OPA

Interior Under Secretary Frank Bracken will open the first in a series of regional conferences with Indian tribal leaders designed to increase economic development on Indian reservations. The first conference, scheduled March 1-2 in Scottsdale, Arizona, will include tribal representatives from Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada and Colorado and business and industry leaders from the private sector. Interior's Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Eddie F. Brown said the purpose of the meetings would be to highlight successful Indian economic development efforts and, through consultation with tribal chairmen, to define the role for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the development of Indian community economies. The conference will also present an overview of the roles of Federal and tribal governments in economic development and will offer information to tribal leaders on policy options for economic development.

"We are delighted that Under Secretary Bracken will keynote this conference," Brown said. "He has an important role in Indian Affairs within the Department, and has responsibility for seeing that other agencies within Interior are supportive of our programs and our goals." Brown said he has been impressed by the variety of approaches that tribes have used to develop their economies. "This diversity among tribes suggests that there is no single magical formula that will solve all the problems of unemployment and poverty on Indian lands," Brown said. "The key is to develop a partnership between tribes and the Bureau of Indian Affairs for both economic development issues and the approaches to resolve them."

The first regional conference will be held at the Safari Resort Hotel, 4611 Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale. Under Secretary Bracken will give the opening address at 9:30 a.m., March 1. The next economic development conference is tentatively scheduled for April 15-16, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Interior Under Secretary Frank Bracken will open the second in a series of mini-summits on education with Indian tribal leaders and educators aimed at improving the quality of Indian education in Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) funded schools. The meeting is scheduled for March 12-13, 1990, in Rapid City, South Dakota, and will include tribal and state representatives from North and South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

"We want to hear the ideas from tribal leaders throughout the Northern Plains on how we can bring the quality of education up to, or above, national standards for the eleven percent of the Indian students attending these institutions," Bracken said. This second mini-summit follows a successful session held February 12-13 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where more than 900 Indian tribal leaders and educators from the Southwest helped the BIA to develop new ideas to enhance the education of the 40,000 Native American students attending schools funded by the BIA.

Interior Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Eddie F. Brown said the Indian education mini-summit will focus primarily on four areas needing major improvements: (1) parental and community involvement; (2) early childhood development; (3) the elevation of expectations in Indian schools; and (4) effective evaluation of schools, students, and teachers. "The ideas we gather from participants in this conference will guide us in preparing our fiscal 1992 budget request to Congress so that we can improve Indian education in areas important to the Indian people," Brown said.

The Rapid City meeting will consist of a series of panel discussions, addresses and workshops, and will take place at the Howard Johnson Motel, 2211 LaCrosse St., Rapid City. The Under Secretary will give the opening address at 9:45 a.m. on March 12. The next conference is scheduled in mid-April in Spokane in conjunction with the National Indian Education Association.

Interior Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Eddie Brown will open the second in a series of regional economic development conferences with Indian tribal leaders March 15-16 in Hollywood, Florida. The conference will include tribal representatives from Florida, Louisiana, Maine, New York, North Carolina, Mississippi, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin and business and industry leaders from the private sector.

Brown said the meeting would highlight successful Indian economic development efforts and, through consultation with tribal chairmen, define the role for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the development of Indian community economies. The conference also will present an overview of the roles of federal and tribal governments in economic development and will offer information to tribal leaders on policy options for economic development. "The diversity of economic development projects among tribes suggests that there is no single magical formula that will solve all the problems of unemployment and poverty on Indian lands," Brown said. "The key is to develop a partnership between tribes and the Bureau for both economic development issues and the approaches to resolve them."

The Florida conference at the Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood will consist of a series of panel discussions, addresses, and work groups. Brown's keynote address is scheduled for 9: 30 a.m. on March 15. The first regional conference was held March 1-2 in Phoenix, Arizona. A third conference is tentatively scheduled for Portland, Oregon.

Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan today announced that he has directed Interior officials to develop "better and stronger" policies to govern the protection and treatment of sacred objects and human remains on Federal lands.

