Past News Items

The Interior Department’s Indian Arts and Crafts Hoard announced today publication of a new 32-page Source Directory of interest to potential customers for authentic Native American arts and crafts.

All title source documents and records pertaining to trust or restricted lands on 21 Indian reservations have now been transferred from Washington, D. C. , to area offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Aberdeen, S. Dak.; Billings, Mont. j Gallup, N. Mex.; and Portland, Oreg., the Department of the Interior announced today.

The transfer, Commissioner Philleo Nash emphasized, has involved only the land records formerly maintained in Washington and not those kept at the Bureau's agency offices.

A proposed project to develop oil and gas resources within the boundaries of the Big Cypress Indian Reservation in Florida would not create significant environmental issues or concerns, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has concluded.

Words are inadequate to express the pleasure with which I come to Lewiston to talk to my friends in the National Congress of American Indians.

Commissioner of Indian Affairs William E. Hallett announced today the appointment of Gene R. Powers as Assistant Area Director for administration in the Juneau Area Office.

Appointment of George A. Boyce, superintendent of the 2,000-pupil Intermountain Indian boarding school at Brigham, Utah, to develop a new instruction program in Indian arts and crafts at Santa Fe, New Mexico, was announced today by the Department of the Interior. The appointment will be effective August 6.

Commissioner of Indian Affairs William E. Hallett today announced the appointment of Marilyn Youngbird as his personal representative for the Southwest Region, which includes the Albuquerque, Phoenix, and Navajo Area Offices.

Hallett said that "filling these key regional representative positions with very able, knowledgeable people like Youngbird will improve tribal access to my office and promote effective and efficient delivery of resources and services to the Indian people."

Secretary of the Interior, Stewart L. Udall announced his support today of legislation that would make it possible to revive and strengthen the program of Federal loans to Indian tribes to help finance job-creating enterprises and greater development of human and natural resources on Indian reservations.

The Secretary's position was set forth in a favorable report on S. 1540, a bill that would remove the present $10 million legal limit on appropriations for the revolving loan fund of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Following President Carter's proclamation of April 22 as Earth Day '80, Commissioner Hallett today asked BIA Area Directors and Agency Superintendents to observe Earth Day by meeting with tribal officials to discuss environmental matters. The meetings are to be held the week of April 21-25 or soon after to "demonstrate the Bureau's recognition of our responsibilities for the protection and enhancement of environmental quality and our commitment to an ongoing dialogue with tribal officials regarding the environment," Hallett said.

The Department of the Interior today announced its opposition to legislation now pending in Congress (S. 381) which would provide for Federal subsidies to States to finance the costs of law enforcement on Indian reservations.