3R.C0LL.
73
.s&a
v. 26
no. 3
February
22, 2001
P.O. Box 870
Warm Springs, OR 97761
Spilyay Tymoo
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Warm Springs, OR 97761
News from the Wqrrn Springs Indian
Museum
mrector
resigns
The director of The Museum at
Warm Springs has resigned.
Mary Ellen Conaway and the
museum board agreed to the part
ing of ways Feb. 8.
"Mary Ellen had done some fine
things for the museum," said Ken
Smith, chairman of the museum
board of directors, "but some things
weren't gelling on the human side.
Doth Mary F.llen and the board ...
mutually agreed that she should
move on."
Ed Manion is acting director un
til the board can find a permanent
replacement. Although Manion's
specific museum expertise is limited,
Smith notes that he is "a very excel
lent manager of people," something
the organization needs very much
at the moment. Manion, who is re
tired, has worked in tribal organiza
tions for many years.
Smith estimates that it will take
four to six months to find a new di
rector. A recruitment firm will be
hired and Jan Baker Facilitators of
Bend will likely be kept to help the
museum through the transition.
"Hopefully we can get the right
person to make the thing work,"
Smith said.
The Bend firm was brought in to
try to help resolve the Conaway situ
ation, Smith said. Several meetings
between board members and
Conaway were held before this
month's resignation. The board also
met with staff.
"It's sort of an awkward situa
tion," said Smith.
He said the facilitators made sev
eral recommendations that will be
carried forward to help the museum.
Agency District Notice, as
described in the Constitu
tion and By-Laws
Section 1. COMPOSITION -The
Tribal Council shall be com
posed of members chosen as herein
after provided. The Council shall
consist of eleven members, to be se
lected from the districts as set forth
hereafter.
Section 2. APPORTIONMENT
- Representation -from the Agency
District, 3 elected members, one of
whom shall represent the Sidwaller
Flat area, together with the recog
nized chief of the district or his suc
cessors shall be selected in accor
dance with tribal custom.
Section 3. TERM OF OFFICE
- Elected for terms of three years
except that the chiefs shall serve for
life, and their successors shall be se
lected in accordance with tribal cus
tom. Section 5. RIGHT TO VOTE -All
members of the Community of
either sex, who are married, or who
are over 21 years of age, are entitled
to vote in the district in which they
reside.
Section 6. TIME OF ELEC
TION - Elections for membership
on the Council shall be set by the
Tribal Council at least 30 days in
advance of the expiration of the term
of office of the members.
While there will not be a supper
served, there will be a reception at
the Agency Long House.
The election and reception time
and details will be announced in
Spilyay Tymoo.
Nelson Wallulatum, Chief of the
Agency District and of the Wasco
Tribe.
Air Force drops
I
C-v rfi
Air Force crew from Portland retrieved refueling drogue after it was
1 i -
XV I
Tectonics plant offers
By Nat Shaw
A little over nine years ago, the
Tribal Council and Structural Tech
nology, Inc., entered into an agree
ment that provided for the forma
tion of a joint venture partnership.
This original agreement was entered
into by resolution of Tribal Coun
cil and signed by Ken Smith, Secretary-Treasurer.
That partnership later became
known as Tectonics International
(TI). The mission of TI is to develop,
protect and license earth friendly
construction materials; thus provid
ing profit to the partnership as well
as directly contributing to long term
Tribal business development and
employment.
The first mission of the partner
ship was construction of what was
then called the DE Project, located
in the old plywood plant at WSFPI.
It was during this phase that vari
ous technologies and products were
proven, and markets were identified.
On May 17, 1994, voters approved a
referendum renaming the DE
Project and authorizing the estab
lishment of Warm Springs Compos
ite Pmducts (WSCP). WSCP was the
first licensee of Tectonics Interna
tional, and is 100 triballv owned.
Reservation
i
i
i M)
t
In 2000, the company generated sales of around $3.5 million
with a net profit margin of 20 percent.
The National Center for Ameri
can Indian Enterprise Development
honored WSCP in September of
1995 by naming them National
Tribal Enterprise of the year. The
next month, the late Tony Stacona
was named General Manager of
WSCP.
It was at this time that Terry
Turner and Phil Rodda moved from
WSCP to Tectonics International in
order to devote full time to research
and development activities.
The services provided by TI are
not a part of the Tribal budget pro
cess. TI was initially financed
through contributed Tribal capital.
This capital is being repaid to the
Tribes through royalties paid by lic
ensees. Tectonics International and
Warm Springs Composite Products
have both done well over the years.
TI has developed a number of inno
vative products that hold promise,
and currently has two licensees be
sides WSCP.'
piece of gear on -house
Photos by Martha Lawrence
found in a roof on Elk Loop.
r ... -J
,1 o i .
i
potential for economic
One of the most promising prod
ucts is "Tectonite" Rapid Strength
Polymeric Cement, licensed and
manufactured by CFB Inc, of Warm
Springs. Another licensee of TI is
Sci-Tech Building Systems of
Cortland, 111. Sci-Tech is using an
other proprietary fast-setting cement
developed by TI.
According to some industry ex
perts, this new building system
could revolutionize the building in
dustry. The system will be formally
unveiled at the World of Concrete
trade show in Las Vegas next week.
Another potential major revenue
source centers on neutralization of
hazardous waste.
