Spilyay Tymoo
Coyote News, est. 1976
April 26, 2017 - Vol. 42, No. 9
April – Hawit`an – Spring - Wawaxam
RETURN SERVICE
REQUESTED
PO Box 489
Warm Springs, OR 97761
ECR WSS
Postal Patron
U.S. Postage
PRSRT STD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
Plateau Travel Plaza construction begins
Indian Head Casino and the
Confederated Tribes on Friday
officially marked the start of con-
struction of the Plateau Travel
Plaza.
The Travel Plaza will be located
on Cherry Lane, just off Highway
26 at the Madras Industrial Park,
featuring the 13,500-square-foot
main building. There will be a
convenience store, restaurant with
seating for 70 people, a few class
II gaming machines, shower and
laundry facilities, the gas pumps
and diesel for the larger vehicles.
The 10-acre site will include
parking space for up 70 semi
trucks, said Jeffrey Carstensen,
Indian Head Casino general man-
ager.
When in operation the truck
stop will create 30 to 40 new jobs,
Mr. Carstensen said. As with the
casino, the tribal member hiring
preference will apply, he said. In-
dian Head Casino is also working
with the Warm Springs TERO
during the construction phase.
The plan is for the Travel Plaza
to open next spring, Carstensen
said. So far, the project has been
three years in making. The initial
phase was the feasibility study,
showing the Travel Plaza to be a
promising business venture.
The gaming board and Tribal
Council then gave their approval,
and BBT Architects of Bend de-
veloped the design.
Approvals from the city of Ma-
dras, and development of the con-
struction finance plan were the
next steps, requiring careful atten-
tion.
The name for the Plateau
Travel Plaza was chosen earlier this
year during a naming contest, with
Anthony Anderson submitting the
winning proposal.
(See TRAVEL PLAZA on 10)
For the ceremonial ground-breaking at the Plateau Travel
Plaza building site, tribal leaders were joined by city of
Madras and construction company officials.
The Recreation Department
hosted the 2017 Lil Miss
Warm Springs Pageant in
April, with several young
contestants taking part in a
colorful competition. After
the awards ceremonies
was the parade of
contestants, featuring
(photo at right):
Featured
events for
solar eclipse
2017 Miss Warm Springs
Katrina Blackwolf, Senior
Miss Warm Springs
Coreena Stwyer, Junior
Miss Warm Springs Gigi
David, Lil’ Miss Warm
Springs Kiyahna Allen, and
Kimora Smith, Marie
Jackson and Krya Eastman
(from left). Congratulations
to all contestants for a
great Pageant.
Jayson Smith/Spilyay
Tower facility handles many downstream fish
The snowpack from last win-
ter, and rainfall this spring are
bringing a strong water flow to the
Deschutes River and tributaries.
This is good for downstream mi-
grating fish, as can be seen at the
Round Butte hydro fish facility.
The month of March last year
saw 7,000 fish pass through the fa-
cility, compared to 70,000 this
March, said Rich Madden, PGE
fisheries biologist. Round Butte
fisheries technicians handled
100,000 fish during the first ten
days of April, Madden said.
Tribal Council Chairman Aus-
tin Greene Jr. and Councilman
Raymond Tsumpti last week
toured the facility, and the selec-
tive water withdrawal tower, see-
ing the operation first-hand during
the high point of the spring run.
Power and Water general man-
ager Jim Manion, Branch of Natu-
ral Resources general manager
Bobby Brunoe, and Secretary-
Treasurer Michele Stacona were
on hand for the tour, with mem-
bers from the Columbia River In-
ter-Tribal Fish Commission.
The Confederated Tribes and
PGE are co-owners of the Pelton-
Round Butte hydro dams and the
$100-million selective water with-
drawal tower, paid for jointly by the
parties.
The new powerhouse intake
went into operation in 2010, after
the tribes and PGE negotiated a
new long-term Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC)
license for the three dam complex.
Round Butte is the largest
earthen dam within the state of
Oregon. Pelton is a concrete
dam. The third dam in the se-
ries is the Re-Reg, wholly owned
by the tribes.
PGE built the Pelton and
Round Butte dams in the 1950s
and ‘60s, with an initial design
that envisioned fish passage, in-
cluding what was the longest fish
ladder in the U.S.
(See TOWER on 3)
Jayson Smith photos
The Warm Springs Veterans of Foreign Wars, Ladies Auxiliary
and American Legion on Saturday hosted the Welcome Home
Vietnam Veterans Parade. The parade was from the war
memorial area by the courthouse, to the Agency Longhouse.
The American Legion Riders (above) joined the parade.
Warm Springs will host a three-
day music and arts festival during
the weekend and Monday of the
August 21 solar eclipse.
Indian Head Casino will feature
live music from local, regional and
national Native American artists.
And the Museum at Warm Springs
will host the Artists Village.
Among the performers at the ca-
sino will be Kelly Jackson, Arlie
Neskahi and Charles Littleleaf.
Kelly Jackson, member of the
Lake du Flambeau Band of Lake
Superior Chippewa Indians, is a Na-
tive American Music Award winning
singer, songwriter, musician and ac-
tivist.
Arlie Neskahi of the Diné Na-
tion—award-winning composer, mu-
sician and recording artist—is the
host of Wisdom of the Elders.
Charles Littleleaf of War m
Springs is a celebrated Native
American flutist and traditional flute
maker.
Jackson will be the featured mu-
sician at Indian Head Casino on Sat-
urday, August 19.
Neskahi will be the featured mu-
sician on Sunday, August 20. And
Mr. Littleleaf will play on the Mon-
day of the eclipse.
Meanwhile during the weekend,
the Museum At Warm Springs will
host the Artists Village, featuring
Native American artisans show-
casing their unique and varied
works. Among the works on dis-
play will be those Lillian Pitt and
Mr. Littleleaf.
Elsewhere on the reservation on
August 21:
Warm Springs Ventures will part-
ner with NASA on a unique science
experience for students from Warm
Springs and around the Northwest.
The NASA-tribal plan is to launch
helium balloons before the eclipse.
The balloons, equipped with cam-
eras aimed at the earth, will travel
as far as the edge of outer space.
The cameras can then capture
images as the shadow of the moon
passes over the state.
(See ECLIPSE on 3)