OPA

WASHINGTON – Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Aurene M. Martin today announced that the Joseph K. Lumsden Bahweting Anishnabe School, a Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) grant day school operated by the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Michigan, has been named a 2003 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. The school is among 233 public and private elementary and secondary schools who are the first to be honored under the Department’s new No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools Program, which recognizes schools that make significant progress in closing the achievement gap or whose students achieve at very high levels. The honorees will be recognized during the Education Department’s No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools Awards Ceremony being held today and tomorrow in Washington, D.C.

“I congratulate the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe and the Joseph K. Lumsden Bahweting Anishnabe School on being named a 2003 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School,” Martin said. “Their commitment to achieving the No Child Left Behind Act’s goals has resulted in steady and sustained improvement in their students’ academic performance.”

The Joseph K. Lumsden Bahweting Anishnabe School is a BIA-funded, tribally-operated educational facility that serves 205 students from the Sault Ste. Marie and other Indian communities. The school is being recognized for having met the Education Department’s assessment criterion that at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds have dramatically improved their academic performance, achieved high levels on state assessments and made adequate yearly progress.

There are 184 BIA-funded elementary and secondary day and boarding schools serving approximately 48,000 Indian students living on or near 63 reservations in 23 states. In School Year 2002-2003, the BIA directly operated one-third of its schools with the remaining two-thirds tribally-operated under BIA contracts or grants.

The Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs has responsibility for fulfilling the Department’s trust responsibilities to individual and tribal trust beneficiaries, as well as promoting the self-determination and economic well-being of the nation’s 562 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes. The Assistant Secretary also oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is responsible for providing education and social services to approximately 1.4 million individual American Indians and Alaska Natives from the federally recognized tribes.

-DOI-

WASHINGTON – Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Aurene M. Martin will meet with tribal leaders October 27 through 30, 2003, in Las Vegas, Nev., at a series of consultation meetings on the realignment of the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) Alaska, Great Plains, Navajo, Northwest, Pacific, Rocky Mountain, Southwest and Western regional and agency offices. The meetings will be held at the MGM Grand Hotel (3799 Las Vegas Blvd.) starting daily at 9:00 a.m. (PST).

The realignment is a result of the reorganization currently taking place within the Interior Department’s Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, the BIA and the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians. In June 2003, the Department held informational sessions across the country to brief employees, Indian tribes and interested parties on the status and structure of the reorganization. In September, the BIA held consultation meetings in Tulsa, Okla., with representatives from federally recognized tribes in the Eastern, Eastern Oklahoma, Midwest and Southern Plains regions.

The consultation meetings are opportunities for tribes and interested parties to provide oral and written comments regarding the organizational structure of the regional offices for consideration by the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs. On September 17, the Department published a notice in the Federal Register with dates and locations of the meetings. Comments are due two weeks following the consultation for each region.

WHO:	Aurene M. Martin, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, USDOI
WHAT:	Departmental consultation meetings on the realignment of the BIA’s Alaska, Great Plains, Navajo, Northwest, Pacific, Rocky Mountain, Southwest and Western regional and agency offices.
WHEN:	(All times are local time) October 27, 2003: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Great Plains Region 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.: Rocky Mountain Region October 28, 2003: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Southwest Region 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.: Navajo Region October 29, 2003: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Pacific Region 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.: Northwest Region October 30, 2003: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Western Region 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.: Alaska Region
WHERE:	MGM Grand Hotel, Grand Garden Arena – Studio 6, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, Nev. Phone: 702-891-1111.

CREDENTIALS: Press registration will be provided. Please bring your sanctioned media credentials and if possible, wear on your shirt collar or around your neck for easy viewing. This will assist our staff. Press seating will be provided.

-DOI-

(LOS ANGELES) - Interior Secretary Gale Norton today commended federal and private land managers for the conservation partnerships they have forged with communities and urged them to find new ways to connect citizen stewards with landscapes and habitat.

Speaking to the opening session of Joint Ventures: Partners in Stewardship Conference, Norton said for conservation to succeed in the 21 st century, "we must involve the people who live on, work on and love the land."

"The environmental challenges we face today are in many ways more subtle and more difficult than we have faced in the past," Norton said. "This conference will supply the knowledge, skills and tools needed to work with partners and create opportunities."

Noting President Bush's strong support for citizen stewardship initiatives, Norton said the Interior budget the president signed last week contains almost $120 million for the Cooperative Conservation Initiative in 2004, an increase of about $19 million over FY 2003.

At President Bush's request, more than $42 million is included in the Department's 2004 budget for the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, a 13 percent increase over 2003 levels. This will allow more than 1,000 additional private landowners to participate in the program.

The conference, which opened today at the Los Angeles Convention Center, focuses on the importance of federal, public-private partnerships and how planning and working together will provide for future success. An estimated 1,500 participants will take part in the three-day conference, which has 250 educational sessions.

The meeting brings together much of the senior leadership of Interior's National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs; along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service and the Army Corps of Engineers.

Several hundred representatives of state and local governments, non-profit associations, concessionaires, universities and many others who work with federal and state land management agencies also are participating in the conference. More information is on-line at www.partnerships2003.org

(DENVER) - Interior's Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Aurene Martin announced today that Secretary Gale A. Norton approved $1,088,000 in federal Save America's Treasures grants to help protect and preserve the nation's American Indian cultural heritage. Martin made the announcement at a meeting today at a national Indian education summit in Denver, Colo. The meeting, "Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow: Accountability for Results," is sponsored by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Indian Education Programs. Laura Bush, honorary chair of the Committee on the Arts and the Humanities said, "The story of America is told through historic architecture, art and writings. The grants provided by Save America's Treasures will help preserve the pieces of our heritage for future generations." The SAT federal grants program is administered by the National Park Service in partnership with the Committee on the Arts and Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities and Institute of Museum and Library services.

"The Save America's Treasures Program will fund much-needed conservation and repair efforts for several important American Indian collections and structures," Secretary Norton said. "These awards illustrate the Interior Department's 2003 National American Indian Heritage Month theme, 'Celebrating the American Indian Spirit.' We must do all we can to preserve and protect these treasures for future generations of Americans," Martin said. The awards, which coincide with the celebration of National American Indian Heritage Month, were given to five projects in four states and the District of Columbia for conservation, restoration and preservation of collections of American Indian artifacts and records.

