Spilyay Tymoo
August 19, 2015
Coyote News, est. 1976
Vol. 40, No. 17
August – Shatm – Summer - Shatm
Countyline 2 moving to containment
Close to 600 fire fighters are
on the reservation in response to
the Countyline 2 fire.
The fire burned across 60,000
acres, and destroyed four resi-
dential buildings. Two of the
homes were not being occupied.
There were no reported injuries
as of earlier in the week.
The Health and Human Ser-
vices Branch, Social Services, is
helping families in need. And the
tribes have a fire assistance pro-
gram.
The Countyline 2 fire has dis-
rupted the community for the
past week, with several families
relying on the Red Cross and
Health and Human Services
shelter, set up at the community
center. About 30 people were
staying there during the worst
days of the fire.
As of earlier this week,
Countyline 2 was reported to be
about 30 percent contained, with
a projection for further contain-
wind gusts during the first days
of the blaze. But the response
crews were diligent and effective
in protecting homes, said John
Halliday, BIA Warm Springs su-
perintendent.
He and Bobby Brunoe, gen-
eral manager of Natural Re-
sources, updated Tribal Council
on the fire situation earlier in the
week. Brunoe, and Trey Leonard
at Fire Management, agreed that
the fire teams did a great job in
protecting homes, often working
the line between approaching
flames and the residences.
Response team on Countyline 2 fire.
ment in coming days. The Shitike
Creek area was the point of focus
in the latest phase of the response.
Countyline 2 is one of many
fires burning in the Northwest.
Other areas have seen significant
home loss: The Canyon Creek
Jayson Smith photos.
Complex fire in the John Day area
destroyed at least 26 homes, and the
Clearwater Complex fire in Idaho
destroyed 42 homes.
The loss of buildings on the
Warm Springs Reservation could
have been much worse, with high
Initial response
The fire started last Wednes-
day, August 12, by a driver who
was hauling a trailer with an ap-
parently defective wheel. The
wheel rim, in contact with the
roadway, created sparks setting
off a series of fires along High-
way 26, according to reports.
See FIRE on page 3
Funding boost for Roots program
T he Roots program is getting ready
for its second school year. Last year
Roots saw an enrollment of 50 stu-
dents, said Dawn Smith, Roots di-
rector.
Eight students completed the
credit requirements for Madras
High School graduates, and three of
the students walked with the MHS
Class of 2015. Roots is the alterna-
tive education program in Warm
Springs, part of Madras High
School.
This year the program is starting
the year with a funding boost: The
Spirit Mountain Community Fund
awarded Roots a grant in the amount
of $147,696.
The program will now have prob-
Jayson Smith photos
At the
Jamboree
Warm Springs Recreation
hosted Family Jamboree
Day on Wednesday
afternoon of last week. They
had the Wild Rapids Slide
(right), the rock wall (below),
plus archery, and the Jungle
Adventure.
ably the best computer work stations
in the district, Smith said. The fund-
ing will allow for other upgrades to
the program facilities.
Roots is located in school mod-
ules on teachers’ row, by the old el-
ementary school. They use one
trailer for a classroom, and one for
the computer lab. The students are
renovating a third trailer as part of
a learning curriculum.
Students in Roots focus on
completing credits for graduation,
and also learn by working with
people in different professions on
the reservation. Forestry, range
and agriculture, and fish and wild-
life are examples. Dawn Smith and
teacher Earl Simmons are the
staff at Roots.
About to start her second year
at Roots, Dawn talks about some
of the things she observed during
the first year:
“I think the students learned that
we expect a lot from them. Some
might have thought this was an easy
way out, but it’s not. We expect a
lot from them, and they have to be
motivated to get things done.”
Spirit Mountain Fund
The Warm Springs Education
Committee this year submitted an
application to the Spirit Mountain
Community Fund on behalf of the
Roots program.
Spirit Mountain Community
Fund director Kathleen George
and staff then made a visit to
the Roots program this year.
They were impressed with
what they saw, and the grant ap-
plication was a success: The
Spirit Mountain Community
Fund awarded the maximum
amount available to grant appli-
cants.
“Supporting tribal education
efforts is one of our highest
priorities,” said K athleen
George, fund director. “And
we believe the Roots program
is an important program help-
ing high school students to get
their diplomas.”
Dave McMechan
Return Service
Requested
PO Box 489
Warm Springs, OR 97761
ECR WSS
Postal Patron
U.S. Postage
PRSRT STD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
Red Hills
property
dedication
The Confederated Tribes of
Warm Springs are planning a dedi-
cation ceremony at the Red Hills
conservation property. The dedi-
cation had been set for this week,
but had to be postponed. A date for
the dedication has not yet been de-
termined.
The 277-acre Red Hills Conser-
vation Area was purchased by the
tribes through the BPA Willamette
Wildlife Mitigation program.
This conservation area is similar
to the tribes’ Pine Creek Conserva-
tion Area in the John Day basin.
The Pine Creek area has seen sig-
nificant improvement in fish habi-
tat under tribal management.
The Red Hills proposal was rated
at the top of the list of proposed
mitigation projects, when the tribes
first made the proposal a few years,
said Bobby Brunoe, general man-
ager of tribal Natural Resources.
Working through complications
in the purchasing process, the tribes
are now ready to formally dedicate
the conservation area. The tribes’
Red Hills property is near the towns
of Lafayette and Dundee in Yamhill
County.
Carbon
project on
schedule
Don Sampson of Warm Springs
Ventures updated Tribal Council last
week on the carbon sequestration
project: The goal for the program
is to issue carbon sequestration cred-
its by the end of this year, Sampson
said.
The project remains on sched-
ule, with the forest inventory hav-
ing been completed in July, he said.
The forest data will be confirmed
by an independent verifier, and the
listing documents will be filed with
the California Air Resources Board.
Carbon sequestration is a rev-
enue generating project, proposed
by Natural Resources and managed
by Ventures. Tribal Council ap-
proved the idea last year.
Carbon sequestration involves
management of forest land as an
offset for California companies that
release carbon into the atmosphere.
Other states may follow the
California’s example.
Through forestry management,
carbon can be captured from the
atmosphere and stored by the trees.
This is seen as a strategy to allevi-
ate global warming.
The value of the carbon seques-
tration credits is not yet determined.
In his report to Tribal Council,
Sampson gave this information:
“At the beginning of September
there are major changes coming to
the California U.S. Forest Project
Protocol that defines how carbon
volumes and offset credits are cal-
culated for this market.”