Page 4
Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Spring
Oregon January 9. 2003
PageS
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sin raso:
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I
2002,
(The following is a montb-bj-month ac
count of some of the news events that occurred
on the reservation during the past year.)
January
For the Warm Springs Reservation an im
portant event in early 2002 happened on a
cold and foggy morning in the rugged Aldrich
Mountains, near the town of John Day.
On that morning a team of tribal and state
wildlife specialists met with a helicopter crew
at a base camp at the foot of the remote moun
tain chain. The helicopter crew was skilled
at capturing wild sheep. Their technique in
volved dropping nets on the sheep from the
air, then carrying the animals - in nets at
tached to the bottom of the helicopter - back
to the base camp.
In this case the sheep were California big
horns, a species once found in great numbers
in the Mutton Mountains of the Warm
Springs Reservation. The sheep disappeared
from the Muttons decades ago, victims of dis
ease borne by domestic sheep.
The capture operation at the Aldrich
Mountains marked the culmination of years
of planning and negotiation between the
tribes and the Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife. In all, 20 sheep were captured,
carried to the base camp, then transferred to
the Mutton Mountains.
Some of the sheep were pregnant ewes.
Others were young rams, as well as some older
rams. One of the older rams died a short time
after being transferred.
But the population of wild sheep now
roaming the Muttons is doing well. Some time
in the future the tribes hope to obtain more
bighorns from a different location in the state,
in order to diversify and strengthen the local
population. One day tribal members may be
able to obtain permits to hunt bighorns, a
species of cultural significance to the tribes.
In other news from January of 2002:
-):!; A second attempt at conducting a tribal
adoption election failed for lack 6f voter par
ticipation. The earlier attempt failed in Oc
tober 2001. There were 76 adoption candi
dates on both the October and January 2002
ballots.
The elections carried some degree of con
troversy: Some tribal members opposed to the
election pointed out that only one of the 76
candidates on the ballot had one-quarter
blood of the Confederated Tribes of Warm
Springs. The other candidates to varying de
grees had less that one-quarter Confederated
Tribes blood.
After the January 2002 election failed,
tribal officials agreed that it may be some time
before the tribes conduct another vote on the
adoption candidates. And in other news:
The Board of Directors of The Museum at
Warm Springs chose Carol Leone as the new
director of the museum. And this:
Plans were under way to expand the tribal
Geographic Information System (GIS) office,
a department of the Natural Resources
Branch. The GIS office, employing seven
people, has the ability and opportunity to
provide a technology service that is in great
demand. The GIS work involves the use of
state of the art computer hardware and soft
ware. The employees generate information -in
the form of computerized maps, including
3-D interactive mapping systems - that is use
ful in many ways.
The Museum at Warm Springs
invites you to join us to honor aspiring
youth artisits at the opening reception of:
Celebrate Our Youth, Celebrate the Vision
The 10th Annual Warm Springs Tribal
Youth Art Exhibit
Thursday, Jan. 16 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the
Changing Exhibits Gallery
Along with refreshments, the opening will
feature flute music by James Greeley and
storytelling at 7 p.m. by Adeline Miller
This exhibit is sponsored by Warm Springs Power Enterprises
and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Credit Hoard
i 4r1 !. . ffmt,
In the fall, Bryson and Larry Spino take time for
on the first day of school.
February
In February tribal leaders initiated a com
munity discussion of gaming expansion, a
topic that would dominate the news on the
reservation throughout the year.
In early February the Tribal Council and
gaming officials began a community outreach
effort that would include district and family
meetings, where tribal members could share
their opinions on gaming expansion. In early
February the Tribal Council reviewed and ap
proved a brochure, including a survey ques
tionnaire, to be circulated among tribal mem
bers. Questions on the brochure included:
Do you think the tribes should build a new,
larger casino? And if so, where? Along High
way 26 at Helle? Or at the tribes' trust prop
erty at Hood River?
Helle Junction and Hood River were the
two locations most often mentioned by tribal
members as potential casino sites.
Later in the month, two things were made
clear at the initial district and family meet
ings on gaming expansion.
First, tribal members are overwhelmingly
in favor of improving the local job market.
