OPA

(Washington, D.C.) -- The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Office of Law Enforcement Services (OLES) will hold its 13th Annual Memorial Service on Thursday May 6, 2004, to commemorate the sacrifice made by law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty while serving on Indian lands. The Memorial Service will start at 10:00 A.M. MDT on the BIA Indian Police Academy grounds in Artesia, New Mexico.

“Each year we add names of fallen officers to the BIA Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial,” Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Dave Anderson said. “It pays tribute to their sacrifice and it reminds us that freedom from crime is not free and bravery is not borne by the weak.”

The keynote address will be provided by Robert Ecoffey, Deputy Bureau Director, BIA Office of Law Enforcement Services. Others speakers for the memorial will be Randy Beardsworth, Director of Operations for Border and Transportation, Department of Homeland Security. Michael Carroll, President, Interaction Association of Chiefs of Police. Larry Parkinson, Deputy Assistant Secretary Law Enforcement and Security, Department of the Interior.

This year, two names of fallen officers will be added to the granite stones to join eighty-four other law enforcement officers, whom have lost their lives in the line of duty since 1852. The names of Adam Hawk and John “HOH” Williams who served the Quinault Tribal Police Department in Taholah, Washington will be added to the memorial. Officer Hawk and Officer Williams were shot and killed on February 28, 1910, by a suspect in an indecent liberties case. Officer Williams was shot while investigating the assault of the young girl. Officer Hawk was ambushed while transporting the victim from the reservation.

The Indian Country Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial site is constructed with Native American symbolism and traditional plants incorporated into the design. The three granite stones are surrounded by a cement/aggregate surface forming a circle around the vertical slabs with an opening to allow for access. Sage, a plant with spiritual significance, is planted in the four directions to consecrate the hallow ground. Four planter areas are filled foliage surrounded by white, red, yellow, and black stones to signify the four colors of mankind on the Earth.

The original Indian Country Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial was dedicated on May 7, 1992 at the BIA’s Indian Police Academy (IPA), in Marana, Arizona. The Memorial was later moved to Artesia, New Mexico and re-dedicated on May 6, 1993 when the BIA Indian Police Academy was relocated to New Mexico.

A 750 person department, the BIA Office of Law Enforcement Services provide uniformed police services, detention operations, and criminal investigation of alleged or suspected violations of major federal criminal laws in Indian Country.

For specific information or directions to the event call 505-748-8153.

Who: Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Law Enforcement Services

What: 13th Annual Memorial Service for Fallen Law Enforcement Officers

When: Thursday May 6, 2004 10:00 A.M. MDT

Where: BIA Indian Police Academy

1300 West Richey Avenue

Artesia, New Mexico

Note to Editors: Credentialed media covering the event should be in place by 9:45 a.m. Press seating will be provided. The program will begin at 10:00 a.m.

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs David W. Anderson will give the keynote address at the United Tribes Technical College 2004 commencement ceremony scheduled for May 7. The event will be held at the UTTC campus in Bismarck, N.D., starting at 1:00 p.m. (CDT). This year’s graduating class of 89 students, representing 25 tribes from across the United States, is the largest in the college’s 35-year history. Over 10,000 students have graduated from UTTC since the school’s founding.

The United Tribes Technical College was established in 1969 as the first inter-tribally owned postsecondary vocational school in the nation for American Indians. It is owned, operated and governed by five federally recognized tribes located in North and South Dakota: the Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara) of the Fort Berthold Reservation, the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation, the Spirit Lake Tribe, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. The college is accredited through the North Central Association of Colleges & Schools. It offers fourteen different programs where students can earn certificate and two-year technical degrees at the Associate of Applied Science level.

WHO: David W. Anderson, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior

WHAT: Anderson will be the keynote speaker at the United Tribes Technical College commencement ceremony.

WHEN: Friday, May 7, 2004 starting at 1:00 p.m. (CDT)

WHERE: United Tribes Technical College, Lone Star Arena, 3315 University Dr., Bismarck, N.D. UTTC is located in south Bismarck near the Bismarck airport.

