Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon January 15, 2020 Page 7 Tribal water, landfill talk with senator Senator Jeff Merkley met with the community, in- cluding Tribal Council mem- bers and staff, in early Janu- ary. The town hall, and the talk with Council, happened at the Madras Performing Arts Center. Topics of discusion ranged from concerns about over-use of air space above the Jefferson County area to perspective on escalations in the Middle East. Discussion topics specific to the tribes included the do- mestic water issue facing the reservation, said Council- woman Anita Jackson. Sen. Merkley wants to help ad- dress the safe drinking wa- ter on the reservation, Coun- cilwoman Jackson said. Last month Merkley was among the lawmakers to in- troduce federal legislation to improve water quality and services for tribal commu- nities in Oregon. The federal law would add to the $7.8 million ap- proved for the Confeder- ated Tribes by the state leg- islature and governor. Councilwoman Jackson also brought up the issue of Sue Matters/KWSO the tribal landfill, which is significant need of attention. The landfill need situation is not as publicized as the wa- ter crisis, but is of great im- portance, Jackson said. Councilman Wilson Wewa also spoke with Sen. Merkley, bringing up the need to address inequities in the federal tax laws. The tax code, specifically the 2018 changes, disproportionately benefit corporations and the wealthy, leaving out people of average or lower income, Councilman Wewa said. Also representing the tribes at the meeting with the senator were Councilman Glendon Smith, and tribal governmental affairs direc- tor Lewis Pitt. During the town hall, Sen. Merkley presented Dan O’Brien, of the Jefferson County Cultural Coalition, with a flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol. The presentation was in recognition of the Coalition’s efforts to increase local par- ticipation in the arts, and in celebrating the varied cul- tures and histories of Jefferson County. About 175 people at- tended the town hall, Janu- ary 4. Courtesy The last public appearance of Chief Tommy Thompson, photographed here with his wife Flora, as they were arriving in Celilo for the Feast of the First Salmon on Saturday, May 11, 1957. Find more images at the Confluence Library Galleries: confluenceproject.org/library/view/ Northwest Film Center Northwest Tracker series. Screenings on February 6 at 7 p.m. at the Northwest Film Center, 934 SW Salmon St., Portland. Basketr y workshop: Learn traditional weaving practices from Grand Ronde educator Greg Archuleta. This day-long workshop will leave you with new knowledge about an old craft from the Indigenous cultures of the Columbia River. Greg will teach how to prepare cedar for basket making, plaiting and two weaving methods to com- plete your basket. This will be at the Confluence office in Vancouver. $65 per per- son. March 14, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Earth Day work party: Confluence, The Mission Continues, The City of Vancouver and Fort Vancouver National Historic Site will partner to organize a volunteer Earth Day work party. The work will be tend- ing the Land Bridge that con- nects the community to this special place along the river. Volunteers will shovel, haul and spread mulch, pick up trash, weed and plant. April 18. Confluence on the road: Confluence on the Road is experiential opportunity for teachers and education lead- ers to dig deeper into the sto- ried landscape of the Colum- bia River system. The jour- ney includes guided visits to sites of cultural and environ- mental significance with In- digenous speakers to hear first-person insights into Na- tive traditions and history. Native fellowship in Portland for cancer research Applications are now available for the Tribal Re- searchers’ Cancer Control Fellowship Program. The overall goal of this program is to reduce cancer incidence and mortality, and improve cancer survival in tribal com- munities through the efforts of American Indian re- searchers. The fellowship program offers training and mentorship to prepare re- searchers to design and implement cancer-related research projects within Na- tive American communities. Costs associated with the training, including travel, will be covered. American Indian graduate students and researchers with a demonstrated interest in cancer prevention and control are welcome to ap- ply. Accepted fellows will: · Attend three-weeks of tailored cancer control re- search training held at the Northwest Portland Area In- dian Health Board in Port- land. The first two weeks will be June 7-19 followed by a one-week session in the fall. · Fellows will receive fol- low-up support, including field support, distance learn- ing opportunities, and mentoring. · You will be eligible for paid cancer control research internships to master addi- tional research skills relevant to careers in community- based cancer control under close mentorship. · And be connected to a network of experts in can- cer control and prevention in Indian Country. Due date: Application materials will be due March 13. For more information contact Ashley Thomas at athomas@npaihb.org Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board. 