KWSO News for Fri., Jan. 26, 2018

Eight Northwest Tribes and the Affiliated Northwest Indians met in Portland yesterday (1/25/18) to show their support for the Paris Climate Agreement. Tribal leaders spoke about the impacts climate change has had on their communities. They talked about shorter harvest seasons, reduced snow packs and damage to wildlife. Leaders signed a declaration aligning them with the accord. Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Councilwoman Carina Miller, said Climate Change is an international concern: “I just hope that people can understand this isn’t an identity politics kind of thing, this can’t be a bipartisan kind of thing, this is impacting everyone who lives on this planet. And we really need to start working together and pushing out real solutions for the impacts that are happening.” Last summer, President Donald Trump pulled out of the coalition leaving the U-S as the only country absent from the agreement. He recently hinting that the U.S. might possibly rejoin.

Many people incorrectly believe homelessness means living on the streets. But, being homeless really means that a person does not have a stable, safe and secure place to live. This can be doubling up, living in hotels or motels, camping, residing in shelters, living out of camp trailers and vehicles, temporarily staying with family or friends, being a runaway or fleeing from domestic violence. The annual Point in Time Survey and Homeless Count happens every January around the country to get accurate counts of homeless populations. The information from the count can be used to help provide services for homeless people and track trends in homelessness. The count is done nationwide and the data submitted to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. The count in Warm Springs is today (1/26/18). Folks can go to the Family Resource Center 9am – 7pm and take a one-page survey. There will be light meals served at noon and 5:00, information available, incentives and free clothing and warm weather items.

The Warm Springs Land Buy Back Program is hosting an Outreach Event next Tuesday (1/30/18) from 10am – 3pm at the Warm Springs Credit Enterprise Building. There are 819 individuals who own fractional interests on the Warm Springs Reservation. The landowners reside in 18 states with 477 individuals living in Jefferson County. ‘Fractionated tracts’ refer to a tract of land held in trust or restricted status that has two or more unique owners, one of who may be the tribe itself. To be eligible for the Buy-Back program, the tract must be: held in trust or restricted status; have two or more owners; AND The tract must be able to be mapped (in other words, the legal description of a tract must not require further research). Learn more at the Warm Springs Land Buy Back Program Outreach Event on January 30, 2018 10am- 3pm at the Warm Springs Credit Enterprise Building or contact Randy Scott: randy.scott@wstribes.org

Madras High School has three basketball games on tap today (1/26/18). Corbett High School has no Freshmen Teams or a Girls JV team but they are bringing what they have to the Buffalo Dome this afternoon. Action begins at 4 with a Boys JV game – followed at 5:30 by Girls varsity competition and then at 7 – the Boys varsity teams tip off. It’s an opportunity for both White Buffalo Varsity team fans to see both the boys and girls compete. KWSO will broadcast both varsity games live here on 91.9 FM. And remember you can listen online as well at kwso dot org. And if you want to hear the game after the fact – you can find it archived online – scroll down past calendar and news information at kwso dot org.