Spilyay Tymoo, Wrm Springs, Oregon
March 6, 2003
Child advocate program is starting
Warm Springs CASA
receives 2-year grant
By Selena Boise
Spilyay Tymoo
Tribal Council in January signed a
resolution allowing Warm Springs Vol
unteer Coordinator Jeannie Brisbois to
train individuals to become Court Ap
pointed Special Advocates.
The Court Appointed Special Ad
vocate program is known as CASA.
The national CASA program pro
vided a two-year grant to begin the pro
gram in the Warm Springs Tribal Court.
The start-up money includes funding
for training of advocates.
Through CASA, Indian children will
be appointed a community member
who will represent the best interests of
the child in tribal court.
CASA volunteers generally are com
munity members appointed by the
court to advocate for children who are
victims of abuse or neglect.
The CASA volunteer then becomes
an objective advocate for the child, and
makes recommendations to the court
in the child's best interest.
The CASA volunteer gathers infor
mation and reviews previous court
hearings, and talks with the child and
everyone else involved.
A recommendation is then made to
the court, and the CASA volunteer
monitors progress of the court-approved
plan for the family.
CASA volunteers will usually have
one to two cases at a time, so that they
can concentrate on individual needs.
The CASA idea is to provide advo
cates for children in court proceedings.
For Tribal Court, CASA programs can
be adapted to meet the needs of indi
vidual Native American communities,
while incorporating tribal customs and
traditions into their work with a child.
Tribal Court CASA programs allow
individual community members to dem
onstrate they truly believe children are
the tribal community's most precious
resource.
The Indian Child Welfare Act states,
"there is no resource that is more vital
to the continued existence and integ
rity of Indian tribes than their chil
dren." CASA provides a unique commu
nity experience: The opportunity to
work for abused and neglected children
in a meaningful way, and the opportu
nity to gain so much on a personal level
. The benefit of this program
is that the children learn that
there is one special person
there for each of them.
by giving one's commitment to Native
children.
, All children have a right to a home
with loving people to care for them.
However, each year in the United
States, millions of children are abused,
neglected, or abandoned by their fami
lies. Eventually, many of these children
end up in court with a judge deciding
their future. The needs of children may
become lost in an overburdened child
welfare system that cannot pay close
attention to each child.
The benefit of this program is that
the children learn that there is one spe
cial person there for each of them -someone
who will help them make it
through the system, someone who is
there for them only because they care.
If you care about Indian children,
have time to commit, and are a ma
ture, responsible adult, then you may
qualify to be a CASA volunteer in
Warm Springs. No experience is re
quired. CASA volunteers are selected
on the basis of their objectivity, com
petence and commitment
Once accepted, volunteers receive
training and on-going monthly support
sessions.
They learn about courtroom pro
cedure, the tribal court system, the
social services system, and how to work
with families in crisis and the special
needs of children who have been
abused or neglected.
Although each case is different, a
CASA volunteer spends about 10
hours doing research and talking to
persons involved in the case prior to a
court appearance.
More complicated cases take
longer. Once initiated into the system,
volunteers work about 10-15 hours a
month. '
The Warm Springs CASA program
has had one training session in the first
week of March and has another one
scheduled for March 8, starting at 10
a.m. and ending at 2 p.m. Brisbois is
located at the Small Business Center
office building. Anyone interested in
becoming a CASA volunteer can con
tact her at 553-2229.
Deschutes managers increase boater pass fees
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The Deschutes River Managers
voted to raise the price of annual boater
passes from $35 to f 75 during a meet
ing held in Maupin on February 20.
The multi-agency group raised the
fee for peak weekend (May 15 to Sep
tember 15) daily passes from $5 to $8.
Fee increases for annual passes and
peak weekends may reduce the level
of use, but no one is certain to what
extent, if at all.
Managers have been trying to re
duce use on peak weekends to avoid a
boater permit system, which tribal rep
resentatives favor and the Deschutes
River Management Plan mandates
when use exceeds target levels.
Tom Mottl, a Bureau of Land Man
agement employee and member of the
managers team, estimates the rate hikes
will bring in an additional $210,000
during the 2003 season, but the money
was not earmarked for any particular
expense.
On February 13, a group of
Deschutes River users filed suit against
Oregon's Department of Parks and
Recreation and director Mike Carrier.
The suit contends the department has
violated Oregon law by delaying imple
mentation of a common pool permit
system, as called for by the manage
ment plan. The lawsuit was not offi
cially addressed during the manager's
meeting, nor was the permit system.
There was discussion about making
the annual passes invalid for peak week
ends, but any decision on the matter
was postponed for another day.