Today's announcement totals $14,389,925 for 63 projects in 29 states and the District of Columbia. The SAT grants to protect and preserve the nation's American Indian cultural heritage announced today include the following:

Navajo Nation Council Chamber, Window Rock, Ariz. - Constructed by the Navajo Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935, the Navajo Nation Council Chamber has remained in continuous use as the seat of government of the Navajo Nation. It is now proposed for designation as a National Historic Landmark. This grant will be used to repair the roof that now threatens the building and its murals.

Award amount: $250,000

Anthropology Collection, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, Calif. - This award will be used to implement a climate control system to protect the collection of more than 65,000 cultural artifacts from the indigenous peoples of western North America. The collection includes an extensive array of objects associated with the Chumash people and the oldest verified human remains in North America.

Award amount: $82,500

Bureau of American Ethnology Photograph Collection, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. - Funds will be used to provide conservation treatments and appropriate archival storage for the collection of more than 100,000 glass-plate and acetate film negatives and vintage photographic prints. The collection provides an unparalleled photograph record of American Indian life and of Federal governmental relations with Native people.

Award amount: $153,500

North Carolina Archeological Collection, University of N.C., Chapel Hill - This grant will be used to support re-housing the collection of more than 5 million artifacts and associated records covering 12,000 years of pre-Columbian history in a climate-controlled facility.

Award amount: $450,000

Ozette Artifact Collection, Makah Cultural and Research Center, Neah Bay, Wash. - Funds will be used to support an improved climate control system to preserve this important collection of more than 55,000 artifacts excavated from the village of Ozette, which has been occupied for several thousand years by the Makah Indian Nation. The collection provides a remarkable view of Northwest Coast material culture prior to European contact.

Award amount: $152,000

Secretary Norton announced 58 other historic projects in 29 states and the District of Columbia. "I am delighted to share in advancing the protection and preservation of this national legacy for future generations to learn from and enjoy," Norton said. "These historic structures tell important stories of our freedom, culture and heritage."

Other historical projects that were awarded SAT grants include the following:

California

SS Jeremiah O'Brien, National Liberty Ship Memorial, San Francisco-A national historic Landmark, the SS Jeremiah O'Brien is the last surviving, fully operational vessel of the World War II Normandy invasion fleet. It is also the country's first Legacy Ship, an operational historic vessel re-activated and manned by an all-volunteer crew. Funds will be used to address corrosion that threatens the watertight integrity of the ship.

Award amount: $200,000

Colorado

Naropa Audio Archive, Naropa University, Boulder-This collection holds thousands of hours of readings, lectures and seminars recorded at Naropa University since 1974 by central figures of the post-World War II, avant-garde in America. Work will include preserving original recordings in secure, climate-controlled storage and making digital copies for use.

Award amount: $100,000

Connecticut

Lyme Art Colony Panel Paintings, Florence Griswold House, Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme-During the early 20th century, Florence Griswold operated a boarding house that became the center of American Impressionism and home to notable artists such as Childe Hassam and Henry Ward Ranger. The boarders painted more than 40 paintings on door and wall panels throughout the house. This grant will support the installation of a climate-control system to preserve these paintings.

Award amount: $150,000

Oral History Project, American Music Archive, Yale University School of Music and Library, New Haven-This archive is dedicated to the collection and preservation of oral and video memoirs of major figures in American music. The detailed interviews with significant musicians, such as Eubie Blake, John Cage, Aaron Copeland, and Duke Ellington, are primary-source materials for students and scholars. Funds will support the creation of preservation and use copies of the materials in the collection.

Award amount: $148,000

John Rogers Sculpture Groups and Studio, New Canaan Historical Society, New Canaan. John Rogers was the first sculptor to place work in the average American home, and his sculptural groups illustrate the customs, dress and activities of Victorian life. His 1878 National Historic Landmark studio houses one of the finest collections of Rogers Groups in the nation. This grant will support conservation of the collection and installation of a climate control and air filtration system to ensure long-term preservation of both the building and the collection.

Award amount: $95,000

District of Columbia

Washington Star Photograph Collection, District of Columbia Public Library, Washington, D.C.-The Star was Washington's afternoon newspaper from 1852 until 1981. Its photograph collection documents the significant political, social and cultural events of the mid-20th century. This grant will be used to produce preservation copy negatives of 20,000 black and white prints in the collection and archival storage for the negatives and photographs.

Award amount: $75,000

Florida

Eagle Film City/Richard Norman Silent Film Studios, Jacksonville/Duval County Consolidated Government, Jacksonville-Silent filmmaker Richard Norman produced full-length feature films with African American casts for distribution to then-segregated theaters at this intact, early 20th century complex. Funds will be used to secure the building envelope in preparation for a complete restoration.

Award amount: $ 225,000

Georgia

North End Plantation Tabby Buildings, Ossabaw Island Foundation, Ossabaw Island. Predating the Civil War, these former slave cabins are rare, surviving vernacular buildings constructed of the indigenous concrete known as "tabby," which is composed of seashells and lime. Funds will be used to reverse past misguided repairs to the tabby material and to restore the buildings using appropriate preservation treatments.

Award amount: $400,000

Civil War Naval Flag Collection, Port Columbus National Civil War Naval Museum, Columbus-Of the hundreds of extant Civil War flags, very few are naval flags. This grant will be used to conserve seven naval flags and make them available for public viewing for the first time since the Civil War.

Award amount: $68,000

Illinois

Riverside Water Tower, Village of Riverside-Frederick Law Olmsted's and Calvert Vaux's 1868-1869 design for Riverside, now a National Historic Landmark district, made it the first community in the country to integrate open spaces and parkland into the urban environment. Public buildings such as William LeBaron Jenney's Gothic Revival Water Tower, served both aesthetic and practical functions. This grant will restore masonry and repair water damage to this distinctive tower.

Award amount: $275,000

Fountain of Time, Chicago Park District, Chicago-Completed in 1922, this fountain was the result of a collaboration between Chicago sculptor Lorado Taft and Washington, DC engineer and sculptor John J. Earley. The grant will support the conservation and restoration of the fountain's reflecting pool, which has not held water for at least three decades.

Award amount: $250,000

Kentucky

United States Marine Hospital, Louisville/Jefferson Metropolitan Government, Louisville. Designed by Robert Mills and constructed between 1845 and 1852, this National Historic Landmark primarily served mariners involved in shipping on the inland waterways. Funds will be used to replace the roof and perform other exterior work to weatherproof the building.

