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Miami Tribe funds school resource officer

“The Miami Tribe is implementing this new officer position in memory of the loss of the 20 children and six adult teachers and staff in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.”

Melinda Stotts / Miami News-Record The Miami Tribe is funding $50,000 for the salary for a school resource officer for Miami Public Schools to promote school safety and in remembrance of Sandy Hook Elementary students and teachers. Attending the presentation were Miami tribal members, Business Committee and Economic Development members, Miami school officials, and center (from left) Miami Police Chief George Haralson, Miami Superintendent Loretta Robinson, and Chief of the Miami Tribe Tom Gamble. — Melinda Stotts / Miami News-Record
The Miami Tribe is funding $50,000 for the salary for a school resource officer for Miami Public Schools to promote school safety and in remembrance of Sandy Hook Elementary students and teachers. Attending the presentation were Miami tribal members, Business Committee and Economic Development members, Miami school officials, and center (from left) Miami Police Chief George Haralson, Miami Superintendent Loretta Robinson, and Chief of the Miami Tribe Tom Gamble.

Posted: 9:58 pm, Wed Apr 10, 2013 in MiamiOk.com

Melinda Stotts melinda.stotts@miaminewsrecord.com

The nation mourned and then rallied to action after the 2012 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School took the lives of 26 students and teachers. Reacting locally, schools, tribes, and the community took a closer look at what could be done to improve the safety of area students. In response the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma is funding $50,000 of a School Resource Officer’s (SRO) salary to serve Miami schools.

The position is for a full-time officer who will help patrol the nine public schools in Miami on a daily basis,with emphasis at the Will Rogers Middle School, to allow for a visual deterrent against violence, and bullying, added security and to provide another trusted individual for the students to confide in or look to for security while on campus.

The Miami Tribe is implementing this new officer position in memory of the loss of the 20 children and six adult teachers and staff in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy which shocked and saddened the nation on Dec.14, 2012.

“Our youth are our future,” Chief Tom Gamble of the Miami Tribe said, “It is our responsibility as good community partners, and as responsible individuals, to ensure that our children are protected and feel safe while they are at school.”

Chief Gamble said the Miami Tribe’s Business Committee members first looked at other ways to help, such as locks, cameras, and bullet proof glass, which are useful safety tools, but after discussing the issue decided a presence on campus was much more useful and needed.

Miami’s Police Chief George Haralson said the job position will be posted and he expects from three to five applicants from his department. He said hiring should take place by a review board by July in time for the new officer to be in place by the next school year. The School Resource Officer will work for and under the direction and jurisdiction of the Miami Police Department through memorandums of understanding with the Miami Public School system.

The new School Resource Officer will be the second in Miami, joining SRO Joey Williams who works mainly at Miami High School.

“We’re very excited about it, “Miami Schools Superintendent Loretta Robinson said, “Officer Joey does a great job, but he’s one person. There are 2,551 students in Miami. This gives an opportunity to have the officer presence at the Middle School as well as some support at the elementary schools. We appreciate not only the Tribe, they were the ones that initiated this, but the police department that did come though with additional funds for those other three months when we’re not in school.”

Robinson stressed that this opportunity is an example of community cooperation made possible only through such a joint effort.

“The revenues came through the Tribe’s economic development funds, so one good thing with having our own money, we get to do with it what we want. It’s rewarding to help,” Chief Gamble said.

Education is a high priority for the Miami Tribe who helps fund education for many of its tribal members through scholarships.

“Our children attend school to receive an education as a foot hold towards a prosperous and successful future. They shouldn’t have to worry about anything else but studying while they are in school,” Chief Gamble said.

The Miami Tribal officials said they are proud to commit to this important program to protect all Miami youth, and hope that, following this one year commitment, other resources within the community will continue to fund this important position.

“It is an honor for the Miami Tribe to serve the community in this way,” Chief Gamble said, “We plan to present Sandy Hook Elementary with a plaque commemorating the institution of this important position here in Miami so they will remember that we share in their loss and take responsibility to try to ensure against violence against our children.”

