OPA

WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Assistant Secretary Larry Echo Hawk expressed their deepest condolences to the family and friends of Wilma Mankiller, the former Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, who passed away today, praising her as a dynamic and visionary leader dedicated to the wellbeing and betterment of her tribal community.

“On behalf of all Interior employees, and especially those in Indian Affairs who knew and worked with Wilma, I want to extend our heartfelt sympathy and prayers to her family for their comfort and peace,” Secretary Salazar said. “Throughout her long career of advocating the best for her people, and all of Indian Country, Wilma was a shining example of courage and leadership for all Americans. We will miss her dearly, but we know that her spirit and example live on, encouraging all American Indians to stand up for what they believe in and to step up and accept the challenge of serving in leadership roles.”

“The news of Wilma’s passing has deeply touched all of us here at Interior and throughout Indian Country who knew her as a leader, friend or colleague,” said Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk. “She willingly reached out beyond her tribal community and Indian Country in search of solutions to the social and economic challenges facing the Cherokee people, while sharing her knowledge and insights with anyone who needed them. We honor her with our gratitude for all she has contributed in service to her people and to Indian Country.”

“Her personal experiences in childhood of the economic struggles of her family and the impact of the federal government’s relocation policy on her life led to insights into what should be done, and could be done, to improve the lives of all Indian people,” Echo Hawk said. “On behalf of all Indian Affairs employees, I want to extend our deepest sympathies and condolences.”

The first woman Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation (1985 to 1995), Mankiller was a nationally recognized American Indian leader, known for her activism, pragmatism and steadfastness in addressing social and economic challenges facing the Cherokee community. Under her leadership, tribal enrollment tripled, employment doubled and new health centers and children's programs blossomed. She took Indian issues to the White House and met with three presidents: Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

A memorial service has been scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Cherokee Nation Cultural Grounds in Tahlequah, not far from where she was born.

On Thursday, April 8, 2010, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will present awards to the winning high school and college teams of the 2010 Indian Education Renewable Energy Challenge in a ceremony at the Interior Department’s South Interior Building in Washington, D.C. The event will take place in the South Interior Auditorium from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (EDT).

The Indian Education Renewable Energy Challenge is sponsored by the Bureau of Indian Education in partnership with the Indian Affairs Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory to promote careers for students attending BIE-funded high schools and tribal colleges in the fields of green and renewable energy.

Who: Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk Robert Middleton, Director, Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development Bartholomew “Bart” Stevens, Acting Director, Bureau of Indian Education Harold Myron, Director of Educational Programs, Argonne National Laboratory

What: 2010 Indian Education Renewable Energy Challenge awards

When: Thursday, April 8, 2010, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (EDT).

Where: U.S. Department of the Interior, South Interior Building Auditorium, 1951 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.

Media: Credentialed media are invited to cover this event.

Washington, D.C. – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk today was joined by the Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) employees, tribal leaders from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation and the Flathead Joint Board of Control to announce a unique and historic agreement.

"I want to commend everyone who played a role in bringing the two sides together for this historic occasion,” Echo Hawk said. “While we will continue to own the Project, we believe the Cooperative Management Entity established through this agreement will do an excellent job operating this important project that has such a significant role in the economy of the Flathead Reservation and surrounding communities."

After decades of litigation and disagreements the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) of the Flathead Reservation, the Flathead Joint Board of Control (JBC) and the Department of Interior today signed a historic agreement regarding the future management and operation of the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project (FIIP), which irrigates approximately 135,000 acres of land on the Flathead Indian Reservation. The agreement provides for transfer of operations and management to the CSKT and JBC. The JBC is the state-chartered entity that represents the Flathead, Mission and Jocko Valley Irrigation Districts that operate on fee land within the Flathead Indian Reservation. The effective date of the transfer will be April 9, 2010.

"This is truly a historic agreement that we are signing today with our non-Indian neighbors. I am glad we decided a few years ago to resolve our differences through negotiation,” said Tribal Chairman Bud Moran. “I have every confidence that the cooperative entity we have created will continue to do a good job running this project while protecting the Tribes' interest and those who irrigate lands to make a living."

