Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
February 4, 2015
Education priority to advance employment, culture
The second priority of the
Tribal Council Proclamation
26—following the first prior-
ity of a balanced tribal bud-
get—is education: “To im-
prove tribal academic perfor-
mance and cultural preserva-
tion.”
With this priority, Council
will develop, review, and ap-
prove a plan to restructure
and build the Tribe’s higher
education program, with six
goals in mind.
The first goal is to increase
and expand tribal higher edu-
cation scholarships. The fi-
nance director and treasury
controller are tasked with de-
veloping a plan to build and
expand education revenue.
The human resources di-
rector, higher education sec-
retary and Education Com-
mittee are given a number of
projects:
Continue the tribal schol-
arship requirement that all
college-bound students apply
for FAFSA, Free Application
for Federal Student Aid.
Build on the existing schol-
arship listing for college-
bound students, and work
with other tribal Education
programs.
Host fund-raising activities
for the tribal scholarship pro-
gram.
Work with Natural Re-
sources on the idea of add-
ing $1 for fishing permits,
with the funds going toward
the tribal scholarship pro-
gram.
Finally, under this first
goal, The Place for Kids di-
rector is to work with the
Education Committee on
seeking donations from cor-
porations.
Employment, youth
The second education goal
is to improve and expand
vocational training and
workforce development pro-
grams. Vocational Rehabilita-
tion director and staff are
given this task.
Agreement
(Continued from page 1)
Everyone wants the stu-
dents to be ready to move
on with life, whether to
higher education or to a
job, said Councilman
Danzuka. The tribes and
school district are not
adversarial, he said, “but
there has been a lack of
progress. I think both sides
dropped the ball.”
For the February meet-
ing, the Tribal Council
members said they would
The third goal: Develop
and fund internships, appren-
ticeships, youth employment,
and career development op-
portunities. The employment
services manager, Voc Rehab,
the Workforce Investment
Act coordinator, and Appren-
ticeship Committee are in
charge of this objective.
In the summer of 2014,
the Native Aspirations pro-
gram provided work oppor-
tunities for many young
people on the reservation.
There may be a chance to
continue this program again
in 2015, said Caroline Cruz,
tribal health liaison.
The fourth goal of the
Education priority: Develop
plan to improve preparation,
performance, and achieve-
ment of K-12 students at-
tending Jefferson County
public schools, including mea-
suring and monitoring aca-
demic performance.
Tribal Council began work
in January on this objective
Charter school
The final goal of the Edu-
cation priority is to explore
the feasibility, and develop a
strategy for a tribal charter
school on the reservation.
The Education Committee,
Johnson O’Malley Commit-
tee and Education liaison are
to work with the school dis-
trict on this goal.
(The third priority of Proc-
lamation 26 is to hold enter-
prises accountable. More on
this priority in the Feb. 25
Spilyay.)
Sign up for Language Bowl
like to see information on
the Impact Aid funding.
“We appreciate the
school board being here,”
Councilman Scott Moses
said. “There was a time
when this didn’t happen. I
appreciate everyone sitting
down and talking about
what we need to accom-
plish, because we all want
the same thing.”
The common goal, he
said, is the best education
for the next generation.
The Warm Springs Culture
and Heritage Department is
recruiting sixth-, seventh-, and
eighth-grade students to par-
ticipate in the 2015 Language
Bowl in Pendleton.
Students who wish to par-
ticipate are encouraged to
Do you know about the
Individual Asset Develop-
ment Program, or IDA, pro-
Sandra Rambler photo
Dennis White III at Chich’il Bildagoteel blessing.
upon you and all nations—
all tribes, Natives and indig-
enous peoples—to a spiritual
gathering where we will com-
mence our fight to take back
Oak Flat,” said Terry Ram-
bler, Tribal Chairman for the
San Carlos Apache Tribe.”
“As you may know, Con-
gress recently passed the
Southeast Land Exchange and
Conservation Act as part of
the national defense budget
that facilitates the take away
of Oak Flat, a most holy and
spiritual area known to us as
Chich’il Bildagoteel to Resolu-
tion Copper, a foreign min-
ing conglomerate.
“We have a dream that one
day our children and their
children to follow will freely
practice the religious ceremo-
sign up for language classes
before and or after school at
the War m Springs Eagle
Academy.
For more information
please contact Deanie Smith
at the Culture and Heritage
Department, 541-553-3290.
Save money through IDA program
Show of support for Apache cause
Last fall, Dennis White III,
Chief of Police and member
of the Confederated Tribes
of Warm Spring, participated
in a traditional Apache bless-
ing ceremony at Chich’il
Bildagoteel (Oak Flat).
