OPA

WASHINGTON – Bureau of Indian Affairs Regional Director Stanley M. Speaks was one of nine BIA employees recognized by Interior Secretary Gale Norton at the Department’s 61st Honor Awards Convocation on September 4, 2002. The event, last held in October 2000, honored the achievement, valor, excellence and merit of Interior employees.

Mr. Speaks, a member of the Chickasaw Nation and director of the BIA’s Northwest Regional Office in Portland, Ore., received the Distinguished Service Award, the highest honorary recognition that an employee can receive within Interior, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the Department and to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). “Stan Speaks is an example of what service to tribes and Indian people is all about,” said Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb. “His dignity and sense of responsibility for Indian people are reflected in the quality of his work.”

“It is a real honor to receive this award,” Mr. Speaks said. “I enjoy working with Tribes and seeing their progress in economic development, protecting treaty rights and strengthening tribal government. My philosophy has been to take issues and find solutions to resolve them.”

Mr. Speaks was cited for his work with the Joint Tribal/DOI Task Force for the Reorganization of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (1991-1994), as well as with other BIA, Departmental, Federal and State task forces, boards and committees, including the Regional Interagency Executive Committee to the Northwest Forest Plan on which he has served since its inception. Mr. Speaks was also recognized for innovative initiatives and administrative and program improvements he has made during his tenure as regional director, and for his work with Federal, State and Tribal leaders on a wide variety of environmental, infrastructure, natural resources enhancement and other efforts to improve the Northwest Region. In one example, he was instrumental in bringing together the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon and Portland General Electric to sign an agreement to co-manage the Pelton Dam hydroelectric plant located on the reservation.

Mr. Speaks began his public service career 42 years ago as a teacher at Intermountain Indian School, a now-closed BIA boarding school in Utah. He went on to serve first as superintendent of the BIA Agency and then as Area Office director in Anadarko, Okla. He went on to become director of the BIA’s Portland Area (now Northwest Regional) Office where he has served for 20 years. During the mid-1980s, Mr. Speaks undertook assignments in the BIA’s Central Office in Washington, D.C., including twice serving as interim director of the Office of Indian Education Programs (OIEP). He also served as acting Deputy Commissioner of the BIA in 1988 and from 1990 to 1991.

Eight other BIA employees also were recognized, one posthumously, for their dedication to duty and the quality of their work.

BIA Law Enforcement Officer Creighton T. Spencer was honored along with other Interior employees who have died in the line of duty since the October 2000 Convocation. Officer Spencer died on March 25, 2001 while responding to a call for assistance. On May 9, 2002, his name was added to the Indian Country Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial at the BIA Indian Police Academy in Artesia, N.M.

The Department presented its second highest honorary recognition, the Meritorious Service Award, to seven BIA employees: Earl J. Azure, Tribal Government Officer, Great Plains Regional Office, Aberdeen S.D.; Carmen N. Jacobs, Administrative Manager, Great Plains Regional Office; Cora L. Jones, Regional Director, Great Plains Regional Office; Lawrence H. Morrin, Regional Director, Midwest Regional Office, Ft. Snelling, Minn.; Wayne Nordwall, Regional Director, Western Regional Office, Phoenix, Ariz.; Loretta B. Webster, Equal Employment Manager, Great Plains Regional Office and JoAnn N. Young, Superintendent, Rosebud Agency, Rosebud, S.D.

“The BIA is truly honored to have so many of its employees recognized by the Department,” said Assistant Secretary McCaleb. “I want to commend each award recipient for a job well done, and acknowledge our entire BIA staff for their dedication to providing good service to Indian Country.”

The Meritorious Service Award is presented to Interior employees for an important contribution to science or management, a notable career, superior service in administration or in the execution of duties, or initiative in devising new and improved work methods and practices.