. The group embraced the concept of
using boater pass revenue to reimburse
expenditures incurred by the Confed
erated Tribes of Warm Springs and
local governments related to river man
agement. They did not specify how
much money would be channeled to
wards such uses, or how the money
would be spent. At present the tribes
incur approximately $30,000 in ex
penses for river-related law enforce
ment and an additional $35,000 for
management.
Other issues discussed during the
meeting included plans to encourage
boater pass purchases from online
sources, a set percentage of all boater
pass fees to be earmarked for vendors,
camping only at designated sites in Seg
ment 1, enforcing camp site capacity
limits, and implementing a user fee to
include hikers, bicyclists, bank anglers
and other users of the Deschutes Can
yon. No action was taken on any of
these subjects.
Memorial
(Continued from page 4)
"After 911 many people were
stranded in Washington, D.C., and
other places," said Myrna Frank,
daughter of Mr. Frank.
The memorial on March 15
will provide an opportunity for
people to pay their respects to the
memory of Mr. Frank, said
Myrna.
Mr. Frank knew many people
during his long life, as he was a
leader in many important decision
making groups, including Tribal
Council, on which he served for
30 years. He was also a leader in
the National Congress of Ameri
can Indians, the Northwest Indian
Fish Commission, the Affiliated
Tribes of Northwest Indians, and
the Northwest Portland Area In
dian Health Board.
He had a leading part in devel
opment of projects on the reser
vation ranging from Kah-Nee-Ta
Resort to the Indian Health Ser
vices clinic.
He was a great advocate of
fisheries protection, tribal sover
eignty and Indians' rights. His
brother Jacob explained that
Delbert lived by tradition as an
Indian. At the same time he was
greatly respected by government
officials off the reservation.
"He was at home among his
own people, from youth up to the
elders, but when he was out doing
business (representing the tribes at
the state and federal level), he
could mix with those people on
their own level," said Jacob.
Delbert Frank was respected
by tribal elders, leaders and the
general membership, as well as by
congressmen and senators, gover
nors, judges, fish and wildlife bi
ologists, and health officials.
The memorial on March 15 is
a time to pay respect to Mr. Frank.
LQggpig alternatives presented for 2004 timber Sale
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The Resource Management Inter
disciplinary Team has released a draft
project assessment covering the 2004
Pathfinder Timber Sale for public re
view. The document was prepared by
the Project Interdisciplinary Team to
provide options for timber harvest in
the upper Warm Springs River water
shed. Three alternatives were formulated
and numerous logging methods were
considered for this project, taking into
account present resource conditions,
forest health and public input. The
Pathfinder Timber Sale is expected to
yield approximately 45 million board
feet of timber.
The document is divided into sec
tions explaining the purpose and need
for action, resource-based indicators
used to help the technical staff ana-
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Area of the Pathfinder Timber Sale, planned for 2004.
lyze and mitigate environmental im
pacts, and details of the three alterna
tives. There are maps showing the har
vest blocks, quick reference tables to
compare the alternatives, a list of mea
sures needed to mitigate environmen
tal consequences, and the Project In
terdisciplinary Team's recommended
alternative.
The goal of Alternative A is to con
tinue current management. Activities
such as hunting, recreation and cultural
food gathering would continue as in the
past. The only harvest proposed un
der Alternative A would be through
conventional salvage operations.
Alternative B is designed to harvest
approximately 45 million board feet of
timber from approximately 1,945 acres.
Alternative C is designed to harvest
approximately 45 million board feet of
timber from approximately 2,065 acres.
The three alternatives would have
varying impacts on water, fish, wildlife,
cultural, timber, range, soil and eco
nomic resources and there would also
be some changes to the transportation
system.
Once the allowable cut has been
reached for 2004, all of the remaining
volume associated with this project will
be harvested in future years. The ac
tual volume to be harvested under the
project will depend on which alterna
tive is selected subject to approval by
the Confederated Tribes.
The tribal public has been involved
in the planning process for the Path
finder Timber Sale over the course of
several months. Scoping meetings were
held during 2002 for the Agency Dis
trict (June 20), Seekseequa District
(June 1 1), and Simnasho District (June
18) to solicit tribal member input on
the proposed project.
Timber tours were conducted dur
ing August 2002 for Tribal Council and
for the tribal public.
Comments received during the
scoping process are used to identify is
sues that are relevant to the Pathfinder
Timber Sale. A summary of the com
ments is on file in the Forestry admin
istration office.
For more information or copies of
the documents contact John Arena or
Matt Jimenez in the Forestry Branch,
or call 553-2416. Tribal members have
30 days to comment on the propc sed
sales.
More Letters to the Editor
Overseas
People of Warm Springs,
I lello, how is everyone? I hope you
are in good health. Well, I just wanted
to drop a few lines from a location
overseas. Everything is going smoothly.
If you don't know, I am an electrician.
Vie are currently building a camp
with approximately 400 tents. We have
80 finished, so I'll be here a while. I
would like to thank a few people.
