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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (May 4, 2011)
News from Indian Country Pgge 9 Spilyay Tymoo May 4, 2011 Tribe wins Klam ath salmon ruling (AP) — A judge has ruled that the California Department o f Fish and Game’s deal allowing ranchers to continue drawing water from two Klamath Basin tributaries in return for habitat im p rov em ents does n o t do enough to protect threatened coho salmon. The ruling from Judge Ernest H. Goldsmith o f the Superior Court o f California in San Fran cisco tells the department to fig ure out how many salmon are actually killed by water withdraw als from the Scott and Shasta rivers in Northern California, com e up with some effective steps to improve salmon survival in those rivers, and give the pub lic a chance to comment on it all. “Despite (the department’s) good faith efforts and potential hardship to water users, the Court must uphold the legislature’s man date to preserve listed species and conduct environmental review o f all foreseeable consequences,” Goldsmith wrote. The department is reviewing the ruling and considering its options for moving forward, said spokesw om an Jo rd a n Traverso. T he ruling issued April 20 came in a lawsuit brought by groups representing salmon fish ermen, an Indian tribe, and con servation groups challenging the legality o f the Shasta Valley and S co tt River W atershed-W ide Permitting Programs. The de partm ent approved the p ro grams in 2010 to bring about 100 farm s and ranches into compliance with the state E n dangered Species Act in an area that had seen fierce pockets o f resistance. “This ruling does not put wa ter back in the river or fish back in the river,” ' said K lam ath Riverkeeper Erica Terence, one o f the plaintiffs in the cases. “It just keeps at bay a program that' quite possibly would have done more harm than good.” Federal threatened species protection for Klamath Basin coho led to the shut-off o f irri gation water to more than 1,000 farms and ranches on a federal irrigation project straddling the O regon-C alifornia border in 2002, but did not affect irriga tion on private lands in the Scott and Shasta valleys. California protected coho in 2005. Historically, the Scott and Shasta rivers offered important habitat for coho salmon in the Klamath Basin, but have seen numbers falling to dangerously low levels in recent years. Last year the Scott — which regularly runs dry from irrigation with drawals, requiring thousands o f young fish to be rescued — saw only 881 adult coho return, ac cording to the department. The Shasta saw only 49. Two out o f three years, no fish return to the Shasta. State recognizes Native Hawaiians H O N O LU LU (AP) - Lay ing the foundation for a Native Hawaiian government, lawmak ers agreed on legislation last week that grants them recogni tion as the indigenous people o f the state. The bill starts the process o f registering Native Hawaiians for their future government, and it could lead to the formation o f a political body overseeing their affairs. T he measure unanimously cleared its conference commit tee last Friday and advances to final votes in the House and Sen ate this week. “It’s sending a message to the indigenous N ative Hawaiian population that we recognize you, and you can do whatever it takes to empower yourselves so that you can achieve self-de termination,” said Sen. Malama Solomon, D-Hilo-Honokaa. Native Hawaiians are the last remaining indigenous group in the United States who haven’t been allowed to establish their own government, a right already extended to many Alaska Na tives and N ativ e A m erican tribes. Federal legislation for Hawai ian recognition hasn’t passed despite more than a decade o f efforts by Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii. But this state initiative gives Hawaiians a way to organize themselves and decide on their form o f government, without having to wait for Congress to act first. It also may spur the federal government to act. “It really is fundamentally a very significant step for self-de termination for Native Hawai ians,” said Clyde Namuo, C EO for the state Office o f Hawai ian Affairs. The bill calls for a five-mem ber commission responsible for creating a roll o f qualified Na tive Hawaiians interested in par ticipating in their government. Those eligible for the roll in clude N ative Hawaiians and others who have