OPA

The U.S. Department of the Interior will hold a public panel discussion to gather comments on the proposed amendment to the Federal Regulations governing the Department's decisions about whether to take land into trust on behalf of Indian tribes. The amendment of these regulations is an important step in providing tribes and their non-Indian neighbors with a clearer understanding of how the Department reviews requests to take land into trust.

The forum will provide an opportunity for affected and interested parties to discuss their views on the issue. The panel will include representatives from tribes, States, interested non-Indian groups, Congress and the Department. After prepared comments by the panel members, there will be an opportunity for questions from the audience.

Who: U.S. Department of the Interior

What: Panel Discussion on Amendment to Indian Trust Land Regulations

When: 1:30 A 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 12, 1999

Where: South Interior Building Auditorium, 1951 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC

The Deputy Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs, Michael J. Anderson, on Monday will issue a new decision (technically described as a "reconsidered final determination," even though it is not a final determination) on the petition of the Golden Hill Paugussett for acknowledgment as an Indian tribe.

The reconsideration decision concludes that the earlier decision of Assistant Secretary Deer in 1996 rejecting the petition needs to be reconsidered.

The earlier decision was reached under what is called an "expedited review process" called for in the regulations, which is a procedural way of reaching a quicker decision on a petition when it is clear (after an initial investigation) that petition does not meet one of three specified criteria. (Overall, a petition must meet seven criteria in order to be granted; but only three can be examined under the expedited review.) Anderson's decision also cites the fact that new historical information that could affect the petition had been identified during this reconsideration, and warranted full evaluation.

The effect of Anderson's decision is that the Golden Hill petition will now be evaluated under all seven criteria. The decision does not reach the merits of whether the petitioner is an Indian tribe or even whether its members are descendants of the Golden Hill Paugussett which once inhabited the area around Stratfield ( modern Bridgeport), Connecticut.

Golden Hill filed its petition for acknowledgment in April 1993. Several months earlier, in September 1992, Golden Hill had sued the State of Connecticut, the Federal government and various land owners claiming it was entitled to certain lands in the state. In January 1993 the court held that Golden Hill had no standing because it was not a federally recognized Indian tribe. Golden Hill appealed (as well as filing the petition for acknowledgment), and in October 1994 the federal court of appeals remanded the case to the district court but directed it give the Department some time to consider the petition.

Following the Assistant Secretary's September 1996 decision rejecting the petition under the "expedited review process," Golden Hill appealed to the Interior Board of Indian Appeals (IBIA). In June 1998, IBIA generally affirmed the decision, but referred five issues back to the Secretary for further consideration. The Secretary of the Interior sent the matter back to the Assistant Secretary's office. (Assistant Secretary Gover recused himself from this matter because he had represented Golden Hill in private law practice.) Anderson's decision found that four of the five issues submitted did not require reconsideration.

Denver, CO - The Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Indian Health Service and the Administration for Native Americans are joining forces to hold the first national conference for Native American youth, parents and organizations serving Native American youth. The Youth First: The Future of Indian America Conference will be held on June 2, 3, and 4, 1999 in Denver, Colorado.

The purpose of The Youth First: The Future of Indian America Conference is to begin planning for a variety of Indian youth oriented activities and initiatives to be implemented by federal and private partners. The conference is being held in conjunction with the Native American Youth Weekend, an event which has been in existence for 14 years and annually draws 600-800 young people that participate in a All-West Native American Basketball Classic. The majority of events associated with the conference will occur at the University of Colorado-Auraria Campus, who is also a co-sponsor of the conference .

The conference will focus on four themes: wellness, youth leadership, culture and education with specific workshops intended for the youth, adults, and organizations that deal with Indian youth. Each workshop will provide a Native American professional to lead the sessions as they attempt to equip our Native youth with the tools to cope with the pressures that come from school, home, friends and society.

Keynotes speakers will include Kevin Gover, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Governor Mary Thomas, Gila River Indian Community, Olympic Gold Medalist Billy Mills, Actor Rodney Grant of film and television fame. Scotty Graham and Eric Bienemy from the NFL Players Association will so provide words of inspirations to the youth.

