Spilyay Tymoo
Coyote News, est. 1976
March 1, 2017 - Vol. 42, No. 5
March – Wiyalppt – Winter - Anm
Tribes, state have TERO agreement
Tribal member employment is a
top priority of the Twenty-Seventh
Tribal Council. On Monday they
took significant action toward this
goal.
The Council approved a memo-
randum of understanding between
the Confederated Tribes of Warm
Springs TERO and the Oregon De-
partment of Transportation.
TERO is the Tribal Employment
Rights Office, housed in the Warm
Springs Ventures building at the in-
dustrial park.
With the ODOT agreement in
place, the Warm Springs TERO
has jurisdiction over federally-
funded transportation projects in
a large area of the region.
This will provide construction
and other employment opportuni-
ties for tribal members. TERO
also coordinates training programs
for members.
The office serves the Warm
Springs tribal members, and any
other member of a federally rec-
ognized tribe.
Wendell Jim, Warm Springs
TERO director, Mary Sando-
Emhoolah, dispatcher, and tribal
attorney Brent Hall on Monday
presented the ODOT MOU to
Tribal Council.
The process of reaching the
MOU took a couple of years, as
the parties worked out the details.
The timing of finalizing the deal
is important, Wendell Jim said:
The 2017 construction season will
be picking up this spring and into
the summer.
The jurisdiction of the Warm
Springs TERO includes all of the
reservation, plus areas within 60
miles of the reservation bound-
ary.
ODOT projects within this
area—including highways 26
and 97, and part of I-5 in the
Portland area—are subject to
TERO authority. The Warm
Springs TERO is the largest in
the state.
A western part of the Warm
Springs TERO jurisdiction
overlaps with that of the Grand
Ronde TERO. This area will
be co-administered by both of
the TEROs.
Taking a swing at Kah-Nee-Ta golf
I t was a case of being at the right
place at the right time. Like a hole
in one. Or better yet, a double eagle.
An avid golfer, Brent Moschetti
was a long-time member of the
Kah-Nee-Ta course. Mr. Moschetti
retired from his medical supplies
business at the end of last year, with
the idea of playing more golf.
A short time later he received
word that the Kah-Nee-Ta Golf
Course was closing, due to finances
at the resort.
He knew that closing the course
for a year or two—letting the fair-
ways and greens go fallow—would
mean the course would probably
never open again, at least not with-
out substantial and costly renova-
tion. “And I would hate to see it
close,” Moschetti was saying re-
cently.
So he contacted the Kah-Nee-Ta
board and management. His pro-
The Confederated
Tribes of Warm
Springs and
partners hosted
Eagle Watch in
February. The
Quartz Creek
Drummers and
Dancers were the
feature on Sunday
at the Pelton
Overlook Park.
PGE and Oregon
Parks are
partners in the
weekend event,
this year marking
its Twentieth
Anniversary. Live
birds of prey
(below) were on
hand for Eagle
Watch.
Dave McMechan/Spilyay
Brent Moschetti recently cleared the overgrown brush that blocked
the sign golf course entrance.
posal was that he would operate and
maintain the course and clubhouse.
This was a decision based on love
of the game, and a desire to help
the resort, rather than for profit.
“As long as I don’t lose money,”
Moschetti says of the venture.
Over the past few weeks he
has already made improve-
ments at the course, trimming
trees, getting the rough under
control, re-sanding the traps,
landscaping around the club-
house. The course will open on
March 10, and the concession
should be ready by April 10.
Here is an interesting golf
fact: Every year there are tens
of thousands of holes-in-one.
The double eagle—three under
par on a hole—is much more
rare: There are only a few hun-
dred of these each year.
Visit the Kah-Nee-Ta Golf
Course club house and you’ll
see a certificate showing Brent
Moschetti and his late father
Wilbur are one of only four
father and sons in the U.S. ever
to have both hit double eagles.
Dave McMechan/Spilyay
PO Box 489
Warm Springs, OR 97761
ECR WSS
Postal Patron
U.S. Postage
PRSRT STD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
UAS
featured
at KNT
One of the most dangerous jobs
in the U.S. is that electrical power-
line installation, repair and inspec-
tion. An average of about 40 fa-
talities are reported each year, with
many others suffering serious injury.
The Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) in
2015 banned the practice of free
climbing transmission towers.
Aerial Rigging Systems Inc.—
ARS—is a leader using unmanned
aerial systems to make the job
safer. The company is a partner
of the Confederated Tribes UAS
program, a branch of the Ventures
enterprise.
ARS chief operations officer
Vernie Santos was at Kah-Nee-Ta
last week, joining officials from the
Bonneville Power Administration,
the FAA, Ventures and other
guests.
Clearly, the BPA would be inter-
est in the ARS EZ Rig system:
There are more than 15,000 miles
of electrical lines in the BPA sys-
tem, with the constant and on-go-
ing need for inspection and repair.
The benefits to the tribes of
partnering with ARS are also clear—
namely, jobs and revenue.
The building that is under con-
struction by the Ventures offices will
house a drone production plant, pro-
ducing UAS for Aerial Rigging Sys-
tems.
Kah-Nee-Ta will benefit as home
of the Warm Springs UAS training
center. Workers will need to learn
how to use the rigging system, and
will come to Kah-Nee-Ta for train-
ing.
The reservation has FAA-ap-
proved test sites, including one near
Kah-Nee-Ta.
The UAS conference last week
included a demonstration of the EZ
Rig drone, carrying a special light-
weight cable.
Marie Mitchell gave a UAS flight
demonstration. She is the first
Warm Springs tribal member to
earn her FAA Commercial Drone
Pilot license.
With the EZ Rig system, the
power line worker can fly a cable
over the electrical tower. Then, with
safety rigging in place, no worker
has to free climb.
The drones can also be used for
line inspection. Helicopters are an
expensive alternative to the use of
drones.
The ARS team, BPA, FAA, Ven-
tures and others at the conference
toured the training center, nearing
completion on the ground floor at
Kah-Nee-Ta. This is a major reno-
vation project, funded through a
state economic development grant,
with the side benefit of bringing fi-
ber optic cable to the resort.
Don Sampson, Aurolyn Stwyer,
Ben Bisland and Marie were Ven-
tures hosts at the conference last
week.