But Francis Abernathy had done her homework. Francis organized a counter-meeting one hour before Corrine’s. She showed 41 homeowners the truth: the 14 years of receipts Corrine ignored, the failed state petition Corrine hid, and the massive federal fines Corrine had triggered at the creek.
Francis asked for a show of hands to bypass Corrine and negotiate peacefully with the tribe. Thirty-eight hands went up. Corrine’s meeting was attended by twelve people, and seven of them walked out.
Corrine tried calling the state Attorney General. The AG told her tribal sovereignty is protected by federal treaty. She tried calling the Bureau of Indian Affairs. They told her to have a nice afternoon. She even filed a false police report claiming my son threatened her. The Idaho fire department informed her that filing a false report is a misdemeanor, and the sheriff added it to her growing file.
Ten days later, the tribe hosted a public forum at the Joseph Community Center.
Two hundred and thirty people packed the room. Corrine sat in the front row, wearing a cream vest, glaring at the tribal council. She tried to march up to the microphone first, but the facilitator made her sit down.
Margaret Broncho took the floor. She spoke for nineteen minutes about the history of the meadow, the bison herd, and the youth camps.
Then she looked at Corrine. “Mrs. Ashburn, where does your subdivision’s water come from?”
Corrine stood up. “From the aquifer under our subdivision.”
“The recharge zone for your aquifer,” Margaret said calmly, “is on the high meadow Cole Hargrove sold to the Nez Perce Tribe nine days ago. Under state law, the tribe now has direct interest in how that recharge zone is managed.”
The room went dead silent. Corrine physically deflated.
The tribe’s attorney laid out the terms. The HOA would get a permanent road license, but it came with conditions. First, a permanent annual licensing fee of $75,000 paid to the tribal youth fund. Second, the HOA had to pay $137,000 to restore the creek bank Corrine destroyed. Third, the stone monument with her husband’s name had to be removed immediately.