Award amount: $375,000

Maine

Skolfield-Whittier House Collections, Pejepscot Historical Society, Brunswick - The Skolfield-Whittier House, a time capsule of life in Victorian America, is the estate of a sea captain and his family. Partially occupied until 1990, the estate's furniture is still arranged as it was in 1888, and the original possessions remain where their owners left them, in closets, the attic and basement. This grant will be used to implement a climate control system to preserve these artifacts.

Award amount: $50,000

Maryland

Lockhouses, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Hagerston - The C&O Canal operated from 1828 to 1924 as a transportation route between Cumberland, Md., and the port of Georgetown in Washington, D.C. Hundreds of original structures remain along the canal, and this grant will be used to provide preservation treatments for the building envelopes of 18 lockhouses constructed between 1830 and 1910.

Award amount: $150,000

Locomotive Collection, B&O Railroad Museum, Baltimore - Housed in the National Historic Landmark B&O Railroad Passenger Car Roundhouse, the museum contains one of the premier railroading collections in the world. Rare surviving examples of locomotives that changed the railroad industry and the North American landscape highlight the collection. This grant will assist with restoring eight locomotives damaged by the February 2003 collapse of half of the Roundhouse roof under the weight of more than two feet of snow.

Award amount: $500,000

Sound Collection, National Council for the Traditional Arts, Silver Spring-Founded in 1933, the council is dedicated to the documentation and preservation of the folk and traditional arts in the United States. Its sound collection includes examples of the broad geographic and cultural diversity of American music, including Piedmont and Delta blues, Appalachian and Ozark ballad singing, polka, mariachi and many more. Much of the collection is in danger of loss due to unstable original media. This grant will support conservation of the original recordings and copying to stable formats.

Award amount: $ 150,000

Massachusetts

John Quincy Adams' Diary, Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston-Adams' 50-volume manuscript diary spans 68 years, from 1779 to 1847, and includes a remarkable wealth of information on early 19th century America. This grant will support conservation treatments for the diary pages, spines and covers.

Award amount: $100,000

Gardens and Grounds, Longfellow National Historic Site, Cambridge - This National Historic Landmark served as George Washington's headquarters during the 1775-1776 Siege of Boston and later was the home of writer and educator Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This grant will be used to arrest deterioration and disease of plant materials, rejuvenate historic plantings and restore disappearing features of the gardens and grounds.

Award amount: $200,000

Hemingway Collection, John F. Kennedy Library, Boston-Ernest Hemingway's widow, Mary, placed this collection of the famed author's papers, books, photographs and artifacts at the Kennedy Library out of gratitude for President Kennedy's help in facilitating her travel to Cuba to retrieve items her husband left behind after Castro's takeover. This grant will enable the library to conserve the collection and provide special storage for fragile and oversized items.

Award amount: $150,000

Mississippi

Eudora Welty House, Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Jackson-Pulitzer Prize-winning author Eudora Welty lived in this Tudor Revival style house from its construction in 1925 until her death in 2001. The house contains all her belongings and her large, comprehensive library. This grant will be used to upgrade inadequate electrical, plumbing and fire suppression systems and to address water penetration that has damaged some interior features.

Award amount: $251,000

L.Q.C. Lamar House, Oxford-Lafayette County Heritage Foundation, Oxford - During his career, Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar drafted the Mississippi Secession Ordinance, led the "New South" movement, and served as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice and Secretary of the Interior. This grant will help rescue his National Historic Landmark home from structural collapse.

Award amount: $390,000

Missouri

Daniel Boone Home, Lindenwold University, Defiance - Constructed circa 1803 by the Boone family, this stone farmhouse is an early western example of a design inspired by the eastern federal style. This grant will be used to repair the damaged roof, foundation and masonry.

Award amount: $200,000

Nebraska

Arbor Lodge, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Nebraska City - This National Historic Landmark was the home of J. Sterling Morton, head of the Morton Salt Company. His interest in tree planting led Nebraska to declare the first official Arbor Day in 1874, a day that is now recognized in all 50 states and 12 foreign countries. This grant will support replacement of the roof and restoration of deteriorated exterior wood elements.

Award amount: $254,000

New Mexico

Seton Castle, Academy for the Love of Learning, Seton Village - This National Historic Landmark is the last home of 20th century American artist, author, scientist and naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton, who helped to bring the Boy Scout movement to the United States. Funds will be used to restore damage done by water penetration and vandalism. Award amount: $330,000 County Courthouse, Luna County, Deming-In 1916, forces of Mexican revolutionary Francisco "Pancho" Villa attacked the village of Columbus, N. M., and some of his accomplices were later captured in Mexico and returned to the Luna County Courthouse for trial by General "Blackjack" Pershing. This grant will support restoration of the exterior masonry and improvements to interior systems.

Award amount: $340,000

New York

Diorama Hall, Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, Centerport - Avid naturalist William K. Vanderbilt II created Diorama Hall, designed by Warren and Wetmore, to house his natural history collection on his Long Island summer estate. American landscape artist Henry Hobart Nichols painted the hall's nine natural history dioramas. This grant will be used to restore the diorama exhibits, which were closed due to deterioration in 1996.

Award amount: $135,000

Fort Ticonderoga, Fort Ticonderoga Association, Ticonderoga - This National Historic Landmark fort was the scene of an important French victory in the Seven Years' War and the first American victory in the Revolutionary War. An early 20th century restoration of the fort used inadequate materials that have been damaged and destroyed by normal weather cycles, leading to structural instability in portions of the wall. Funds will be used to restore the south curtain wall, where these problems are most severe.

Award amount: $275,000

Motion Picture Collection, George Eastman House, Rochester - Introduced in 1912, 28mm film revolutionized motion picture viewing with a format that was easier to handle than the customary 35mm film used for theaters. The 28mm format made it possible to show movies at home and in schools, clubs and churches. However, the film enjoyed only brief popularity and was supplanted in the 1920s by the even smaller 16mm film. This grant will support the transfer of 28mm films onto contemporary archival film formats, making films that have been unviewed for 80 years available to scholars and the public. Award amount: $380,000 Jean Hasbrouck House, Huguenot Historical Society, New Paltz. This National Historic Landmark is one of the few surviving late 17th and early 18th century dwellings built by the French Huguenots who founded New Paltz. The grant will support the restoration of the building's north wall, which is close to structural collapse due to foundation failure.

