Spilyay Tymoo
Coyote News, est. 1976
February 18, 2015
Vol. 40, No. 4
February – A’A’mi-Ushatch – Winter - Anm
Mill working on payment plan, downsizing
Would operate
with 85 employees
The mill board and management
presented a downsizing plan to
Tribal Council last week.
The plan—reducing the number
of employees from about 115 to
85—is a short-term solution, last-
ing two years.
The idea after two years is to
transform the mill into a more effi-
cient operation, designed for the tim-
ber resources of the reservation.
The mill operation would lose
about $320,000 this year, accord-
ing to the Warm Springs Forest
Products Industries estimate. The
year 2016 “would be a break-even
or better year,” said Doug Jacobson,
WSFPI controller.
After downsizing, the mill would
operate on a split shift, said John
Katchia Jr., WSFPI chief executive
officer. Working on a split shift
means that one crew works all as-
pects of the milling process, he said.
Another aspect of the
downsizing plan is to sell the white-
wood logs off the reservation. Mill-
ing these logs is too costly at the
WSFPI mill, Katchia said.
As another cost-saving measure,
the mill employees are transferring
to the tribal insurance program. The
tribes are a self-insuring organiza-
tion.
The payment plan
The allowable cut of reservation
timber would be above the sustain-
able level for a few years, but then
would average out to a sustainable
level over 10 years.
An important part of the
downsizing plan is coming up with
a payment plan for the 2014 tim-
ber stumpage payments. The mill is
a year behind on these payments,
according to the Council discussion
last week.
BIA Warm Springs Agency Su-
perintendent John Halliday said fed-
eral law requires the agency to
take account of this situation.
Federal regulations say the
natural resources of the tribe
must be sold at no less than fair
market value, Halliday said.
The BIA, he said, cannot sign
off any future timber sales un-
til the Tribal Council is satisfied
that the payments from WSFPI
will be made.
Otherwise, the BIA is not
carrying out the trust responsi-
bility, Halliday said. A monthly
payment plan would be a good
idea, said Ken Borchert, from
the BIA Regional office.
See WSFPI on page 5
A Day
at the Rink
The Recreation Department
hosted an ice-skating trip
to Sun River in February.
A total of 31 kids and
adults enjoyed the day.
“We really had a good time
skating,” said Carol
Sahme, Recreation arts
and crafts coordinator.
The next Recreation field
trip will be on March 25, to
the bowling alley in
Madras.
Recreation will also be
hosting many spring break
youth activities in March.
ECR WSS
Postal Patron
U.S. Postage
PRSRT STD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
50 cents
Statement
from Tribal
Council
Tribal Council members are
planning district meetings and a
General Council meeting in the near
future regarding tribal management.
For now, the acting secretary-trea-
surer is Mike Collins, finance direc-
tor. Alfred Estimo is the acting fi-
nance director.
Tribal Council voted last week to
make these changes after reviewing
the initial results of an investigation.
Further review and investigation of
the matter is ongoing.
As this is a personnel matter in-
volving the right to privacy and due
process, the Council discussion last
week was in executive session.
Specific dates for the district and
General Council meetings have not
yet been set, but look for them in
March.
Tribal Day at
state Capitol
Dave McMechan/Spilyay
Smelt fishing season
opens early this year
Tribal Council voted to open the
smelt fishing season early this year,
after consulting with the Branch of
Natural Resources.
Council voted last week to open
the smelt, or Pacific eulachon, sea-
son on the Cowlitz River and tribu-
taries, as the fish were already in the
river.
They are expected soon the
Sandy River and tributaries as well.
The initial plan was to open the sea-
son on March 1, but this was moved
up, as the fish had already arrived
in the Cowlitz.
Last year tribal members har-
P.O. Box 870
Warm Springs, OR 97761
vested about 2,000 pounds of the
smelt.
The regulation this year call for
a tribal allocation of 6,500 pounds,
or about 93,820 fish. The tribal
regulation calls for fishing between
6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Gear is limited to
dipnets. Other regulations:
Members must carry enrollment
cards on their person at all times
fishing or transporting fish. Tribal
members must report catch to BNR
personnel on-site at fishery locations;
or within 24 hours to the branch
office in Warm Springs. (Resolution
on page 8.)
Tribal Council hears
casino, resort updates
Tribal Council heard enter-
prise updates last week from
Indian Head Casino and Kah-
Nee-Ta Resort and Spa
Kah-Nee-Ta saw a significant
increase in revenue in 2014, said
resort general manager Carlos
Smith.
Part of the improved per-
formance comes from working
with Travel Oregon and Japa-
nese visitors, he said. Another
factor was that the 2013 sea-
son was badly impacted by a
structural, and a wildfire, Smith
said.
Looking toward the future, he
said, it is not too early to start
planning for the 2017 solar
eclipse. The reservation will be
among the ideal spots to view the
event. A Japanese group has al-
ready booked the resort for the
time when the eclipse will hap-
pen, Smith said.
And there may be a chance,
he said, for the tribes to gener-
ate some revenue by allowing
visitors, for a fee, to travel to the
ideal viewing areas on the reser-
vation.
See ENTERPRISES on page 7
Tribal Government Day at the
Capitol in Salem is set for this
Thursday, Feb. 19.
The day provides tribal leaders a
chance to work on important state
legislative matters with the lawmak-
ers.
This year Tribal Government
Day falls the day after the swear-
ing-in of the new Oregon Gover-
nor Kate Brown. Tribal leaders will
have a chance to meet with her on
Thursday.
The Thursday itinerary for Tribal
Government Day starts at 8 a.m.
with a Senate Judiciary Committee
hearing on Senate Bill 343.
This bill would make permanent
Senate Bill 412, the Tribal Law En-
forcement Act; and Senate Bill 448,
to expand juvenile case transfer au-
thority to include Wasco and Hood
River counties.
A 10 a.m. meeting is scheduled
with Sen. Ted Ferrioli in the Senate
Republican Office; followed by an
11 a.m. meeting with Rep. John
Huffman, The Dalles.
At 1 p.m. is a House Rural Com-
munities, Land Use and Water Com-
mittee work session on House Bill
2148.
This bill is in regard to property
tax exemption on permanent im-
provements in Indian Country.
New governor
The meeting with Gov. Brown is
scheduled for 2 p.m. Gov. Brown
has an extensive background work-
ing with Oregon tribes.
She served on the Commission
on Indian Services, and worked on
a variety of Indian Country legisla-
tive matters, going back at least 15
years.
(See page 4 for more about Gov.
Brown’s work on tribal issues).