KWSO News for Tue., Feb. 16, 2021

The Warm Springs Health & Wellness Center has announced another  Community Wide COVID-19 Vaccination clinic that is set for this Friday at the Warm Springs Community Center.  This clinic is open to ages 18 and older.   The criteria to participate is that you need to be IHS Eligible or be a Tribal Essential Employee.  You also must schedule an appointment for your shot by calling 541-553-2131 before the end of the day Thursday.   The appointment line is open 8am – 5pm.   Calling for an appointment will reserve your vaccine dose.

COCC has announced that their Spring Term Adult Basic Skills classes will all be done remotely and online.  You can sign up now for Reading, Writing, Language Arts, Basic Math, Science and Social Studies classes through March 15^th.  Spring Term starts March 29^th.  If you have questions you can call 541-504-2950.  https://www.cocc.edu/departments/adult-basic-skills/schedule.aspx

Last week the Department of the Interior announced that it will host initial consultations with Tribal leaders next month. In addition to honoring and strengthening the nation-to-nation relationship, these steps will help ensure that future White House and Interior efforts at addressing the four converging crises of our time – COVID-19, economic security, racial justice and climate change – are inclusive of Tribal Nations’ priorities and recommendations.   Interior will hold four Tribal consultation sessions in March to hear Tribal leaders’ suggestions for federal policy and departmental actions, including identifying additional best practices to improve consultation and fortify Interior’s relationship with Tribal governments. The sessions will be conducted via teleconference with Tribes in each of the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ 12 regions.  The session for Alaska, Northwest and Pacific region Tribes is set for Friday, March 12^th.

Several wolves recently crossed from established packs in Oregon into California. As Jefferson Public Radio’s Erik Neumann reports, the dispersing wolves could expand territory and strengthen the species’ genetic diversity.   Last week the California Department of Fish and Wildlife identified a wolf from Oregon’s Warm Springs Reservation area in Lassen County. In December, a member of Oregon’s Mt. Emily pack was spotted in Siskiyou County with another unidentified wolf.  Kent Laudon is a wolf specialist for the state of California. He says that second wolf could be significant for the state’s small wolf population.   He says they are pretty close to being certain that the 2^nd wolf is a female and so there is a high likelihood that she could have pups in April.   That would  be the second reproducing pack in California.  According to Laudon, once wolves mate and start a new pack, they stay in one area. He says the pair in Siskiyou County has a current range of about 350 square miles.  There are currently 158 known wolves in Oregon and 8 in California, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.  Wolves were recently delisted from protection under the federal endangered species act. That move by the Trump administration is being challenged in court. Wolves are still protected under California’s state endangered species act and in Oregon by state statute.