The CSKT and the JBC have created the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project Cooperative Management Entity (CME). The CME will have an equal number of representatives on it from the CSKT and the JBC. The CME will take over all aspects of operation and management of FIIP, including staffing and fee collection, from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (Department of the Interior). The project itself, including rights of way and real property will remain a federal project. FIIP facilities include 17 major storage reservoirs, 1,300 miles of canals and laterals and more than 10,000 structures.

In 1904 Congress enacted the Flathead Allotment Act which allotted the Flathead Indian Reservation into individually owned or family owned parcels. Congressional amendments to that Act in 1908 authorized the construction of the FIIP and directed the transfer of the management and operation of the FIIP to the owners of the lands irrigated by the project when certain conditions and repayment of the debt of construction had been met. In 1948 Congress again amended the Act authorizing net power revenues from the electrical utility on the reservation to be dedicated to paying off the debt of construction over the following half-century. That debt has since been paid and the "transfer" provision has been triggered.

"I want to say how pleased I am that we are signing this agreement. After years of disagreeing we have successfully negotiated an accord that will protect the interests of all parties involved. Both parties can be proud of the good working relationship and trust we developed in the process of negotiating this agreement," said JBC Chairman Walt Schock.

This agreement recognizes both the interests of the CSKT and JBC and creates a partnership that has never before been undertaken at an irrigation project owned by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs has responsibility for helping the Secretary of the Interior to fulfill his trust responsibilities to tribal and individual trust beneficiaries and promoting self-determination and self-governance for the nation’s 564 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes. The Assistant Secretary oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), which administers one of two federal school systems.

Albuquerque, NM – Today Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget at the Department of the Interior Rhea Suh delivered welcoming remarks at the Federal Employment Workshop: Accessing Employment with the Department of the Interior at the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Federal Employment Workshop is part of Secretary Ken Salazar’s Youth in the Great Outdoors Initiative aimed at employing, educating, and engaging youth in America’s great outdoors.

"Today, young Americans face a multitude of challenges, among them record unemployment rates, rising health risks, such as childhood obesity, and declining exposure to the great outdoors,” said Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget Suh. "The Department’s Federal Employment Workshop is an opportunity to engage young American Indians and Alaska Natives in the Federal workforce."

"Unemployment is a problem that affects many tribal communities throughout the country," said Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk. “Today’s workshop is a step in the right direction to help provide much needed jobs to Indian Country.”

In February, Secretary Salazar told the annual Corps Network Forum that he has challenged the Interior bureaus to increase youth employment opportunities in 2010 by 50 percent over 2009 figures and in 2011 by 60 percent. This new challenge will give a big boost to youth employment and education programs throughout the nation.

The Federal Employment Workshop was a collaboration of many Bureaus and Offices within the Department of the Interior, including Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education, Bureau of Indian Affairs Fire Department, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, Office of Surface Mining, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Geological Survey, Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians, and National Conservation Training Center.

Employ, Educate, Engage In 2009 Secretary Salazar established a new departmental Office of Youth to catalyze these programs. The office will lead efforts to “employ, educate and engage” Youth in the Great Outdoors.

Employment

The Secretary noted that today’s programs have inherited the spirit of the Civilian Conservation Corps, which provided employment during the Great Depression of the 1930s and also helped build trails, facilities and conservation projects in national parks and other areas.

"Our economic troubles are particularly tough on young people, just as they were during the Great Depression," said Secretary Salazar. “Young people again face double-digit unemployment rates (20% according to some estimates). And Interior is again in a unique position to put thousands of young people to work – especially during the summer, when young people need jobs the most."

The Youth in the Great Outdoors Initiative places a special emphasis on engaging youth from underserved communities where unemployment is highest, as well as young women and girls.

Education and Engagement

In addition to employment, the Department of the Interior engages millions more youth each year through educational and other programs.

"The future of America’s treasured landscapes depends upon the next generation’s understanding of and connection to the Great Outdoors, so getting younger children outside in nature and providing educational programs for them is just as important as providing jobs for older youth," said Secretary Salazar.

For example, Department of the Interior and bureau programs serve:

• More than 30 million youth each year in meaningful environmental education and service-learning programs in parks and refuges and thousands in historic preservation projects.
• More than 42,000 American Indian and Alaska Native students, in elementary and secondary schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Education and located in 23 states across America.
• More than 6 million children through recreation programs and opportunities in parks, refuges and other public lands that take young people into the great outdoors where they can connect with nature and build relationships with their families and communities.