This sacred site is 11 miles
from the San Carlos Apache
Reservation in Arizona, holy
land to Apaches and indig-
enous people since time im-
memorial. The site is threat-
ened by mining development.
Members of the San
Carlos Apache Tribe and its
tribal leaders have called for
all tribal nations to join them
for a spiritual gathering this
week at Chich’il Bildagoteel.
The spiritual journey and
march will be Feb. 5-8, start-
ing from the San Carlos
Apache tribal administration
building at 9:30 a.m. on
Thursday, Feb. 5 through Fri-
day, Feb. 6, along Route 6
leading onto Highway 70 to
Globe and then to Highway
60 ending at Oak Flat.
On Saturday, Feb. 7, a
Holy Ground Ceremony will
begin at 9 a.m. with an inter-
nationally known guest
speaker, Rev. John Mendez
from the Emmanuel Baptist
Church of Winston-Salem,
North Carolina.
On Sunday, Feb. 8, break-
fast will be provided prior to
the morning blessing.
All Churches, organiza-
tions, spiritual groups and
tribes are welcome and en-
couraged to participate
throughout the duration of
the spiritual gathering and
occupy Chil’Chil’Bagoteel.
Everyone is also encour-
aged to bring their camping
gear.
“On behalf of the San
Carlos Apache Tribe, I call
(stor y on page 1).
The fifth goal: Implement
a language and cultural cur-
riculum in the Jefferson
County public schools. The
Education Committee, Cul-
ture and Heritage, Johnson
O’Malley Committee, Educa-
tion liaison are to work with
the school district on devel-
oping this project.
nies that come from our Cre-
ator.
“Not only will the mine
destroy a sacred site, it will
destroy the environment and
pose a long-term economic
harm, while taking away wa-
ter the region needs, some
630,000 acre feet of water.
“Through the power of
prayer and our Holy Ground
Ceremony, we will realize our
dreams,” concluded Chairman
Rambler.
For more information,
contact Valerie Key 928-200-
5479 or Wendsler Nosie Sr.
928-200-5045; or Sandra
Rambler 928-951-6939. Or
at the website:
apache-stronghold.com
gram?
It is a way for individuals
to save money and have that
money matched for different
purposes.
You may want to build up
savings for a business, for
education or to buy a home.
To learn more call
Nettie or Chris at the Warm
Springs Community Action
Team, 541-553-3148.
Page 7
Tribes and COCC
cooperate on unmanned
aerial systems program
The Confederated
Tribes of Warm Springs
are developing an un-
manned aerial vehicle pro-
gram on the reservation.
This is a project of
Warm Springs Ventures.
The reservation is an FAA-
approved unmanned aerial
systems (UAS) test range,
providing opportunities for
economic development,
employment and educa-
tion.
Ventures is encouraging
young people to consider
the Central Oregon Com-
munity College UAV pro-
gram. Scholarships could
become available soon for
members to enroll in the
two-year program, called
the Unmanned Aerial Sys-
tems Degree Program.
The program prepares
students to become profes-
sionals in the world of re-
motely piloted aircraft.
While many programs
are engineering and design
based, COCC’s UAS pro-
gram focuses on operating
the vehicles.
Students will also learn
UAS mission planning and
execution, troubleshoot-
ing, maintenance and
equipment testing. This
gives the broadest spec-
trum of potential employ-
ment.
“The program will
teach professional, licensed
operation of UAS,” said
Karl Baldessari, aviation
program director.
“Our job is to prepare
students for employment.
Commercial applications
are extensive.”
An article in the Janu-
ary 2015 COCC newslet-
ter describes the program:
COCC is teaching the
UAS program as though
UAS operators are re-
quired to be a certified
pilot.
This fundamental
training allows students
exposure to the aviation
environment, communi-
cation, equipment and
commercial airspace—all
focusing on safety in the
skies.
Central Oregon’s di-
versity of terrain and el-
evation is well-suited for
training purposes...
Oregon is one of only
six locations to have al-
ready received FAA ap-
proval to create and op-
erate test sites.
COCC is working
closely with the site in
Warm Springs in develop-
ment of a capstone
course that will to allow
students to have actual ex-
perience with launch and
recovery of UAS.
Currently only three
industries are approved by
the FAA for commercial
use of UAS: the motion
picture industry, Realtors
in specific states, and pre-
cision agriculture.
Potential future em-
ployment includes: search
and rescue, wild land
firefighting, aerial photog-
raphy, research, monitor-
ing, surveying, farming,
damage assessment after
a storm and many other
applications.
“Although it’s too early
to tell, COCC is hopeful
the local community will
benefit from the avail-
ability of this unique
training and education,”
says Theresa Freihoefer,
department chair.
(COCC’s Linda Orcelletto
helped with this article.)