Q&A With Cherokee Counsel for Baby Veronica Case

The Supreme Court decision will impact every tribe in the country

Cherokee Nation Assistant Attorney General Chrissi Nimmo speaks at the April 8 press conference concerning the case Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa. (NICWA)

Brian Daffron

Published April 11, 2013 in ICTMN

After the April 8 press conference at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa in which the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) and the Cherokee Nation shared the latest developments in the case Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, Indian Country Today Media Network spoke with Chrissi Nimmo, the counsel of record for the Cherokee Nation.

In the “Baby Veronica Case” that has generated significant media interest in the past year, Cherokee Nation tribal member Dusten Brown is fighting to retain custody of his daughter. This particular case has consisted of a vast coalition of attorneys and support from tribes and tribal organizations, including the Native American Rights Fund, the National Congress of American Indians and NICWA. With future implications of the Indian Child Welfare Act on the line, the case will be heard in the United States Supreme Court on April 16, with an actual decision taking place by June of this year.

What has been your involvement?

I represented Cherokee Nation in South Carolina in family court in September 2011 when it went to trial the first time. It was a four-day trial in Charleston [South Carolina]. I then represented Cherokee Nation and presented oral argument at the South Carolina Supreme Court when it was appealed there. I am also counsel of record for the United States Supreme Court.

Do you consider the attention to the Indian Child Welfare Act positive or negative right now?

I think it’s both. This case has grown a lot of attention to the Indian Child Welfare Act. A lot of people who don’t understand it, don’t like it. I also think it’s good in that more people know about it. Once people really understand why the law was passed and what it’s intended to do and what it is doing, it sometimes changes from bad attention to good intention.

If the Supreme Court rules in favor of Dusten Brown and his family, what will this mean for the Indian Child Welfare Act?

There are splits in the state court system. One way or the other, the Supreme Court will answer those questions. If they affirm the lower court decision, it’s a strong statement to state courts across the country that they need to follow the Indian Child Welfare Act to a T.

What would happen if they rule against the Indian Child Welfare Act in the Supreme Court?

It would be devastating for Indian children, but it would be devastating for tribes as well. There are bigger Indian law issues wrapped up in this case. A detrimental decision could call into question several other federal laws that deal with tribes as tribal organizations but also as Natives as individuals.

What has the preparation been like for this case?

For the last four months, I’ve worked on nothing but this case. I was fortunate to have other co-workers that could take over my other duties.

What are you anticipating from the adoptive couple side of the case?

We know what their legal arguments are, because the briefs are already all done. That’s where the oral argument is an hour total. In this case, four different attorneys are speaking. Most of that time is spent with the Justices asking questions. I don’t think there’s going to be anything that’s a surprise.

How will this case change the Indian Child Welfare Act?

I think it’s one of two outcomes. If what we believe happens and what we think should legally happen, it strengthens the enforcement of the Indian Child Welfare Act. The other situation is a loss for a father of the Cherokee Nation. It would undo [over] 35 years of work on the Indian Child Welfare Act. Any adverse decision would impact every tribe in the country. There’s no doubt.

First Indian Affairs hearing of 113th Congress Focuses on Need to Reauthorize Tribal Housing Bill

Chairwoman Cantwell Calls for Reauthorization of NAHASDA, Which Expires in September

Source: U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs

WASHINGTON D.C. – On Wednesday, Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-WA) held a U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs oversight hearing to address housing and infrastructure needs in Tribal communities and to discuss the reauthorization of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA). Wednesday’s hearing – entitled “Identifying Barriers to Indian Housing Development and Finding Solutions” – marked the first oversight hearing by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs during the 113^th Congress.

During the hearing, Cantwell called for reauthorization of NAHASDA, the critical Tribal housing bill that is scheduled to expire in September 2013. NAHASDA was last reauthorized in 2008 for five years.

“Since the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act was implemented in 1998, 31,000 Indian families now live in newly constructed housing units, and another 64,500 Indian families have been able to rehabilitate their homes through the Indian Housing Block Grant program,” Cantwell said. “This hearing begins the reauthorization process, as the Committee works to address housing challenges to ensure that all Tribal members have access to safe and affordable housing and that housing programs are meeting the needs of tribal members, now and into the future.”