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

WASHINGTON – Building sustainable tribal economies and creating jobs will be the focus of the National Summit for Emerging Tribal Economies, which will take place September 16-19, 2002 in Phoenix, Ariz., at the Phoenix Civic Plaza. The Summit, which will be hosted by Secretary Gale Norton, is a major initiative that will seek ways to create 100,000 jobs in Indian Country by 2008 and establish sustainable, market-driven tribal economies by 2020. Well over 1,000 attendees from across Indian Country will hear from and interact with representatives from government and business offering insights and resources for improving economic conditions in tribal communities. “A strong tribal economy is a consumer and supplier of goods and services.

A strong tribal economy has jobs for those who want them. Strong tribal economies are good for Indian people and good for America,” said Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb. “The National Summit on Emerging Tribal Economies will begin a dialogue with tribal leaders on the ways they can move forward to achieving their economic goals.”

Jennifer Farley, Deputy Associate Director for Inter-Governmental Affairs, the White House, and Secretary Norton will be the first of several Federal officials to address the conference. Also representing the Department will be Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget Lynn Scarlet and Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb.

Kicking off the week will be a golf tournament on September 16 at the Whirlwind Golf Course in Chandler, Ariz., to raise money for diabetes research. Day 1 (September 17) will have panel presentations on identifying the components of a successful company and showcasing successful Indian businesses. Day 2 (September 18) will focus on how public and private sector partnerships can strengthen tribal economies and create tribally-driven capital formation strategies. Day 3 (September 19) will highlight federal agencies and corporate initiatives with workshops and seminars on accessing resources for minority and small businesses.

Other Federal speakers include Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael K. Powell; FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps; Lou Gallegos, Assistant Secretary for Administration, Department of Agriculture; Louis Kincannon, Director, Bureau of the Census and Ronald N. Langston, National Director, Minority Business Development Agency, Department of Commerce; Larry Meeker, Vice President, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City; Rodger Boyd, Program Manager, Community Development Financial Institution, Department of the Treasury; Frank M. Ramos, Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Department of Defense; Scott Denniston, Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Department of Veterans Affairs and Susan Houser, Director of Strategic Planning, Marketing and Sales, General Services Administration.

Industry leaders and Indian business representatives who also will speak include L. Kenneth Johnson, President, CACI; George C. Nolen, President and CEO of U.S. Operations, Siemens Information and Communications Networks; Daniel L. Lewis, Senior Vice President, Bank of America; Lance Morgan, CEO, Ho-Chunk, Inc.; Ray Halbritter, CEO, Oneida Nation Enterprises; Leonard Smith, CEO, A&S Technologies; Denise St. Cyr, Director of Corporate Development, CADDO Design and Office Products, Inc.; Rhonda Whiting, Vice President, S&K Technologies; Clarence O’Berry, CEO, Mandaree Enterprise Corporation; Harold Buck Elk, CFO, West Electronics; Kent E. Paul, CEO, AMERIND Risk Management Corporation; Elise Meeks, President, First Nations Oweesta Corporation; Monica Drapeaux, Executive Director, Lakota Fund and Ken Robbins, President and CEO, National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development.

Projected outcomes from the summit include the creation of a catalogue of tribal products and services and initiating alliances for creating business opportunities and living wage jobs in Indian Country.

For conference registration, agenda and other information visit www.doi.gov/special or www.lakotamall.com/nationalsummit.

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb today announced that President Bush’s Special Assistant for Domestic Policy, Aquiles F. Suarez, and Jennifer Farley, the White House Associate Director for Inter-Governmental Affairs, will join Interior Secretary Gale Norton in leading a host of Federal speakers at the National Summit on Emerging Tribal Economies to be held September 16-19, 2002 in Phoenix, Ariz. Also representing the Department will be Assistant Secretary McCaleb and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget and Finance Nina Hatfield.

Suarez and Farley will represent President Bush at the event and will provide White House support for the conference goal of developing strategies to create 100,000 new jobs in Indian Country by the year 2008 and to establish sustainable, market-driven tribal economies by 2020. Attendees representing tribes from across the nation will hear from and interact with government and business officials offering insights and resources for improving economic conditions in Indian Country. The event will showcase 120 successful Indian businesses.

