Yakama Nation Review

07/11/2025

Yakama Nation Fuels Management were busy the last week of June going to various sites on the reservation to do controlled burns getting to the weeds. The top photo was in White Swan area taken by YNR Ronn Washines and the lower photo was taken outside of Toppen*sh in the field of weeds by YNR Carol Craig. The control burns will help if ever there is a fire and the weeds will not be there as a factor for a bigger fire.

07/11/2025

Trump’s budget to affect SNAP

Gov. Bob Ferguson, in a July 3 press release, said each of the 1 million Washingtonians who receive assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would see their benefits reduced under the reconciliation bill that passed out of Congress. In addition, more than 130,000 Washingtonians could lose their benefits altogether.
“This bill takes food from our most vulnerable Washingtonians to give tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy,” he said. “This bill is only beautiful to billionaires.”
Ferguson said about 1 million in the state use SNAP benefits every month to buy food. The reconciliation bill reduces SNAP benefits to the average household under the Thrifty Food Plan by about $56 per month and decrease the maximum allotment per household. For example, the maximum allotment for a family of four would drop from $975 to $848, he wrote.
The bill also means more than 130,000 Washingtonians will need to meet new work requirements to keep their SNAP benefits.
Meanwhile, Rep. Dan Newhouse lauded the reconciliation bill through his July 3 Weekly Wrap release.
“H.R. 1 makes needed reforms to SNAP and Medicaid to protect the programs for the low-income individuals, families, and seniors who truly need them. We implemented a part-time work requirement for able bodied adults without dependents, consisting of 80 hours per month of work, volunteering, or pursuit of education to be eligible for benefits,” he said.
Ferguson said the cuts will also likely ripple through the Washington economy. According to United States Department of Agriculture estimates, each dollar from the SNAP program produces more than $1.50 in economic activity at grocery stores, farmers markets and more.
In addition, the state would be on the hook for an additional $87.8 million in administrative costs associate with the program. The bill also increases Washington’s cost share of benefits by, at a minimum, more than $100 million, Ferguson concluded.

07/11/2025

Oregon Legislature earmarks money for CTUIR water projects

MISSION, Ore. – Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) officials are lauding a bill recently passed by Oregon lawmakers that funds water projects in the Walla Walla Basin.
House Bill 5006 earmarks $2.5 million to the Oregon Water Resources Department so it can administer funding for certain water projects in the state, including several CTUIR projects.
“This funding would not have been possible without our local legislators championing the request, so a special thanks goes out to Sen. Todd Nash, Rep. Bobby Levy and Rep. Greg Smith,” said CTUIR Board of Trustees Member-at-Large Toby Patrick. “We also would not have succeeded in receiving this funding if it weren’t for the support of Rep. Ken Helm and Rep. Mark Owens and the Ways & Means Committee co-chairs, Sen. Kate Lieber and Rep. Tawna Sanchez.”
CTUIR Habitat Conservation Project leader Anton Chiono said the tribe also appreciated help from the Walla Walla River Irrigation District, which worked with CTUIR on the funding request, the Washington Department of Ecology and Walla Walla 2050 Basin Advisory Committee members who supported the bill.
The $2.5 million will help the CTUIR implement six project types identified in the Walla Walla Water 2050 Plan, Chiono said in a July 7 press release. Those project types are:
– Floodplain restoration to reduce flood risk and restore habitat,
– Streamflow restoration through water rights transactions,
– Fish passage improvement and habitat restoration in Mill Creek,
– Increased infiltration of stormwater to improve surface water quality,
– Modernizing irrigation infrastructure to benefit streamflows and
– Improving water quality in the South Fork Walla Walla River.
“CTUIR’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will work with Walla Walla basin stakeholders to use the money on various projects, including to restore instream flows through irrigation efficiency projects and projects that improve habitat via floodplain restoration,” Chiono said. “While the specific project outcomes vary, the projects types were prioritized on the basis of the multiple benefits that each would provide for fish, farms and people.”
He added that determining how much funding each project receives is still being decided. However, he said Washington State is providing $2.4 million in matching funds to help implement the projects, which are part of the Walla Walla Water 2050 Plan.
The Walla Walla Water 2050 Plan is a strategic initiative aimed at improving water management and streamflows in the Walla Walla Basin over the next 30 years.
“These projects types were identified by the Walla Walla Water 2050 Plan as funding priorities in 2021, but in many cases, they have been critical needs in the basin for decades,” Chiono said. “These are the projects that CTUIR, basin stakeholders and Oregon and Washington identified as the priority projects necessary to implement the Walla Walla 2050 Plan and achieve sustainable water management in the Walla Walla Basin.”

