Image provided by: The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; Warm Springs, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 1991)
VOL. 16 NO. 21 Coyote News In Brief Check smoke detectors Although people have smoke detectors In their homes, they may not be working. Be sure to check them during Fire Prevention week Page 2 Youth request activity center Youth interested in having a place for family and group activities presented a request to Tribal Council for a center. , Page 2 Cultural materials excavated Archaeologists followed a survey with excavation which uncovered flake stones and finished projectiles. Page 3 Cadets learn skills that last a lifetime Search and rescue operations are only one facet of activites in which the youth team participate in. Page 5 Importance of watersheds examined Geology and vegetation and human and animal activities can affect ability of a watershed watershed to provide pure, clean water. Page 3 Personalities change between work and home Work burnout can affect marriages in unobvious ways. Spouses cannot expect to know what problems may exist at work. Deadline for the next SpilyayTymoo is October 25 Weather October HI LOW 2 94 46 3 76 39 4 72 40 5 76 37 6 71 42 7 76 43 8 80 39 9 82 39 10 85 41 11 80 37 12 80 44 13 72 38 14 78 39 15 80 39 16 82 40 WSFPI For Warm Springs Forest Prod ucts Industries employees, Thursday, October 3 was a bleak day. Veneer and plywood workers gathered in the lumber storage shed to hear that a shutdown of their operation would be effective November 15. Clyde Hamstreet, of Hamstreet and Stumbaugh, the consulting firm hired in August to analyze market conditions and mill operations, de livered the fateful news to day and swing shift employees before their respective shifts began. Their find ings were presented to the Warm Springs Tribal Council the previous day. About 1 18 employees at the mill will be affected by the shutdown. The layoffs will take place in all areas of operations, not just at the plywood and veneer plants and would tions. Employees who are to be laid off will be notified by certified letter either late this week or early next, most probably before the General Council meeting Tuesday, October 22. According to Hamstreet, all mill employees were evaluated and the outcome of those evaluations will determine who is laid off and who will be retained for employment Evaluations were centered on each employee's ability, attitude and de pendability. Hamstreet stated that the tribal member employment ratio would remain about the same. "I'd be very surprised that the percentage of tribal member employees would be very different thanwhat it is now." In his presentation, Hamstreet showed numerous charts and other visual graphics depicting current plywood and veneer markets. He stated that intense competition from Southern pine mills and oriental strand board and waferboard opera tions has had a detrimental effect on ly wood mills throughout the United tates. "The movement of plywood mills has gone south," said Hamstreet Southern timber growth rates and labor costs keep prices low in the south. In addition to the competition, the price of Douglas fir has risen to where it is too valuable to make into veneer. Hamstreet estimated that closing the plywood and veneer operations would save over $6 million a year. Hamstreet sited four reasons for the decision to shut down operations. He stated that short term operations are currently losing money and it isn't likely that things will get any better in the future. Also, it isn't a good use of the Tribe's timber re sources and there isn't enough tim ber to supply all three mills with the decrease in the annual aiiowaoie timber harvest on the reservation. This summer, Tribal Council, af ter hearing initial results of the Inte grated Resource Management Plan, opted to reduce the annual allowable cut by five million board feet over a five-year period beginning in 1992. Next year's cut will be at 75 million board feet, 10 million board feet be low the 1991 cut In his statement to employees, Tribal CEO Ken Smith stated that WSFPI operated successfully for a number of years" and provided jobs for many people in the Warm Springs and Madras communities."WSFPI was our flagship and one of the best success stories in Warm Springs." Smith explained that the Tribe, to help offset the 1990 loss of $6.7 million, reduced the stumpage WSFPI was to pay to the Tribe and News from the Warm Springs Indian Rcscrvaf f- P.O. BOX 870 WARM SPRINGS, OR 97761 to close Employees at the WSFPI plywood 110 employees are affected by the deferred the stumpage payment en tirely. He added that the mill was "unable to meet their loan payment and we were unbankablc.lt got to the point where the mill's financial status was having a drastic affect on the entire tribal operation." Smith feels the Tribe is "heading in the right direction and this deci sion will put the mill in a healthy position so we can continue to grow. Speaking to the upcoming layoff, Hamstreet stated that the mill wants to retain the best people for employ ment. "Not everyone in this plant will lose their jobs. If someone else in another area of the mill is doing a poor job, he will be replaced." Lay offs of this type also affect high quality employees, he said. "Some . good people will be laid off, too." Hamstreet was optimistic that "some new jobs would be created" by the changes. An in-woods chip ping operation is being considered as is a log handling and merchandising yard. Hamstreet stated that "millions of dollars are being wasted in the woods" by not utilizing woods by products properly. He also stated that additional shifts may eventually be added at the saw mills. Forest Products general manager Bob Macy will be leaving WSFPI at the end of October, ending nearly 20 years of employment. "I have been encouraged by Hamstreet and Stumbaugh to take employment elsewhere," he said recently.Macy, at this time, is unsure what he'll be doing in the future. Macy added that he was unaware of the decision to shut down the plywood plant and found out only after he came to work the morning of the announcement Hamstreet and Stumbaugh are mak ing all operational decisions and Macy is assisting them with opera tional information. To assist those employees and '9 v ' J " "". , f f limn 'i mil '"" " ill IS ' t , P.O. Box 170 Warm Springs, OR 9776! Address Correction Requested veneer, and veneer plants learned two weeks shutdown. families affected by the shutdown, additional counseling sessions are being offered by the tribal Commu nity Counseling Center. According toJimQuaid.Centerdirec tor, "We're hoping to have a community meeting in November" at which a guest speaker will talk about the "stress related to losing one's job," said Quaid. Also at that meeting, affected families will learn how to access programs for help, who to see and where to go for assistance. Continu ing support meetings and individual counseling session will be available to individuals and family members as well. Smith, too, added that the State Employment office will be notified of the pending closure, as will the tribal employment office. At a Tribal Council meeting Wednesday, October 16, Hamstreet said that a layoff such as this is painful. He added that WSFPI will lose some good employees...Efforts will be made to hire them back as soon as possible. We're striving to keep the best employees possible." To assist employees with unem ployment benefits paperwork on their last day of work, the State Employ ment division will have an office at the mill. "We're trying to make it as easy as we can for people being laid off," Hamstreet stated. A General Council meet ing, at which WSFPI will be discussed, is scheduled for Tuesday, October 22 at the Agency Longhouse. All con cerned tribal members are encouraged to attend the meeting. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m. and the meeting will follow. Spotted Owl, other species given special consideration Seventeen active Northern Spot ted Owl sites have been located on the Warm Springs Reservation. A survey of 40 percent of suitable spot ted owl habitat has also resulted in the mapping of seven nest sites. Ar eas in which Spotted Owl inhabit will be managed with consideration 0t4; plywood plants 1 ,3 I 1.' ' ' ago, that operations at the plant would The veneer plant has undergone considerable renovation over the last three years. The laser controlled clipper was installed in 1988 and a cold charger scanner was installed earlier this year. for the owl as well as other wildlife species but will not be given special designation . The Warm Springs Natural Re sources Department presented infor mation to Tribal Council regarding Spotted Owl nests and activity sites requesting direction regarding pro I'.S. Pult Bulk Hal Permit No. 2 Warm Spring, OR 97761 nU3 ILa OCTOBER 18, 1991 cease beginning November 15. Over tection of the Spotted Owl. The Council was willing to approve the special management of the Whitewater Canyon area totaling 18,722 acres, to provide old-growth dependent species with appropriate habitat Couolcd with over 60,000 Continued on page 2 M V