For more information on youth programs, please visit http://doi.gov/whatwedo/youth/.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the winning college and high school teams that designed and built the most efficient portable wind turbine systems as part of the 2010 Indian Education Renewable Energy Challenge with the Argonne National Laboratory. The awards were presented today at the Interior Department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

“I am proud to announce the winners of the first annual Student Energy Challenge and I welcome the partnership we have forged with Argonne National Laboratory,” Secretary Salazar said. “Finding unique and stimulating ways for students to translate their classroom learning to the real world is a key to developing our future scientists in Indian Country. In a few years, these students will be leaders in developing renewable energy resources for their tribes and the reservation economies.”

“I believe that innovation and creativity are important skills that Indian Country needs to achieve energy and economic sustainability,” said Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk. “This youth initiative will help develop those skills by placing an emphasis on critical thinking and innovative design through science and engineering.”

At the college level, the first place award was shared by the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) from Albuquerque, NM, and the College of Menominee Nation from Keshena, WI. At the high school level, the first place winner was the Oneida Nation High School from Oneida, WI.

The focus of the contest was to promote renewable energy development for Indian Country among students and teachers at the high school and college level. The contest is co-sponsored with the Bureau of Indian Education, the Indian Affairs Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory.

“The Energy Challenge is a great opportunity for a team of students to use scientific and technical skills in a real-world application,” said Harold Myron, director of ANL’s Division of Education Programs.

The challenge was a two-part contest. In Phase I, student teams organized by the schools were asked to submit designs for a portable wind turbine installation that generated energy, stored it mechanically or electronically and then used the stored energy to power an array of light emitting diodes. The best 10 designs (five high schools and five tribal colleges) were selected in the fall and those teams each received $1,300 to construct a prototype for Phase II. A panel of judges chose the winners based on their final constructed models and submitted videos.

“We support and encourage science and engineering programs to get Indian students engaged in renewable energy resources and we would like to congratulate all of the schools that participated in this initiative to make it a success," said Bart Stevens, acting director of the Bureau of Indian Education in the Interior Department.

The winning teams received their awards at a ceremony in the Interior Department’s South Interior Building Auditorium. For more information visit: http://www.dep.anl.gov/indianed_energychallenge/.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk today announced that the Indian Affairs Office of Acquisition and Property Management (OAPM) will conduct tribal consultation with the federally recognized tribes on draft regulations to implement the Buy Indian Act (25 U.S.C. 47), which provides authority to set aside procurement contracts for qualified Indian-owned businesses. A letter announcing the meetings was sent to tribal leaders on March 26, 2010. A notice announcing the meetings was published in the Federal Register also on March 26.

“The Buy Indian Act is vital to building sustainable tribal economies, creating jobs and stimulating entrepreneurship throughout Indian Country,” Echo Hawk said. “It is imperative that we move forward to develop these regulations so that the American Indian and Alaska Native people can benefit from this landmark legislation.”

While the Buy Indian Act was enacted in 1910 to promote the employment of American Indians and the sale of American Indian-made products, it languished until the 1960s when it was included in federal anti-poverty efforts to increase economic development and job opportunities on Indian reservations.

The OAPM is developing the rule to describe uniform administrative procedures that Indian Affairs will use in all of its locations to encourage procurement relationships with eligible Indian economic enterprises in the execution of the Buy Indian Act. The draft includes revisions to address input received from earlier draft publications and from three separate consultation sessions held during 2001 in Tulsa, Okla., Scottsdale, Ariz., and Portland, Ore. The rule will supplement the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the Department of the Interior Acquisition Regulations (DIAR).

The tribal consultation meetings on the draft regulations will be held on the following dates:

Date: Monday, April 26, 2010

Time: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (local time)

Location: Holiday Inn Portland Airport, 8439 NE Columbia Blvd., Portland, Ore., 97220. 503-914-5251

Date: Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Time: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (local time)

Location: Holiday Inn Rushmore Plaza 505, North Fifth St., Rapid City, S.D., 57701. 605-348-8000

Date: Friday, April 30, 2010

Time: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (local time)

Location: Tulsa Marriott, Southern Hills, 1902 East 71st, Tulsa, Okla., 74136. 918-493-7000

The deadline for submitting written comments to the OAPM is no later than May 15, 2010. Comments will be accepted via email, the U.S. Postal Service or overnight carrier.

