OPA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk will be joined by Office of the First Lady, Executive Director of Let’s Move! Initiative Robin Schepper, USDA Deputy Administrator for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Lisa Pino, IHS Director for Improving Patient Care Program Lyle A. Ignace M.D., M.P.H., and Menominee Tribal Chairman Randal Chevalier to launch Let’s Move! in Indian Country (LMIC). This event marks the First Lady’s launch of Let’s Move! in Indian Country hosted by the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin.

“I’m very pleased to see the Office of the First Lady and all of the government agencies involved in this event, along with the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin come together to launch this important initiative,” said Echo Hawk. “We all realize how important healthy minds and bodies are to our country and our communities. Let’s Move! in Indian Country is a great start that involves both children and adults in addressing some of the important health issues that confront Indian Country and the nation.”

“Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled, and it is especially acute in Indian country. This not only affects their health but their academic performance and their ability to succeed in the future,” said Robin Schepper. “The good news is we can do something about it. Let’s Move! in Indian Country is an effort where everyone has a role to play in creating a healthy future for our children. Federal agencies, tribal governments, schools, private companies, non-profits, community leaders, and families can lead by example and make commitments to ensure that Native children get 60 minutes of physical activity a day and access to healthy, nutritional meals. We are excited for everyone to get involved and support this critical effort.”

On May 25, 2011, the First Lady’s Let’s Move! Office, the White House Domestic Policy Council, the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Education, and the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin have come together to launch the LMIC initiative on the Menominee Reservation. The agencies and federal entities enumerated along with tribes, urban Indian centers, community organizations, and other stakeholders have set four main goals for LMIC: (1) Create a healthy start on life for children; (2) create healthier learning communities; (3) ensure families access to healthy, affordable, traditional food; (4) and, increase opportunities for physical activity. In addition to being a federal interagency initiative, LMIC outlines ways for tribal governments, schools, the private sector and non-profits to engage in this effort. LMIC sets the framework for each of these sectors to come together and contribute to the common goal of ending obesity within a generation.

WHO:

• Larry Echo Hawk, Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior
• Robin Schepper, Office of the First Lady, Executive Director, Let’s Move! Initiative
• Lisa Pino, U.S.D.A, Deputy Administrator, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Lyle A. Ignace, M.D., M.P.H., Indian Health Service, Director Improving Patient Care Program
• Charlie Galbraith, Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, White House
• Randal Chevalier, Menominee Tribal Chairman
• Chaske Spencer, Actor, Enrolled Member of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana
• Sam McCracken, Nike N7 Representative, Enrolled Member of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana
• Ernie Stevens Jr., Nike N7 Fund Board of Directors and National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) President

WHAT: Let’s Move! in Indian Country Launch with the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin

WHEN: Wednesday, May 25, 2011. 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (CDT)

WHERE: Menominee Nation Woodland Bowl Amphitheater Fairgrounds Road Keshena, Wisconsin 54135 (715) 799-5114 (Rain Location) Keshena Primary School N530 STH 47/55 Keshena, WI 54135 Room: School gym

NOTE: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) and valid media credentials

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the Bureau of Reclamation today has awarded a $10.75 million construction contract for the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project, setting the stage for construction to begin on the major water infrastructure project this summer. When completed, the project will provide a long-term, sustainable water supply to meet the critical needs of more than 43 Navajo chapters; the city of Gallup, New Mexico; and the Teepee Junction area of the Jicarilla Apache Nation.

Once construction is underway, it is possible that the first water delivery to Navajo communities – where more than 40 percent of Navajo Nation households rely on hauling water to meet their daily need - could occur in two to three years.

“This construction contract award marks a major milestone for this high-priority infrastructure project as we work to implement the historic water rights settlement that will deliver clean drinking water to hundreds of thousands of people and offer certainty to water users across the west,” said Salazar. “In the short term, this project is expected to create hundreds of high-paying construction jobs; in the long-term, the permanent water supply will vastly improve the quality of life and offer greater economic security for the Navajo Nation.”