07/11/2025

Health board hosts caucuses to prepare tribes for listening sessions

By Native News Online

The National Indian Health Board is holding two virtual caucuses this month in advance of federal listening sessions that will solicit tribal feedback on critical health services.
The first caucus was held July 8. This is all in preparation for four in-person listening sessions on the ongoing realignment of the Indian Health Service.
The in-person listening sessions will be held throughout July in Seattle, Phoenix, Minneapolis, and Washington, D.C., followed by a virtual session on July 28.
In a June 13 letter to the Tribal leaders and Urban Indian Organization leaders, IHS acting director Benjamin Smith (Diné) wrote, “...we must examine what works well and identify where and how the IHS must improve. We must be bold in examining ourselves to transform to a more patient-centered, self-governance-driven, operationally efficient, and fiscally sustainable health care system.”
The listening session will focus on the delivery of patient care, enterprise and operational management, and supporting Tribal self-determination.
The July 14 virtual caucus is proposed to prepare for a listening session on Tribal feedback and priorities regarding Secretary Kennedy’s announced restructuring of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in accordance with President Trump’s Feb. 13 executive order to reduce government spending.
In a flurry of federal budget cuts and firings, HHS has lost about 25,000 staff members. In the FY2026 budget request, the department faces a 25% budget cut, totaling $32 billion in discretionary spending. Proposed restructuring includes reducing the department’s 28 divisions into 15.
The listening session will be held virtually on July 16 and 17.

07/11/2025

OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

Energy Secretary Wright ‘passionately’ ignorant about Northwest hydropower

By MILES JOHNSON

The U.S. built more than 1,000 hydroelectric dams over the last century. These dams are as different in size, shape and function as the rivers where they were built. Their social and environmental costs and benefits also differ.
Tribes, states, and hundreds of thousands of Americans have recently pushed to remove four federally owned dams on the Lower Snake River in Washington State. The goal is to restore abundant salmon runs and honor tribal rights and treaties.
But in a congressional hearing on May 7, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said he “passionately” supports keeping these four dams around. Wright also revealed that he has no idea what these four dams actually do.
Not all dams are the same. The Lower Snake River dams don’t produce the kind of “high value electricity” that Wright claimed they do. These four dams produce just 4 percent of the region’s electricity, mostly in the spring and early summer when the Pacific Northwest has far more wind, solar and other hydroelectricity than we need.
Wright has been led to believe that the Lower Snake River dams act like a gigantic storage device, such that “when demand for electricity goes up, you can release more water” and “you can hold it back when you don’t need it.” But the Lower Snake River dams don’t work like that. Essentially, these four dams continuously release as much (or as little) water as happens to be flowing in from upstream. Their inability to store and generate large amounts of energy on demand means they are not the kind of “very valuable assets” that Wright imagines.
Wright was not alone in his misstatements; he was responding to a question by Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), who implied that the Lower Snake River dams also provide “flood control” and “irrigation.” They don’t. These four dams cannot store large volumes of water and therefore cannot meaningfully delay or prevent a flood. Recent studies also show there would be plenty of water for irrigation if the Lower Snake River dams were removed, and evaporation from these four reservoirs actually wastes enough water to grow 8,000 acres of apples each year.
Wright and Newhouse are relying on broad generalities about dams and hydropower that don’t apply to the Lower Snake River. For instance, both expressed their view that dams and salmon can coexist. That can be true, in limited instances, but with respect to the Lower Snake River, our country’s top federal and independent fisheries institutions found that un-damming is essential to recovering abundant salmon.
The benefits of the Lower Snake River dams are modest, but nevertheless real and important – especially to certain communities and people in eastern Washington who rely on them directly. These dams do produce some electricity, and that electricity is less harmful to our climate than burning fossil fuels (although it is definitely not carbon-neutral). These dams also facilitate some barge traffic, and a substantial amount of irrigation equipment would have to be moved or rebuilt if these dams were removed.
The Trump administration recently announced its opposition to replacing these services in order to facilitate un-damming the Lower Snake River, a move that Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) called “a betrayal of our tribes and a tremendous setback for the entire Northwest.” Nevertheless, the states, tribes and organizations advocating for dam removal are dedicated to finding solutions and unlocking the Pacific Northwest’s best chance to recover abundant wild salmon to support commercial, sport and tribal fisheries; honor tribal rights and treaties; and protect endangered orca whales.
How to replace the Lower Snake River dams, and their services, is one of the most important policy questions facing the Pacific Northwest. It is not going to be resolved by politicians repeating platitudes or misinformation. America deserves a secretary of Energy who understands the problem and supports solutions that work for everyone.

