Spilyay Tymoo Coyote News, est. 1976 August 29, 2018 - Vol. 43, No. 18 August – Shatm – Summer - Shatm Tribal Council action to close Kah-Nee-Ta The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Tribal Council took formal action Tuesday to close the Kah-nee-ta Resort & Spa, putting into motion the recommendation of the Board of Directors. The clo- sure includes the Lodge, the Village, and the golf course. Immediate steps will be taken by the Tribes Ex- ecutive Management team and the Board to implement a closure plan. The Kah-nee-ta Board of Direc- tors has presented a number of eco- tourism options to the Tribal Coun- cil for consideration over several sessions. These ideas included a trial season of heli-skiing on Mt. Jefferson, multi-day lodge-based fishing trips along the Deschutes River, trophy game hunting, and the development of a culture and wellness center. Each of these op- tions required action by the Tribal Council to move forward as permit- ting and capital investments were needed. The Board also included permit- ting areas on Mt. Jefferson for lim- ited commercial film and photogra- phy production. The permits would have generated revenue for the Tribe and resort as well as gener- ated jobs and other opportunities for Tribal members. Other tribal nations have departments that manage com- mercial production including the Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation Office who permit commercial film and photography production for Navajo Nation lands. This branded permit concept was previously pre- sented in 2017 to generate revenue for the Scholarship Fund and infra- structure development but did not receive enough support to move forward. After lengthy discussions and no action on presented options, Councilwoman Carina Miller made the motion to move for- ward with closure of the facil- ity on September 5th. “It is ir- responsible to continue pouring money into an enterprise that has demonstrated over many years that it cannot generate enough revenue to cover ex- penses,” she stated. See KNT on page 7 National Finals qualifiers T he riders gave it their all over the weekend for one last chance to compete at the 2018 National Finals Rodeo in Oc- tober in Las Vegas. Congratulations to the In- dian National Finals qualifiers from Warm Springs: Joe Scott Jr. for saddle bronc; Mike Holyan in tie- down roping; Clint Bruised Head for steer wrestling; Jenna Johnson in ladies breakaway roping; Sammy Bruised Head in senior breakaway roping; Brinley Holyan in junior barrel racing; and JB Bruised Head in juionor breakaway roping. Here are the full results from last weekend’s rodeo, hosted at the Corwin Rodeo Arena in Madras by Johnson Promotions and family (year- end qualifiers mentioned first, followed by average qualifi- ers): Bareback riding: Clay Ramone of Hoopa, California. Saddle bronc: Joe Scott Jr. Bull riding: Bo Johnson, Grand Ronde. Tie down roping: Mike Holyan. Average qualifier: Kyle Jones of White Swan. Dave McMechan/Spilyay The Lady with the American Flag is Della Jackson Howard from Fort Hall, Idaho. The girl in the Black Shirt is Miss Sr. Warm Springs, Jessica BruisedHead. Steer wrestling: Clint Bruisedhead. Chance Guerrero, Wadsworth, Nevada. Ladies barrel race: Ashley Picard, Pendleton. Courtney Frazier, College Place, Washington. Ladies breakaway roping: Jenna Johnson. Annette Moses, White Swan. Team roping header: Travis Thom, Schurz, Nevada. W i l l i e Coversup, Wadsworth. Team roping heeler: Ed Harry, Nixon, Nevada. Gene Curtis, Fernley, Nevada. Senior breakaway roping: Oliver Pimms, Whire Swan. Sammy Bruisedhead. Senior team roping header: Oliver Pimms. Ed Jones, White Swan. Senior team roping heeler: Norbert Gibson, Owyhee, Nevada. Jerry Parrish, Klamath Falls. Junior barrel race: Lilly Picard, Pendleton. Brinley Holyan. Junior breakaway roping: JB Bruised Head. Jessie Walker, Nespelem, Wash- ington. Junior bull riding: Bud Hostler, Hoopa, California. Chance Abrams, Toppenish. Water plant to see needed improvements Through a combination of grants the Confederated Tribes now have the funds to make some significant improvements to the Dry Creek Water Treatment Plant. The final piece of funding— $447,000 from the Department of Housing and Urban Develop- ment—adds to an eariler $343,000 from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and $80,000 from Indian Health