The project, one of 14 high-priority infrastructure projects identified by the Obama Administration to be expedited through the permitting and environmental review process,will include approximately 280 miles of pipeline, several pumping plants, and two water treatment plants.

Today’s contract, awarded to McMillen, LLC of Boise, Idaho, is for Reach 12A of the project which will consist of placing approximately four miles of 42-inch diameter water supply pipeline and appurtenant facilities located about eight miles north of Gallup in McKinley County. Construction of future reaches will performed by four entities: Reclamation will construct a portion of the future reaches under its own authorities, and other portions will be constructed by the city of Gallup, Navajo Nation, and Indian Health Service under their own authorities in accordance with financial assistance agreements with Reclamation.

It is estimated that 400-450 jobs will be created on the multiple contracts to be awarded within the first year; increasing to an estimated 600-650 jobs at the peak of construction.

“Our steady progress over the past year has positioned us to break ground on this important project as early as this summer,” said Reclamation Commissioner Michael L. Connor. “Given the strong need for clean water supplies, we will continue to work with our partners to ensure that the project moves forward in an efficient and transparent way.”

Project participants include the Navajo Nation, Jicarilla Apache Nation and the city of Gallup, in conjunction with the state of New Mexico, Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service. Reclamation has continued to work closely with the project participants to complete the many requisite pre-construction activities since Secretary Salazar signed the Navajo Nation San Juan River Basin Water Rights Settlement agreement in December 2010.

Repayment contracts have been executed with the city of Gallup and the Jicarilla Apache Nation providing the terms and conditions by which those entities will repay their allocable portions of the project construction costs. Additionally, a cost-share agreement with the state of New Mexico was executed for the state’s share of the project’s construction costs.

Public Law 111-11, which authorized the project, requires construction of all features to be completed by Dec. 31, 2024. In order to meet the legislated deadline, construction of project reaches will occur simultaneously with priority on construction of initial facilities to convey water to areas within the Navajo Nation that have immediate needs. Those demands will be met in the short-term by delivery from existing groundwater wells.

The completed project will provide 37,376 acre-feet of water annually from the San Juan River Basin to more than 43 Navajo chapters, including Fort Defiance service area in Arizona, the city of Gallup and the Teepee Junction area of the Jicarilla Apache Nation. These areas rely on rapidly depleting groundwater of poor quality that is inadequate to meet current and future demands. The project will provide an adequate supply of water to support a future population of approximately 250,000 people by the year 2040.

Reclamation continues to cooperatively work with project participants and federal action agencies to identify areas where permitting and approval processes can be streamlined to facilitate project construction. The current status of the project is publicly available through the Federal Infrastructure Projects Dashboard web site designed to enhance efficiency, accountability, and transparency of the federal permitting and review process for all 14 high-priority infrastructure projects.

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SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — The second government-to-government tribal consultation regarding the Indian Affairs Administrative Organizational Assessment Draft Report and Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education streamlining plans starts Thursday, April 19, 2012 at the Radisson Fort McDowell Resort Hotel in Fountain Hills, Ariz. The two-day consultation is the second of seven that will take place around the country in Arizona, Florida, Washington, South Dakota, Oklahoma, California and Alaska. The first was held in Miami on April 12 and 13, 2012.

Tribal leaders have said that organizational changes are needed in the administration of Indian Affairs programs and services to better meet the needs of the federally recognized tribes throughout Indian Country. The Department of the Interior’s Indian Affairs officials have heeded these concerns and undertaken an extensive review of the organization of the Office of the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE).

The culmination of this review is a draft Administrative Organizational Assessment Report compiled by an independent, third-party contractor. The draft report identifies several ways to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of services to Indian Country. The goal is to support a consolidated organization while improving Interior responsiveness to all Tribal needs. The BIA and BIE are seeking tribal input on ways to streamline their respective organizations to meet budgetary constraints and to increase efficiency.

More information and materials can be found at: http://www.bia.gov/WhoWeAre/ASIA/Consultation/index.htm

CREDENTIALS: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) and valid media credentials.

