Author: Kim Kalliber

Weekend to-do list: Lots of options for fun

Source: The Herald

For kids — and kids at heart: Families can see and touch emergency vehicles including police, fire, public works and other emergency and utility vehicles at Touch-a-Truck. The event is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Rosehill Community Center Upper Parking Lot, 304 Lincoln Ave., Mukilteo. There will be arts and crafts and games for kids. Event takes place rain or shine. More info: call 425-263-8180.

Tour farms: Visit farms on a self-guided tour on Saturday and Sunday. The Port Susan Spring Jubilee Farm Tour is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Get all the details in our story here.

Plant a gift for Mom: Children can plant pots with flowers for Mother’s Day gifts with the help of Edmonds in Bloom volunteers, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Edmonds Farmer’s Market, Fifth Avenue North and Bell Street. Suggested donation is $9. Also, a Children’s Fairy Flower Parade starts at noon at the Edmonds Library, 650 Main St. For more information, check www.edmondsinbloom.com.

Take Mom sailing: A free Mother’s Day Sail is Saturday at The Center for Wooden Boats at Cama Beach State Park. There are classic wooden boats to see, and for kids, a chance to build toy boats, using hand tools and wooden hulls from scrap wood. The event is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Cama Beach State Park, 1880 SW Camano Drive, Camano Island. More info here.

“Rapunzel”: See the story on stage, in a show best for ages 3 to 10. The shows are at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday at Snohomish County PUD, 2320 California St., Everett. Tickets are $10. For more information, go to www.storybooktheater.org.

For bird lovers: International Migratory Bird Day is Saturday and the Pilchuck Audubon Society is planning a host of events throughout Snohomish County. All events are free and families are welcome. A variety of field trips, walks and classes are offered. Check our story here for all the details.

Hibulb powwow: The 21st annual Hibulb Powwow is at Everett Community College on Saturday. The event features traditional American Indian dancing, drumming, singing and arts and crafts. Grand entries are at 1 and 6 p.m. Find more details in our story here.

Dancer at the 2012 Hibulb Pow Wow. Photo Brandi N. Montreuil, TulalipNews
Dancer at the 2012 Hibulb Pow Wow. Photo Brandi N. Montreuil, TulalipNews

Meet parrots: Kids can see live parrots and learn about their habitats in the wild and keeping them as pets. The event is for preschoolers and older. The event is at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Evergreen branch of the Everett Public Library and at 2 p.m. Saturday at the main branch of the library. Find more information here.

National Train Day: The Swamp Creek and Western Railroad Association plans an open house, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at 210 Railroad Ave., Edmonds. The SC&W has been located in the Edmonds Amtrak Station since 1977 and features more than 400 feet of HO scale track as model trains operate through a scenic layout. More info: 425-257-9343.

Bake and plant sale: The Camano Animal Shelter Association plans a bake sale and plant sale fundraiser, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Camano Multi-Purpose Center, 141 East Camano Drive. Stop by for hot dogs, water and free coffee and shop for delicious desserts and indoor and outdoor plants. More info: www.camanoanimalshelter.org or 360-387-1902.

Nature fair: The Watershed Fun Fair is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Yost Park, 9535 Bowdoin Way, Edmonds. The fair will feature guided nature walks, nature crafts and activities especially for kids. The event features exhibits and information about Puget Sound stewardship, stormwater, fish and wildlife, backyard habitat, recycling, energy and water conservation.

Wine walk: A wine walk with thrift store gift shop bargains is from 4 to 7:30 Friday night in Snohomish. Click here for more details.

Free for moms: In honor of Mother’s Day, admission is free for all moms at Imagine Childrens Museum in Everett on Sunday.

Amazing acrobatics: Watch acrobats leaping between tall poles, contortionists, flexible performers doing handstands on high human pyramids and stacked chairs 20 feet high at Cirque Zuma Zuma on Sunday at Comcast Arena. Read our story here for the details.

For art lovers: The Camano Island Studio Tour, featuring 48 professional and amateur artists, 34 studios and three galleries, kicks off its 15th anniversary year this weekend. A tour runs Saturday and Sunday, and next weekend also. Get the details in our story here.

In honor of strong women: The town of Langley is putting on a celebration this weekend that pays tribute to strong women of the past and today’s mothers and daughters. On Saturday, women suffragettes will march at 11 a.m. in downtown Langley, followed by street theater to celebrate those who fought for women’s right to vote. For more information, call 360-929-9333 or go to www.mainstreetlangley.org.

