KWSO News for Wed., Aug. 18, 2021

Following a round of lightning in the afternoon on August 2nd, four new fires were identified on the south end of the Mt. Hood National Forest. Three of the fires, Janus, Kola and Ridge Fires are in the southeast corner of the Bull of the Woods Wilderness in the Janus Butte area.  The fourth fire, Round Lake Fire was located in the Round Lake area east of the Bull of the Woods Wilderness.  A fifth fire, Ogre Creek Fire was located on August 3rd in the same Round Lake area. The fires make up the Bull-Complex. The Fire is 18% contained and has burned 5,120 acres 12 miles NE of Detroit. The wind has brought smoke from this fire into the Warm Springs Area.

The Warm Springs Branch of Natural Resources is notifying the tribal public that large amounts of coliform (kow-low-form) bacteria have been found in Nii-Nii Springs and the springs are not safe to drink from at this time.  Coliform bacteria is a common bacteria found in the digest tracts of animals. while not harmful themselves, indicate fecal matter is present in the water which may contain a host of other, more harmful bacteria or parasites such as E. coli or giardia (jee-ar-de-a .  Coliform was first detected in the spring on July 23rd and its presence was again found on August 13th.  The Branch of Natural Resources will continue to test the spring about every 2 weeks and will notify the public when the water is safe to drink once again.  If the water from Niinii  Spring must be used, be sure to boil it first.

In July, the NCAI passed a resolution supporting the Trans & Gender-Affirming Care Strategic Vision and Action Plan. It was drafted by the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board.Morgan Thomas of the NPAIHB says at a time when many state legislatures are restricting transgender rights, it’s great to see support for Indigenous “gender-diverse” people. Morgan Thomas: “Prior to colonization within many Indigenous communities, gender diverse people were held with great respect and had esteemed reclaim roles within their communities. And we see Two Spirit and gender diverse Indigenous activists and advocates doing a lot of work to reclaim those roles within their contemporary communities” Advocates say work has just begun on supporting LGBTQ and Two Spirit rights. Some still experience ridicule, shunning, or violence in and outside their communities.

A new U-W Medicine study adds to the evidence that COVID-19 vaccines are safe for pregnant women. The study tracked more than 17-thousand pregnant and lactating individuals who got the vaccine … and found they had no worse symptoms than people who are not pregnant. The U-W study comes on the heels of a formal recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that pregnant women get COVID-19 vaccination.