The Youth First: The Future of Indian America Conference will also feature social activities in the evenings for the youth, such as a pow-wow or dance, group meals, and other athletic and art related activities that will promote youth interaction and development of interpersonal skills.

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, and Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, Kevin Gover will unveil the Trust Assets Account Management System this Friday in Billings, Montana at the Billings BIA Area Office.

TAAMS is a major component in fixing the Indian Trust Funds System. The Billings Area will serve as the pilot of this project which is scheduled for completion early in 2001.

Reports covering the Indian Trust Funds issue and the Cobell case, should be especially interested in this event because TAAMS plays a large role in the current effort by the Department of the Interior to finally fix the broken Indian Trust Funds management system which was created by the Dawes Act of 1887.

In addition to the TAAMS program in the morning, Assistant Secretary Gover will also be traveling to the Crow reservation where we will witness the Real Bird re-enactment of Little Big Horn and tour the Little Big Horn battlefield. This Friday will be the 123rd anniversary of Crazy Horse's victory over Custer.

The morning events will take place at the Billings Federal Building-Courthouse. A Motor coach will be available for transportation to the Crow reservation.

When the fire started on June 11 at the Over the Rainbow housing subdivision located on the Fort Apache Reservation in central-eastern Arizona, the initial response to it was performed by the Fort Apache Bureau of Indian Affairs Fire Department. But the fire grew quickly and in minutes was beyond the capacity of local resources. The Bureau of Indian Affairs coordinated the effort to get other resources from the state of Arizona and the U.S. Fish and Game Department to combat the fire that was quickly threatening surrounding property. The fire, which was started by an unknown person that police continue to seek for questioning, burned for five days. By the time the fire was under control it had burned over 4,470 acres of desert foothills and forested mountains, causing the shutdown of electrical service to the reservation for a couple of days.

No fatalities were reported, but 17 homes and 13 out buildings were destroyed. The fire caused anxious feelings when the blaze spread to within a few hundred feet of the local Indian Health Service Hospital. 100 homes had to be evacuated with patients and residents being housed at the local high school dormitories. Also 240 families were displaced from their smoke and heat damaged homes.

The Fort Apache Tribal Council passed a resolution declaring the site a disaster area, opening the door for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist in the recovery effort. FEMA is onsite, working with Bureau and Tribal officials to assess the damage, thought to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, in personal property losses. The American Red Cross and other non-governmental agencies are also helping to provide food, shelter and clothing for those who need it. The problem is that FEMA assistance covers only the cost of dealing with the immediate needs of the individuals, there are other costs associated with the fire that will not be covered. The tribe with meager means, will have to try and make up the difference.

At the peak of the fire, the flames shot over 400 feet into the air and there were close to 800 people assigned to fight the fire of which 366 were Bureau of Indian Affairs employees and crews. The Bureau also supplied air tankers, helicopters, bulldozers and other logistical and communications equipment at various stages of the incident. The Bureau of Indian Affairs continues to assist the Fort Apache Tribal Government in their its to help their tribal members with putting their lives back together.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs Aberdeen, SD Area Office responded to the devastation caused by two tornadoes on June 4, 1999, that destroyed houses and other buildings on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Immediately after the disaster, BIA allocated Welfare Assistance and Emergency Assistance Funds to the Pine Ridge Agency to address the immediate need for food, shelter, and clothing, and assisted in the coordination of other emergency relief efforts. Mel Lone Hill, a former tribal vice president, praised the BIA personnel who worked many hours to bring relief to reservation. "All these people have done a heck of a job out there since day one." Hardest hit were the communities of Oglala and Igloo, where residents were treated to high winds and large hail that tore through the communities in southwestern South Dakota causing over $1 million dollars in damage. Over 150 residences are being temporarily housed at the old Pine Ridge High School dormitories while others crowd into already overcrowded homes of relatives. The BIA has so far allocated over $1 million dollars to assist in the relief and rebuilding efforts. But that may not be enough to rebuild the lives of the residents of Pine Ridge.

