RO. Box 870
'prings, OR 97761
Spi lyay Tym
C oyote News, est. 1976
March 13, 2 0 0 8
SO
c \^
ECRWSS
Postal Patron
Voi. 33, No. 6
U.S. Postage
PRSRTSTD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
50 cents
Members support casino at hearing
B y L eslie M itts
“I think wonderful things
will happen... and we
truly do need it. ”
Spilyay Tymoo
The proposed Bridge of the Gods
Casino drew mostly supportive com
ments at the first of five public hear
ings last week.
Nearly 40 people testified at the
hearing in front of a crowd of more
than 200 people at Kah-Nee-Ta.
T ribal C ouncil C hairm an R on
Suppah spoke of support for the ca
sino that he has seen coming from vari
ous o u tle ts, in clu d in g G o v e rn o r
Kulongoski. Suppah also said he be
lieves the casino is necessary due to
recent economic problems.
I “I cannot overstate the significance
rif this project to our tribes’ future,”
Suppah said.
While K ah-Nee-Ta has provided
some employment and revenue for the
tribes, Suppah added, it is severely lim
ited because o f the remote location. In
Suppah’s opinion, “Only a Gorge loca
tion can meet the need to improve eco
nomic self-sufficiency.”
' Gerald Smith, chief operations of
ficer for the tribes, spoke of the eco
nomic difficulties currently challenging
tribal members: with over 28 percent
o f tribal members unemployed, and 33
percent o f families living below the
poverty level, the need for an increase
o f jobs is evident, he said.
“T he tribe simply has no other
Rosalind Sampson
Leslie Mitts/Spilyay
Leona Ike addresses the casino DEIS forum at Kah-Nee-Ta.
choice,” he explained.
Raymond Tsumpti commented on
problems like a current housing short
age, and spoke o f the tribes’ connec
Sm ith wins Golden Gloves
Warm Springs boxer Jasper Smith
won the Oregon Golden Gloves cham
pionship last weekend in Milwaukee.
Smith, 18, is a senior at Madras
High School, and a member o f the
Warm Springs Boxing Club, coached by
Austin Smith Sr. and Vernon Smith Sr.
Jasper is the first Warm Springs
boxer to win the Golden Gloves.
“It made me feel proud,” said his
grandfather Alvis Smith Sr., “because
boxing is in our blood. H e’s following
the old ways.”
Jasper’s accomplishment is great,
Alvis Sr. said, because boxing is the
toughest sport.
“It’s one on one,” he said. “You go
in the ring alone. If you lose, you lose
alone, and if you win, you win alone.
Spilyay Tymoo
Jasper Smith
There are very few kids who can do it,
because it is a tough sport, but once
you win you win forever.”
B y L eslie M itts
Lynn Fluhr is serving as the new
acting fire chief for Warm Springs Fire
and Safety, and she’s no stranger to the
demands o f the job. In addition to
working for two fire departments and
running a long-haul trucking company
with her husband, Lynn has two sons:
Zack, 8, and Aaron, 1.
Fluhr, 29, has worked in the fire
services industry for over 12 years.
> She has served as the fire chief for
the South Sherman Fire District for six
years, and also works as their budget
bfficer and secretary.
Her list of credentials and experi
ence shows an obvious dedication to
the fire services industry: she works as
an instructor, 911 Tri-County Commu-
hication Executive, serves on the
Sherman County Fire Defense Board,
and works as a liaison between the
Bureau of Land Management. Fluhr
also serves as a reserve deputy for the
Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office.
Before beginning to work as the ac
tive fire chief, Fluhr also worked for
Warm Springs Fire and Safety full-time
as a firefighter/EMT.
After being born and raised in Warm
Springs, Fluhr said, she views it as an
honor to be working in her home com
munity.
For now, it also means traveling to
and from Sherman County on the week
ends.
It’s made possible, she said, because
o f excellent staff members-—and a lot
o f delegation for her job in Sherman
County.
As for her children, Fluhr said, they
have practically been raised in the fire
station. In fact, her son Zack said, “It’s
fun. I just,get to hang out with the
firefighters.”
See FLUHR on 8
connection to the Cascade Locks area.
“Cascade Locks is 37 miles from our
reservation boundary, b u t Cascade
Locks is our sacred, ancient homeland,”
See CASINO on 9
Progress on fish passage at dam
B y D ave M cM echan
Fluhr serving as acting
chief of Fire and Safety
Spilyay Tymoo
tion to the Columbia River.
“The opportunity to go back home
is now,” Tsumpti said.
Leona Ike also spoke o f the tribes’
Ike said. “O ur spirit still resides there
and has never left.”
Arlita Rhoan spoke o f the contro
versy surrounding a potential long com
mute for tribal members who would
travel to Cascade Locks for work.
“Our Indians traveled from many,
many years back,” Rhoan said. “Trav
elling really isn’t nothing to us.”
Lyle Rhoan said the tribes have al
ways respected the land and know how
to care for it. “We were taught, being
Godly people, stewardship over this
earth,” Rhoan explained.
In addition, Rhoan said, “Econom
ics tells me that we need to move- to
the river.”
“I see big things that could happen
for our people down there,” he added.
Dylan Miller, 13, spoke o f his hope
for the future and his desire to eventu
ally be able to attend college and have
a career.
“The Cascade Locks casino will help
me to do that,” he said.
By this time next year the fish
passage facility at Round B ütte
dam is scheduled to begin operat
ing, according to the construction
schedule for the project.
The tribes and PG E are co-own-
ers o f the hydro dam, and the fish
passage project is part o f the fed
eral relicensing agreement among the
tribes, PGE, federal and state agen
cies and other groups.
“This is a significant project for
the tribes,” said Jim Manion, man
ager o f Warm Springs Power & Wa
ter Enterprises, speaking last week
at the annual Pelton-Round Butte
fisheries workshop.
“When it comes to fish migrating
the Deschutes, the tribes take a very
serious and engaged look at what
needs to be done,” said Manion.
He said the tribes, P G E and oth
ers have been working hard over the
past 10 plus years on the fish pas
sage project, “And I ’m looking for-
ward to seeing this project come to
completion, and see a fishery restored
over the next year.”
Manion and about 100 other inter
ested parties met for the fisheries work
shop last week at the fairgrounds in
Madras. The workshop began with an
overview o f the fish passage project,
which is large endeavour financially and
environmentally.
Through the $90-million investment,
the tribes and P G E are hoping to re
open 226 upstream miles o f river to
salmon and Steelhead migration.
The upper reaches o f river have
been inaccessible to anadromous fish
since the 1960s, when the dams were
built.
The problem has been the lack o f
downstream current in Lake Billy Chi
nook. Salmon and steelhead trying to
migrate downstream have been unable
to find their way through the lake be
cause o f the weak or sometimes back
ward flowing current.
To address the problem, the tribes
and P G E are constructing a facility
called the selective water withdrawal
tower, located in the lake just be
hind Round Butte dam.
The 273-foot tall tower will draw
in water from the lake, creating a
Current to guide downstream mi
grating fish. The fish will be drawn
into the facility, where they will be
separated according to size.
Fish that are ready to migrate
dow nriver to the ocean will be
trucked from the collection facility
past the dam and released into the
Deschutes.
The tower’s draw o f warmer wa
ter o ff the surface o f Lake Billy
Chinook will also keep the reservoir
cooler in the summer, creating a
healthier environment for fish.
The original fish collection facil
ity at the reregulating dam will be
used to collect the returning adult
fish.
The hope is that the project will
bring 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.
Arcade set to open this month at Plaza
The Playstation @ Express Shop is
set to be the newest addition to the
Warm Springs Plaza.
The business will feature a lounge
and arcade aimed at local youth, as well
as a 24-hour ATM and a DVD rental
machine.
The grand opening o f the business
will be on March 24 at 10 a.m.
Quantae Cole is overseeing the busi
ness, and said it will be run entirely by
the youth.
Because o f that they’ll be working
with W ED to train involved youth in
everything from writing business plans,
work skills, dressing for success and
business management.
“It’s an arcade, yes, it’s a lounge yes,
but we’ll be doing more services than
just that,” Cole said.
One benefit the business will bring
to the community is an increase in ac
tivity.
“It will bring more not only locals
here to the area but it will bring tour
ists who are coming in,” Cole said.
“It will put Warm Springs on a bet
ter map, as far as n o t only youth ser
vices, b u t side a ttractio n s,” Cole
added.
T h ough they’re geared tow ards
youth, Cole said, all ages are welcome.
“The reason we’re opening on the
24th is because that’s spring break,” Cole
explained.
“We’re excited to have agreed that
that will be the opening date. We’re
hoping that a big turnout comes.”
The Playstation @ Express Shop will
be open from 1 p.m. until 9 p.m., and
Cole said that gives local youth a safe
place to socialize in the evenings.
“The kids already come to Eagle
Tech for computer usage. They’re there
until they close. This will provide them
several options,” Cole said.
See ARCADE on 9