Award amount: $250,000

George Balanchine Foundation Video Archives, George Balanchine Foundation, New York. Regarded as the world's greatest contemporary choreographer of ballet, Russian-born George Balanchine immigrated in 1933 to the United States, where he revolutionized the dance world and founded the esteemed School of American Ballet. This grant will support the archival video recording of Balanchine's original dancers and role-creators teaching younger dancers the choreography of many of Balanchine's major works. Award amount: $50,000 Olana, Olana State Historic Site/Olana Partnership, Hudson-This National Historic Landmark is the Persian-inspired home that Hudson River School painter Frederic Edwin Church designed for himself, with the assistance of architect Calvert Vaux. The grant will support the restoration of its severely deteriorated Studio Tower and its six prominent chimneys.

Award amount: $ 250,000

General Electric Photograph Collection, Schenectady Museum, Schenectady - This collection of more than 850,000 photographic prints and negatives documents the history of the General Electric Company, its factories, products and product installations, and employees. The grant will provide appropriate archival storage for the images in this important collection. Award amount: $100,000 Round Lake Auditorium, Village of Round Lake-The auditorium is the centerpiece of Round Lake, an intact 19th century camp meeting complex. It houses the oldest, largest three keyboard tracker pipe organ remaining in the United States. Funds will be used to repair the auditorium's deteriorated wood framing and masonry foundation so that the building can continue in active community use.

Award amount: $225,000

Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion, Ukranian Institute of America, New York - This National Historic Landmark, an outstanding example of the picturesque Neo-French Gothic style, was the home of Harry F. Sinclair, founder of Sinclair Oil and Refining Company and a major figure in the Teapot Dome Scandal. The grant will support the replacement of deteriorated electrical wiring and interior drainage systems.

Award amount: $270,000

Perimeter Fence, New York Botanical Garden, New York - This formal perimeter fence designed by Brinley and Holbrook gives visitors their first impression of the New York Botanical Garden. National Historic Landmark Funds will support restoration of the deteriorated stone and iron components of the fence.

Award amount: $200,000

North Carolina

North Carolina Archeological Collection, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill-This collection contains over 5 million artifacts and associated records covering 12,000 years of history. The mostly pre-Columbian collection has great significance for American Indians. This grant will support re-housing the collection in a climate-controlled facility.

Award amount: $450,000

Ohio

Showboat Majestic, Cincinnati Recreation Commission, Cincinnati - This National Historic Landmark is the last historic American floating theater and the only existing intact showboat. In 1969, the original wood hull was encapsulated in a steel hull to meet safety regulations. Condensation within the steel hull led to the deterioration of structural wood beams and braces, which will be reinforced with this grant.

Award amount: $150,000

Cincinnati Union Terminal, Cincinnati Museum Center, Cincinnati - Constructed in 1933, this is one of the last grand-scale, Art Deco terminals in the country. The massive roof of this National Historic Landmark is one of the largest freestanding half-domes in the world. The grant will be used to address deterioration of the roof and consequent water penetration problems.

Award amount: $250,000

Oklahoma

Televised Political Commercial Archive, University of Oklahoma, Norman - Established in 1985, the archive contains more than 80,000 examples of political advertising dating to the earliest years of television. The ads are for candidates running for local, state and national offices as well as for issues and ballot initiatives. Many are in obsolete formats. This grant will support the creation of preservation and use copies in appropriate archival formats. Award amount: $135,000

Oregon

Thomas Kay Woolen Mill, Mission Mill Museum Association, Salem - The mill is a Pacific Northwest example of an Atlantic coast and English type of textile mill, complete with textile manufacturing machinery. It demonstrates an entire manufacturing process by direct-drive waterpower. This grant will be used to restore deteriorated exterior masonry and windows to prevent water penetration of the structure.

Award amount: $250,000

Pennsylvania

Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, Bucks County Department of Parks and Recreation, Doylestown - This National Historic Landmark still produces tiles in the handcrafted tradition of its founder Henry Chapman Mercer. The 1911-1912 building is constructed of Mercer's own hand-mixed reinforced concrete and ornamented with his tiles and tile mosaics. The concrete construction contains no expansion joints, and this grant will be used to repair spalling and cracking inherent to this idiosyncratic construction method.

Award amount: $240,000

City Hall Tower Sculpture, City of Philadelphia Department of Arts and Culture. Completed in 1901, City Hall is a masterpiece of the Second Empire style and a National Historic Landmark, enhanced by 24-foot-high sculpture figure groups and massive eagles at the tower's base by the esteemed modern sculptor Alexander Milne Calder. This grant will provide conservation treatments for the Calder works.

Award amount: $300,000

Cliveden, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Philadelphia-This National Historic Landmark was constructed from 1763 to 1767 as the country house of colonial jurist Benjamin Chew, the last English Crown-appointed Chief Justice of Pennsylvania. The Battle of Germantown, which occurred in the house and on the grounds, was a turning point in the Revolutionary War. Grant funds will support the installation of a climate control system to protect the house against moisture penetration and rising damp.

Award amount: $300,000

Blacksmith Shop, Cambria Iron Works, Johnstown Area Heritage Association, Johnstown. This 1864 blacksmith shop produced forged metal equipment and tools used throughout the National Historic Landmark iron works. The grant will be used to stabilize the building envelope in preparation for a complete restoration.

Award amount: $261,925

Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Collections, The Library Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia - In preparation for the 300th anniversary of Benjamin Franklin's birth in 2006, this grant will support the conservation of significant items associated with Franklin that are housed in the collections of more than a dozen institutions, including the first issue of the first edition of Poor Richard's Almanack, a Charles Willson Peale portrait of Franklin and Franklin's electrical machine.

Award amount: $300,000

Early American Sheet Music Collection, Free Library of Philadelphia, Philadelphia - This 200,000 item-collection, which includes several rare, early editions of "The Star Spangled Banner," spans three centuries and is one of the most comprehensive collections in the United States. The library will use this grant to conserve and provide appropriate archival storage for the collection.

Award amount: $135,000

Wright Brothers Aeronautical Engineering Collection, The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Orville Wright bequeathed this collection of archival records and artifacts to the Franklin Institute upon his death in 1948. This grant will provide conservation treatments for the 300 items in the collection.

