OPA

WASHINGTON -- As part of President Obama’s commitment to fulfilling this nation’s trust responsibilities to Native Americans, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today named five prominent American Indians to a national commission that will undertake a forward-looking, comprehensive evaluation of Interior’s trust management of nearly $4 billion in Native American trust funds.

"This commission will play a key role in our ongoing efforts to empower Indian nations and strengthen nation-to-nation relationships," Secretary Salazar said in naming the appointees to the Secretarial Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform. “The five members each bring extensive experience and knowledge to the commission, and I look forward to their findings and recommendations for how we can fully meet our trust responsibilities to the First Americans.”

“Our trust administration must be more transparent, responsive, customer-friendly and accountable in managing these substantial funds and assets,” Deputy Secretary of the Interior David J. Hayes said. “Building upon the progress made with the historic Cobell Settlement, this commission will help usher in a new era of trust administration.”

The members of the Commission are:

• Chair - Fawn R. Sharp is the current president of the Quinault Indian Nation, the current President of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, and a former administrative law judge for the State of Washington and Governor of the Washington State Bar Association.
• Dr. Peterson Zah, an established leader in Native American government and education circles, was the last chairman of the Navajo Tribal Council and the first elected President of the Navajo Nation.
• Stacy Leeds, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation , is Dean and Professor of Law at the University of Arkansas School of Law and former Director of the Tribal Law and Government Center at the University of Kansas School of Law.
• Tex G. Hall, current chairman of Three Affiliated Tribes and past President of the National Congress of American Indians, is currently serving as Chairman of the Inter Tribal Economic Alliance and is the Chairman of the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's Association.
• Bob Anderson, an enrolled member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe (Bois Forte Band), has six years of experience working at the Department of the Interior from 1995-2001 as Associate Solicitor for Indian Affairs and as counselor to the Secretary of the Interior on Indian law and natural resource issues. He is currently a Professor of Law and Director of the Native American Law Center at the University of Washington, and holds a long-term appointment as the Oneida Nation Visiting Professor of Law at Harvard Law School.

Interior selected the members after a public solicitation for nominations and, in consultation with trust beneficiaries, evaluated the candidates on the basis of their expertise and experience, including in government and trust, financial, asset and natural resource management. Members were selected in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act and they will serve without compensation.

Within 24 months, the Commission is expected to complete a comprehensive evaluation of Interior’s management and administration of the trust assets and offer recommendations of how to improve in the future.

Salazar’s announcement comes in advance of the third White House Tribal Nations Conference happening Friday, December 2nd at the Department of the Interior. The conference will bring together leaders from the 565 federally recognized tribes to hear from President Obama and to build upon the Administration’s commitment to strengthen the government-to-government relationship with tribal nations.

Salazar established the framework for the Commission in a 2009 Secretarial Order , which addressed the Department’s future responsibilities for trust management after the Cobell Settlement agreement set forth resolution of a class action lawsuit regarding the U.S. government's trust management and accounting of individual Native American trust accounts and resources. The Cobell Settlement will be effective when all appeals are resolved favorably.

Under federal law, Interior is responsible for managing 56 million surface acres and 57 million acres of subsurface mineral estates for 384,000 Individual Indian Money (IIM) accounts and about 2,900 tribal accounts (over 250 tribes). Tribal trust assets include land, timber, grazing, oil, gas and mineral resources. More at http://www.doi.gov/ost/about_ost/facts.html

On trust lands, the Department manages about $3.9 billion in trust funds and more than 109,000 leases. For fiscal year 2011, funds from leases, use permits, land sales and income from financial assets, totaling about $400 million, were collected for about 384,000 open IIM accounts. About $609 million was collected in fiscal year 2011 for about 2,900 tribal accounts. There are currently 156,596 individual Indian land allotments and more than 4.7 million fractionated interests.

For more information and images of the Commission members, please visit http://www.doi.gov/cobell/Commission-Bios.cfm

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk today announced a Tribal Consultation Policy for the Department of the Interior, launching a new era of enhanced communication with American Indian and Alaska Native tribes. The new policy emphasizes trust, respect and shared responsibility in providing tribal governments an expanded role in informing federal policy that impacts Indian Country.