2121 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97201. Phone 503-416- 3293. Be alert and protect yourself from scams It’s important to be aware of scams that target you and your money. If you get a message threatening your social security benefits or making false promises op- portunities to buy somehting or invest money… it’s likely a scam. You might get a call, a To tribal wood cutters: Your resale permits for 2019 will expire on January 31. You will need to complete the transport process from the woods to your residence by the end of the month. The 2020 resale permits will be the only legal permits after January 31. This applies to the 2020 permits issued in 20 ½ cord permits or ten 1-full cord permits. We are also in discussions of moving toward elec- tronic permits for the 2021 wood cutting year that would be for both free use and resale permits. The committee will have public meetings in the future to allow tribal members a chance to voice their opinion or concerns with this proposed pro- cess. The committee will put public announcements out with dates, locations and times of the public meet- ings. U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley addresses the town hall at the Performing Arts Center. Confluence Project events set for 2020 The Confluence Project is a series of outdoor instal- lations and interpretive art- works located in public parks along the Columbia River and its tributaries. Each art installation explores the confluence of history, cul- ture and ecology of the Columbia River system. Confluence invites tribal members to these upcoming events: Stories from the river screening: Indigenous el- ders and leaders from the Columbia River share per- sonal stories and insights about the history, culture, and ecology of the land and its people. This series of documen- tary shorts is a collaboration of Confluence and Woodrow Hunt (Klamath/ Modoc/Cherokee) of Tule Films. The screening is pre- sented in partnership with the Native American Arts Council, as part of the To wood cutters from the Timber Committee robocall, a text, email or let- ter with an offer that sounds too good to be true, or that threatens if you don’t send money for some made up purpose. Be Aware that there are bad people out there, trying to scam you out of your money. Be alert and protect yourself by not falling for fraudulent claims. If your phone rings and it’s a number you don’t know just don’t answer. Or if you get an email from an ad- dress you don’t know just delete it. Never provide any- one with your personal in- formation. Be alert and protect your- self by not falling for fraudu- lent claims. To learn more visit: usa.gov and search ‘scams’ This message brought to you by KWSO 91.9 fm Hemp plan submission The U.S. Department of Agriculture hemp regulations were posted in the fall, re- quiring state and tribal gov- ernments to submit plans to address the regulations, re- grading CBD production and products. The 2019 Farm Bill con- siders CBD as a standard agricultural crop. The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Cannabis Project, or CP Enterprise, submitted its in November. Last week the USDA pub- lished a list of plans submit- ted for approval. The status of the Warm Springs Plan was listed as one of three tribes with plans ‘under review; for being received before regulations were in place. The Warm Springs Can- nabis legal team has re- viewed that status, made changes to the War m Springs Plan. and has re-sub- mitted to the USDA. According to Ventures CP Enterprise cannabis co- ordinator Laurie Danzuka, they hope to be listed as ap- proved in the next round of USDA approvals. Flu season update The flu season is here and may be approaching its peak. In Central Oregon last year the peak was in March, and in 2018 the peak was in Janu- ary. During the final week of last month in Jefferson, Crook and Deschutes coun- ties there were 147 emer- gency rooms visits, com- pared to 136 the week be- fore, according to county re- ports. War m Springs Indian Health Service clinic direc- tor Hyllis Dauphinais says it is important for people to get their flu vaccination, which are still available at the clinic. The Oregon health Au- thority estimates that 45 per- cent of all Oregonians, six months and older, received a flu vaccine. COCC scholarship day, financial aid The Bend and Redmond campuses of Central Oregon Com- munity College are host- ing Scholarship Day from 1 to 3 p.m. on Wednes- day, January 22. The day is to help cur- rent and prospective stu- dents discover and maxi- mize their financial aid options for the 2020-21 academic year. The Bend campus event is at the Coats Campus Center; the Redmond campus event is held in building 1. Both are open to the general public—no reg- istration is required. Workshops start each hour on the hour and cover topics like essay writing and strategies for multiple scholar- ships. Both locations will of- fer valuable information on scholarship and grant opportunities, as well as specifics on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Oregon Student Aid Application (ORSAA) processes, in- cluding all deadlines. For more details, contact COCC’s Financial Aid of- fice at 541-383-7260 or coccfinaid@cocc.edu Health degrees COCC’s Bend campus is hosting an information session on its Allied Health programs from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 22, in the Health Careers Cen- ter, room 140. The health programs covered will include den- tal assistant, massage therapy, medical assis- tant, pharmacy techni- cian and veterinary tech- nician. The session will in- clude a description of each occupation, the typical clinical and ad- ministrative duties, as well as the certification or licensing required. There will also be a review of the structure, length and cost of each of the programs. It is not necessary to be enrolled at COCC to attend this session. Res- er vations are not re- quired. For information, call 541-383-7420.