OPA

Commissioner of Indian Affairs William E. Hallett today announced the appointment of new superintendents for the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Umatilla and Pima Agencies.

William D. Sandoval, a San Juan Pueblo/Navajo Indian, is the superintendent at Umatilla in Pendleton, Oregon. Edmund L. Thompson, an enrolled member of the Pima Tribe, has been selected as the superintendent at Pima in Sacaton, Arizona.

Sandoval has worked for the Bureau in the Southwest for six years. During the past three years he has been the Administrative Officer and then the Program Analysis Officer at the Umatilla Agency. Sandoval attended the New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, and the College of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Thompson has worked for the Bureau for ten years, including employment from 1973 to 1978 as Reservation Program Officer for the Pima Agency, and from 1978 to 1980 as a Superintendent Intern in the Phoenix Area Office. He was the Acting Director and Deputy Director of the Model Cities Program's Tribal Planning Department from 1970 to 1973 and the manager of the Pima Tribal cattle operation from 1967 to 1970.

Thompson received a B.S. in agricultural management from the University of Northern Colorado.

The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe of Lower Brule, South Dakota and the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewas of Bayfield, Wisconsin will be the first tribes to receive management assistance from the Tribal Managers Corps (TMC) Commissioner of Indian Affairs William E. Hallett announced today

The tribes are now selecting managers who will work for the tribal governments on 18- to 24-month general management assignments similar to that of a city manager. They are choosing from a pool of nine managers selected by TMC, according to TMC Program Manager Bill Robinson.

"These placements provide the professional assistance tribes need to upgrade and reinforce their management capabilities," Hallett said.

Last spring Hallett introduced TMC and won the President's Management Improvement Council's sponsorship for it as a way of improving tribal governments and thus tribal self-determination capabilities. Tribes are invited to define their management needs and then to work with TMC to determine how the program can help meet those needs.

During its first year, TMC will rely on the mobility provisions of the Intergovernmental Personnel Act and on limited BIA funds in assigning managers from the public and private sectors to work with tribal governments, according to Robinson. He added, however, that TMC is working with industries to place managers with tribes at the industries' expense, to obtain industry technical assistance for tribes, and to encourage industry training programs for tribal managers.

In addition to manager placements and technical assistance, TMC can arrange internships, coordinate training programs, and is developing curriculum materials on tribal management through colleges and universities.

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President Carter has named Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Thomas W. Fredericks co-chairman of the new American Indian Task Force, one of 14 task forces the Administration established to carry out its Small Community and Rural Development Policy (SCRD) of 1979.

SCRD's goals are to meet unique needs of and provide opportunities for rural people, and to promote responsible use and stewardship of natural resources and environment while enhancing the quality of rural life.

Earlier this year, the White House established 14 task forces, organized by functions (i.e., housing, transportation, education), to implement SCRD. The White House convened an American Indian Task Force in September and directed it to address issues impeding effective delivery of Federal services to Indian tribes. Eugene Eidenberg, Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Secretary to the Cabinet, is co-chairman of the task force with Fredericks.

"This task force is a means of enhancing the government-to-government relationship to tribes, as well as a means to improve coordination of Federal Indian programs," Fredericks said. "The task force will be able to build on past years of efforts at intergovernmental coordination responsive to tribal needs," he added. "And this is the first time we have had White House involvement and support to enforce proposed coordination."

As a way of coordinating programs more efficiently, the task force advised that a lead agency be assigned the responsibility for implementing task force recommendations.

The task force convened for the first time last month and organized into three groups to develop a set of actions and initiatives for the task force to consider at its next meeting.

The three groups are working in the following areas: problems related to substantive issues (such as water, energy, housing, and health); problems regarding interagency systems coordination; and development of a tribal consultation plan for SCRD as well as development of a comprehensive, ongoing consultation plan for all Federal agencies that deliver resources and services to Indian tribes.

Commissioner of Indian Affairs William E. Hallett has named Jose "Abe" Zuni acting director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Juneau, Alaska area office. His appointment is effective immediately.

Zuni, a member of the Isleta Pueblo, is a 31-year veteran in the BIA. Since September of 1979 he has been the Bureau's Management Improvement Liaison Officer, stationed in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He has previously served as Director of the Office of Administration in Washington, D. C. and held other top management positions in the Bureau.

John Hope, who has been serving as the acting area director, was recently elected to the position of president of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Tribes.

The permanent appointment of an area director for the Juneau area is in the approval process. Zuni will serve in the interim.

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Secretary of the Interior Cecil D. Andrus announced today his agreement with the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and Peabody Coal Company cancelling controversial coal leases and permits on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in southern Montana. The agreement resolves a long-standing dispute among the parties regarding coal development on the reservation.

