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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 10, 2014)
Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon December 10, 2014 Page 7 2014 ~ A Year in Review (Here is a look back at some of the memorable news events that hap- pened on the reservation over the past year.) January The new year started with some good news for the Confederated Tribes, as the Federal Aviation Ad- ministration approved the Warm Springs Reservation as a test site for unmanned aerial vehicles. This could be an important eco- nomic development opportunity for the tribes, as the UAV industry in the U.S. is expanding at a rapid pace. UAV businesses will likely want to locate facilities close to the test- ing areas, according to Warm Springs Ventures, the tribal enterprise work- ing on this project. Meanwhile in January: Harold Baugus was feeling good about the 2014 prospects for In- dian Head Casino. Baugus, who came on board re- cently as casino general manager, said his goal is for the casino to be- come a top entertainment center in Central Oregon. “We’re centrally located, and this is still a new casino,” he said. “The sky is the limit.” The casino installed 40 new ma- chines. The Cottonwood Restaurant on weekends is hosting live music entertainment. And this summer there will be outdoor concerts with room for up to 1,500 people. A new marketing campaign is gearing up, with new billboards and print advertising. The casino will start advertising in Spanish language television and radio stations. Else- where: The Museum at War m Springs will be focusing on youth in 2014, as the Warm Springs k-8 Academy will be opening in the fall. The main exhibit of the year will be Celebrating Native American Youth, said Natalie Moody, museum curator. Work is nearly complete on a $1.5 million repair project at Kah-Nee- Ta Resort. Last summer, a fire started in the kitchen area. The flames caused some damage, but water from the emergency sprinklers also was a problem. In the lodge the floor had to be replaced, as it was damaged by the water. Insurance is covering the cost of the repairs, said Carlos Smith, Kah- Nee-Ta general manager. The re- sort is open, as the repair work is nearing completion. In the mean- time: Tribal Council has been review- ing the possibility of the tribes en- tering the carbon sequestration market. The hope is that this could provide a new source of revenue— possibly a very good source—to the tribes. Carbon sequestration is the pro- cess of capturing and storing atmo- spheric carbon dioxide, a green- house gas. Certain forestry practices can be a method of capturing and storing carbon dioxide, and the res- ervation includes extensive forest land. The Natural Resources Branch and legal staff have been studying the carbon sequestration market. “I think this could be a very good project for the tribes,” said Bobby Brunoe, general manager of the Natural Resources Branch. February The Warm Springs Academy construction crews worked through a stormy February. Painters were at work inside the classrooms, and the teachers were preparing for the open house in March. Construction is scheduled for completion in August, in time for the start of the 2014-15 school year. More than 700 students will be attending the academy in the fall. Meanwhile, the students decided on the mascot for the academy. They chose the eagle image as drawn by Taylor Arthur, who was an eighth- grader at the time. Also in Febru- ary: Many departments were shut down in early February, as a major winter weather event passed over the region. There were several minor mo- tor vehicle accidents, but no seri- ous injuries. In sporting news: Abby Scott achieved a rare feat, tying the all-time NCAA Division I Women’s basketball record for most 3-pointers in a game. Abby is a sophomore at New Mexico State. Shoni Schimmel was having another great year at Louisville. This is Shoni’s final year with the Cardi- nals, and will be entering the WNBA draft in 2014. In other February 2014 news: Tribal Council spent several days with the directors and manag- ers of the tribal enterprises. The general fund budget, with the need for continued cuts this year, is the issue. Elsewhere: The Museum at Warm Springs opened the Twenty-First Tribal Youth Art Show, this year called Young at Art. March Elder of the Year The Simnasho community hosted the Thirty-Seventh Annual Lincoln’s Birthday Powwow in March. The powwow is usually held in February, but this year was an ex- ception due to the weather. Also in March: The Madras Cinema 5 made a special showing of Awakening , a film by tribal member LaRonn Katchia. This was a special event at the cinema, with a showing of Awakening plus five recent music videos by Katchia. And this: Culture and Heritage an- nounced a new program, Rites of Passage: A Young Boy’s Journey to Manhood. The program features lessons on Nami Tamanwit—un- written and traditional laws; the tribal Constitution and By-Laws; the Treaty of 1855; making tribal laws; net-making and catching fish. In other March news: War m Springs Ventures an- nounced the tribes will host the As- sociation of Unmanned Vehicle Sys- tems International conference in 2014. The