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SPOKANE, WASH. — The third government-to-government tribal consultation regarding the Indian Affairs Administrative Organizational Assessment Draft Report and Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education streamlining plans starts Thursday, April 26, 2012 at the Northern Quest Resort and Casino, Wash. The two-day consultation is the third of seven that will take place around the country in Arizona, Florida, South Dakota, Oklahoma, California and Alaska. The first was held in Miami on April 12 and 13, 2012.

Tribal leaders have said that organizational changes are needed in the administration of Indian Affairs programs and services to better meet the needs of the federally recognized tribes throughout Indian Country. The Department of the Interior’s Indian Affairs officials have heeded these concerns and undertaken an extensive review of the organization of the Office of the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE).

The culmination of this review is a draft Administrative Organizational Assessment Report compiled by an independent, third-party contractor. The draft report identifies several ways to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of services to Indian Country. The goal is to support a consolidated organization while improving Interior responsiveness to all Tribal needs. The BIA and BIE are seeking tribal input on ways to streamline their respective organizations to meet budgetary constraints and to increase efficiency.

More information and materials can be found at: http://www.bia.gov/WhoWeAre/ASIA/Consultation/index.htm

CREDENTIALS: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) and valid media credentials.

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WASHINGTON – On Friday, April 27, 2012, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will be joined by Crow Tribe Apsáalooke Nation Chairman Cedric Black Eagle and Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer for the signing of a Crow Tribe-Montana Water Rights Compact. The compact seeks to resolve more than three decades of controversy, ensure safe drinking water for the reservation, and provide for the rehabilitation of the Crow Irrigation Project. The ceremony will take place at the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. and members of the media and public may view a live stream of the event at www.doi.gov/live.

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BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK, S.D. — Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis today announced the release of the final General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement for the South Unit of Badlands National Park, recommending the establishment of the nation’s first tribal national park in partnership with the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

“Our National Park System is one of America’s greatest story tellers,” Salazar said. “As we seek to tell a more inclusive story of America, a tribal national park would help celebrate and honor the history and culture of the Oglala Sioux people. Working closely with the Tribe, Congress, and the public, the Park Service will work to develop a legislative proposal to make the South Unit a tribal national park.”

The South Unit of Badlands National Park is entirely within the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota. The Park Service and the Tribe have worked together to manage the South Unit’s 133,000 acres for almost 40 years. If a tribal national park is enabled by Congress through legislation, the Oglala Sioux people could manage and operate their lands for the educational and recreational benefit of the general public, including a new Lakota Heritage and Education Center.

The GMP/EIS reflects the goals of the National Park Service’s recently released “A Call to Action” plan for the Service’s next 100 years that emphasizes a system of parks and protected sites that more fully represent our nation’s natural resources, history and cultural experiences. The tribal national park would seek to promote an understanding of Oglala Sioux history, culture, and land management principles through education and interpretation.

“Continuing our long‐standing partnership with the Tribe, we plan to focus on restoration of the landscape, including the reintroduction of bison that are integral to the cultural stories and health of the Oglala people,” said NPS Director Jon Jarvis. “We will offer expanded access and opportunities for visitors to experience the beauty and utility of the prairie as the Oglala Sioux have for centuries.”

The National Park Service, Oglala Sioux Tribe, and the Oglala Sioux Parks and Recreation Authority have been cooperatively developing the GMP/EIS for the South Unit of Badlands National Park since early 2006. The management plan acknowledges the important partnership between the National Park Service and Oglala Sioux Tribe and establishes a common vision for managing resources and visitor use in the South Unit.

Under the plan, the National Park Service and the Tribe will focus on restoring the health and vibrancy of the prairie to enhance wildlife habitat, expanding bison into the South Unit, providing roads and trails and providing greater opportunities for visitors to experience the natural grandeur of the South Unit and the heritage of the Oglala Sioux people.

The National Park Service is expected to sign the Record of Decision for the GMP/EIS this summer; however, congressional legislation is necessary before the Service can implement the Plan’s Preferred Management Option. In the meantime, the Park Service and Tribe may prepare for and implement appropriate parts of the plan and identify the components of a tribal national park that need to be addressed by legislation.