Miles Johnson is legal director at Columbia Riverkeeper.

07/11/2025

GUEST OPINION

Still here, still sovereign: defending our lands and our future

By JUDITH LEBLANC

This July 4th, we continue to organize for an inclusive multiracial democracy where Indigenous sovereignty is respected and everyone who calls these lands home can thrive.
Unfortunately, last week the Supreme Court limited federal judges’ ability to block Trump’s unconstitutional executive orders – including his challenges to birthright citizenship for immigrants and Native peoples.
We’ve lived here since before the United States even existed! Native peoples have called these lands home and governed our nations since time immemorial, and time and time again we have overcome attempts to eliminate our nationhood and remove us from our land. We aren’t going anywhere.
Every acre of “public land” in the United States is actually Native land. Unfortunately, leaders in the federal government keep trying to fast-track permits for exploitation and sell public lands to corporate polluters, bypassing Tribal consultation and our inherent and legal sovereignty. But our movement’s pressure is working: Both chambers of Congress removed sections of the latest budget bill that would have sold off millions of acres of public lands!
We’ll keep organizing the political pressure for the Nation-to-Nation relationship with the federal government that Tribes are constitutionally guaranteed and for respect of our traditional responsibility to protect Mother Earth for all of our descendants.
We’re also re-Indigenizing public lands to challenge attempts to eradicate us and our history. This work includes helping to lead a coalition to replace racist place names with traditional Indigenous names, and partnering with Tribes to tell the real history of the original inhabitants of public lands and how they were forcibly displaced.
The movement that is emerging across Turtle Island to protect democratic governance and structures must include the sovereign right of Tribes and Native communities to make decisions about land and resources. This includes the right to co-manage ancestral lands with the federal government, in accordance with traditional Native teachings about sustainable land management.
Together, we’ll continue correcting historical wrongs, including through Tribal-federal co-governance agreements and holding the federal government accountable to treaty obligations.
In exchange for stealing our land, the federal government agreed to fund healthcare, housing, education, nutrition, infrastructure, and economic development programs for Tribal members. With your support, we’ve sent over 100,000 messages to Congress to vote against budget cuts that would violate Tribal treaties.
There’s bipartisan political support for Tribal sovereignty, and sovereignty-related pressure has moved the administration and Congress to change some of their actions and amend some parts of the (still-awful) budget reconciliation bill.
We’ve also worked with lawmakers to introduce policies that honor the original stewards of this land, including the Reconciliation in Place Names Act, which would systematize the urgent work of renaming racist names of geographical landmarks – replacing them instead with names chosen by Tribes and Indigenous communities.
Colonial naming practices severed Indigenous people from our cultures, our history, and our lands. These names also harm how other people see and relate to Native communities and our belief systems and practices. Changing these names can help heal historical wounds, help U.S. residents learn an accurate account of history, and re-Indigenize our land and society.

Judith LeBlanc (Caddo), executive director of Native Organizers Alliance Action Fund, which is a partner to Native Organizers Alliance.