Note to Editors: Credentialed media covering the event should be in place by 12:45 p.m. Press seating will be provided. The program will begin at 1:00 p.m.

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs David W. Anderson will give the main address at the May 8 commencement ceremony for graduates of Sitting Bull College, a tribally controlled community college in Fort Yates, N.D., located on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, an area bisected by the North Dakota-South Dakota border. The event will be held at the tribe’s Prairie Knight Casino and Lodge Pavillion located south of Mandan, N.D., starting at 2:00 p.m. (CDT). The 2003-2004 graduating class of 54 students will be the largest in the college’s history.

Sitting Bull College is one of the nation’s first tribal colleges. Established in 1973 as the Standing Rock Community College under a charter granted by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the school began as a post-secondary educational institution with authority to grant degrees at the Associate level. It became known as Sitting Bull College in 1996. The college serves both the Standing Rock Reservation and the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. The college is accredited through the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and the Higher Learning Commission. Through articulation agreements with Sinte Gleska University and Oglala Lakota College in South Dakota and Salish-Kootenai College in Montana, Sitting Bull College also offers four-year degrees to its students.

WHO: David W. Anderson, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior WHAT: Anderson will give the main address at the Sitting Bull College 2004 commencement ceremony.

WHEN: Saturday, May 8, 2004 starting at 2:00 p.m. (CDT)

WHERE: Prairie Knight Casino and Lodge Pavillion

Directions from Bismarck Airport

• Leaving airport, turn right onto University Drive.
• Follow University Drive to Bismarck Expressway (third stop light on University Dr.), then turn left onto Expressway.
• Take Expressway as it changes into I-94. Stay in left lane on Interstate and continue into Mandan, N.D., onto Main Street.
• Continue on Main Street to the turn-off for Hwy. 1806 (third stop light) and turn left onto Hwy. 1806.
• Continue south on Hwy. 1806 for approximately 45 miles to where the Prairie Knight Casino and Lodge can be seen on the left. It sits on a hill next to a gas station/convenience store.

Note to Editors: Credentialed media covering the event should be in place by 1:45 p.m. Press seating will be provided. The program will begin at 2:00 p.m.

WASHINGTON – Interior Assistant Deputy Secretary Abraham E. Haspel, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs David W. Anderson and Special Trustee for American Indians Ross O. Swimmer will join Thomas E. Mills of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) on May 14 in a dedication ceremony to officially open the new American Indian Records Repository in Lenexa, Kan. The repository is part of NARA’s underground regional records service facility in Lenexa. It will house the consolidated trust records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Office of the Special Trustee as part of the Interior Department’s effort to improve federal and tribal trust records management. Mills is the assistant archivist at NARA for regional records services. As such, he is responsible for managing the agency’s 19 regional facilities and collections totaling over 22 million cubic feet of records.

On September 12, 2003, Secretary Gale Norton and Archivist of the United States John W. Carlin signed a joint agreement creating a national repository for American Indian records at the Lenexa facility. The Memorandum of Understanding between DOI and NARA will ensure that the highest standards will be observed in the preservation and protection of American Indian records, including fiduciary trust records. The MOU also created an archival records management studies program at Haskell Indian Nations University to train and certify Indian students in archival and records management.

WHO: Abraham E. Haspel, Assistant Deputy Secretary, Department of the Interior David W. Anderson, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior Ross O. Swimmer, Special Trustee for American Indians, Department of the Interior Thomas E. Mills, Assistant Archivist for Regional Records Services, National Archives and Records Administration

WHAT: Haspel, Anderson, Swimmer and Mills will participate in a dedication ceremony to officially open the new American Indian Records Repository.

WHEN: Friday, May 14, 2004 starting at 3:00 p.m. (CDT)

WHERE: American Indian Records Repository, Meritex Enterprises, 17501 West 98th Street, Lenexa, Kan.