Depending on Congressional action, the South Unit could be being administered through a variety of options, including as a unit of the National Park System managed by tribal members hired as NPS employees or managed by tribal members as employees of the Tribe. The plan proposes no change in overall responsibility or management absent Congressional legislation.

The “Call to Action” goal of engaging youth has already begun at Badlands where tribal and non‐tribal students will work together as seasonal NPS employees this summer, receiving training and experience in the responsibilities of being National Park Service rangers.

“These are our future rangers,” said Badlands Superintendent Eric Brunnemann. “These are the young people that may lead a tribal national park into the future. I do see a time when our rangers will routinely work side‐by‐side with tribal biologists, archeologists, and paleontologists.”

In 2010, nearly 1 million visitors traveled to Badlands National Park and spent $23 million in the Park and surrounding communities. This spending supported more than 375 area jobs. With expanded future opportunities for recreation and education in the South Unit, a tribal national park is an exciting prospect for South Dakota.

During World War II, the War Department established the Pine Ridge Aerial Gunnery Range from lands within the Reservation. In 1968, the Gunnery Range was declared excess, and Congress conveyed most of the lands to the Tribe with the provision that the South Unit be administered by the National Park Service.

In 2003, the Tribe formally requested government‐to‐government negotiations regarding management control of the South Unit, and the Park Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Tribe agreed to use the general management plan process to explore options for greater involvement in the South Unit.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Crow Tribe Apsáalooke Nation, the United States of America and the State of Montana executed the Crow Tribe-Montana Water Rights Compact in an historic signing ceremony today at the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Crow Chairman Cedric Black Eagle and Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer signed the compact—marking a major milestone in implementing the Crow Tribal Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010.

Today’s event signifies the resolution of more than three decades of litigation and negotiations, clearing the way to address pressing needs on the Crow Reservation for safe drinking water and the rehabilitation of the dilapidated Crow Irrigation Project.

“The Obama Administration is proud to be a party to the Crow-Montana Compact. Signing the Compact today demonstrates the Administration’s continued commitment to resolving Indian water rights and providing settlements that truly benefit Indian tribes,” Secretary Salazar said. “The Compact not only ensures delivery of a much-needed safe supply of water for the Crow community, but will also bolster their economic security.”

With signing of the Compact today, the Settlement Act authorizes $460 million, calling for the Bureau of Reclamation to plan, design and construct a Municipal, Rural and Industrial (MR&I) water system for the tribe and to rehabilitate and improve the Crow Irrigation Project.

"Today is a significant day for the Crow people," said Chairman Black Eagle. "We began negotiating the Crow-Montana Compact over a decade ago and with continued commitment by all of the parties, including the State and the United States, we were able to come together today and sign the Compact,” said Chairman Black Eagle. “Water is life. This Compact ensures that Crow people will have water and the necessary infrastructure for generations to come. Now the hard work continues to implement the Compact and Settlement legislation to ensure that Crow people realize these benefits from the settlement.”

“Today is an important day in Montana history,” Governor Schweitzer said. “The signing of the Crow-Montana Compact evidences the State’s dedication to successfully resolving both Indian and federal reserved water rights claims through settlement negotiations.”

The signatories also thanked both U.S. Senators from Montana—Sen. Max Baucus and Senator Jon Tester—for their leadership. As Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Baucus worked diligently to build a bipartisan compromise around the Crow-Montana Water Rights Compact to help successfully pass the legislation in 2010. Sen. Tester has been a strong supporter of the Crow Water Settlement both during his time as a Montana State Senator and as a U.S. Senator.

The signing ceremony with tribal, state and federal representatives was livestreamed to the public, including participants at the reservation in Montana. A recording of the ceremony is available at www.livestream.com/interior.

BACKGROUND

On December 8, 2010, President Obama signed Public Law 111-291, the Claims Resolution Act of 2010. Title IV of the Act, the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement, authorizes and directs the Secretary of the Interior to execute the Compact.

