Spilyay Tymoo
Coyote News, est. 1976
January 15, 2020 - Vol. 44, No. 1
Wiyak’ik’ila – Winter - Anm
Weighing possible groundwater option
The domestic water source for
much of the reservation is the
Deschutes River. Water is drawn
from the river at the treatment
plant in the Dry Creek area. The
water is treated, and then pumped
to the storage towers and custom-
ers.
The use of treated surface
water as the source of domestic
drinking water is common, espe-
cially for larger communities.
Groundwater, though, has advan-
tages: Filtration through the earth
helps clean groundwater.
Groundwater, then, can require
much less treatment before distri-
bution, said Jim Manion, general
manager of Warm Springs Power
and Water.
The tribes are planning for the
future of the domestic water sys-
tem serving the Agency and Kah-
Nee-Ta areas of the reservation.
A study presented last year by In-
dian Head Service engineers iden-
tified the Deschutes River as the
most practical source for future
domestic water.
This would involve replacement
of the existing treatment plant, with
construction of a new one nearby,
according to the report. Cost of a
new plant could be up to $30 million.
Power and Water has applied for
a $200,000 grant to assess the po-
tential of groundwater resources
on tribal land. Results of the study
could help determine the potential
use of groundwater for domestic
service, or a commercial potential
such as a water bottling business.
The grant would come from the
Bureau of Reclamation Native
American Division.
A benefit of the use of
groundwater would be the re-
duction in the treatment re-
quirements, creating a long-
term savings, Mr. Manion said.
The assessment would look
at the sources of groundwater
on the reservation. Distribution
is a wholly separate question,
Manion said. He anticipates the
report could be concluded in the
springs of next year, at which
point it would be a membership
and Council decision as to a fu-
ture course of action.
More
options,
better food
The work is rewarding—chal-
lenging for sure, and for this rea-
son rewarding. Starla Green has
a lifetime of cooking experi-
ence—from a longhouse helper
as a child, to her successful com-
mercial food business.
Starla joined the War m
Springs Community Action
Team last fall, working now as
the WSCAT Food Cart manager
and trainer. The food cart—the
Twisted Teepee—is by the Ac-
tion Team office on campus.
For now Starla opens for lunch
Wednesdays through Fridays.
She and the Community Ac-
tion Team are currently seeking
a food cart trainee. This posi-
tion would allow for more hours
of service, while giving the
trainee hands-on experience in
the food service business. The
Community Action Team is
working on this project with the
Warm Springs Workforce Inno-
vation and Opportunity Act
(WOIA) office. (See page 4 of
this publication for a complete
trainee job description.)
D. McMechan/Spilyay
Twisted Teepee food cart coordinator Starla Green, at the cart by the WSCAT office.
The Twisted Teepee is a first
step in a longer-term plan to cre-
ate a food court by Highway 26—
at the future site of the Commis-
sary business incubator. The food
court and pavilion could host up
to half-a-dozen or more food carts,
serving all kinds of foods, tradi-
tional and otherwise.
Clearly, there will be new em-
ployment opportunities for tribal
members, a main goal of the over-
all program, said Christ Watson,
WSCAT executive director.
Mr. Watson secured a grant
from East Cascade Works to pur-
chase the Twisted Teepee cart, and
funding for staffing.
Starla tries to add new items to
the Twisted Teepee menu each
week. Some of the items are
familiear tribal items—Indian
burgers and fry bread, for in-
stance—while other choices in-
clude items that people here
may not have yet tried.
Customers are welcome to
stop by the cart and enjoy a
lunch at one of the picnic tables
by the Action Team office. Or
you can call in and pick up an
order. The number is easy to
remember, 541-300-1000. Visit
the Twisted Teepee site on
Facebook for the week’s menu.
Dave McMechan
Getting around with Cascade East Transit
A s a rural community, Warm
Springs relies greatly on public
transportation. Cascade East
Transit Route 20 serves the reser-
vation, with service to Madras.
The Cascade East route in Warm
Springs includes nine stops, plus to
and from the tribes’ Plateau Travel
Plaza.
Funding for Cascade East Tran-
sit, partnering with the Central Or-
egon Inter-Governmental Council,
comes from a fraction of a per-
cent of the state payroll tax, ex-
cluding tribal members. The fund-
ing—the State Transportation Im-
provement Fund—is disbursed to
transit districts, counties and tribes.
As there is no transit district in
Central Oregon, the regional fund-
ing goes to the tribes and the coun-
ties, who work in partnership to
provide the best service possible.
The tribes and the counties all
have transportation improvement
advisory committees. The tribal
committee is planning to meet for
discussion this month. A public
meeting for community input
would happen shortly after.
This will be a good time to pro-
vide comments on change or im-
provement to Route 20, or any
other STIF related issue, said
Theresa Conley, regional transit
coordinator. A new draft route
plan can be expected in the spring
or summer; followed by public
comment and implementation in
coming years.
The tribes’ transportation im-
provement—or STIF—advisory
Courtesy
Snowy weather is a great time to take the CET bus.
committee members are Rose
Mary Alarcon, Lorien Stacona,
Melinda Poitra, Tom Estimo Jr.,
Lyle Katchia, Andrea Breault,
Janell Smith; and alternates
Frances Martinez and Michele
Stacona. Louie Pitt of Govern-
mental Affairs, and James
Halliday, Land Services admin-
istrator, have been active in the
STIF process.
You can see the Route 20
schedule at kwso.org
Dave McMechan
PO Box 489
Warm Springs, OR 97761
ECR WSS
Postal Patron
U.S. Postage
PRSRT STD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
Organization
review at
Council
Tribal Council this week is
meeting with its committees—Fish
and Wildlife, both On- and Off-
Reservation; Timber, Health and
Welfare, Land Use, Range and Ag,
during this week.
Council review continues next
week with Human Resources, Fi-
nance, Governmental Affairs,
Managed Care, Administrative
Services and Procurement.
Branches are up next, on
Wednesday, January 22, with Tribal
Court and Public Safety, Natural
Resources, Health and Human
Services, Education and Utilities.
This month will see the Affili-
ated Tribes of Northwest Indians
winter convention. Some items on
the ATNI winter convention
agenda are a ‘Youth Forum: Cul-
turally Based Leadership Training’;
a 2020 Census Tribal Liaison train-
ing, and a session with the North-
west Tribal Educators Alliance.
Some other ATNI items are
the General Assembly leaders dis-
cussion; State of ATNI with presi-
dent Leonard forsman; and the
executive director update with
Terri Parr. More items include
tribal natural resources assess-
ments; and reports on Missing and
Murdered Indigenous Women
(MMIW), the National Congress
of American Indians, and White
House inter-governmental affairs.
Tribal solar power, and a
Bonneville Power Administration
update fill out the winter confer-
ence agenda.
Meanwhile at Tribal Council in
January, the Warm Springs Tribal
Employment Rights Office will
give their update; and there will be
a talk with the Water Board, and
the Development office.
There will be a Columbia River
Housing open house in January,
and a meeting with the Columbia
River Inter-Tribal Fish Commis-
sion.
MMIP January
meeting in
Warm Springs
The team working on the
state Missing and Murdered
Indigenous People initiative
will meet soon with the Warm
Springs tribal community.
Terri Davie of the Oregon
State Police, and Mitch Sparks,
of the Oregon Legislative
Commission on Indian
Services are planning a Warm
Springs MMIP meeting in
Warm Springs on Tuesday,
January 28.
The state legislature in 2019
created with the MMIP task
force, providing resources to
help address one of the most
serious problems among
tribes.