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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (July 23, 2025)
Spilyay Tymoo Coyote News, est. 1976 Reservation fire season update There are two active fires on the reservation, both having started early this past weekend. As of Tuesday morning of this week, the Butte Creek fire had grown to about 2,000 acres, and was 5-per- cent contained, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. No homes had burned. Residents of Simnasho and Schoolie Flats were under level 2 evacuation warnings over the week- end. The powwow scheduled for the Hehe Longhouse also had to be cancelled due to the Butte Creek. The Huckleberry Feast was moved to the Agency Longhouse rather than Hehe. Some progress was reported earlier this week on the Butte Creek fire, as winds had died down for a time; and the evacuation or- der was downgraded to level 1, or ‘Be ready,’ according to Warm Springs Fire Management. The Greeley Heights fire started shortly after the Butte Creek fire, sometime early this past weekend. The fire at one point prompted Level 3, Go now evacuation order for areas near Mt. Jefferson Street. As of earlier this week, the Greeley Heights fire had burned about 385 acres and was 0-percent contained, but fire crews were able to decrease fire activity in key ar- eas, leading evacuation orders to be downgraded to level 1. The Warm Springs Police De- partment told people to remain aware of the fires and to prepare supplies and an escape plan in case conditions worsen. July 23, 2025 - Vol. 50, No. 14 Summer - Shatm PO Box 489 Warm Springs, OR 97761 ECR WSS Postal Patron U.S. Postage PRSRT STD Warm Springs, OR 97761 Tribes, Council welcome new S-T The Thirtieth Tribal Council has hired Edward ‘Eddie’ Henderson as the new Secretary- Treasurer/CEO for the Confed- erated Tribes. Col. Henderson is from War m Springs, having grown up here; and in the past had worked for the tribes. Some years ago, for instance, he was the tribes’ first chief operations officer, before joining the U.S. Army. Col. Henderson had a 36-year career with the Army. At the time Edward Henderson of his retirement from the service he had achieved the rank of Colo- nel, and was the highest ranking Na- tive American officer in the United States Army. More recently he had been working as an auditor for the state of Oklahoma, regarding oil and gas company business. By chance, Col. Henderson and outgoing S-T Robert ‘Bobby’ Brunoe are fist cousins. They are working together for a few weeks during the S-T transition, as issues facing the tribes are often com- plicated and ongoing. The Mon- day Tribal Council meeting of this week was Col. Henderson’s first day on the job, and the session was an introduction to some of the pending matters. “Edward Henderson brings a wealth of experience and integ- rity,” said Council Chairman Den- nis White III. “His background aligns with the values and respon- sibilities this position requires.” Kayakers complete historic Klamath River journey Native youth descend a free- flowing Klamath River, after biggest dam removal project in history. The Klamath River meets the Pacific Ocean near Requa Village, on the Yurok Reser- vation in northern California. One foggy morning earlier this month, on a sandy beach nearby the village, family and community members gath- ered to welcome 120 Indig- enous youth kayakers who had just finished an historic journey. For 30 days, the youth had traveled by kayak down the free-flowing Klamath River. They were the first to make the 310-mile journey since the re- moval of the up-river Klamath dams, constructed over decades from the 1910s to the 1960s. Some of the youth represent- ing the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs on the journey were Julia Wolfe, Kiahna Allen, and James Napyer. “It’s been such an experience these past four years, dedicating my summers to training to go down the under and calamities and just being a part of this huge and wild and just awesome expe- rience has been life changing,” Julia said. For more than a century, the four hydroelectric dams blocked the Kla- math River, disrupting once-abun- dant salmon runs and disconnect- ing Indigenous communities from the river that they have lived along since time immemorial. The last of those dams was re- moved in the fall of last year, marking the completion of the largest dam removal project in his- tory. On June 12, the kayakers rang- ing in age from 13 to 20 set out to paddle the newly free-flowing river, starting at the headwaters in south- ern Oregon. And on July 11, they made the long-awaited dream of Klamath basin tribes a reality when they entered the mouth of the river at the Pacific. With War m Springs, youth from the Klamath, Yurok, Karuk, Quartz Valley, Hoopa Valley, as well as the Tohono O’odham Nation were represented in the program. The kayakers had put in some years of traing and preparation specifically for this adventure. As the river had been unpassable Kiahna Allen for some time now has been an avid kayaker. for kayakers for decades, this was the ‘first descent’ since re- moval of the dams: Kayakers continues on 7 Jefferson County Fair this week The Jefferson County Fair & Rodeo is this Wednesday through Saturday, July 23–26 at the county fair Event Complex. The Jefferson County Fair & Rodeo is free to get in. There are livestock and other exhibits, live music each night, carnival rides, pro rodeo action, circus performers, balloon artists, face painters, Kids Zone, all new attractions and much more. Carnival passes are priced at $35 for an unlimited day pass; and $85 for unlimited week pass. The theme for the 2025 fair is ‘Your Gate- way to Carnival Lights & Sum- mer Nights!’ Graudates’ Banquet The 2025 Graduation Banquet is Wednesday, July 30 at the Agency Longhouse. Dinner is at 6 p.m. This is for high school and college graduates, and vocational and trade school certification earners. If you would like more information, con- tact Sandra Danzuka, email: sdanzuka@wstribes.org Jarrette Werk, Underscore Native News Earlier this month, over 120 youth kayakers representing the Warm Springs tribes, the Klamath, Yurok, Karuk, Quartz Valley, Hoopa Valley, as well as the Tohono O’odham Nation completed their historic 310-mile descent of the free-flowing Klamath River, possible after the largest dam removal project in history. State officials vote to reconsider Grand Ronde fishing agreement The Oregon Fish and Wild- life Commission voted earlier this month to revisit its memo- randum of agreement with the Grand Ronde tribe, regarding fishing rights. The five-year agreement, signed in 2023, attempted to allow the Grand Ronde tribe to issue its own hunting and fish- ing licenses to tribal members for subsistence and ceremonial harvest throughout a broad swath of Northwest Oregon, from the Cascade Mountains to the Or- egon coast. The four treaty tribes of the Columbia River opposed the agreement, and succesfully pe- titioned the state to revisit the is- sue. “The Oregon Fish and Wild- life Commission directed the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to fix a mistake that harms our sovereignty,” said Den- nis White III, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Tribal Council Chairman. “ODFW must now consult with us on modifications to its agree- ment with the Grand Ronde Tribe to ensure that the agreement does not interfere with our treaty-pro- tected fishing, hunting, and gath- ering rights.” The Confederated Tribes is looking forward to consulting with the state Fish and Wildlife Depart- ment about how to better protect the tribes’ treaty-protected re- sources from being infringed upon by the state in the future, Chair- man White said. Fisheries continues on 3