And second, they are in favor of increasing
revenue for the tribes.
For these two reasons, there was strong sup
port among many tribal members for the Co
lumbia Gorge casino proposal. In other news:
Traditional dancer Cory Johnson, age 13,
took part in the opening ceremonies of the
2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City,
Utah. Johnson, with his aunt Julie and uncle
David Johnson, appeared on the national tele
vision broadcast of the opening ceremonies,
which included 500 Native American danc
ers. And this:
Warm Springs Ventures relocated to a re
modeled office area at the Warm Springs
Plaza.
Warm Springs Ventures is the business
name of the tribal economic development
corporation formed by Tribal Council in
2001. Meanwhile:
The Junior Miss Warm Springs pageant
drew a large crowd of spectators, as well as
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some playground activities before classes begin
many young contestants. Also in February
the Simnasho Community hosted the 25th
Annual Lincoln's Birthday Powwow, held at
the Simnasho Longhouse. And this:
A report presented to Tribal Council in
February on the Warm Springs Health and
Wellness Center presented some interesting
news. For instance:
Since 1988 the average life expectancy of
local residents has increased by several years.
And the number of local people receiving
needed medical and dental care has gone up
dramatically.
The diabetes program at the Health and
' Wellness Center is a major success, the report
stated. For the year 1993, when the Health
and Wellness Center opened, until the year
OpO,1 the. number, of people visiting the
clinic's diabetes program increased by 300
percent. In other news:
The Confederated Tribes received the Or
egon Parks and Recreation Association's Out
standing Management Award for their con
tribution to a cooperative project in the Co
lumbia River Gorge. The award was made in
appreciation of the tribes' efforts in relation
to the Hood River to Moiser Project, a 5-mile
long bicyclepedestrian linear park along the
old Columbia River Highway.
March
This interesting gaming news emerged in
early March:
While most other Indian tribes in Oregon
have taken no position on the Confederated
Tribes of Warm Springs Gorge casino pro
posal, the Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde has expressed opposition.
Warm Springs tribal leaders said the op
position comes as a surprise and a disap
pointment. They said the opposition goes
against a long-standing tradition that a tribe
does not interfere with the business of an
other tribe.
They also said that Grand Ronde most
likely opposes the Gorge casino idea because
this venture would cut into the Grand Ronde
Spirit Mountain casino revenue. Spirit Moun
tain generates over $60 million in annual
profit, according to reports.
For comparison, Indian Head at Kah-Nce-Ta
generates about $4 million. In other news:
A new tribal business venture, Warm
Springs Environmental Services, received
$500,000 in start-up money.
The employees of Environmental Services
will be involved in outdoor kinds of work,
including tree planting and marketing, seed
orchard maintenance, hand-line construction
and fencing.
The hope is that in time Environmental
Services will employ up to 30 tribal mem
bers, said Mike Clements, director of the
Warm Springs Economic Development De
partment. And in other local economic news:
In the past there has been some difficulty
in keeping businesses operating successfully
at the Plaza and at the nearby information
center.
This month, management of both the
Plaza and the information center transferred
from the tribal Economic Development De
partment to Warm Springs Ventures, now
housed at the Plaza. -.
The hope is that this change will help inj
bringing businesses to the empty space at ;ht
Plaza and the information center. In athea
news: ,
The Confederated Tribes filed an aptea
to the state Land Use Board, challenging fiv(
new Jefferson County zoning ordinances., The
new ordinances would loosen the reigns' o
rural development and potentially affect . rfe
sources the tribes view as extremely valuable.
And this:
The tribes again took part in Eagle W&tc
at Round Butte Overlook. The tribal pattici
pation included a Grand Entry and flag ,son:
followed by traditional dancing.
Also in March, traffic on Highway. 26j
through the reservation was re-routed during
week days. "'''(
The re-routing to Route 3 and 9 lasted into;
May, necessary as the Oregon Department of
Transportation began working on the Mill Creek
Bridge. .::,
April
Indian Health Services in Warm Springs pre
sented plans to expand the Health and Wellnessf
Clinic. Expansion of the existing building would ;
arid 1 2 new examination rooms, and nrovide!
more space for health and wellness department's,;
that are overcrowded.