Other speakers include Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael K. Powell; FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps; Lou Gallegos, Assistant Secretary for Administration, Department of Agriculture; Louis Kincannon, Director, Bureau of the Census and Ronald N. Langston, National Director, Minority Business Development Agency, Department of Commerce; Larry Meeker, Vice President, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City; Rodger Boyd, Program Manager, Community Development Financial Institution, Department of the Treasury; Frank M. Ramos, Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Department of Defense; Scott Denniston, Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Department of Veterans Affairs and Susan Houser, Director of Strategic Planning, Marketing and Sales, General Services Administration.

WHO: Aquiles F. Suarez, Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy Jennifer Farley, Associate Director for Inter-Governmental Affairs, the White House Gale Norton, Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior Neal A. McCaleb, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, USDOI Nina Hatfield, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget and Finance, USDOI

WHAT: National Summit on Emerging Tribal Economies, a major initiative for developing strategies to create 100,000 new jobs in Indian Country by the year 2008 and to establish sustainable, market-driven tribal economies by 2020.

WHEN: September 16-19, 2002 (all start times are local time): September 16: 8:30 a.m. September 17: 8:00 a.m. September 18: 8:15 a.m. September 19: 8:15 a.m.

WHERE: Phoenix Civic Plaza, Exhibit Hall A, 111 N. 3rd St., Phoenix, Ariz.

CREDENTIALS: Press registration will be provided. Please bring your sanctioned media credentials and if possible, wear on your shirt collar or around your neck for easy viewing. This will assist our staff. Media are advised to be in place by 7:30 a.m. on September 17. Press seating will be provided. The program will not begin until 8:00 a.m. For conference registration, agenda and other information visit www.doi.gov/special or www.lakotamall.com/nationalsummit.

PHOENIX – In an address yesterday before a large crowd of tribal government and business leaders attending the National Summit on Emerging Tribal Economies, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb drew upon his 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur to point out the importance of partnerships between tribes and federal agencies and corporations.

“Partnerships are a powerful tool” for tribal businesses to use, McCaleb said, citing the role they play in the business world as a mechanism for creating profits and expanding market share.

The Assistant Secretary explained what he considered to be the essential elements of a good business partnership: 1) a shared goal that is well-defined and of mutual importance to each partner, 2) complementary capabilities whereby each partner brings different skills and resources to the partnership, 3) clear and timely communication between the partners and 4) trust and confidence partners have in each other and in the partnership. He also stressed how important honesty, competence, commitment to goals and balancing risk and reward are to successful partnerships.

“Tribal leaders make decisions every day about weighing the risks of partnerships against the rewards of bringing economic and employment benefits to their communities,” McCaleb said. “To me, that is the exercise of sovereignty.”

McCaleb said tribal leaders should explain clearly to their council members, citizens and other stakeholders the benefits of the tribe’s partnerships. He also recommended that when considering using the partnership approach, tribal leaders should look at establishing a clear separation of powers between the tribal government and the tribal business, ensuring continuity of business plans during periods of change within the tribal government, establishing an orderly transition of power from administration to administration that does not adversely impact tribal businesses, having a fair and timely method for resolving differences within the partnership and developing clear mechanisms for dissolving a partnership when it is no longer needed.

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 562 Federally recognized tribes.

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb today announced the awarding of a $460,518 grant to the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota, to support the Tribes’ efforts to enter the oil refining business by building a Clean Fuels Petroleum Refinery (CFPR) on its reservation. “With the right help, tribes can find innovative ways of developing and using their natural resources to build a strong economic base and provide jobs for their people,” McCaleb said. “The Three Affiliated Tribes want to become a player in the oil refining industry. I’m pleased that we can help them to achieve their dream.”

