Spilyay Tymoo
Coyote News, est. 1976
November 23, 2016 - Vol. 41, No. 24
November – Anaku Ipach’aanxa Yaamash
Carbon project a success for tribes
The tribes’ carbon sequestration
program is one of the more suc-
cessful ventures in recent years.
For the 2017 budget year, the
project is providing a dividend of
$2 million. This is among the best
dividends for 2017, matching that
of Indian Head Casino.
Warm Springs Ventures and
Tribal Council developed the pro-
gram about three years, and carbon
sequestration gave a $1 million divi-
dend for the current budget year.
The program is administered by
the Warm Springs GeoVisions di-
vision of Ventures.
Tribal Council approved the
2017 budget last week, with reso-
lution no. 12,249.
Final adjustments included re-
ductions for Finance and adminis-
trative services; and increase to the
Education budget of $197,321.
The approved budget includes
monthly senior pension payments
for tribal members over the age
of 60 in the amount of $300.
The total expenditures for the
2017 approved budget remain at
$17,490,192.
Timber revenue provided addi-
tional funding, at $2.835 million.
Credit also provided a dividend for
2017.
At Ventures
In other tribal economic news:
Ventures continues to make progress
with the unmanned aerial systems
(UAS) program.
Ventures received infrastructure
funding that is helping with a re-
model at Kah-Nee-Ta, plus ex-
tension of Telecom fiber optic
cable to the resort.
The cannabis enterprise is
working to secure funding, hav-
ing discontinued the previous
partnership because of unrea-
sonable loan terms.
Ventures is in the process of
finalizing the land lease for the
greenhouse; and an agreement
on cannabis regulation with the
state.
(See VENTURES on 5)
The
Confederated
Tribes
hosted the
Honor
Veterans
Powwow at
the Agency
Longhouse.
The two-day
powwow
was among
a number
Veterans
activities
this mid
November
on the
reservation.
Jayson Smith
photo
School district hosting Impact Aid hearing
The Jefferson County School
District 509-J has received an av-
erage of about $2.2 million a year,
in recent years, in Impact Aid
funding. Impact Aid is federal
funding available to districts that
include non-taxable lands such as
a reservation.
The school district board will
meet on Monday, November 28
at the Warm Springs Academy to
Honoring
Korean War
Veterans
The Veterans Day weekend
this year was unique on the res-
ervation, featuring the Korean
War Veterans Honor Ceremony
and Banquet, held at Kah-Nee-
Ta on Saturday, November 12.
The Eugene ‘Cougar’ Greene
Sr. American Legion and Ladies
Auxiliary Post 4217 hosted the
ceremony and banquet.
About three hundred people
attended. Moon Duk-ho, Consul
General of the Republic of Ko-
rea, and Brigadier General Steven
R. Beech were special guests.
They both gave moving remarks
discuss use of the Impact Aid
money. The meeting starts at 6
p.m.
This is the annual meeting of
the district to hear comments about
the use of the funding, and other
issues the community wishes to dis-
cuss with the board.
“We’re asking what we can do
better,” said district superintendent
Rick Molitor. “What additional re-
sources do you want to see that
could help students?”
Meanwhile, a survey regarding
Impact Aid is posted on the dis-
trict website at: jcsd.k12.or.us.
Comments will be taken until mid
December.
A little more than a third—37.4
percent—of the students in the
509-J district are Native American.
Most of the students are at the k-
8 academy, where 97 percent of
the students are Native Ameri-
can; and at the high school.
There are 1,108 Native Ameri-
can students in the district.
The next largest ethnic group
is Hispanic with 900 students,
or 30.4 percent; followed by
white at 887 students, or 30 per-
cent.
(See 509-J on 7)
during the ceremony.
The day included the pre-
sentation of Medals to the
Korean War Veterans, and a
performance by Korean and
Warm Springs Tribal Dancers.
Susan Guerin, Charles
Tailfeathers, AJ Atencio, the
American Legion and Auxiliary,
and others helped organize the
event.
The Consulate General of
the Republic of Korea, arriv-
ing from Seattle, stated his
appreciation to the veterans
who helped keep communism
out of South Korea.
Warm Springs veteran
Harrison Davis meets with
Consulate General of the
Republic of Korea, Moon
Duk-Ho.
Photo courtesy of Susan Guerin
PO Box 489
Warm Springs, OR 97761
ECR WSS
Postal Patron
U.S. Postage
PRSRT STD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
Renewed
pipeline
matter at
Council
Tribal Council on Monday met
with the Natural Resources Branch,
Power & Water Enterprises, and le-
gal counsel for discussion of a pos-
sible natural gas pipeline right-of-
way on the reservation.
The Confederated Tribes first
negotiated terms of the right-of-way
some years ago, with agreement
reached in 2010.
A short time later, the company
proposing the right-of-way—for-
merly Palomar, now Trailwest—met
with delay, then shelved the project.
There may be circumstances
now, or possibly in the foreseeable
future, that could allow the project
to go ahead.
The natural gas pipeline right-of-
way would cross 36 miles of reser-
vation land, 50-feet wide.
The tribes would receive annual
payments for the right-of-way, plus
an initial one-time payment of pos-
sibly $2.6 million. The funds could
considered trust revenue, as the
payment is for the use of reserva-
tion land.
Trust revenue, as it is not sub-
ject to taxation, is important for the
tribal Senior Pension Fund, for in-
stance.
At the meeting on Monday,
Tribal Council emphasized they
were not giving final approval to the
right-of-way proposal.
Nevertheless, further consider-
ation—including input from the
membership—may be warranted
for a number of reasons, Council
indicated. One factor is the new
revenue, while other factors are en-
vironmental.
Mitigation measures
In the previous negotiation lead-
ing up to the 2010 right-of-way
agreement, the Natural Resources
Branch developed an extensive miti-
gation plan.
An example of items included in
the plan: the pipeline right-of-way
cannot be located near any resi-
dence. Other mitigation measures
included protection of fisheries,
wildlife, native plants and cultural
resources.
The mitigation plan includes the
reservation, plus neighboring fed-
eral land, said Bobby Brunoe, Natu-
ral Resources general manager.
Another environmental point
that came up during the Tribal
Council discussion:
The developing company is in-
terested in the reservation right-of-
way, but if this route is not avail-
able, then the company could de-
velop some other nearby off-reser-
vation route.
In that case the tribes would have
no negotiating or mitigation author-
ity over the off-reservation alterna-
tive. So the best interest of the
tribes might be served by working
with the developer.
(See PIPELINE on 7)