SpilyayTymoo
Warm Springs, Oregon
Mav28, 1993 PACK 3
NWPPC listens to citizens
"We're here to listen" to local
opinions regarding plans formulated
by the Northwest Power Planning
Council, explained public affairs di
rectory Rich Recker at a May 20
meeting in Madras and a meeting
with tribal representatives in a prior
meeting.
The NWPPC is trying to create
long-range plans for electricity in the
region and to mitigate for loss of Fish
and Wildlife in areas affected by
hydroelectric facilities. Once a plan
is in place, Bonneville Power Ad
ministration is responsible for
implementing the plan.
Even in the midst of budget cut
discussions, says Recker, the Fish
and Wildlife Program will most likely
remain intact. Cutting this program
"is a violation of the mandate," says
Recker.
Although the council has no di
rect authority over the Corp of En
gineers and the effect of their facili
ties, Recker explains that "political
persuasiveness could be used to
assist in their compliance. However,
this is not an absolute.
The local meetings come after a
realization by the NWPPC that the
public process used throughout the
Elan is not as efficient as it could be.
if ten large groups were represented
at the public meetings but local citi
zens were not.
Recker encourages comment re
garding the NWPPC Fish and Wild
life Program. Comment is invited
through the summer. Call Rich
Recker at the NWPPC offices, 229
5171 or write 620 S.W. Fifth Ave,
Suite 1025.
Streamflow Restoration Act introduced
The SalmonSteelhcJid
Streamflow Restoration Act of
1993 (SB 960) recently was in
troduced in the Oregon Legisla
ture. The bill seeks to protect
instream flows from continued
overappropriation, restore
streamflows by facilitating
transfers of existing water rights
to instream use and providing
incentives to do so, amend the
conservation statute to provide
more incentives to conserve wa
ter and preserve the biological
integrity of streams by requiring
all water right holders to install
fish screening and by-pass devices
within five years of the bill's
passage.
Resident bull trout may be listed as endangered
The US Fish and Wildlife Service
announced on May 17 that a petition
to list the bull trout under the En
dangered Species Act is substantive,
and the agency will begin a formal
review of the status of the species.
Bull troutare arclativcly large native
trout, similar in appearance to Dolly
Vardcn and brook trout
The Fish and Wildlife Service re
ccived a petition in October 1992
from three conservation organiza
tions in Montana: the Swan View
Coalition. Friends of the Wild Swan,
and the Alliance for the Wild Rockies,
Inc. The petition requested listing
the bull trout as endangered
throughout its range, which includes
Washington, Oregon, California,
Idaho, Nevada, and Montana. The
petition also requested that the Ser
vice emergency list those bull trout
populations in immediate danger of
extinction. In January 1993, the Or
egon chapter of the American Fish
eries Society also petitioned the Fish
and Wildlife Service to list the bull
trout within the Upper Klamath River
Basin.
Bull trout historically occurred
from the headwaters of the Yukon
River in Canada to northern Cali
fornia, including portions of the states
of Washington, Idaho, Oregon,
Montana, and Nevada. It is thought
to have disappeared from California
and a number of drainage's in the
western states.
The petitions and accompanying
information indicate bull trout have
been in serious decline throughout
their historical range due to habitat
degradation and loss, genetic isola
tion, overharvest, competition, and
hybridization with introduced species.
The Fish and Wildlife Service will
now conduct a formal status review
of the species to determine whether
listing as threatened or endangered is
warranted. That judgment could be
made by October 1993. If warranted,
a formal proposal to list the species
would follow.
The 90-day finding was published
in the Federal Register on May 17,
1993.
Bull trout populations eiist in
some tributaries on the Warm Springs
Reservation. The Tribe also has an
interest in the population in the
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Meionus Kivcr anu in wc umy
Chinook. The Tribe is currently
seeking funding from the Northwest
Power Tanning Council to study bull
trout
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Bull trout studies show a decline from historical numbers.
Study assesses Columbia River as integrated system; looks at potential risks from Hanford
The Columbia River is consid
ered to be one of the Pacific
Northwest's greatest assets.