Chairwoman Cantwell Holds Hearing on Tribal Resources Legislation

Indian Affairs Committee Examines 2 Bills to Address Water and Lands Claims of the Blackfeet Nation and the Pueblo of Sandia

Source: United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
WASHINGTON D.C. – Today Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-WA) held a legislative hearing to address water and lands rights that are essential to the Blackfeet Nation of Browning, Montana, and the Sandia Pueblo of Bernalillo, New Mexico. The hearing examined the Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act of 2013 (S. 434) and the Sandia Pueblo Settlement Technical Amendment Act (S. 611).
 
“At the core of the principals of tribal self-governance and self-determination is the ability of tribes to exercise jurisdiction over their lands and their resources,” said Cantwell. “Often legislation is necessary to ensure that tribes can exercise those rights.”
 
The Committee heard testimony from the Department of the Interior, the State of Montana, and the Blackfeet Nation on their views of the Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act of 2013 (S. 434). The bill, introduced by Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Jon Tester (D-MT), would settle a longstanding water dispute between the Blackfeet Nation and the State of Montana, and would ratify an agreement that the two parties have reached.
 
The Committee heard from Shannon Augare, Councilman for the Blackfeet Nation, which has over 16,000 members, half of whom live on the reservation. “Safe and clean drinking water supplies are vital for the growing population on the Reservation, and water is critical to our economy which is heavily dependent on stock raising and agriculture,” Augare said. “The Blackfeet Reservation’s location along the eastern Rocky Mountain Front makes it the home of abundant fish and wildlife, which depend directly on the water resources of the Reservation to support them and allow them to thrive.”
 
The Committee also heard from Jay Weiner, Assistant Attorney General for the State of Montana. “The State of Montana and the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council agree that this is a fair and equitable settlement that will enhance the ability of the Tribe to develop a productive and sustainable homeland for the Blackfeet People,” said Weiner. “This settlement is the product of over two decades of negotiations among the parties, which included an intensive process of public involvement.” Weiner continued: “The compact promotes development for the benefit of the Blackfeet Nation while protecting other water uses.”
 
Witnesses from the Department of Agriculture and the Pueblo of Sandia testified on the Sandia Pueblo Settlement Technical Amendment Act (S. 611) at Wednesday’s hearing. The bill, introduced by Senators Tom Udall (D-NM) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM), would make a technical amendment to the T’uf Shur Bien Preservation Trust Area Act to accomplish the transfer of 700 acres of land to the Pueblo of Sandia that was intended to happen when Congress passed the original Act in 2003. The bill would clarify the valuation of the lands and require the Department of Agriculture to complete this transaction within 90 days of the Act’s passage.
 
The Committee heard from Stuart Paisano, Councilman of the Pueblo of Sandia. “The Pueblo hopes that with the passage of this technical amendment, the land exchange that Congress authorized over 10 years ago in the T’uf Shur Bien Preservation Trust Act will finally happen,” Paisano said. The Sandia Mountains have special cultural and spiritual significance to the Pueblo. Completion of the land transfer would ensure their preservation for members and future generations.

NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo presses tribes to resolve casino-related disputes with state, warns them of non-Indian competition

By Michael Hill, Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday that New York’s Indian casinos could face competition in their backyards if talks with tribes over his gambling expansion proposal fail to yield results soon.

Cuomo’s harder public stance with the tribes comes as he tries to shepherd his proposal to bring three Las Vegas-style casinos to upstate New York at yet-to-be-identified locations.

The owners of the former Nevele hotel in Ellenville and the former Concord in Sullivan County are among those hoping to win approval to operate non-Indian casinos.

State lawmakers are considering casino legislation, and a public referendum to change New York’s Constitution to allow non-Indian gaming halls could be on the ballot as early as November.

Three of the six upstate regions Cuomo is looking at already have Indian casinos. The governor said he would not allow a new casino to operate in a region where there already is a casino run by a tribe in good standing with the state. But that could change for tribes that fail to resolve issues with the state in current rounds of talks.

“The Senecas have a decision to make, the Oneidas have a decision to make, the Mohawks have a decision to make,” Cuomo told reporters at a Capitol news conference on Thursday. “It’s the same decision factors today that there are going to be in nine months. For the legislation to work, we need certainty and we need closure.”

The Seneca Nation of Indians and the St. Regis Mohawks have, for years, been withholding casino payments to the state, claiming New York violated contracts with the tribes by allowing gambling in their exclusive territories. The Senecas, who operate casinos in Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Salamanca, have withheld more than $500 million since 2009 and are in binding arbitration with the state.