"Even in the best of times, there is a critical shortage of housing units available on the Pine Ridge Reservation, but losing over 160 homes can make an already unbearable situation much worse. Several families may have lived in the house, are now seeking other places to live where rental units are practically non-existent," said Robert Ecoffey, BIA superintendent, Pine Ridge Agency. Despite the extensive property damage, only one person was killed because of the tornado. Over 255 residents reported injuries and were treated at a makeshift hospital set up and manned by the Indian Health Service. "I want to commend the Agency Superintendent and his staff for the outstanding job of responding to the needs of the people," said Cora Jones, Aberdeen Area director. "I am also very happy with the support the Assistant Secretary Gover and Deputy Commissioner Manuel have shown in trying to help with this unfortunate situation."

In a major decision toward recovery, President Clinton declared the Pine Ridge Reservation a disaster area, opening the door for local residents to get emergency assistance from the federal government. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration is on site assisting local residents with funds for shelter, food, and clothing. The problem is, emergency relief is only available as a way to help the individuals get through the ordeal. The residents still have to confront the problem of what to do because many do not have private insurance to fully replace the housing unit they occupied. FEMA plans to move camper-type trailer onto sites to help relieve the problem of the housing shortage.

To assist in solving the housing shortage caused by the tornadoes, BIA moved to purchase 22 houses from the state of South Dakota that will pay for the relocation costs. But this is not going to solve the housing shortage problem for the people of the Pine Ridge Reservation, who face the challenge of rebuilding their lives. "The Aberdeen, SD Area Office has been authorized to purchase the 22 housing units that are built by state prisoners, the money has been allocated to get them going as soon as possible," said Cora Jones. "Can we afford more. I don't know, we'll have to wait and see what the other government agencies are going to provide in the effort to get these people back on their feet." Jones said. The houses, which were built by prisoners at the state penitentiary, are presently being moved to Pine Ridge, where they will be placed on concrete slabs or foundations.

Today in Billings, Montana the Bureau of Indian Affairs unveiled the Trust Assets Accounting Management System. Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt hit the switch that officially started the pilot project of TAAMS. The program designed by the Trust management employees of the BIA and implemented by Applied Terra Vision, Artesia Systems Group, worked perfectly.

Secretary Babbitt, clearly impressed by the new Trust management tool, remarked, "This is the first step toward a trust management system that works for the Tribes and for the individuals across the Indian country." Babbitt praised the employees of the Bureau of Indian Affairs as the creative force behind the system design. "I knew the people of the BIA would come through and they did. I knew they could do it."

The TAAMS system Will enable the Bureau of Indian Affairs to keep accurate Indian land records, distribute trust income to individuals, send notices to individuals regarding the leasing of their land, automatically record accounts receivable, certified title status reports, and a myriad of other functions.

Assistant Secretary Kevin Gover said, "This system is state of the art, and it has been designed by those who know exactly what the Trust Management System needs to do for Tribes and individuals." Gover gave credit to the Congressional appropriators for funding the system to Secretary Babbitt for his leadership, but mostly to the employees of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. "These people worked the long hours, and they have proven that given the resources, they can fix this system. The American Indian employees of the Bureau of Indian Affairs are the true heroes of the day."

David Orr, President of Artesia System Group, the contractor for the system echoed that sentiment. "Our company implemented the system designed by the BIA employees. They are the experts on what this system should be, and they are the people who are making this system work. I have never se.en a group of people more committed to making a project work that the people of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, they have been a joy and an inspiration."

Gover went on to say, "Nobody want the Trust Fund Management system fixed more that the American Indians who make up the BIA. They know this system affects their tribes, their communities, and their families.

The TAAMS system will now undergo a 60-day series of tests and the testing of the application in every possible situation. Dom Nessi, the TAAMS project manager for the BIA stated, "We are now going to put this system through its paces. This system looks very good now, but our people are certain we can make it even better in the next two months. We are on the way to having the best land management system in the Nation." Because the TAAMS system is a modified Commercial Off the Shelf software system (COTS) changes and adaptations can be made quickly and easily. During the testing and data cleanup period in the Billings Area Office, if changes are necessary, they will be made to make the system work even better.

"This is a huge step toward creating the first working Trust Management System for Tribal and Individual accounts", stated Assistant Secretary Kevin Gover, "We did not break this system, but we are going to fix it. This is a case of Indians solving an Indian problem created by neglect."

