Branch Matthew
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205
Tymoo
Coyote News, est. 1976
June 13, 2012
Voi. 37, No. 12
B y D ave M cMechan
W arm Springs Pow er and Wa
ter E nterprises released its 2011
annual rep o rt last week, and m et
w ith Tribal C ouncil to review last
year’s perform ance and next year’s
projections.
Pow er and W ater E nterp rises
(WSPWE) is forecasting that 2013
will be a very challenging year.
E nterprise revenues are influ
enced by what happens in the N orth-
west energy supply market, coupled
with large capital requirem ents due
to resource restoration projects that
are a requirem ent in the federal li
cense.
For 2013, W SPW E is projecting
to have no dividend to contribute
to the tribal general fund.
This is a major change from pre
vious years. For instance, in 2011
and in 2012, the dividend from the
enterprise was $2 million each year.
In 2010 the dividend was close
to $8 million. The highest dividend
in recent years was in 2005, w hen
WSPW E contributed $16 million to
the tribal general fund.
“ M a rk e t c o n d itio n s h av e
changed and license requirements
have forced us to focus on manag
ing-cash flow very carefully” said
Ralph Minnick, Power and Water
board chairman.
O ne o f the biggest impacts has
been in the natural gas supply, said
Jim Manion, Power and Water getj-
eral manager.
A new extraction process has al
lowed natural gas companies to ex
tract natural gas in areas never be
fore thought feasible. This has cre
ated a huge supply, driving the price
o f natural gas down. Because natu
ral gas is used to generate energy,
this im pacts energy rates overall,
which directly affects W SPW E rev
enue potential, Manion said.
A nd meanwhile, the N orthw est
is developing alternative energy
sources, such as wind power, fur
th er w eakening the energy sales
market, he said. A nd the previous
two years have seen snowpack lev
els well above average, which de
creases the price o f hydro power.
A t the same time, the. tribes are
helping to fund a large-scale fish
r e s to r a tio n p ro je c t o n th e
D eschutes River. Some good
news, Manion said, is that the fish
restoration project is beginning
to see results (see story below).
O ver the past ten years, he
said, “We have invested over $42
million in restoration w ork as a
result o f owning a portion o f the
Pelton Project.”
T his com m itm ent to resto
ration will benefit future gen
eratio n s as we see a harv est
yields in crease in th e low er
D eschutes.
The Pelton-Round Butte fa
cilities also employ five tribal
m em bers, he said.
See WSPWE on 7
Adult salmon return to Upper Deschutes
I t was a great day for the fu
ture salmon and steelhead o f the
upper- D eschutes River. “I t’s
been 45 years' since these fish
have been above the project,”
said Bobby Brunoe, general man
ager o f tribal N atural Resources.
The salmon, he said, “are who
we are, our spirituality.”
T he six adult spring chinook
salm on entered the river just
above the Pelton-R ound Butte
project last Friday, the first time
adult migrating fish have been
above the dams in 45 years.
T h e fish h a d been collected
below the dams, and then taken
by truck to a spot on Lake Billy
C h in o o k ju s t a b o v e R o u n d
Butte. Officials from the tribes,
P G E and state agencies were on
hand for the event.
“This is truly a blessing, an
im portant day for our people,’’
said Leslie Bill, vice chair o f the
tribal Fish and Wildlife Comm it
tee.
“We believe life goes in full
circle,” he said, “and we have al
ways believed the fish would be
back one day.”
T he tribes and their partner
P G E have invested over $100
million into the fish restoration
effort. This was a requirem ent
o f the federal hydro relicensing
o f a decade ago, w hen the tribes
acquired a third ownership o f the
facilities.
The single m ost notable aspect
o f the recovery project is the col
lection tow er at the Round Butte
dam, designed to draw the juvenile
fish downstream through the lake.
T he salmon and steelhead fish
runs o f the upper D eschutes ended
in the 1960s, w ith construction o f
Pelton-Round Butte. An effort at
including fish passage in the origi
nal dam project never worked.
T h e re is h o p e n o w th a t th e
salmon and steelhead will return and
one day establish a sustainable popu
lation in upper Deschutes, Crooked
and Metolius rivers.
Among the first fish to return above the dams.
Dave McMechan/Spilyay
Larry Holliday, fisheries harvest management technician, prepares to release the six chinook fish.
Pi-Ume-Sha to mark 157 years of Treaty
T h e C o n fed erated T rib es o f
W arm Springs, during the weekend
o f Ju n e 22-24, will celebrate the
F orty-T hird A nnual Pi-U m e-Sha
Treaty Days.
This year Gov. John K itzhaber
may attend the powwow on Satur
day, June 23, though his schedule
was n o t yet confirmed as o f earlier
this week. Some guests from E u
rope, currently visiting O regon, are
also planning to attend, according
to the G overnor’s Office.
Traditional Parade
T he them e o f the 2012 Pi-Ume-
Sha Traditional Dress Parade is Con
tinuing on with Traditional Teach
ing. O ver the past year, “We have
lost im portant and great elder teach
ers,” said Ram ona G reene Baez,
parade coordinator.
“B ut we m ust continue with tra-
ditional teaching,” she said, “as our
elders have taught us.”