association is the largest or- ganization devoted exclusively to ad- vancing the use of unmanned sys- tems, with membership over 7,500 individuals. The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and the AUVSI Cas- cade Chapter are planning a fall fo- rum at Kah-Nee-Ta. The smelt season this year for the Sandy and Cowlitz rivers, and other Columbia River tributaries, runs through the end of March. The tribal catch limit is 7,500 pounds, or about 107,100 fish. The smelt of Oregon, Washington and California are listed under the fed- eral Threatened and Endangered Species Act. April A proposed increase in coal and oil transportation by rail and barge through the Gorge is a growing con- cern among tribal officials. Natu- ral Resources Branch General Man- ager Bobby Brunoe updated Tribal Council on these matters in April. A coal export facility proposed for the Port or Morrow at Boardman is another item of con- cern, Brunoe said. Impacts on cul- Spilyay file photo. Edna Gonzalez and her mother Viola, 2014 Senior of the Year. The Warm Springs Senior Program hosted the annual Honor Seniors Day in May. Viola Kalama was honored as Senior of the Year for 2014. Viola was born in early July of 1921, at the area that is now Elmer Quinn Park. The area once was used for Fourth of July celebrations. Viola’s mother was Ida Palmer, and her father was Custer Wallulatum. Growing up Viola lived on the reserva- tion and at the Columbia River, where she learned from her grandmother Susan Palmer, In- dian name Youdel. From her grandmother Viola learned the Wasco lan- guage, and traditional basketry skills. Growing up at the Colum- bia she helped with the fishing, tural resources, water quality and the Columbia fishery are the main concerns, he said. A cultural site within an area of immediate impact dates back to 1300 B.C., said Tribal Councilman Kahseuss Jackson. The Warm Springs Telecom has seen great progress since beginning operation in early 2012. The Telecom is now serving about 80 percent of the residential market on the reservation. The enterprise also has several hundred non-residential customers. These include Indian Head Casino, which was the Telecom’s first cus- tomer; tribal administration and most other departments; Power and Water, Natural Resources, and some telecommunication aspects of the clinic. The Telecom this month is es- tablishing a new tower that will greatly enhance the broadband ser- vice at Kah-Nee-Ta. New towers are serving Simnasho, the Schoolie and Sidwalter Flat areas, and Seekseequa. In other news: Veterans and their family and friends met at the HeHe Longhouse for the Annual Veterans and Fam- ily Healing Circle. Larson Kalama and family have organized this event for the several years now. Many kinds of healing practices—sweat lodge, talking circle, washing and healing touch, music and poetry among them—are used at the gathering. May Spilyay file photo. Early in 2014, construction was under way on the new Warm Springs Eagle Academy gymnasium. The Confederated Tribes this month hosted the first unmanned aerial vehicle fly-overs on the res- ervation. and dried and canned the salmon. Later as a young woman, Viola attended technical college in Corvallis, at what is now Oregon State University. She has spent most of her adult life on the reservation, where she was a rancher. Viola is the third eldest tribal member. She has 13 grand chil- dren, 25 great grandchildren, and four great-great grandchil- dren. Her Indian name A- tumani. Viola served six terms on the Culture and Heritage Com- mittee, and was active in the Language program with atwai Gladys Thompson and Madeline McInturff. She is an Agency Longhouse elder, and keeps active by gathering roots and other traditional foods, and beading. Staff from Oregon State Univer- sity and the company Virtual Data Operations Support (VDOS) oper- ated the UAV flight, coordinated by Warm Springs Ventures. OSU is interested in studying the effects of wildland fires. During the fly-over, the UAV flew above the area of the reservation that burned last summer, making a video re- cording. In other May news: The Jefferson County School District 509-J received a $1.64 mil- lion grant for Warm Springs El- ementary. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Education School Improvement Grant pro- gram. This federal funding is designed to help improve student achieve- ment. The funds will be distributed over a three-year period. In other education news: The Warm Springs community hosted a surprise assembly for War m Springs Elementar y School Principal Dawn Smith, who will be retiring from the elemen- tary school at the end of the year. Smith is going to direct the Roots alternative education program in Warm Springs. And this: Ventures announced a renewed interest in the motorsports project. This project was the subject of two referendums, both of which failed for lack of voter participation. Else- where: The Natural Resources Branch is preparing a major stream im- provement project, at Potter’s Pond on Mill Creek. This is a large-scale improve- ment project that will improve fish habitat along a stretch of the creek that was damaged over the past sev- eral decades. (To conclude in the Dec. 24 Spilyay)
