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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (May 18, 2011)
Page 8 Stimulus funds putting members back to work Lei Calica has learned to op erate heavy machinery during work on the Charlie Canyon Project. “We went back to work this month,” Calica said. “It was my first time running that thing, and I can’t tell you how great it feels to be back at work!” “Right now, they’re putting culverts into that section,” Leslie Davis, accounting manager for Warm Springs Ventures, said. “When that’s done, they’ll rerock part of that road.” Funding for the project came from stimulus funds through the BIA. C onstruction received three large contracts and have until September of this year to use those funds. Up to 12 men are employed on the project, which will take another four weeks. Crews will then move to the Trout Lake Road and West Hills Projects. — May 18, 2011 Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon by Duran Bobb Yvonne Ivenson/Spilyay Margaret Buckland (right) and Elvis Frank Sr. (left) are among the first to ride on the new upgraded Senior Bus. Staff will assess the bus route as unpaved roads could cause damage to the undercarriage of the lower bus. Court checks to be on schedule Lei Calica (right) and co-worker at Charley Canyon Project site. Duran Bobb/Spilyay Court hearing on Columbia River dam plan (AP) — In what is likely the final major hearing before a fed eral judge decides what must be done to make Columbia River dams safe for salmon, lawyers argued last week over just how m any salm on have to come back and whether that satisfies the Endangered Species Act. The answer is difficult, be cause the numbers fluctuate widely from year to year based on how much food is available in the ocean, no matter how many billions of dollars are spent making dams less lethal to fish. The hearing in an overflow ing Portland courtroom was per haps the final argument in a fight that has raged since 2001 over what is called a biological opin ion— a formal review required by the Endangered Species Act as part of the effort to reduce the harm federal projects such as dams cause protected wild life such as salmon. U.S. D istrict Court Judge James Redden previously shot down two Bush administration plans for restoring salmon runs and is now considering whether minor improvements offered by the Obama administration giv ing biologists more flexibility to react to problems are enough to make the plan work. The battle comes down to a choice between cheap and abun dant power provided by hydro electric dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, and the many salmon the dams kill as the young fish migrate to the ocean and swim upstream as adults to spawn. The more water that goes through the dam turbines, the cheaper the electricity to farm ers and electric ratepayers. When more water is allowed to spill over the tops of the dams, more salmon survive. The central argument by con servationists is that the current plan sets too low a bar for salmon survival. “The governm ent tries to work its way around the prob lem,” said attorney Todd True o f the co n serv atio n group Earthjustice. “But there is a fa tal disconnect in the argument” that growing salmon population numbers equals recovery. Government attorneys coun tered that the plan is enough to assure salmon survive, and con servationists are m issing the point. The numbers of salmon fluc tuate year to year, said U.S. Jus tice Department lawyer Colby Howell, and it’s impossible to know whether the numbers the court is using represent a valid picture of what salmon popula tions should look like. He said ocean conditions and river man agem ent play a large role in salmon runs. The plaintiffs are “playing a game of back-and-forth where they’re making up the rules,” Howell said. National Oceanic and Atmo spheric Administration deputy regional adm inistrator Barry Thom said outside court that the government might never make the conservationists happy. “I’m not sure we can,” Thom said. “They’re willing to do any thing to push for dam breach ing. That seems to be the heart PUC endorses removal of Klamath dams (AP) — The California Public Utilities Commission this month endorsed removing four hydro electric dams on the Klamath River to help salmon. Meeting in San Francisco, the commission also granted Portland- based dam-owner PacifiCorp a 2 percent rate increase for its 45,000 customers in California to help pay for removing the dams in Southern Oregon and North ern California. The $13.8 million raised by the surcharge during the next nine years goes into trust funds New bus for Seniors to be used if federal authorities approve the removal. The decision followed the recommendation of an admin istrative law judge. PacifiCorp had argued it was better to take out the dams than face the un certain costs o f upgrading to meet environmental standards for clean water and fish passage. Projected to begin in 2020, removal of the dams is part of a landmark agreement to help salmon, give farmers better as surances of irrigation, and re store the ecology of the Kla- math basin. Glen Spain o f the Pacific C oast F ederatio n of Fishermen’s Associations said the action caps potential costs for ratep ayers, saving them from the uncertainties of hav ing to pay for future lawsuits and dam upgrades. He added that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission estimated the upgrades would reduce power output by more than a quarter, causing the dams to operate at a net loss of $20 million a year. r of their argument.” C onservation groups and some Indian tribes have long argued that restoring a free-flow ing Snake River by breaking through four dams in Eastern Washington is the only way to bring struggling salmon runs back to thriving instead of just surviving. One biological opinion by the Clinton administration put that prospect on the table, but the Bush administration took it off. The Obama administration has said it might study dam breach ing as a last resort if other steps fail. Conservationists argue the governm ent’s projections for improving salmon populations have failed before. Habitat im provements planned from 2007 to 2009 were often delayed or proved infeasible, and there was no effort to relate the habitat improvements that were made to increased salmon survival. Salmon advocates say the lat- est rev ised plan from the Obama administration is little d ifferen t than the Bush administration’s 2008 plan and has little scientific evidence to back it up. “If the fish are not replacing them selves, there’s only one thing they can do,” True said. “And that's go extinct.” Starting this month, Warm Springs Tribal Court will be on a check authorization schedule. Authorization will take place on the second Thursday of each month, with the checks to be mailed out the next day when possible. Tentative authorization days are June 10, July 15, August 12, September 9, Octpber 14, and December 9 2011. Tribal court will not release checks for personal pick-up. All checks must be mailed out. Big horn spotting Yvonne Ivenson/Spilyay These two big horn sheep ewes live near the Warm Springs Reservation, and are often seen on the Highway 26 grade toward the Agency Plane. They are not part of the tribes’ big horn sheep recovery project, based in the Mutton Mountains, but instead these two arrived to the region on their own, said Doug Calvin, of tribal Natural Resources. Fresh Produce at Commodities The Commodities Food Program is now offering new fresh produce items such as baby carro ts, cauliflow er, celery, ro m aine le ttu ce, granny smith apples, and north west pears. P lease stop in, get signed-up, and receive some healthy, fantastic fresh produce today! W a rm S p rin g s MARKET Beads, Native American Gifts, Museum, Deli, Grocery, Ice, Fishing Permits, Western Union, Check-Free Bill Pay, ATM and Much More! 2132 Warm Springs St., Warm Springs - ph. 541-553-1597 Located at the comer of Warm Springs St. and Hollywood Blvd. Open Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ph. 541-553-1041 Over 500 companies can be p aid through our check-free service including: Pacific Power, D irect TV, Verison, and Qwest. J
