Image provided by: The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; Warm Springs, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (June 13, 2002)
Page 12 The Annual Report of the Confe4er3tec Tribes of Warm Springs 2000-01 The Natural Resources Branch The Natural Resources Branch employees 205 people, over half of which are tribal members. The branch is responsible for managing fish, wildlife, cultural resources, wa ter, soil, forest and rangelands, and recreation. The workforce is made up of 180 tribal employees (116 tribal members) and 25 BIA employees. The annual budget is just over $6 million, with $1.4 million being funded by the tribes, $1.2 from federal 638 contracts, and $3.6 from other contracts and grants. A number of noteworthy accom plishments highlight the 2000-2001 era. The Wagner Ranch, on ceded lands located with the John Day wa tershed, was purchased with mitiga tion funds provided by the Bonneville Power Administration. The ranch includes an important reach of the river used by wild salmon for spawn ing purposes. Fish returns to the Columbia and Deschutes rivers established modern Summary (Continued from page 1) A cultural aspect of education gained attention throughout the state when tribal representatives success fully lobbied the Oregon Legislature to pass a bill allowing fluent speakers of traditional languages to teach in public schools. Under the new law, a traditional language speaker can ob tain a special certificate to teach the language to public school students. Gladys Thompson and Madeline Mclnrurff testified during the legisla tive process. A weak timber market and declin ing revenue forced tribal decision makers to make $1.1 million in bud get cuts, which included reductions in government programs and services. Public Safety (Continued from page 11) The reporting system is being ex panded from the police department to other departments of the branch, he said. For the year 2001, the Warm Springs Police Department re sponded to 8,813 calls for service, with 13,182 incidents being logged. On the fire safety side, Warm Springs Fire and Safety responded to 2,110 calls during the year 2001. This department employs 17 full time people. Governmental (Continued from page 10) One stillborn child; 1 miscarriage; 28 tribal member adults, 6 non-member spouses; and 1 non-member child. There were 104 people enrolled in 2000 and 176 in 2001. In December of 2001, the Office of Trust Fund Management shut down the IIM System. The Vital Sta tistics System has been set up to run Per Capita Checks, but have not been doing so because of the trust respon sibility of the BIA. Since the IIM sys tem was shut down for 60 to 90 days, Vital Statistics had to be prepared to run the Per Capita for 3 or 4 months, or until the IIM system is on line again. One of the most time consuming responsibilities for the department is preparation for a Tribal Referendum. The Tribal Council calls elections by resolution. When the Vital Statistics department receives the resolution, a ballot is prepared using the language of the resolution, asking the question "Shall Resolution be approved?" A cover letter is prepared for the Ab sentee voters. (There are now 601 ab sentee infers) The Ballot and cover let ter arc sent to printing. The Election Counting Board is appointed by Tribal resolution, by the Tribal Coun cil. Once an election is called, the Board is notified of the place and time records during the 2001 season. Spring chinook fishing for traditional and recreational anglers was the best in recent memory and steelhead fish ing was also extremely good. Natural Resources played a key role in the joint application that was filed for the Confederated Tribes and PGE to operate the Pelton-Round Butte hydro-electric complex, provid ing greater control for the tribes over the long-term. The application was sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for their approval. The agreement between the tribes and PGE is expected to increase future revenues and help to stabilize the lo cal economy. Other milestones include 401 cer tification for water rights, establish ment of a pantry to allow greater flex ibility for timber harvests, outplanting of juvenile chinook salmon to produce future runs in Shitike Creek, dedication of the Eu gene Greene Sr. Natural Resources Building, revision of IRMP I for the Some of the cuts were painful, but they also encouraged the tribal orga nization to reexamine they way we do business. Consolidation, restructuring and improved efficiency were key ele ments in the merger of Indian Head Casino and Kah-Nee-Ta Resort. As a result, the new Kah-Nee-Ta High Desert Resort and Casino reported $15 million in gross revenue during the first nine months of 2001 and re inforced believes that the merger was a sound idea. A corporation was founded to in vest in ventures that create jobs and generate new revenue, as part of an effort to diversify the local economy. Tribal Council provided the first in- The Fire and Safety has its main station in Warm Springs, but also has a station in Simnasho, and is in the process of developing a Seekseequa station, which should be done this year. Overall response time of Fire and Safety