The reason for the expansion is simpie.
"When we opened in 1993, we had 29,000
outpatient visits per year," said Russ Alger,;
clinic director. "Now we have over 50,000 J
outpatient visits per year.'
The clinic expansion will have an estimated,!
cost of $1.5 million. And in other news':
She is only 23 years old, but tribal mem-!
ber Lynn Fluhr has already achieved some
r
unique goals in tne tield ot nre-tignting afti
emergency response.
Recently, Fluhr became the first woma'
to serve as fire chief of the South SheVrna1:
County Rural Fire" Protection 'District.' She 'I
.!. u. r:.. l . i' " I
aisu uic nrsi uiuai mcniutr iu stive in in
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job, and the youngest person ever to hold th
position. And this: " ; ' j
The large volume of rafting traffic oK'the
Lower Deschutes River has led river mana-; I
ment agencies in recent vears to consider the I
possibility of adopting a rafting permit sys
tem. In April the Tribal Council met to dis
cuss the issue. ' ' ' '
A key point under discussion is whether a
rafting permit system should be adopted for
the Lower Deschutes in the year 2003. River
guides and representatives of the towns' of
Maupin and Madras have voiced opposition
to a permit system. 1
Tribal officials, and officials of federal and
state managing agencies, have said that a per
mit system may be necessary to maintain the
good qualities of the river. "From the tribal
perspective, this is a quality of life issue," said
Council Chairman Olney Patt Jr. In other ;
news: .. "
About 270 tribal members responded to a
survey questionnaire regarding gaming cxpan- (
sion. Of those who responded 90 percent I
were in favor of development of a Gorge ca
sino. In recent weeks, during a dozen or more
family home-base meetings on gaming, the
response has also been in favor of the Gorge!
Meanwhile, the Confederated Tribes' cel
ebrated the annual Root l east, held at the
Simnasho Longhouse and at the Agency
longhouse. In other news during the month
Deldra Johnson was crowned Pl-Ume-Sha,
Court Queen In 2002.
Wf 1
of April:
Jim Manion has been on the School Dis
trict 509-J board of directors for seven years.
' '-'This year is the first time, during his ten
ure, that the school district is facing a reduced
budget. To a large extent, how far the reduc
tion will go is to be determined during the
upcoming May primary.
In May, voters in the state will consider
the' controversial Ballot Measure 13. This
measure would allow spending money from
the state's Education Endowment Fund, for
K-12 funding in 2002-2004. And this:
Warm Springs Ventures announced some
good news regarding the Plaza. Three new
tenants are moving into spaces at the Plaza
that previously were vacant.
The new tenants are Quilts & More, the
Warm Springs Community Action Team, and
the Central Oregon Partnership. Meanwhile:
Columbia River tribes celebrated the
Celilo Wyam Salmon Feast, an event mark
ing the return of the salmon. Ceremonies
began with Washut Service at the Celilo
Longhouse, followed by the feast. And this:
A group of Warm Springs tribal members,
including Tribal Council members, attended a
groundbreaking event at Portland State Univer
sity. The groundbreaking was for the new Na
tive American Center at the college. And in
other news:
The Tribal Council set May 21 for the gam
ing .expansion referendum.
May
, . Close to 1,000 tribal members went to the
polls on the gaming expansion question.
More than three-fourths cast their ballots in
. favor of building a new casino at the Columbia
, River Gorge.
Of the 940 total votes cast, 720 votes - or
nearly 76 percent - were in favor of building
a ne.w tribal casino at the Gorge. The no votes
totaled 210, or roughly 22 percent. Ten bal
" lots were spoiled. ;
For the referendum the turnout of voters
was strong. The total number of voters was
close to the number who participated in the
most recent Tribal Council election, early in
JUl.
By any measure the support at the polls
for expansion of gaming to the Gorge was
overwhelming. Elsewhere:
i, ',-1
' "An May the tribal Victims of
, - Crime office announced plans .
for a $525,000 transitional hous
,'ing construction project, called
i the Circle of Life.
'"' The new housing units will be
; available to victims of domestic
:' violence.
