393 MediaandCommunications.The tribes publish Sho-Ban News, a weekly newspaper distributed nationwide and in several countries. The paper features local tribaland state happenings, as well as national news affecting Indian Country. Sho-Bannewscirculation is 1,800 copies published every Thursday; however, the annual festival edition and magazine printed annually inAugust has 2,750 copies distributed. The newspaper has an active Facebook page that also posts daily news with a growing fan base of 2,000 plus members. The Fort Hall Business Council (FHBC) created a public affairs position in 2009 in response to growing concerns about inaccurate information in the media about the tribes. This office serves as the first point of contact for all external media inquiries. Public affairs works closely with all media to coordinate interviews, provide background information, and ensure that the tribes’ positions are accurately represented in the media. The public affairs office works closely with all tribal government departments, the FHBC, tribal attorney’s office, and administration to assure clear communication and coordinates governmental affairs activities for both the state and federal level. An external web site provides the general public with information on the growing tribal government sector. Energy. The tribal energy resources management program is responsible for overseeing energy initiatives, with responsibility for utility transmission rights of way on tribal lands, along with management and development of all utilities and energy resource projects. This includes clean renewable energy initiatives that will protect water and natural resources while creating a sustainable energy source to support sovereignty and self-sufficiency. Tourism and Recreation. The Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Museum is located off Interstate 15 across from the new hotel and event center. Initially opened in 1985, it closed for a number of years and later reopened in 1993 with the assistance of volunteers. There is one full-time museum manager. The facility houses donated historical photos and artifacts, and the gift shop offers a limited supply of hand-made beaded items and buckskin crafts, as well as books, posters, CDs, and calendars. The tribes host the largest outdoor powwow in Idaho, the Shoshone-Bannock Festival, every second weekend ofAugust.Activities include a 3-day powwow, an art show, a children’s powwow, two rodeo events, children’s traditional games, a cultural pageant competition, traditional hand games, an NIAA softball tourney, a traditional feast, two parades, and over 100 arts and crafts vendors selling authentic American Indian goods. The Sho-Ban Golf Classic is held during the festival, as is the RMRIRARodeo. The tribes also host Fort Bridger Treaty Day on July 3rd to recognize the signing of the Fort Bridger Treaty in 1868. Fort Hall Bottoms is a tribally owned hunting and fishing destination. In addition to vast populations of fish, there are moose, deer, wild horses, and buffalo in the area. Once in grave danger due to loss of vegetation, erosion of stream banks, warmer water temperature, and siltation in spawning gravels brought on by unrestricted grazing and rapid flooding, restoration efforts have successfully revitalized the natural resources in this area. Fishing is permitted at the Bottoms with limited permits and adherence to strict regulations set forth by the tribes. There are historical sites on the reservation: the Old the tribally owned buffalo herd and a smoke shop.Donzia Gift Shop is located inside theShoshone-BannockHotel, featuringworldrenownedNativeAmerican beadwork from management, fire, fish and wildlife, fish and game, Head Start and early childhood development, land use, trans- management, fire, fish and wildlife, fish and game, Head Start and early childhood development, land use, transchise gas station located off Interstate 15. The attached convenience store includes a grill and deli and a full line of tobacco products. Sage Hill Travel Center and Casino opened in 2009. This full-service truck stop also has RV parking, lounge and shower facilities, a mini casino, laundry, and complimentary Wi-Fi. The BoHoGoi Café is open 7 days a week with breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. Bannock Peak Truck Stop lies just off Interstate 86 west of Pocatello, Idaho. It, too, has an adjacent casino along with all other truck stop amenities. The Buffalo Horn Grill operates inside the Fort Hall Casino. The Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Bison herd was established in 1966 with 21 buffalo acquired from the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. The current herd ranges from 300 to 400 head and are descendents of this start. The buffalo herd grazes on the bluffs of the Fort Hall Bottoms and the Cedars areas. The tribes use the buffalo for ceremonies and local functions, such as the traditional community feast for the annual Shoshone-Bannock Festival. Select animals from the herd are chosen to provide high-quality products marketed to the public. Fisheries. The fish and wildlife department