The Committee heard testimony from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the National American Indian Housing Council, and three Tribal housing Directors.

Witnesses at the hearing echoed the need to streamline housing programs under the federal structure, during NAHASDA reauthorization. They described the challenges posed by the fact that multiple agencies are often involved in the development of a single housing unit in Indian Country. Multi-agency requirements can be redundant, leading to delays in housing delivery to Indian communities. In addition, cumbersome regulations do not allow for technological advancements in energy-efficient housing and other innovative approaches.

The Committee also heard testimony from Annette Bryan, Executive Director of the Puyallup Nation Housing Authority in Washington state. “NAHASDA represents great progress toward the goal of self-determination and has provided tribes and tribal housing authorities with important tools for meeting the vast housing needs in Indian Country,” Bryan said. “Tribes need the flexibility to identify and target our local needs, including advancement in green housing, and we look forward to working with the Committee on the best ways to address these issues.”

In addition to Ms. Bryan, the Committee heard from Russell Sossamon, Executive Director of the Choctaw Nation Housing Authority in Oklahoma: “The reauthorization should maintain the government-to-government relationship between tribes and the federal government,” Sossamon said. The timely reauthorization of NAHASDA should be one of Congress’ top priorities before the end of this fiscal year.”

In 1996, Congress first passed NAHASDA to better meet the needs of Tribal governments and to acknowledge that Tribes, through self-determination, are best suited to determine and meet the needs of their members. NAHASDA replaced funding under the 1937 Housing Act with Indian Housing Block Grants and provided tribes with the choice of administering the block grant themselves or through their existing Indian Housing Authorities or their tribally-designated housing entities. In 2002, NAHASDA was reauthorized for five years, and was again reauthorized in 2008 for a five-year period which expires in September 2013.

President’s Fiscal Year 2014 Indian Affairs Budget Focuses on Strengthening and Supporting Tribal Nations

Request supports Indian Affairs’ mission to serve federally recognized tribes and individual Indian trust beneficiaries

Source: U.S. Department of the Interior

WASHINGTON – President Obama’s fiscal year (FY) 2014 budget request for Indian Affairs, which includes the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), is $2.6 billion – a $31.3 million increase above the FY 2012 enacted level. The proposed budget maintains the President’s commitment to meeting the government’s responsibilities to the 566 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, while exercising fiscal responsibility and improving government operations and efficiency.

“The President’s budget request for Indian Affairs reflects his firm commitment to keeping our focus on strengthening and supporting tribal nations, and protecting Indian Country,” said Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn. “While realizing the benefits from improvements to Indian Affairs program management, the request supports our mission to federally recognized tribes, particularly in the areas of trust lands and natural resource protection. The request also promotes economic development, improves education, and strengthens law enforcement and justice administration.”

Strengthening Tribal Nations Initiative

The Strengthening Tribal Nations Initiative is a comprehensive, multi-year effort to advance the President’s commitments to American Indians and Alaska Natives to improve conditions throughout Indian Country and foster economic opportunities on Indian reservations.

The FY 2014 budget request includes $120 million in increases for this initiative to support sustainable stewardship and development of natural resources in Indian Country, public safety programs that apply lessons learned from successful law enforcement pilot programs, operations at new and expanded detention facilities, contract support costs to facilitate tribal self- governance, and new and expanded payments for water rights settlements. Additionally, it

provides increased funding for post-secondary education and an elementary and secondary school pilot program based on the U.S. Department of Education’s turnaround schools model and concepts.

Advancing Nation-to-Nation Relationships

The FY 2014 budget request for Contract Support Costs is $231 million – a $9.8 million increase over the FY 2012 enacted level. The Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975, as amended, allows federally recognized tribes to operate federally funded programs themselves under contract with the United States – an expression of the federal government’s policy to support tribal self-determination and self-governance. Tribes rely on contract support costs funds to pay the costs of administering and managing contracted programs. It is a top priority for many tribes.

In light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Salazar v. Ramah Navajo Chapter, the FY 2014 budget request includes the Administration’s proposed interim solution to budgeting contract support costs. The Administration proposes Congress appropriate contract support costs on a contract by contract basis and will provide Congress with a contract funding table for incorporation into the Department’s FY 2014 appropriations legislation. Through tribal consultation, this interim step will lead to a long-term solution that will result in a simpler and more streamlined contract support costs process.

