Past News Items

James H. Stevens, a member of the San Carlos Band of Apaches, has been appointed director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Phoenix area office. Interior Assistant Secretary Ken Smith said that Stevens' appointment would be effective April 4.

Stevens, superintendent of the Bureau's Spokane agency at Wellpinit, Washington, has been detailed twice in the past year to serve in the central office as the acting director of the Office of Trust Responsibilities. He is currently functioning in that capacity now on a detail that began in January.

Philleo Nash, former lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, today took the oath of office as Commissioner of Indian Affairs in the Department of the Interior auditorium. He succeeds Glenn L. Emmons who resigned effective January 20.

Nash, 51, has had a career in government service, private business and higher education.

Thomas W. Fredericks, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior Department for Indian Affairs, today announced that the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Office of Indian Education Programs has signed an interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of the agreement is

1) to increase communications between the Bureau's Education Office and the Education Department, and

2) to procure specific Education Department services for education and vocational programs serving Indians, funded through the Bureau of Indian Affairs

The Department of the Interior today announced the completion of property distribution plans on six additional Indian rancherias of California under terms of a 1958 law.

The rancherias involved are Alexander Valley (54 acres, 11 members) and Lytton (50 acres, 33 members) in Sonoma County, Chicken Ranch (40 acres, 16 members) in Tuolumne County, Mooretown (80 acres, 4 members) in Butte County, and Potter Valley (96 acres, 11 members) and Redwood Valley (80 acres, 27 members) in Mendocino County.

Commissioner of Indian Affairs William E. Hallett today announced the appointment of Nathan Stoltzfus to his public information staff.

Stoltzfus will head the internal communications function for the BIA He has responsibility for soliciting and disseminating information about significant Interior Department and BIA issues, policies, and programs among Department and BIA officials. His duties include editing the biweekly newsletter, preparing briefing materials, writing speeches for the Commissioner, and writing press releases

Appointment of Leonard O. Lay, relocation specialist of the Bureau of Indian Affairs at Minneapolis, Minn., as superintendent of the Bureau's Turtle Mountain Agency at Belcourt, North Dakota, effective July 9, was announced today by the Department of the Interior. He succeeds Herman P. Mittelholtz who was recently named superintendent of the Minnesota Indian Agency, Bemidji, Minn.

Interior Secretary Cecil D. Andrus announced today that amended interim regulations governing off-reservation treaty fishing rights by Michigan tribes in the waters of Lakes Michigan, Superior, Huron and connecting waters will be published in the Federal Register this week. The regulations will be effective immediately upon publication, Andrus said, and will govern fishing during the 1980 season pending preparation of final regulations.

Award of a $1,138,400 contract for the construction of two 300-pupil dormitories on the campus of the Flandreau Indian School, Flandreau, South Dakota, was announced today by the Department of the Interior.

Each of the dormitories will be two stories high and will be constructed of insulated brick and concrete block masonry. Each will have an insulated built-up roof, reinforced concrete beams, floors and roof deck, and aluminum windows. The two together will have a total gross floor area of approximately 97,000 square feet.

Alaska Daily News: "The White House announced the pick Monday. The reaction on Tuesday bordered on ecstatic"

Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Forrest J. Gerard announced today Department approval of a coal mining and reclamation plan in the Navajo Nation Reservation in New Mexico.

The Restructured Mining and Reclamation Plan submitted by the Consolidation Coal Company and approved by the Navajo Nation calls for the mining of over 9,000 acres near the reservation's Burnham Chapter in New Mexico. The lease provides a royalty of 12~ percent of the value of each ton of coal. The company paid a bonus to the Navajo Nation of $5.6 million when the lease was approved in August 1977.