Directions from northbound I-435:

• From northbound I-435, take exit at 95th Street (exit #2).
• Take a right from the exit ramp onto 95th Street. Proceed on 95th Street through the traffic light at Renner Road (after crossing Renner, 95th Street becomes Prairie Star Parkway).
• Take first left after traffic light and follow road into the underground facility (there will be signs indicating “Meritex”).
• Once underground, take a left at stop sign, then a right at next stop sign.
• Follow this road until arriving at the NARA dock (pillar 31-55). There is a sign indicating the NARA dock.

Directions from southbound I-435:

• From southbound I-435, take exit at 95th Street (exit #2).
• Take a left at stop sign onto Renner Road.
• Take a right at first stoplight (95th Street/Prairie Star Parkway).
• Take first left after this and follow road into the underground facility (there will be signs indicating “Meritex”).
• Once underground, take a left at stop sign, then a right at next stop sign.
• Follow this road until arriving at the NARA dock (pillar 31-55). There is a sign indicating the NARA dock.

Note to Editors: Credentialed media covering the event should be in place by 2:45 p.m. Press seating will be provided. The program will begin at 3:00 p.m.

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs David W. Anderson will address the May 14 commencement ceremony for the 2003-2004 graduates of Haskell Indian Nations University, a Bureau of Indian Affairs operated post-secondary institution located in Lawrence, Kan. Anderson, himself the son of Haskell alumni, is very proud and honored to be with the students at this important event in their lives. For 120 years Haskell Indian Nations University has educated generations of Indian students from tribes around the country. It was originally established in 1884 as Haskell Institute, a boarding and vocational school for American Indian children and youth. During the 1980s, it was renamed Haskell Junior College and began offering associate degrees. In 1995, the school, now called Haskell Indian Nations University, was approved by the North Central Accreditation Association to offer its first baccalaureate degree. HINU now offers associate degrees in applied science, science and art, as well as baccalaureate degrees in elementary education, Indian studies, natural resources and environmental studies, and business administration.

WHO: David W. Anderson, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior

WHAT: Anderson will give the commencement address to the 2003-2004 graduating class of Haskell Indian Nations University.

WHEN: Friday, May 14, 2004 starting at 10:00 a.m. (CDT)

WHERE: Haskell Indian Nations University, Warner E. Coffin Sports Complex, 155 Indian Avenue, Lawrence, Kan.

Note to Editors: Credentialed media covering the event should be in place by 9:45 a.m. Press seating will be provided. The program will begin at 10:00 a.m.

LENEXA, Kan. – The dedication today of the American Indian Records Repository at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records facility here marks a new chapter in the Interior Department’s undertaking to improve federal management of Indian records, said Interior Assistant Deputy Secretary Abraham E. Haspel.

He was joined by Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs David W. Anderson, Special Trustee for American Indians Ross O. Swimmer and NARA Assistant Archivist for Regional Records Services Thomas E. Mills at a ceremony to formally open the repository that will house consolidated non-active records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Office of the Special Trustee as part of the department’s ongoing trust reform effort. The repository is part of NARA’s underground regional records service facility in Lenexa.

“The business of records management is a vital part of trust reform,” Anderson said. “I am very pleased that the collaboration between the department, NARA and Haskell has resulted in a partnership that will ensure Indian trust records are properly maintained and produce trained American Indian records management professionals.”

On September 12, 2003, Secretary Gale Norton and Archivist of the United States John W. Carlin signed a joint agreement creating a national repository for American Indian records at the Lenexa facility. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between DOI and NARA will ensure that the highest standards will be observed in the preservation and protection of American Indian records, including fiduciary trust records.

“I recognize that one of the most important roles of the Special Trustee is to ensure that adequate records are kept to document transactions and activities occurring during the administration of the trust,” Swimmer said. “With the dedication today of the American Indian Records Repository, the effort to ensure proper records management is successfully completed. All Indian tribes and individuals now can be assured that their records will be appropriately cared for and available to them as a result of the work being done here.”