. Tribal members gathered at Government
Rock at Cascade Locks for a ceremony and
celebration marking the tribal return to the
Gorge. The event included tours of tribal trust
land at I lood River, as well as tribal property
at Cascade Locks. Meanwhile in the month
of May:
The tribal Victims of Crime office an
nounced plans for a $525,000 transitional
housing construction project, called the
Circle of Life. The new housing units will be
available to victims of domestic violence. The
housing will provide victims with a safe place
to stay, and the chance to start a new and bet
ter life outside the cycle of domestic violence.
And in other news:
The new Simnasho rodeo grounds were the
scene of the Simnasho Jackpot Rodeo. Dur
ing the same eventful weekend the Collage
of Culture in Madras celebrated the diversity
of people who live in the region. Another
popular event - Honor Seniors Day - also
happened in mid May. Meanwhile:
. ;The Kah-Nce-Ta board of directors ap-
prjw'cd a $250,000 tribal member employ
; ment program. The purpose of this new pro
; gram is to recruit and employ tribal members
at Kah-Nce-Ta, and to provide training for
work in the gaming and hospitality industry. The
; program is available only to tribal members. In
' other news:
. CEaston Aguilar was named the supervisor
of Warm Springs Environmental Services, a
new business venture of the tribes. Elsewhere:
The Tribal Council endorsed candidates for
the Democrat and Republican party nomi
nations for governor of Oregon. The tribes
endorsed Ted Kulongoski as the Democrat,
and Jack Roberts as the Republican candidate.
June
The Confederated Tribes received good
news this month, regarding a long-standing
tribal lawsuit against the federal government.
The trial judge in the McQuinn Strip blow
down timber lawsuit awarded the tribes $13.8
million.
The money is to compensate the tribes for
BIA mismanagement of the sale of timber har
vested from the McQuinn Strip in 1990. The
$13.8 million award is a great deal larger than
the judge's initial award in 1999 of less than a
quarter million dollars. Tribal officials said
they expected the federal government to ap
peal the judge's ruling. Elsewhere:
The tribes in June celebrated the 33rd An
nual Pi-Ume-Sha Treaty Days. Also in June:
Tribal members gathered to discuss the
challenges the Confederated Tribes face in pre
serving the native languages. As the fluent
speakers of the languages are growing older,
the tribes face the real possibility of some day
losing the languages.
"In 20 years our languages could be gone,"
said Myra Shawaway, director of the Culture
and Heritage Department, which sponsored
the Tribal Language Summit. Discussion dur
ing the summit included suggestions from
community members and Language staff re
garding how to preserve the languages of the
tribes. Two suggestions that were mentioned
often were that of language immersion, and
summer language camp.
Construction of a new road - one day
likely to be a main route to Kah-Nee-Ta - is
about halfway complete. Phase one of the
project is now complete, except for painting
the stripes on the road pavememtj Surveyors
in June were preparing for phase two. The
new road, called Webster Flat Road, should
be finished by late summer.
July
Tribal power and timber revenue are down
from previous years, and the new budget of
the Confederated Tribes will suffer the con
sequences. The bleak news came this month
during a meeting of the Secretary-Treasurer,
the Chief Operations Officer, and general
managers and directors of the tribal branches
and departments.
The budget will likely see an overall cut
between 10 and 20 percent from the current
year's budget, said Secretary-Treasurer
Charles Jackson. A big part of the revenue
problem is the power market, he said.
In the long-term, said Jackson, the new ca
sino at the Columbia Gorge will provide
added revenue. However, he said, the open
ing of the new casino is still a few years away.
Elsewhere:
Mary Sando-Emhoolah, director of KWSO,
the Station on the Reservation, was recognized
nationally for her years of experience in and
dedication to community radio. The recogni
tion came from the National Association of
Community Broadcasters. Sando-Emhoolah
was one of two Native Americans named to
the association board. Elsewhere:
The weather was perfect for the 33rd Pi-Ume-Sha
Treaty Days Celebration. And this:
In her new job Marcia Soliz has a large task
ahead of her. The good news is that she is
well qualified to meet the challenge.