“This comprehensive initiative reflects President Obama’s commitment to strengthening the government-to-government relationship between the United States and tribal nations and recognizing their fundamental right to self-governance,” Secretary Salazar said in signing a Secretarial Order implementing the departmental policy. “The new framework institutionalizes meaningful consultation so that tribal leaders are at the table and engaged when it comes to the matters that affect them.”

“Under this policy, consultation will be an open, transparent and deliberative process,” said Assistant Secretary Echo Hawk. “Forging a strong role for American Indian and Alaska Native tribes at all stages in the government’s decision-making process will benefit Indian Country and federal policy for generations to come.”

Developed in close coordination with tribal leaders around the Nation – including extensive meetings in seven cities with more than 300 tribal representatives – the new policy sets out detailed requirements and guidelines for Interior officials and managers to follow to ensure they are using the best practices and most innovative methods to achieve meaningful consultation with tribes.

Salazar’s announcement comes in advance of the third White House Tribal Nations Conference occurring Friday, December 2nd at the Department of the Interior. The conference will bring together leaders from the 565 federally recognized tribes to hear from President Obama and meet with senior federal officials.

The consultation policy creates a framework for synchronizing Interior’s consultation practices with its bureaus and offices by providing an approach that applies in all circumstances where statutory or administrative opportunities exist to consult with the tribes - including any regulation, rulemaking, policy, guidance, legislative proposal, grant funding formula change or operational activity that may have a substantial and direct effect on a tribe. Interior bureaus and offices, which are required to designate one or more Tribal Liaison Officers, must examine and change their consultation policies within 180 days to ensure they are consistent with the new departmental policy.

Under the policy, Interior officials will identify appropriate tribal consulting parties early in the planning process, provide the tribes a meaningful opportunity to participate in the consultation process, and participate in a manner that demonstrates a commitment and ensures continuity.

To increase accountability, bureaus and office heads will implement training, performance standards and comprehensive annual reporting to the Secretary, through his designated Tribal Governance Officer, on the scope, cost and effectiveness of their consultation efforts.

Based on information received from the bureaus and offices, the Secretary will provide an annual report to the tribes on the Tribal Consultation Policy. In consultation with the tribes, the Secretary will also establish a joint Federal-Tribal Team to make recommendations on implementing and ensuring continued improvement of the policy.

Today’s announcement fulfills President Obama’s directive that all federal agencies develop ways to improve communication and consultation with tribal leaders to generate positive solutions for issues affecting the First Americans.

A Secretarial-established Tribal Consultation Team drafted the new policy, informed by input from the seven regional meetings. The team included tribal representatives from each Bureau of Indian Affairs region, in addition to departmental representatives, ensuring that the draft policy was a direct result of collaboration with tribal leaders. The draft policy was submitted to the tribes and public for review and comment, leading to further refinements reflected in the final policy announced today.

A picture of today’s signing ceremony is available here.

The consultation policy is available here.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar kicked off the White House Tribal Nations Conference today at the Interior Department, emphasizing President Obama’s commitment to reform, restructure and rebuild federal relations with Indian Country and underscoring initiatives that are building safer and stronger American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

The President is hosting the day-long conference – the third he has convened since taking office – and will deliver keynote remarks this afternoon to leaders from the 565 federally-recognized tribes. Members of the President’s cabinet and other federal officials also participated in the conference and breakout discussions focused on addressing the needs and aspirations of Indian communities.

“Today is about continuing a meaningful nation-to-nation dialogue that furthers the march of progress happening in Indian Country,” Secretary Salazar said. “President Obama is committed to making government work better to fulfill our trust management duties, support tribal self-determination and empower American Indian and Alaska Natives to unlock the economic potential of Indian communities.”

During his opening remarks, Salazar announced the promising results of a pilot program to reduce the high incidence of violent crime on four Indian reservations. The Safe Indian Communities initiative, a two-year program that included targeted community policing, achieved a 35 percent overall decrease in violent crime across the four communities.

“We know that safer Indian communities mean stronger Indian communities,” said Salazar. “The positive results from the pilot program are extremely encouraging and far surpassed our goals. We are committed to building on that progress and will be expanding the Safe Indian Communities initiative to other reservations that are experiencing high levels of violent crime.”

