SCO
OrCo11
Spilyay 1 ym
iy o te News, est. 1976
Acquisition Dept./Serials
Knight Library
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR 97403-1205
June 15, 2011 Vol. 36, No. 12
U.S. Postage
PRSRTSTD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
50 cents
June - Atixan - Spring - Wawaxám
Critical timber issue at Tribal Council Simnasho
The Natural Resources Branch pre
sented its recommended allowable tim
ber cut to Tribal Council last week,
during a two-day forestry workshop at
Kah-Nee-Ta.
Natural Resources is recommend
ing an allowable cut of 31 million board
feet per year. This figure represents the
harvest level that is sustainable for fu
ture generations, according to the Natu
ral Resources Branch.
Warm Springs Forest Products In
dustries has recommended an allowable
cut figure of 43 million board feet.
The mill could not operate with an
annual harvest of 31 million board feet,
and would have to shut down, WSFPI
officials say.
The mill employs about 104 employ
ees who are tribal members or married
into the tribe.
Tribal Council is now facing the al
lowable cut decision, one of its most
important decisions—in terms of natu
ral resources and employment—in re
cent memory.
Natural Resources has determined
that an annual cut of 31 million board
feet is sustainable, while a cut beyond
that level would eventually leave no
harvestable timber. Over-harvesting is
harmful to fisheries and other wildlife
and native plants.
Forest practices on the reservation
over the past decades have been at high
levels that are not sustainable and did
not take into account the other values
that are important to forest health.
The tribes assumed management
of reservation forestry about a year
ago.
D uring the workshop last week,
Councilman Raymond Tsumpti said the
tribes have already harvested the tim
ber for five generations to come. The
goal now should be to avoid harvest
ing the timber of the remaining two
generations of the seven generations,
Tsumpti said.
WSFPI has recommended har
vesting timber in forest conditional-
use areas. Even if this were done,
there is not enough timber in the
conditional-use areas to sustain the
mill, said Jim Rice, tribal forest man
ager.
The circu m stan ces sound
bleak— either lose over 100 local
jobs, or over-harvest the reserva
tion forest land— but there is an al
ternative.
See TIMBER
on page 9
Company demonstrates surveillance plane
L
B y Dave M cM echan
Spilyay Tymoo
W a rm Springs Ventures is looking
at the possibility of developing a test
range on the reservation for un
manned aircraft.
Last week, a company from the
Hood River area visited the reser
vation to demonstrate an unmanned
aerial vehicle, or small plane.
The plane, about the size of a
large bird, is equipped with a cam
era on the bottom that transmits
images, as seen from above, to a
monitor screen on the ground.
This technology can be used for
wild land fire fighting surveillance,
search and rescue, law enforcement
and other purposes. The civilian
unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) mar
ket is currently estimated at $5 bil
lion per year, said Anspach.
The most well-known type of UAV
is the drone used by the military. The
military application of the UAV is about
$40 billion per year.
Buttons Heath (above) checks
out the surveillance plane;
•while (at left) Chief Joe Moses,
TeleCo operations manager
Jose Matanane, Councilman
J.P. Patt, and Council records
specialist Joelden Surface
(standing from left) observe the
plane’s camera display
monitor.
The process to develop a test facil
ity for UAVs is very competitive, said
Jeff Anspach, Ventures director.
See
UAVs
on page 9
Forty-Second Annual Pi-Ume-Sha June 24-26
T h e Pi-Ume-Sha Traditional Parade
this year will be in memory of the late
Wasco Chief Nelson Wallulatum. Chief
Wallulatum passed away a little over a
year ago, on June 13, 2010, at the age
o f 84. He served as C hief o f the
Wascos for 51 years.
The Traditional Parade is on the
Saturday m orning o f Pi-U m e-Sha
weekend, June 24-26. Judging o f the
parade entries is at 10 a.m. in front
of the elem entary school; line-up is
at 10:30 and the parade begins at 11
a.m. sharp.
If you have any questions, please
call Ramona Baez at 541-460-0088. Pa-
rade prizes for first-, second- and third-
place in each category.
Weekend events
The Forty-Second Annual Pi-Ume-
Sha T reaty Days begins on Friday
evening at seven o’clock, June 24, with
the first Grand Entry.
Grand Entries are on Saturday at 1
and 7 p.m., and on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Traditional dance contests through the
weekend.
Pi-Ume-Sha Boxing, hosted by the
Warm Springs Nation Boxing Club,
begins at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, June
25, at the Community Center. The
event features 30 Sanctioned US A Box
ing bouts.
The Pi-Ume-Sha Treaty Days All
Indian Rodeo is on Saturday and Sun
day, June 25 and 26, starting at 1 p.m.
each day. Admission is $7; senior citi
zens and kids 6-17, $3; kids under 6
free.