07/11/2025

GUEST OPINION

The military and civilians

By Professor Victoria Sutton

I. n tabletop exercises for disaster preparation, local government, state government, churches, federal government, the military and various federal agencies all played roles. Inevitably, as the disaster grew out of control, someone would suggest calling in the military and declaring “martial law.” The answer was always – no, we have the protection of posse comitatus, so the military never has direct interface with civilians (with only a few exceptions). However, there is also a lot that the military can do to support state and local law enforcement, federal law enforcement and federal property. Here is a brief discussion of what this means.

Civilian Contact: Posse Comitatus

Posse comitatus is defined by Black’s Law Dictionary (4th ed. rev., 1968) to be “the power or force of the county. The entire population of a county above the age of fifteen, which a sheriff may summon to his assistance in certain cases; as to aid him in keeping the peace in pursuing and arresting felons, etc.” The use of this power was derived from the Judiciary Act of 1789 (1 Stat. 73), wherein the U.S. Marshals called upon the militia as a posse comitatus. In 1867, the U.S. Congress passed The Reconstruction Act, which established martial law in the southern states, which had seceded in the U.S. Civil War, 1860–1864. The Posse Comitatus Act was signed into law on June 18, 1878, in response to abuses of military control over the south after the U.S. Civil War during Reconstruction. Thereafter, the United States declared that the military should never have enforcement powers against civilians, except in a declared state of emergency.
Over its 124-year history, the Posse Comitatus Act has been amended by Congress to address changing needs for resources. In 1968, a separate statutory exception was created to provide assistance to the Secret Service in carrying out its protective duties. [H.J.R. 1292, P.L. No. 90-331, 82 Stat. 170 (1968)]. In 1969, the federal governmental departments developed an interdepartmental plan for civil disturbances in order to address overlapping jurisdictions and the use of the military (“Interdepartmental Action Plan for Civil Disturbances” (Apr. 1, 1969). The Department of Defense articulated a policy directive to address terrorist incidents as either a civil disturbance or a criminal act, and how the incident was defined would give rise to the legal framework within which it was analyzed.
In 1973, members of the American Indian Movement occupied a building within the jurisdiction of the tribal reservation. The National Guard and the U.S. Army, among other local law enforcement agencies, participated in ending the occupation. The involvement of the military in evidence gathering was challenged in a criminal case against members of American Indian nations, who were charged with obstructing law enforcement officials. In this case, the court specifically excluded evidence that might have been collected during any illegal activity on the part of the military and law enforcement officials. (See United States v. Red Feather, 392 F. Supp. 916 (D.C.S.D 1975)). This use of the military in Wounded Knee, South Dakota, received nationwide attention in part because of its use against Native Americans, and its reminder to the nation of the last incident at Wounded Knee in 1891, which utilized the military in a slaughter of women, children and elders, in what is considered the last battle in the United States' war against the Indians. This further raised the public concern of any use of the military in a civilian law enforcement role.
Following the public concern and litigation from the 1973 Wounded Knee incident, in 1981, an amendment was made to the Act, which did little more than codify the existing relationship between the military and civilian law enforcement agencies. This led to increased cooperation through specific provision of intelligence (10 U.S.C. § 371) facilities, including materials not reasonably available from another source that is “any material or expertise of the Department of Defense appropriate for use in preparing for or responding to an emergency involving chemical or biological agents,” such as biosensors, protective clothing, antidotes (10 U.S.C. § 372), training and advice (10 U.S.C. §373), and assistance in the operating and maintaining of military equipment to monitor air and sea traffic (10 U.S.C. § 374(b)). The Act provides that the military may “monitor, contain, disable, or dispose of the weapon involved or elements of the weapon” (10 U.S.C. § 382(c)). In the case of biological weapons, the military may not directly participate in arrest, search, or seizure of evidence or intelligence gathering for law enforcement purposes, unless it is necessary to save human life and civilian authorities are unable to do so (10 U.S.C. § 382(d)). The involvement is also limited in time and scope to addressing only the specific biological incident (10 USC §382(d)).
