R. COLL.
75
.588
v. 28
no.
February
Z2 2083
P.O. Box 870
Warm Springs, OR 97761
SERIALS DEPT.
KNIGHT LIBRARY
1299 UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
EUGENE, OR 97403
U.S. Postage
Bulk Rate Permit No. 2
Warm Springs, OR 97761
50 cents
February 20, 2003 Vol. 28, No. 4
Coyote News, est. 1976
ymoi
At the mill
safety is
main goal
By Dave McMectian
Spilyqy Tymoo
Working at a lumber mill involves
some risk of accident and injury to the
mill workers.
Reducing this level of risk as much
as possible is a main goal at the Warm
Springs Forest Products Industries mill.
One year ago the mill initiated a pro
gram by which employees can voice
their concerns about any potential
safety problem at the mill.
The group that hears the concerns,
and then determines how to address
them, is the mill Safety Team.
The team includes 17 mill employ
ees - management, non-management
and supervisory - representing all as
pects of the mill operation.
During the first 11 months of its
existence, the Safety Team heard 160
reports of potential safety hazards at
the mill. The team has taken action and
addressed very nearly all of these re
ported safety concerns.
The Safety Team has been a great
success in reducing risk of injury at the
mill, said Bob Chandler, team chair
man. The goal of the team is for 2003 to
, see further progress at reducing poten
tial hazardous situations, said Chandler.
The concerns that are aired at the
weekly Safety Team meetings are very
diverse. One employee may notice a
loose railing, and make a report. An
other person might report on a par
ticular log-truck driver who does not
comply with the speed limit. And an
other person might suggest that a cer
tain area of the mill is in need a fire
extinguisher.
As an example of the wide variety
of things that come up at the Safety
Team gatherings, the following were
items brought up at the meeting held
Tuesday, Feb. 11:
One team member suggested that
traffic congestion signs be placed along
the road in the area of The Museum
at Warm Springs, the Warm Springs
Plaza, and the spot along the road
where the log trucks wait in the morn
ing A team member pointed out that some
barrels in the main mill were unlabcllcd.
A team member said that ice on a
part of the office walkway in the morn
ing could be dangerous.
One of the team members then al
leged that during the morning, an em
ployee at the mill had been very intoxi
cated. This team member said that man
agement had responded much too
slowly to the report of the alleged in
toxicated employee. He said the situa
tion posed a clear safety problem to
the alleged intoxicated employee him
self, as well as to the other mill em
ployees. Team member Darrel Taylor
said the matter would be addressed im
mediately, as required by rules of mill
operation.
He said the Safety Team meeting,
for which minutes are kept, was a good
place to bring up this kind of impor
tant issue. With the concern brought
publicly to the Safety Team, there would
be full assurance that the matter would
be taken care of, said Taylor.
After discussing this topic for sev
eral minutes, the team moved on to
new business, and then adjourned.
ymm
Eagle Watch 2003 page 2
ATNI conference page 3
Powwow photos 4,5
Letters to the editor. 6
Newbridge planned 7
Language pages pages 8,9
Kulongosld vows respect to tribes
By Shannon Keaveny
Spilyqy Tymoo
Fresh in the ring, newly elected
Gov. Kulongoski has pledged support
to the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest
Indians (ATNI).
Kulongoski made the pledge dur
ing a speech at the ATNI winter con
ference, held last week in Pordand.
His speech largely centered on
tribes' rights as sovereign nations,
and his comments earned him a
standing ovation.
"The tribes do have special rights.
They are sovereign nations," said
Kulongoski.
"I deeply care about undoing well-
documented and forced concessions on
tribes," he added.
The Confederated Tribes of Warm
Springs sponsored a lunch to kick off
the weeklong conference, which fo
cuses annually on issues facing tribes
of the Pacific Northwest.
Kulongoski, in his first month of
governorship, was invited as the key
note speaker.
Many of the attendees were Warm
Springs Tribal Council and committee
members. Council Chairman Olney
Patt Jr., and Louie Pitt Jr., director
Warm Springs Governmental Affairs,
introduced the governor. Council
woman Bernice Mitchell gave the in-
'Tribes must be dealt
with as a separate
power."
Gov. Kulongoski
vocation prayer.
In his speech Kulongoski reviewed
his prior history with the tribes. As
Oregon Attorney General, he headed
a task force on gaming. He helped write
regulations on gaming on non-tribal
land in Oregon.
He vowed his commitment to Fed
eral Executive Order (EO) 9890, which
ensures the federal government fulfills
i
Dave McMechanSpllyay
The Simnasho community again
hosted an outstanding powwow. This
year was the 26th Annual Lincoln's
Birthday. Powwow, and the event
continues to be one of great
popularity. These photographs were
taken on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 8,
during the Grand Entry. More photos
of the powwow are on pages 4 and 5
of this newspaper. r ,
.
'A n
rj ; v
ft J
feIEs83Libr,ry
Spilyay tyioo.
Middle school attendance a concern
Warm Springs Elementary Schpoj
has made great progress at increas
ing attendance, but the same is not
true of tribal member student atten
dance at Jefferson County Middle
School.
"Students miss school for differ
ent reasons, but in too many cases I
think some kids just don't want to
come to school," said Butch David,
middle school community liaison for
Warm Springs. .
Warm Springs students have an av
erage daily attendance rate of about
; 86 percent, said middle school princi
pal Steve Johnson. That is below the
average for the other two ethnic groups
at the school, he said.
