P.O. Box 870
orings, OR 97761
5O C \E^
ECRWSS
Postal Patron
por - vl ^ d .
Coyote News, est. 1976
February 5, 2014
Vol. 3^, i\o . 3
January - Wiyak’ik’ila - Winter - Anm
Council, enterprises meet early this year
Tribal Council spent m ost o f
last week meeting with the direc
tors and managers o f the tribal
enterprises.
The general fund budget, with
the need for continued cuts this
year, is the issue.
“We’ve called in the enter
prises, because the membership
relies on them ,” said Council
Chairman Austin G reene Jr.
Many tribal members are in
hardship because o f the finan
cial situation. “It’s difficult to see t
what the membership is going
through, and we want to get back
to where we once were,” Chair
man Greene said.
Council is asking for monthly
updates from the enterprises, which
in the past provided m ost o f the
general fund revenue. Many o f the
en terp rises have fallen on hard
times, fa u ltin g in general-fund em
ployee layoffs, and furlough days
during m ost o f last year.
Power and Water
W arm Springs Power and Water
Enterprises saw a better financial
year in 2013 than had earlier been
expected, Jim Manion, Power and
Water general manager, reported to
Council last week.
The energy market was up com
pared to the previous year, Manion
said. This was the result o f an in
crease in competing energy prices,
and a improving economy, which in
creases energy consum ption, he
said.
T he C onfederated Tribes cur
rently own a one-third interest in the
Pelton-Round Butte hydroelectric
dams.
T he tribes and Portland General
E lectric becam e p artn ers in the
ow nership and o peration o f the
dams in 2001, w hen the parties en
tered a settlement agreement.
T hey jointly h old the Federal
E nergy R egulatory License, ap
proved in 2005. This is the only
such arrangement— involving a tribe
and a utility——in the U.S. The tribes
also own and operate the re-regu
lating dam, downstream from the
Pelton-Round Butte facilities.
Through the re-license, the
tribes and P G E have made sub
stantial im provem ents at the
dams in order to improve fish
passage. O ver $100 million has
gone into this effort, including
m ost noticeably the fish collec
tion tow er behind the Round
Butte dam.
Through its agreement with
P G E , the Confederated Tribes
have the option to purchase a
larger interest in the hydro dams.
The tribes could eventually be
com e m ajority ow ners, w ith
50.01 percent, in 2041.
See POWER & WATER on 2
New signs
for casino
New signs at Indian 1 lead—
for the casino and the restau
rant— w ent up in January.
An average o f 6,000 vehicles
per day travel on Highway 26.
‘W e w ant to get more o f that
traffic to stop by,” said Harold
Baugus, casino general manager.
Baugus, chief finance officer
Sean Sadeghi, and the casino
board members m et with Tribal
Council last week. Council reap
p o in te d P riscilla F ra n k and
D eepak Sehgal to th e casino
board.
Dave McMechan/Spilyay
WSFPI mill off to a good start in 2014
T he W arm Springs F o rest
Products Industries mill began its
2014 operation, w ith the full
crew o f workers, on January 6.
This was an earlier start, by sev
eral weeks, than in other recent
years.
W SFPI, N atural Resources
and Tribal Council worked out a
plan last year providing for an
in v en to ry o f w o o d th a t was
stored at the mill during the tem
porary winter lay-off.
The inventory allowed the mill
to open early, with positive sales
and cash flow results, n o t to
m ention the benefit to the mill
employees, said Chuck Currier,
acting W SFPI general manager,
and Composite Products chief fi
nance officer.
In another positive develop
ment: The mill is relying on timber
from the reservation, as well logs
h arv ested o ff th e reserv atio n ,
Currier said.
The off-reservation logs are o f
good quality meeting the high-stan
dard criteria o f the Japanese m ar
ket, he said.
“E xport prices are up, and we
should have a solid first half o f
the year,” Currier said.
