Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
December 21, 2016
Page 5
Museum grant for archives
The Oregon Community Foun-
dation Board of Directors ap-
proved $33,000 in grants to Warm
Springs nonprofit causes. Grants
awarded include the following:
The Museum At Warm Springs
received $23,000. The funding
will be used to help hire a trained
archivist to digitize archives and
collections.
This in turn will help preserve
and facilitate access to key tribal
information, including language
and cultural traditions.
“The Oregon Community
Foundation team of staff mem-
bers and volunteers are excited to
see the progress with projects that
preserve and enrich the culture of
the Warm Springs community,”
said Cheryl Puddy, associate pro-
gram officer and regional coordi-
nator for the Foundation in Cen-
tral and Eastern Oregon.
“The valuable services this non-
profit provides in their communi-
ties is a true reflection of the
Foundation’s goal to improve lives
across Oregon, and we are proud
to partner with the museum,”
Cheryl said.
The Foundation this fall made
more than $3.6 million in grant
awards statewide.
The mission of the Oregon
Community Foundation is to im-
prove life for all Oregonians
through the power of philanthropy.
The Foundation works with in-
dividuals, families, businesses and
organizations to create charitable
funds to support the community
causes they care about.
Through these funds, the Foun-
dation awarded more than $100
million in grants and scholarships
since 2015. In other news from the
Museum at Warm Springs:
The Tribal Member Art Show
is on display through January 7.
KNT horse stable operator
Kah-Nee-Ta Resort and Spa is taking requests
for proposals for horse stable operator/conces-
sionaire for the 2017 season.
Contact the resort’s general manager for agree-
ment details.
Proposals should be submitted in writing by De-
cember 30. Call 541-553-1112 extension 3469 for
more information.
Merry Christmas to All! From Warm Springs artist Travis Bobb.
Around Indian Country
Appeals in rail expansion at Gorge
Union Pacific appealed Wasco
County’s denial of its rail expan-
sion proposal near Mosier in the
Columbia River Gorge National
Scenic Area.
In November the Wasco County
Board of Commissioners unani-
mously denied the proposed rail
expansion based on adverse effects
to the Yakama Nation’s tribal treaty
rights and violations of the National
Scenic Area land use ordinance.
The Union Pacific appeal was
filed before the Columbia River
Gorge Commission, which has re-
view authority over all final county
decisions within the National Sce-
nic Area.
Friends of the Columbia Gorge,
Columbia Riverkeeper, and Physi-
cians for Social Responsibility sup-
port the denial of the project based
on treaty rights violations, but have
also appealed the decision based on
threats to fish and wildlife habitat,
parks and recreation, scenic re-
sources, and Gorge communities
like Mosier.
Friends of the Gorge attorney
Steve McCoy explained:
“We and our allies support the
denial of the project to protect the
Yakama Nation’s tribal treaty
rights.
“The recent Mosier oil train de-
railment and explosion demon-
strate the dangers to public safety
and the National Scenic Area from
Union Pacific’s plans to signifi-
cantly increase rail traffic.
“This is why we’re asking the
Columbia Gorge Commission to
deny the project on multiple
grounds, and ensure Union Pacific
doesn’t imperil public safety and
trample over a national treasure.”
Meanwhile, the City of Mosier
is still recovering from the Union
Pacific oil train derailment, spill
and fire in June that leaked 42,000
gallons of crude oil and contami-
nated groundwater in the small
town.
The derailment occurred within
a quarter-mile of an elementary
school. Mosier was only saved
from a large fire due to an unchar-
acteristically calm day for the
Gorge, with wind speeds below 5
mph.
Tribal leaders from the Confed-
erated Tribes of Warm Springs
visited the site, and voiced opposi-
tion to oil rail transport as a poten-
tial threat to fishing rights.
The Federal Railroad Adminis-
tration then released a report find-
ing that Union Pacific was at fault
for the accident because it failed
to follow safety and rail inspection
requirements. Nationally, Union
Pacific has a poor safety record
compared to the industry average.
A rail traffic report released by
the Friends of the Gorge found
that increases in rail capacity from
this expansion could be far greater
than Union Pacific has claimed, po-
tentially increasing rail capacity
from about 35 trains a day to as
much as 100 trains a day.
Hay for sale
Orchard grass hay ~
two-string bales ~
$6 a piece ~ In
Madras ~ Call Rick
at 509-250-2846.
New federal laws benefit
Siletz and Grand Ronde
President Obama last week
signed land bills for two Oregon
tribes. Congress had approved the
bills earlier this month.
The bills, called S.817 and S.818,
help Confederated Tribes of Siletz
Indians and the Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde restore
their homelands.
“Congress is working on behalf
of tribes,” Sen. John Barrasso (R-
Wyoming), the chairman of the
Senate Committee on Indian Af-
fairs, said in a press release. “These
pieces of legislation, along with the
others we have passed during the
114th Congress, demonstrate our
continued commitment to increased
tribal self-determination and sov-
ereignty.”
The signing of S.817 means any
land acquired by the Siletz Tribes
within the original 1855 Coast Res-
ervation will be considered a part
of the current reservation.
For Grande Ronde, S.818 re-
duces the number of steps required
for land to be acquired in trust and
declared a part of its reservation.
“This legislation will enable the
tribe to more efficiently move the
land it owns into reservation status,
which is historically a very complex
and time-consuming process,” Chair-
man Reyn Leno said in a story posted
by Smoke Signals.
The Siletz and Grand Ronde
have been lobbying for the legisla-
tion for years. They could be the
last significant Indian bills to clear
the 114th Congress before lawmak-
ers head home for the holiday break.
The 115th Congress will convene
in January 2017, starting a whole
new legislative process.
15% OFF product
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