Lujan told Interior bureau heads that the new policies should be based on four areas of special emphasis:

• Public education and participation
• Cooperation in fighting archeological looters
• More interagency information exchange
• Increased site inventories and collections curation.

"America's archeological heritage, the sites from her historical and prehistoric past, needs more protection," Lujan said. "Like rare and endangered species, many archeological sites are threatened with extinction.” Looting, modern development and even careful archeological research have the effect of reducing the number of sites from bygone times, which once lost, can never be restored. We must make the most of the sites we have left, protecting and preserving them so that future generations of Americans will be enriched by the unique information that they hold."

Public education and participation will be the key to the effectiveness of the new regulations, Lujan said, 11 because it builds a sense of awareness, stewardship and pride in our priceless archeological resources which supports the many actions necessary to protect them.” Lujan said he has also directed the National Park Service to develop a new policy statement and revise an existing Department guideline to ensure a more sensitive treatment of archeological human remains and associated objects.

"This is a subject of much concern to many Americans and especially to American Indians. Unfortunately, for many years Indian graves were often desecrated and the human remains and objects within them treated disrespectfully," he said.

Lujan said he was pleased to note that in recent months many archaeologists, anthropologists, Federal land managers, and museum curators have become more sensitive to the cultural and religious concerns of American Indians about the remains and burial objects. The new policy will affirm the right of Tribes and other American Indian groups to determine the treatment these remains should receive, Lujan said.

As part of his campaign to increase public awareness of these issues, Lujan has presented the Interior Department's Public Service Award to Anthony G. "Tony" Hillerman, distinguished author of mystery and adventure stories set on Indian Reservations in the Southwest. “Hillerman’s books increase our understanding of Indian cultures,” Lujan said, “and graphically illustrate the tragedy of archeological looting." The Secretary of the Interior is responsible for the protection of hundred of thousands of archeological sites on public lands throughout the Nation. He is also responsible for providing advice, technical information, and regulations for archeological preservation efforts by Federal and other public agencies throughout the country.

Interior Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Eddie F. Brown will keynote the third in a series of regional economic development conferences with Indian tribal leaders May 14-15 in Oklahoma City. The meeting is being held in conjunction with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce's third annual Indian economic development conference on May 14.

The conference will include tribal representatives from Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. The purpose of the meeting will be to highlight successful Indian economic development efforts and, through consultation with tribal chairmen, define the role for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the development of Indian community economies.

The conference also will present an overview of the roles of federal, state and tribal governments in economic development and will offer information to tribal leaders on policy options for economic development. "We are pleased that Governor Henry Bellman has asked us and Indian tribal leaders of Oklahoma to participate in their annual conference and work together to attempt to find ways of creating more economic development on Indian lands," Brown said. "The diversity of economic development projects among tribes suggests that there is no single magical formula that will solve all the problems of unemployment and poverty on Indian lands," he added. "The key is to develop a partnership between tribes and the Bureau for both economic development issues and the Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan today announced the signing of a five-party agreement for the management of Lake Roosevelt.

The 150 mile long lake was created by Grand Coulee Dam and has become a major recreational and irrigation water resource in eastern Washington State. The five signatories, all of whom manage land along the lake or are involved in operation of the dam and irrigation works, are: the Spokane and Colville Indian Tribes, and the Interior Department’s National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Reclamation

Attending the Agreement ceremony were Jude Stensgar, Chairman for the Colville Business Council; Joe Flett, Chairman for the Spokane Tribe; John Sayre, Interior Assistant Secretary - Water and Science; Dr. Eddie Brown, Interior Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs; and Dennis Underwood, Commissioner of Reclamation.

"The Lake Roosevelt Cooperative Management Agreement continues the Department's policy of working to resolve differences and facilitating cooperation in the management of our public resources," Lujan said. "The Interior Department will continue to take a course of negotiation rather than litigation in resolving Indian water related issues."

The agreement allows the five parties to coordinate the management of Lake Roosevelt and to plan and develop facilities and activities on the lake and its freeboard lands. In addition, the agreement provides for involving and receiving comments from interested state, local and county governmental entities and private individuals and organizations.

