Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
Snowplow drivers keep the reservation running
- , m ready to go in the morning." f , .
By D. "Bing" Bingham
Spilyay Tymoo
Cleaning up heavy snow fall
on reservation roads is a lot like
fighting a wildfire 12 hours
shifts on, 12 hour shifts off
until the situation is under con
trol. During school days, two shifts
start at 4 a.m. to clear the school
bus routes and two more start
during the regular working hours
to clear the rest of the roads.
"We're kind of short staffed
when you get a really, really big
storm like this one has been,"
says Tom Shuman, BIA roads
engineer.
Twelve hour shifts are man
dated to give snow plow opera
tors some time to rest and re
cover from the stress and ten
sion of their job. It's important
to keep the driver's safe and
alert when they're moving that
kind of heavy equipment
around snow covered highways.
"Twice we've had to turn
down calls at about 10 p.m. be
cause the people just aren't
rested and aren't capable of
operating the equipment safely
at the time," Shuman says.
Sure it's upsetting to the per-
Top news:
(Continued from page 1)
Most importantly, The Or
egonian articles have prompted
tribal officials to look cosely at
the programs on the reservation
that serve the local youth.
Early this month, Tribal
Council is to hear recommen
dations from staff regarding
possible changes to the child
welfare system of the reserva
tion. On a brighter note the tribes
did experience some good
fianncial news during 2003.
Through the Confederated
Tribes, Warm Springs Power
Enterprises conducted a $50
million bond issuance that will
pay for the purchase of the
tribes' share of the Pelton hy
droelectric project.
The bond issuance helps to
stabilize Power Enterprises' rev
enue to the Confederated Tribes
general fund.
There were some delays in
issuing the bonds, due to the
volatile energy market, and
other factors beyond the tribes'
control.
But the transaction happened
in the fall. Having a more stable
revenue stream from Power En
terprises is important because,
of the tribal enterprises, Power
Enterprises is by far the largest
contributor to the tribes' general
fund. And the general fund is
responsible for the day to day
operation of the tribal govern
ment. The bond issuance will repay
the money the tribes borrowed
in early 2001 from Pelton co
owner Portland General Electric
(PGE).
The $50 million in bonds will
be repaid over a 30-year term.
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Snowplow clears roadway at highways 26 and 3.
son who can't move around that
night, but it'd probably be more
upsetting if the driver was so
tired he made a mistake and hurt
himself or someone else.
According to Shuman, one
of the most wearing parts of
driving a plow is the level of
concentration that has to be
maintained: "It's really tough to
government agreements, council changes
And the interest rate is excellent.
This is the first tribal bond issu
ance on the Pelton project.
Fourth
During 2003, the Confeder
ated Tribes finalized wide- and
long-ranging agreements with a
number of federal and state
agencies. The agreements cover
the management of land and
water resources.
Boater permits
Probably the most conten
tious of these agreements was
in regard to the adoption of a
permit system for boaters on the
Lower Deschutes.
In November of last year the
tribes reached a tentative agree
ment on this issue with the BLM
and Oregon State Parks.
The agreement calls for
implementation of a permit sys
tem starting in 2005.
The agreement, to be final
ized by the U.S. Department of
Justice, would limit the number
of boaters floating a section of
river from Warm Springs to
Harpham Flat, beginning July 1
of 2005.
The agreement concludes a
lawsuit filed by a private citizen,
that the tribes had become party
to. The suit was filed by Tualatin
resident Mark Shuholm, who
alleged that state and federal
agencies had ignored portions
of the Lower Deschutes River
Management Plan, mandating a
limited-entry permit system
when target levels are repeatedly
exceeded.
The tribes intervened on
Shuholm's behalf.
When the permit system is
implemented, according to the
agreement among the tribes and
the state and federal agencies,
January 8,
'i.
be driving a snowplow and have
that big cloud of powder snow
come up in front of you and
then...'Where's the road at and
how do you make contact?'...so
they're constantly looking for
little roadside markers telling
them where to keep the plow in
the road. In a winter storm it's
really, really tough to see where
permits would be allocated
through a common pool, mean
ing the general public and com
mercial outfitters and guides
would compete for permits on
an equal basis. River guides and
local governments along the
river had expressed their oppo
sition to a permit system.