"This agreement is another example of our affirmative exercise of Interior's trust responsibility to the Indian people," Secretary Andrus said. "Successful completion of the agreement removes a cloud from the Indian lands and at the same time will promote additional coal production in an environmentally sound manner to meet our Nation's future energy needs. Within the next year, similar agreements are expected to be negotiated with other coal companies holding disputed prospecting permits on the reservation, completely resolving any remaining questions of rights to coal on the Northern Cheyenne lands," Andrus said. Peabody's disputed leases and permits on the reservation which are cancelled under the agreement covered more than an estimated one billion tons of coal. The lands which Peabody may receive in return cannot, under the agreement, contain more than 130 million tons of recoverable coal. The agreement furthers the Department's policy of self-determination for the tribe, and returns control of the disputed lands to the Northern Cheyenne people. This cancellation agreement was developed under provisions of P.L. 96-401, signed into law on October 9, 1980. The Act establishes a process for resolving the long-standing dispute over the validity of the leases on the reservation, thus avoiding expensive and time-consuming litigation.

This was supported by the Department, authorizes and directs the Secretary to negot1ate agreements w1th the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and with parties holding leases and permits on the reservation to cancel the leases and permits in return for non-competitive Federal coal leases off the reservation. The cancelled leases were executed in 1969 and 1970, but no coal has been extracted during the intervening years because of protests by the tribe.

Today's agreement covers only the reservation coal leases and permits held by Peabody. Under the law, negotiations concerning the permits held by other companies must be completed by January 1, 1982. Under the agreement, Peabody's leases and permits on the reservation are cancelled and an off-reservation lease will be issued to the company if the tract is determined to be leasable in accordance with the procedures of the Federal coal management program. The lease will be only for lands environmentally acceptable for leasing and only for lands which round out an existing mining area controlled by Peabody. Also, Peabody agrees to pay the fair market value for the non-competitive lease. The lands identified for non-competitive leasing encompass about 11,000 acres, and lie in a checkerboard pattern of alternate sections of Federal and private coal with the private sections under the control of Peabody. If these lands are leased, Peabody will possess a tract of Federal and private coal large enough to mine economically.

More specifically, the three-way agreement calls for:

• Cancellation of six leases and three permits held by Peabody on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation;
• Issuance of a non-competitive Federal coal lease to Peabody for lands acceptable for leasing, as determined by land use planning;
• Payment by Peabody of the fair market value of the off-reservation leases less the company's investment on the reservation; investments will be audited by an independent auditor;
• Issuance to Peabody of a bidding certificate which can be used at competitive coal lease sales if the lands identified for the non-competitive lease are found to be unacceptable for leasing in the land use planning;
• Release to Peabody of escrow funds held by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and a second escrow agent, after audit;
• Extinguishment of any claim or liability between or among the signatories.

The Interior Department honored 103 persons, including three Bureau of Indian Affairs employees, in its 47th Awards Convocation on October 21.

Theodore Krenzke, Acting Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau, and William Finale director of the Bureau's Sacramento Area Office, received Senior Executive Service Awards in the form of cash bonuses. Gabriel Aripa, BIA forestry technician for the Colville Agency, received the Department's valor award for courageously saving the lives of three children on the Colville Indian Reservation in Nespelem, Washington.

"These outstanding employees fully merit our appreciation for the accomplishments," said Cecil Andrus, Secretary of the Interior Department. "They have made important contributions to the Department's achievements."

The Department honored Krenzke for exceptional administration of BIA programs, and for being instrumental in the development of measures to implement: the Civil Service Reform Act and the management improvement program within Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Finale was contended for playing "a key role in resolving issues 1:-elated to conservation of the Klamath Trinity River resources."

Aripa received honor for rushing to a neighbor's burning house where flames at the front entrance forced him to enter through the back door. He found 18-year-old Sherry Adolph unconscious and carried her out. Meanwhile, his· shouting aroused 14-year-old Karen Adolph, who escaped with her one-year-old brother. Aripa then covered himself with a wet blanket and entered the house in a vain attempt to rescue a remaining Adolph sister.

Commissioner of Indian Affairs William E. Hallett today initiated a policy to quicken the recruitment, employment, and promotion of Indian women employees for mid- and senior-level supervisory/management positions in grades 9 and above

Hallett directed each BIA Area Office as well as the Central Office to: (1) determine the status of Indian women employees relative to other employees, and (2) develop recruitment plans to upgrade Indian women to a status comparable to other employees.

Currently, the overall average grade of permanent, full-time Indian women employees in the Bureau is GS-5.

The policy requires key managers in the Central and Area Offices to develop an advance assessment of potential Indian women employees, and an advance notification process of job vacancies. This advance personnel resource and job notification action must cover each occupation for which vacancies are projected during the current and succeeding years.

Hallett suggested that each office establish an inundate applicant pool by identifying Indian women who had applied for employment during the past two years. He also encouraged "aggressive outside recruitment of Indian women."

Hallett said that achievements in enhancing the grade level and the level of authority of Indian women will be an element of the performance review of Bureau managers and supervisors in the area of Affirmative Action. The five areas in which managers will be evaluated are affirmative action, human resources management, socio-economic procurement, the Administration's Small Community and Rural Development Policy, and special BIA initiatives.