First and foremost I would love to
thank our Creator for keeping me safe
and my family in outstanding shape. My
parents, brothers, sisters, grandpa and
grandma, uncles Emmittc Mackcy and
JP, aunts Hsiher, Orthelia, Ann and
Rachel.
Oh yes, Jim and Thelma Coburn,
who have always been there to lend a
helping hand to me and my family
when we needed it most. I love you.
Uncles Knos and Char, who have
helped keep my head high. Thanks for
the Christmas gift. To Willy Fuentes,
who has helped a great deal, I couldn't
have accomplished a lot of things sue- '
cessfully without you.
To my people who I always keep in
my heart, to my friends who mean the
world to me, Dave and SSgt. Willena
Henry, thank you for the motivation.
Well, I gotta close for now. If I left
anyone out I'm sorry. My list would be
a novel if I kept going. I love you all.
You can write to me and send pack
ages. Oh yes, I would like to thank the
VFW for everything. Ooh-Rah. Sin
cerely, Tashna Hicks. My address is
LCP1 Hicks T.S., MWSS 373, VIC
41042, FPO AP 96614-1042.
Share teachings
First of all, we want to thank God-thc-Father
for giving his Son, We want
to thank God-the-Son, for paying the
death penalty for our sinful lives, con
sequently, giving us spiritual life. We
also thank God-the-Holy Spirit for
drawing us to the Son; "being the faith"
in us to believe on the Son: and living
in us to understand spiritual wisdom
only a Spirit can understand and en
lightening us to those truths; and mostly
for being the earnest of our inherited
rights to be in heaven.
This is not for the alcoholics, the
drug addicts, the thieves, the adulter
ers, the homosexuals, batterers, mur
derers, rapists, vandals and so on. Be
cause these people know they have
sinned.... No one has to draw a pic
ture for them. They know that hell is
waiting for them and some even think
they can handle it.
No, this is for the people who think
they have no worries because they
haven't done any of the "Don't's" that
God said don't do. They haven't broke
the "ten commandments" and have
done more good than evil, so believe
they are going to heaven. These per
sons, I do need to draw a picture for
them.
They don't kill. They don't commit
adultery. They don't steal. They don't
bear false witness. They don't lust af
ter their neighbor's possessions. They
aren't drunks. They aren't drug-abus-ers.
They don't fight. They don't take
the Lord's name in vain. And since they
don't do any of the things God says
"don't do" they think they have saved
themselves.
Sorry to inform you, but that's a lie.
The same God that said "don't" also
said "DO!" He said to keep the sev
enth day Holy. He said to honor your
father and mother. He said to bow only
to Him, and nobody but Him. He said
to love your neighbor as yourself. He
said to visit the sick; to feed the hun
gry; to give clothes to the naked; to be
hospitable to the stranger; to comfort
the prisoners; to care for the widow
and the orphans. Jesus said to love one
another as he loved us. He said to not
keep your talents (teachings about him)
but to go and share those teachings
about him with others.
RT Thompson (Note.-. This letter
continues below.)
Further advice
If you fail to do the do's that he
commanded, you have sinned and are
rewarded with the same death penalty
as those that fail to obey the don'ts.
Look it up! In James 4:17, God says,
"Therefore to him that knows to do
good and doesn't do it, to him it is sin."
That mixed with Romans 6:23 where
God says, "The wages of sin is death!"
completes the picture for you. But that
same verse also says "but, the gift of
God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord." The only way to be acquit
ted from that death penalty is to re
ceive Jesus as your substitute in your
death penalty. Because God was your
sacrifice, it was a Holy sacrifice, totally
acceptable to God-the-Father. If you
remain self-righteous after this mes
sage; this picture we try to draw for
you will become clear once you die your
physical death. For then, you'll be in
Hades (jail before sentencing to prison),
waiting for your second spiritual death
to the lake of fire - separated from
God forever (the first spiritual death
was when Adam and Eve failed and
separated mankind from God.)
You have to pay your own penalty
or have someone pay it for you. We
know that we can't live this life in an
evil way without compassion for our
fellow man - then die - and have our
friends and relatives sing seven times
for us and dance seven times for us
and then we are destined for heaven.
That would be like believing if you click
your heels together three times and say
to yourself "there is no place like
heaven" and then when you open your
eyes you'll be in heaven. Sorry,
Dorothea... you and Toto are still go
ing to hell. You must accept the fact it
is impossible to live a completely sinless
life (except for Jesus, who did live a
completely sinless life) and need some
one to sacrifice their own life to pay
your death sentence. God saved you
by dying for you over 2,000 years ago,
and you just need to accept him as the
propitiation for your sins. Then follow
him as your Lord and you'll end up
where he ends up. That is all we got to
say. Marvena Thompson