Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon August 5, 2015 Page 3 Tribal huckleberry gathering at Meadows More than 80 War m Springs Tribal members gath- ered for the Twelfth Annual huckleberry picking event at Mt. Hood. The day hosted by Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort. Activities started at the main lodge with a chair lift ride on the new Stadium Quad Lift, bringing guests up to take in the views of Mt. Jefferson and the Cascades. Many elders have memo- ries of first coming to this area when they were young, as summer was the time to gather First Foods for the winter. Some members are con- cerned about the diminishing of number of berries on the mountain, and increased com- petition from non-tribal and commercial pickers. Mt. Hood Meadows hosted lunch for the berry gatherers. 12 year partnership Since 2004, Mt. Hood Meadows has posted signs around more than 30 acres of the best potential huckle- berry lands, asking the public to respect the rights of the Warm Springs Tribes by not picking berries in this tradi- tional picking area, part of the tribes’ Ceded Lands. Louie Pitt Jr., director of tribal Government Affairs, was on hand to talk about the long-time relationship be- tween the tribal members and the mountain. He advocated the need for proper forest Telecom: Photos courtesy The Leo Co. management practices to in- crease the yield and health of the huckleberry fields. Huckleberries like warm sunny areas between 4,000 feet and 5,000 feet in eleva- tion, with reduced competi- tion from other foliage on the forest floor. Historically, fires would clean the forest floor. But cur- The War m Springs Recreation Department will host the Family Jam- boree Day on Wednes- day, August 12, from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Com- munity Center and the ball fields. The day’s activities in- clude the Jurassic Adven- ture, Jungle Adventure, Surf-n-Slide, the Rock Wall, Wild Rapids Slide, and archery. All ages are welcome. Bring water play and swim wear, sandals, a towel, bottle water, chair and the whole family. For more information call Recreation at 541- 553-3243 or -3244. Farm hay, barley for sale The Warm Springs tribal farm has beardless barley hay and first cutting alfalfa for sale. The alfalfa is $180 per ton for non-tribal members; and $160 per ton for members. Five-ton minimum or $85 per bale. The barley is $160 per ton for non-members; and $140 per ton for members. Five ton minimum or $70 per bale. Purchases may be made at the Branch of Natural Re- sources main office. Please contact the Range and Ag Department for more infor- mation, 541-553-2001. Earring making classes A class on how to bead a pair of post back ear- rings using size 11 beads, center pieces and rhine- stone banding is coming up on Tuesday through Thursday, August 18-20. Daily classes are from 9:30-11:30 a.m at the Warm Springs community center social hall. The instructor will be Angela Bellanger. Space is limited, call 541-553-3243. Registration required. Supplies provided. Positive Indian Parenting Classes will begin August 11 and 12 at the Commu- nity Counseling Cen- ter. Class will be on Tuesday 10 a.m. til noon in the Preven- tion Conference Room or on Wednes- day from 5:30-7 p.m. in the main confer- ence room. This will be an orientation to Positive Indian Parenting. The Warm Springs Boys & Girls Club is open weekdays 8 a.m.– 5 p.m. and is now located in the Old Elementary gym build- ing. The entrance is on the east side by the playground The TRAIL diabetes prevention program is today at 11. TRAIL combines physical, educational, and nutritional activi- ties. Next Ski Day rent forest management prac- tices have discouraged burn- ing, resulting in prime huck- leberry areas becoming over- grown, discouraging the growth of berries. For more than 12 years now, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Area have been working together to identify, improve and pro- tect the huckleberry habitat on Mt. Hood. Good huckleberry habitat is the same as good ski slope habitat, so cooperation be- tween the tribal pickers and Mt. Hood Meadows has also sponsored a Tribal Ski Day each winter. Ski Day is also in its twelfth year. This is an effort to bring tribal members of all ages to the mountain for a different perspective during March or April. Science indicates that the strong El Nino weather pat- tern that we are experiencing should result in near-average snowfall for the 2015-16 sea- son, so hopes are high for a good snowpack and a better ski season. Stay tuned to KWSO for updates during the ski season. police, FBI investigating (Continued from page 1) Meanwhile, the Telecom towers are equipped with video cameras that will record activity around the facilities. The Warm Springs Police and the FBI are investigating the vandalism to the Pelton dam tower. Fire: Signs are posted informing visitors that the area is for tribal member berry gatherers. the ski area is a natural part- nership. The sun-loving berries need to have other compet- ing foliage cut back or burned, while similarly the ski area needs to make the slopes smooth for winter sports. About 40 tribal member participants came by bus, courtesy of Meadows. The rest of the participants, many family groups, came by car. Ralph Dougherty has helped with this event in pre- vious years. This year he shuttled members from the Hood River Meadows Lodge to Elk Meadows, Sahalie Falls and other known huckleberry picking spots. Dougherty reported that spirits were high among the pickers who found produc- tive berry patches. In the alpine meadows where the brush has been better controlled, the berries were more plentiful. The tribal members who attended the annual event were appreciative of the ef- forts by Mt. Hood Meadows to protect these traditional tribal picking areas. Many thanked Mt. Hood Meadows for the partnership that makes this a successful event. Recreation Jamboree Day If anyone has informa- tion, please contact the po- lice at 541-553-3272. The War m Springs Telecom began operation about three years ago. The enterprise is one of just nine tribal telecoms in the nation. The Warm Springs Telecom is seen as a model operation for tribes that are consider- ing a similar service. The War m Springs Telecom employs eleven people, including six tribal members, two married into the tribes, one other Indian, and two non Indians. burn-ban in effect on rez (Continued from page 1) Fire teams from Warm Springs—the Hot Shots, and camp crews—have been helping with other fires in the region. The Hot Shot crew went a fire near Walla Walla, and has another assignment in Southern Oregon. Two camp crews went to the Wolverine fire in Washington. The state of California is in a state of emergency with more than 20 large fires burn- ing. August is the time when the reservation is at especially high risk, Wilson said. Light- ning strikes are a main threat, along with human-caused ig- nitions. Embers can smolder for a few days during cooler tem- peratures, and then flare up into major fires when the heat returns. So Fire Management remains on alert, with teams on watch at all times. Meanwhile, there is a burn-ban in effect on the res- ervation. This applies to burn barrels, debris-burning, etc. For more information call Fire Management at 541-553- 1146. Jayson Smith/Spilyay Warm Springs Fire Management hosted a community picnic marking the 71st birthday of Smokey Bear. There was a barbecue, DJ and water games for the kids. 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