REGION
Thursday, September 29, 2016
East Oregonian
Tribal ishers preparing for
new food safety regulations
CRITFC lands grant to provide training
By GEORGE PLAVEN
East Oregonian
The Columbia River Inter-
Tribal Fish Commission has
received a grant from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture to
help tribes prepare for new
regulations under the Food
Safety Modernization Act.
The law, signed by
President Obama in 2011,
gives the Food and Drug
Administration
new
authority to regulate how
foods are grown, harvested
and processed in the United
States. That affects how tribal
members will need to handle,
process and document the
salmon they harvest from the
Columbia River.
CRITFC
—
which
represents the Umatilla,
Warm Springs, Yakama and
Nez Perce tribes — will
use the $99,842 grant from
USDA Rural Development
on training and education.
Harvesting
salmon
represents a multi-million
dollar industry to Columbia
River tribes in Oregon and
Washington. Buck Jones,
salmon marketing specialist
for CRITFC, said there are
approximately 600 to 800
individual tribal members
that ish on the river.
Sale of tribally caught ish
most frequently takes place
at sites along the river, or at
farmers’ markets, restaurants
and to wholesalers in major
markets such as Portland and
Seattle. Jones said CRITFC
has already organized its own
food safety group, and they
will begin visiting directly
with the four member tribes.
“This is something that’s
going to affect our tribal
ishermen broadly in the next
three years,” Jones said. “It’s
really going to be a lot more
documentation and trace-
ability from the time they
catch the ish themselves.”
In addition, the USDA
grant will help CRITFC
identify commercial kitchens
within tribal communities
that meet federal food safety
standards where members
can develop specialized
products and learn about
packaging, labeling and other
development techniques.
Jones said the tribes have
already made enormous
strides in marketing their
ish harvest, investing in
stronger boats and working
on projects to boost salmon
runs in recent years. More
than 350 members have
also voluntarily taken food
safety classes for hazard
analysis and critical control,
representing more than 5,000
hours of instruction.
“We had a stigma for
years of tribal ish not being
a (quality) product,” Jones
said. “We’ve eliminated that
now. Our isheries have come
a long way.”
Under the Food Safety
Modernization Act, tribes
will have to go through extra
steps to document that trib-
ally caught ish are handled
and processed at the highest
safety and quality standards
in order to maximize the
market value. The increased
revenue, in turn, will go back
to supporting tribal families
and communities, according
to the USDA.
———
Contact George Plaven
at gplaven@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0825.
Page 3A
PENDLETON
Jury convicts man
of sex abuse, more
East Oregonian
Shaun Allen Dick of
Pendleton is heading to
prison after a jury convicted
him of multiple sex crimes
against
a
woman.
Dick,
38,
went to trial
Monday at the
Umatilla County
Courthouse,
Pendleton,
on
charges
of
sodomy,
two counts of Dick
unlawful sexual
penetration, attempted rape,
two counts of sexual abuse,
all in the irst-degree, plus
charges of coercion and
menacing. The 12-member
jury Tuesday evening
returned guilty verdicts on
eight counts.
Dick and the victim met
through an online dating
site, according to court
documents, and on the
evening of Jan. 17, 2015,
they engaged in consensual
sex. But the state claims that
changed the next morning,
when Dick became violent
and subjected the
woman to “forceful,
non-consensual
sexual acts” and
threatened to harm
her if she revealed
his actions.
She told police
the same morning,
which led to an
investigation
and Dick’s arrest
Feb. 25, 2015,
making him the current
longest-serving inmate in
the Umatilla County Jail,
Pendleton.
Defense attorney Robert
Klahn of Pendleton argued
the woman set up his client
to steal guns worth $50,000.
Dick remains in the jail.
His sentencing is Oct. 28.
HERMISTON
HERMISTON
Public comment open for release of senior center funds
Leah Smith recognized
by Agricultural Educators
East Oregonian
If anyone in the public
has concerns about the
environmental impact of
a $2 million Community
Development Block Grant
being used to build a new
senior center in Hermiston,
the time to speak up is now.
The public comment
period for release of the
federal funds to the city of
Hermiston ends Oct. 19. The
city will be able to submit
a request for release of the
funds on Oct. 20.
The city was already
awarded the grant after
going through a competitive
application process, but a
inal public comment period
is required by law before the
funds are oficially turned
over. The city has deter-
mined that there will be no
“signiicant” environmental
impact from the planned
11,000 square foot building
on 100 E Ridgeway Ave.
Anyone
disagreeing
with that determination can
submit written comments
to the Parks and Recreation
Department at city hall, 180
NE Second St. in Hermiston.
The environmental review
record is also available for
review at city hall.
After the city submits a
request for release of funds,
citizens will have another
15 days to submit written
objections to release of the
funds directly to the Oregon
Business
Development
Department at 775 Summer
Street NE, Suite 200 in
Salem.
The city hopes to put
construction of the Harken-
rider Center out to bid on
Oct. 31 and award the bid on
Dec. 31, allowing construc-
tion to wrap up in August
2017.
