OPA

WASHINGTON - Interior Secretary Gale Norton will meet with American Indian leaders in Bismarck, N. D., June18, 2002, as part of ongoing consultations to review plans for improving the Department of the Interior's management of Indian trust assets. Members of the Joint Tribal Leaders/DOI Task Force on Trust Reform recently presented Secretary Norton a report on the group's efforts to evaluate proposals from tribal groups on ways to improve Interior's management of Indian trust funds and assets. The report identified several recommendations and options for management improvement.

WHO: Secretary of the Interior Gale A. Norton Tribal Task Force on Trust Reform

WHAT: Consultations with Tribal Leaders on Reform of Interior's Trust Asset Management

WHEN: Tuesday, June 18, 2002, 7 p.m. (Local time)

WHERE: The Radisson Inn, Bismarck, N. D.

WASHINGTON – Interior Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal McCaleb will address the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) 2002 Mid-Year Conference on June 18 in Bismarck, N.D. His speech “The Path to Prosperity” will focus on building strong, sustainable tribal economies. He also will announce the Bureau’s national conference on tribal economic development scheduled for September 16-19, 2002 in Phoenix, Ariz.

The Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs has responsibility for fulfilling the Department’s trust responsibility to American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and individuals, as well as promoting tribal self-determination and economic development. The Assistant Secretary oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is responsible for providing services to approximately 1.4 million American Indians and Alaska Natives and the nation’s 559 federally recognized tribes.

The National Congress of American Indians is the nation’s oldest and largest association of tribal governments.

WHO: Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb

WHAT: Remarks on tribal economic development at the NCAI 2002 Mid-Year Conference.

WHEN: Tuesday, June 18, 2002 11:00 a.m. (Local time)

WHERE: Bismarck Civic Center, Exhibit Hall A, Bismarck, N.D

WASHINGTON – In a speech before tribal leaders this week on improving economic conditions in Indian Country, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb called on tribes to choose prosperity over poverty. “We can choose between poverty and prosperity,” McCaleb said. “Most of us would choose prosperity, so why has Indian America remained mired in poverty?” The Assistant Secretary spoke on June 18 at the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) 2002 Mid-Year Conference in Bismarck, N.D. The NCAI is the oldest and largest association of tribal governments in the U.S.

In his speech, McCaleb shared his ideas on how to bring economic prosperity to the nation’s 559 federally recognized tribes. Stressing the need for tribal leaders to be willing to take action and accept change in order to improve poor economic conditions in their communities, McCaleb observed, “If you keep on doing what you’ve always done, then you’re always going to get what you’ve always gotten.”

McCaleb noted while having access to capital, markets and a skilled workforce are important in creating a positive economic climate, tribal governments also need to establish business and legal environments that minimize risk for investors, and improve educational opportunities for tribal members.

He also pointed out the need to develop reservation-based technology and energy resource development companies, create Indian-owned and controlled sources of capital, expand the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Indian Loan Guaranty Program, and accelerate educational improvement and technical skills development through BIA funded and operated schools and tribal colleges.

McCaleb endorsed the goals of creating 100,000 new jobs in Indian Country by 2008 and generating $1 billion per year in direct contracts with Indian-owned industries by 2005 by utilizing the Small Business Administration (SBA) and expanding the Buy Indian Act.

He also announced that a National Summit on Emerging Tribal Economies, whose theme is “Building Sustainable Tribal Economies,” will be held September 16-19, 2002 in Phoenix, Ariz. The event will bring corporations and federal agencies together with tribal leaders to discuss ways of producing employment opportunities in Indian Country and developing processes for sustainable, market-driven tribal economies. The summit also will showcase successful Indian Country businesses.

The Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs has responsibility for fulfilling the Department’s trust responsibility to American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and individuals, as well as promoting tribal self-determination and economic development. The Assistant Secretary oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is responsible for providing services to approximately 1.4 million American Indians and Alaska Natives and the nation’s federally recognized tribes.

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb today announced his decision to acknowledge that the historical Eastern Pequot Tribe, of the Lantern Hill Reservation, North Stonington, Connecticut exists as an Indian tribe within the meaning of Federal law. The historical Eastern Pequot Tribe meets all of the mandatory criteria under 25 CFR Part 83, the Federal acknowledgment regulations, for a government-to-government relationship with the United States.

The historical Eastern Pequot Tribe was represented before the Department of the Interior by two petitioners: the Eastern Pequot Tribe (petition #35) and the Paucatuck Eastern Pequot Tribe (petition #113). The final determination finds that there is a single tribe composed of both petitioners. The Assistant Secretary has the authority to recognize a single tribe in the circumstance where it is represented by more than one petitioner.

