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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (July 30, 2009)
News from Inchon Country Pgge 6 Spilygy Tymoo July 30, 2009 Navajos mark 30th anniversary of uranium spill CHURCH RO CK, N.M. (AP) - The leader o f the Na vajo Nation marked the 30th anniversary of a massive ura nium tailings spill by reaffirm ing the tribe's ban on future ura nium mining. Speaking in Navajo and En glish, President Joe Shirley Jr. addressed about 100 people who made a seven-mile walk Thursday to the site o f the July 16, 1979 spill and to the land o f Navajo ranchers who live near an o th er contam inated site. What Shirley called “the larg est peacetime accidental release o f radioactive contam inated materials in the history of the United States” occurred when 94 million gallons of acidic wa ter poured into the north fork o f the Rio Puerco after an earthen uranium tailings dam failed. Within days, contaminated ta ilin gs liquid was found 50 miles downstream in Arizona. Shirley said the spill— the same year as the Three Mile Is land accident in Pennsylvania— barely registered on the con sciousness of the United States but will not be forgotten by the by Navajo and non-Navajo resi dents “who still worry today about the potential impacts of this tragic accident.” It also helped mobilize the effort that resulted in the Na vajo Nation's 2005 ban on ura nium mining and processing until adverse economic, environ mental and human health effects from past uranium activities are eliminated or substantially re duced to the satisfaction of the Navajo Nation Council, Shirley said. “We will stand our ground until the terms of the Dine (Na vajo) Natural Resources Protec tion Act are met,” he said. Substantial progress has been made in cleaning up one site, the Northeast Church Rock mine, Shirley said. But, he said, the U.S. Envi ronmental Protection Agency wants to move the bulk of that contam inated m aterial to a nearby Superfund site at a former United Nuclear Corp, mine. That, the Navajo presi dent said, would not be consid ered a final solution by the Na vajo tribe. Shirley proclaimed July 16 as Uranium Legacy and Action Day, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Church Rock spill and 60 years of uranium mining impacts. “The American people need to be educated and reminded about the disproportionate sac rifices made by Navajos so the United States of America could win the Cold War,” he said. Back at the Church Rock chapter house after the formal ceremonies, area Navajos talked about problems they blame on the spill. They talked about fa thers, mothers, uncles, aunts and friends who died of kidney dis ease or cancer. They also talked about sick livestock and sheep found to have yellow intestines Native contracts focus of Senate committee hearing A N C H O R A G E , Alaska (AP) — The preferences that some Alaskan Native-owned business corporations receive when competing for billions of dollars in government contracts is under scrutiny. The Senate Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight held a hearing Thurs day in which the rules that ap ply to the groups — called Alaska N ative corporations — were challenged. The subcommittee is chaired by M issouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, who says she wants to make sure the federal government is get ting the best deal for taxpayers. when butchered. The community's concerns have been heighten by renewed interest in the last couple of years in uranium mining. New Mexico was a leading producer of uranium from the 1950s into the 1980s, when the price o f uranium plummeted and mines and mills closed. The era's legacy remains in hundreds of abandoned uranium mines in New Mexico and the Navajo Nation. Uranium mined from the 1940s into the 1970s went to the nation's defense, and many say that history obligates the fed- Man in artifacts case denied release eral government to help reclaim areas the mines damaged. There have been no signifi cant water quality studies of the Rio Puerco since the late 1980s or early 1990s, said Chris Shuey of the Southwest Research and Information Center, an Albu querque-based environmental organization. Studies have shown high ra dioactivity in runoff and flood waters, but “whether that can be traced to mining has not been determined,” he said. Impacts downstream are less certain, he said. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah man ac cused o f retaliating against an informant in an investigation o f theft of American Indian artifacts has been ordered to re main in custody. The D eseret News says 44-year-old Charles D enton A rm strong, of Blanding, was ordered to remain jailed because of his criminal history, men tal-health issues and his tory of use and misuse of medication. Toys-Tools-Housewares-Clothing-Crafts-Gifts- O pen Monday-! 9:00-6:00 Your Bargain Connection A ll N e w A ll T h e T im 7 1 7 S.W. 5 th St. M a d ra s Or. Spring Valley Milk sklm-2% Public notice Community events Upcoming summer youth activities Youth and families are invited by 4-H and OSU Extension to come and help with the commu nity garden at 5:30 p.m. every other Wednesday: July 22, and August 5, 12 and 26. For details, call Edmund at 553-0118, or Fara at OSU Ex tension, 553-3238. 4-H is also planning some field trips this summer: A u g u st 4: Fossil trip to Hancock Field Station near Fos sil, grades 5-8. A ugust 11: Trip to windmill farm, grades 5-8. Recreation field trips The Recreation Department will also be hosting field trips this summer: July 16: Timberline hiking, for ages 10 and over. Free. Bring hiking shoes, sack lunch, spend ing money. July 23: Oaks Park, Milwau kee. Cost: $8.75/bracelet. Bring sack lunch and spending money. A u g u s t 6: B end Lava C aves/D rake Park: $ 5 /lan - tern. Bring sack lunch and spending money. Living Traditions demonstrations T he M useum at Warm Springs will present the Living Traditions program through early September. The Living Traditions live educational demonstrations are on Saturdays and Sundays, from 1 to 5 p.m. The schedule of demonstrations is as follows: August 1-2: Cedar bark bas ketry, presen ted by Viola Kalama. A ugust 8-9: Tule mat weav ing, presented by Adeline Miller. A ugust 15-16: Drum mak- ing, p resented by E m erson Squiemphen. August 22-23: Beaded vçsts and buckskin gloves, presented by Brigette Whipple. A ugust 29-30: Oral history and family tree, presented by Dallas Winishut Jr. Septem ber 5-6: First foods and family heirlooms, presented by Darlene Foster. If you would like more in formation, please call the Mu seum at Warm Springs at 553- 3331. N otice is hereby given tha t the E arly intervention Early Childhood Special Edu ca tio n progra m o f W arm Springs will destroy all spe cial education student records that are no longer needed in regards to providing educa tional services. Records will be d e stro ye d fo r child re n who received services any tim e p rio r to th e 2008-09 school year. Please note that this does not include the student’s per manent record, which must be maintained indefinitely by local school districts. (OAR 581-22-717). For purposes of claiming Social Security, or other ben efits, parents may need spe cial education records. If you w ish to obtain the special education records mentioned ab ove, p le a se c o n ta c t Samantha Gomez at the Warm Springs Early Childhood Edu cation Center, 553-3241. The next deadline to submit an item fo r pub lication is Friday, August 7. Thank you! 0101 • I «2 Wärm Springs Market • All Products Prepared Fresh Daily b a d iá n A r t s a n d S r a $ s 2132 Wärm Springs St Wärm Springs, 02 07761 ¡541)553-1507 • Entrees Roasted Daily • Featuring Hand Cut USDA Choice Steaks BREAKFAST- LUNCH - DINNER AiiMyor Legal Aid Services of Oregon provides free assistance to lo w - in c o m e Oregonians in many c iv il cases. For information, call 385- 6944 Monday through Wednesday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. * Senior Menu • Children's Menu • Daily Specials 237 S.W. 4th Street, Madras • 475-6632 OPEN 6 am - t o ¡>m dam