The Tri-Party Agreement agencies
value the Columbia River and agree
that a comprehensive study assessing
the river as an integrated system, to
determine potential risks posed by
Hanford operations to human and
ecological (plant and animal) popu
lations, is a good idea.
The study will involve review of
existing technical information accu
mulated from nearly SO years of
study, and regulatory and public in
terests. A work plan will be generated to
define all Held activities, should they
become necessary to eliminate gaps
in data already gathered.
This will increase the agencies'
understanding of the river's ecologi
cal systems in order to enhance pro
tection of human health and the en
vironment. The state of Washington classi
fies the Columbia as a Class A river.
A Class A determination means
that the river is considered to be
excellent in terms of uses.
Class A means the Columbia is
excellent for a water supply, fish and
shellfish habitat, wildlife habitat,
recreation, navigation, and it meets
certain water quality criteria.
In addition to the uses listed above,
the river is one of the primary reasons
why the Hanford Site was chosen as
part of the Manhattan Project.
The clean, cool water of the Co
lumbia provided ample water to cool
the nuclear reactors that needed to be
built support our national defense.
In fact, reactor operations were
the source of the vast majority of the
contaminants that entered the river.
The river continues to be an expo
sure point and off-site transport
pathway for contaminants from
Hanford.
From Hanford's beginning, rou
tine monitoring and special focused
studies have followed the impact of
the site's river discharges to human,
plant, and animal populations.
Recent environmental regulations
including the Comprehensive Envi
ronmental Response, Compensation,
Liability Act mandate that ecologi
cal preservation needs to be weighed
equally with human health.
A comprehensive review of the
available ecological information on
the river will determine if data gaps
exist
Additional information may be
needed to determine both ecological
and human impacts caused by con
taminants released from Hanford.
A vast amount of information
exists on contaminant loading from
the Hanford site into the Columbia
River. However, this information is
being generated from a variety of
programs.
By analyzing the river as a whole
system the three agencies will have
the ability to complete ecological
risk assessments for rivcr-rclaicd
operable units.
The ecological risk assessments
will hclpdctcrminc if any remediation
is required of the river.
NWPPC Responsibility calls for mitigation
SNOW SURVEY DATA
AVERAGE WATER CONTENT
I
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X
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z
25
20
15
10
161
203
t
t
t
i
JAN
FEB
MAR
MONTH
APR
1992
21993
1977
MAY
AVG(7392)
What is the obligation of the
Northwest Power Planning Council
for Fish and Wildlife mitigation re
sulting from impact by hydroelectric
facilities?
Annual salmon and stcclhcad runs
have dwindled to 2.5 million from 8
million in 100 years and habitat has
been cut by one-third due to impacts
of hydropower, poor logging prac
tices, grazing, and habitat degradation
in general. But the major decline
coincides with construction and op
eration of hydropower dams. Wild
life, loo, has been impacted as has
native fish populations.
In 1980, Congress passed the Pa
cific Northwest Electric Power
Planning and Conservation Act which
authorized the states of Idaho,
Montana, Oregon and Washington
to enter into an interstate compact to
create a policy-making and planning
body to develop plans for long-range
electric power and for mitigation of
Columbia Basin fish and wildlife.
The Fish and Wildlife Program is
a result of this act. The program en
compasses 30 subbasins and 259,000
square miles.
The Council is using a ecosystem
approach to protecting and enhanc
ing fish and wildlife as part of the
fourth and final phase of the Fish and
Wildlife Program. The first three
phases, completed in September
1992, deal with salmon and steelhcad.
This fourth phase deals with resident
fish and wildlife. All of the phases
will be integrated into a 1993 Fish
and Wildlife Program.
In managing the Columbia Basin
as a system, the NWPPC and scien
tists are striving for a balance. Trade
offs may be necessary, but that is
expected. Protecting habitat for ex
ample, may mean limiting water
withdrawals or changing grazing
practices.
Cooperative watershed manage
ment is included in the concept of
ecosystem management as is work
with Canada, necessary because the
Columbia River originates in that
northern country. The Council con
tinues to work toward doubling the
salmon run to 5 million. , -5 ... .