The Mohawks, who operate a casino on their northern New York land straddling the Canadian border, decided in October 2010 to stop making payments and have withheld $59 million.

The Oneida Indian Nation’s 20-year-old compact with the state does not require revenue sharing from its Turning Stone casino east of Syracuse, but it also does not grant them an exclusive territory. Cuomo suggested the Oneidas could acquire exclusive rights to their central New York territory, perhaps in context of settling longstanding land claims.

Cuomo stressed new casinos could bring desperately needed economic activity to parts of upstate New York that have been struggling for generations.

But the state, for generations, has had only mixed success in dealing with Indian issues, and it was unclear if the governor’s latest attempt would work. Even Cuomo, citing long-simmering issues with the Mohawks and Senecas, said he was dubious.

“We respect the governor’s comments today on the complexities of the issues, and we are engaged in a constructive dialogue with his administration,” Ray Halbritter, an Oneida Nation representative, said in a prepared statement.

A spokeswoman for the Senecas said they were abiding by the gag order set by arbitrators and could not comment. A Mohawk spokesman said the tribe had not had enough time to review the issues brought up by Cuomo to comment right away.

Cuomo hopes to strike a casino deal soon with the Legislature, which is scheduled to end it regular session June 20.

Under the governor’s proposal, potential casino sites would be identified by a special selection committee. No casinos would be located in New York City for at least five years, giving upstate operations a better chance to thrive, Cuomo said.

“A New York City franchise would eat at the buffet table of the upstate casinos,” he said.

Host localities and counties in the region around new casinos would split 20 percent of the government’s revenue, with the state getting the rest. The state uses gambling revenue for education aid.

2 injured as motorcycle crashes into car on Hwy. 9

Source: KOMO News

SNOHOMISH, Wash. – Two people on a motorcycle were injured late Tuesday when they veered into the path of oncoming traffic on Highway 9 and slammed into a car, the Washington State Patrol reported.

Drugs or alcohol were believed to be a factor in the crash.

State troopers responded to the scene, near the intersection of Highway 9 and 136th Street SE, at about 11:15 p.m. Wednesday after receiving a report of a serious accident.

A preliminary investigation found that a 2010 Harley Davidson Fatboy with a man and woman aboard was heading south on Highway 9 when it crossed the center line into the northbound lane.

The motorcycle crashed head-on into a 2011 Nissan Versa driven by a 59-year-old Tulalip man.

The motorcycle’s driver, a 44-year-old Snohomish man, and the passenger, a 31-year-old Snohomish woman, were taken to Harborview Medical Center for treatment of serious injuries. Both were wearing helmets.

The driver of the car was uninjured.

The accident remains under investigation and possible charges are pending.

Fish die-off in Skagit Valley likely to remain a mystery

Dead shiner perch lay in the mud after hundreds of the fish died on April 26 in Browns Slough. Just the day before, Skagit River System Cooperative counted 416 Chinook fingerlings in this same area.
Dead shiner perch lay in the mud after hundreds of the fish died on April 26 in Browns Slough. Just the day before, Skagit River System Cooperative counted 416 Chinook fingerlings in this same area.

Source: Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

The Skagit Valley Herald reports on a fish die-off in Browns Slough. Last week, hundreds of shiner perch and some fingerling chinook were found dead near Fir Island Road:

Other than the dead fish, nothing appeared out of the ordinary. Because there was no obvious cause of the fish deaths, Wildlife called in Ecology, which arrived about an hour later.

But Ecology workers saw no sheen on the water that might indicate a chemical spill and didn’t note any chemical smell. And though many suspected agricultural overspray, they were unlikely to identify a responsible party.

Ecology spokesman Larry Altose said workers took fish and water samples, but by that time the water already had drained from the slough into Skagit Bay. Without a responsible party, Ecology would not test the samples, he said.

“Samples are used if you have a potential responsible party, and you’re able to confirm that because you can bill the cost to the responsible party,” he said.

Altose said there have been no fish kills reported in that area in the week since then. He said it could be “an isolated fish kill incident that could be related to anything.”

“It’s possible the fish kill will be unsolved,” Altose said. “It won’t be the first time, and it won’t be the only time that this happens.”

In departmental emails on April 26, Ecology workers seemed dismissive of the fish kill.

“The WDFW people there don’t seem to have much interest so I’m not sure why we should,” wrote Dale Davis with Ecology’s spills program.

Brian Williams, a habitat biologist out of Wildlife’s La Conner office, said, “We are in fact very interested and concerned. … However, without a clearer understanding of what triggered the fish kill, it is premature to engage enforcement staff.”