Additional information can be found on the “Current Tribal Consultations” page of the Indian Affairs website at http://www.indianaffairs.gov/WhoWeAre/AS-IA/Consultation/index.htm.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar issued the following statement regarding remarks made at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues by United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Susan E. Rice on April 20, 2010:

“As the Administration reexamines the United States’ position regarding the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, we welcome the opportunity for interagency collaboration during the review process as well as dialogue with tribal governments and officials within the United States. This is an important undertaking that directly complements our commitment to supporting tribal self-determination, ensuring tribal self-government, respecting tribal sovereignty and carrying out our unique federal trust responsibilities. Working together with the international community, we hope to address the many challenges that indigenous peoples face around the globe.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk today announced that he has named Michael S. Black as Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Black, an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, had been serving as the acting BIA Director since March 18, 2010. He takes over from Jerold L. “Jerry” Gidner who is now the Special Counselor in the Office of the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs. Black’s appointment became effective on April 25, 2010.

“Mike Black has served Indian Country and the nation as a dedicated public servant for many years,” Echo Hawk said. “I will rely on him as part of my senior management team as we move forward on initiatives to improve public safety and employment opportunities in tribal communities, promote tribal self-determination through energy and economic development, and honor the trust responsibility.”

“I am pleased with Assistant Secretary Echo Hawk’s efforts to strengthen his management team with the selection of Michael Black as BIA Director,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said. “I am confident that this change will enable Assistant Secretary Echo Hawk to continue moving forward in carrying out our initiatives to improve the lives of the American Indian and Alaska Native people.”

Prior to becoming acting BIA director, Black had served since July 20, 2008, as Regional Director of the BIA’s Great Plains Regional Office in Aberdeen, S.D., following an eight-month appointment starting in June 2007 as the acting regional director. The office oversees 12 agencies serving 16 federally recognized tribes in Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Black began his federal career in 1987 with the BIA’s Aberdeen Area Office (now the Great Plains Regional Office) as General Engineer in the Branch of Facilities Management. From 1992 to 2001, he worked in the BIA’s Billings Area Office (now the Rocky Mountain Regional Office) as Regional Facility Manager where he was responsible for facilities construction and operations and maintenance programs. In December 2001, he was named Chief of the Office’s Division of Engineering, where he was responsible for regional facility management, road construction, and road maintenance and safety programs. In January 2004, Black was promoted to the Rocky Mountain Regional Office’s post of Deputy Regional Director-Indian Services, where he was responsible for the management and oversight of Road Construction, Road Maintenance, Tribal Government Services, Credit, Housing, Self-Determination, Social Services, Safety, and Environmental and Cultural Resources Management programs.

Black graduated from Aberdeen Central High School in 1982. He received a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology in 1986.

“I am deeply honored to have been offered this opportunity to lead the Bureau of Indian Affairs,” Black said. “I want to express my appreciation to Assistant Secretary Echo Hawk for his confidence and to affirm my commitment to strengthening the BIA’s mission of service to Indian Country.”

The Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs is responsible for managing the BIA’s day-to-day operations through four offices – Indian Services, Justice Services, Trust Services and Field Operations – which administer or fund tribally based infrastructure, law enforcement, social services, tribal governance, natural and energy resources and trust management programs for 564 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes in 33 states through 12 regional offices and 85 agencies.

WASHINGTON, DC- Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk announced today that savings in the Indian Affairs’ American Recovery and Reinvestment Act construction projects will be used to start four additional high-priority school projects in Arizona, New Mexico and South Dakota.

Favorable pricing and aggressive management of the Recovery Act large construction projects have resulted in savings of $33 million, or 11 percent of Indian Affairs’ construction allocation under the Recovery Act. Indian Affairs will use these savings to undertake the four school construction projects, putting more people to work in ways that will also make critical enhancements benefitting students and Indian Country communities.