The Three Affiliated Tribes (TAT) is working on developing an $80 million Clean Fuels Petroleum Refinery that will have a capacity of 10,000 barrels per stream day (BPSD). The facility will be built using state-of-the-art technology and design concepts to ensure it will have a low impact on the earth and can coexist with an agricultural area such as that found on the Fort Berthold Reservation. Once the refinery is completed, the Tribes’ will be able to produce propone, gasoline, jet fuel and diesel products.

The TAT was awarded $1.385 million from the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) to conduct a front-end engineering and design (FEED) study to address issues and concerns regarding the refinery. The grant announced today will assist the Tribes in obtaining permits, conducting market analysis and addressing legal, taxation and financing needs in preparation for construction.

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 562 federally recognized tribes.

WASHINGTON – Interior Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb today announced his strategic plan for bringing transparency, responsiveness and resources to the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) Federal acknowledgment process under 25 CFR Part 83. The Department sent the plan to the House Committee on Government Reform, the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, both House and Senate Appropriations Committees, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Comptroller General of the United States in response to a report issued by the General Accounting Office (GAO) in November 2001 entitled “Improvements Needed in Tribal Recognition Process.”

In agreeing with the GAO’s recommendations to make the Department’s regulatory process more predictable and timely, McCaleb said “We developed a strategic plan to make acknowledgment precedents more accessible and to provide clearer guidelines to the regulations in order to ensure consistency and to improve public understanding of acknowledgment decisions.”

The plan proposes to bring greater transparency to the Federal acknowledgement process by making information more accessible to petitioners, interested parties and the public utilizing various methods. This includes using CD-ROMs and the Internet so that decisions, guidelines and precedents manuals are readily accessed.

As part of the plan to make the process more timely, the BIA developed a needs assessment of the Branch of Acknowledgment and Research’s (BAR) workload and resources, and identified certain refinements to the process. The plan’s recommendations include increasing the number of BAR’s professional, administrative and support staff, using contractors to perform data entry as well as assisting in responding to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and preparing litigation records, and providing additional records management and office equipment.

The BIA also is recommending the review of possible procedural changes to the process to improve response times for petitioners and document requestors such as amending deadlines and time lines, standardizing and streamlining document handling, reviewing evaluation criteria and examining other areas of the process where changes can be made.

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 oversees the BIA and the Federal acknowledgment process and is also responsible for providing services to approximately 1.4 million American Indians and Alaska Natives from the 562 federally recognized tribes.

The strategic plan may be viewed via the Department’s website at www.doi.gov.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Historical Trust Accounting (OHTA) has mailed detailed accounting statements to 560 Individual Indian Money (IIM) account holders in Arizona. OHTA Executive Director Bert Edwards says the mailing is the first phase of an effort to notify thousands of IIM account holders across Indian country that their trust fund balances have been investigated, audited and reconciled.

"This is just the first step in our effort to provide an accounting to as many IIM account holders as quickly and efficiently as possible," Edwards said today. "Thousands of these accounts were established for enrolled members of the White Mountain Apache Tribe on the same day in November of 1997; the accounts have earned identical amounts of interest each month. Starting and closing balances are identical and compare, to the penny, to DOI's detailed records."

"There are tens of thousands of other accounts just like these that share one thing: a simple, monthly history of transactions," Edwards said. "These accounts can be reconciled and that effort is now well underway. The diligent work of OHTA's certified public accountants is carefully reviewed by an outside accounting firm and the review of that firm is again reviewed by legal professionals with a specialization in trust matters."

The parents and/or guardians of 560 members of the White Mountain Apache Tribe have been mailed detailed statements that include starting balances, monthly interest and ending balances of accounts that were established through a judgment awarded to tribal members in April of 1997. The letters also include a monthly comparison of the interest paid to each account holder and how it stacks up against interest earned by 10-year Treasury notes and the Federal Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) G Fund during the same period. With few exceptions, interest earned by IIM account holders was better than the two other investment vehicles.