A notice of the decision will be published in the Federal Register. The conclusions in each case are the same, but the analysis for each petitioner varies based on the arguments that they presented. The acknowledgment will become final 90 days from publication of the Federal Register notice unless either petitioner, or an interested party, files a request for reconsideration from the Interior Board of Indian Appeals (IBIA). The State of Connecticut, through the Offices of the Governor and Attorney General, the Towns of Ledyard, North Stonington and Preston, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Narragansett Indian Tribe of Rhode Island, as well as some unacknowledged Indian groups in Connecticut, are interested parties to this final determination.

After the Pequot War of 1637 the surviving Pequots were temporarily placed under the supervision of tribes allied with the English. Those Pequots whom the colonial government removed from the supervision of the Eastern Niantic sachem Ninigret in 1654 were subsequently governed by two Indian rulers: Harmon Garrett and Momoho. The Colony of Connecticut purchased the Lantern Hill land for Momoho’s Pequots in 1683. Since then there has been an unbroken history of state recognition and a reservation for this tribe.

The historical Eastern Pequot Tribe has been identified continuously as an Indian entity since that time and has maintained a continuous community exercising political influence over its members from first sustained contact with non-Indians to the present. Members of the newly acknowledged tribe descend from persons identified by State and Federal records as members of the historical Eastern Pequot Tribe.

The Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs has responsibility for fulfilling the Department’s trust responsibilities and promoting self-determination on behalf of tribal governments, American Indians, and Alaska Natives. The Assistant Secretary, who oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Federal Acknowledgement Process, is also responsible for providing services to approximately 1.4 million American Indians and Alaska Natives who are members of the 559 federally recognized tribes.

WASHINGTON – Interior Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb has approved a request by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe to join in partnership with the Trident Exploration Corporation for the development of the Canadian company’s natural gas leases in Alberta. The Southern Ute Tribe is widely recognized for its success in the extraction of coal-bed methane gas and will lend its expertise to Trident Exploration as part of its economic development strategy.

McCaleb personally delivered his approval for the partnership during his visit to tribal offices in Ignacio, Colorado today and complimented the tribe for its growing success.

“This is a fine example of the Department of Interior working in partnership with a tribe to advance tribal self-determination and economic self-sufficiency,” McCaleb said. “The Southern Ute Tribe has a 20-year record of success in the field of energy extraction and it is now quickly moving to share its expertise in the international marketplace.”

In accordance with its corporate charter, the tribe sought McCaleb’s approval for the economic terms of the partnership – a tribal purchase of 4 million shares of Trident for $15 million (CAN). The charter requires DOI approval for such a purchase. The tribe’s agreement with Trident obligates it to acquire 2 million Class “A” Common Shares and 2 million Class “A” Preference Shares in Trident Exploration Corporation, a Nova Scotia Unlimited Liability Company.

McCaleb, the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs, has the responsibility for fulfilling the Department of the Interior’s trust responsibility, and promoting self-determination and economic development on behalf of tribal governments, American Indians, and Alaska Natives. The Assistant Secretary, who oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs, is also responsible for providing services to approximately 1.4 million American Indians and Alaska Natives who are members of the 559 federally recognized tribes.

WASHINGTON – Interior Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb today announced that he has confirmed Aurene Martin as his Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs. She had been acting deputy assistant secretary since May 28, 2002. Ms. Martin, a member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, came to the Interior Department in October 2001 as Counselor to Assistant Secretary McCaleb.

Before joining the Interior Department, Ms. Martin had served as Republican senior counsel to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs since January 1999, where she covered Indian health care, gaming and self-determination issues and appropriations. From October 1998 to January 1999 she was Director of Congressional and Public Affairs for the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC).

From June 1993 through October 1998, she worked for the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin and left as Senior Staff Attorney. While there she worked on all aspects of tribal representation including Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) litigation, gaming, and self-determination and tribal government issues.

Ms. Martin was born in Shawano, Wisconsin, and raised on the Menominee Indian Reservation. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she majored in History, Italian and History of Culture. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1989. Ms. Martin also received her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1993. She is a member of the Wisconsin State Bar and has been active in its Indian law section, including serving as an officer of the section.

The Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs has responsibility for fulfilling the Department’s trust responsibilities and promoting self-determination on behalf of tribal governments, American Indians and Alaska Natives. The Assistant Secretary, who oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Federal Acknowledgment Process, is also responsible for providing services to approximately 1.4 million American Indians and Alaska Natives from the 559 federally recognized tribes.

Note to Editors: A photo of Aurene Martin may be viewed via the Interior Department’s web site at www.doi.gov.

WASHINGTON - Interior Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb today announced that he has signed a reconsidered final determination which declines to acknowledge the Chinook Indian Tribe / Chinook Nation (formerly the Chinook Indian Tribe, Inc.) of Chinook, Washington, as an Indian tribe for federal purposes. This decision concludes that the Chinook petitioner did not demonstrate that it meets all seven mandatory criteria to be acknowledged as a tribe with a government-to-government relationship with the United States.

