1988-05-11 Char-Koosta News

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¡A news publication of the Salisfi and 'Kootenai 'Tribes
of the Jlathead Indian Reservation
Chief Charlo of the Salish VOLUME 16, NUMBER 51
BITTER ROOT MONTH
Mission Valley Power's 'vacation' seems over after dismissal of suit
MISSOULA — An irrigators' lawsuit challenging an approved contract between the Tribes and the federal government was dismissed May 4 in Missoula's district court.
Judge Charles Lovell dismissed the Joint Board of Control's contention that, among other things, its constituents would suffer injury if the contract — wherein the Indian Department agreed to let the Tribes have management of the
power division of the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project — were allowed to stand.
Tribal attorney Pat Smith explained May 5 that the JBC in November of 1986 filed a challenge to the contract (signed on Oct. 21,1986), based on half-a-dozen allegations, including the idea that the U.S. Constitution protected their perceived property rights with regard to the irrigation project The group also claimed that the law used to back-up the contract, the Indian Self-Determination Act also known as "PL 93-638", actually prohibited the Interior
Secretary from taking such action.
Asking that the federal government be "permanently enjoined from implementing [the contract in question] or any other similar contract which attempts to delegate the operation and management of the FIIP power division to the Tribes", the JBC alleged that its constituents stood to suffer injury if its request were denied.
(The board also requested, in a second suit, that the irrigators be given control of both the irrigation and power divisions, an issue that is still to be ad-(Concludes on page two)
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1600 surveys have made it back to Pablo
The Tribal Council a year ago resolved to have all Tribal departments staffed solely by Tribal members by 1995. As a first step towards realizing the "100% by 1995" goal, Tribal Personnel drafted and distributed over 4,700 surveys to members 18 years old and older, to get a picture of what's out there in the way of educational background and work experience.
Since then, Personnel's Ruth Swaney reports, about 1,600 surveys have been received from around the country, which is close to a 30% return—a good percentage, according to statistical standards.
Still, that represents only 3 in 10 Tribal members, which means that more than half of the adult membership hasn't been heard from yet, in spite of the pink-postcard reminder campaign earlier this spring.
In a cover letter announcing the survey, Tribal Chairman Mickey Pablo wrote that the resultant information would be used for recruiting purposes and to make a general assessment about the membership's over-all educational background. A few specially qualified questionnaire-returners have already been contacted to see if they're in' r-(Continued on page three)