February 27, 2010

     Tribal government functions around a council-based system, which governs in accordance with each tribe’s constitution.

   “This is like the Bible to the tribes,” said Betty Scissons, with the Portland-based Northwest Regional Office for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. “They have to follow constitutional bylaws.”

   The Klamath Tribes council is made up of members of the Klamath and Modoc tribes, and the Yahooskin Band of Snake Indians. A 10-member council is elected every three years by members of the Klamath Tribes.   The voting members must be at least 18 years old.

   The council includes a Tribal chairman, vice chairman, secretary, treasurer and six Tribal council members.

   “These are what govern the tribes in terms of day-to-day business,” Scissons said.

   In addition to the Tribal council, a Tribal court oversees the administration of Tribal laws, ensuring all Tribal actions are constitutional.

   Klamath Tribes projects

   Several construction projects are under way, aimed at providing a financial boon to the Klamath Tribes organization.

   The Tribes in late 2008 acquired the Crater Lake Mill site, a 108-acre parcel of land on Highway 97 north of Chiloquin. The land was part of the tribes’ former reservation, and members had been looking to reacquire it for several years.

   Tentative plans call for the construction of a “Green Enterprise Park” on the site. It would process small diameter trees for multiple uses, including   wood chip manufacturing, bundled firewood and greenhouses. It also might include a biomass facility, putting more resources into local energy grids.

   Another project is the Crater Lake Junction Travel Center, a 7,800-square-foot welcome center near the Kla-Mo-Ya Casino at the Highway 62 Crater Lake Junction.

   Original plans called for a tentative building completion date of March 8. Members of the Klamath Tribes Economic Development Corp. also submitted a request to have a Subway restaurant and a gift shop installed in the travel center.  

   Members of the development corporation said the hope is to attract casino visitors and highway commuters to the visitors’ center, according to the tribe’s newsletter.

   Tribal spokespersons could not be reached for comment on either of the projects in development.