JR. COLL.
P.O. Box 870
Warm Springs, OR 97761
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Coyote News, est. 1976
U.S. Postage
Bulk Rate Permit No. 2
Warm Springs, OR 97761
News from the Warm Springs Indten Reservation
July 12, 2001 Vol. 26, No. 14
35 cents
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Photo by Selena Bole
Even in losing the struggle in tug of war, there was at least the consolation of a cooling dip in the mud on the Fourth
of July in Warm Springs. Hundreds of families gathered from late morning to the dark of night for food, fun and
fireworks. For more photos, see Page 5.
Foortfa of July fires underscore
danger
Arson may
have hit
360 acres
A fire possibly caused by arson
last week burned 360 acres of
' rangeland along Highway 3.
The blaze, the first on the reser
vation for the 2001 fire season,
caused no property damage. An
old building that used to stand on
the site burned five years ago in the
Simnasho fire.
Last week's fire was first re
ported at 12:19 a.m., Thursday,
July 5. Response crews had a line
around the blaze by 4 a.m. Mop
up continued through Thursday
and into Friday.
The Sunnyside fire, as it was la
beled, was one of 18 that crews re
sponded to during the evening of
July 4 and the early morning hours
of July 5.
The Sunnyside fire was by the
largest, as the next biggest one, near
Quail Trail, was contained to a two
acre area.
Fireworks were the cause of all
18 blazes, with the possible excep
tion of the Sunnyside fire, which
was investigated as a deliberate arson.
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Fire season
a scorcher
The fire season this summer on the res
ervation could be an active one, as drought
conditions have left vegetation dry and
highly flammable.
'The potential is there for above-normal
fire activity this season," said Gary
Cook, Warm Springs Fire Management
officer.
Last year saw a fairly quiet fire season,
in comparison, for instance, with the sea
son of 1999, which saw the HeHe and
Rainbow Quarry fires. The HeHe blaze,
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FIRE DANGLR JUJA
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Photo by Dave McMechan
Just days after knocking down dry grass and weeds (bottom photo), fire crews found themselves mopping up after a fire.
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causc or wnuiirc.
During an average fire season, the res
ervation sees about 85 wildfires, burning
an average of 12,000 acres, Cook said.
So far this summer, the reservation has
seen about 20 blazes, most of them small.
The largest, at 187 acres, burned near Kah-Nee-Ta.
A 12-acre blaze also happened ear
lier this summer on Upper Dry Creek.
During the summer, Warm Springs Fire
Management,, the primary response
agency for wildfires on the reservation, has
a total staff of 90 people.
The agency has nine fire engines, three
bulldozers and a helicopter on contract
during the summer.
Warm Springs Fire and Safety, whose
primary responsibility is structure fires in
and near Warm Springs, provides support
to Fire Management when needed in wild
land fire situations.
In case of very large fires, other agen
cies - the BIA, Forest Service, BLM, and
state agencies - provide support
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caused by an escaped control-burn, black
ened more than 6,000 acres.
Also, 1996 was an especially bad fire
season. In 96 the Simnasho fire - the big
gest wildland blaze on the reservation
since the 1930s - destroyed 10 homes, and
scorched 120,000 acres.
Approximately 60 percent of all wild
land fires are human caused, said Cook.
Discarded cigarettes, campfires that are not
wholly extinguished, children playing
with matches and fireworks are some of
the more common sources of ignition.
I.inhtninc strikes are a common natural
Z Gorge plan
for casino
progresses
By Dave McMechan
Spilyay Staff
Step by step the Warm Springs Tribal
Council is piecing together a plan for ex
pansion of the Tribes' gaming enterprise.
In time, perhaps later this year, a specific
proposal will be put to a referendum vote
of tribal members.
Tribal members may be asked to ap
prove development of a $150 million ca
sino on 47 acres of tribal trust land over
looking the Columbia River, near the
town of Hood River. This venture could
generate more than $100 million in annual
revenue.
Even as the plan is nearing completion,
some residents of Hood River County
maintain a hope that the Tribes will de
velop the Gorge casino on Government
Rock at Cascade Locks, about 15 miles
west of the town of Hood River.
For people in favor of the Cascade
Locks site, and for people opposed to the
Hood River site, time is an important fac
tor: Once tribal members vote on a spe
cific development plan, the issue is con
cluded. The only way to reverse a referen
dum would be through another referen
dum, an unlikely scenario, said Rudy
Clements, chairman of the Tribes' gam
ing commission.
This week at Cascade Locks, officials
of the city and the Port of Cascade Locks
discussed the Gorge casino issue with
tribal officials. Cascade Locks Mayor
Roger Freeborn said most people in his
community would welcome a tribal ca
sino at Government Rock, a 30-acre prop
erty that the Tribes purchased last year.
Freeborn also said, though, that Cas
cade Locks is aware that the Tribes very
likely may have no choice but to develop
the Hood River site. In that case, he asked
what plans the Tribes might have for Gov
ernment Rock.
Tribal Councilman Raymond Tsumpti
commented the Tribes might build a re
sort hotel on the property. Cascade Locks
and tribal officials then agreed to begin
working on terms of agreement regarding
development of a hotel on Government
Rock.
The Tribes and Cascade Locks cur
rendy have such an agreement in regard
to development of a casino on Govern
ment Rock. The parties developed this
earlier agreement before Gov. John
Kitzhaber blocked the Government Rock
casino plan.
The initial discussion regarding the ho
tel resort idea for Government Rock fur
ther demonstrates that the Tribes are near
ing a final plan to develop a casino at the
Hood River site.
"We're moving forward with the Hood
River site, with all of our resources, be
cause that is the site available to us," said
Clements. Fairly soon, he said, "We have
to start looking at holding a referendum
of the tribal members."
Tribal officials see expansion of gam
ing as essential for future economic devel
opment and financial stability. This is true
mainly because of a substantial decline in
recent years of revenue from timber on
the reservation.
The Tribes can build a casino at the
Hood River site despite opposition from
the Governor, while approval of the gov
ernor is needed for development of a ca
sino at the Cascade Locks property.
Some residents of Hood River, orga
nized as a group called No-Casino, are
actively opposed to the Tribes' plan to
build there. However, said Clements, the
level of opposition appears to be less than
that of a couple of years ago, when the
Tribes first proposed Hood River as a ca
sino development site.
Continued en Page 3
i
University of Oregon Library
Received on: 07-3-ei 1L"Bry
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