Hoopa Tribal Council Approves Project for HSU Student, Passes Resolution on Irrigation Project

Regular Meeting Held Monday

By Allie Hostler, Two Rivers Tribune

Once again the regularly scheduled Hoopa Valley Tribal Council meeting was rescheduled. It was held Monday, Dec.5 at 1:30pm.

The agenda made available to the public was not the agenda used by the council during the meeting. Additions were made to the executive session portion of the agenda that included an enrollment issue; a debt collection issue; a private discussion with Jacqueline Alford; and discussion on Klamath legislation.

Continuing business included a motion to approve of the Decision Notice for Adoption of Alternative 2011-2025 Forest Management Plan Environmental Assessment. The motion passed.

A discussion that ended in a motion was held with Hoopa  Tribal member Lori Biondini. Biondini is a master’s degree candidate at Humboldt State University who is interested in helping the tribe develop a salmon harvest plan as part to meets the goals and objectives addressed by the tribe in a series of public hearings held in summer of 2011.

Councilmember Joseph LeMieux is supportive of the idea that was brought to the table by Vice Chairman, Byron Nelson. “I have no objections to giving you a project to do at school,” he said. “But I would like to see some parameters on what it will consist of.”

Biondini assured the council that the project focus would be driven by the interests of the tribe. Nelson said Biondini’s work will provide the framework for a plan that will help the tribe harvest its full allocation of fall run Chinook salmon, a goal heavily discussed over the course of several public hearings held in the wake of the tribe’s referendum vote to ban commercial fishing. “I don’t think we can depend on the Fisheries Department,” he said. “We’ve got to develop a program to harvest fish.”

Biondini said she will be able to devote about 25 hours per week to the project on a voluntary basis. No timeline for completion has yet been set, but Biondini’s term is set to end in June of 2012. Her master’s degree will be in environment and community, arts and social sciences. The council voted to allow Biondini to begin the project and meet with her in upcoming working sessions.

A motion to approve a payment of $24,567 to Thomas Peterson was next up on the agenda. Peterson currently represents the Hoopa Tribe in their suit against former Chairman Clifford Lyle Marshall for severance pay Marshall received near the end of his term as chairman in 2009.

LeMieux asked if the issue of damages in the case against Marshall had been settled. Chairman, Leonard Masten Jr., replied saying that they are currently working on that portion of the case.

In the new business portion of the meeting, several motions were made to approve Hoopa Tribal Fisheries Department spending on a Trinity River Hatchery survey being conducted by Humboldt State University; legal services rendered by Joseph Membrino at Hall Estill for the month of October amounting to $11,979.50. A motion was also made to approve the receipt of $175,000 as part of an Annual Funding Agreement with the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration for salmon recovery projects.

A motion was made to accept a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services to administer the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to Hoopa Tribal members. The grant amount is $46,080. Councilmember

Ryan Jackson asked the Director of the Tribe’s Human Services, Millie Grant, if the program was also open to non-tribal members. She said it was not. Jackson suspects that non tribal members have received assistance through LIHEAP and asked for a list of program recipients over the past several cycles. Grant said that to provide a list of recipients would violate client rights to confidentiality. The council voted to accept the funding and also agreed to support a process to ensure only tribal members receive help through the program.

Ken Norton, Director of the Tribe’s Environmental Protection Agency (TEPA) was on the agenda for approval to travel to Tulsa, Okla. for a National Tribal Caucus meeting, however he said he canceled his trip and chose to participate in the meeting via conference call.

Several small budget modifications were made by Norton to close out funds from fiscal year 2011. The Tribe’s Head Start program also had a similar budget closeout item.

The Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO) was added to the agenda seeking approval to sign a special MOU with CalTrans. The MOU will allow CalTrans to include the Tribe’s TERO requirements in a contract bid package currently being prepared to begin work on the Trinity River bridge in downtown Hoopa. The bridge rehabilitation project will consist of a 1 inch thick polyester coating on the entire bridge to prolong its life.

The Tribe’s Public Utilities District (PUD) asked for a resolution that provides access to fee property by the tribe to complete phase one of the valley-wide irrigation property. PUD director, Barbara Ferris said that the project is currently at a standstill because of access issues. A resolution was approved and work should resume soon.

The final agenda item was to approve a cash reward for information leading to the arrest of Robert ‘Brooder’ Mabry. Mabry is suspected of several burglaries in and around the Klamath-Trinity region and has evaded arrest on several occasions. A motion was passed and the reward notice went public on Dec. 6. The following day, Mabry was apprehended by Hoopa Valley Tribal Police.

The next regularly scheduled Council meeting will be held on Thursday, Dec. 15 at 1:30pm in the Hoopa Valley Tribal Council Chambers.

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