continues to improve. Also, the number of structure fires has been in decline, as Fire and Safety continues its fire-safety education program. At Victims of Crime last year, 199 primary victims and 217 secondary victims were served. affairs to report for the voting and count ing. Envelopes are ordered to mail absentee voters their packets. They are stamped with the absentee voter stamp and the return address stamp. Labels are placed on each envelope so that they can check the voters name off the list when it is returned. Postage can range from 43 cents to 60 cents per envelope depending on the size of the ballot. Envelopes are stamped with the Absentee Ballot stamp and they include a plain white envelope that the ballot will be sealed inside when it is returned. The ballots arc stamped with an "Official Ballot" stamp. Packets are prepared for each absentee voter, which includes the cover letter, the ballot and information regarding the ballot question, the plain white enve lope and the stamped return enve lope. The postage is always first class, and the postage can range from about 40 cents to $1.10. The preceding is just a small part of the process that the Vital Statistics department goes through for each election. There arc 13 steps in all that must be completed before the elec tion can be held. The referendum process is a very arduous process for the ladies at the Vital Statistics depart ment, and yet they always greet the public with a smile. fx 4 sr The tribes, through the Natural Resources Branch, reintroduced bighorn sheep onto the reservation in 2001 . Forested Area, and opening of the ment land use plans, services and Hood River salmon fishery. projects to assess, protect and enhance Goals for the future include a re- tribally significant natural resource view of corporate and other-govern- and cultural values. stallment of financial capital for in vestment purposes and approved the board of directors. The Economic Development Corporation will seek out new ways of utilizing tribal re sources, including a capable and will ing work force. Along those same lines, the Or egon Legislature passed a tax law that encourages new business develop ment on the reservation. The law eliminates the possibility of double taxation on businesses and allows the tribes to provide an incen tive by means of a property tax de ferral. Tribal fishermen were encouraged by the record returns of spring chinook salmon during the 2001 adult migration. As of October 1 over 2,700'wild'fish had passed Warm Springs National fish Hatchery, shat tering the previous modern record of 1,867. An additional 6,745 hatchery salmon had reached the facility dur ing the same timeframe. The record returns of salmon were a fitting prelude to the dedication of our new Natural Resources Building, a memorial to the late Eugene "Cou gar" Greene. Family, friends, col leagues and visitors gathered for the dedication ceremony, which honored Greene's long and illustrious service to the Tribal organization and to the region's natural resources. The swearing in of a new Tribal Council was certainly a highlight of 2001. A total of 1,034 ballots were cast, re-instating all but one council mem ber for a new term. Ron Suppah Sr. was the only new member elected during the April 9 vote. Olney Patt Jr. was reinstated as chairman and Garland Brunoe as vice chairman. No synopsis of 2001 would be complete without mention of the great individual achievements that took place during the year. Among the most noteworthy was the selec tion of Luanne Foltz as the Oregon Indian Education Association's Teacher of the Year. We also take great pride in basket-maker Pat Gold's ac ceptance of the Governor's Arts Award, and Bodie Shaw's receipt of the Mark O. Hatfield Congressional Fellowship, The year 2000 offered some unique opportunities to expand social pro grams and build financial stability for the future. There were challenges to face, in cluding the layoff of local mill work ers, but decision-makers maintained their vision for long-term prosperity. Following years of hard work and negotiation, the Tribes made a final commitment to take controlling in terest of the Pelton-Round Butte hy droelectric complex. Tribal members overwhelmingly approved a referendum to acquire an increasing stake in the project. A fi nal tally of 753 yes votes and 127 no votes provided a resounding statement in favor of efforts to gain control of the entire project. f' i t. lCw is' I M , ;ir. iff AdultCommunity Eduction This branch was created when former Chief Operations Officer Jody "Charles" Calica divided the , Education Branch into two branches. Wendell Jim is the General Manager of the Adult and Community Edu cation Branch and Julie Quaid is the Director of Essential Education. The branch encompasses Oregon State University Extension (OSU), Central Oregon Community College (COCC), the Workforce Develop ment Department (WFDD), Culture and Heritage Department, and the Administrative Staff. There are 31 full-time and 18 part-time employees. Twenty-four full-time employees and 11 part-time employees are tribal members. The operating budget in cludes $1,348,921 tribal dollars. , General Manager Wendell Jim said downsizing nas eliminated some full time positions and caused a decline in services to clients. However, at the same time, the branch as accom plished much. Jim has worked with a number of universities and colleges to further the cause of education in Warm Springs. He represented the Confederated Tribes at the Oregon government-to-government education meetings with the Oregon depart ment of Education (K-12), Office of Community Colleges and workforce development, and the Oregon Uni versity Systems. He assisted in updat ing the American Indian Native Alaskan State Indian Education State Plan and testified to the Oregon Board of Education. Wendell Jim helped develop the coordination of the "Mill Transition" plan for displaced WSFPI workers. Other achievements include the 2020 Partnership with Washing ton State University, Pacific North west Indian Education Summit 2001 and Native Language and Cultures Regional Conference 2001. Some of the other branch successes included 257 kids participating in the Oregon State University extension camping program. OSU also devel oped the Warm Springs Weed Man agement Program, created Indian sto ries and games "in their own voices" educational program, and completed a draft of Warm Springs Stockman's notebook. Two hundred students participated in Central Oregon Community College's programming as they pur sued their 2-year degree. Forty-four students enrolled in remedial classes Comp and benefits continued... (Continued from page 9) voluntary retirement plan for the tribal organization. Managed Care will strive to provide quality service, while operating in a fiscally re sponsible manner and extending limited funding so all priority health care services are provided to eligible community members. Staff will research the feasibility of paying Part B Medicare premiums for pro gram eligible tribal members and develop a plan on how best to utilize the unspent dollars that have accumulated in the Managed Care budget through sound fiscal management. There is some uncertainty awaiting Comp and Benefits and Managed Care. Health care costs continue to escalate due to medical and technological advancements. The rising costs are pitted against tribal budget cuts and wage freezes, making it ever more difficult to provide quality benefits at affordable prices. Always high on the priority list will be ongo ing efforts to provide for fish and wildlife popula tions... The branch plans to implement plans, strategies and management standards that increase production and cultural or economic resourceful ness of natural resources-based oppor tunities. Another goal is to improve community knowledge and participa tion in natural resources management decisions. Always high on the prior ity list will be ongoing efforts to pro vide for fish and wildlife populations and habitat that will sustain current and future needs of tribal members. Natural Resources General Man ager Robert Brunoe said the biggest challenge for the immediate future will be to maintain current programs and services under present and antici pated budget restraints. and there was a 55 percent increase in the number of participants in tra ditional and vocational education. COCC also enrolled 199 people in computer classes, 14 different soft ware applications with 6 being cus tomized. Of those participating, 84.5 percent earned certificates. Workforce Development's Afford able Housing & Training Develop ment Program constructed 15 homes using apprentice carpenters. Other areas of work included tree planting, tree carding, gopher trapping and commercial tree thinning. An area that will be of great value for the or ganization in the future is the Pre employment adult and youth skills bank created by WFDD. The WFDD also employed 140 youth in the sum mer employment program.' "' 1 ; The Culture and Heritage" depart-" ment made headlines statewide when the State Legislature passed SB 690 after being introduced by the depart ment. The department also taught ' Indian languages to 17 classes at Warm ' Springs Elementary. There were 789 hours of language taught to 336 stu dents. Culture and Heritage received $116,000 dollars from ANA Native ' American Grant award. The language 1 staff completed college level studies at the Northwest Indian Language institute and assisted in creating the Indian Language Benchmarks for the State of Oregon. The branch has provided and implemented distance education courses; computer training; remedial classes; Adult basic education and GED classes; apprentice and intern ship programs; on-the job training; academic, self sufficiency and life management training; provided Sahaptin, Wasco and Paiute language instruction, and tribal government, history and traditional education cur riculum and classes; cultural enrich ment camps; so that tribal member youth, adults are able to attain the skills and training to be successful individuals, employees and so that they learn to preserve, and strengthen our Indian traditions, values, im prove, protect, enhance, and support our tribal sovereign rights. When asked about the biggest challenge fac ing the tribes in the next few years, like many other managers, Wendell Jim said it is budget reductions and the growing tribal population.