Protecting Indian Country

The FY 2014 budget request for BIA Public Safety and Justice programs is $363.4 million with targeted increases over the 2012 enacted level of $5.5 million for Law Enforcement Operations, $13.4 million for Detention Center Operations and $1.0 million for Tribal Courts.

The request also includes a $3.0 million programmatic increase in BIA Human Services to address domestic violence in tribal communities. A partnership between BIA Human Services and Law Enforcement will address the needs at tribal locations with high levels of domestic violence. The initiative will improve teamwork between law enforcement and social services to more rapidly address instances of domestic violence, and expand services that help stem domestic violence in Indian Country and care for its victims.

The FY 2014 budget request for Law Enforcement Operations is $199.7 million, a $5.5 million programmatic increase over the FY 2012 enacted level. The increased funding for Criminal Investigations and Police Services will enable the BIA to hire additional bureau and tribal law enforcement personnel. The request includes $96.9 million for Detention Center Operations, a program increase of $13.4 million over the FY 2012 enacted level. The additional funding for staffing, training and equipment will strengthen BIA and tribal capacity to operate existing and newly constructed detention facilities.

The request also includes $24.4 million for Tribal Courts, an increase of $1.0 million above the 2012 enacted level. The funding will be used for judges, prosecutors, public defenders, court

clerks, probation officers, juvenile officers, and support staff, as well as for training and related operations and administrative costs for tribal justice systems and Courts of Indian Offenses.

The FY 2014 budget request also supports the BIA’s successful pilot program, launched in 2010, that carries out the President’s Priority Goal of reducing violent crimes by at least five percent within 24 months on four initial reservations. The targeted, intense community safety program successfully reduced violent crime by an average of 35 percent across the four reservations. In 2012, the program was extended to two additional reservations. After a year, the two new sites have experienced an increase in reported crime – a trend similar to that seen at the initial four sites. The BIA will continue to support the efforts of all six programs in 2014 with funding, technical assistance, monitoring and feedback.

Improving Trust Land Management

Taking land into trust is one of the most important functions the Department undertakes on behalf of federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, whose homelands are essential to their peoples’ health, safety and economic well-being. The BIA’s trust programs assist tribes and individual Indian landowners in the management, development and protection of trust lands and natural resource assets totaling about 55 million surface acres and 57 million acres of subsurface mineral estates.

In 2012 and 2013, the Department undertook the most substantial overhaul of the federal fee-to- trust process in over half a century. In 2012, Interior placed 37,971 acres of land into trust on behalf of tribes and individual Indians and approved 299 fee-to-trust applications. Over the past four years, Indian Affairs has processed more than 1,000 separate applications and acquired over 196,600 acres of land in trust.

The FY 2014 budget request for the Trust – Natural Resources Management program, which assists tribes in managing, developing and protecting their trust lands and natural resources, is $189.2 million, a programmatic increase of $34.4 million over the FY 2012 enacted level. The increases support sustainable stewardship and development of natural resources and will support resource management and decision making in the areas of energy and minerals, climate, oceans, water, rights protection, and endangered and invasive species.

The FY 2014 budget request for Trust – Real Estate Services is $128.9 million, a programmatic increase of $7.7 million increase over the FY 2012 enacted level. This program carries out the BIA’s trust services, probate, and land titles and records functions, as well incorporates the Department’s trust reform improvement efforts. The request proposes a $5.5 million increase to fund authorized activities related to the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement at $7.0 million and provides $1.5 million for litigation support for Indian natural resource trust assets management.

Advancing Indian Education

The FY 2014 budget request for the Bureau of Indian Education of $802.8 million, a program increase of $6.7 million above the FY 2012 enacted level, advances the Department’s continuing

commitment to the education of American Indians and Alaska Natives from the federally recognized tribes. The Advancing Indian Education initiative addresses the full spectrum of educational needs throughout Indian Country from elementary through post secondary levels and adult education. The 2014 budget supports student academic achievement in BIE schools by initiating a $15.0 million pilot program to turnaround lower performing elementary and secondary schools, provides $2.5 million in increased funding to meet the needs of growing enrollment at tribal colleges, and provides $3.0 million in new funding for a Science Post- Graduate Scholarship Fund. The budget also proposes an additional $2.0 million for tribal grant support costs.

