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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 2010)
r' More news from Inctign Country Deal signed to protect ancient art in Utah canyon By Mike Stark Associated Press Writer SALT LAKE CITY — An agreement aims to safeguard th o u sa n d s o f p re h isto ric American Indian drawings and carvings from truckers’ dust in a fam ed U tah canyon near w here a Colorado com pany wants to dramatically increase energy development. The pact signed at the Utah Capitol last week is the first ma jor attempt to address concerns over dust in Nine Mile Canyon, whose miles of decorated walls are sometimes called the world’s longest art gallery. T he canyon has been the focus o f intense debate for sev eral years after Denver-based Bill Barrett Corp, proposed de veloping 800 natural gas wells on W est T avaputs P lateau, w hich sits above N ine Mile Canyon. The Bureau o f Land Management has not made a final decision on Bill Barrett’s proposal. The prim ary concern has been concern over dust from the unpaved road being kicked up by an increasing number of trucks ferrying equipment and workers. Some worry the dust could hurt the ancient art panels de picting bighorn sheep, owls, a two-headed snake, spear-wield ing hunters and warriors en gaged in hand-to-hand combat. The agreement is meant to lay out protections for the rock art if Bill Barrett’s proposal is approved. I t was' signed by BLM officials, U tah Gov. Gary “We sincerely hopes it’s going to work.” — Pam Miller, chair of the Nine Mile Canyon Coalition Herbert, Bill Barrett Corp., as well as environmental and ar chaeological groups and advo cates for the 78-mile-long can yon. The deal, affecting some 233 square miles, including the can yon and the West Tavaputs Pla teau, includes a list of tasks such as more dust suppression and studies to determine if the rock art is being harmed. Much of the agreement’s fi nancial burden will be shoul dered by Bill Barrett. D u an e Z avadil, th e com pany’s vice president for governm ent affairs, said the company could end up spend ing nearly $1 million a year for dust suppression, contractors to research and monitor rock art and other steps. “We want to document and be sure we’re leaving that rock art in as good a shape as we found it,” he said. The plan for 800 more would likely mean about 200 trucks per day using the canyon’s winding road during the peak of devel opment, Zavadil said, adding that estimates of 1,000 trucks a day were used prim arily for governm ent’s analysis o f the project. T h e agreem ent gives the company some regulatory cer tainty if their project moves ahead, he said. • “Hopefully we have the big- gest stumbling block out o f the way,” Zavadil said. H erbert praised the agree ment, which was a year in the making by a long list o f politi cally diverse participants, as a triumph o f the “reasonable and rationale.” Selma Sierra, BLM’s director for Utah, said it would ensure that Nine Mile’s artifacts “will be protected for generations to come.” Canyon advocates called it an important first step but said its success will be measured in how it’s implemented. Pam Miller, chair o f the Nine Mile Canyon Coalition, said she’s happy to see efforts to tamp down dust and study its p o te n tia lly adverse effects. W hether the BLM cracks down when problems crop up will be som ething her group will be watching for. “We haven’t always been lis tened to before when we’ve re ported problems,” Miller said. “But we’re hopeful. We sincerely hopes it’s going to work.” In Carbon County, which in cludes a portion o f the canyon, officials are hopeful the deal not only protects the rock art but also allows the energy project to move ahead. Com m issioner John Jones said about 60 percent, o f the county’s property taxes come from energy development. Page 9 Spi [yay Ty moo January 13, 2010 Turner bid for Yellowstone bison draws protest BOZEMAN, Montana (AP) — Ted Turner’s bid to get 74 wild bison from Yellowstone National Park is drawing stiff opposition from those who say the animals are being given up for private profit instead o f conservation. Turner has offered to take the animals at the request o f M ontana’s D em ocratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer. T he m edia m ogul would keep the bison five years and then return them to the state. As c o m p en sa tio n , T u rn e r would keep 90 percent o f the animals’ offspring, meaning he would gain an estimated 190 bison from a herd prized for its genetic purity. Turner is a longtime cham pion o f bison conservation and owns an estimated 50,000 o f the animals across the West. But ris ing criticism over his latest plan is putting the media mogul in an awkward position. His represen tatives insist he cannot take the animals without getting some thing in return. Some conservationists and federal officials — plus a group representing dozens o f Native American tribes — say the ani mals should not be commercial ized. At a public hearing over the Turner proposal, they said the bison belong on public or tribal lands. That’s what state and fed eral officials had promised dur ing the past several years. “You’re n o t being true to your commitment not to com- mercialize these animals,” said Glenn Hockett with the Gallatin Wildlife Association. The animals are now in dis ease quarantine just outside Yellowstone. They are part o f a 5-year program to divert some park bison from the periodic slaughter the animals face, part o f efforts to prevent the spread o f the disease brucellosis to cattle. After prior attempts to relo cate quarantined bison failed, state officials had warned they could soon be slaughtered. Russell Miller with Turner Enterprises said keeping most o f their offspring would be nec essary to offset the cost o f keep ing 74 animals for the state for five years. fy <1 Native Comedy January 16th, 8-1 Opm Tickets on sales at thè door $10 18 & over Warm Spring Community Center 2200 Hollywood Blvd. Warm Springs, OR Sioux Falls program targets obesity in youth SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A Sioux Falls man is starting a nonprofit venture to battle youth obesity. Aaron Maguire says Dakota Kids Inc. will help overweight and obese children from kinder garten through grade 12. The 12-week program will involve nutrition education and exercise, as well as body com position and strength tests. Maguire is working with the U n ited Way, V olunteers o f A m erica D ak o tas, N ativ e A m erican tribes and a fte r school programs. A recent survey in South Dakota schools found that 33.6 percent o f children are either overweight or obese. State nu tritionist Kristin Biskeborn says the state is working to combat childhood obesity. The Sioux Falls school dis trict also is working to battle the problem. No drugs or alcohol For Info Call 503-348-3411 Zu Police (Continued from page 1) According to the U.S. D rug Enforcem ent Ad ministration, an area that qualifies for H IDTA sta tus “must be a major cen ter o f illegal drug produc tion, manufacturing, im portation or distribution; have state and local law enforcement agencies al ready engaged; have a harmful impact on other areas of the U.S.; and, re quire a significant increase in federal resources.” There have been 31 of these areas designated across the U.S. since the program began in 1990. Warm Springs would be the first HIDTA in Indian Country, Smith em pha sized. a jo r a r a |TanuaiVA3Q^20?lfì Zd I ■■ ■■ For vendor information regon State Fair & Expo Cente Salem Pavilion 2330 17th Street NE, Salem , O R 10 a.m. - 1 0 p.m. G rand Entries at 1 p.m. an d 6 p.m 1 ^ 0 0 3 2 2 3 39£xi230;or 54 Í -444-8230 MC Nick Sixkiller Oregon State Parks Parking $ 3 This event is sponsored by the sovereign governments of G o to www.wsnews.org for the latest W arm Springs new s & events. Native craft demonstrations cultural drumming, dancing & Tribal vendors