As a result of the judgment in the case White Mountain Apache Tribe of Arizona v. United States [Court of Federal Claims docket No. 22-H], each enrolled member of the tribe received an equal distribution of the award. The share credited to minors is held in trust by the Federal government until the individual reaches the age of majority. An equal share of the judgment is currently held in trust for about 3,000 tribal members. These accounts also include a small number held in trust on behalf of incapacitated or incarcerated adults.

Edwards said a toll-free telephone number has been provided for any recipients of the letter who may have questions about the work involving their IIM account. He said the response rate generated by the first group of 560 letters will determine future staffing needs at the telephone call center handling calls from account holders. Once those staffing adjustments are made, the remainder of the statements will be issued to White Mountain Apache tribal members and thousands of other IIM account holders whose accounts have been reconciled.

As of December 31, 2000, there were 235,984 IIM account holders with a combined balance of $348 million held in trust (excluding $67.9 million held in 21,415 special deposit accounts). During fiscal year 2000, approximately $226 million was collected and paid out through the accounts.

OHTA is systematically working through IIM accounts, beginning with the reconciliation of Judgment and Per-Capita Accounts. These are groups of IIM accounts created by the distribution of monies from tribes to their enrolled members. These 42,218 accounts have a balance of $150.3 million, representing 36% of the total balance and more than 12% of the total number of IIM accounts.

OHTA has substantially completed historical accounting of 14,235 of these accounts. Work will begin in FY 2003 on another 12,700 accounts with balances of $69 million. OHTA has also begun reconciling the more complex 193,766 land-based accounts. These are, by far, the largest group to be reconciled by OHTA. With a combined balance of $198 million, these represent over half of the combined balance of IIM accounts and approximately 75% of the total number of IIM accounts.

WASHINGTON – Building on the momentum created by the National Summit on Emerging Tribal Economies, Interior Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb today announced that he plans to use the event as a springboard for developing a national strategy on reducing unemployment and enhancing economic development in Indian Country.

“As we expected, the National Summit on Emerging Tribal Economies produced a host of good ideas, generated a great deal of excitement about Indian economic development and created a vast number of new relationships among Indian businesses, Corporate America and federal agencies” said McCaleb. “Our challenge now is to use these ideas to develop a strategic plan for achieving the goals of creating 100,000 new jobs in Indian Country by 2008 and establishing sustainable, market-driven tribal economies by 2020.”

It was all business for the estimated 1,600 participants who gathered at the Summit in Phoenix, Ariz., on September 16-19, 2002, to hear from and interact with representatives from government and business offering insights and resources for improving economic conditions in tribal communities across the nation. Representatives from tribal governments, federal agencies, tribal and individual Indian businesses and corporations came from 45 states to begin a dialogue on how to create jobs and stimulate economic development in Indian Country.

Assistant Secretary McCaleb will work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) Tribal Leaders Budget Task Force Subcommittee on Economic Development to begin developing a national strategy to achieve the Summit’s employment and economic goals. McCaleb chairs the subcommittee with Governor Bill Anoatubby of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma and Tex Hall, Chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. Efforts also will be made to work with tribal economic development organizations to inform and educate corporations about doing business in Indian Country.

“We heard a number of tribal and private sector firms at the Summit talk about their experiences and successful partnerships with federal agencies,” said McCaleb. “Secretary Norton and I are committed to assisting tribes with achieving their economic and employment goals by using the federal resources they can access now, which are numerous.”

In December 2001, the General Accounting Office (GAO) released a report entitled Federal Assistance Programs for American Indians and Alaska Natives that identified 100 federal programs available to tribes, or their members, for economic development activities.

McCaleb also cited President Bush’s new initiative to reduce forest fires by thinning overgrowth and re-seeding burned areas as an opportunity for tribal businesses. “For years, many Indian firefighters have risked their lives to protect homes, families and communities across the country from the devastating effects of forest fires,” said McCaleb. “Tribes that provide forest thinning and re-seeding services could save lives and property, and provide new employment opportunities for their members, as well.”