Assistant Secretary McCaleb says he has a deep appreciation of the legacy of the Chinook Indian Tribe in American history but says that complete evaluation of important evidence presented by the tribe does not fully support federal recognition. The earlier final determination was based upon an inappropriate interpretation of important evidence and, once removed from consideration, the supporting evidence remaining was not sufficient to warrant federal recognition. The reconsidered determination announced today is final and effective upon publication of a notice of the determination in the Federal Register.

This final determination is a reconsideration that reverses an earlier final determination to acknowledge the Chinook petitioner. The reconsidered final determination found that the January 2001 determination departed from acknowledgment precedent and acknowledged the Chinook petitioner based on an improper interpretation of a 1925 claims act, a 1912 claims act, and a 1911 allotment act. Today's decision also concludes that the original final determination incorrectly relied on claims organizations as sufficient evidence for satisfying the criteria, and improperly relied on a small number of the petitioner=s members or ancestors living in Bay Center, Washington, to find that the petitioner had met a requirement that a predominant portion of the petitioning group comprises a distinct community. With the rejected arguments removed from the original final determination, the Assistant Secretary concluded that the remaining evidence was not sufficient to meet the acknowledgment criteria.

The Chinook petitioner did not satisfactorily demonstrate that it meets all seven mandatory criteria. The purpose of the regulations is to provide a means to acknowledge Indian tribes that have continuous historical existence. The petitioner failed to meet criteria (a), (b), and (c) of the acknowledgment regulations - failing to demonstrate that it has maintained political influence over its members from historical times to the present [criterion (c)], that a predominant portion of its members comprise a distinct social community at present, or since 1950 [criterion (b)], or that it has been identified historically as an Indian entity by outside observers on a substantially continuous basis [criterion (a)].

A proposed finding against acknowledgment of the Chinook petitioner was issued in August 1997. After a public comment period, a final determination to acknowledge the Chinook petitioner was issued in January 2001. The Quinault Indian Nation requested reconsideration of the final determination before the Interior Board of Indian Appeals (IBIA). The IBIA referred to the Secretary of the Interior nine issues that it found to be outside of its jurisdiction. Secretary Norton then referred eight of those issues to Assistant Secretary McCaleb and asked him to issue a reconsidered final determination on the basis of his resolution of those issues.

The Chinook petitioner's members descend from the historical Lower Band of Chinook that lived at the mouth of the Columbia, and from several other historical Chinook bands. The regulations, however, require more than descent from a historical tribe to acknowledge the continuous tribal existence of a petitioner. Various historical Chinook bands lived along the lower Columbia River and Shoalwater Bay prior to the arrival of European and American traders and settlers. Lewis and Clark made a winter camp in 1805-1806 among the Clatsop near the mouth of the Columbia and met with several Chinook leaders and commented on Chinook villages. The United States negotiated treaties with separate Chinook bands in 1851, but the Senate did not ratify them. Chinook representatives refused to sign a treaty negotiated in 1855. The population of the Chinook bands was severely reduced by a series of epidemics in the 1780's, the 1830's, and the late 1850's. By 1900, some Chinook descendants were listed on the censuses of the several area reservations, but many other descendants were living among the general population. From the mid-1850's until 1951, when Chinook descendants organized to pursue historical claims, there is insufficient evidence to show that any Chinook entity or informal process of leadership existed among the ancestors of the petitioner.

Many Chinook descendants today are members of the Shoalwater Bay Tribe, Quinault Indian Nation, Confederated Tribes of the Grande Ronde Community, Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, and other reservation tribes. The Chinook petitioner, however, consists predominantly of non-reservation Chinook descendants.

Washington - The Department of the Interior's Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Neal McCaleb has named Daniel J. DuBray, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, as his Special Assistant for Communications - Indian Affairs.

"Dan will be a valuable asset to Indian Affairs with his extensive media and Capitol Hill experience, and his understanding of American Indian issues," McCaleb said.

DuBray previously was communications director for Rep. Harold Rogers of Kentucky, chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation. He also has served as a senior advisor to former congressmen Ron Marlenee and Rick Hill. While on Marlenee's staff, he played a key role on the team that worked on legislation to authorize the National Indian Memorial at Montana's Little Bighorn Battlefield.

DuBray has worked extensively in radio and television broadcasting, having produced, anchored and managed a variety of broadcast news and entertainment programs for KALL AM/FM and KSL-AM in Salt Lake City, and at KULR-TV and KBLB AM Newsradio in his hometown of Billings, Mont. From 1993 to 1996, he was executive director of the Billings Community Cable Corp. and its Community Seven Television. DuBray produced and moderated nationally televised federal candidate debates produced in partnership with the Billings Gazette.

The Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs administers the Bureau of Indian Affairs, a 177- year-old federal agency with about 10,000 employees that provides services to, carries out federal trust responsibilities for and promotes the self determination of the 559 federally recognized tribal governments and approximately 1.4 million American Indians and Alaska Natives.

WASHINGTON--The Bureau of Indian Affairs' Office of Law Enforcement Services (BIAOLES) announces the 2nd Annual Indian Country Corrections Summit to be held from July 16 - 18, 2002, at the Hyatt Regency in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The summit theme is "Positive Change Through Effective Partnership." The purpose of the Summit is to create awareness, share ideas, establish partnerships and enhance commitment to Indian Country Corrections.

"Having a strong and viable corrections program is essential to the public safety of our Indian communities," Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Neal McCaleb said. "Partnerships are the best way to strengthen our ability to offer the best protection and services to our communities."

Indian Country Corrections is a priority for tribal governments and Federal agencies, a number of initiatives have been implemented which affect Indian country correction programs at every level. Tribal communities with new detention facilities estimate a need of an additional $14 million to adequately meet the security, maintenance and operational needs of running the new detention facilities.

The three-day Summit will bring together stake-holders from across the Nation to include tribal leaders, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Law Enforcement Service, the Office of Indian Education Programs, Department of Justice, Indian Health Services, Department of the Interior's Office of Indian Affairs, tribal judges and tribal correction programs to share information regarding model programs and to develop strategies for forming partnerships to benefit inmates and citizens of our Indian country communities. Topics to be presented include, A Historical look at the Improvements of Indian Country Detention Programs, The Indian Country Jail Report, Indian Police Academy's Correction Training program, and Building Better Correction Facilities. Two tribal correction programs, Oglala Sioux Tribe Corrections and Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians Correction programs will give presentations. The Hopi Agency, and Ute Mountain Ute Agency Correction programs administered by the BIA-OLES will be featured.

With an annual budget of $158, 294,000 for law enforcement in Indian Country, the BIA-OLES has a central office and five districts which provide public safety, investigative and detention services for fifty-four of the two hundred American Indian law enforcement programs, many tribes operate law enforcement programs under Public Law 93-638 and original tribal agreements.

WASHINGTON – Interior Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb announced his appointment of Brian Burns as the Chief Information Officer for Indian Affairs. Mr. Burns was formerly the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information Resources Management and the Deputy Information Officer at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

“I depend on the Chief Information Officer to keep the BIA’s computer network well maintained and secure for our employees and service beneficiaries,” said McCaleb. “I am very pleased to add Brian Burns, an IT professional with extensive experience in the public and private sectors, to my management team.”

Mr. Burns has eighteen years of service specializing in Program Management, Systems Architecture, Infrastructure and Lab Operations Management, Telecommunications and Security Technology, Human Factors/Usability of graphical user interfaces (GUI) and object-oriented programming, and facilitation. His background also includes five years of Federal and thirteen years of commercial real-time large-scale systems development in document management/ imaging, telecommunications, securities and health.

While at HHS, Mr. Burns oversaw the department’s enterprise Information Technology (IT) investment strategy, architecture and security of approximately $3.5 billion annually across 12 agencies including the Indian Health Service (IHS), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Office of the Secretary. He directed daily IT operations for the Office of the Secretary and oversaw HHS’s successful Y2K conversion.

In addition, Mr. Burns served as the Federal Chief Information Council Executive Lead for developing the Federal Information Technology Security Assessment Framework to evaluate the IT security readiness of an organization. He also chaired the Federal Healthcare Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Working Group to develop a common standard level of computer security and privacy to share healthcare data across Federal, State and healthcare industry organizations. Mr. Burns was the Federal CIO Council liaison to the Federal Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Council, a member of the General Services Administration (GSA) Intergovernmental Advisory Board, which is comprised of Federal, State and industry CIOs to address future IT issues and solutions across industry and government, and was the technical lead on architecting the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Quicksilver government-wide E-Grants portal.

Prior to HHS, Mr. Burns served as the Acting Deputy CIO for Operations and Director for Architecture, Engineering and Infrastructure at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) after having worked in the private sector for the Coleman Research Corporation, BDM, Inc. and the IBM Corporation.

Mr. Burns has a Master of Arts degree in Psychology for Human Factors Engineering from George Mason University (1992) and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Drexel University (1985). The Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs has responsibility for fulfilling the Department’s trust responsibility and promoting self-determination and economic development on behalf of tribal governments, American Indians and Alaska Natives. The Assistant Secretary, who oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Federal Acknowledgment Process, is also responsible for providing services to approximately 1.4 million American Indians and Alaska Natives from the 562 federally recognized tribes.

Note to Editors: A photo of Brian Burns may be viewed via the Interior Department’s web site at www.doi.gov.