US. POSTAGE
BULK RATE
PERMIT NO. 2
WARM SPRIh
S p ily a y ly m o o
Coyote News
25
VOL. 3 NO. 13
WARM SPRINGS, OREGON 97761
JUNE 30, 1978
BPA, TRIBES SIGN UNPRECEDENTED AGREEMENT
Hailed as a unique and unprecedented agreement, formal signing ceremonies were held in Warm
Springs June 23 which finalized the right-of-way agreement between BPA and the Confederated Tribes.
Left to rig h t a re BPA A dm inistrator S terling M unro , Council C hairm an Gene G reene, G eneral
Manager K en Smith, and BIA area office director Vincent Little.
Sandy Rangila Photo
Formal signing ceremonies
in Tribal Council chambers June
23 finalized an ag reem en t b e
tween the Confederated Tribes
and Bonneville Power Admini
stration which is being hailed as
unique b ecause it se ts a new
standard for dealing with Indian
tribes.
The ag reem en t with BPA
called for an im m ed iate cash
paym ent of $4.5 m illion to the
Tribes in exchange for expanded
right-of-way through the north
ern corner of the reservation for
the construction of a major high-
voltage transmission line.
“This agreement is an im
p o rtan t la n d m ark in the de
velopment of the region’s trans
m ission g rid and is also im
portant in that it signals a new
era of cooperation between BPA
and the Confederated Tribes of
W arm S p rin g s,” said BPA a d
ministrator Sterling Munro.
F rid a y ’s signing of the
agreement followed more than a
year of negotiations between the
BPA and the Tribes after BPA’s
original offer w as re je c te d by
the Council in May 1976.
The significance of the
agreement is that it points a new
direction for the relationship be
tween the fed eral governm ent
and tribal governments.
According to BIA’s Wyman
Babbey, the right-of-way issue
rep resen ted an opportunity in
which both sides had an interest.
It involved on BPA ’s p a rt ex
tending to trib a l governm ent
recognition as a unit of local
government and not simply as a
landowner.
It req u ired on the T rib es’
side recognition that they have
an important role to play as part
of the northwest community.
“ So for d ifferen t reasons,
each party felt a need for finding
a way to resolve th eir d iffe r
ences and'lay a foundation for a
new type of relationship,” noted
Babbey.
There was deep concern on
the p a rt of the T ribal Council
th a t they not m ake a m istak e
with a fixed reso u rce. But as
Nelson Wallulatum noted at the
(Continued on Page 12)
REFERENDUM SET FOR JU IY 11---------------------------
CREDIT OFFICE SEEKS MORE FUNDS
A referendum set by the transfer $1.5 million to the lend
Tribal Council for July will ing fund. Since that time the
decide the fate of th e . Tribal credit office has increased its
Credit Department, which has activity from 1116 loans for over
had to cut back on its lending $3,107,000, to 1476 loans and over
activities, recently due to a short $5,838,000.
age of funds.
At a general council meeting
The credit program in ask June 20, Credit Manager Bob
ing for an additional $2 million Finch explained that inflation
from the Tribal treasury to be and growing demands for credit
used for short and long term have caused the department to
loans to tribal members.
run short of uncommitted funds
Their last request came in for new loans. Finch noted that
July 1975 when voters elected to delinquency in loan repayment
— which is about 3.9 percent —
does not account for th e prob
lem.
Rather than increase the
interest rates on loans, which
range from 5 to 9 percent, the
credit department is asking the
membership for additional funds
to keep pace with rising costs
and increased credit applica
tions.
If approved, the funds would
be used in three areas where the
demand has been greatest:
1. To finance the construc
tion of new homes, the resale of
existing homes and the purchase
of mobile homes.
ing $500. The number of loans
has dropped from 146 in May to
just over 90 this month.
2. Business and enterprise
lending.
A general council meeting
has been scheduled for the even
ing of July 6 at the Simnasho
Longhouse to further explain the
Credit D epartment’s request.
