1980-10-15 Char-Koosta News

              PABLO, MONTANA 59855 ISSN: 0528-8592
VOLUME 10 NUMBER MOON OF THE HALF SUMMER-HALF AUTUMN
OCTOBER 15,1980
(mtSL) Quarterly Concentrates on Trees and Roads
The fourth quarterly Council meeting for 1980 began late (9 a.m. was apparently translated to 10:20 a.m. "Indian time") and ended early with little accomplished but a lot discussed:
The biggest topic of the day was trees — who can cut where, what and when, and then how can the stuff be hauled out of the woods, by logging truck (which means you need a loader and a "cat", too) or only by pickup truck? Can it then be sold to the public — Indian or non — or can it only be used for heating the cutter's home?
Another question was why does Forestry burn what it considers "junk wood" when the stuff could just as easily be piled by the roadside to be salvaged by tribal members?
Since no one from Forestry was present to explain any of these things, everyone was invited to attend the regular council meeting on October 17 where they might get some answers.
Road closures were another "hot" topic. Initially meant as a game conservation and anti-white-poaching measure, the closures — variously called Kelly humps, harassment bumps, water bars and/or Dupuis ditches — are backfiring on the tribal membership. "Why does the Tribe have to accept all this
b—s— from those college boys?" One irate fellow challenged. "You're closing the members in, making prisoners of us," said another. Forestry may answer this one, too, on the 17th.
The current status of the Kerr Dam license was also mentioned briefly. Executive Secretary Fred Houle, Jr., explained that the Energy Commission would probably hold a hearing on the matter some time next year; it could be 2 to 3 years before a decision is made between the applications to run the dam submitted by the Tribes and MPC.
Finally, Tribal Social Services (TSS) Director Opal Cajune
(Continued on page 3)
Inside this issue
ATTENTION, THINNERS:
You are cordially invited to attend a meeting with the Tribal Council to discuss the thinning program as it is presently being operated by the Forestry Department. All phases of the program will be considered.
The meeting will be in the Council Chambers at Pablo on Monday, Oct. 20, 1980, at 10 a.m. Please make plans to attend.
Thomas E. Pablo Chairman, Tribal Council
Buffalo Get Home on the Range '(above)...........Page 14
Flathead EDA Planning Dept.....................Page 4
"Letters to the Editor"..........................Page 6
"Around the Campfire"----....................Page 10
The Beauty of Being Indian......................Page 11
Health Corner....................,...........Page 13
Council Minutes...............................Page 20