Past News Items

Arizona Indians have formed the first organization in the country designed to involve all of the Indian reservations in a State in a program for mutual planning and economic development help, Secretary Udall said today.

Called the Indian Development District of Arizona, the group initially is made up of nine of the 17 reservations in Arizona, combined into a statewide corporation that will enable Indian tribes to qualify for Economic Development Administration districting funds.

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt today announced the appointment of Robert T. Anderson as Counselor to the Secretary. Anderson will be based in Seattle and advise the Secretary on a wide variety of policy matters, including Native American, environmental and Northwest issues.

The Department of the Interior today announced issuance of new regulations dealing with off-reservation fishing by Indians under rights secured to them by Federal treaties. The regulations are intended to help assure that the Indians' rights will be protected and will be exercised in a manner consistent with conservation needs.

The new standards provide a framework to assist States and Indian tribes in regulating Indian treaty fishing to assure proper protection both to the Indians' treaty rights and to fish runs.

Public comment is sought on a proposal by the Secretary of the Interior to allow the statutory approval of Alaska Native allotment applications in cases where protests against such actions have been withdrawn. A notice requesting comment is published in today's Federal Register (62 Fed Reg 7033).

George V. Goodwin, Jr., a member of the White Earth Band of Chippewa Indians, has been appointed Minneapolis Area Director for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Commissioner of Indian Affairs Morris Thompson announced today.

The area includes the states of Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa and Wisconsin.

A swearing-in ceremony for Goodwin will be held December 18 at 1 p.m. in the Leamington Hotel, Minneapolis.

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt today signed agreements to complete final action on implementation of the Fort McDowell Indian Community Water Rights Act of 1990.

Clinton Pattea, President of the Fort McDowell Indian Community, joined Secretary Babbitt in signing the agreements at a ceremony held at the Interior Department. Also attending the ceremony was Ada Deer, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs.

Acting Secretary of the Interior Kent Frizzell today announced establishment of a thirteenth region for the benefit of Alaska Natives who are not permanent residents of Alaska and who elected to be enrolled in such a region under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.

Frizzell said the action, which is effective as of October 1, 1975, would result in the transfer of about 4,500 non-resident Alaska Natives from the twelve regional corporations to the thirteenth corporation.

The Lifetime Learning and Rebuild America economic stimulus package proposed by President Clinton will provide economic development opportunities, rebuild and maintain roads, repair schools, jails and juvenile detention centers, and provide funds to operate elementary and secondary schools on many of America's Indian reservations.

The total stimulus package calls for $102.4 million, with most of the funds to be spent by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for the benefit of Indians by the end of Fiscal Year 1993.

A plan for the distribution of more than $260,000 awarded by the Indian Claims Commission to the Ottawa Indians of Oklahoma is being published in the Federal Register, Commissioner of Indian Affairs Morris Thompson announced today.

This award represents additional payment for six tracts of land in Northwestern Ohio that were ceded to the United States by four bands of Ottawa Indians under treaties of 1833 and 1831.

The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) welcomes tribal leadership and stakeholders to attend an informational virtual meeting scheduled for 2:00 pm eastern standard time on July 8 to hear BIE leadership present its plans for distributing its Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to schools to support the COVID-19 Pandemic recovery.