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P.O. Box 870
arm Springs, OR 97761
ECRWSS
Postal Patron
U.S. Postage
PRSRTSTD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
Coyote News, est. 1976
M a rc h - Wiyalppt - Winter- Anm
5 0 c e n ts
Resort renewing relationship with Japan
Project
planners
to visit
A
group o f 14 travel represen
tatives from Japan visited Kah-Nee-
Ta recently, and came away with a
great impression o f the resort and
the region.
T hey golfed at the resort, at
tended a salmon bake, and saw a
perform ance by Wasco D ancers.
They visited the museum and ca
sino and other attractions around the
region.
f I t was an amazing experience for
them,” said Carlos Smith, resort gen
eral manager. “Many in the group
had never been to O regon before.
It was a huge success.”
A n im portant result from the
visit is the potential for future busi
ness from Japan. For instance, the
Japanese representatives who visited
recently work with schools in Japan
in planning overseas trips for their
students.
As a result o f their recent visit,
two groups o f Japanese high school
students will be staying at Kah-Nee-
Ta in May. This will bring close to
200 students, w ith teachers and
travel chaperons, from O saka to
Kah-Nee-Ta for two nights.
Kah-Nee-Ta worked with Travel,
O regon in bringing the travel rep
resentatives to the resort. G reg
Eckhart o f Travel O regon said the
recent visit was part o f a renewal
o f interest by Japanese visitors in
Central Oregon.
Several years ago the region was
a very popular destination for Japa
n e s e to u ris ts , in p a r t b e c a u se o f a
K ristine M cConnell/C entral Oregon V isitors A ssoc.
Fourteen Japanese travel representatives visit Kah-Nee-Ta.
television show, From Oregon With
Love, which ran in the 1980s and
1990s. The show was set in Central
Oregon, and was popular with Japa
nese viewers.
to grow the Japanese tourism busi-
n ess in C e n tra l O re g o n , said
Eckhart. In other recent news from
Kah-Nee-Ta:To further build the
relationship with Japan, a group o f
trip to the Asian country later
this year, said Carlos Smith. This
will help bring m ore attention to
Kah-Nee-Ta, he said. And this:
Sunset magazine is sending a
travel writer to Kah-Nee-Ta in
May. This will be a great chance
to showcase the resort to a large
audience, Smith said.
The Sunset magazine project
is also being done through Kah-
Nee-Ta’s partnership with Travel
Oregon, said Carlos Smith. A nd
this:
K G W N ew s C h annel 8 is
looking to p ut a w eather cam at
Kah-Nee-Ta. The weather cam
site would then link to the resort
website.
R em odeling w ork is under
way at the resort, in anticipation
o f bringing Class II gaming to
the Kah-Nee-Ta. The new gam
ing area, in the old Indian Head
space, could be in operation by
early May. - ' 9 M
T h ere is a, g o o d potential again ,. tribal dancers are h o p in g to m ake a
— D ave M cM echan
Employee
o f the Year
Aubrey Boynton is a waitress
at the Cottonw ood Restaurant
at Indian H ead Casino. She’s
worked there since the restau
rant opened last year.
“I love my co-workers, m y
bosses and especially our cus
tomers,” Aubrey said last week.
She was named the Indian
Head Casino Employee o f the
Year for 2012. “She has a posi
tive and friendly, upbeat attitude,
and she’s dependable,” said
Mary Kay Williams, restaurant
supervisor.
Mary Kay, Aubrey and
casino general manager Ken
Many Wounds.
Dave McMechan/Spilyay
Recreation, IHS hosting Youth Health Fair during break
The week o f March 25-29 will
be spring break week for students
of, the 509-J district.
O n Tuesday o f that week, March
26, Warm Springs Recreation and
IHS will host the Spring Break Youth
Health Fair. There will be games,
fun, door prizes, bike rodeo, and
Roc your Moes Dance Contest.
Motorsports update
The Youth H ealth Fair will be at
the Com m unity Wellness Center.
T he event is free to com m unity
youth. There will be a running clinic
at 10 a.m.; Salmon Fun Run at 11;
lunch at 11:45 (provided); and 1-4
p.m., games and activities including:
Showcase Your Graffiti for the
salmon design contest -with prizes.
Come m eet the Warm Springs Po
lice D e p a rtm e n t k 9 o ffic e rs ,
M cG ruff, Smokey the B ear and
Sparky.
V isit w ith the W arm Springs
Higher Education staff and make
sure you are ready for college.
For m ore inform ation call 541 -
553-1196: Carolyn ext. 4400, Phyllis
ext. 4193, Jo ie ext. 4196; or
Carol at Recreation, 541-553-
3243.
T h e S p rin g B reak Y outh
H ealth Fair is sp o n sored w ith
a g ra n t fro m th e C om m unity
H e a lth In s u ra n c e P ro g ra m
R e a iith o riz a tio n
A ct
(C H IPR A ).
A W arm Springs m otorsports in
form ation day is planned for next
Wednesday, March 27. T hat evening
at 6 there will be a town hall-style
meeting at the Community Center
with members o f the team who are
working on this project.
From about noon until 5 p.m),
representatives will be in the pari#
ing lot o f the Community Center for
m eet-and-greet w ith com m unity
members. There will be a racing cat
on hand for people to check out, a£
well as a representative from thS
N a tio n a l H o t R od A sso ciatio n
(NHRA).
“We’re trying to get as much in
formation out to the community, and
as much feedback as possible,” said
J e ff A nspach, o f W arm Springs
Ventures.
The group working with the tribes
on the m o to rsp o rts p ro p o sal is
L ion’s H ead. B ruce B runette Is
president o f the group.
Lionhead, Ventures and Tribal
Council members have conducted
several public meetings at each o f
the longhouses, and are planning
home-based meetings as well.
“This is an effort to engage the
m em bership, so they are working
with the saffie ihformatiori that we
have, to m o re efficiently m ove
through the process,” Anspach said:
A referendum would be needed
to go ahead with the potential de
velopm ent o f the project.
The motorsports facility would be
a joint venture o f the tribes, through
a new enterprise, and Lionhead. A
proposed site has been identified on
Miller Flat. The tribes would likely
put up a tract o f land into a long
term lease. T he joint venture would
then raise the sufficient capital to
build the facility.
T he m otorsports park would be
located on land south o f Mill Creek.
Initially, a road course, drag strip arid
oval would be constructed over a
five year timeline. U pon complex
tion, the project could have a value
o f over $300 million.
P lan n ers say th e re se rv a tio n
makes an ideal location because it is
w ithin 400 miles o f a m ajor uni-
served m otorsports market, Also),
the tribes control zoning and can
develop a facility that is tailored to
the desires o f the target market. |
The tribes’ Motorsports Raceway
Committee has been gathering infor
m ation on behalf the tribes. O ne
benefit o f the project would be jobs,
The construction phase would cre-j
ate about 425 jobs. Another 200 jobs
would relate to the operation o f the
facility. A nd an additional 225 indi
rect jobs created to support the fa
cility would be perm anent in nature,
And there would be revenue through
the joint venture.
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iwww. indianheadgaming.com
Highway 26, Warm Springs
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