Service—Portland Area Office. That brings the total available to $870,000, all to be used for im- provements at the treatment plant. Tribal management and the Community Development Direc- tor have been focusing on finding a solution for the treatment plant, built in the early 1980s and now 36 years old. The Environmental Protection Agency and the tribes identified specific areas that need to be addressed. With an aging system, replace- ment parts can be hard to come by, and must more expensive than when the plant was built. The situation had become a se- rious concern, qualifying the grant request in the ‘imminent threat’ category. The grant application also demonstrated that existing tribal resources were not currently suf- ficient to address the immediate needs. The $870,000 upgrade will al- low the treatment plant, on the Deschutes River, to continue op- erating for the next five or so years. That gives the tribes time to find funding for a new treatment plant, with the current preferred site also at the Dry Creek location. The recent grants should allow improvement work to begin this year. The single biggest part of the project is the pumping system. The plan is replace existing pumps and purchase back-ups, total estimate of $175,000. A new computer system and electrical panels controlling the fa- cility are also a big component, at $148,000. Then there are a number of other aspects, accounting for the rest of the $870,000. All of this will be a welcome project for the tribes. As the grant application points out: The condition of the treat- ment plant “is a very real con- cern to the elected tribal offi- cials and management, because more than 4,000 tribal residents may be without water for their daily activities because of water pump failures.” Meanwhile management con- tinues to work with the IHS and other agencies, planning for a new plant, estimated cost of $16- to-$22 million. This would be a much more modern facility. PO Box 489 Warm Springs, OR 97761 ECR WSS Postal Patron U.S. Postage PRSRT STD Warm Springs, OR 97761 New school year starting The Back to School Barbecue and Family Information Fair have become the unofficial kick-off for the new school year. The barbecue and info fair are this Thursday, August 30 at the Warm Springs Academy, starting at 4 p.m. This is an opportunity for school staff, students, families and the com- munity to share some time together before class begins next week. The barbecue is free. The Family Information Fair will be in the cafeteria and gym. If you visit all the booths, you will be en- tered into a raffle drawing. It’s a great opportunity to learn about community resources, offer feedback, learn new things, make new connections, and have some fun. Students at the Academy had a week of classes in August, as a kind of warm-up for next week. Of course there is no school on Mon- day, September 3 because it’s La- bor Day. Then the Warm Springs Acad- emy students return to the regular class schedule on Tuesday, August 4. The Jefferson County Middle School sixth-graders, and Madras High School ninth-graders also start that day. Wednesday, August 5 is the first day for all other students. On regular school days at the Academy kids should arrive at school by 8:05 a.m., pick up break- fast and go to classrooms for an 8:15 a.m. start time. Breakfast closes at 8:25. Tune into KWSO weekday morn- ings just after 7 a.m. for the latest Academy information on KWSO Eagle News. Honoring Korean War Veterans The Eugene Greene Sr. Ameri- can Legion Family #48 hosted the Korean War Veterans Honoring in August at Kah-Nee-Ta. This was the Second Annual event honoring Korean, and all vet- erans. Or as more specifically stated: ‘Honoring veterans who served on the ground in the Korean War, or in support capacity in the wa- ters of the Pacific between 1950 and 1955.’ The event holds a special place in the hearts of the American Le- gion veterans and Auxiliary for the organizations namesake, Eugene Greene Sr. Mr. Greene Sr. was a combat vet- eran, earning the Silver Star, among the highest military combat decora- tions that can be awarded to a mem- ber of the United States Armed Forces. The Silver Star is awarded for gallantry in action. You can learn more about the Eugene Greene Sr. American Legion #48 at their website: WSala48.org for details (See page 9 for more on the Honoring Korean War Veterans event.)