T here are cash prizes fo r best
parade entries. Categories are: Walk
ers, Traditional Floats, and H orse-
back. Powwow dancers are given
participation points for joining in the
parade.
P arade organizers are always
looking for any person w ith a con
vertible car w ho wants to partici
pate: Some guests, such as form er
Gov. Vic Atiyeh, may need a ride
for the parade, Baez said. You can
reach her at 541-553-2406(w); 460-
0088(c).
T he Traditional D ress Parade is
Saturday o f powwow weekend, with
judging o f parade entries at 10 a.m.
in front o f the elementary School.
Parade line-up is at 10:30 and the
parade starts at 11.
T he first G rand Entry will be the
ECRWSS
Postal Patron
U.S. Postage
PRSRTSTD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
June -A tix a n - Spring - Wawaxam
Challenging time for Power & Water
Spilyay Tymoo
P.0. Box 870
Springs, OR 97761
Friday o f pow wow weekend, at 7
p.m. G rand Entries will then be at
1 and 7 p.m. on Saturday, and at 2
p.m. on Sunday. T he dance con
tests are through the weekend.
tion, contact Cassie Katchia at
5 4 1 -5 5 3 -0 2 0 3 (h ); o r 553-
2 1 2 8(w ); o r c o n ta c t L o u ise
Katchia, 541-460-0224(c). For
m ore contact inform ation see
page 12
Boxing, rodeo, softball, golf,
stick games
157 years ago
T he W arm Springs Boxing Club
will h ost Pi-Ume-Sha Boxing 2012
o n the Saturday o f powwow week
end, starting at 3:30 p.m. in the com
munity center gymnasium.
T he rodeo is Saturday and Sun
day, hosted by the Warm Springs Ro
deo Association. Riders will also
com pete in an E ndurance H orse
Race.
Stick games are throughout the
w eekend at'th e pow wow grounds,
with m en’s and w om en’s softball at
the ball fields.
For general powwow inform a
Pi-Ume-Sha comm emorates
the signing o f the Treaty o f 1855,
signed 157 years ago this m onth.
T he signing date o f the Treaty
was June 25,1855. O ne-hundred
and fifty-one tribal leaders signed
the docum ent, after a three-day
Council at T he Dalles.
Pi-Ume-Sha Treaty Days be
gan in the late 1960s. While com
m em orating the signing o f the
treaty, Pi-Ume-Sha also tradition
ally honors the veterans and ser
vice m en and w o m en o f the
A rm ed Forces.
5 0 cents
Sovereignty
and taxes
By Duran Bobb
Spilyay Tymoo
A c c o rd in g to trib al atto rn e y
Howie Arnett, the IRS office in Port
land is continuing to pursue a radi
cal in te rp re ta tio n o f the federal
co d e. A t th e sam e tim e, G ov.
K itzhaber is pressuring O regon’s
tribes to comply with the clean air
act.
A bout two m onths ago, the IRS
asked tribal officials to surrender
enrollm ent inform ation in order to
pursue individual audits o f tribal
m em bers receiving trust per capita
payments. Instead, A rnett and sec
retary-treasurer Jody Calica formally
requested a consultation.
“U nder the consultation execu
tive order that has been in place for
twenty years,” A rnett said, “federal
agencies are required to consult with
affected tribes.”
T he request was denied, on the
grounds that the issue was the sub
ject in an IRS examination. The
Yakarna N ation also received a simi
lar request almost six m onths ago.
N C A I is now preparing its own
consultation request with the IRS on
behalf o f its 250 m em ber tribes.
A rnett has helped draft a state
m ent which will be presented to the
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
on June 14.
For m ore than half a century, the
statem ent says, “W arm Springs has
made very m odest payments to its
membership... l viyslation established
in 1983 prohibits federal and state
taxation o f trust fund distribution.
“M o reo v er, the co u rts m ade
clear that the U.S. cannot benefit
from the trust under its fiduciary
adm inistration. Five years later,
Congress passed the Indian G am
ing Regulatory Act. B oth the House
and the Senate reports per capita
payments are n o t taxable.”
W arm Springs has rejected the
request for inform ation by the IRS
and will continue to fight any change.
A rn e tt also in fo rm e d T rib al
Council earlier this w eek o f a plan
by Gov. K itzhaber to make all trib-
ally owned casinos smoke-free by
the end o f 2013.
T he g o v ern o r is p ro p o sin g a
“glide in” period, during which tribal
casinos will have the opportunity to
comply with the Clean A ir A ct o f
2007. V ice-C hair R on S up p ah
urged the governor to use restraint
w hen seeking to infringe on tribal
sovereignty, and invited K itzhaber
to visit W arm Springs.
“T he main issue is intrusion on
the rez w ith state law,” JP Patt said.
“It has to be our decision, n o t the
state’s.”
Banquet fo r
2012 graduates
T he 2012 G raduation B anquet
is set for Tuesday evening, June 19
at the Agency Longhouse.
T he dinner is for students, their
p a ren ts and family, recognizing
2012 graduates.
This includes high school and
G ED , college, graduate school, vo
cation or technical school.
To RSVP bring your diploma or
certificate to Becky Picard at the
Tribal Council office. D eadline is
June 15, in order to get an idea o f
the num ber o f people w ho will be
attending. Congratulations, gradu
ates!