But the 1981 Amendment added additional prohibitions for the use of the military, including any use that would adversely affect military preparedness for national defense (10 USC §376), as well as the proviso that the use of military resources may be contingent upon reimbursement by the local or state governments or other federal agency (10 USC §377).
Following the 1981 Amendment, the interdepartmental plan was formalized with a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Defense in 1983, which provided for responsibilities in the event of a domestic terrorist attack (Memorandum of Understanding, 5 Aug. 1983). The agreement gives guidance for permitted uses of the military:
Although the Posse Comitatus Act does not permit military personnel to actively engage in the law enforcement mission unless expressly authorized, the Act does not prohibit military observers from reporting to the Department of Defense; nor does it generally prohibit the preparation of contingency plans for lawful military intervention; advice to civilian officials, sharing intelligence information collected during the normal course of military operations, including operations relating to the incident; the loan of specialized equipment or weaponry; the use of military personnel to deliver and maintain equipment for civilian use, provided those personnel do not operate that equipment; or the use of military personnel to train civilian law enforcement officials in the operation and maintenance of military equipment (See 10 USC §371–378).
In 1988, another amendment was made once again, codifying further clarifications, but also adding the allowance of the use of the military for drug interdictions, and formally giving the Department of Defense lead authority for advising civilian law enforcement agencies concerning the types of equipment and assistance available (10 USC §380).
Under the Posse Comitatus Act, the military cannot be used to enforce laws against civilians in the United States. There are constitutional exceptions to this act, as well as exceptions statutorily provided. The constitutional exceptions are Presidential powers in emergency authority and the protection of federal property and operations. The act provides for exceptions for when it is “impracticable to enforce the laws of the U.S....by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings,” (18 USC §1385) and for the use of the military by the President to control an insurrection (10 USC §331–333). Otherwise, the use of the military requires that a state’s governor make such a request, and the President must issue an order to activate the military for that purpose. The failure to have the President formally issue an order can raise questions with use of the military under the Posse Comitatus Act, as in the Wounded Knee incident. However, specific passive activities have been held to be compliant with the Act, which include, for example, reconnaissance missions.
In summary, there are six exceptions to the Posse Comitatus Act: two constitutional exceptions and four statutory and regulatory exceptions. The President’s emergency powers to respond to insurrection and the protection of federal property and governmental functions are the constitutional exceptions. The Congressionally granted powers to the President include a national emergency involving civil disturbances (10 USC §331–334 (2000) and DOD Dir. No. 3025.12), rebellions that make it impracticable to enforce federal laws (10 USC §332 (2000) and DOD Dir. No. 3025.12), and any insurrection or violence that impedes the state’s ability to protect citizens and/or when the state is unable or unwilling to protect those rights (10 USC §333 (2000) and DOD Dir. No. 5525.5).

[This is an excerpt from Sutton, Biosecurity Law and Policy (2014).]
To read more articles by Professor Sutton go to https://profvictoria.substack.com/

Professor Victoria Sutton (Lumbee) is Director of the Center for Biodefense, Law & Public Policy and an Associated Faculty Member of The Military Law Center of Texas Tech University School of Law.

Click to read unintended consequences, by Prof. Victoria Sutton, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.

07/11/2025

CODE of ETHICS BOARD

T-96-80 amended GC-03-2013 and GCM-08-2017 ARTICLE IV - #7
“The Ethics Board shall immediately notify all parties concerned of their decision in each case. The parties shall include the defendant, complaintant, General Council, Tribal Council, and tribal news media.”
PRESS RELEASE to YAKAMA NATION MEDIA
July 4, 2025

Code of Ethics Board provides the tribal news media with the decision of each case.
Code of Ethics Board Action Number #9-2025
Yakama Nation Code of Ethics Board Dismisses Petition of Complaint
Yakama Nation Code of Ethics Board has dismissed a petition of complaint (Roll #8645) against Executive Tribal Council – Gerald Lewis, Christopher Wallahee, Stephen Selam Timber, Grazing, Overall Economic Development Committee – Arnold Eyle, Ralph Sampson, Jr., Deland Olney, Terry Heemsah, Sr. – Law & Order – Jeremy Takala, Ralph Sampson, Jr., George Meninick, Sr., Terry Heemsah, Sr. The dismissal follows a formal hearing held June 19, 2025. Both parties complied with the investigation and submitted requested paperwork.
Code of Ethics Board Action Number #10-2025
Yakama Nation Code of Ethics Board Issues Finding of Malfeasance for Councilman Stephan Selam.
The Yakama Code of Ethics Board has issued an official finding of MALFEASANCE against Tribal Councilman Stephan Selam following a formal hearing held on June 19, 2025. This decision follows a petition submitted by a tribal member (Roll #8645) and supported by the required number of validated signatures, alleging malfeasance and nonfeasance. The complaint for nonfeasance was dismissed.
After providing the Councilman with an opportunity to respond and submit testimony, the Code of Ethics Board found that Councilman Selam engaged in wrong doing in handling tribal business affairs constituting malfeasance. The finding stems from overstepping the individual authority of a Tribal Council Executive Board under T-10-61.
As a result, Councilman Stephan Selam will be on probation 90 days, beginning July 1, 2025.
Copy of Code of Ethics action can be requested by emailing [email protected] by enrolled Yakama members who state their name and enrollment number.
/s/ LeRoy LittleBull
/s/ Elese Washines
/s/ Janice Lewis
/s/ Joseph Weeks

07/11/2025

POWWOW TRAIL

JULY

July 10-13: Nespelem July Celebration Powwow, Hwy. 155, Nespelem, Wash. Grand entries: Thurs. warm up at 7 p.m., Fri. at 7 p.m., Sat. at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., Sun. at 1 p.m. Contacts: powwow, Deeanna Whalawitsa, (509) 631-2265; Shelly Davis (509) 978-9867. Vendors: Matilda Bob (509) 634-6000.

July 11-13: Squamish Nation Youth Powwow, Xwmelch’stn Village, 100 Mathias Road West, West Vancouver, B.C. BC V7P 1P6. Grand entries: Fri. at 7 p.m., Sat. at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sun. at 1 p.m. Email: [email protected] - vendors, [email protected]

JULY 18-20: Seafair Indian Days Powwow, Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, 5011 Bernie Whitebear Way, Seattle, WA 98199. Dancer registration deadline 11:55 a.m. July 19. Grand entries: Friday, 7 p.m., Saturday, noon and 7 p.m., and Sunday at noon.

July 25-27: Muckleshoot Sobriety Powwow, Muckleshoot Powwow Grounds, 17300 SE 392nd St., Auburn, Wash. 98092. Grand entries: Fri. 7 p.m., Sat. 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., Sun. noon. Event and vendor info.: [email protected], (253) 939-6648; Mike Starr Sr. (253) 329-4630; [email protected], (253) 876-3370.

AUGUST

August 7-10: Shoshone Bannock Indian Festival, Fort Hall, Idaho. Contacts: Powwow, Taryn Shoyo, (208) 252-1686, [email protected], vendors: Debbie LaMere, (208) 360-5126, [email protected], festival coordinator Leah Tindore, (298) 690-9901, [email protected], website: www.shobanfesitval.com

August 7-10: Omak Stampede Powwow, Stampede Arena, 421 Stampede Dr. E., Omak, WA 98841. Contact: (509) 826-1983.

August 13-19: Crow Fair Powwow, Crow Agency, Mont. 59002. Grand entries: Thurs. 6 p.m., Fri. 6 p.m., Sat. 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., Sun. 1 p.m.

August 15-16: Grand Ronde Contest Powwow, Uyxat Powwow Grounds, 9600 Hwy. 22 (Hebo Rd.), Grand Ronde, Ore.

August 15-17: Chief Lookingglass Powwow, Kamiah, Idaho. Grand entries: Fri. 7 p.m., Sat. 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., Sun. 1 p.m. Contacts: general information, Marilyn Bowen, (208) 935-8107, vendors: Matt Wheeler, (208) 451-4615, breakfast and parade: Delores Broncheau, (208) 935-5129, fun run: Eesha Wheeler, (208) 790-6609.

