The White Mountain Apache Indian Tribe of Arizona and the Hale Adams family group from the Hopi Reservation, also in Arizona, have been honored by the Department of the Interior with Conservation Service Awards, it was announced by Secretary Douglas McKay today.
The White Mountain Apaches were cited for their excellent work in juniper eradication, and the Hale Adams family group for adopting more productive farming methods and promoting them among their Hopi neighbors.
The White Mountain story goes back 16 years to 1940, when the tribe realized that juniper was cutting down on the productivity of their grazing lands. During these past 16 years, the tribe has spent more than $410,000 in ridding their range of this nuisance, and eight cattle associations among the Indians have added another $70,000, by digging out the juniper with axes and hoes and fire, the tribe has cleared about 72,000 acres and has greatly improved the grazing conditions.
The Hale Adams family group, comprised of Mr. and Mrs. Hale Adams, five daughters, two sons, three sons-in-law, and two daughters-in-law, received an award for improving their land usage during the past ten years to gain high agronomic and cattle production. The family group has 15,360 acres of grazing land and 60 acres of farmland.
The Secretary stated his pleasure at the family’s fine exhibits at the 4-H Achievement Day on the Hopi Reservation, at the Navajo County Fair and the Navajo Tribal Fair. Members of the Adams family have also fostered better grazing and farming techniques among their fellow Indians.
Letters of congratulations have been sent to Lester Oliver, chairman of the White Mountain Apache Tribe at Whiteriver, Ariz., and Mr. Hale Adams at Polacca, Ariz., by Secretary McKay and Commissioner of Indian Affairs Glenn L. Emmons. The Outstanding Indian conservationists will receive certificates from the Department of the Interior at appropriate ceremonies in the near future.