“The Recovery Act has given us a great opportunity to meet some of our longstanding infrastructure challenges in Indian Country, including repairing and replacing schools. We’re thrilled to be able to fund these four additional projects that will improve the learning environments for additional Native American school children, while also creating additional jobs,” said Assistant Secretary Echo Hawk.

The additional projects include:

• Kaibeto School Replacement Project (Phase 2) in Arizona (Navajo): The original ARRA project list funded the first phase of the Kaibeto School Replacement project. Due to the cost savings on the Rough Rock school replacement project, the entire Kaibeto School project can now be completed, providing a new K-8 school for 276 academic and 45 residential students.
• St. Francis Indian School gymnasium construction project in South Dakota: This project will provide a high school gym and kitchen facilities that were not included in the original replacement school project (completed previously with non-Recovery Act funds).
• Santa Fe Indian School gymnasium construction project in New Mexico: This project represents completion of the gymnasium /wellness center at Santa Fe Indian School. Phase 1 was funded by the State of New Mexico to complete the exterior of the building. This project supports the completion of the interior and makes the facility functional.
• Shonto Boarding School gymnasium construction project in Arizona (Navajo): This project involves the repair and replacement of a snow-damaged and currently unusable gymnasium.

In addition to these changes, Indian Affairs has also cancelled or deferred six projects totaling $2.9 million originally scheduled to be completed with Recovery Act funds. The Department of the Interior established and follows a formal but efficient process for making timely decisions on project funding reallocations and project substitutions to ensure they are supporting the ARRA goals of quickly stimulating the economy and creating jobs. These merit-based criteria include expediency of implementation, job creation potential and ability to address high-priority mission needs. All deferred projects will remain funding priorities for Indian Affairs in future budget years.

The current list of the Indian Affairs ARRA projects can be found at the following link:

http://recovery.doi.gov/press/bureaus/bureau-of-indian-affairs/

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act offers a unique opportunity to invest in improvements to Indian communities that enhance the long-term economic development potential and promote near-term economic recovery. The $500 million allocated to the Department of the Interior, Office of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education will repair and upgrade Indian schools and detention centers, construct reservation housing, provide for road and bridge maintenance, spur economic development, and train a workforce with viable skills that can be used now and in the future.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today applauded President Obama’s nomination of Tracie Stevens to be the chair of the National Indian Gaming Commission.

“Tracie Stevens is an outstanding choice as chair and will bring significant experience in both tribal government and gaming to the commission,” Salazar said. “She will provide strong leadership to the commission as it deals with the many complex issues associated with Indian gaming.”

As an independent federal regulatory agency of the United States, the National Indian Gaming Commission was established pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. The commission comprises a chair and two commissioners, each of whom serves on a full-time basis for a three-year term. The chair is appointed by the President and must be confirmed by the Senate. The Secretary of the Interior appoints the other two commissioners.

Stevens, an enrolled member of the Tulalip Tribes in Washington State, currently serves as Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs, a position she has held since July, 2009.

Stevens brings with her almost 12 years of experience gained from working for her tribe in both government and business operations.

In her most recent position as senior policy analyst with her tribe’s government affairs office, she managed day-to-day operations, including overseeing external public affairs and government relations functions, carried out advocacy and networking efforts, and served on state, regional and national Indian gaming-related boards and committees. She had served previously as a legislative policy analyst in the government affairs office working on tribal sovereignty, treaty rights and tribal governance issues.

Stevens began her professional career at her tribe’s casino where she developed expertise in business management and administration. Her work in human resource management, employee recruitment and training, and operations planning and analysis eventually led her to becoming the Tulalip Casino’s executive director for strategic planning.

Stevens received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Sciences from the University of Washington-Seattle in 2006.

The commission's primary mission is to regulate gaming activities on Indian lands for the purpose of shielding Indian tribes from organized crime and other corrupting influences; to ensure that Indian tribes are the primary beneficiaries of gaming revenue; and to assure that gaming is conducted fairly and honestly by both operators and players.

To achieve these goals, the commission is authorized to conduct investigations; undertake enforcement actions, including the issuance of notices of violation, assessment of civil fines, and/or issuance of closure orders; conduct background investigations; conduct audits; and review and approve tribal gaming ordinances. Under the act, at least two of the three commissioners must be enrolled members of a federally recognized Indian tribe, and no more than two members may be of the same political party.