Award amount: $60,000

South Carolina

Old City Jail, School of the Building Arts, Charleston - The 1802 Gothic-style jail includes an addition in the 1820s by noted architect Robert Mills. Located in Charleston's National Historic Landmark District, it has been vacant for over 60 years. This grant will support stabilization of the building envelope in preparation for a complete restoration and subsequent return to active use as a school of the building arts.

Award amount: $500,000

Tennessee

Acetate and Vinyl Recording Transcriptions, Country Music Foundation, Nashville-This collection of more than 14,000 transcriptions from the 1930s to the 1960s was originally created as temporary recordings intended to be played only a few times. Many of the recordings, such as live Grand Ole Opry NBC Network Radio Broadcasts of noted country music performers, are duplicated nowhere else. The grant will support preservation and conservation treatments to address the physical deterioration of the collection due to age and previous improper storage.

Award amount: $214,000

Texas

Elisabet Ney Studio Formosa, City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department-A classically trained German sculptor who immigrated to America in 1871, Elisabet Ney built Formosa to her own design in 1892. The studio now houses a collection of her work. Funds will be used to address water penetration into the building.

Award amount: $250,000

Vermont

Calvin Coolidge Homestead, Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, Plymouth-The homestead National Historic Landmark District includes 11 buildings at the center of the village of Plymouth. The grant will be used to install a fire suppression system in these frame buildings.

Award amount: $200,000

Robbins & Lawrence Armory and Machine Shop, American Precision Museum, Windsor Machine tools that improved the production of interchangeable parts, which stimulated mass production and America's Industrial Revolution, were manufactured in this National Historic Landmark that now houses the American Precision Museum. Funds will be used to repair the deteriorated roof and restore exterior masonry.

Award amount: $200,000

Virginia

Stratford Hall, Robert E. Lee Memorial Association, Stratford-This National Historic Landmark was the family home of the Lees, whose notable members included Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee, signers of the Declaration of Independence and Civil War General Robert E. Lee. This grant will support the installation of a climate control system to protect the 18th century house and its collections.

Award amount: $300,000

Washington

City Hall, Jefferson County Historical Society, Port Townsend-City Hall is a pivotal structure in the Port Townsend National Historic Landmark District. Funds will be used to repair the exterior sandstone elements of the 1892 building, which have deteriorated due to age and to the past application of an incompatible cement coating.

Award amount: $280,000

Wisconsin Milton House, Milton Historical Society,Milton-This National Historic Landmark served as a transfer point on the Underground Railroad. Funds will be used to reinforce structural members weakened by an insect infestation and to correct past, inappropriate maintenance treatments.

Award amount: $275,000

SAT grants must be matched dollar-for-dollar with non-federal funds. Save America's Treasures at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the private sector partner, each year assists many of the federal SAT grantees in raising required matching funds.

Additional information on the Save America's Treasures program can be found on the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities Web site at http://www.pcah.gov/, the National Park Service Web site at www2.cr.nps.gov/treasures/index.htm, or by contacting the NPS at 202-343-9570, ext.6.

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs David W. Anderson today announced that he has named Brian J. Pogue as Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Pogue, who is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, had been serving as acting director of the agency since February 26, 2004. “I am pleased that Brian has accepted this new appointment,” said Anderson. “His extensive experience in Indian affairs and as a federal manager will make him a valuable member of my management team.” The appointment was effective starting May 27.

“I want to thank Assistant Secretary Anderson for this new opportunity,” said Pogue. “I am committed to developing the BIA into a responsive, efficient service provider that truly meets the needs of Indian people. I am confident that we will succeed in our mission.”

Prior to becoming acting BIA director, Pogue had served as the BIA’s Deputy Bureau Director for Field Operations where he was responsible for overseeing the Bureau’s regional, agency and field offices throughout the country. He came to the nation’s capital from the Bureau’s Eastern Regional Office in Nashville, Tenn., where he had served as Deputy Regional Director.

Born and raised in Billings, Mont., Pogue has a Federal service record spanning over 30 years beginning in 1968 with service in the United States Marine Corps. Following his military career, Pogue went to work for the BIA at its Billings Area Office (now Rocky Mountain Regional Office) in Montana. While with the Bureau, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and economics – a double major – from Eastern Montana College.

During his career at the BIA, Pogue has held various positions such as deputy regional director, acting regional director, acting agency superintendent, acting regional realty officer and chief appraiser. In addition to the postings at the Eastern and Rocky Mountain Regional Offices, he has worked for the Northwest Regional Office in Portland, Ore., and Southern Plains Regional Office in Anadarko, Okla.

Furthermore, Pogue has served the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians as Special Assistant to the Principal Deputy Special Trustee and as a Deputy Director for the Office of Trust Litigation Support.

The Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs directly oversees the day-to-day activities of the 180-year old agency that provides services to individual American Indians and Alaska Natives from the federally recognized tribes. The Director administers all laws governing non-education portions of Indian Affairs, provides leadership and direction for BIA employees, and oversees and monitors the work of the BIA regional offices, agencies and field offices. The Director also shares authority and responsibility for the management of tribal and individual Indian trust funds with the Special Trustee for American Indians, and oversees the Bureau’s Land Consolidation Center, the agency’s nationwide program to consolidate fractionated interests in Indian lands.

The Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs has responsibility for helping to fulfill the Interior Department’s trust responsibilities to individual and tribal trust beneficiaries, as well as promoting tribal self-determination, self-governance and economic development for the nation’s 562 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and their members. The Assistant Secretary also oversees the BIA; the Office of Federal Acknowledgment, which administers the Federal Acknowledgment Process; and the BIA school system, which serves approximately 48,000 American Indian children in 184 elementary and secondary schools located on or near 63 reservations in 23 states.

Pogue and his wife have two daughters and three grandchildren.

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs David W. Anderson will join Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton and local inner-city youth as they participate in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 14th Annual Kids Fishing Day being held June 5 starting at 9:00 a.m. (CDT) at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Bloomington, Minn. The event at Minnesota Valley NWR, which has been extremely popular for 13 years, kicks off National Fishing Week and promotes outdoor recreation, national wildlife refuges and the sport of fishing.