employs 16 biologists and 18 permanent technicians to oversee natural resource management on all reservation lands. Staff operate a fish hatchery at Crystal Springs and raise two fish species currently on the Endangered Species List, Snake River Chinook Salmon and the Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout. Through a Memorandum of Agreement with federal government agencies, the tribe accepted responsibility for restoration of these and other species to streams and creeks throughout the Salmon and Upper Snake River sub-basins. These initiatives are aligned with goals set forth in the greater Columbia River Basin Fish andWildlife Program. Other activities include restoration of habitat with strict water quality standards and mitigation of shoreline degradation. Gaming. The Fort Hall Casino, located in Fort Hall just off interstate Highway 15, has expanded to include the Shoshone-Bannock Hotel and Event Center. The hotel has 156 guest rooms, and the event center has 15,000 square feet of conference/meeting space available for weddings, tribal dinners and events, trade shows, or other business events. There are eateries located at the hotel, Camas Sports Grill and Dika Ghani Deli, and a full-service Cedar Spa. The tribes also own and operate Buffalo Meadows RV Park within walking distance of the casino and hotel. A second gaming enterprise, the Bannock Peak Casino, is located just off Interstate 86 in Arbon Valley, west of Pocatello, Idaho. The Sage Hill Travel Center casino has 100 gaming machines. Services and Retail. The Corner Mercantile, located within the historic Fort Hall town site is locally owned and operated by a tribal family. The store offers seed beads, cut beads, and traditionally tanned buckskin and antiquities. It also sells handmade arts and crafts, items for regalia, paintings, antique photographs, postcards, andAmerican Indian music CD’s. Fort Hall Fort Hall Monument at the original trading post site along the historic Oregon Trail, The Lincoln Creek Day School andRailroadDepotareonthe Register of Historic Places. INFRASTRUCTURE Highways and Roads. Interstate 15 crosses the reservation north and south, and Interstate 86 bisects it east to west. State Highway 91 runs north and south. Transportation. The reservation is crossed by the main line of the Union Pacific Railroad and a north-south line connecting to Montana and Utah. The Pocatello Municipal Airport is located within reservation land that was alienated under the World War Two Powers Act. This is an all-weather instrument-certified runway for large commercial aircraft. Commercial bus lines also serve the reservation directly, as do numerous truck lines. The tribes contract with BIA for road maintenance on the reservation and have contracted directly with the Federal HighwayAdministration for construction and administrative services on state highways. The tribal transportation department oversees planning and provides construction services on projects. The tribes maintain a number of school bus routes to transport students within the public school system. In 2011 the tribes initiated a public transit service covering all five districts within the Fort Hall Reservation. This service runs regular routes Monday through Friday but can also respond to customer requests for service with advance notice. During the last fiscal year, 14,000 riders used the transit system, with over 120,000 miles logged. Electricity is provided by Idaho Power Company and Rocky Mountain Power. Natural gas is supplied by Intermountain Gas Company. Water Supply. Shoshone-Bannock tribal utilities supply sewer service at the Fort Hall town site. They operate a large lagoon and conduct land application. All other areas rural to the Fort Hall town site have individual septic systems. Because of agricultural chemical contamination of much of the reservation’s groundwater, a domestic water supply system is being constructed to serve the core area of the reservation. The tribe manages the municipal system to supply safe drinking water to residents. Outlying residents rely on private wells for water. Telecommunications. Asite on Ferry Butte, north of Fort Hall, commanding a 50-mile radius, is leased to communications service providers and is used for police, fire, and public safety communication towers. COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND SERVICES The tribes maintain the Human Resource and Development Center, a tribal business center, and a multipurpose community center for various tribal activities and meetings. The recreation department manages the community center facility and coordinates Boys and Girls Clubs at the site. There is exercise equipment available to all tribal members and outdoor play equipment for community youth. Education. Students attend schools on the reservation operated by the tribal school district.A junior/senior high school was built in 1992. In 2012 the tribes were finalizing plans for Chief Tahgee ElementaryAcademy, a public charter K-6th grade school, which will be the only language immersion school in the state of Idaho.
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