1974-03-15 Char-Koosta News

              Moratorium on Mission Mountain Logging Projects
Dixon: The Bureau of Indian Affairs will not ask the Tribal Council to approve any timber sales until after two reservation forest studies are completed and all forestry positions are filled. And in another move, the Council has ordered an independent study of the Missions.
Acting Flathead AGency Forestry Manager Fred Malroy told the Council March 8 that the controversial Ashley unit sale and other scheduled timber contracts would not be advertised for bids until after several conditions had been met. Malroy said that further forestry projects would be delayed until:
—The "Cummins Report" is completed and reviewed by forestry and the Council. The Cummins report is an environmental assessment of past, present and future logging projects on the reservation forests. The report will include analysis of the environmental effects on several aspects of forest lands such as tree growth, soils, water and wildlife. The report will include field work by University of Montana Forestry School faculty under the
direction of Dr. Leo Cummins. The report is scheduled to be completed by the end of April. —The completion of a BIA tree growth analysis. The Agency BIA Forestry Department expects to wind up a two-year study of tree growth on the reservation forests by the middle of May. The study wil indicate whether or not the forest will be able to sustain the current Annual Allowable Cut (6 0 million board feet per year) and, if not, project a more accurate annual cut tar-
get figure.
—And all forestry positions have been filled to insure tight administrative control over over future sales. Malroy said that there are currently ten vacancies in the forestry staff ,and he predicted that it may be from three to six months before all are filled.
Malroy explained the temporary moratorium on timber unit sales was the result of what he called "considerable concern by the Council and their constituents that we are over
cutting the timber supply on the reservation. That the allowable annual cut is too high and is unreliable." Malroy added that he was "getting the message" that there was pressure for tighter control and management on present logging projects.
Malroy had no sooner offered the temporary timber sales moratorium when Tribal Member Thurman Trosper, Ronan, asked the Council to extend the cutting ban on Mis-
(Continued on page 6)
OOSTA
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THE BI-WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF THE SALISH, PEND'd ORIELLES AND KOOTENAI TRIBES OF THE FLATHEAD RESERVATION
Volume 3 - Number 2 2     Full Moon of the Goose Flight    March 15,1974
Highway 93 StiU Taking Toll
Dixon: The 7 0 mile reservations stretch of Highway 9 3 continues to roll up alarming accident statistics in 19 7 4.
Three persons have died and 19 have been injured in 58 accidents during a 43 day period from January 2 3 to March 7 this year. Most of these accidents occurred on the highway between Evaro and Elmo.   Tribal Police Chief Lloyd Jackson reports that in all' 120 persons were involved and 86 vehicles were damaged. Tribal Law and Order is keeping track of the toll on Highway 9 3 as part of a Department of Traffic (DOT) project to enforce traffic laws and educate drivers to avoid accident situations.
Jackson reported earlier
this year that during a 19 month period ending last Oct. 15,22 persons were killed and 289 were injured on the reservation portion of the highway. He said that during that period there were 336 accidents, or nearly five for every mile of the highway through the reservation.
Jackson noted that two of the prime causes of accidents on the highway are excessive speed for existing conditions and driving while intoxicated. Jackson said that the reduction of legal speed   limits on state highways to 5 5, which became law earlier this month, will help reduce the first problem. He said the problem of drunk driving will be dealt (next page)
Con-Con Preparing For April 5 Work Deadline
Ronan: With only 20 days left before final recommendations are due on a new tribal constitution, the con-con committee has plunged into a weekly workshop schedule to assess information and recommendations gathered during six district meetings.
The job of sorting through the material was complicated earlier this month when the committee secretary, Jane Fouty, St. Ignatius, resigned. (A letter explaining the reasons for her resignation appears on page 4). Committee Chair-man_Doug Allard. also of St. Ignatius, said that it was too late to replace Miss Fouty and the remainder of the committee's work would have to be done by the other nine mem-
bers.
During the final district meeting in Ronan March 2, there were several suggestions an how to increase communications between the people of the tribe and the Tribal Council and tribal administration. Allard noted that in the course of the con-con district meetings, most suggestions from the people were compatible with the present constitution, "maybe what we need instead of a completely revised constitution," Allard said, "is a board or committee like this (the con-con committee) to hold a series of district gripe meetings every year or two. The committee could report to the Council to let them know what the people (cont. on page 3)