The 2002 National Summit on Emerging Tribal Economies provided a venue for over 100 successful Indian businesses to promote themselves to new audiences, network with prospective business partners and learn about resources that can support their business plans.

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 562 Federally recognized tribes.

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb today announced the awarding of a $250,000 grant to the Metlakatla Indian Community (MIC) of the Annette Island Reserve in southeast Alaska to support the tribe’s efforts to explore mineral development on its lands. The grant will fund an environmental review of the tribe’s Bald Ridge Aggregate Project, a proposed quarry that would help alleviate high unemployment among tribal members and provide a source of high quality crushed rock for infrastructure projects in the Pacific Northwest.

“Through the Bald Ridge Aggregate Project, the Metlakatla Indian Community is working to improve its employment and economic conditions in a way that is sensitive to their culture and environment,” McCaleb said.

With approximately 2,000 members, the Metlakatla Indian Community is the only federally recognized Tsimshian tribal community with the only federal Indian reservation in Alaska. It is located about six miles south of Ketchikan in the southernmost part of the state. For decades the tribe’s primary industries have been fishing, logging and tourism. However, downturns in the fishing and logging areas in the past few years have led to a high unemployment rate of over 80 percent from a low of 5 percent.

“The National Summit on Emerging Tribal Economies made clear that we in the federal government must help, rather than hinder, tribes as they look for new ways to create jobs and sustainable economies,” said McCaleb. “The Metlakatla Indian Community, which has the potential to become one of the Nation’s major suppliers of high quality crushed rock, is trying to do just that. For our part, we must do what we can to see that they succeed.”

The Bald Ridge Aggregate Project site, which is located on the southern portion of the Reserve, is calculated to contain over 240 million tons of high quality crushed rock to be used for permanent bases, rock for concrete and riprap for bank stabilization. In addition, the site’s proximity to a deep-water bay makes it ideal for transporting the crushed rock by barge or ship. If successfully developed, the proposed quarry could provide long-term employment for a number of tribal members and bring much-needed revenue to the tribe.

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 562 Federally recognized tribes.

WASHINGTON - Interior Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb today affirmed his support for efforts by Alaska Natives to preserve their traditional bowhead whaling activity. McCaleb met today with members of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission's (AEWC) on the eve of the delegation's journey to Cambridge, England, where they will defend the whaling rights of their people before the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

McCaleb worked to secure a federal grant of $107,000 to help the AEWC travel to the IWC meeting and prepare biological research in support of their case. Prior action by the international organization stripped Alaska Natives of their traditional subsistence bowhead whaling quota but the upcoming meeting in Cambridge will give AEWC delegates an opportunity to reverse the decision.

"There has been a seriously misguided, international drumbeat in recent years to strip Alaska Native families of their subsistence whaling rights and I am truly pleased that the AEWC now has the resources it needs to fight back," McCaleb said today. "There really isn't a moment to lose. The prior failure of the IWC to renew the Alaska Native bowhead quota must be reversed to protect subsistence whaling in the spring of 2003."

McCaleb met today with AEWC executive director Maggie Ahmaogak, commission vice chairman Edward Itta, Barrow Whaling Captains Association president C. Eugene Brower and North Slope Borough mayor George Ahmaogak, Sr.. McCaleb says he expects the delegation to make its case when the world whaling conference convenes on October 14th.

"At least Alaska Natives have a seat at the table and will have the scientific documentation they need to make their case for maintaining the bowhead whaling quota," McCaleb said. "I believe they have a good chance of success at Cambridge."

McCaleb unveiled the $107,000 federal grant to the AEWC during a personal tour of Barrow, Alaska in August. He said the grant clearly demonstrates the intention of the U.S. Department of Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to stand with Alaska Natives in support of subsistence whaling.