HERMISTON
Boy Scouts running pilot program for kindergartners
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
Hermiston kindergartners
who can’t wait to become a
Boy Scout now don’t have to.
The Boy Scouts of
America is running a pilot
program for boys attending
kindergarten, called Lion
scouts, and Cub Scout Pack
645 has been chosen to
participate.
Jessica Oster, Oregon Trail
District paraprofessional, said
activities will be simpliied,
age-appropriate versions of
cub scout “adventures” that
focus on teaching topics such
as life skills, physical health,
citizenship and respect.
“It’s very minimal,” she
said. “For inances, it’s not
home inances or anything
like that, but one of the things
the Boy Scouts of America
does is teach that a scout is
thrifty.”
Instead of a full scouting
uniform, boys will wear a
Lion T-shirt and hat, and will
not be expected to participate
in the fundraisers that the
older boys do. They also
meet twice a month instead
of once a week.
Oster said boys must join
with an adult partner such
as a parent, grandparent or
sibling over age 18, who will
be required to accompany
them to troop meetings and
activities.
So far Cub Scout Pack
645, which is sponsored by
the Elks Lodge, only has one
Lion in it, but they have just
started recruiting and expect
to have more.
Usually boys start Boy
Scouts of America programs
in irst grade and are known
as Tiger scouts (the exception
is troops run through The
Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, which go
by age instead of grade and
start when boys turn 8). But
Oster said the organization
has found that the earlier boys
are involved in scouting, the
longer they stick with it. It
has also found that parents
are choosing extra-curricular
activities for their children
sooner.
“They’re just inding that
parents are involving their
kids in things younger and
younger,” she said.
Oster said overall she
believes that the Boy Scouts
of America is a “great
program” for boys of any
age.
“I just think the values it
incorporates for these kids, it
instills in them for life,” she
BRIEFLY
Quaempts appointed to Water
Resources Commission
PENDLETON — Eric Quaempts, director
of natural resources for the Confederated
Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, has
been appointed to the Oregon Water Resources
Commission, a seven-member citizen panel
that sets water resources policy for the state.
Quaempts, along with Meg Reeves of
Corvallis, had been appointed to the commis-
sion by Gov. Kate Brown. The Oregon Senate
conirmed their appointments Sept. 22.
Commissioners serve four-year terms, and
are appointed from each of the ive regional
river basin areas across the state. Two other
members are selected at-large. Quaempts
was chosen as the North Central Region
commissioner, while Reeves will serve in one
of the at-large positions.
Commissioners Quaempts and Reeves will
attend their irst meeting Thursday, Oct. 13 in
Medford.
Management, Umatilla County Fire
District #1, Umatilla County Sheriff,
National Weather Service and Life Flight.
Second grant helps police
buy 11 more deibrillators
PENDLETON — The Umatilla County
Sheriff’s Ofice received a second grant to buy
11 more automated external deibrillators, or
AEDs.
The Good Shepherd Community Health
Foundation awarded the sheriff’s ofice the
$5,945 to buy the devices that can save lives
when someone suffers a heart attack. The new
grant allows the law enforcement agency to
fulill its goal of having 22 auto-deibrillators
that will go in patrol vehicles and sheriff’s
facilities.
The Wildhorse Foundation in June gave the
sheriff’s ofice a $6,000 grant to buy the irst
11 devices. Sheriff’s communications sergeant
John Shafer wrote the grant applications.
Good Shepherd to hold disaster Funding available for
preparedness drill Oct. 6
forestland stewardship plans
HERMISTON — Good Shepherd Health
Care System is preparing to hold a disaster
preparedness drill on Thursday, Oct. 6 at
about 6 p.m.
Spokesman Nick Bejarano said the
hospital and clinics will operate as usual
during the duration of the drill.
“If you have an appointment scheduled
around the time of the disaster preparedness
drill you may hear and see our emergency
response system, and additional law
enforcement oficials, but rest assured that
this is only a drill,” he said.
Bejarano said the simulation will train
staff on their roles and responsibilities in
the event of a major disaster and give them
practice interacting with outside agencies
responding to the disaster as well.
Participating local agencies include
Hermiston Police Department, Oregon
State Police, Oregon State Bomb
Squad, Umatilla County Emergency
PENDLETON — Funding is available
for private forestland owners in Umatilla
and Morrow counties to develop a 10-year
stewardship plan that outlines conditions,
goals and enhancing resources.
The stewardship plan describes the existing
vegetation, soils, wildlife and ish habitat on the
property, and provides guidelines for how the
land will be managed for future generations.
Stewardship plan funding is available for
property owners with 10 or more forested
acres. The program could include up to
75 percent reimbursement, if written by a
professional forester. ODF will approve the
cost-share amount prior to the creation of
the plan, and will review the plan after it is
completed.
All actions are strictly voluntary, and the
plan does not limit or reduce any existing
rights of the landowner.
For more information, call Rudolf at
541-276-3491.
said.
The Pack 645 Lions plan
to meet the irst and third
Tuesday of every month
from 6-7 p.m. at West Park
Elementary School, 555 SW
7th St. in Hermiston.