maintained sig nificant cultural, social or civic connections to the Native Ha waiian community. Once the roll is established, they could hold a convention and create founding documents o f their Native Hawaiian nation. “It restores a modicum o f dignity to the first people o f these islands, whose kingdom was stolen illegally,” said Sen. C layton H ee, D -K a h u k u - Kaneohe. A previous effort by the O f fice o f Hawaiian Affairs, called K au In o a , gath ered abou t 110,000 signatures o f people showing interest in a Hawaiian governing entity. The people on the Kau Inoa list could form a starting point $47 million event center for Ft. Hall F O R T HALL, Idaho (AP) — T he Sh oshone-B annock Tribes have broken ground on the $47 million Hotel and Events Center on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation. “This project is a good thing not only for the tribes, but also for southeast Idaho,” said Tribal Executive Direc tor Angelo Gonzales. Officials said the 164,000- square-foot development is expected to be finished by May 2012 and will be an eco nomic boon to the tribes and surrounding communities by attracting headliner events as well as offering a convenient place to stay for Fort Hall Casino visitors. Tribal officials held the p u blic event W ednesday $1.5M to family of slain woodcarver SE A T T L E (AP) - The city o f Seattle will pay $1.5 million to the family o f a hom eless woodcarver who was shot by a police officer last summer, a killing that helped prompt a top- to-bottom federal review o f the city’s police department. Officer Ian Birk shot John T. Williams last August after the N ative American woodcarver crossed the street in front o f Birk’s pa trol car while holding a piece o f wood and a small knife. Birk later said Williams had threat ened him, but a review board ruled the shooting unjustified. though pre-construction work started a month ago due to fa vorable weather. T h e cen ter is being built near the In te rs ta te 15 F o rt Hall exit. “It will enhance what the ca sino already has to o ffer our patrons,” said Andrea Ramone, the casino's interim general man ager. “This has been years in the making and it's something excit ing to see.” Leah Rigby, executive direc tor o f the Blackfoot Chamber o f C om m erce, attended the event. “We cam e (to the groundbreaking) as a chamber board to show our support for the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes’ progressive economic develop ment,” she said. “This will help their com m unity and will eventually help the surround ing communities too.” The groundbreaking at tracted a good turnout. “I ’m glad to see a great number o f people came out here — not only tribal mem bership, but people from the surrounding area who came to see what we're do ing h ere,” said F o rt Hall Business Council Chairman Nathan Small. “I t’s good to see people from surround ing areas are appreciative o f th a t and su p p o rt (th e tribes).” Tribal officials said a sec ond phase o f the project in volves expanding the casino, though no date has been set for that. for creating the new roll o f Native Hawaiians, if they decide to join, Namuo said. In all, th ere are about 400,000 Native Hawaiians in the world, with about half o f them living in Hawaii. “The Hawaiian people will have their own destiny they can create for themselves instead o f having other people telling them what they need to do,” said Rep. Faye H an o h an o , D -P a h o a - Kalapana. Funding o f $110,000 over the next two years will be paid by the Office o f Hawaiian A f fairs, which will administer the roll commission, Namuo said. The roll commission would be ap p ointed by Gov. N eil Abercrom bie, with one com m issio n e r fro m each o f Hawaii's four main counties along with one at-large com missioner. Solar power for Reno-Sparks Indian Colony H U N G R Y V A LLEY, Nev. (AP) - The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony is going solar. Tribal officials plan a ribbon cutting ceremony Saturday for a recently installed 140-kilowatt solar power system that will gen erate a substantial amount o f the electricity for the colony's community education center in Hungry Valley north o f Reno. It’s one o f three solar power systems they are building with the help o f more than $1 mil lion worth o f rebates from NV Energy’s SolarGenerations pro gram. T rib al chairm an A rlan Melendez says it will save the colony an estimated $39,000 