August 22-24: Klamath Tribes Restoration Celebration, Chiloquin, Ore. www.klamathtribes.org

Send powwow information to [email protected]

Waq lis ?aatWelcome Our History Kla-mo-ya Casino Kla-mo-ya Hotel Wellness Center Tribal Courts Crater Lake Junction Community Needs Assessment Tribal Member Services Member Benefit Vision Statement: Provide 100% of our membership with current available benefits and to seek out new innovative, creati...

07/11/2025

QUICKLY

Yakama employee day scheduled

TOPPENISH, Wash. – The Yakama Nation Employee Appreciation Day has been set for Aug. 15 at the Yakama RV Park and Cultural Center campus.
“Please mark your calendar and join us as we celebrate the incredible people who make our Yakama Nation Tribal Government thrive – you!” stated tribal council executive board notice. “Thank you for your continued commitment to the Yakama Nation and for making a lasting impact on our community.”
Employees will be excused to attend the events.

SNAP exemption language inserted

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On June 25, the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry released updated reconciliation bill text to include a provision to exempt Native Americans from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) work requirements.

Sho-Ban council sworn in

FORT HALL, Ida. – The 2025-26 Fort Hall Business Council were sworn in June 24 as Chair Donna Thompson, Vice-Chair Lee Juan Tendoy, Sec. Devon Boyor, Treas. Ladd Edmo, Sgt.-At-Arms Ronald T. Appenay, Nathan Small and Russell Haskett, members, the Sho-Ban News reported.

Upper Klickitat re-opening delayed

TOPPENISH, Wash. – The Yakama Nation Fisheries office notice states that the upper Klickitat River fishery will not happen until August 1.
The Klickitat Fish Hatchery has not met its brood goal of 500 fish for the 2025 spring season and in an effort to allow as many spring salmon as possible an opportunity to swim into the hatchery, the Yakama Tribal Council Fish & Wildlife Committee delayed fishing.
Fishing will be allowed from Lyle Falls downstream to the mouth of the Klickitat River, but all fishing upstream of Lyle Falls will be closed until August 1, the notice stated.

Tepee Creek enhancement work set

TOPPENISH, Wash. – Yakama Nation Fisheries Program is contracting a crew to help with restoration services to enhance instream and riparian habitat in Tepee Creek watershed with Low Tech Process Based Restoration (LTPBR).
The 3-5 laborers will be helping build small wood structures for the work, which is anticipated to last 3-5 weeks at the worksite reached via the 175 road within the Yakama Reservation Closed Area.
The work will thin trees, add structure and enhance stream flows during the low-precipitation season of the year in two Tepee Creek reaches.

Asphalt company fined for spill

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Central Washington Asphalt has been give a $49,000 penalty for a 2023 incident in Peshastin, Wash. that spilled asphalt into Peshastin Creek.
On July 21, 2023, the company was repaving a bridge on U.S. Highway 2 when at least 70 gallons of hot mixed asphalt fell through a 3-inch gap between the twin bridges on US 2. About 35 gallons of the mix entered the creek, with the remainder landing on the dry creek bed and banks.
On Sept. 28, Ecology responders removed about 20 gallons of hardened asphalt and debris, but rising creek levels prevented full recovery.
Peshastin Creek supports species listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and serves as an important spawning and cold-water refuge site.

Circuit court denies voter rehearing

ST. PAUL, Minnesota – on July 3, the Eighth Circuit refused to rehear its decision to deny voters the ability to sue to enforce Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act’s ban on racial discrimination, a Native American Rights Fund press release said.
NARF said it is a loss for Native American voters in North Dakota who have been fighting for a fair map since 2021, and it sets a dangerous precedent for other voters across the country whose voices would be silenced without the ability to fight for a responsive government.

Grant to upgrade Buena Pond

OLYMPIA, Wash. – The state Recreation and Conservation Funding Board, which awarded more than $148 million to projects across the state that will build and improve parks and trails, conserve irreplaceable wildlife habitat and maintain land for farming and forestry includes redeveloping the Buena Water Access site.
Department of Fish and Wildlife will use $325,000 on the fishing and recreation site in the next to Interstate 82, including upgrade and reconfigure the parking lot, create parking and pathways for people using wheelchairs, and install three fishing platforms around the pond.
With other money, the department will replace the toilets.