Anderson will participate in the morning fishing session reserved for inner-city youth. They will be transported by bus from city schools and fish in bass ponds located a short drive (5 minutes) from the refuge visitor center in Bloomington. Lunch will be provided by the Red Lake Nation, a major co-sponsor of this event. Approximately 100 to 150 children and dozens of volunteers are expected to attend the morning session.

WHO: David W. Anderson, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, USDOI Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior

WHAT: USFWS 14th Annual Kids Fishing Day kick-off event for National Fishing Week. WHEN: Saturday, June 5, 2004 starting at 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (CDT).

WHERE: Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Bloomington, Minn.

Note to Editors: Credentialed media covering the event should be in place by 8:45 a.m. Press seating will be provided. The program will begin at 9:00 a.m.

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs David W. Anderson will join Secretary Gale Norton, officials of the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management and other government and private-sector partners at the “Get Fit With US” kick-off event for Summer 2004 under President Bush’s HealthierUS Initiative that will be held June 5 at Harriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul, Minn., starting at 10:00 a.m. (CDT). While there, he will announce “Healthier Indian Communities,” the Bureau of Indian Affairs initiative to assist tribal communities combat the scourge of alcohol and substance abuse, and participate in a Family Fun Walk starting at 11:00 a.m. on the grounds of Harriet Island as part of the event’s National Trails Day celebration.

“Our Healthier Indian Communities Initiative will support tribes who are fighting a war every day on alcohol and substance abuse, and the gang activity it brings, which threaten the security of their citizens,” Anderson said. “We must see to it that Indian people have the skills, information and training they need to make positive life choices so that healthy communities can grow from healthy families.”

The Get Fit With US event will kick off a summer of recreational activity by demonstrating how federal, state and private partnerships can promote healthier lifestyles through recreational activity on public lands and waters. The event coincides with the second anniversary of the President’s signing on June 20, 2002 of Executive Order 13266 that launched the HealthierUS effort in order to promote personal fitness for all Americans.

The BIA’s Healthier Indian Communities Initiative supports the agency’s overall goal under the Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 1986 (Public Law 99- 570) to improve the quality of life in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. One quality of life area where the BIA has worked with Indian tribes is on developing alcohol and substance abuse prevention strategies.

Under this initiative, the Bureau’s Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Division will identify and assist two pilot tribal sites in revitalizing their Tribal Action Plans to mobilize resources that will develop resilience and enhance protective factors against alcohol and substance abuse.

The projects developed under the Healthier Indian Communities Initiative will be designed to raise awareness that alcohol and substance abuse are preventable, establish pilot community and peer-based strategies to address alcohol and substance abuse, empower Indian adult and youth leaders with the latest knowledge and skills to effectively address abuse issues, and promote prevention education along with youth-targeted social activities and economic opportunities. In addition, proven prevention strategies such as peer youth mentoring, parental and community development training, and physical activities such as golf, jogging and walking also will be employed.

The Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs has responsibility for helping to fulfill the Interior Department’s trust responsibilities to individual and tribal trust beneficiaries, as well as promoting tribal self-determination, self-governance and economic development for the nation’s 562 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and their members. The Assistant Secretary also oversees the BIA; the Office of Federal Acknowledgment, which administers the Federal Acknowledgment Process; and the BIA school system, which serves approximately 48,000 American Indian children in 184 elementary and secondary schools located on or near 63 reservations in 23 states

WASHINGTON – Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Aurene M. Martin today issued a Final Determination in which she declined to acknowledge as an Indian tribe a group known as the Golden Hill Paugussett Tribe of Indians headquartered in Trumbull, Conn. The Golden Hill Paugussett petitioning group did not demonstrate that it meets all seven mandatory criteria for Federal acknowledgment as an Indian tribe under Part 83 of Title 25 of the Code of Federal Regulations, “Procedures for Establishing that an American Indian Group Exists as an Indian Tribe.”

Federal acknowledgment of a group as an Indian tribe establishes a government-to-government relationship between the United States and an Indian tribe, and is a prerequisite to the protection, services and benefits of the Federal government available to Indian tribes by virtue of their status as tribes. This determination is final and effective 90 days after publication of a notice of the determination in the Federal Register unless the petitioner or any interested party requests reconsideration with the Interior Board of Indian Appeals (IBIA).

The regulations at 25 CFR Part 83 provide a means to acknowledge Indian tribes that have continuous social and political existence. The Golden Hill Paugussett petitioner, however, did not establish its continuous existence, failing to meet criteria 83.7(a), (b), (c) and (e) of the acknowledgment regulations.

The Final Determination reevaluated a January 21, 2003 Proposed Finding’s conclusion that the petitioner met criterion 83.7(a). The Final Determination concludes the petitioner did not demonstrate that it was identified as an Indian entity on a “substantially continuous” basis since 1900. The available identifications apply only to the State-recognized Golden Hill entity, which comprises a small portion (about 33 percent) of the petitioner. They do not apply to the predominant portion of the group (about 63 percent) added in 1999, which claims but has not demonstrated descent from another related group, the historical Turkey Hill tribe. Four percent of the group is of unknown ancestry. These members were not identified as part of the State-recognized Golden Hill entity from 1900 to 1998, nor identified separately as an Indian entity. Thus, the petitioner as a whole has not been identified on a substantially continuous basis since 1900.

Under criterion 83.7(b), the Final Determination affirms the Proposed Finding’s conclusion that the historical Golden Hill Indians ceased to exist as a distinct community in 1823. The petitioner has not demonstrated distinct community since 1823. The evidence presented did not support the petitioner’s claims that the historical Turkey Hill and historical Golden Hill Indians were always one entity. Available evidence shows that the historical Turkey Hill Indians no longer maintained tribal relations and ceased to exist as an Indian entity around 1825, and the State of Connecticut never recognized the historical Turkey Hill group as part of the State-recognized Golden Hill entity.

Under criterion 83.7(c), the Final Determination affirms the Proposed Finding’s conclusion that between 1802 and 1973, the evidence does not establish that an entity with an internal political process existed. Since 1973, a few individuals formally organized into a more visible and active political group. However, there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate bilateral political interaction between the leaders and the members, or widespread support for or involvement in political processes.

Under criterion 83.7(e), the Final Determination affirms the Proposed Finding’s conclusion that the petitioner has not demonstrated that its membership consists of individuals who descend from a historical Indian tribe or from historical Indian tribes that combined and functioned from as a single autonomous entity.