3. Auto and personal loans.
Lending has been curtailed
since May 23, 1978, and other
than loans that were previously
committed, new loans are being
made only in emergency or per
sonal situations but not exceed
Voters are urged to turn out
at the polls from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
July 11 to decide this important
issue.
W EEKEND W RECK FA TA L TO BOY
n a o r . n l >)
A 15 year-old
G atew ay
youth, R obert R. E llis, died at
the scene of an autom obile
wreck on Kah-Nee-Ta Road near
milepost 4.8 Sunday, June 25, at
about 6:05 p.m. The passenger
in a c a r driven by 17 year-old
Patsy McClelland, Ellis appear
ed to have died in stan tly of
massive head and neck injuries.
M cClelland, who is home
recuperating now, was admitted
,tq St. Charles Medical Center in
WEATHER
JUNE
PRECIP.
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24
25
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HI
79
92
85
86
93
82
85
76
70
72
82
LO
40
43
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46
52
52
44
48
54 .14
52
46
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Bend for broken ribs and other
injuries.
According to police, the car
apparently lost control and skid
ded sideways into an oncoming
car driven by Michael Frank, 24,
of W arm S prings. Although
F ra n k and a p assen g er E laine
Allen received only m inor in
juries, another passenger, Jen
nie Celestine of Wapato, Wash
ington was taken to Bend with a
broken jaw and facial cuts.
P olice had been search in g
for, and have now identified, a
dark-colored car which witnes
ses described as having nearly
been involved in the accid en t.
The c a r w as trav e lin g tow ard
W arm S prings and, although
police would not disclose further
information, they did say it was
not involved, nor did it cause the
accident.
An individual who is still
being sought by police flagged
down a Longview, Washington
pickup, loaded the fata lly in
jured boy and other victims into
the vehicle, then left the scene. ‘
The d riv e r of the pickup
brought the accident victims to
the Warm Springs Police Station
w here they w ere tak en by am
bulance to Mt. View Hospital in
Madras.
Police also now have a
description of the m an who
flagged down th e pickup and
moved the victims. He is a white
male, about 6’ 2” tall with dark
brown h a ir. He was driving a
sm all d ark -g reen c a r, and his
wife was with him, say police.
According to special investi
gator Richard Montee, an acci
dent fa ta lity should n ev er be
m oved because it m akes the
in v estig atio n th a t m uch m ore
difficult. Also, it is a felony in
the State of Oregon to move such
a victim unless he h as been
pronounced dead by a medic,
examiner.
A dditionally, M ontee r<
marked that no accident victii
should ev er be m oved withoi
supervision sin ce fu rth e r ir
juries or complications could r<
suit.
As of press time, the invest
gation of the accid en t is stii
underway.
USE FIREWORKS WITH CARE
While fireworks that make
the big noise may be banned in
our sta te , the W arm S prings
Fire Control office reminds ev
eryone that even quiet fireworks
can sta rt fires. Over last Fourth
of July holiday, four such fires
were caused by fireworks used
carelessly.
F ire Control w arns th a t
sm oke bom bs and sp a rk le rs
c re a te enough h e a t to catch
grass» and trees on fire and urges*
people to keep these fireworks
aw ay from dry g ra ss and for
ests.
Cecil Seyler, Assistant Fire
Chief of the W arm Springs
V olunteer F ire D ep artm en t,
notes that tall, dry grass next to
houses poses a real hazard. If a
fire c ra c k e r or sp a rk le r lands
there it could cause the house to
go up in flames.
S eyler also ad v ises those
who intend*to <>lay* w ith fire»*
crackers to use caution as ea<
y ea r a g re a t m any people ai
injured when trying to light i
throw them . W atch out fi
possible injuries to the finge:
and eyes, and n ev er throw
firecracker at someone or in
the wind.
Everybody hopes for a sa
and happy F o u rth of July, i
tak e c a re if you plan to us
fireworks. Make this Fourth <
July a holiday to remember..
«not one,to. r e g r e t.. . . . . -
-i