Achieving Better Results at a Lower Cost

Administrative Cost Savings Over the last few years, Indian Affairs has taken significant steps to reduce the administrative costs associated with the wide range of services it delivers. In addition to $7.1 million in cost-saving measures from information technology standardization and infrastructure consolidations, the FY 2014 budget request includes a reduction of $19.7 million to reflect anticipated cost savings from streamlining operations. The request also includes $13.8 million in savings from reductions to contracts, fleet management, awards, and travel.

Indian Arts and Crafts Board The budget proposes to transfer the $1.3 million funding for the IACB from the Office of the Secretary to Indian Affairs, thereby allowing Indian Affairs to oversee the implementation of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990, as amended, which contains both criminal and civil provisions to combat counterfeit activity in the American Indian and Alaska Native arts and crafts market, and the Board’s management of three museums in the Plains Region dedicated to the promotion, integrity and preservation of authentic American Indian art and culture.

Program Reductions and Eliminations:

Housing Improvement Program (-$12.6 million) Eliminates the HIP. Tribes are not precluded from using HUD funding to provide assistance to HIP applicants.
Law Enforcement Special Initiatives (-$2.6 million) Reflects decreased participation on collaborative activities such as intelligence sharing.
The Indian Student Equalization Program (ISEP) (-$16.5 million) Offsets $15.0 million for a turnaround school pilot program.
Replacement School Construction (-$17.8 million) The construction program will address improving physical conditions of existing school facilities through the Facilities Improvement and Repair program.
The Indian Guaranteed Loan Program (-$2.1 million) The funding level of $5.0 million will guarantee over $70 million in loans.
Indian Affairs’ responsibility to the federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes is rooted in Article I, Section 8, of the United States Constitution, as well as in treaties, executive orders, and federal law. It is responsible for the management, development and protection of Indian trust land and natural resources, providing for public safety and justice in Indian Country, and promoting tribal self-determination and self-governance. Through the

Bureau of Indian Education, it funds 183 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools, of which two-thirds are tribally operated, located on 64 reservations in 23 states and serving in School Year 2011-2012 a daily average attendance of 41,000 students. It also provides funding to 27 tribal colleges and universities and two tribal technical colleges, operates two post- secondary institutions of higher learning and provides higher education scholarships.

Crab research by QIN to shed light on low oxygen events

Is low oxygen in the ocean near Taholah killing off young crab each year, threatening the future of the fishery?

The Quinault Indian Nation proposes to research how low oxygen events may be affecting Dungeness crab populations in their traditional fishing waters. Dungeness crab is important culturally and economically to most western Washington treaty Indian tribes.

Source: Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

That’s the question Quinault Indian Nation (QIN) wants to help answer using special equipment to measure the extent and depth of low oxygen events.

QIN has requested a grant to pay for instruments that would measure dissolved oxygen from inside crab pots. “It’s a great way to get them distributed as part of a fisherman’s normal crab pot routine and they can retrieve them once a month for us so we can download the information,” said Joe Schumacker, marine scientist for QIN.

“Right now, all we know is that dead fish and crab have washed up on our shores in varying degrees in the summer for the past few years” Schumacker said. “We have no idea how far the low oxygen zones extend or how long they last. We see a result and we need to define the problem.” There is also no oral history among Quinault people for consecutive seasons of this sort of die-off.

Dungeness crab is a delicacy served in many fine restaurants and a signature Washington state seafood. Not only has it been important to tribes culturally for millennia, it forms the mainstay of the fishing season for many tribal members on the coast and in Puget Sound.

“Crab has always been a cultural resource for us,” said Ed Johnstone, QIN fisheries and ocean policy representative. “Ever since we have been on these shores, the abundant crab and razor clams sustained us along with the greens of the sea.”

