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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 26, 2012)
December 26, 2012 Spilyay T ym o o , W arm Springs, O regon Page 8 2012 Year in Review. (This is the conclusion o f the 2 0 1 2 Year in Preview, a look hack a t some o f the no table events on the Reservation over the p a s t year.) June <. . y W arm Springs Power and Water Enterprises in Ju n e released its 2011 annual report, and the news was not good. Power and W ater m an ag em en t and board members then met w ith T rib al C ouncil to review past perform ance, and to discuss 2013 projections. T he enterprise is forecasting that the coming year will be a very challenging: For 2013, Power and Water is projecting to have no dividend to co n trib u te to the tribal general fund. This is a major change from previous 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. By way o f explanation, Power and Water officials said that their revenue is influenced by what happens in the N o rth w est energy supply market, which is weak. Adding to the problem, the enterprise has large capital requirements due to resource restoration projects required in the federal license. Meanwhile, the month of June saw an eventful day for the future salmon and steelhead o f the upper Deschutes River. Six adult spring chinook salm on entered the river just above the P elton-R ound B utte project in early June, the first time adult migrating fish have been above the dams in 45 years. T he fish had been collected below the dams, and then taken by truck to a spot on Lake Billy Chinook just above Round Butte. Officials from the tribes, PG E and state agencies were on hand for the event. Over the past decade, the tribes and PGE have contributed over $100 million for a fish restoration p ro ject at P elton-R oun d Butte. Elsewhere: Warm Springs Telecom marked a milestone in June, signing up its one hundredth custom er, tribal elder Perthina White. A team of Telecom staff surprised the long-tim e reservation resident on June 20, arriving ; at her home to thank her for her business. The crew then installed iP e rth in a ’s b rand new ; telephone service. “This is i great,” said daughter Ina ¡A nderson, thanking the Telecom crew for the service. Ina explained that her mother had been without f a landline phone for about I one year. In other news: Tribal officials in June ’w ere em phasizing some ¡im p o rtan t facts, as the i membership gets ready for ! the July k-8 school : referendum. T he tribal i Senior Pension Fund and per | capita will not be affected by jth e school referendum , I officials were emphasizing. This will be the second referendum on the Warm Springs k-8 proposal, as the referendum earlier in the year failed for insufficient voter participation. In other June 2012 news: Tribal Council approved two locations on Miller Flat for a possible travel center along Highway 26. The travel center would be a new tribal enterprise. A number of other tribes operate profitable travel centers. 1 July F Tribal members in July passed the Warm Springs k-8 school referendum. The $20-million school is now set to 1 open for the fall term in 2014. The 20-acre construction site is now sagebrush and juniper; but in the near future, “We’ll look on this site and see a new school for our young people,” said Laurie Danzuka, chairwoman of the School District 509-J board. “Our kids deserve this,” she said. “It’s been a long-time .coming.” Danzuka spoke during the ground-breaking ceremony last week at the new Warm Springs school site, at East Tenino and Chukar Road. “I truly believe this will benefit our children,” said Councilwoman Lola Sohappy. “I can see so many opportunities coming from this for our children.” Middle school students will spend less time on the bus, she said, giving them more time to spend at school, at school sports and with family. Elementary school students will have a new school in a better location, she said. Lola and husband D on Sohappy gave the invocation at the ground breaking. “I also want to thank the voters,” said tribal secretary- treasurer Jody Calica, adding too that the school has been a long tim e coming. Elsewhere: The N’Chi Wanapum Canoe Family this m onth and into early August is on the 2012 Canoe Journey. The Journey is to Squaxim Island on the Olympic Peninsula, hom e of the tribal com m unity o f K am ilche. The Warm Springs canoe and family left on July 12, and return in early August. Also in July: The phase 2 settlement money is being put to good use in two ways: First, the settlement money is being used for im portant natural resources restoration work. And second, the phase 2 m oney is being used for significant em ploym ent among tribal members. The tribes received the phase 2 settlement in 2009. This was compensation from the federal government for past mismanagement of tribal natural resources. About $29 m illion o f the phase 2 settlement was dedicated to natural resource restoration work. A nother roughly $5 million was designated for baseline studies o f natural resources. There are now about 100 crew members working on restoration projects made possible through this program, Jayden Builder helps get the vote out during the school referendum. administered by the Branch of Natural Resources. The tribes and Portland G eneral Electric continue negotiations in regard to the Cascade Crossing Trans mission Project. A potential route o f the line includes the Warm Springs Reservation, on an existing Bonneville Power Administra tion power fine corridor. A cost appraisal for use of the corridor is scheduled for July, w hen the business negotiations begin, according to the timeline for the project. In other July news: T he tribal N atural Resources Branch is working on the second phase o f a three-phase resto ratio n project on the Middle Fork of the John Day River. The area being restored is the Oxbow Conservation Area, a 1,022-acre tribally-owned property near the reservation boundary. August Over 500 fire fighters and support crew personnel were deployed in A ugust in response to the Waterfalls 2 fire. The blaze burned across more than 6,000 acres on the reservation. The fire was located 3.5 miles