Weekend activities include softball,
stick games, endurance horse race,
vending, etc.
The Treaty, and veterans
The powwow commemorates the
signing of the Treaty of 1855, signed
156 years ago this month. The signing
date of the Treaty was June 25,
1855. One-hundred and fifty-one
tribal leaders signed the document,
after a three-day Council at The
Dalles.
Pi-Ume-Sha Treaty Days began
in the late 1960s. W hile com
m em orating the signing o f the
treaty, Pi-Ume-Sha also tradition
ally honors the veterans and ser
v ic e m en and w o m en o f the
Arm ed Forces.
For powwow information, see
Cassie Katchia (541-553-0203) or
Louise Katchia (541-460-0224).
water fix
approved
B y Dave M cM echan
Spilyay Tymoo
Tribal Council last week gave ap
proval for work to begin on a new wa
ter system to serve the Sim nasho-
Schoolie Flats community.
Arsenic in the existing domestic wa
ter supply at Simnasho is above the EPA
safety standard. Simnasho residents
have been using bottled water for drink
ing and cooking purposes for the past
four years.
A p erm an en t so lu tio n to the
probelm required securing $2.05 mil
lion in funding. The funding now is in
place, said Don Courtney, Utilities di
rector.
Most of the money— $1.4 million—
will come from the EPA.
HUD w ill c o n trib u te an o th er
$4 50 ,0 00 , through an “im m in en t
threat” grant. The tribes are contribut
ing $200,000, leaving a shortfall o f
$450,000. However, the deficit could
be made up through another federal
grant, said Courtney.
The tribes need to begin work on
the new water system as soon as pos
sible, Courtney said. Otherwise, the
tribes could face significant fines, he
said.
The tribes also need to move for
ward in order to secure the $1.4 mil
lion from the EPA. No other tribe in
the Nortwest is receiving any EPA fund
ing this year, Courtney said.
The Council action last week came
after a presentation by Courtney, wa
ter engineer Roy Spino, and chief op
erations officer Urbana Ross.
Spino said the design drawings for
the new water system are done, and
Natural Resources is conducting a cul
tural inventory. When the inventory is
done, work can begin, Spino said.
The projection is that the new sys
tem will on line in October of 2013.
The source of water will be in the
Beaver Creek area. The new system will
be adequate for the next few decades,
said Spino.
Since 2007, the tribes have spent
about $200,000 on bottled water for
the Simnasho-Schoolie Flats residents.
Arsenic is odorless and colorless, and
can appear in drinking water through
natural deposits in the earth, or from
agriculture and industrial practices. Ar
senic is cancer causing, and can cause
other serious health problems.
Candidates selling raffle tickets
(Note: The candidates for the Pi-
Ume-Sha Treaty Days Royalty Court
are in the community selling raffle
tickets in support of the powwow.
This is the candidate statement by
Mary Olney):
H ello there, People o f Warm
Springs! My name is Mary Olney, a
proud member o f the Confederated
Tribes o f Warm Springs.
I ’m 10 y ea rs old, Q ueen candi
date f o r this y e a r ’s Pi-U m e-Sha
Treaty Days.
My parents are Sonia Heath and
Shane Olney.
My m aternal grandparents are
C a th erin e W atah nad S an ders
Heath.
My paternal grandparents are the
late M ary V. Olney and Richard
Olney Sr.
L
Museum canoe
exhibit opening
next Thursday
I would ju st like to take this time to
let people know that I will be out in the
community selling “lucky” raffle tickets fo r
the Pi-Ume-Sha Powwow.
I would sure appreciate yo u r support
in helping me to reach my newest set goal
o f becoming Miss Pi-Ume-Sha 2011.
It would be my pleasure to represent
my Tribe, i f I should be the one to sell the
most tickets, as I love the great people and
the travel to participate in powwows as well
as rodeos all over the Western states.
I would also like to take this opportu
nity to invite everybody to all our Pi-Ume-
Sha activities! See you at the powwow.
M ary Olney.
Mary Olney with brother Josh
Olney, with the flag of the
Confederated Tribes of Warm
Springs.
The Museum at Warm Springs this
month will be featuring a new exhibit,
Canoe Journies— Our life on the Big
River.
The grand opening for this exhibit
will be on Thursday, June 23, in the
lobby area and Changing Exhibits
Room at the museum.
The Canoe Journies exhibit, open
ing the Thursday before Pi-Ume-Sha,
will be on display through through
Sept. 18.
For more inform ation, call the
Museum at Warm Springs at 541-553-
3331. Or see the website:
Museumatwarmsprings.org
ity of Oregon Library
d on: 06-24-11
Yvonne Iverson/Spilyay
J