Issues to be addressed by the five parties in subsequent months for coordinating the management of Lake Roosevelt's resources will include cross deputizing of tribal, state, county and Federal law enforcement officers and providing consistent rules and regulations for the public visitors.

Interior Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Eddie F. Brown will keynote the third in a series of regional economic development conferences with Indian tribal leaders May 14-15 in Oklahoma City. The meeting is being held in conjunction with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce's third annual Indian economic development conference on May 14.

The conference will include tribal representatives from Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. The purpose of the meeting will be to highlight successful Indian economic development efforts and, through consultation with tribal chairmen, define the role for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the development of Indian community economies. The conference also will present an overview of the roles of federal, state and tribal governments in economic development and will offer information to tribal leaders on policy options for economic development. "We are pleased that Governor Henry Bellman has asked us and Indian tribal leaders of Oklahoma to participate in their annual conference and work together to attempt to find ways of creating more economic development on Indian lands," Brown said. "The diversity of economic development projects among tribes suggests that there is no single magical formula that will solve all the problems of unemployment and poverty on Indian lands," he added. "The key is to develop a partnership between tribes and the Bureau for both economic development issues and the approaches to resolve them."

The Oklahoma City conference will be held at the Marriott Hotel, 3233 Northwest Expressway. Brown will give the keynote address to the BIA tribal economic development conference on May 15 at 10:30 a.m. He will hold a press conference at 1 p.m. on May 15 in the Sooner Room of the hotel. This third economic development conference follows similar consultation sessions with Indian tribal leaders in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Hollywood, Florida. A fourth conference is scheduled later this month in Portland, Oregon.

Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan said today that Anthony J. Hope will provide the strong leadership needed to organize and begin operations of a new National Indian Gaming Commission. President Bush nominated Hope and the Senate confirmed the appointment on May 16, 1990, following hearings before the Select Committee on Indian Affairs. Hope will serve as first chairman of the commission established by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (Public Law 100-497). The commission is to regulate, establish standards for, and monitor gaming on Indian lands and reservations. Two additional commissioners will be appointed by Lujan.

"Tony Hope has the experience, the commitment and the temperament that will be required to get this commission organized and to make it effective," Lujan said. 11 He is an attorney with expertise in both the regulatory and legislative areas of government. In addition, he has had valuable experience in promoting economic growth in developing countries. This expertise will be useful in helping America's Indian reservations, many in desperate need of economic development, enter into gaming enterprises where appropriate and beneficial to the tribes. The commission also will seek to protect Indians from disreputable operators who might try to exploit tribes and tribal members." Hope has been a senior vice president of Mutual of Omaha since 1987. He was a partner in Touche Ross &Company and director of the firm's Washington Service Center 1977-1984. In 1986, he ran unsuccessfully for Congress in California.

During the administration of President Ford. 1975-1977. Hope served as an official in the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, responsible for the project finance staff and 75 ongoing investments in 30 countries. He practiced law in Los Angeles 1970-1975 after several years of successful work in movie and television production in London and Hollywood. California.

Hope received his Bachelor of Arts degree at Georgetown University in 1962 and law degree at Harvard in 1965. He served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve in 1965-1966. Currently he is chairman of the board of Mount Vernon College, and a board member of the USO. National Theatre and the National Council of Families and Television. Hope. 49, and his wife, Judith, have two children, Zachary, a student at Harvard, and Miranda, a student at Stanford.

Interior Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Eddie F. Brown will keynote the fourth in a series of regional economic development conferences with Indian tribal leaders May 21-22 in Seattle, Washington. The conference will include tribal representatives from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska and California and business and industry leaders from the private sector.

Brown said the meeting will highlight successful Indian economic development efforts and, through consultation with tribal chairmen, define the role for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the development of Indian community economies. The conference also will present an overview of the roles of federal, state and tribal governments in economic development and will offer information to tribal leaders on policy options for economic development. "

The diversity of economic development projects among tribes suggests that there is no single magical formula that will solve all the problems of unemployment and poverty on Indian lands," Brown said. "The key is to develop a partnership between tribes and the Bureau for both economic development issues and the approaches to resolve them."