But Ecology said nothing could be done unless a cause was obvious.

“Ecology is the correct contact for a water contamination issue, but like you, we are not able to do much without a (responsible party),” Davis wrote.

Davis was clear: If there’s no responsible party, Ecology will not test the samples.

“So fill me in on why we would ever call you again if you can’t be bothered to establish a cause,” wrote La Conner District biologist Brett Barkdull. “We would have called enforcement if we had cause, we can’t arrest someone without cause. You basically wasted our time.”

Altose said that testing is only done if Ecology knows the culprit.

“Testing is usually done as a confirmational exercise, but not for the purpose of fishing (for a cause),” Altose said in a phone conversation. “There could be any number of things that could be out there.”

Ecology’s budget also plays a role, he said.

“We have to make judgment calls in what we can attend to and cannot attend to,” Altose said.

Estuaries like Browns Slough are critical salmon-rearing habitat, said Eric Beamer, director of research for the Skagit River System Cooperative. The Cooperative has studied that exact spot on Browns Slough for the past 18 years.

Every two weeks or so, a crew from the Cooperative traps the fish in a fine-mesh net. As the tide recedes and flows out of the nearby tide gate, the fish are harmlessly captured, counted and released.

On Thursday, April 25 — the day before the fish kill — the Cooperative noted 416 Chinook fingerlings in its trap. Beamer called it a “good, solid catch” during a peak time of year.

There also were several hundred chum salmon, a handful of coho smolts and several other species. The group also monitors dissolved oxygen, food sources and water temperature — all of which were fine that day.

“Places like Browns Slough are full of these chinook salmon,” Beamer said. “The Skagit has millions of juvenile chinook coming down, passing Mount Vernon and colonizing the estuaries.”

The estuaries, like Browns Slough, are critical for the salmonids’ survival. In the weeks and months they are present, Beamer said they can double their length and increase weight tenfold.

“It’s a critical part of what they need to survive in the ocean,” Beamer said.

Anyone who witnesses a fish kill, pollution discharge or knows the cause of the die-off in Browns Slough in April should call the state Department of Emergency Management: 1-800-258-5990.

Native Gymnast From Flathead Rez Qualifies for National Championships

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

Kiyana Price, Lakota/Wampanoag, of Dixon, Montana has qualified for the 2013 Junior Olympic National Gymnastic Championships in Minneapolis. The championships begin tomorrow, May 9, and run through May 12.

Price, 16, is one of the top-ranked gymnasts in the state of Montana. She was the all-around state champion at Level 10 for the state of Montana in March, then competed at regionals in Seattle in April, qualifying for the national championships in Minneapolis.

This is the first time in nearly 20 years that Missoula, Montana has sent a female gymnasts to nationals. Price has been competing in gymnastics since she was 7 years old at Mismo Gymnastics in Missoula. She has been Montana state AA champion for levels 5, 6, 8 and 10 (twice). A sophomore at Hellgate High School, Price is aiming for a college scholarship for her sport.  Price lives with her grandparents, George and Barbara Price, on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana.  After 9 years of hard work (she works out about 20-25 hours a week, year-round) this is her first time qualifying for nationals.
“Gymnastics has been my passion almost my entire life.  It’s not a casual sport, it requires daily dedication and drive all year-round,” says Kiyana. “I’ve put so much into gymnastics for so long so that, for me, going to nationals is finally having something to show for what I’ve put into this sport.  I see it as my chance to prove to myself and everyone else that I’m capable of being great and I deserve to be there.”
To learn more about Price, including the family’s efforts to fund-raise for their trip to Minneapolis, click here.

 

Read more at https://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/05/08/native-gymnast-flathead-rez-qualifies-national-championships-149260

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell made her first appearance before Congress on Tuesday

Source: Indianz.com

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell made her first appearance before Congress on Tuesday.

Jewell told the Senate Appropriations Committee that the Interior Department suffered an $881 million cut due the sequester of the federal budget. Employees are being furloughed and services are being reduced as a result.

“It’s just very, very difficult for us to carry out the mission in the way it’s expected,” Jewell testified.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is taking a hit, Jewell acknowledged. She said officials are trying to prioritize education, law enforcement and self-determination needs.

“There’s no question in Indian Country, we’ve got needs that far exceed the ability to meet them,” Jewell said.

“I know there’s not enough money to go around but we’re certainly working with tribes to do the best that we can,” she added.

Jewell took over the Interior Department on April 12. Her first appearance on Capitol Hill was expected to be before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee but the