No long-term goals exist for wild
life as yet An interim goal calls for
protection, mitigation and enhance
ment of 35 percent of "habitat units"
(amount of habitat that supports one
animal).
A wildlife rule was adopted in
1989 which calls for wildlife trust
agreements. These negotiated
settlement agreements will be made
with state agencies and tribes to un
dertake and finance wildlife mitiga
tion projects.
Protection and rehabilitation
projects are now under review by the
NWPPC funding. The Council selects
projects on an annual basis. The Tribe
has submitted four project proposals.
The first, The Deschutes Anadro
mous Salmonid Study, requests
funding of $200,000 to look at the
feasibility of returning anadromous
salmonids to the Deschutes River
Basin above Round Butte Dam and
designing downstream passage from
Lake Billy Chinook.
A Crayfish Study would look at
basic biology of crayfish fish in Lake
Billy Chinook with the purpose of
managing for a tribal commercial
fishery. The request is for $95,000
for two years.
A Deschutes Landlocked Sockeyc
Study requests $1,644,579 for an
eight year study to evaluate the pro
duction potential and to understand
year-class fluctuations of Sockcye.
Finally, a request of $1.65 million
has been made for a Deschutes, Hood
Riverand John Day Bull Trout Study
to look at life histories and limiting
factors of bull trout populations with
a focus on developing a conservation
plan.
Special dance-
Continued from page 2
cash prizes, jackets and prizes while
fourth and fifth place winners will
receive consolation prizes and spe
cial gifts.
The contest will begin Friday
evening, June 25. All participants
are counted in each grand entry with
the numbers being separated from
the regular Pi-Ume-Sha numbers.
Call Barbara Jim at 553-3269 or
Lovina Colwash at 553-1816 for
more information.
Working together is most important to ensure that system functions properly
Reprinted with permission front
the Yakima Review.
Following is the text of an address
delivered here during National Crime
Victims rights Week April 29 by
Henry R. Thompson, victimwitness
director the Apache County
Attorney's Office in St. Johns, Ari
zona, on the Navajo Reservation:
"It is an honor to be asked to come
today. Any time I am asked to speak
on issues of victims I become very
excited, especially when it's to a
Native American audience. I serve
as a Victim AssistanceCompensa
tion Coordinator in St. Johns, Ari
zona. "My responsibility entails serving
victims of violent crimes in the
Northeastern part of Arizona known
as Apache county. The population of
this area is approximately 68,000,
with an area 50 miles wide and 200
miles long. Over half of this area and
population is the Navajo Reservation.
"When I came on board in this
arena of victimization four ycarsago,
there was very little done on the
Navajo Reservation.
"I knew that if the situation was in
this shape in the Navajo Nation, we
faced similar problems but on a larger
scale across the country.
"My initial reaction was to see
how I could shed some light on the
problems confronting administrators,
how to better serve the victims on
reservations and federal lands.
Finding the Main Players
"The first step was to get involved
with the main players of the system
we work in: police officers, pros
ecutors, social services, and victim
assistance people. This task in itself
was overwhelming and took two
years to finally reach a point to where
a positive feedback was created.
Victims Compensation Program
is a much needed program , especially
for the American Indian. This pro
gram was designed to specifically
assist victims of violent crime with
financial assistance by covering
medical, funeral and wage loss ex
penses. In fact in Arizona we also
cover travel and traditional healing
expenses.
The one crucial element of infor
mation required to receive compen
sation is the police report. This docu
mentation is needed to verify that
there was a crime and to give sub
stantiation for compensation.
Washington State, unlike Arizona
has centralized Victim Compensation
Program situated in Seattle. This in
itself creates another obstacle for the
Indian Reservations in this state.
There has never been a greater need
than today for Victims Assistance
Programs on Indian lands to coordi
nate and educate the law enforcement
personnel.
Occasions of Homicide
When there's a homicide on the
reservation, it is essential for the
police to give what little information
required to the Victims Assistance
personnel so they can file the proper
documentation with the Victims
Compensation Office in Seattle. Our
main concern as Victim Advocates is
to make sure the victims receive the
services they deserve with as mini
mal distraction as possible.