Ceded lands
During 2003, the Confeder
ated Tribes finalized a written
management agreement with
seven national forests and the
BLM. The land these'agencies
manage is within the traditional,
lands of the tribes.
The tribes' traditional, or
ceded lands include a large area
well beyond the borders of the
reservation. By the Treaty of
1855 the tribes gave up some
interest in this area, but the
treaty also guarantees to tribal
members certain rights and in
terests on the ceded lands.
The ceded lands can be de
fined in general terms as north
Central Oregon. The tribes have
many cultural interests within
this area. Interests include wa
ter, fish and wildlife, roots, ber
ries and other plants, and cul
tural sites.
The federal government
manages part of the ceded
lands, through the U.S. Forest
Service and the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM). The
forest service and BLM make
decisions that can affect tribal
interests in the land.
For this reason it is impor
tant that the tribes and the fed
eral agencies work together to
protect these interests.
In the past the Confederated
Tribes had a written agreement
- a memorandum of under
standing, or MOU - with the
Ochoco National Forest. In
9
6
.0
2004.
Dave McUechanSpilyay
you're going out there."
It's not all short hours and
pushing snow around on reser
vation roads there's some
maintenance involved.
"Last night we stayed about
an hour late and changed the
cutting edges on the snow
plows," Shuman says, "so they
have nice fresh edges and they're
2003 the tribes concluded an
agreement with the national for
ests and BLM districts that en
compass all the ceded lands.
Water rights
Early in 2003 tribal officials
gathered in a courtroom at the
Deschutes County Courthouse,
It was a rare if not unique scene:
tribal leaders singing traditional
songs in the courtroom.
, The ceremony concluded a
court hearing that marked the
conclusion of more than 20
years of government negotia
tion. The court proceeding was
in regard to the Confederated
Tribes' water rights agreement.
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The bottom edge of the
snowplow is about a one inch
thick piece of rubber that keeps
it from gouging into the pave
ment and causing damage to the
surface.
The rubber wears out after
hours of use and needs to be
changed. When this happens, 1 1
bolts holding the rubber to the
bottom edge of the plow are
removed, the rubber is turned
over and tightened back down
once more.
When the sanding trucks have
been refilled. They are gassed
up and parked in the shop for
the night. The shop has a heated
floor so all the snow and ice falls
off and the truck is ready to go
first thing in the morning.
It wasn't just the plow driv
ers running around on the snow
covered roads. Several people
from the Engineering Depart
ment have been running fuel
back and forth to the plows to
keep them on the road as much
as possible.
The Road Department has
three snowplowssanders, two
road graders and a backhoe cov
ering about two hundred miles
of school bus routes. That is
At the hearing the judge signed
the order making the terms of
the agreement binding on all
water rights holders in the
Deschutes River basin.
The Confederated Tribes
hold the oldest water right in the
Deschutes basin, as provided in
the Ireaty ot ibdo.
A problem has been establish
ing a quantity in regard to the
right.
The water rights agreement
provides the tribes with both in
stream and consumptive water
rights. The quantity of water is
large, reflecting the fact that
tribes of the Warm Springs Res
ervation are fishing tribes.
of - tfAMii
Page 5
Several people from the
Engineering Department
have been running fuel
back and forth to the
plows to keep them on
the road as much as
possible.
their responsibility. That's all
they're equipped for.
Driveways are a different
matter. They're handled by the
Utilities Department under
Herb Graybael, 553-3246.
"It's terrible because we're
watching someone shovel out his
driveway and we drive by with
a snowplow and drop a load
right in the middle of his drive
way," Shuman says, "but it's all
we have time to do. Then other
people come along behind us
with other equipment and clean
out the driveway."
So don't call the Road De
partment when you're driveway
is full of snow. It wastes
everybody's time. Give the Utili
ties Department a call and then
'hang on,' they'll be there as soon
as they can.
The current year is a Tribal
Council election year, but 2003
saw some changes in member
ship of the council.
First, former Tribal Council
Chairm Olney Patt Jr. resigned
to take the job of executive di
rector of the Columbia River
Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
(CRITFQ. Garland Brunoe was
then appointed Council chair,
and Councilman Ron Suppah'
became vice chair. "
The vacancy on the Council
was filled by Earl Squiemphen,
who was first runner-up in the
previous election.
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