1 : Re se a r ch a nd D e sign ( now – Ja nua r y 3 1 , 2 0 1 7 )
1. I dent ify an energy- relat ed problem t hat direct ly affect s t he individual, t eam , or t heir com m unit y.
2. Assess t he problem and ident ify possible solut ions.
3. Research and develop a dem onst rable solut ion.
4. Present a solut ion, wit h a budget of up t o $2000, t o build and im plem ent t heir solut ion.
The t op 5 w in ning st ude nt s/ t e a m s fr om Pha se 1 m ove ont o t o Pha se 2 . They also will be awarded
t ravel scholarships t o at t end an Am erican I ndian yout h conference in t he Spring.
Pha se 2 Build a nd I m ple m e nt ( Fe br ua r y 2 0 , 2 0 1 7 – M a y 3 1 , 2 0 1 7 )
1. I f select ed, build proj ect / dem onst rat ion prot ot ype, wit h a budget not t o exceed $2,000.
2. Com m unicat e experience in building and solut ion im plem ent at ion process.
3. Present solut ion result s.
Of t he Phase 2 t eam s, a Grand Prize winner will be select ed t o t ravel t o Washingt on, D.C., where t he
st udent ( s) will present t he final design and result s!
To the editor:
In hope that you had a joyous and safe holiday season and are set for the adventures
and challenges of a new year, I write not just to extend best wishes, but to draw your
attention to our Tribal Council elections, which are just a month away.
I am asking to serve another term on our Tribal Council and would be honored to
be considered as one of your votes. It has been a privilege to serve you and our Tribal
interests, for the betterment of all, for the past 12 years. I am proud of my voting record,
participation level and advocacy successes over that time period.
My near 25 years of working for our Tribe has given me a solid background in
Tribal programs knowledge; federal Indian policy; the complicated history regarding
our treaties, reservation establishment and losses; hunting, fishing and gathering rights;
and increased understanding of Tribal members’ needs and unmet needs of our Tribe
and the membership.
By the time this issue of Siletz News reaches you, President Obama will have signed
S. 817 into law – making it much easier for us to take original Siletz Reservation lands
back into trust and recognizing our original 1855 reservation boundary for that purpose.
On Nov. 6, the House passed the version that had already passed the Senate, thereby
sending it directly to the president for signature. It’s a huge step in streamlining our
ability to re-acquire land for housing, economic development, building up our timber
and other resource base within our original reservation lands, etc.
I am proud to have been part of the lobbying team who argued the merits of this
legislation. Over three Congresses, we had to educate congressional staffers as to
why the opposition by neighboring Tribes was not based on any valid legal argument
and that our legislation actually treats us equally to other Tribes and their respective
historic reservations.
I believe that our honesty, integrity and sensible presentation of historical facts/legal
justification have always been appreciated by federal, state and local government entities
and definitely helped us reach the results on our legislation. I very much appreciate
being an elected member of a respected Tribal government.
Many more important issues remain to continue work on, including economic
development to create resources for the Tribe/meet unmet programs and Tribal member
needs. We have put many building blocks into place to begin addressing historical legal
issues related to devastating losses to our lands and resources that not only resulted
in suffering by our ancestors, but under which circumstances we still struggle today.
I would appreciate your vote and hope that I have demonstrated my ability to rep-
resent you and the Tribe well.
Sincerely,
Robert Kentta
Applica t ion s a nd r e quir e d docu m e nt s m u st be subm it t ed online by Ja nua r y 3 1 , 2 0 1 7 . For m ore
inform at ion and proj ect guidelines, visit : w w w .a ise s.or g/ e c.
I f you have any quest ions, please cont act Kyle Coulon via em ail at k coulon @a ise s.or g or by phone at 720-
552- 6123 x108.
To the editor:
Hey Siletz people. My name is Cody Lesina. I’m from the Warm Springs Tribe,
but my grandmother is from out here on the Siletz Tribe.
I went to school out here when I was in the eighth grade. I was in school at the
Siletz Middle School. I had friends, such as Heather Cole, Kyle Reed, Jacob, Spencer,
Angela, Levi Butler, Matt, Megan, Nicole. All these people were with me in eighth
grade, seventh grade. I’m trying to get in touch with these people to write me if possible.
I was hoping to get a hold of Heather Cole, so Heather or if anybody knows her,
please tell her to write me. I sure would like to talk again with her. I hope to talk to
anybody out there!
I’m here in state prison for another year and would hope to hear from any of you.
I’m in here with a brother from the Siletz Tribe as well. If Swift is out there, it would
be nice to talk with you again.
I hope to hear from you people out there from the Siletz Tribe. So I am a little lost
without you guys out at the Siletz Tribe. I know I have family out there.
Oh yeah, also I’m from the sundance. I sundance myself and go to peyote church
and pray real good. I am a believer in Jesus Christ. Love you guys, all write me.
Cody Lesina, SID 18458010
OSP
2605 State St.
Salem, OR 97310
Siletz News Letters Policy
Siletz News, a publication of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, is
published once a month. Our editorial policy encourages input from readers about
stories printed in Siletz News and other Tribal issues.
All letters must include the author’s signature, address, and phone number in
order to be considered for publication. Siletz News reserves the right to edit any
letter for clarity and length, and to refuse publication of any letter or any part of
a letter that may contain profane language, libelous statements, personal attacks
or unsubstantiated statements.
Not all letters are guaranteed publication upon submission. Published letters do
not necessarily reflect the opinions of Siletz News, Tribal employees, or Tribal Council.
Please type or write legibly. Letters longer than 450 words may be edited for
length as approved by Tribal Council Resolution #96-142.
Please note: The general manager
of the Siletz Tribe is the editor-in-chief
of Siletz News.
Editor-in-Chief: Brenda Bremner
January 2017
Editor: Diane Rodriquez
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Siletz News
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