T h e mill begins 2014 u n d er
tribal management, with VimPort
International handling the overseas
marketing. VanPort had been man
aging in recent years. Tribal Coun
The Museum at Warm Springs is
hosting the Twenty-First Tribal
Youth Art Show, this year called
Young at Art. The show runs
through March.
The youth art show features
individual art works, and those
created as class room projects.
At left is a block art project by a
Madras High School class. At
right, ceiling tile art by students
at the high school. (More on
page 2.)
4
I
it
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0
cil had not been happy with the
VanPort arrangement, and re-ne
g o tia te d its a g re e m e n t w ith
VanPort last year.
There seems to be m ore o f a
team atm osphere at the mill un
der the tribal management, Cur
rier said.“ There’s a better relation
ship between the mill and Natural
Resources, for instance,” he said.
Currier and Composite P rod
ucts chief executive officer Duane
D arnell were asked last year to
serve as interim m anagem ent at
WSFPI.
; Councilman Carlos Smith asked
what percentage o f the logging op
erations on the reservation are
done by tribal operators.
Claude Smith, WSFPI timber
manager, and Currier estimated
that 83 percent o f the logging is
done by tribal operations, and 17
percent by non-tribal operators.
In o th er W SFPI business,
Tribal Council approved Reso
lution no. 11,842, providing a
Business Investm ent Revolving
Fund loan o f $500,000 (see page
Composite Products
P arn ell and Currier also up
dated Council on the status o f
Warm Springs Composite Prod
ucts.
See COMPOSITE on 6
U.S. Postage
PRSRTSTD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
50 cents
Powwow
at Simasho
T he T hirty-S eventh L incoln’s
B irthday Powwow is this Friday
through Sunday, Feb. 7-9, at the
Simnasho Longhouse.
Friday at 5:30 sharp is for new
and re-joiners; G rand E ntry is at
7:30.
The Saturday G rand E ntry is at
1 p.m. There will be a supper break,
no evening grand entry. Sunday
G rand E ntry is at 1:30 p.m.
Specials: O ne man hand drum
contest. For inform ation contact
Kyle Q uêahpama at 541-553-6908,
Women’s All A round, sponsored
by the G reene Family. For inform a
tion contact Austin G reene at 541 -
553-1953.
Men’s Traditional special. C on
tact Mary Sando-Em hoolah at 553-
1910 (after 6 p.m.)
O utgoing Girls Jingle (11-13)
Special. Contact Lisa Lhomas.
Pow wow questions: 541-553-
9230 after 6 p.m. Vendors, contact
Sandra G reene-S am son at 553-
6619.
The PowWow G o ’er Package at
K ah-Nee-Ta includes lodging and
breakfast for two for just $79 per
night. Call 1-800-554-4SUN.
Processing
facility
progress
A W arm Springs team m et with
potential funding sources last week
regarding a traditional foods p ro
cessing facility, to be located on the
reservation.
The facility would provide pro
cessing for traditional roots, berries,
game and salmon. A feasibility study,
funded through a $60,000 grant,
summarizes the facility as follows:
“The project aims to m eet com
munity needs, ensure the continua
tion o f traditional food systems, and
prom ote healthy local foods on the
reservation, while providing a foun
dation for job creation and eco
nomic growth through the develop
m ent o f value-added comm ercial
food products.”
Several organizations are inter
ested in providing funding for this
project, said Bruce Jim, o f the Fish
and Wildlife Comm ittee. Jim up
dated Tribal Council on the project
last week, before the funding infor
m ation meeting last Wednesday.
Some o f the funding groups who
are interested in the project are:
T he U.S. E conom ic D evelop
m ent A ssociation, E coT rust, the
Affiliated Tribes o f N orthw est In
dians, the Mid Columbia Econom ic
D e v e lo p m e n t D is tric t, O n e
PacificCoast Bank, the Meyer M e
m orial T ru st, B usiness O reg o n ,
USDA Rural Development, and the
First N ations D evelopm ent Insti
tute.
See PROCESSING FACILITY on I