QIN has only one measurement of the oxygen problem from a fish kill in 2006 when a QIN fishermen was pulling his cab pots in a line running north and south. “As he headed north toward Taholah, he was getting live crab in his pots until he crossed the Moclips River. Then it was pot after pot of dead crabs until just past the Quinault River. That’s about eight miles,” said Schumacker. One of the things QIN would like to know is if oxygen-poor water is settling over young crabs who take refuge in nearshore areas. “Maybe we’re losing whole age classes sometimes. We just don’t know,” said Schumacker.

The instruments QIN would use cost $8,500 each including annual maintenance that includes calibration. Six devices would allow QIN to minimally cover the nearshore part of their traditional fishing area. The Nation would also test less expensive dissolved oxygen meters that have traditionally been used in freshwater streams, but would need field testing side-by-side with the more expensive meters to evaluate performance in saltwater and ocean depths.

Low oxygen water naturally upwells from deep in the ocean and gets oxygenated at the surface. “Somehow this mixing isn’t occurring during some summers,” Schumacker said. “These events tend to happen when the winds and the ocean go calm.

“There is a lot of research interest in the low oxygen events along the Pacific Coast, but this affects treaty-protected resources and we need a great deal more information for our area to understand the extent of the problem and how we can adaptively manage around it,” Schumacker said.

The challenges of being lost inside your culture

Writer and Native American Sherman Alexie talks about the destructiveness of feeling “lost and insignificant inside the larger culture.”

The Challenges of Being Lost Inside Your Culture from BillMoyers.com on Vimeo.

As featured on Moyers & Company

April 9, 2013

In an extended clip from this weekend’s Moyers & Company, writer Sherman Alexie, who was born on a Native American reservation, talks to Bill about feeling “lost and insignificant inside the larger culture,” and how his culture’s “lack of power” is illustrated in stereotypical sports mascots.

“At least half the country thinks the mascot issue is insignificant. But I think it’s indicative of the ways in which Indians have no cultural power. We’re still placed in the past. So we’re either in the past or we’re only viewed through casinos,” Alexie tells Bill. “I know a lot more about being white than you know about being Indian.”

Puyallup Tribe’s $150 million expansion of Emerald Queen includes gaming area, parking

The Puyallup Tribe of Indians announced Tuesday that it will break ground this summer on a 2,500-stall parking structure near its Portland Avenue casino. When completed, the structure will be followed by construction of a new, full-service gaming facility.

Artist's rendering of the Emerald Queen Casino on 29th Street near Portland Avenue. (Courtesy photo)Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/04/09/2550325/puyallup-tribes-150-million-expansion.html#storylink=cpy — Artist’s rendering of the Emerald Queen Casino on 29th Street near Portland Avenue. (Courtesy photo)
Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/04/09/2550325/puyallup-tribes-150-million-expansion.html#storylink=cpy

C.R. ROBERTS; Staff writer

Updated: April 10, 2013 at 9:34 a.m. PDT in The News Tribune

The Queen is about to get more than a facelift.

The Puyallup Tribe of Indians announced Tuesday that it will break ground this summer on a 2,500-stall parking structure near its Portland Avenue casino.

When completed, the structure will be followed by construction of a new, full-service gaming facility.

Think ponds and fountains outdoors.

New restaurants inside. Table games, machines.

And nearby, perhaps a station serving Tacoma’s light rail.

Total cost: between $150 million and $200 million.

“We’ve been leading up to this,” said Emerald Queen Casinos General Manager Frank Wright on Tuesday.

Sewer, water and electrical infrastructure is ready to accommodate the new facility. Soil studies have been completed. The tribe has purchased the necessary land.

The current casino – comprising a Bingo hall built in the 1980s and three large tents – will continue in business until the new casino opens, and will then be disassembled or demolished.

Initial future plans for the space occupied by the present casino call for a mixed-use project that could include office, residential and retail properties.

“We want to establish a permanent facility,” Wright said. “As time has gone by, we’ve had time to see what the market desires. We’ve listened to what people want.”

At the Fife Emerald Queen, which offers play on gaming machines only, customers wanted low ceilings, low lighting and an unhurried atmosphere.