For the past four years, Tectonics
International has been working with
professionals at the Hanford nuclear
reservation, and has received grants
from the Department of Energy to
pursue neutralization of hazardous
waste. Preliminary tests indicate that
one particular cement formulation
has a dramatic effect on several waste
Feb. 22, 2001 Vol. 26, No. 3
I Night refueling
hole in roof, raises questions
At 9 p.m. Feb. 7, the pilot of a
HC-130 tanker aircraft flying out of
Portland International Airport was
performing a routine refueling ma
neuver in concert with two IIH-60G
helicopters.
As he began to release the 93-foot
refueling assembly stored in a pod
under the wing, the routine mission
turned exceptional. Instead of re
maining attached to the plane at one
end,' the entire 200 pound assembly
was soon hurtling through the night
sky, plunging onto the roof of a
house at 1567 Elk Ixop and leaving
residents questioning why such an
operation was being conducted
2,000 feet above a populated area.
On Monday, Feb. 13, workers
from the Warm Springs Housing
Authority arrived at the unoccupied
home on Elk Loop and discovered
the unidentified object embedded in
the roof and the lingering odor of
fuel in the air.
The assembly included not only
the hose, but a funnel-like drogue
which opens to 30 inches, provid
ing a target at which a helicopter
pilot can aim... ...
When they learned that the hose
had penetrated not only the roof but
the kitchen ceiling as well, the men
expressed relief that the assembly
had landed on a bearing wall, pre
cluding more damage to the house.
By Tuesday morning, tribal offi
cials learned the hose belonged to
the 939,h Rescue Wing of the U.S.
Air Force Reserve.
A crew from the wing's Ground
Safety unit arrived at the reservation
about 11 a.m. on Tuesday morning
and quickly removed the assembly.
According to Col. Mark Kyle, the
wing's Operations Group Com
mander, the Air Force alerted the
Warm Springs Police within half an
hour of the incident and conducted
a limited search that evening. Dark
ness postponed the investigation
until morning. By nightfall, noth
ing had been spotted from the air
and no reports of damage had come
streams.
Warm Springs Composite Prod
ucts continues to build on its repu
tation as an international leader in
the fire door industry. The tribally
owned company employs 29 people,
with 24 being Tribal members, MITs
or other Indian. The company op
erates two 10-hour shifts, 4 days a
week.
In 2000, the company generated
sales of around $3.5 million with a
net profit margin of 20 percent.
Growth has been so rapid that a
business-consulting group has been
retained to prepare a three to five
year business plan for growth. With
the potential for unlimited growth.
Warm Springs Composite Products
could one day be a major factor in
the economy of the Confederated
Tribes.
An Executive Management Com
mittee consisting of Raymond
Tsumpti, Secretary-Treasurer at the
time, Joe Moses, Tribal Council rep
resentative, and Terry Turner, STI
University of Oregon Library
Received ont C3-C5-81
35 cents
mishap puts
from the ground, and the search was
abandoned.
Although Kyle did not know the
reason for the malfunction, he did
say, "I have never seen anything like
this happen in my 20 years of Air
Force experience." As to the route
of the aircraft, Kyle stated, they were
"on our established air refueling
track in approved air space."
While Kyle is probably techni
cally correct, Jim Noteboom, attor
ney for the Confederated Tribes of
Warm Spring, questions whether the
Air Force consulted the tribes when
establishing these routes and
whether such operations are rou
tinely conducted over similarly
populated areas. Noteboom points
out that although 2,000 feet is an
appropriate altitude for a refueling
mission, it is not an operation you
want to see performed above a resi
dential area. To help answer these
questions, Noteboom has sent a
Freedom of Information Act request
to the commander of the wing.
"I am not going to pre-judge,"
says Noteboom. "However, this may
be an issue of fairness jather than
strict legality. Are they flying over'"'
Portland Heights as well as an In
dian reservation?"
Reached by Spifyay shordy before
press time, Col. Rusty Moen, Com
mander of the 939th Rescue Wing,
said the cause of the malfunction has
yet to be determined.
The Air Force investigated and
found no problem with the aircraft,
its holding pod or hose wheel assem
bly. They thus suspect that the fail
ure lies with the hose which is rela
tively new and has only been used
"a few times."
The hose has been sent off for
further analysis.
Moen stressed that the area where
the aircraft were flying is part of a
62-mile refueling track, of which
there are seven in the state.
The aircraft can fly four miles on
either side of the line.
Continued on Page 2
growth
representative, initially managed
Tectonics International.
Another Tribal member who has
been a strong ally of TI is Robert
Macy Sr., a valued advisor since the
inception of the partnership. Macy
is currently Chairman of the Board
for Warm Springs Composite Prod
ucts. The current TI Executive Man
agement Committee consists of
Charles Jackson, Secretary-Treasurer,
Raymond Tsumpti, Tribal
Council representative and Terry
Turner, STI representative.
Although the Confederated
Tribes face some economic chal
lenges in the short term, there are
some positive signs on the horizon
as well.
A gaming casino in the Colum
bia River Gorge could alleviate much
of the pressure. The pioneering tech
nology of the research and develop
ment arm of Tectonics Internationa
may also provide an avenue of in
come through licensees and prod
ucts. The strong efforts of TI will
always place the Tribes in t positive
position in the business world.
lldi tor's note: This is the first in
series of four articles on the efforts of
Tectonics International.
Spilyay tyioo.