Spilygy Tymoo, Wgrm Springs, Oregon
November 28, 2012
Page 7
2012 Year in Review.
(T his is p a r t one o f the
2012 Year in Reviens, a look
hack at some o f the notable
events on the reservation over
the pa st year.)
January
W elcom ing the membership
to its dedication and open
house, the Warm Springs
Telecom made clear its mis
sion on the reservation: State
o f the art telecom m unica
tions, helping economic devel
opment, and improving edu
cation, health care and public
safety. T h e W arm Springs
Telecom held its grand open
ing in January 2012.
T he T elecom is m aking
available high-speed Internet
and telephone service to tribal
households and businesses.
Also in January:
Chloee Lynn Suppah was
crowned 2012 Miss Warm
Springs during the January
pageant. Chloee is a student,
and the daughter o f Erland
S uppah and Sally W hiz o f
Warm Springs. Also in Janu
ary:
V oters in th e Je fferso n
County School D istrict 509-
J will vote this spring on a
proposed $26.6 million bond
measure, the school district
b oard decided this m onth.
The school district board of
directors agreed to p u t the
b o n d proposal— w hich in
cludes funding for a new k-
8 school on the reserva
tion— on th e May ballot.
Elsewhere:
A deeply divided debate
ended ten years o f research,
planning and negotiations for
an envisioned major national
precedent for renewable en
ergy development in Indian
Country. The tribes’ten mem
ber Council appeared to be
evenly split over the merits
o f th e biomass p ro je c t,
which was a week away from
formal closing o f the essen
tial b u sin e ss tra n sa c tio n .
Council in January decided
n o t to fu rth e r p u rsu e the
project.
Spilyay photo.
2012 Miss Warm Springs Chloee Lynn Suppah
cades K ah-N ee-Ta R esort’s
recipe for fry bread has been
unchanged. T hat is until this
m onth, when resort general
manager Carlos Smith heard
Dedication day o f the new th at the Fry Bread World
Indian Head Casino was a Champion is a Warm Springs
m om entous occasion in early tribal mem ber. T he reso rt
February.
now serves fry bread p re
The grand opening saw a pared with the recipe supplied
tremendous public response. by Ja sm in e C aldera,' w ho
The casino was packed dur earned the title Queen o f Fry
ing the evening o f the dedi B read during a recen t n a
cation. Parking lots at the ca tional competition. In Febru
sino and museum were full, ary sporting news:
with cars eventually diverted’
Ffe ¡was o n e Tor the ages iii1'
to the parking lots at admin side the Buffalo dome, as the
istration, the community cen hom e tow n M adras W hite
ter an d lo n g h o u se, w here B uffalo varsity boys bas
shuttles were on hand to bring ketball team was preparing
the visitors to the casino. (
to take on their Cross-moun
H u n d re d s o f p e o p le tain rivals, the LaSalle Fal
waited as the dedication rib cons: The two teams came
bon was cui and the doors into the game tied for first
opened. Then, by 6 p.m. when place in the Tri Valley League
Indian H ead opened to the standings, but only one would
general p ublic, th e casino leave w ith n o less th a n a
floor was standing room only clinched share o f the league
Also in February:
tide. In a class game Madras
For the past several d e held on to win 67-63.
February
Grand Openings
March
F ish e rie s w o rk e rs are
looking forward to this sum
m er and fall, w hen a good
n u m b e r o f a d u lt salmon
and steelhead are expected
to return for spawning in the
upper D eschutes, C rooked
an d M etolius rivers. T h is
would be the first time in sev
eral decades that migrating
fish go past, and spawn above
the Pelton and Round Butte
dams. The tribes and the state
o f O re g o n have m an ag e
m en t responsibility o f the
fish, and the two entities re
cently worked out a plan for
the upcoming fish runs. Else
where:
Portland General Electric
is proposing a 215-mile elec
tric transm ission line
project, called the Cascade
C ro ssin g
T ra n sm issio n
Project. A potential route o f
the fine includes the Warm
Springs R eservation. T his
route would run parallel to an
existing Bonneville Power Ad
ministration power line cor
ridor through Sidwalter. As
with other existing lines on the
reservation, the tribes would
be compensated for provid
ing the easement to PG E. In
other March news:
Tribal Council heard the
first gaming report since the
o p en in g o f Indian Head
Casino on Highway 26. Rev
enue from the enterprise was
reported as on target, and the
first weeks o f operation have
been successful. A nd else
where:
W arm Springs tribal el
law mandating their devel
opm ent passed in 1988. Con
struction o f the first site be
gan in 1995. In other April
news:
The Columbia River Inter-
Tribal Fish Commission and
its m em ber tribes m arked
their Thirty-Fifth Anniver
sary o f service. CRITFC and
its m em ber tribes— W arm
Springs, Yakama, U m atilla
and N ez Perce— are key ad
v o cates o f treaty -reserv ed
rights to salmon.
May
The Confederated Tribes
conducted a referendum in
May, w h ile th e J e ffe rs o n
County School District 509-
J p u t a ballot measure p ro
posal to a vote o f the district.
The referendum and bal
lo t m easu re b o th asked
whether the tribes and school
district should develop a k-8
school on the reservation.
T he school district p ro
posal passed, providing half
the funding needed for the
school. The tribal referendum
did not pass, as not enough
eligible voters cast their bal
lots.
T h e re fe re n d u m asked
w h eth er the tribes should
share half the cost o f the $20
million proposed new school.
A fte r th e re fe re n d u m
failed, Tribal Council deter
mined that the tribes should
vote again soon on the m at
ter. D uring the May referen
dum, it was n o t yet known
w hether the school district
ballot measure had passed.
With the district funding in
place, tribal m embers may be
m ore likely to participate in
the referendum , tribal offi
cials agreed. Council set July
for the next referendum. In
other May news:
A stretch o f Mill Creek
will see major im provem ent
for fish habitat through a plan
being developed by the N atu
ral Resources Branch. The
scale o f the project is similar
to that o f the Shitike Creek
project o f 2009. Fish H abi
tat Program M anager Scott
Turo this m onth presented in
formation on the Mill Creek
project to tribal members.
Fishing Site
der Bernice T. Mitchell
passed away. Bernice began
serving on Tribal Council in
1955, w h e n she re p laced
James Palmer. She then went
oh to serve eight m ore terms
spanning 25 years.
V
April
.
7
The Columbia River treaty
tribes gathered to dedicate the
Dallesport Treaty Fishing
Access Site. T h is is th e
thirty-first, and last, o f the
sites to be constructed by the
Corps o f Engineers under the
treaty fishing access site pro
gram.
' The access sites are to miti
gate the loss o f fishing caused
by construction o f dams on
the lower Columbia, starting
with the Bonneville dam in
1.937.
Completing the construc
tion o f all the sites has taken
several years, as the federal
Drummers of the Columbia River treaty tribes conclude
the April 2012 dedication ceremony at the Dallesport
Treaty Fishing Access Site.
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Grand opening of the Warm Springs Telecom, late
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Grand opening of the new Indian Head Casino on
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