At the new Tacoma Emerald Queen, Wright said, “we’ll have brighter colors, flashing lights, things that excite the (younger) gamers.”

The main casino will contain about the same space as the current facility, but a new showroom will be about 20 percent larger, he said.

Final plans are not complete, but Wright said there will be “four or five restaurants, two fine-dining and one buffet, a noodle bar, a deli, coffee shop and a cigar lounge.”

The full cost for design and construction will be borne by the tribe with funds derived from cash flow, Wright said.

The parking structure should be complete within 18 months of groundbreaking, he said. The entire project may be ready to welcome guests a year or 18 months after that.

Once the current casino is deconstructed, the tribe’s economic development arm, Marine View Ventures, will plan and market the mixed-use project, Wright said.

He said the tribe was making the announcement now “to assist local government in making their development plans.”

One of those plans concerns the extension of light rail from its downtown-only route.

“The tribe has offered to establish a landing for light rail,” said tribal spokesman John Weymer.

One of the proposed routes of Tacoma’s light rail network has tracks extending into East Tacoma, which could include a stop on tribal land at the casino complex.

“We feel it would be an asset to the city,” Weymer said.

The tribe has offered to allow the city free use of its parking structure for commuters or other drivers.

“It’s our way of trying to assist the public,” Wright said. “There are times in the day when we don’t need extensive parking. The tribe is willing to partner with the city and Sound Transit. What’s good for Tacoma is good for us. We have to take care of each other.”

The anticipated increase in traffic would also mean that those people who park might also avail themselves of the services offered at the casino, which would benefit the tribe.

“If light rail doesn’t come, it won’t be the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Wright said. “We feel that we’re just doing the right thing.”

The Tacoma City Council will recommend a final extension route to Sound Transit later this month.

Tacoma City Councilmember David Boe said Tuesday, of the tribe’s light rail proposal, “That’s an interesting possibility.”

Councilmember Marty Campbell said, “I’m excited to have a $150 million investment in my district. Any time we can have a development that brings new jobs, it helps all of Tacoma. I’m glad to see that the tribe is considering future transit operations in considering their new development.”

C.R. Roberts: 253-597-8535

c.r.roberts@thenewstribune.com

Paris Judge orders hearing on auction sale of Hopi artifacts

A lawyer has convinced a Paris judge to hold a hearing Thursday to determine the legality of a sale of sacred Hopi Indian artifacts by the Néret-Minet auction house that is scheduled for Friday.

By TOM MASHBERG

April 9, 2013, 5:36 pm in The New York Times

The lawyer from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Pierre Servan-Schreiber, said he was acting in a pro bono capacity after having been contacted by Survival International, a global nonprofit organization that advocates on behalf of native tribes.

Mr. Servan-Schreiber said he told the judge that the items should not be sold until it can be determined whether they were stolen from Hopi lands, as the Arizona-based tribe believes, or were the objects of sales that violated American and international law.

Efforts to look into the history of the 70 items, he said, would be rendered “virtually impossible” once they were scattered among multiple buyers. He said a delay would “preserve evidence.”

Mr. Servan-Schreiber also argued that the sale is illegal under an old prohibition in French law that bars the sale of “non-commercial” things that are seen as “immoral to sell.” The Hopis say the artifacts, ceremonial masks and headdresses known as Katsinam, or “friends,” embody divine spirits and are purely religious. They say selling them is a sacrilege.

A spokeswoman for the auction house said it was aware of the ruling but she would not comment further. Gilles Néret-Minet, the director of the house, has said repeatedly that he will not delay the $1 million sale. He has said the collector who put the items up for sale obtained them all legally.

The United States Embassy in Paris has also asked the auctioneers to delay the sale “given the ancestry of these masks and the distance between Paris and the Hopi reservation.”

Sarvey center’s raptors still draw the eagle-eye of kids

A display of its birds of prey in Snohomish impresses kids as the wildlife center continues to request financial support.

Dan Bates / The HeraldSarvey Wildlife Center volunteer Robert Lee holds a red-tailed hawk with only one wing Friday at the Snohomish Library. Having lost a wing, the hawk will remain at Sarvey for the rest of its life, Lee said. — Dan Bates / The Herald
Sarvey Wildlife Center volunteer Robert Lee holds a red-tailed hawk with only one wing Friday at the Snohomish Library. Having lost a wing, the hawk will remain at Sarvey for the rest of its life, Lee said.

