Greetings,
Makes you wonder about that crazy groundhog – when he said six more weeks of winter, then we get temps in the sixties. I suppose even groundhogs can be wrong sometimes, too. Maybe this means March will go out like a lion.
Seneca Energy is now offering two new programs for individual homeowners: a solar panel program and a residential generator program. They have a maximum of fifty solar panel systems available to install and they are on a “first come, first served” basis. Twenty-five solar panel systems are reserved for lower income households and the other twenty-five systems are open to all territory residents. The solar panel installation is projected to deliver approximately 6,000 kwh annually. The residential generator program delivers approximately 18kw of power and both programs have sign up guidelines in place. If you are interested, please contact Wes Jackson at Seneca Energy for more information: (716) 532-9221; or email him at: wes.jackson@sni.org.
The topic of banishment has been put at the forefront of discussions again, for Seneca Nation members. The draft version of the proposed Exclusion and Banishment Law are available in your respective Clerk’s Office for anyone interested in reading it and providing public comments within the sixty-day comment period, which began on February 13th, 2023. The draft law provides a detailed mechanism for Exclusion Orders, as well as procedures to follow – to banish a Seneca Nation member from Seneca Nation jurisdictional lands. Your comments and feedback regarding this proposed law are a right afforded all enrolled Seneca members – to be included in such paramount decisions. I encourage our membership to thoroughly read the material and submit your comments by the end of the comment period of April 14th, 2023. All written comments may be delivered to any of our Clerk Offices. This law will be brought up for consideration on the Council floor at the May 13th, 2023, regular session of Council.
The Haudenosaunee Spring Art Show is coming up on March 25th, 2023, at the Seneca- Iroquois National Museum. This is a juried art show for artists eighteen years and older from all our communities. The purpose of this show is to give emerging and established Haudenosaunee artists a professional venue to show and market their work, as each piece entered into the show must be for sale to the public. Works can be paintings, drawings, mixed media, 3D fine art, basketry, beadwork, or traditional art pieces. The application deadline is March 13th, 2023; and there is a total of $10,000.00 in cash awards, up for grabs. For more details, please contact Randee Spruce at (716) 945-1760 or randee.spruce@sni.org.
The Council and I have had a sporadic flow of visits with NYS Senators, Assemblymen, and dignitaries; both on territory and in Albany. Our Compact Team continues to meet with the state of New York, and we are hopeful there will be favorable outcomes for all of us.
Don’t put your shovels and snow brushes away just yet. I have a feeling we’ll be needing them!
Respectfully,
Rickey L. Armstrong, Sr.