The Golden Hill Paugussett met criteria 83.7 (d), (f) and (g) of the acknowledgment regulations by demonstrating that it has a governing document, that its membership is not principally composed of members of an acknowledged North American Indian tribe, and that it is not the subject of congressional legislation that has expressly terminated or forbidden the Federal relationship.

WASHINGTON – Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Aurene M. Martin today issued a Final Determination in which she declined to acknowledge a group known as “The Nipmuc Nation” from Sutton, Mass. The Nipmuc Nation group does not meet four of the seven mandatory requirements for Federal acknowledgment under Part 83 of Title 25 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations (25 CFR Part 83), “Procedures for Establishing that an American Indian Group Exists as an Indian Tribe.” Therefore, the Nipmuc Nation group does not meet the requirements for a government-to-government relationship with the United States.

The historical tribe with which the Nipmuc Nation group asserts continuity was the Hassanamisco, or Grafton, Nipmuc Indians of southeastern Worcester County, Mass. The Hassanamisco reservation was sold in 1727, except for 500 acres, which was divided in 1727 to 1730 among seven Hassanamisco proprietary families, who were given individual title. The land was not the common property of a tribal entity and the State did not hold title to the reserved Hassanamisco property. There was no common fund, but, rather, each proprietary family owned a share in the funds received from the sale of the land. The Hassanamisco Indians were identified on the 1861 Earle Report compiled for the State of Massachusetts by its Commissioner of Indian Affairs. The historical Hassanamisco Indians were affected by the Massachusetts Enfranchisement Act of 1869, an act which “detribalized” the historical Hassanamisco Indians, and ended the State’s relationship with them.

The Nipmuc Nation group has 526 members. The Final Determination rejects the petitioner’s argument that it has had continuous State recognition with a reservation. The Sisco family, one of the families in the petitioner, retains ownership, as a family, of 2-1/2 acres of the land originally reserved for the historical Hassanamisco Indians. This land, in the Town of Grafton, Mass., is known as the “Hassanamisco Reservation.” Annual “Indian Fairs” have been held at this location since 1924. However, only two percent of the current membership of the Nipmuc Nation group descends from the historical Hassanamisco Indians. For at least 107 years, there was no State recognized Indian entity and no State supervision. A limited relationship was created between the petitioner and Massachusetts after the establishment of the Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs (MCIA) in 1976.

The regulations at 25 CFR Part 83 provide a means to acknowledge Indian tribes that have continuous social and political existence. The Nipmuc Nation group, however, does not establish its continuous existence, failing to meet criteria 83.7(a), (b), (c) and (e). The Nipmuc Nation group does meet criteria 83.7(d), (f) and (g).

Under 83.7(a), the Nipmuc Nation group does not meet this criterion which requires that it have been identified as an American Indian entity on a substantially continuous basis since 1900. For the period from 1900 to 1979, there were no external identifications of a Nipmuc entity broader than some of the Hassanamisco proprietary descendants. An external identification of that small group is not the same as an external identification of the current petitioner, which is substantially different. External identifications that included all the various elements that now comprise the Nipmuc Nation (and, for some portions of the period, additional elements no longer included in the petitioner’s membership) exist only from the mid-1970’s to the present.

Under 83.7(b), the Nipmuc Nation group does not meet this criterion which requires that a predominant portion of the petitioning group comprise a distinct community from historical times until the present. From 1785 to 1869 and from 1869 through the early 1950’s there continued to be a limited community made up of some of the descendants of the original Hassanamisco proprietary families residing in Grafton and in the city of Worcester, Mass. Only two percent of the petitioner’s members descend from the Hassanamisco proprietary families. The evidence does not show that a community of Dudley/Webster Indian descendants and other Indians ancestral to the petitioner’s members had “coalesced” around some of those Hassanamisco families by the 1920’s, as the petitioner asserts. During the 1920’s and 1930’s there was some limited interaction in the context of pan-Indian organizations, which also had non-Nipmuc and non-Indian members. The petitioner’s ancestors did not constitute a distinct community from the 1920’s through the 1950’s.

During the 1960’s and 1970’s, Zara Ciscoe Brough, then the owner of the “Hassanamisco Reservation” property, created a number of lists of Nipmuc Indians. The evolving governing documents and membership lists of the period from 1961 through 1979 are consistent with a process of expanding the definition of the Nipmuc group she was using beyond the Hassanamisco to include families with which she had little or no previous contact and which had little or no previous contact with one another. The wide fluctuation in membership, both in size and component family lines, since the 1970’s also indicates that the petitioner does not constitute a distinct community.

Under 83.7(c), the Nipmuc Nation group does not meet this criterion which requires that it has maintained political influence over its members as an autonomous entity from historical times until the present. The available evidence does not indicate that political influence and authority existed within the Hassanamisco Indians between 1785 and 1900 at a level sufficient to meet criterion 83.7(c). Also, during that time period, the ancestors of 98 percent of the petitioner’s members were not affiliated either with the Hassanamisco Indians or with one another.

For the period from 1900 to 1961, the available evidence does not show that a Hassanamisco or other political entity that included the majority of the ancestors of the petitioner existed. Most of the “political” events and activities cited by the petitioner took place, from the 1920’s through the late 1950’s, in the context of pan-Indian organizations in New England. From 1969 through 1980, Zara Ciscoe Brough sought to expand the Hassanamisco Foundation, an organization that she had created in 1961 to control the Hassanamisco land and support a museum, in order to ensure that the land remained in Indian hands after her death. The revised 1969 Hassanamisco Foundation bylaws and the circa 1980 Hassanamisco-Nipmuc Tribe governing documents expanded the membership to include anyone of any kind of Nipmuc descent. Although for some years there were annual membership meetings of the Hassanamisco organization, the evidence is that attendance at these meetings was small and primarily limited to council members. There was only limited evidence that the issues dealt with by the Hassanamisco council were of importance to the members.

The evaluation of evidence for political influence from 1980 to the present is complicated by the greatly fluctuating nature and size of the membership. However, the evidence does not indicate that any of the councils from 1980 to the present has exercised significant authority or influence, or maintained a bilateral relationship with the widely varying number of persons on the various membership lists (the membership at the time of the proposed finding in 2001 was 1,602; it is now 526).

