KWSO News Oct. 15, 2018

The Museum at Warm Springs has announced the list of speakers, artists and documentarians who will participate in its “People of the River, People of the Salmon: Then, Now and Tomorrow” Treaty Conference this month. Speaking at the conference will be: Attorney Howard Arnett; Michelle J. DePass, president and CEO, Meyer Memorial Trust; Walter Echo Hawk Sr.; Klamath author Kathleen Shaye Hill; Alfred Lane III, Siletz Tribe vice chairman; Rebecca Miles, executive director, Nez Perce Tribe; Robert J. Miller, professor of law at Arizona State University; and Charles Wilkinson. Lead artists and documentarians will include: Elizabeth Woody; Valerie Switzler; Aurolyn Stwyer; Jefferson Greene; Bunky Echo Hawk Jr.; Edward Heath; Woody Hunt; Alfred Lane III; Phillip Cash Cash; and Toma Villa. The Treaty Conference will provide an overview of the history of treaties and, specifically, the history of treaties as it pertains to the tribes in Oregon. The Treaty Conference is open to the general public. The Conference is free to Warm Springs tribal members but space is limited. Registration is required – online at www.treatyconference.com or at the Museum.

Warm Springs Tribal Council began the month with a meeting on October first. In attendance: Chief Delvis Heath, Chief Alfred Smith Jr., Chairman Eugene Greene Jr., Vice Chairman Charles Calica, Raymond Tsumpti, Ronald Suppah Sr., Valerie Switzler, and Lee Tom. The summary shows the Council received updates from Bureau of Indian Affairs and Office of Special Trustee. Randy Scott provided the Realty report, after which a motion was made and seconded to direct Mr. Scott to continue to do research on the BNSF Railway Right-of- Way in the absence of a Realty Officer. The motion was carried unopposed. Other agenda items that day were the a Columbia River housing update, federal and state legislative updates 7, and a Tribal Attorney update 8.

Some Warm Springs eighth graders left Sunday for a 2-day field trip to the University of Washington. The students will take part in Native Scholar Research & Mentorship, a planetarium show, an Apollo Navigation Course and several other activities. The trip was organized by the Papalaxsimisha program and University of Washington, in partnership with Native Aspirations, the Warm Springs K-8 Academy, Tribal Prevention and Family Preservation Programs. They would like to thank Indian Head Casino and Madras McDonalds for their donating items for the trip.

The U.S. Senate is backing a plan to build a tribal village in Washington along the Columbia River for families who were never compensated for homes lost when dams were built. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who built and operates major dams on the river, must complete a plan and acquire land where the village would be build. The Yakima Herald-Republic reports the bill now awaits consideration by President Donald Trump. Four Columbia River tribes — Yakama, Nez Perce, Umatilla and Warm Springs — were affected by the construction of three major dams — Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day.

States, tribes and three federal agencies continue to work side by side for the good of endangered salmon and steelhead as they extend the historic Columbia Basin Fish Accords for up to four more years. The original agreements, signed in 2008, provided states and tribes more than $900 million to implement projects benefiting salmon, steelhead, and other fish and wildlife, and $50 million for Pacific lamprey passage improvements at federal dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers. The new Accords extensions could run through September 2022 and will set aside more than $400 million for fish and wildlife mitigation and protection. Accord agreements were extended with the Shoshone Bannock Tribes, the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, the Yakama Nation, Colville Tribes, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, the states of Idaho and Montana, BPA, the Corps and Reclamation.