Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (June 7, 2017)
Spilyay Tymoo Coyote News, est. 1976 June 7, 2017 - Vol. 42, No. 12 June – Atixan – Spring - Wawaxam PO Box 489 Warm Springs, OR 97761 ECR WSS Postal Patron U.S. Postage PRSRT STD Warm Springs, OR 97761 Youth teams plan for eclipse Dave McMechan/Spilyay The Madras High School tribal member graduates last week visited the Warm Springs Academy for the Honor Walk. The k-8 students gathered in the hallways and cheered as the high school seniors walked through the building. The Class of 2017 Graduation Banquet is coming up on Wednesday, June 14 at the Warm Springs Academy. The Graduation Banquet is a celebration of this year’s Native graduates, including students who are graduating from high schools, including boarding schools, college and vocational schools, Job Corps and GED students. This year the banquet also celebrates the eighth-graders who are moving on to high school. The banquet is hosted by the Warm Springs Education Committee, Johnson O’Malley Committee, and the Warm Springs Academy (see page 8 for details). Jayson Smith/Spilyay The traditional cap toss at the conclusion of the graduation ceremonies, held on Saturday at the Madras High School football field on Saturday. Tribal Council reviews situation with Kah-Nee-Ta The Kah-Nee-Ta board and man- agement recently met with a poten- tial business partner, as the resort board is hoping to find an invest- ment and possible operating part- ner. No agreement was reached with the prospective partner, but the meeting was positive and the per- son was impressed with the prop- erty, the board reported at Tribal Council this week. On another positive note, the Memorial Day Weekend saw an in- crease in resort revenue compared to last year, said Marie Kay Will- iams, Kah-Nee-Ta interim manager. The junction, or general manager’s house has been reno- vated, and rented out during the eclipse for $10,000, Ms. Williams reported. The house can now be- come part of the regular room in- ventory at the resort, she said. There is a possibility in the fu- ture of partnering with Mt. Hood Meadows on developing a moun- tain biking feature at Kah-Nee-Ta, Williams said. There are 97 tribal member employees at the resort; seven MITs; 14 other Indians; and 45 non-Indians, she reported. Mean- while Kah-Nee-Ta is still hiring for the summer season. Tribal Council late last year ap- proved a $400,000 loan to Kah- Nee-Ta, using the Business Invest- ment Revolving Fund as supple- mented by the state gas tax refund. This transaction was needed in or- der to avoid seeing the resort fall into receivership. Council is now regularly reviewing the progress at Kah-Nee-Ta, as late July is a time when some long-term decision may be needed. Some other items from this week’s meeting: Brent Moschetti is doing a great job managing and improving the Kah-Nee-Ta Golf Course, said War m Springs Chief Delvis Heath. Moschetti is a long-time mem- ber of Kah-Nee-Ta golf, and of- fered to run the course when he learned the resort was thinking of shutting down the operation. UAS center Councilman Lee Tom asked about the unmanned vehicle sys- tems Center for Excellence that will housed at the resort. The project is nearly complete, and will be a significant draw for Kah-Nee-Ta. The center will have drone flight-simulation computers and software, plus access to the nearby tribal UAS test sites. Warm Springs Ventures and Construction have made great progress on the space that will house the center. “It looks in- credible. It really turned out beautifully,” said Aurolyn Stwyer, Ventures marketing director. The remodeling work was done through an Oregon infra- structure grant. Additional fund- ing is now expected to help with the final components, such as furniture and computer, Ms. Stwyer said. Since last fall Kah-Nee-Ta has been a separate enterprise from Indian Head Casino. This transition has been difficult, said Councilman Raymond Tsumpti, but it was a change the mem- bership wanted to see. Councilwoman Brigette McConville commended the Kah-Nee-Ta board members for serving without compensa- tion. Legal action possible for start of County Line 2 fire In the summer of 2015 the County Line 2 fire burned across almost 70,000 acres of reservation land. More than 600 fire personnel were involved in the suppression effort. This was a costly event for the tribes, in terms of land that was The state transportation depart- ment is estimating that a million visi- tors will be in Oregon for the Au- gust 21 solar eclipse. As many as 100,000 visitors are expected in the immediate region of Warm Springs and Madras, where the totality of the eclipse will be seen. In other words the crowds will be bigger than anything experi- enced before in the region. The Confederated Tribes, the enterprises and Warm Springs Acad- emy have special events planned for the eclipse, and during the Saturday and Sunday leading up to that Mon- day morning. Indian Head Casino has a week- end of music from national-level artists, featuring Kelly Jackson, Arlie Neskahi and Charles Littleleaf. The Museum at Warm Springs will host the Artists Village, featuring the works of Native American artisans such as Lillian Pitt and Mr. Littleleaf, among other local artisans. Activities around the reserva- tion—vendor stations and camping, for instance—are also be part of the reservation plans. Public safety will be a big factor, as mid to late August is the height of the fire sea- son, not to mention the traffic con- cerns. burned, and the cost of combat- ing the blaze. Many homes were also threatened, with the Red Cross shelter housing up to 30 people. Tribal Council recently autho- rized the pursuit of legal action against the person or persons re- sponsible. The County Line 2 fire began as a series of brush fires along Highway 26. These then combined to form the one large wildfire. The brush fires started as a per- son drove on the highway, towing a trailer or motor home. Part of the rig was dragging on the high- way, or had a defective wheel. This caused sparks, according to the investigation and reports at the time. A lawsuit for dam- ages from the County Line 2 fire could be filed in Tribal Court, or in U.S. District Court, accord- ing to the Council resolution. From the Edge of Space During the eclipse, teams of stu- dents from Idaho, Washington, Warm Springs and other parts of Oregon will work with the Space Grant Consortium, based in Mon- tana, on the launching of helium balloons equipped with special cam- eras. The balloons ascend to the very edge of space, where they will video record the eclipse from this unique perspective. The program is in part- nership with NASA. The Warm Springs student teams will be among several in the U.S. that are participating in the eclipse bal- loon project. About half a dozen balloons will launch from Warm Springs and Madras. Across the en- tire path of the eclipse to the Atlan- tic Coast, students will launch about 70 high-altitude balloons to view the eclipse. The balloons eventually deflate, and then fall back to earth, where the cameras can be retrieved. In Warm Springs the students will arrive at the Warm Springs Acad- emy on the Sunday before the eclipse. They’ll camp there, and then launch the balloons the follow- ing morning. The eclipse will hap- pen in Warm Springs shortly before 10:20 a.m. Air traffic is expected to be very heavy on the morning of the eclipse. The helium balloons, though, will be high above the regular aircraft space, and safety precautions are a priority. The August 21 total solar eclipse will last about two minutes and two seconds in Central Oregon skies.