The Seattle conference will be held at the Radisson Hotel at the Seattle Airport, 17001 Pacific Highway south. Brown will give the opening address on May 21 at 9:45 a.m. He will hold a press conference at 1 p.m. on May 22 at the hotel.

This fourth economic development conference follows similar consultation sessions with Indian tribal leaders in Scottsdale, Arizona, Hollywood, Florida and Oklahoma City.

Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan said today the confirmation of Carl J. Kunasek of Arizona as Commissioner of the Office of Navajo &Hopi Relocation signals the beginning of the final phase in settling the century-old land dispute between the two Indian tribes. President Bush nominated Kunasek and the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on May 22, 1990, after a hearing before the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs.

"Carl Kunasek has pledged to complete the congressionally-mandated relocation program in a fair, equitable and compassionate manner," Lujan noted. "His impressive record as a leader in the Arizona Legislature and his work in the private sector indicate that he is well-qualified for this demanding assignment. He will have the strong support of my office and the entire Interior Department." Kunasek becomes the first full-time commissioner of the relocation program, replacing a three-member, part-time commission established under a 1974 law.

Kunasek, 58, served 16 years in the Arizona Legislature, and was President of the State Senate in his final term. He owned and operated a pharmacy in Mesa, Arizona, from 1961 to 1984, and worked in the real estate business the past two years. After graduating from the Creighton University College of Pharmacy in 1955, Kunasek served three years as a Medical Service Corp Officer at Stead Air Force Base, Reno, Nevada. Kunasek returned to his native Omaha Nebraska, in 1958 to work as a pharmacist for several years before moving to Arizona. Kunasek and his wife, Kathryn Frances, have three grown children.

In a 1988 law, the Congress eliminated the three-member relocation commission and established a new Office of Navajo &Hopi Relocation under the Secretary of the Interior. The commissioner is appointed for a 5-year term. Previously, the commission has been semi-autonomous, operating with administrative support from Interior. The law revamping the relocation commission also mandates an updated report on the status of the program and the development of a new plan for completing the relocation. The relocation program was initiated by Congress after courts settled boundary disputes dating back to 1885.

-- The Tribes have the option to market about 130,000 acre-feet annually of storage space in Palisades and American Fall Reservoirs, providing income for the Tribes and allowing water for fishery purposes;

-- Federal funding of $7 million would be provided over 20 years to encourage the Tribes to develop a water code and modernize their water management system;

-- Mechanisms are provided to resolve conflicts between Indian and non-Indian water users, including an Inter-Governmental Board, provision for non-Indian purchase of tribal water during times of shortages, and allowance for non-Indians to contract for 99,480 acre-feet annually of storage space in Bureau of Reclamation projects without assuming construction costs of those projects.

The Fort Hall Reservation, more than 540,000 acres in southeastern Idaho, was created by Presidential Order in 1867. A negotiating team, representing the Federal Government, worked with the Tribes, the State, and local non-Indian water users to resolve longstanding disputes over the water rights. Negotiating teams including representatives from the Department of the Interior, Justice Department and Office of Management and Budget are involved in efforts to settle various other Indian water claims cases throughout the Nation.

Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan today approved a proposed settlement of Indian water rights for the Fort Hall Reservation in Idaho "This agreement is significant in that it is the first Indian water rights settlement for the State and the Bush Administration," Lujan said "It also can serve as a model for other Indian water rights negotiations in progress across the country. The 1990 Fort Hall Water Rights Agreement, achieved after five years of negotiations, is a victory for the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, local non-Indian water users and the State of Idaho.

"I am especially pleased that the settlement was achieved without committing the Federal Government to any economically or environmentally unjustifiable water development projects," Lujan said. "Certain provisions of the agreement will benefit habitat of the endangered whooping crane and could enhance flows in the Snake River to improve salmon and steelhead fisheries

Lujan noted, however, that the agreement cannot become effective until further actions are completed in the state court, and approval by the Congress, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, and the Idaho Legislature.

Under the agreement:

-- The Tribes and the United States will be decreed a firm water supply from surface and groundwater totaling 581,031 acre-feet per year;