The MOU also created an archival records management studies program at Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU), a BIA operated post-secondary institution located in Lawrence, Kan., to train and certify Indian students in archival and records management.

“With the American Indian Records Repository in NARA’s state-of-the art records center and Haskell Indian Nations University’s archival records management studies program, Indian trust records will be better maintained and Haskell students will have an exceptional opportunity to become records management professionals,” Swimmer said.

The Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs has responsibility for helping to fulfill the department’s trust responsibilities to individual and tribal trust beneficiaries, as well as promoting tribal self-determination, self-governance and economic development for the nation’s 562 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and their members. The Assistant Secretary also oversees the BIA, the 179-year old agency that provides services to individual American Indians and Alaska Natives from the federally recognized tribes; the Office of Federal Acknowledgment, which administers the Federal Acknowledgment Process; and the BIA school system which serves approximately 48,000 American Indian children located on or near 63 reservations in 23 states.

The Special Trustee for American Indians is responsible for the oversight and coordination of the department’s efforts to reform its practices relating to the management and discharge of the Secretary’s Indian trust responsibilities.

“The Department of the Interior has a zero tolerance policy regarding drinking and driving by its employees. In March 2004, the Bureau of Indian Affairs strengthened its policies and procedures that govern its employees’ use of government-owned vehicles and is committed to taking additional measures to ensure that this will not happen again. The Bureau of Indian Affairs extends its deepest condolences to the families of Larry and Rita Beller and Edward and Alice Ramaekers.”

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs David W. Anderson today announced that he has named Brian J. Pogue as Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Pogue, who is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, had been serving as acting director of the agency since February 26, 2004. “I am pleased that Brian has accepted this new appointment,” said Anderson. “His extensive experience in Indian affairs and as a federal manager will make him a valuable member of my management team.” The appointment was effective starting May 27.

“I want to thank Assistant Secretary Anderson for this new opportunity,” said Pogue. “I am committed to developing the BIA into a responsive, efficient service provider that truly meets the needs of Indian people. I am confident that we will succeed in our mission.”

Prior to becoming acting BIA director, Pogue had served as the BIA’s Deputy Bureau Director for Field Operations where he was responsible for overseeing the Bureau’s regional, agency and field offices throughout the country. He came to the nation’s capital from the Bureau’s Eastern Regional Office in Nashville, Tenn., where he had served as Deputy Regional Director.

Born and raised in Billings, Mont., Pogue has a Federal service record spanning over 30 years beginning in 1968 with service in the United States Marine Corps. Following his military career, Pogue went to work for the BIA at its Billings Area Office (now Rocky Mountain Regional Office) in Montana. While with the Bureau, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and economics – a double major – from Eastern Montana College.

During his career at the BIA, Pogue has held various positions such as deputy regional director, acting regional director, acting agency superintendent, acting regional realty officer and chief appraiser. In addition to the postings at the Eastern and Rocky Mountain Regional Offices, he has worked for the Northwest Regional Office in Portland, Ore., and Southern Plains Regional Office in Anadarko, Okla.

Furthermore, Pogue has served the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians as Special Assistant to the Principal Deputy Special Trustee and as a Deputy Director for the Office of Trust Litigation Support.

The Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs directly oversees the day-to-day activities of the 180-year old agency that provides services to individual American Indians and Alaska Natives from the federally recognized tribes. The Director administers all laws governing non-education portions of Indian Affairs, provides leadership and direction for BIA employees, and oversees and monitors the work of the BIA regional offices, agencies and field offices. The Director also shares authority and responsibility for the management of tribal and individual Indian trust funds with the Special Trustee for American Indians, and oversees the Bureau’s Land Consolidation Center, the agency’s nationwide program to consolidate fractionated interests in Indian lands.

The Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs has responsibility for helping to fulfill the Interior Department’s trust responsibilities to individual and tribal trust beneficiaries, as well as promoting tribal self-determination, self-governance and economic development for the nation’s 562 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and their members. The Assistant Secretary also oversees the BIA; the Office of Federal Acknowledgment, which administers the Federal Acknowledgment Process; and the BIA school system, which serves approximately 48,000 American Indian children in 184 elementary and secondary schools located on or near 63 reservations in 23 states.

