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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (March 4, 2015)
Spilyay Tymoo Coyote News, est. 1976 March 4, 2015 Vol. 40, No. 5 March – Wiyalppt – Winter - Anm P.O. Box 870 Warm Springs, OR 97761 ECR WSS Postal Patron U.S. Postage PRSRT STD Warm Springs, OR 97761 50 cents Council approves TERO plan Boundary from Bend to The Dalles Tribal Council last week adopted the Tribal Employment Rights Or- dinance, or TERO. This is an important job creation program that applies on the reser- vation, and within a 60-mile radius of the reservation boundary. The on-reservation aspect ap- plies to construction projects in- cluding work done by the tribal enterprises. The TERO officer will work with the contractors and subcontractors, ensuring tribal member access to the employment opportunities. Another aspect of TERO ap- plies to the area around the reser- vation. Warm Springs Ventures in- terim executive director Don Sampson has been working with the Oregon Department of Transpor- tation on a memorandum of under- standing. ODOT receives federal transpor- tation funding, and tribal members should have fair access to construc- tion work made possible by this funding, Sampson said. The 60-mile radius would bring in areas from Bend toward The Dalles. “TERO allows tribal businesses and individuals a preference in hir- ing,” Sampson said. “That is a huge opportunity that we’ve been miss- ing.” The Tribal Council was unani- mous in its support for this program. The Umatilla and Grand Ronde have TERO programs. “It’s some- thing we should have done a decade ago,” Councilman Carlos Smith said. The Warm Springs TERO radius will be the biggest in the state, and one of the biggest in the U.S., Sampson said. With the ordinance in place, the next step is to create a five-mem- ber TERO commission, and hire a TERO director. The director posi- tion could be funded for two years through a grant Sampson said. The TERO program will involve training the local workforce in the kinds of jobs that will become avail- able. Warm Springs Vocational Re- habilitation, and the Community Action Team will be partners in this aspect of the program, Sampson said. Carbon project in market phase The carbon sequestration project—with its potential for over $5 million in revenue—is moving to its next phase. This phase will involve the mar- keting of the carbon credits, with revenue possible by the end of this year. The Brand of Natural Re- sources meanwhile continues work on the inventory aspect of the project. The tribes are considering the marketing of carbon credits for 24,050 acres of higher-elevation timber land. This is conditional use land that is not part of the harvestable timber base on the res- ervation. The Tribal Council last week unanimously approved a request from Ventures to fund the carbon marketing phase. Ventures’ Geo Visions and Natural Resources have been working on the carbon seques- tration project for a few years now. Ventures is planning information meetings on this project, as there are points that need to be clarified, said Ventures interim executive director Don Sampson. First, the tribes are not making an irrevocable commitment of res- ervation natural resources, Sampson said. Council members said they hear from members that the “100-year commitment” is a concern with car- bon sequestration. As a standard, the marketing of the carbon credits involves a 100- year management plan for the acre- age involved. But the market provides ways to discontinue the program, if some future Council wishes to do so, said Pi-Ta Pitt, Warm Springs Power and Water Enterprises operations assis- tant, and Ventures board vice chair. Some revenue from the program can be set aside for this specific purpose, he said. And the Confederated Tribes are taking a very conservation approach to the carbon sequestration market, Sampson said. The acreage involved is modest, and is already identified in the Integrated Resources Man- agement Plan for the type of for- estry management needed for by carbon sequestration. The current management of the land is an expenditure for the tribes. The carbon sequestration project will fund the management, creating some jobs, and bring in additional significant revenue to the tribes, estimated conservatively at $5.5 million. See CARBON on page 7 Alyssa Macy/Spilyay Brigette Scott, Sara Scott Morning Owl and JoAnn Smith at Lincoln’s Birthday Powwow (results on page 5). Alyssa Macy/Spilyay The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs co-hosted the Twentieth Annual Eagle Watch at Overlook Park at the Cove. Tribal dancers performed as part of the afternoon events (more on page 12). Team exploring issues, potential surrounding cannabis A Warm Springs team will confer with the Department of Justice regarding changes in cannabis laws. Medical marijuana is allowed in many states, including Oregon; while more states, including Oregon, are legalizing the possession of the drug for recreational purposes. The state jurisdiction does not apply on the reservation. But the federal Department of Justice is a partner with the tribes in law enforcement on the reservation. U.S. Attorneys should confer with tribes regarding the enforcement of marijuana laws on reservations, according to a DOJ directive from late last year. Tribal Council last week approved a team to confer on the matter. The team includes three Council members, Ventures board members, the public safety director, a community health worker, and tribal member at-large representative. The directive from Tribal Council is to confer with the U.S. Attorney’s office regarding cannabis laws. No change in the tribal approach to cannabis is being considered at this time. Any change would require community support and action by Tribal Council. There are two aspects to the issue: law enforcement, and potential economic opportunity. At least one tribe sees the changing marijuana laws as a business opportunity. The Pomo Nation of California has contracted with two companies to grow thousands of marijuana plants at a 99-acre ranch. The tribe plans to build a $10 million indoor cultivation facility, funded by the business partners. Hemp is a cannabis plant that has no THC or recreational use. The plant can be refined into products such as hemp oil, wax, resin, rope, cloth, pulp, paper and fuel. The Ventures board and management discussed these issues with Tribal Council last week, requesting that Council appoint the team to confer with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Now is a good time to begin the discussion, as tribal officials are familiar with the current U.S. Attorney’s Office, said Pi-Ta Pitt, Ventures board member. The team will report back to Tribal Council with whatever they learn from the discussion, he said.