Together, the Settlement Act and the Compact quantify the Tribe’s water rights and authorize funding of $131.8 million for the rehabilitation and improvement of the Crow Irrigation Project and $246.4 million for the design and construction of the MR&I water system to serve numerous reservation communities, as well as funding totaling more than $81 million for tribal water administration and for a portion of costs for the irrigation and municipal water systems. The Settlement also provides funding to boost energy development projects such as hydropower generation at Yellowtail Afterbay Dam, clean coal conversion, and other renewable energy projects.

The existing drinking water system on the reservation has significant deficiencies in terms of both capacity and water quality, and many tribal members at times must haul water. The Crow Irrigation Project is in a state of significant disrepair and currently cannot support the Reservation's mainstay of farming and ranching.

Litigation concerning the Tribe's water rights has been ongoing since 1975. Negotiations with the State of Montana and the Crow Tribe on the Compact began nearly thirty years ago in the mid-1980’s. In June 1999, after reaching agreement with the Tribe, the State legislature ratified the Compact.

In March 2011, the members of the Tribe voted to ratify the Compact and Settlement Act. On July 15, 2011, Secretary Salazar and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Mike Connor visited the Crow Indian Reservation to participate with Chairman Black Eagle and a crowd of 200 celebrating the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement.

The Crow Reservation is the largest reservation in Montana, encompassing about 2.3 million acres, and is home to approximately 8,000 of the 11,900 enrolled Crow tribal members.

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) Director Keith Moore announced today that the Circle of Nations-Wahpeton Indian Boarding School from Wahpeton, N.D. has been selected to receive the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Green Ribbon Schools award.

“I am happy that our BIE School is being recognized for meeting the challenging standards of the Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools pilot program,” said Moore. “Being selected as one of the Green Ribbon Schools is a tremendous achievement in a national pool of applicants and allows BIE schools to take pride in our efforts to create healthy learning environments.”

The Green Ribbon Schools (GRS) program was recently launched by ED to recognize schools that save energy and reduce operating costs, create environmentally friendly learning spaces, promote student health, and provide environmental education to incorporate sustainability into their curricula. The recognition award is part of a larger ED and BIE effort to identify and disseminate knowledge about practices proven to result in improved student engagement, academic achievement, graduation rates, and workforce preparedness, as well as a government-wide aim to increase energy independence and economic security.

According to ED guidance, Green Ribbon Schools receiving the national award will have achieved or made considerable progress toward the three pillars established in the program: 1) energy efficient buildings; 2) healthy students and school environments; and 3) environmental literacy of all graduates. The combined achievement in these three areas will be the basis for the Green Ribbon Schools award. All schools must meet high college- and career-ready standards, be in compliance with federal civil rights laws, and all federal, state and local health and safety standards and regulations.

The bureau has posted additional information on their website, including the BIE Green Ribbon Schools application, training opportunities, and program timeline. For more information about the bureau’s participation in the program visit http://www.bie.edu/greenribbonschools/index.htm or visit the ED Green Ribbon Schools website at www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools to learn more about the program.

As part of this effort to promote a comprehensive approach to creating a healthier school environment in all BIE-funded schools, the bureau committed to the Let’s Move! in Indian Country (LMIC) initiative in 2010 and encouraged all BIE-funded schools to sign up to become Team Nutrition Schools. The LMIC website http://www.letsmove.gov/indiancountry includes information about resources, grants and programs available to assist schools in becoming healthier places of learning.

In addition to being selected for the Green Ribbon Schools award, the Circle of Nations School earned a 2012 Gold Award in meeting the U.S. Department of Agriculture's HealthierUS School Challenge criteria for school meals. The challenge was established in 2004 to recognize schools in the National School Lunch Program that create healthier school environments through promoting nutrition and physical activity. The program is a cornerstone of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative to solve the childhood obesity epidemic in a generation. Only three percent of the 100,000 participating schools around the country have actually received the recognition as part of the HealthierUS School Challenge. The Circle of Nations School has achieved tremendous accolades in their winning both awards.

