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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 2008)
Spilyay Tymc January 3, 2008 Coyote News, est. 1976 P.O. Box 870 WarmSnrin— ^7761 ;0 C \£ ^ 97205 A230 OR r I\A N °' PO U.S. Postage PRSRTSTD Warm Springs, OR 97761 Vol. 33, No. 1 50 cents H ■H 'SS fon Developments encouraging for casino application Fish passage at Round Butte B y L eslie M itts S p ilyay T ym oo New developments indicate that In terior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne will agree to move the Warm Springs tribes’ application for a resort hotel and ca sino to the next step after increasing pressures and public criticism. This will allow Oregonians to make public comments on the D raft Envi ronmental Impact statement (DEIS), which evaluates the environmental ef fects o f a resort hotel and gaming fa cility in the city o f Cascade Locks. Warm Springs has received support from officials o f the City o f Cascade Locks, the Port of Cascade Locks and Hood River County, who last week made appeals to Kempthorne’s assistant secre tary, asking for immediate action. In addition, Gov. Kulongoski’s legal advisor has spoken with Kempthorne’s legal advisor to demand the secretary follow the laws. The Friends o f the Gorge, a con servationist group, recendy filed legal action against the Secretary o f Interior. The group opposes development in the Gorge, but filed action acknowledg ing that K empthorne is required by federal law to move the DEIS to the public comment phase. Recent news articles have painted the Bridge o f the Gods casino in a negative light and suggested that devel opment is unlikely. Tribal officials, however, say that is not the case. See CASINO on 6 Dave McMechan/Spilyay Construction team works on a part of the tower project at the dam. B y D ave M cM echan S p ilyay T ym oo The Confederated Tribes’ Warm Springs Power and W ater E nter prises, and Portland General Elec tric are constructing a large tower at Round Butte dam that will address the migrating fish passage problem at the dam. The 273-foot tall selec tive water withdrawal tower is sched uled to be completed in 2009. T he problem at Round Butte, constructed in 1964, is the lack of sufficient current in Lake Billy Chi nook, the reservoir behind the dam. Juvenile salmon and steelhead that try to migrate downstream are un able to find their w äy through the lake because o f the w eak dow n stream flow on the lake surface. Warm Springs Power and Water Enterprises and PGE are co-man agers o f the dam, and as part o f the federal re-licensing of the facility, the parties have agreed to address the long standing fish-passage issue. Through the re-licensing agreement, Power and Water Enterprises and PGE agreed to fund the construction o f the $90 million tower. The hope is that this substantial investment will reopen 226 up streanymiles. to, salmon, and steelhead migration. The project will help the return of spring Chinook and sockeye salmon to the Metolius River and steelhead to the Crooked River to Bowman Dam, and the Deschutes River to Big Falls near Redmond. According to plan, in the spring of 2009 the new water withdrawal tower will begin collecting migrating fish. They will be collected by a screen on the sur face, piped to a fish handling facility, and then transported downstream of the project where they’ll swim to the ocean. The Water from the tower will separately pass through turbines at the base of the dam to generate elec tricity. In the long term, biologists pre dict that at least 96 percent o f the juvenile fish collected at the water withdrawal tower will be safely trans ported downstream of the project. |||.ALo...the mwe^ dra w o L ^ y p a ^ watef off the surface o f Lake Billy C hinook w ill keep the reservoir cooler in the summer, creating a healthier environment for fish. The tower also has an intake near its bottom, so it can draw cold w a ter during summer and fall to mix with warmer surface water. This will maintain appropriate downstream temperatures in the lower Deschutes River. The modified reservoir envi ronm ent should provide an even better habitat for bull trout, kokanee and the rearing of juvenile sockeye salmon. Kibak Tile features Lillian Pitt collection Kibak Tile, a Warm Springs Ventures subsidiary, is currently selling tiles de signed,- by Warm Springs artist Lillian Pitt. The collection is the result o f a project that began in 2006 when Susan Kibak-Redfield, the president o f Kibak Tile, worked w ith Pitt to create the collection of