For more information, or
to join, call troop leader Toni
White at 541-571-1422.
East Oregonian
Leah Smith, agriculture
science teacher at Hermiston
High School, has
been recognized
by the National
Association
of
Agricultural
Educators as this
year’s top teacher
mentor in Region
I, which includes
11 Western states.
The award is
given each year Smith
to an experienced
teacher who helps motivate,
encourage and guide begin-
ning teachers. Smith has
been an agriculture teacher
for 15 years, including nine
years with the Hermiston
School District.
Smith works collabo-
ratively in multiple class-
rooms to assist new teachers
in
developing
their curriculum,
and participates in
two professional
learning commu-
nity teams where
she plans lessons,
writes tests and
collaborates with
other
teachers
on how they can
better their class-
rooms.
Smith is also certiied
through the Curriculum
for Agricultural Science
Education, and is an
DuPont Ambassador and
FFA advisor.
Briefs are compiled from staff and wire reports,
and press releases. Email press releases to
news@eastoregonian.com
C.T.U.I.R RECALL VOTE
On October 4, 2016, tribal voters of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian
Reservation will be voting on the recall election of Dr. David Close, Secretary of the Board of
Trustees. The CTUIR, like all sovereign jurisdicitions, have duly approved and adopted election
guidelines that must be complied with. This is to ensure that the (recall) election is conducted
and carried out with fairness and impartiality.
The election guidelines for the CTUIR are included in, of course, our Election Code. Chapter
5, Section 5.01 of the Election Code deines Code Enforcement and Unlawful Practices. Section
5.01. B., reads as, “No person shall use Tribal government or tribal enterprise personnel,
property, equipment or work time for purposes of inluencing the outcome of a Tribal (recall)
election or promoting the placement of an issue on the ballot (including preparing petitions or
gathering signatures)”.
This provision is very explicit that tribal employees will not use work time or tribal
equipment to inluence the outcome of a tribal election, including a recall election. However, a
recent Motion by the Board of Trustees clearly directs tribal employees to violate this section of
the Election Code.
At the September 12, 2016, BOT meeting, Vice-Chair Jeremy Wolf made the motion, “to
direct the Ofice of Legal Counsel (tribal attorneys) and Ofice of Executive Director (senior
management) to investigate the Board Secretary’s use of tribal resources starting December
7, 2015, and report potential violation(s) of Board resolutions in response to lawsuits against
the CTUIR and report all related complaints and activities. The report is due to the Board by
September 26, 2016, where then the substantiated results can be reported to the General
Council members via US Mail”.
The purpose of the investigation is to “dig up dirt” on Dr. Close and mail it to tribal voters to
inluence them to vote “Yes” on the recall.
This motion clearly directs tribal attorneys and senior managers, and the chain of
command, to use their paid work time and tribally owned equipment, i.e., computers, ofice
telephones, cell phones, printers, etc., to inluence the outcome of the upcoming recall
election, which is explicitly prohibited by Section 5.01.B. of the Election Code. This also means
that whatever information the investigation turns up and is mailed to tribal voters will have
been unlawfully and improperly obtained, and should be disregarded by voters.
The reasoning and rationale for this Motion is obvious: A majority of the BOT members
have spent a great deal of their time trying to recall Dr. Close, they failed before at the BOT level
recall process, and they have recently become aware that Dr. Close has much support in this
tribal wide recall process. It is obvious they are now very worried about the outcome of the vote,
so they are now resorting to tactics that violate the Election Code, they should know all of our
codes and statutes. The mail-out part is a bit much, and is pretty desperate.
All BOT members make a sworn Oath of Ofice that obligates them to support, “the
Constitution and By-Laws, and all resolutions and codes, “. So what this Motion also brings up
is an obvious violation of the oath of ofice by Jeremy Wolf, and the BOT members who voted to
approve the Motion, as it does not support the Election Code, but undermines and violates it.
Violating the oath of ofice clearly justiies a recall.
Also, by this Motion, BOT members directed tribal employees to violate (by using work time
and tribal equipment) the Election Code, and this action, in and of itself, also justiies a recall
against Jeremy Wolf, and every BOT member who supported and voted in favor of this Motion.
This is very serious business and consequences are clearly in order and are justiied. Tribal
members should hold the BOT to higher standards.
The tribal Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual is another document that has
provisions that prohibit employees from using paid work time and tribal equipment for
political purposes. Therefore, the Motion by the BOT directing employees to use paid work
time to investigate actions by Dr. Close for the purpose of inluencing the recall election is also
unlawful here as it is directing employees to violate the TPPM, as well as the Election Code.
As for the merit of the four recall charges, recall advocates have never provided any
evidence whatsoever to support their allegations against Dr. Close. While the recall process
is not a speciic court case, the long-standing principle of being innocent until proven guilty
should still apply. I respectfully ask tribal voters to do the right thing by voting “No”, on the
recall against Dr. David Close. Thank You.
Bob Shippentower • 541-969-3574