Spilyay Tymoo
Coyote News, est. 1976
April 11, 2018 - Vol. 43, No. 8
April – Hawit`an – Spring - Wawaxam
PO Box 489
Warm Springs, OR 97761
ECR WSS
Postal Patron
U.S. Postage
PRSRT STD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
Land Buy Back response deadline near Costly
The deadline to respond to a
purchase offer from the Warm
Springs Buy Back program is com-
ing up soon, on Tuesday, April 24.
If you have already returned
your paperwork, no further action
is necessary. Otherwise, if you
have received an offer and are in-
terested in selling, staff is available
to answer questions, or assist in
completing the paperwork.
You can reach the War m
Springs Land Buy Back office at
541-615-0997.
The coordinator is Randy Scott,
and the outreach coordinator is
Tiffiney Yallup.
Randy and Tiffiney have their
offices at the Media Center, 4174
Highway 3, Warm Springs. You can
email: randy.scott@wstribes.org
Principal parties in the Warm
Springs Buy Back—Mr. Scott, and
Fiduciary Trust Officer Charles
Jackson—met recently with Tribal
Council.
At the time of the meeting last
week, only 111 responses to the
Buy Back offers had come in. Of
that total, 103 had been accepted.
The total was in response to 677
offers that had been made to land-
owners of Warm Springs Reserva-
tion allotments. The total response
to the offers was low; or at least
the responses so far had been com-
ing in at a slow pace, Mr. Jackson
said.
To state the situation another
way: The Warm Springs Buy Back
program has available approxi-
mately $4 million for purchases
among the Warm Springs allot-
ment owners.
To make the purchases from
the 103 who had so far accepted
(these numbers as of early last
week), the cost would be about
$440,000.
That would leave unspent a
large part of the available $4 mil-
lion.
Funds that remain unspent at
the close of the Warm Springs pro-
gram would revert back to the
Land Buy-Back Program for
Tribal Nations. These funds would
no longer be available to benefit
the Confederated Tribes, or Warm
Springs allottees.
‘Fair market value’
The Buy-Back Program
implements the land consolida-
tion
component
of
the Cobell Settlement. The
settlement provided $1.9 bil-
lion—the largest component
of the Cobell Settlement—to
purchase fractional interests in
trust or restricted land from
willing sellers at fair market
value.
On the Warm Springs Res-
ervation, allotment interests
that are purchased through the
Buy-Back program go to the
Confederated Tribes.
See BUY BACK on page 7
The Wheeler County Fair
and Rodeo Queen Coronation
Dinner is coming up at the
fairgrounds in Fossil in mid
May.
Mary and family are raising
items for the auction that will
benefit the fair and rodeo.
Her mom is Sonia Heath,
who works at the Early Child-
hood Education Center, and her
grandmother is Catherine Watah.
This will be a great and inter-
esting chance to share our Warm
Springs culture at the Wheeler
County Fair and Rodeo, Sonia
said. And for their part the Fair
Board is excited to have Mary
as their ambassador, and the
2018 Fair and Rodeo Queen.
Wheeler Fair &
Rodeo Queen
Mary Olney
M ary Olney is the 2018
Wheeler County Fair and Rodeo
Queen—a first for both Warm
Springs and Wheeler County.
Mary is a junior at Madras
High School, where she excels at
academics, being an Honor So-
ciety student.
She plays varsity softball, and
is president of the Lyle Gap 4-
H Livestock Club.
Just recently Mary was voted
incoming president of the Future
Farmers of America Madras
Chapter. For the current school
year she is the FFA chapter vice
president.
Mary Olney following the
2018 Fair and Rodeo
Queen competition.
Great grand opening at Plateau Travel Plaza
T he grand opening of the Pla-
teau Travel Plaza saw a great turn-
out of customers and other
friends. “We are grateful to have
the support of the entire commu-
nity as we open our doors,” said
Eric Angel, Travel Plaza general
manager.
“On behalf of the Confeder-
ated Tribes, we look forward to
many years of neighborly relations,
economic growth and enduring
success.”
The Travel Plaza offers some
unique and incomparable ameni-
ties, both for residents of the lo-
cal community and visiting travel-
ers.
There is parking for up to 70
trucks in a secure lot. There are
laundry facilities, full service and
self-serve fueling, a 3,000 square-
foot convenience store stocked
with favorite items, home style
seated dining and takeout food, a
convenient off highway location,
a variety of gaming options at the
indoor casino.
A key distinction of the Plateau
Travel Plaza is that it is positioned
as a family-friendly destination for
area residents, said Belinda
Chavez, director of marketing at
cleanup at
Longhouse
The Agency Longhouse was
closed to the public earlier this
year, as testing of some areas of
the building were positive for
methamphetamine contamination.
Tribal management then began
the process of finding a company
to remove the contamination.
This process has turned out to
be more complicated, and more
expensive than was initially antici-
pated.
The tribes sought bids from
companies that could de-contami-
nate the Longhouse. Upon inspec-
tion of the building the compa-
nies indicated they could not ad-
dress the methamphetamine con-
tamination until the completion of
asbestos and lead paint mitigation.
This would require two con-
secutive bids—first for the asbes-
tos-lead paint mitigation, followed
by the methamphetamine decon-
tamination.
The two-part process would be
very drawn-out, said Secretary
Treasurer Michele Stacona, up-
dating Tribal Council on the situ-
ation earlier this week.
Management then looked for
a company that could accomplish
both mitigations at one time.
A company based in Idaho
would be able to do this work; so
as a means of bringing the
Longhouse back into use in a
timely way, Management and Fi-
nance presented this option to
Tribal Council.
The cost of the work would
be $192,000. Making this amount
available for use at Longhouse
would require use of previously
allocated capital projects funding.
As there are other public build-
ings on the reser vation—
restrooms at Elmer Quinn Park,
for instance—that appear to re-
quire mitigation work, the recom-
mendation was to make a total of
$300,000 available.
Tribal Council by resolution
made the necessary adjustment to
the current year budget to address
the matter.
Lil’ Miss
Warm Springs
Dave McMechan/Spilyay
Gaming board chairwoman Fran Ahern addresses the gathering at the grand opening. With her in the
picture are board members Ted Kulongoski and Elizabeth Furse, Miss Warm Springs Thyreicia
Simtustus, and Tribal Councilwoman Brigette McConville.
Indian Head Casino,.
“This new complex offers so
much for those who live and work
right here in the Warm Springs
and Madras community,” Ms.
Chavez said. “We view it as an af-
fordable, convenient family
destination for entertainment,
food and fun.”
The 2018 Lil’ Miss Warm Springs
Pageant is coming up on the evening
of April 25. Recreation will host
the Pageant in the Social Hall of
the Community Center.
Categories of the Lil’ Miss
Warm Springs Pageant are:
Lil’ Miss Warm Springs, 9-11
years of age. Junior Miss Warm
Springs, 12-14 years of age. Senior
Miss Warm Springs, 15-17 years of
age.
The current Lil’ Miss Warm
Springs are Lil’ Miss Warm Springs
Kiahna Allen, Junior Lil’ Miss Warm
Springs Gigi David, and Senior Lil’
Miss Warm Springs Coreena Stwyer.