in annual energy costs. Cedar tree carved for canoe family S U Q U A M IS H , W ash. name was Tana. Stobs means (AP) - Leaning over the cen man in the Salish language, ter o f a partially carved 32- Williams said. Previously, members o f foot-long western red cedar, master carver Ray Natraoro’s the Tana Stobs family have eyes moved down the grain o f used a fiberglass canoe. For this year's even t at the the old growth tree. Using a level, string and Sw inom ish Indian T ribal in Skagit pencil, Natraoro focused on C om m unity the center o f the monstrous County, Armstrong and his log, trying to determine where family will use both the fi cuts should be made to con berglass model and the one tinue its transformation from being carved by Natraoro. “I t ’s pretty exciting be a 10-ton tree into a classic cause before we’d do switch Salish-style tribal canoe. The 800-year-old tree and outs,” Williams said. Because N atraoro are from B ritish o f the canoe family’s size— C olum bia. T h e tree came W illiam s and A rm stro n g from the Elaho Valley, north have 32 cou sin s in the o f Vancouver, on territory area— members took turns owned by the Squamish Na in the one boat. Now everyone can par tion. N atraoro was joined by ticipate at the same time— Gary G onzales and Simon inclu d ing som e o f the Reece, two other Squamish youngest members, like Wil members in Suquamish last liams’ 6-year-old daughter. Watching N atraoro and week. They were in town to carve a dugout canoe for other family members work Tana Stobs, a canoe family in on the canoe last week, Wil Suquamish that includes mem liams com m ented on the bers o f the Suquamish and canoe’s presence in the fam- Port Gamble S’Klallam tribes. ily. “This canoe is going to be “It’s a rare gift, these ce there long after w e’ve all dar tre e s,” said N ick Armstrong, a Tana Stobs fam gone,” she said. T h e canoe is the 18th ily member. “We had the word out there that some day we’d carved by Natraoro, who was com m issioned to carve a like a traditional canoe.” A canoe family is a group canoe for the recent Winter o f extended family members Olympics in Vancouver, B.C. and close family friends who T h e tradition o f carving participate in annual Tribal traces back seven genera Canoe Journeys, in which na tions in N atraoro’s family. tive people travel from their He previously carved two homes to a common destina canoes for the Suquamish tion within the Coast Salish Tribe, one in 2001 and an other in 2002. territory. N atraoro uses m odern T h e family first partici pated in the journey in the tools, including chain saws sam e year A rm stro n g ’s and adzes, to shave away at brother Santana was killed in the trunk. T he tools replicate the a car accident. The journey gave the grieving family a fo stone adzes and chisels used cus, sister Faith Williams said. by his ancestors to build the They chose Tana Stobs as dugout canoes. Anders were their canoe family name to also used to do the intricate honor Santana, whose nick- carving work. national women’s health week May 8-14,2011 C ELEBR A TE NATIONAL W OM EN’S HEALTH WEEK Make an appointment at IHS to update your Adam Walsh Child Protection and SafeteyAct registration and notification By provision o f the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, the Confederated Tribes are also publishing the sex offender registration list. A person is required to register with the administra tor if the person has been convicted o f a sex crim e, and resides or works in the community, or visits here on a monthly basis. This applies to tr ib a l and n o n -tr ib a l members. The sex offender registration office phone number is 541- 553-2214. T he administrator’s office is located at 2146 Warm Springs Street, Warm Springs (upstairs in the tribal Court building). T h e follow ing nam es are added to the C o n fed erated Tribes o f Warm Springs list o f registered offenders under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act (name followed by date o f birth): Andrea Lee Morales, 5- 13-66. Take Charlie Waheneka, 5- 12-76. Leroy Dale Allen, 3-13- 69. Lucas Caleb Ike, 4-17-60. The sex offender registry o f the Confederated Tribes o f W arm Springs can be viewed at the website: http:// warmsprings.nsopw.gov/ screenings Aim for 2 1/2 hours of phyiscal activity per week c§§ Eat healthy foods Take time to focus on you See www.women'shealth.gov Or call RaNeva Dowty 541-553-1196 Ext. 4091