Under 83.7(d), the Nipmuc Nation group meets this criterion which requires the petitioning group to submit a copy of its governing document and membership criteria.

Under 83.7(e), the Nipmuc Nation group does not meet this criterion which requires that the members descend from a historical tribe or from tribes that amalgamated and functioned as a single entity. Two percent of the members (11 of 526) descend from the historical Hassanamisco/Grafton Nipmuc tribe that was identified on the Earle Report in 1861. Fifty-three percent of the members (277 of 526) descend from six families (Jaha, Humphrey, Belden, Pegan/Wilson, Pegan and Sprague) that were identified as Dudley/Webster Indians in 1861. Thirty-four percent of the members have Indian ancestry from an individual identified as a “Miscellaneous Indian” on the Earle Report, eight percent descend from Connecticut Indians, and three percent have other Indian ancestry. Therefore, 45 percent of the petitioner’s membership does not have documented ancestry from either the historical Hassanamisco tribe or the historical Dudley/Webster tribe. Neither the two percent of the members who descend from the Hassanamisco tribe nor the 53 percent who descend from the separate Dudley/Webster tribe is sufficient, based on precedent, to meet the requirements of criterion 83.7(e) for descent from a historical tribe.

Under 83.7(f), the Nipmuc Nation group meets this criterion which requires that a petitioning group be composed principally of persons who are not members of any acknowledged North American Indian tribe.

Under 83.7(g), the Nipmuc Nation group meets this criterion, because it has never been the subject of congressional legislation terminating or forbidding the Federal relationship.

The Notice of Final Determination on The Nipmuc Nation will be published in the Federal Register. It will become effective 90 days from the date of publication in the Federal Register unless a request for reconsideration is filed by that date with the Interior Board of Indian Appeals (IBIA).

WASHINGTON – Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Aurene M. Martin today issued a Final Determination in which she declined to acknowledge as an Indian tribe a group known as the Webster/Dudley Band of Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuck Indians (CB) from Dudley, Mass. The CB group does not meet three of the seven mandatory requirements for Federal acknowledgment under Part 83 of Title 25 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations (25 CFR Part 83), “Procedures for Establishing that an American Indian Group Exists as an Indian Tribe.” Therefore, the CB group does not meet the requirements for a government-to-government relationship with the United States.

The CB, which was organized in 1981, has 357 members. The historical tribe with which it asserts continuity was the Dudley/Webster Nipmuck Indians of southeastern Worcester County, Mass. The Dudley/Webster Indians were affected by the Massachusetts Enfranchisement Act of 1869, an act which “detribalized” the historical Dudley/Webster Indians and ended the State’s relationship with the tribe. The historical Dudley/Webster Indians maintained community and political influence or authority over the tribe’s members through 1891, the date of the final per capita distribution of the assets derived from the sale of the reservation.

The regulations at 25 CFR Part 83 provide a means to acknowledge Indian tribes that have continuous social and political existence. The CB group, however, did not establish its continuous existence, failing to meet criteria 83.7(a), (b) and (c) of the acknowledgment regulations.

Under 83.7(a), the CB petitioner does not meet this criterion which requires that it have been identified as an American Indian entity on a substantially continuous basis since 1900. From 1900 through 1978, the record contains occasional external identifications of individuals and single families as descendants of the Dudley/Webster Indians, but no external identifications of a continuing Dudley/Webster entity, group, settlement or community antecedent to the CB. Some newspaper articles in the years 1979 to 1980 discussed efforts to form the CB. Since 1981, there have been external identifications of the CB organization.

Under 83.7(b), the CB petitioner does not meet this criterion which requires that a predominant portion of the petitioning group comprise a distinct community from historical times until the present. The Proposed Finding published on October 1, 2001 concluded that the Dudley/Webster descendants did not maintain community after 1891. This Final Determination concludes that the CB has not constituted a community either before or since 1980. The petitioner’s view that the CB, as created in 1981, was simply a formalization of an existing community made up of three “traditional family lines,” was not supported by the available evidence. Although the present membership is largely drawn from three genealogically definable “lines,” there is no evidence to demonstrate that they formed a single community for the past 113 years, from 1891 through 1980 or that they form a community at present. There was no contemporary, primary, evidence that the women designated by the petitioner as the “informal” leaders of each of the “three traditional families” interacted during the period from 1900 through 1980, or that they even knew one another. One extended family comprises more than 42 percent of the membership.

Under 83.7(c), the CB petitioner does not meet this criterion which requires that it has maintained political influence over the members as an autonomous entity from historical times until the present. The evidence in the record for the Final Determination does not show any political influence or authority for a group antecedent to the CB from 1891 through 1980. The creation of the CB organization in 1981 was not the formalization of a pre-existing system of informal family leadership. Neither has the CB demonstrated that it has exercised political influence or authority over its membership within the meaning of the acknowledgment regulations since it formed in 1981.

Under 83.7(d), the CB petitioner meets this criterion which requires the petitioning group to submit a copy of its governing document and membership criteria.

Under 83.7(e), the CB petitioner meets this criterion which requires the petitioning group to demonstrate that its membership consists of individuals who descend from a historical Indian tribe or from historical Indian tribes which combined and functioned as a single autonomous political entity. About 79 percent of the CB members descend from Lydia (Sprague) Nichols Shelley Henries, who was identified as a Dudley/Webster Indian on the 1861 Earle Report compiled for the State of Massachusetts by its Commissioner of Indian Affairs. Two other Dudley/Webster family lines are each represented with four descendants in the CB membership. Seventeen percent of the CB’s members descend from the sister of a man who married a Dudley/Webster Indian, but who is not herself documented to have been a Dudley/Webster Indian. Since 82 percent of the CB members have documented descent from the historical Dudley/Webster tribe as it was identified in 1861, the CB petitioner meets criterion 83.7(e).

Under 83.7(f), the CB petitioner meets this criterion, which requires that a petitioning group be composed principally of persons who are not members of any acknowledged North American Indian tribe.

Under 83.7(g), the CB petitioner meets this criterion, because it has never been the subject of congressional legislation terminating or forbidding the Federal relationship.

The Notice of Final Determination on the Webster/Dudley Band of Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuck Indians will be published in the Federal Register. This Final Determination will become effective 90 days from the date of publication in the Federal Register unless a request for reconsideration is filed by that date with the Interior Board of Indian Appeals (IBIA)