WELCOME TO THE GIDUTIKAD BAND OF THE NORTHERN PAIUTE TRIBE
MISSION STATEMENT- To provide all Northern Paiute Numa Gidutikad Band with opportunities for self-sufficiency through economic development by promoting education and workforce development, well-being, and historical preservation to integrate our cultural values and beliefs into our daily lives for future generations.
VISION STATEMENT- We, the Northern Paiute Numa Gidutikad Band, a united tribal community, envision a successful community of compassionate people who value transparency and inclusiveness working within tradition and culture; are physically and mentally healthy; and are represented by leadership that is a model of excellence in serving its community.
Info Box
FBICC GENERAL ELECTIONS
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2025 AT 10:00 A.M. PST
November 3, 2025
Hello FBIC Membership,
This letter is intended to notify you that the Fort Bidwell Indian Community Council will be holding our General Membership Elections on Saturday, November 8, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. PST. This will be a hybrid meeting with virtual and in-person access.
In order to hold our Tribal Elections, our membership will need to meet the quorum requirement of at least thirty (30%) percent of the 242 eligible voting tribal members attending the meeting, for a total of 73 tribal members. In order to participate, each eligible voting member of the Tribe (21 years and older) will be required to register to attend the scheduled Zoom meeting or sign in at the FBICC Tribal Office.
The Fort Bidwell Indian Community Council has elected to hold our annual Tribal Elections for all nine (9) Tribal Council positions utilizing Simply Voting (www.simplyvoting.com) and in-person voting.
Nominations for Tribal Council, Enrollment, Health, and Housing positions will be accepted by email to the Tribal Council at [email protected] until Saturday, November 1, 2025. Nominations will also be accepted during the Elections meeting, as detailed below in the “Nominations Process” section.
Respectfully,
Tribal Council
Fort Bidwell Indian Community Council
Please see the Elections Process and Instructions in Attachment A and Vacant Council, Board and Committee Positions in Attachment B.
Attachment A: Elections Process and Instructions
Below are the instructions to prepare for and participate in the virtual and in-person election process.
Preparing for the Election
In order to attend the meeting in-person, each member will need to meet at the FBICC Tribal Office and sign in on the attendance list.
In order to attend the meeting virtually, each member will need to be able to connect to the internet and download the Zoom app to the device they plan on utilizing to attend the meeting.
To register to Zoom in advance of the meeting, please use this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RPZP_OcaTMikQNwPYmnCcQ
Registering before the meeting will help to alleviate the time and effort it takes to login, ensuring a smoother process.
You will need to know your Tribal Identification Number (Enrollment Number) and the last four digits of your Social Security Number in order to cast a ballot utilizing the Simply Voting election software. If you do not know your Tribal Identification Number please contact Kathi Mathys, Enrollment Clerk, at [email protected], no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 7, 2024.
Meeting Process
You will be required to join the zoom meeting or in-person meeting no later than 9:59 am pacific standard time
For virtual attendees, please enter the following Meeting ID in the zoom app:
875 0778 9545 and register with your full legal name that is on file with the Enrollment Department.
You may have more than one Tribal member per device, but please note that each member will be required to show themselves on video to prove that are actually present.
Please be advised that once you are admitted to the meeting you will not be able to speak and no one will be able to hear you unless the Tribal Council calls on you during the meeting.
At exactly 10:00 a.m. pacific standard time, the Tribal Council will start the zoom meeting and in-person meeting at which time they will confirm whether or not a quorum has been established in order to continue on with the nomination process.
If quorum is not met, Tribal Council will give the membership a thirty (30) minute grace period in case of any connectivity or access issues. If quorum has not been met after the grace period, Tribal Council may decide to do any of the following:
Extend the waiting period
Reschedule the meeting in an effort to meet quorum
End the meeting and enter into a discussion session
Nomination Process
If quorum has been met, the Tribal Council will begin take nominations for Tribal Council followed by Enrollment Committee, Health Board, and Housing Board.
In order to nominate an eligible candidate you will need to raise your hand utilizing the zoom menu or enter your nomination in the chat box. In-person nominations will be taken by the Council member supervising the meeting.
Once all nominations have been received, the Chairman will then ask the nominee whether or not they accept or decline the nomination and will allow the nominee to speak.
Once nominations for Tribal Council have been closed, the Elections process will begin (detailed below).
Election Process
Upon completion of the nominations the Enrollment Officer will finalize the electronic and in-person ballots and announce the start of the voting process
Virtual attendees will be given a link to the ballot in the chat section of the zoom meeting. Each eligible voting member will need to click on the ballot link in the chat to access the voting site. Once at the voting site you will need to submit your Elector ID and password. Your Elector ID will be your Tribal Identification Number (Enrollment Number) and your password is the last four digits of your Social Security Number (example: Elector ID 518-000 Password 1234). This process will need to be repeated for each tribal member who may be attending in a group on Zoom.
In-person attendees will also submit their ballots using the SimplyVoting link. Laptop/computers will be available, but personal devices may also be used. The Council member supervising the meeting will assist members, if needed.
Once the voting process has been started you will have thirty (30) minutes to complete and submit your ballot.
At the conclusion of the thirty (30) minutes the Enrollment Officer will initiate the election results and the results will be shared immediately.
Newly Elected Council, Board, and Committee Members
Newly Elected officials will be announced and given time to coordinate contact information to set a meeting time for their first official meeting.
The newly elected Tribal Council Members will be made panelists and will elect officers in executive session. Once officers have been elected the newly elected Tribal Council Members will be sworn into office. At the conclusion of the oath the meeting will end.
Attachment B: Vacant Council, Board, and Committee Positions
Tribal Council
According to Article VIII: Nominations and Elections of our constitution, there are five (5) council members with the highest vote that may serve for two (2) years, and the remaining council will serve for one (1) year. Listed below are the active Tribal Council members.
