Two significant developments are unfolding at the Warm Springs Reservation this week — one focused on long-term infrastructure along a major travel corridor, the other on an annual cultural tradition that brings Native youth together from across the Pacific Northwest.
Tribal Council Approves Rest Area Feasibility Study
The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Tribal Council has unanimously approved a feasibility study exploring whether a new Highway 26 rest area could be located on tribal land. The effort is being led by the Oregon Travel Information Council, which has worked with tribal, local, state, and federal partners since 2021 to find a replacement for the aging rest area near Government Camp — a facility that dates to the 1950s and no longer meets traveler demand.
Tribal Council members cited several reasons for supporting the study, including:
- Improving highway safety along the corridor
- Reducing roadside litter and public sanitation issues that currently plague stretches of Hwy. 26
- Creating potential future small business development opportunities on the reservation
Resource specialists are expected to begin field studies along the Highway 26 corridor during the 2027 field season. Findings will be presented back to Tribal Council in fall 2027 before any final site decision is made. If ultimately approved and built, such a facility would mark a meaningful expansion of the Tribe's economic footprint along one of Central Oregon's most traveled routes.
N'chi Wana Pum Canoe Family Heads to Nisqually
On the cultural front, members of the N'chi Wana Pum Canoe Family are gearing up for this summer's Paddle to Nisqually Youth Canoe Journey — an annual intertribal event that sends canoe families traveling ancestral waterways from across the Pacific Northwest region.
Organizers describe the journey as a powerful opportunity for Native youth to strengthen cultural traditions, build teamwork, and develop leadership while paddling alongside families from throughout the region. The tentative launch is scheduled for July 20 at Celilo Village on the Columbia River.
Community members interested in participating or learning more are encouraged to contact the canoe family organizers directly through the Warm Springs community channels.
Tribe and City of Bend Strengthen Regional Ties
In a related development, the Confederated Tribes and the City of Bend held their annual joint meeting on June 30, discussing Deschutes Basin water conservation, groundwater management, and Bend's 20-year growth planning. The meeting follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two governments in April 2024 — the first such agreement between the Tribe and a Central Oregon city.
"Meetings are not the goal. We have sat at many tables over the years. What matters is what happens after we leave them. The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs will measure this relationship by what is done, not by what is said." — Edward R. Henderson, Secretary-Treasurer/CEO, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs