Page 9
May 25, 2006
Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
Leadership council
visits Warm Springs
A number o f high-level offi
cials from the U.S. Department
o f Interior and the U.S. Depart
ment o f Agriculture were in
Warm Springs the week o f May
8 to discuss wildland fire issues
and to tour tribal biom ass
projects.
The recent visit was part of
the Wildland Fire Leadership
a healthy forest, while reduc
ing ha 2 ardous fuel loads that
have the potential to stimulate
catastrophic fire.
Biomass treatments target
overstocked stands for thinning,
which promotes growth among
the remaining trees. With less
competition for nutrients and
space, the thinned stand grows
Members of the Wildland Fire Leadership Council and other visitors listen to presentation on biomass treatments being
conducted near Sidwalter Flats. Below left, an overstocked pine stand and, right, one that has been thinned.
BIA Forest Manager Doug Manion and former Forest
Manager Bodie Shaw listen to speakers at treatment area.
C ouncil’s quarterly business
meeting, which was hosted by
Kah-Nee-Ta High Desert Re
sort and Casino.
The influential council spent
an entire day discussing business
issues, which revolved around
the national fire plan. There
were featured speakers from
several federal agencies, includ
ing the U.S. Forest Service, Bu
reau o f Land Management and
Bureau o f Indian Affairs.
An important topic on the
council agenda and one that af
fects tribal resource manage
ment is that o f biomass. The
tribes are already heavily in
volved in using sub-merchant-
able trees to produce chips that
fuel a cogeneration plant at
Warm Springs Forest Products
Industries (WSFPI).
Former Warm Springs For
est Manager Bodie Shaw, who
is the BIA deputy chief in the
Branch o f Wildland Fire Man
agement and coordinates na
tional-level site visits for the
BIA, was instrumental in bring
ing the council to Warm Springs.
He also helped to arrange the
daylong field trip with stops at
biomass projects near Sidwalter
Flats and at the mill’s cogenera
tion plant.
In the field, representatives
o f the tribal Natural Resources
Branch and BIA Branch o f For
estry explained the importance
o f biomass projects in creating
faster and stronger. These
stands are also less susceptible
to devastating crown fires.
The Warm Springs visit gave
members o f the council a first
hand account o f the benefits
biomass projects have for the
forest and local communities.
“We’re trying to do a better
job o f partnering with local en
tities and groups, so it’s excit
ing to see the work they’re do
ing here,” said Nina Hatfield the
deputy assistant secretary for
Business M anagem ent and
Wildland Fire in the Interior
Department. “It’s nice to come
out and see how these programs
are coming to fruition.”
Hatfield said the council is
very interested in using biom
ass to produce energy. With the
added benefit o f reducing haz
ardous fuels in the forest,
Hatfield said biomass projects
help to create healthy forest, as
well as healthy economies.
O f the choice to have Warm
Springs host the council’s quar
terly meeting Hatfield said, “It’s
a beautiful area and the people
have been very friendly and in
formative.”
Shaw, who spent three years
as the BIA forest manager in
Warm Springs before taking a
job in Washington D.C., said he
lobbied hard to have the gath
ering in Warm Springs.
“We’ve been lacking Indian
Country involvement, so we
were pushing to have a meeting
here,” said Shaw. “We wanted
people to see what’s going on in
Warm Springs and. these
projects are exactly what the
group needs to see.”
Automotive a n d domina
24- Hour Towing
24- Hour q day road service
Summer camp
begins in June
Canyon Ranch Camp opens
June 14 at 5 p.m. for boys 8-13
years o f age. There will be a
performance by the Freedom
Team at 6 p.m. and a picnic af
terwards for the whole family.
The camp ends June 17.
Camp for girls 11-13 runs
June 19-21 and for girls 8-10
camp begins at 5 p.m. on June
21, running through June 24. A
program and picnic for all the
girls is set for June 21, 6 p.m.
Registration form s are at
Warm Springs Elementary.
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