The 86-percent figure is also below
the attendance rate at Warm Springs
Elementary School, where attendance
is consistently above 90 percent.
"Somehow we're dropping by at least
5 or 6 percent between the elementary
school and the middle school," said
Johnson.
Part of the challenge in address
ing the attendance issue is finding
out why kids are missing school, said
Johnson. "We need to hear from
parents so we can address this."
In the meantime, said David, the
middle school is working with com
munity counseling, BestCare Ser
vices, and local juvenile coordinators
to help improve attendance.
treaty rights.
Often this includes assurance that
the federal government protects re
sources relevant to Native American
traditions. The signing of EO 9890
gained tribes the right to sue in court.
"This ability gready enhanced the
tribes' negotiating powers," Kulongoski
said. "Real government to government
relations can only exist if everyone is
in."
He spoke of lessons he learned be
fore becoming governor. 'Tribes must
be dealt with as a separate power," he
said. The crowd applauded when he
pledged his dedication to the law.
See KULONGOSKI on page 3
Tribes call
for audit
of BPA
Northwest Indian tribes last week
called for a full audit of the Bonneville
Power Administration's fish and wild
life program. The tribes also demanded
that the BPA honor its financial com
mitment to salmon recovery.
The actions came during the winter
conference of the Affiliated Tribes of
Northwest Indians (ATNI).
In a strongly worded resolution, the
55 ATNI member tribes - including
the. Confederated Tribes of Warm
Springs - condemned the BPA's pro
' posal to cap its annual fish and wildlife
budget at $139 million, nearly half of
what it had earlier committed to.
The resolution says the BPA has dis
regarded fisheries reports by the Na
tional Marine Fisheries Service, and has
been in defiance of treaties and tribal
trust responsibilities.
"This resolution demonstrates that,
as Indian people, we've had it with the
BPA," said Justin Gould, chairman of
the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish
Commission (CRTFQ, which repre
sents the Confederated Tribes of
Warm Springs, Umatilla, Nez Perce and
the Yakama Nation.
. , The ATNI resolution cites several
cases in which the BPA ignored fish
recovery recommendations from tribes,
the National Marine Fisheries Service,
and the Northwest Power Planning
Council. The resolution also says there
are several instances in which the BPA
breached agreements, and practiced
outright deceit, said Gould.
The ATNI resolution then calls for
a financial and management audit of
BPA's fish and wildlife program.
Sad loss to community
He was a family man and a hero.
That is how people who knew Derek
Flowers will remember bim.
"He gave his lift trying tpj save
his daughter," said Ahis Smith jr.)
who worked with Derek at Warm
Springs Construction. "He was a
hero."
Another co
worker, Adrian
Smith, said of
Derek, "He al
ways had a smile
on his face. He
was always ready
to help you out
at any time. He
nr fllnnrt with
everybody." Derek Flowers
Smith added, "He was a real hard
worker. We can never replace a guy
like that."
Derek Flowers and his 3-year-old
daughter Tanmya passed away on
Jan. 31. That day they were on a fish
ing trip along the Deschutes, when a
tragic accident claimed their lives.
Tanmya had been sitting in their
pickup by the river. The truck some-
how.rotled into the water, and Derek
dove In to save his daughter. An
; older daughter witnessed the scene,
and ran to get help, but there was
nothing anyone could da
Tanmya's body was found four
days later about
10 miles down
stream from
the area of the
accident. The
following day
the body of
Derek was
found nearby
the place where
search teams
r
Tanmya Flowers
found Tanmya. Right to the end he
proved he was a real family man,
said Kanim Smith, who worked with
Derek at Construction.
Alvis Jr. said, "That's the reason
he worked - for his wife and kids."
"We're going to miss him," said
Adrian Smith.
Woman facing murder
charge after son found dead
Lillian Jo Blackwolf, 30, was indicted "
this week on a federal charge of second-degree
murder.
She was arraigned on the count on
Tuesday, and entered a plea of not
guilty. Blackwolf remains in federal cus
tody. The murder allegation is in regard
to the death in late January 'of
Blackwolf 's 18-month-old son, Ken
neth Sconawah.
The recent charge against Blackwolf
has led tribal police, the FBI and US.
Attorney's Office to further investigate
the earlier deaths of two of Blackwolf 's
other children.
The earlier deaths happened in 1992
and 2000. The 1992 case involved
Blackwolf 's 3-month-old son, who ap
parently was strangled by a scarf while
on a swing.
The 2000 case involved a 2-month
old son who died of what appeared to
be sudden infant death syndrome.
Both of these cases are subject to an
ongoing investigation, said Bill Will
iams, assistant US. Attorney in Port
land. Blackwolf was arrested on Wednes
day, Feb. 5. The events leading to her
arrest began at approximately 7:30 a.m.
on Tuesday, Jan. 28, when Warm
Springs Police Dispatch received a 911
call requesting an ambulance at 1671
Shepard Lane.
Officers and an ambulance arrived
to find Kenneth Sconawah deceased in
a back bedroom, according to the po
lice report.
An autopsy showed the child had
died from a massive brain injury and
severe skull fracture, according to po
lice. Also, there were bruises over a
majority of the boy's body, police said.
The FBI and tribal police investiga
tion into the matter led to the arrest
eight days later of Blackwolf.
At the arraignment hearing on Tues
day, the judge set a trial date of April
22.