Vincent Little, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Portland, Oregon Area Director, has been detailed to serve as the acting Phoenix Area Director for a period not to exceed 120 days.

Commissioner of Indian Affairs William Hallett said that Little "is an excellent administrator who will provide effective leadership for the Phoenix area in a critical period of change."

A Mohave Indian, Little was named Arizona Indian of the Year in 1971 when he was in charge of the Phoenix Indian School.

Little began his career with the BIA in 1957 as a teacher at the Phoenix school. He was Superintendent of the Northern Idaho agency before becoming Area Director in Portland. A U.S. Army veteran, Little, 49, graduated from Arizona State University, where he subsequently earned a Master’s degree in 1961. In 1963 he completed Interior's Departmental Management Program.

Dr. Gerald E. Gipp, a 39-year-old member of the Standing Rock Sioux Indian tribe of North Dakota, has been named President of Haskell Indian Junior College.

Presently Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Education in the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C., Gipp will assume his new duties upon the retirement of President Wallace Galluzzi in early January. He will be the first Indian ever to head the junior college.

In announcing the new President of the 100-year-old school in Lawrence, Kansas, Thomas W. Fredericks, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, called Gipp a superbly qualified and experienced teacher and administrator.

''We are fortunate to obtain the services of Dr. Gipp and I am confident that he will continue the high educational standards we have come to expect from one of the oldest Indian education institutions in the country," Fredericks said.

Dr. Earl Barlow, Director of the Office of Indian Education Programs for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, termed the selection of Dr. Gipp an excellent choice who has the best of credentials. ''We look forward to working with him in continuing to meet the educational and cultural needs of our students at Haskell," Barlow said.

Haskell Indian Junior College, formerly Haskell Institute, has more than 1,000 Indian and Alaskan Native students and is accredited by the state of Kansas and the North Central Association.

Gipp, a native of Fort Yates, N.D., has served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Education since June 1977 where he has been responsible for the program management of Indian Education programs in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. He has provided ·leadership and direction to approximately 55 employees with the responsibility of implementation of $75 million in formula and discretionary programs.

The new President has more than nine years teaching and administrative experience in BIA schools in North Dakota and in Washington, D.C. From 1973 to 1977, he was with Pennsylvania State University, first as Associate Director of Native American Administrators Programs and then as Assistant Professor of Education. His first teaching experience was with the Verona North Dakota Public School District in 1962-64.

He holds a B.S. Degree in Industrial Education/Physical Education from the Ellendale. Branch of the University of North Dakota and received his Master’s Degree in Education from Pennsylvania State University in 1971. He received his Ph.D. in Education Administration from that same University in 1974.

Dr. Gipp is married and has four children. He currently resides in Springfield, Virginia.

Interior Secretary James Watt, Agricultural Secretary John R. Block and representatives of Chugach Natives, Inc. today signed an agreement that provides for the final major settlement with regional corporations under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA). The State of Alaska, also a party to the agreement, will sign shortly. “

This action is a milestone in our commitment to resolve Native claims,” Watt said. “It ends more .than a decade of uncertainty for the Chugach people and it concludes more than two years of intense study and negotiation by the Departments of Agriculture and Interior, the Chugach Natives and the State of Alaska. This settlement is equitable for the Natives, for other Alaskans who are concerned about access, and for the public at large. This is another example of our Good Neighbor policy at work.”

Secretary Block noted that the Department of Agriculture was deeply involved in the negotiations because most of the valuable and productive lands in the agreement are within the Chugach National Forest.

“Valuable timber and mineral resources from the Chugach National Forest will be exchanged to the Chugach Natives under the action,” Block said. “We are looking forward to implementing the agreement with the Chugach Natives.”

The agreement specifically identifies about 272,000 acres in the National Forest (about 172,000 acres), National Wildlife Refuge (about 1,900 acres) and other public areas (about 98,000 acres) that are to be exchanged to Chugach Natives, Inc. The corporation's remaining entitlement of about 106,000 acres will be identified by December of this year from lands that were selected by the Chugach Natives prior to December 1976 under the ANCSA.

The corporation, which represents Natives living along the Gulf of Alaska east of Anchorage, already has received $3 million as part of the settlement and will get an additional $9 million upon final execution of the agreement.

The agreement improves land management patterns in the Prince William Sound region by consolidating ownership in important areas and reducing Chugach Natives, Inc., inholdings in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.

Under the agreement, more than 80 easements have been obtained from the corporation to provide for public use and access. This includes public access to certain marine shoreline areas and streams for recreational purposes. The area is highly regarded for its recreational opportunities, including fishing, hunting, kayaking and hiking. Also, more than 90,000 acres of selections will be relinquished by the Chugach Natives from within the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.

Because of difficulties in settling the claims of the Chugach Natives, the 1980 Alaska Lands Act provided for a special study which was the framework for today's agreement.

“Although this is the last major settlement with the 12 Native regional corporations entitled to land under the 1971 law, there is still much work to be done," Watt said. "This work will continue to be given a high priority.”