Pogue and his wife have two daughters and three grandchildren.

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs David W. Anderson will join Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton and local inner-city youth as they participate in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 14th Annual Kids Fishing Day being held June 5 starting at 9:00 a.m. (CDT) at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Bloomington, Minn. The event at Minnesota Valley NWR, which has been extremely popular for 13 years, kicks off National Fishing Week and promotes outdoor recreation, national wildlife refuges and the sport of fishing.

Anderson will participate in the morning fishing session reserved for inner-city youth. They will be transported by bus from city schools and fish in bass ponds located a short drive (5 minutes) from the refuge visitor center in Bloomington. Lunch will be provided by the Red Lake Nation, a major co-sponsor of this event. Approximately 100 to 150 children and dozens of volunteers are expected to attend the morning session.

WHO: David W. Anderson, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, USDOI Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior

WHAT: USFWS 14th Annual Kids Fishing Day kick-off event for National Fishing Week. WHEN: Saturday, June 5, 2004 starting at 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (CDT).

WHERE: Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Bloomington, Minn.

Note to Editors: Credentialed media covering the event should be in place by 8:45 a.m. Press seating will be provided. The program will begin at 9:00 a.m.

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs David W. Anderson will join Secretary Gale Norton, officials of the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management and other government and private-sector partners at the “Get Fit With US” kick-off event for Summer 2004 under President Bush’s HealthierUS Initiative that will be held June 5 at Harriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul, Minn., starting at 10:00 a.m. (CDT). While there, he will announce “Healthier Indian Communities,” the Bureau of Indian Affairs initiative to assist tribal communities combat the scourge of alcohol and substance abuse, and participate in a Family Fun Walk starting at 11:00 a.m. on the grounds of Harriet Island as part of the event’s National Trails Day celebration.

“Our Healthier Indian Communities Initiative will support tribes who are fighting a war every day on alcohol and substance abuse, and the gang activity it brings, which threaten the security of their citizens,” Anderson said. “We must see to it that Indian people have the skills, information and training they need to make positive life choices so that healthy communities can grow from healthy families.”

The Get Fit With US event will kick off a summer of recreational activity by demonstrating how federal, state and private partnerships can promote healthier lifestyles through recreational activity on public lands and waters. The event coincides with the second anniversary of the President’s signing on June 20, 2002 of Executive Order 13266 that launched the HealthierUS effort in order to promote personal fitness for all Americans.

The BIA’s Healthier Indian Communities Initiative supports the agency’s overall goal under the Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 1986 (Public Law 99- 570) to improve the quality of life in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. One quality of life area where the BIA has worked with Indian tribes is on developing alcohol and substance abuse prevention strategies.

Under this initiative, the Bureau’s Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Division will identify and assist two pilot tribal sites in revitalizing their Tribal Action Plans to mobilize resources that will develop resilience and enhance protective factors against alcohol and substance abuse.

The projects developed under the Healthier Indian Communities Initiative will be designed to raise awareness that alcohol and substance abuse are preventable, establish pilot community and peer-based strategies to address alcohol and substance abuse, empower Indian adult and youth leaders with the latest knowledge and skills to effectively address abuse issues, and promote prevention education along with youth-targeted social activities and economic opportunities. In addition, proven prevention strategies such as peer youth mentoring, parental and community development training, and physical activities such as golf, jogging and walking also will be employed.

The Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs has responsibility for helping to fulfill the Interior Department’s trust responsibilities to individual and tribal trust beneficiaries, as well as promoting tribal self-determination, self-governance and economic development for the nation’s 562 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and their members. The Assistant Secretary also oversees the BIA; the Office of Federal Acknowledgment, which administers the Federal Acknowledgment Process; and the BIA school system, which serves approximately 48,000 American Indian children in 184 elementary and secondary schools located on or near 63 reservations in 23 states