Soliz recently became manager of the Con
federated Tribes Community Employment
Liaison Services, a new tribal employment
program. And elsewhere:
Indians of the Columbia River tribes gath
ered at Celilo Park. Some of the elder people
who were present remembered Celilo before
the construction of The Dalles Dam. The
dam flooded Celilo Falls and many other
nearby fishing sites that Indians had used from
time immemorial.
This was the 50,h Anniversary of the flood
ing of the mighty Celilo Falls. Celilo Park is
located near the small Celilo community, and
just above the area where the falls used to be.
In other news:
One hundred people from Warm Springs
Fire Management were hard at work over the
7.-:'..-- , .o' " l
past two weeks in helping contain the Eyerly
Fire. In all, over 1,000 fire fighters from
around the country have helped in battling
the blaze, which destroyed 18 homes in rural
Jefferson County.
The fire broke out July 9 on the reserva
tion, and has been on the larger fires in re
cent years in Central Oregon.
While bringing destruction, the Eyerly
Fire provided a testing opportunity for Geo
Visions, a new tribal enterprise. Geo Visions
provides high-tech computer imaging infor
mation, and is a part of the tribes' GIS office,
a branch of Natural Resources. Elsewhere:
After 25 years of service to the Warm
Springs tribes, Antoinette Pamperien decided
to retire as Probate Administrator.
August
44-
The Warm Springs Library celebrated its
grand opening in August. The library is in
the Family Resources Building.
And this news item: A man turned him
self in to the police in Arizona, confessing to
the murders in 1987 of tribal member Mar
garet Still and her friend Gabriel Sanchez.
Elsewhere:
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency released a controversial study sug
gesting that high rates of pollutants could
be threatening the health of members of the
four treaty tribes of the Columbia River
Basin. The native groups surveyed include
members of the Confederated Tribes of
Warm Springs, the Yakama Nation, Nez
Perce and the Confederated Tribes of
Umatilla.
Members of these tribes who consume
large amounts of Columbia River fish could
have a higher risk of cancer and other dis
eases, according to the EPA report. And
this:
4 good, Htrong pair of hundo Is all you need to work
-MX
away the sirens. So relax. Get a mannae In our world-class spa. Emmerse
yourself In our soothing, natural mineral baths. Or spend the day exploring
nil the attraction or this high desert oasis. Whatever you do. work will be
the furthest thing from your mind. n v
HIGH DESERT
1-HO0-554-4SUN
Tribal elder Nettie
Shawaway
celebrated her
102nd birthday
during the year
2002. Shawaway is
the eldest member
of the
Confederated
Tribes of Warm
Springs.
The community
helped her
celebrate her
birthday in
November at the
Agency
Longhouse.
The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs
and Jefferson County 509-J are continuing ne
gotiations toward a lease agreement for the new
Warm Springs Elementary School. Despite
some delays, one thing is certain, said Julie
Quaid, manager of Warm Springs Essential
Education, "Both sides agree we need a new
school." And this news item:
The Treaty of 1855 provides the Confeder
ated Tribes with the earliest water right in the
Deschutes River Basin. The treaty established
the tribes' water priority date, but did not specify
the quantity of water. The uncertainty as to the
quantity of the tribal right meant also that un
certainty existed in the Deschutes basin as a
whole, mainly because the tribal right is first
Tribal, federal and state agencies, with exten
sive public input, have been negotiating for 20
years to resolve this issue. An historic agreement
was signed among the agencies in 1997. And
the time has now come to render the agree
ment binding to all water rights holders in the
Deschutes River Basini ' ' - r
There are approximately 27,000 such rights
holders in the basin, and this month each will
receive notice of a court action regarding the
1997 agreement.
The notice will state that the agreement
may be incorporated into a court decree, ren
dering the terms binding on all water rights
holders in the basin. Meanwhile:
The Confederated Tribes are seeking pro
posals from firms interested in providing ar
chitectural services for the construction of the
planned casino at the Columbia River Gorge.
Elsewhere:
The federal government indicated that it
will appeal the $13.8 million judgement in
the McQuinn blow-down case. And this:
Warm Springs Power Enterprises received
a grant in the amount of $460,000 to study
the possibility of developing wind power gen
eration facilities.
(The 2002 Year in Review continues on page 8.)
out the kinks and meii
RESORT k CASINO
Warm Springs, Oregon
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