Votes Received
Tribal Member Name
Term Limit
57
Megan Gourd
November 2024
54
Madeline Arredondo
November 2024
45
Lawrence Harlan
November 2024
44
Germain Ruvalcaba
November 2024
42
Cecilia Phoenix
November 2024
39
Cora Phoenix-Price
November 2023
39
Liz Zendejas
November 2023
38
Meldrick Meza
November 2023
36
JoAnn Arnold
November 2023
Enrollment Committee
According to Section 2: Enrollment Committee of the Enrollment Committee By laws, the committee may serve a term of two (2) years but may be reappointed upon expiration of the two-year term.
Votes Received
Tribal Member Name
Term Limit
46
Loretta Degarmo
November 2024
37
Carla Wilson
November 2024
32
Donna Ruvalcaba
November 2024
28
Jana Townsend
November 2024
26
Vivian Arnett
November 2024
Warner Mountain Indian Health Board
According to Section IV: Governing Body of the Health Board By laws,
the WMIHB members shall hold office for a term of two (2) years or until their successors are elected.
Votes Received
Tribal Member Name
Term Limit
40
Chanel Jimenez
November 2024
33
Ashlee Witcraft
November 2024
33
LeeAndria Witcraft
November 2024
33
Tori Townsend
November 2024
Health Board Selected
Matthew Octuck
November 2024
Housing Board
According to Section IV: Governing Body of the Housing Committee By Laws, the three committee members with the highest votes will serve a term of four (4) years, and the two members with the lowest votes will serve two years.
In the 2022 elections, a vote passed to do a full election with 4 new board members and keep one member on to finish out their original term, which ended in 2024. Only two current members remain until 2026.
Votes received
Tribal Member Name
Term limit
Next highest vote
Audra Sam
November 2024
Next highest vote
Kevin L Townsend
November 2024
29
Louis Townsend
November 2026
26
Roberta Phoenix
November 2026
22
Joni Townsend
November 2024
Election Notice will be mailed out as well
Tribal Council
Gidutikad Band of Northern Paiutes
F.B.I.C.C.
Notice: Dr. Chico Out of Office
Dr. Chico will be out of the office starting 4/11/25 and will return on 4/15/25.
If you have a life-threatening medical emergency, please call 9-1-1.
Otherwise, you can leave your message with the receptionist and she will address your concern when she returns.
Thank you,
WMIHP Staff
Gidutikad Wellness Center Grand Re-Opening
Hours of Operation (Subject to change)
Monday-Friday: 5am – 9am, 12pm – 7pm
Saturdays: 8am – 12pm
Click to learn more
Wellness Center Calendar
Click to see calendar
WMIB Board Openings: Feb 19, 2025
Dear Members,
The Warner Mountain Indian Health Board (WMIHB) has two open positions!
The WMIHB supports patients, clinic and the council by fostering collaboration for quality healthcare through the development and implementation of policies and procedures. It is the mission of the Warner Mountain Indian Health Clinic to provide, promote, improve, and support quality health services for the overall well-being of the community.
WMIHB is finalizing the onboarding process and working on the following goals:
- • Surveying membership on healthcare needs
- • Conducting training on HIPAA, budget management, and grant parameters
- • Educating members on Warner Mountain Indian Health Clinic resources
WMIHB members are critical thinkers who value respect, collaboration, and teamwork. If you share these values, we encourage you to join the Health Board. Please note that WMIHB meets up to three times a month via Zoom, with one meeting required by the council. Proficiency in email, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PDF formats is beneficial for communication.
If you’re interested, please contact our Tribal Administrator, Leon Draper, at [email protected], or WMIHB Chair, LeeAndria Witcraft, at [email protected].
We look forward to working with you!
Warner Mountain Indian Health board.
Bidwell Gym
Tribal Office/Community Center
New Phone System!!
RingCentral
Frontier and Mitel were replaced with RingCentral.
The Fort Bidwell Tribal Administration went live in January 2023 with a new phone system called RingCentral. Given the location and severe rural area of the tribe, the need for more versatile and dependable telecommunications services was needed. RingCentral is 100% cloud-based and serviced by Satellite Internet (Starlink) and deemed more cost-efficient for the tribe.
Tribal Council elected
9 Tribal Council members elected.
Tribal Leaders Summit in Washington D.C.
Ft. Bidwell was formally invited and represented by Tribal Chairman Germain Ruvalcaba in Washington D.C. to speak with Government officials and collaborate with other Tribal leaders throughout the United States.
Tribal Broadband Boot Camp in Temecula, CA
The tribe was represented in Hoopa to expand knowledge on Fiber optics and Broadband.
California tribal Leaders Summit in Sacramento, CA
California tribal Leaders Summit in Sacramento, CA
Ft. Bidwell was represented in Sacramento to speak with Government officials and collaborate with other Tribal leaders throughout California. Council Member Liz Zendejas was invited to an armchair discussion as a Panelist on Nurturing Tribal Families.
Grand Opening of the Ft. Bidwell Store
The Ft. Bidwell Store Grand Opening which has been a valuable resource to the community. We encourage people to stop in and support our own store.
Attended Intertribal Buffalo Council event in New Mexico
Ft. Bidwell was represented at a meeting with ITBC along with other Tribe in participating in a Harvest
Tribal Broadband Boot Camp in Hoopa, CA
The tribe was represented in Hoopa to expand knowledge on Fiber optics and Broadband.
Peer-To-Peer Learning Summit
Inter-Tribal Ecosystem Restoration Partnership-
Attended Peer-To-Peer Learning Summit in Sun River, Oregon.
Elevating Tribal partnerships in collaborative forest and watershed restoration.