tiles. The Lillian Pitt collection includes the mask collection: 8 inch square tiles in cluding “She Who Watches,” “Coyote,” “Spiderwoman,” and “Featherwoman. The collection also includes tiles created in the summer of 2007, the stick people- collection, featuring six designs. The stick people collection includes the “Ancient Couple,” “Fish Woman,” “Shadow Spirit,” “Wind Spirit,” “Moon Mother,” and “The Dreamer.” Tribal member Alberta Comedown, a Kibak employee, chose the colors for the most recent mask collection and also does most of the painting for this collection. A cco rd in g to San d ra D an zuka, Warm Springs Ventures Administrative Officer, “They’re amazing; the pictures don’t do them justice,” Kibak tile is sold in high-end show rooms across the U.S, “Lillian Pitt produces beautiful art work,” Danzuka said. “Through their collaboration they have produced a high quality, unique tile and our goal is to find an outlet.” See TILES on 6 Taco Express open for business in Warm Springs B y L eslie M itts S p ilya y T ym oo Hungry community members have another option with the addition of a new local business. Taco E xpress is owned by Eloy Pacheco and tribal member Elbrosia Eguizabal. The vending truck is located in the parking lot for White Horse Adven tures on H ighway 26. Pacheco and Eguizabal have owned the business for four months. Owning the business is a step for ward for the Eguizabal and Pacheco. “We started selling tamales out of thè back o f our car and then we got this,” Eguizabal said. “Some people know us from selling tamales.” Pacheco’s brother used to own Taco Express, but sold the business to them after deciding to open a restaurant in Culver. Eguizabal had wanted to open some type o f business, Pacheco said, and when they learned about the opportu nity to buy Taco Express is seemed like the ideal option. W hile Taco Express used to be lo cated in Madras, Eguizabal said, they made the move to W arm Springs after buying the business-—and that’s made Leslie Mitts/Spilyay Taco Express owners Elbrosia Eguizabal and Eloy Pacheco. it m ore conven ien t for the W arm Springs customers. “His brother did have a lot o f cus- tomers from Warm Springs,” Eguizabal said. Pacheco cooks very similar to his brother, she said, and is no stranger to the kitchen. P rio r to b u y in g TaCo E x p ress Pacheco worked as a cook in restau rants like the Apple Peddler in Madras. “I have quite a bit o f cooking expe rience,” Pacheco said. T he Taco Express menu currently offers a v ariety o f tacos, burrito s, tortas, quesadillas, zarapas, chicanas, fajitas, drinks and sides. M any dishes are available, w ith a choice between chicken, steak or pork and can be ordered in either a small or a large. Prior customers shouldn’t worry— Pacheco is using the same family reci pes that his brother used; so the dishes are very similar. However, he added; they aren’t sell ing everything his brother used to sell and do plan to change the menu around depending on customer requests and their level of business. “If we get more than two requests then we change it,” Eguizabal said. “As business picks up then w e’ll be able to get a better menu.” That could possibly include a visu ally improved menu, as Eguizabal said they hope to offer a m enu that fea tures pictures of the dishes they serve. Taco Express is open from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. In the future, Eguizabal said, they, m ay even stay open later if business increases. : Currently the business is open about six days a week, and they are working to establish which days and hours are the busiest in order to stay open for the ideal amount o f time to serve cus tomers. Phone in orders are welcome, and customers can call (541) 460-3343 or (541) 460-3340. Eguizabal also said there is a possi bility that they- m ay offer deliveries in the future, but for now they are w ait ing to see how business increases. B ut for right now, Eguizabal said, that would put too much of a strain on the person left taking orders. “Since thete is only two of. us we get really busy,” she explained. Another potential change could in volve the name o f the business. Because Taco . Express is the name that came with the business when they purchased it, Eguizabal said they’ve talk e d ab o u t th e id e a o f a n am e change— but not until the business is well established, she said. A nd establishing the business is- something Eguizabal and Pacheco hope to be able to do, as they said they would continue with their business “as long as possible.”