Ten athletes from the Riverside Indian School, Anadarko, OK were chosen to participate in the 1999 World Summer Games, a sport festival organized by Special Olympics International taking place June 25, thru July 4, 1999. Riverside Indian School is a Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding facility open nationally to American Indian children. These athletes, plus two coaches, qualified by competing in the Special Olympics Oklahoma 1997 Winter Sports Festival where they won the senior boys' level 3-basketball division. A lottery was conducted between the six states that make-up the Special Olympic Region Six for specific athletic events, with Oklahoma drawing the senior boys' basketball competition. Preparation for these athletes began in July 1998. Riverside Indian School's special education department initiated a special program with assistance from Special Olympics of Oklahoma. Some of the components of this program included the establishment of an adaptive physical education, period collaboration with residential staff programs, and coordination with Special Olympics organizations in Amarillo, Texas and Kansas City, Missouri for additional competition.

Riverside's athletes are designated as Team USA-Oklahoma. They are one of seven senior boys' basketball teams from the United States. Other teams competing are from the states of California, Montana, North Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virgina. Thirty-one nations from Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America are represented and will compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals. Riverside's athletes were part of a forty-three member group of athletes from Oklahoma that departed from Tulsa on June 25 as travelers in a special airlift program coordinated by Special Olympics frying on donated time by owners of private jet transportation. They are staying in Chapel Hill, NC and compete at sites in Durham, NC and Chapel Hill, including the Dean Smith Center on the University of North Carolina campus. Opening ceremonies began on the evening of June 26 in Raleigh, NC and the games will conclude on July 4.

Riverside's athletes are of Acoma Pueblo, Apache, Arapahoe, Cheyenne, Kiowa, Maricopa, Omaha, Sac and Fox, and Santo Domingo Pueblo descent.

Schools funded by the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs will receive a donation of $100,000 worth of computer hardware from Global Commercialization Foundation, a non-profit organization. The hardware will include routers, hubs, servers and other equipment needed to connect the schools to the Internet.

Global Commercialization Foundation was formed to develop financial and commercial infrastructure for American Indians using technology transfer, education and commercialization for sustainable growth in the global marketplace. Cabletron Systems of Herndon, VA, had donated the equipment to Global Commercialization Foundation. Cabletron is a $1.5 billion company that specializes in networking solutions.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Indian Education Programs operates and funds 185 elementary and secondary schools for Native American children. These schools are located in 23 states, on 63 reservations. The Bureau of Indian Affairs will use the donated equipment to finish the wiring and connecting its 185 schools to the Internet. The donation will assist 84 of its most isolated and remote schools to reach the Internet.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs began its efforts to connect its schools in 1997 as part of a "reinvention laboratory" which aims to connect Bureau-funded schools in the most remote areas of the United States. The schools are located in areas where fewer than 48 percent of the communities have access to telephones according to a recent Department of Commerce report.

The donation will enable the Office of Indian Education Programs to meet President Clinton's challenge to connect every Bureau of Indian Affairs' school to the Internet by the Year 2000.

For more information, contact William Mehojah at 202-208-6175.

Department of Interior’s Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Kevin Gover will be the keynote speaker at the 1999 American Indian Tourism Conference, "Preserving our Past Sharing Our Future" on Friday, August 20, 1999 in Albuquerque, NM.

"Tourism is the largest industry in the world, and tribes need to gain ownership of tourism in Indian Country", said Gover. "Tribes understand the tourist’s hunger for authentic travel experiences, factual knowledge about American Indian cultures and a more complete understanding of our collective heritage. American Indian people are the greatest asset in the development of tourism in Indian country. We have a new world/old world experience to offer tourists globally; our rich tradition in hospitality, our history and our values along with our inspiration and respect for our elders and ancestors".

Gover will address the importance of cooperation between tribal nations, local, state and federal governments along with the private sector to make it possible for successful tribal economic development. Tribes throughout the United States and Canada will be on hand to participate in this exciting event. Invitees include many Federal and State Government Agencies as well as private industry ready to partner with the Tribes.

Who: Mr. Kevin Gover, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, Department of Interior

What: Keynote Address

Where: 1999 American Indian Tourism Conference "Preserving Our Past, Sharing Our Future" Albuquerque Convention Center – East Complex

When: 9:00a.m., Friday, August 19, 1999