By Alejandro Dominguez, The Herald

SNOHOMISH — A line formed in the Snohomish Library 30 minutes before the show started.Eight-year-old Lily Westman and her brother, Cooper, 6, were first in line last week, waiting for the doors to open for the “Raptor Factor” show. They were eager to see all of the birds, but hoped to see a bald eagle.

“I want to know how they take care of them,” said Cooper, who goes to Cascade View Elementary School.

The show is put on by the Sarvey Wildlife Care Center, a nonprofit located between Arlington and Granite Falls that rescues, treats and releases wild animals. It’s one of the outreach efforts by the center that has been around since 1981.

Last month, the center announced that it was having financial difficulties. The center has an operating budget of about $450,000 a year, but donations have been down. Director Suzanne West said last month the center needed $95,000 to continue to care for animals, keep the doors open and continue their programs.

In the last couple of weeks, however, the center has seen an increase in donations and new donors have also appeared. The shortfall has been reduced to $50,000.

“We are still feeling the crunch,” West said. “We have been able to tighten our belts and we have received additional funding.”

Jennifer Cutshall, 44, of Snohomish, heard about Sarvey’s financial problems. She’s hoping that people step up to help out the center. She’s seen the raptor show herself. On Friday she brought her youngest son, Isaac Tavares, 4, for the first time.

“It’s a good chance to see these birds this close,” Cutshall said.

They were about 75 kids, parents, grandparents and others who attended the show and learned about the barn owl, great horned owl, red-tailed hawk and peregrine falcon.

The children asked questions about the birds, such as the length of their wings and how fast they could fly. They were amazed when some of the birds spread their wings.

Most of them gasped when volunteers took out the last bird of the show: a bald eagle named Askate.

Seeing the animal was the favorite part of 5-year-old Kaylee Broome who goes to kindergarten at Machias Elementary School.

“It was so cool,” Kayle said.

Alejandro Dominguez: 425-339-3422; adominguez@heraldnet.com.

More about Sarvey

The Sarvey Wildlife Center is located at 13106 148th St. NE, near Arlington.

For more information on the center, including how to donate and what to do if you find an injured or orphaned animal, go to www.sarveywildlife.org/ or call 360-435-4817.

NRCS helps landowners manage for soil health, buffer drought effects

Source: USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service

Soil health is always important, but extreme weather in the last few years has shown landowners just how important managing for it really is.

“The vital part of soil is topsoil, which unfortunately is also the part most susceptible to the effects of weather. That’s what makes protecting it so crucial,” said Doug Miller, NRSC Minnesota soil health coordinator.

The top two components of topsoil are clay content and soil organic matter which hold nutrients and water for plant use and growth.

“The amount of clay content is determined by glacier content left behind and cannot be changed, but the percent of organic matter in topsoil can be increased,” Miller said.

One percent of organic matter in the top six inches of soil can hold about 27,000 gallons of water per acre. Increasing organic matter increases the holding capacity for water making your land more resilient to extreme weather.

Even with last year’s drought, landowners benefitted from improved soil health.

“There were two farms separated by a road that had the same soils, same crops and same precipitation. While one farm thrived through extreme weather, the other one lost corn plants, soil and water. The variable here was the management of the land,” said Miller.

Landowners are the managers of soil, so it’s important to use practices that help protect and improve your soil, he added.

NRCS identified four principles that help improve soil health.

Keep soil covered as much as possible.
Use plant diversity to increase diversity in the soil.
Keep living roots in the soil as long as possible.
Disturb the soil as little as possible.

Managing for soil health can help increase productivity and profits, decrease inputs and improve sustainability for farms and ranches.

“We need soil to be productive not just this year, but five years from now, 20 years from now, 60 years from now, and that starts with soil health,” Miller said.

NRCS’ soil health webpage provides in-depth knowledge and experiences from landowners across the nation. Visit your local NRCS office or visit the website (http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/soils/health/) to see how soil health is making a difference.