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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 2024)
Page 4 Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs August 21 Team Empire MMA representing the tribes Team Empire MMA was helping represent War m Springs this summre at the amateur mixed martial arts competition, held at the Northern Quest Resort & Casino in Spokane. At the show—before a sold-out standing room only crowd of more than 1,500 fans—two tribal members competed, one of who won his showcase match. And Jose Eriza, married into the tribes, won the amateur MMA Heavyweight Title Belt. Jose, 42, competitor and coach of Team Empire MMA, works with his wife Amy, who is the team man- ager. The team also features tribal members Hamley Sam Smith, Bonius Smith and Jo- seph Stacona Eriza. Jose and Amy have a train- ing facility at their residence, and are working on opening a new training gym. “These gentlemen put their all into what they do,” Amy says. “And the training every day is just Courtesy Amy Eriza Empire MMA training session with Jose Eriza and Joseph Eriza Stacona. one of the things they are passionate about when it comes to this sport.” MMA can be very a tough sport, obviously. When Jose won his title belt last month, for instance, his op- ponent broke his hand; and Jose suffered a concussion and fractured nose. At that event Bonius won his match, and Hamley got very close, going all three rounds. MMA is a very popular sport, especially among young people. And it’s diffi- cult to master, involving techniques of boxing, wres- tling and jiu-jitsu. Team Empire invites any- one who is interested in learning more to contact them. They have a Facebook page under Team Empire MMA. Or a phone number is 541-325-9822. Jose and Amy know many of the people in the sport around the Northwest, such as Rick Little, the most influential MMA promotor in the re- gion. The approach with the Team Empire is to learn and grow and have a good and challenging time. Their motto as stated on the Facebook page says: A loss isn’t really a loss. In our books it only makes us bet- ter! Around Indian Country Why we are seeing fewer huckleberries As gatherers are aware, there are not as many Western huckleberries as there used to be. And the decline of huckleberries is likely to have an impact other Native communi- ties, native plant species and wildlife. Among the numerous threats to the berry bushes include the following: Increasingly destruc- tive forest fires are an- nually torching thousands of acres of medium- and high-density forests, which provide the shade huckleberries need to sur- vive war m summer months. This creates another problem—decreased flora following wildfires makes it difficult for pollinators to reach huckleberry patches. Related to climate change, rising tempera- tures mean many huckle- berries ripen prematurely, before pollinators can get to them. Invasive species also play a role in the huckleberr y’s decline. Root-eating, black vine weevils, Scotch broom and nonnative thistle each pose a threat. In other Northwest news: Fire Managers say that many wildfires currently burning in Oregon and Washington, and poten- tially new ones, will per- sist until the region expe- riences significant rain or snow this fall. With wide- spread lightning expected this month, fire managers will be adopting a strategic approach to integrate risk management, ecosystem resilience, and community involvement on long-dura- tion fires before typical strong east wind events po- tentially arrive around the beginning of fall.