The Bureau of Indian Education in the U.S. Department of the Interior implements federal education laws, such as the No Child Left Behind Act, in and provides funding to 183 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools and peripheral dormitories located on 64 reservations in 23 states and serving approximately 48,000 students from the nation’s federally recognized tribes. Approximately two-thirds are tribally operated with the rest BIE-operated. The bureau also serves post secondary students through higher education scholarships and support funding to 26 tribal colleges and universities and two tribal technical colleges. It also directly operates two post secondary institutions: Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan., and the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque, N.M.

WASHINGTON – Acting Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Donald “Del” Laverdure will deliver the keynote address at the 21st Annual Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service being held Thursday, May 3, 2012, at the Bureau of Indian Affairs United States Indian Police Academy in Artesia, N.M. He will be accompanied by BIA Director Mike Black and BIA Office of Justice Services Deputy Bureau Director Darren Cruzan. The OJS hosts the event, which honors and commemorates tribal, state, local and federal law enforcement officers working on federal Indian lands and in tribal communities who have given their lives in the line of duty.

Three names will be added at the event bringing the total number of fallen officers listed on the memorial to 99. Those to be added at this year’s ceremony are:

• Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives Federal Agent William Louis Pappan, who was killed on December 4, 1935, in Indian Territory while inspecting beer licenses near Tulsa, Oklahoma.
• San Carlos Apache Tribal Police Officer Aaron Daniel Peru, who died on February 13, 2011, on the San Carlos Reservation in Arizona from injuries he received in a motor vehicle accident while on official business.
• Navajo Nation Tribal Sergeant of Police Darrell Cervandez Curley, who died on June 25, 2011, on the Navajo Nation Reservation from a gunshot wound he received while making an arrest in a domestic dispute.

The OJS holds the service in conjunction with other law enforcement organizations and agencies including the International Association of Chiefs of Police Indian Country Law Enforcement Section, the National Sheriffs’ Association, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). The memorial and the Indian Police Academy are located on the FLETC campus in Artesia.

The Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial was first dedicated on May 7, 1992, at the U.S. Indian Police Academy, which was then in Marana, Ariz. The academy and memorial were later moved to their present site, where the memorial was re-dedicated on May 6, 1993.

The earliest name inscribed on the memorial dates back to 1852. In addition to those from BIA and tribal law enforcement, officers listed represent the U.S. Border Patrol, the New Mexico State Police, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Customs Bureau, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The list includes one female officer, from the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety, who was killed in 1998; a father and son, both BIA officers, who died in 1998 and 2001, respectively; and two FBI agents killed on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1975.

The memorial’s design is based upon indigenous design concepts. Comprised of three granite markers sited within a circular walkway lined with sage, a plant of spiritual significance to many tribes, the memorial includes four planters filled with foliage in colors representing people of all races. The planters represent the four directions and are located near the walkway’s entrance.

CREDENTIALS: This invitation is extended to working media representatives, who are required to display sanctioned media credentials for admittance to the event.

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RAPID CITY, S.D. — The fourth government-to-government tribal consultation regarding the Indian Affairs Administrative Organizational Assessment Draft Report and Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education streamlining plans starts Thursday, May 3, 2012 at the Holiday Inn Rapid City – Rushmore Plaza, S.D. The two-day consultation is the fourth of seven that will take place around the country in Arizona, Florida, Washington, Oklahoma, California and Alaska. The first was held in Miami on April 12 and 13, 2012.

Tribal leaders have said that organizational changes are needed in the administration of Indian Affairs programs and services to better meet the needs of the federally recognized tribes throughout Indian Country. The Department of the Interior’s Indian Affairs officials have heeded these concerns and undertaken an extensive review of the organization of the Office of the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE).

The culmination of this review is a draft Administrative Organizational Assessment Report compiled by an independent, third-party contractor. The draft report identifies several ways to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of services to Indian Country. The goal is to support a consolidated organization while improving Interior responsiveness to all Tribal needs. The BIA and BIE are seeking tribal input on ways to streamline their respective organizations to meet budgetary constraints and to increase efficiency.

More information and materials can be found at: http://www.bia.gov/WhoWeAre/ASIA/Consultation/index.htm

CREDENTIALS: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) and valid media credentials.

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