In February, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon filed a brief with the Court of Appeals of the State of Oregon. The Tribe asked the court to send back the January 12 decision of the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) to address issues that the Tribe has raised in connection with the proposed modification of Thornburgh Resort’s Fish and Wildlife Mitigation Plan.
Yesterday, the Court of Appeals issued its decision to return the case to LUBA for consideration of the Tribe’s challenge. In response, please accept this statement from Robert A. Brunoe, secretary treasurer/CEO of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs:
“We are pleased that the Court of Appeals understands the importance of ensuring that land use decision makers respect our treaty rights, co-management responsibilities, and sovereign interests when it comes to the fish resources of the Deschutes Basin.
“The Deschutes River and its tributaries are in our homelands, and we have lived and fished on these waters since time immemorial. The land and water impacted by the 2022 Fish and Wildlife Mitigation Plan lies within our ceded territory where we retain treaty-protected rights to take fish and to have fish to take. Our Tribal knowledge — both scientific and cultural — is essential to deliver a healthy fishery for our people.”
The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon is a federally-recognized, sovereign Indian tribe occupying the Warm Springs Reservation, which was reserved for its exclusive benefit by an 1855 Treaty with the United States. The Reservation stretches from the summit of the Cascade Mountains to the cliffs of the Deschutes River in Central Oregon.