northeast of the summit of Mt. Jefferson, about 22 miles w est o f W arm Springs. Windy conditions and rough terrain made Waterfalls 2 a problem for responders. In other news: The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Branch of Natural Resources released m ore Rocky Mountain goats recently at Mt. Jefferson on the reservation. The tribes worked on the release p ro jec t w ith the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.The tribes and Fish and Wildlife released 24 of the wild goats in late July. The 24 new releases joined the goats and offspring that w ere released on the mountain in 2010. Also in August: The Warm Springs canoe team com pleted the 2012 Journey, arriving at Squaxim Island on the O lym pic Peninsula, home of the tribal com m unity o f Kamilche. This is the third year that the N ’Chi W anapam Canoe Family has participated in the Tribal Journeys canoe gathering. Meanwhile: The Confederated Tribes and Jefferson County School D istrict 509-J are moving forw ard now w ith the financing aspects of the new Warm Springs school. For their part, the tribes will be seeking a loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of A griculture; said chief operations officer Urbana Ross. The guarantee would make it easier for the tribes to secure funding for the $20 million project. And this: The Museum at Warm Springs is a busier place these days. The extra visitors are due mainly to the nearby Indian H ead Casino and C o ttonw ood R estaurant. Since the casino and restaurant opened, as many as 20 more people each day are visiting the museum. September Many gathered in Septem ber at Tom, Dick and Harry, known today as Skibowl, to celebrate the retu rn to “Wiwnu Wash” or the huck leberry field. The ceremony began as riders on horseback traveled from the Warm Springs Reservation’s north ern boundary, camping each night until they reached Gov ernment Camp. The riders emerged from the tree line followed by walkers in tradi tional regalia to end the 35 mile journey to the Wiwnu Wash Cultural Center at Mt. Hood Ski Bowl. Elsewhere: John Halliday returned to work in Warm Springs in September. Some may re member that he worked here years ago, at jobs quite dif ferent from his new one. Halliday is now the Superin tendent for the BIA Warm Springs Agency. His first day back on the job in Warm Springs was last Thursday. A b o u t-30 tribal members were on hand for a welcom ing party at the administra tion building. He then met with Tribal Council for the first time. Also in September: Tribal Council posted the proposed 2013 tribal bud get on Sept. 21. The proposal includes a projected decrease of nearly $2.29 million from the 2012 tribal budget. Else where: T he W arm Springs Telecom is nearing the completion of project involv ing installation fiber optic cable. The cable will provide for much stronger Internet and voice service, said Telecom m anager Jose Matanane. And this: Road work began at the Hollywood intersection area. The project is expected to be finished in early November. The Hollywood-Tenino paving project has a budget o f close to $600,000, with funding through tribal shares o f the BIA infrastructure budget. Details o f the project are as follows: The section of road on East Tenino-Tenino from Elliot Heights to the ad ministration building-West Hills intersection will receive a 2-inch asphalt overlay. The 2-inch overlay will also be applied from.Kot-num road to the Hollywood-Tenino in tersection. Sidewalks and con crete curbs will be repaired or replaced in various sec tions of the project. In other news: Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha will be canon ized by Pope Benedict XVI in October. Members of the Blessed Kateri Catholic In dian M ission o f Warm Springs in September were preparing for a pilgrimage to the Vatican to witness the can onization. Those making the pilgrimage are Father Luis Flores-Alva and tribal mem bers Marcela Hall, Ursula Gibson, Colleen Reed, Nancy Seyler and Leslie Cochran- Davis. Blessed Kateri, whose fa ther was Mohawk and mother was Algonquin, will be the first Native American to be come a saint. She was born in 1656 and died at the age of 24 in 1680. The process of her sainthood began in 1884, followed by her ven eration in 1943 and two cer tified miracles in 1943 and 2006, October Wasco Chief Alfred Smith Sr. joined Tribal Council in October, following an election by the Wasco people. Chief Smith took the o ath o f office during a ceremony outside Council cham bers, w ith many supporters on hand for the histo ric occasion. C hief Sm ith is now the fo u rth Wasco Chief to serve his people since the formation o f the m odern tribal government in 1938. C hief Sm ith w on the recent election conducted among the Wasco people, although he was n o t a supporter o f the election process. The successor to atwai C hief N elson Wallulatum, who served for over 50 years, should have been chosen by tribal trad itio n , rath er th an by election, Chief Smith said. Still, the election process appeared to be the only way to bring about a consensus on the matter. The Wasco Chieftainship position on Council had been vacant for almost two and a half years, while at least five other people claimed a right as successor. In the end Chief Smith received the most votes in the election process, and Tribal Council acknowledged the result by resolution. In other October news: Warm Springs Composite Products gave a positive re p o rt to Tribal C ouncil earlier this week. The year so far has been good, thanks in large part to the overseas m arket th a t C om posite P ro d u cts has developed. There have been no layoffs in 2012 am ong the approximately 40 employees at Composite, said Duane D arnell, ch ief executive officer. He rep o rted th at Composite Products is now producing its own fire-proof door cores, along with the p ro tectiv e fire -p ro o f Tectonite. Meanwhile: Warm Springs hosted a farm ers m arket in early October at the campus park. The market included farm stand products. Community members were also selling arts and crafts. The hope is for the market to become a regular feature at the park. 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