I know there are some law en
forcement officers here today that
disagree with me on releasing police
information. It is true, under the US.
Attorney's office and the FBI guide
lines release of information con
cerning a crime on the reservation is
not possible. However, Victim As
sistance people only need limited
information, information such as; was
there negligence involved, did the
victim provoke the incident, and was
alcohol involved? These are just some
of the questions.
There are a total of eight questions.
Retrieving this information from the
tribal Police has been a major prob
lem in Arizona. Sometimes the vic
tims would show up at my office but
if there was no reports, I couldn't
proceed with their application.
To solve this problem, Apache
County Attorney's Office, in con
junction with US Attorney's office,
devised a form that solved the prob
lem for everyone. For the past two
and half years that this form has been
utilized, we have been satisfied with
it.
In addition to this, two months
ago there was a meeting in Wash
ington DC between the Justice De
partment Office of Victims of Crime,
and the FBI. The result of this meet
ing was assignment of certain FBI
agents to make sure that Victim
Compensation offices received the
information needed to assist their
victims. We hope this will improve
the service delivery even more to
victims on Indian reservations.
Politics Plays a Role
Unfortunately, politics plays a
great role throughout Indian reser
vations. I always thought that poli
tics was always a method that was
visible in society which excluded the
American Indian. I am afraid this is
not the case it is very visible in the
Indian nations, well, in Arizona
anyway. The reason this is being
mentioned is the fact that there is a
close connection between success and
failure of a program due to the po
litical climate. Sometimes the best
people on the jobs are fired for no
particular reason.
The sad thing about this is the fact
that in most cases these individuals
do not have any recourse. When
competent people are placed in these
situations, this eliminates the con
centration and consideration that
otherwise would have been applied
to the job. When people are intimi
dated and are more concerned about
job security than job performance,
then everybody has problems.
I believe that when these people
from Washington, DC who fund these
programs for Victim Assistance
Victim Compensation in Indian
country, their intentions are good.
However, when programs are not
successful, they will no longer have
the resources to operate. And on the
bottom line, victims suffer again.
A Scream for Help
On of the greatest lessons that I
have learned is not to ever be afraid
to ask for help. I realize that there are
a lot of people out there who are
more than willing to offer their as
sistance in anyway possible. If they
can't they will refer you to someone
who can.
I am not sure if this is a normal
part of the system, but one of the
biggest obstacles I faced was dealing
with new people in key positions
with such regularity. It seems as
though as soon as 1 established a
rapport with a police chief or pro
gram director, they would disappear.
Then I had to start on a new rela
tionship with anew person. Believe
me, after a few of these changes, I
felt like throwing up my hands and
walking away from the whole situa
tion. The greatest feeling I get from
being involved in the Victim Assis
tance Program is the fact that our
program assists people who are in
dire straits and in most cases our
program is the only one that can
assist them in these situations.
My experience has been that
special feeling of helping a victim
with funeral, medical, or mental
health expenses when no one else
was able to assist them. This is what
makes my job so rewarding.
Assisting a victim in this situation
on the reservation is even more
meaningful because of the conditions
and economics confronting the
people on reservations throughout
the country. This issue of providing
Victim Assistance to Indian Country
has so inspired mc personally that I
feel everyone who resides on the
reservation, Indian or non-Indian
should be made aware of these ser
vices. I'm not indicating by any means
that our system is all bad, so please
don't interpret my delivery with that
connotation. My experience has been
that maybe to make an organization
function properly, you have to
function together first If there are
problems, identify these problems
by being very specific.
The bottom line again, is victims:
Let's take care of them.
WARM SPRINGS
CLOTHING, CO.
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Great Gift Ideas
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WARM J
SPRINGS (
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Hwy. 26 Warm
Springs
WARM SPRINGS
CLOTHING. CO.
P.O. Box 1265
Warm Springs. OR 97761
1-800-597-3082
111
Wholesale inquiries welcome,
ask for James