With an initial target of reducing violent crime by at least five percent, the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Office of Justice Service-led effort far exceeded this goal, achieving a 68 percent decrease in violent crime at the Mescalero Reservation in New Mexico, a 40 percent reduction at Rocky Boys in Montana, and a 27 percent reduction in violent crime at Standing Rock in North and South Dakota. The successful program is now being expanded to two additional reservations: the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota and the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona.

The Wind River Reservation in Wyoming saw a seven percent increase in reported violent crime over the same period – in part attributable to more frequent reporting of crimes as a result of the rapidly growing law enforcement presence on the reservation and increased public trust of law enforcement. Although the two-year period reflected a total seven percent increase, the Wind River Reservation saw a 30 percent decrease in violent crime between the first and second years of this 24-month initiative, showing that once the spike in reported crimes occurred, the ongoing work of law enforcement in the community began to make a real impact on reducing actual violent crime.

Earlier in the week, Salazar announced several other initiatives - developed in consultation with tribal leaders - that strengthen consultations, restore greater control to individual American Indians and Alaska Natives and tribes over their lands, reform trust asset management and resolve water rights disputes:

• The comprehensive and transparent consultation policy will provide a strong, meaningful role for tribal governments at all stages of federal decision-making on Indian policy. The draft policy embodies the best consultation practices and most innovative methods available, contains detailed accountability requirements for Interior managers, responds to the needs of tribal leaders to be more engaged in policy development and promotes more responsible decision-making on issues affecting Indian Country.
• The sweeping reform of antiquated, “one-size-fits-all” federal leasing regulations for the 56 million surface acres the federal government holds in trust for tribes and individual Indians will provide landowners certainty and flexibility on the use of their land. The revised regulations, the most comprehensive reform of Indian land leasing rules in more than 50 years, will streamline the approval process for home ownership, expedite business leases and spur renewable energy development in Indian Country.
• The Secretarial Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform was activated by naming five prominent tribal leaders to this national commission to undertake a forward-looking, comprehensive evaluation of how Interior manages nearly $4 billion in American Indian trust funds. The goal is to make the trust administration system more transparent, responsive, customer-friendly and accountable.
• The release of $21 million under the Soboba of Luiseño Indians Settlement Act marks the final step in an historic water rights settlement and fulfills promises made to the Soboba Band and southern California communities when Congress approved the Act in 2008. The settlement will stabilize water supplies in the San Jacinto River Basin and enhance economic development opportunities for the Soboba Band and its neighbors.

These initiatives build on other Administration achievements during the past three years, including the historic $3.4 billion Cobell Settlement that addresses long-standing injustices; $1 billion in settlements to meet the critical water needs of Native American communities; the Tribal Law and Order Act, which allowed federal agencies to accelerate their focus on safe tribal communities; and acquiring more than 157,000 acres of land in trust on behalf of tribal nations.

WASHINGTON - Tomorrow, Wednesday, December 7 at 10:30 am eastern, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate and White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Cecilia Munoz will hold a press conference call with reporters to make an announcement regarding tribal nations and federal disaster aid.

The announcement will come after Fugate, Munoz and other administration officials met with tribal leaders from across the country at the White House Tribal Nations Conference, which the administration hosted last week. Under the leadership of this administration, FEMA has committed to strengthening its government-to-government relationship with tribal nations and furthering engagement with American Indians and Alaska Natives, to better support tribal governments as we work to build more resilient and better prepared communities.

WHAT: Administration Officials Host Press Conference Call

WHEN: Tomorrow, Wednesday, December 7th, at 10:30 am eastern

CALL IN: Number: 1-800-369-1706 Passcode: Tribal

For questions or more information, contact the FEMA Press Office at 202-646-3272. For more information on the White House Tribal Nations Conference, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/12/02/president-obama-tribal-nations-conference.

DENVER — The Department of the Interior’s Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) today published a Federal Register Notice establishing an Indian Oil Valuation Negotiated Rulemaking Committee charged with bringing clarity and consistency to oil valuation regulations governing production on American Indian lands.

“This initiative will enable the regulatory process to keep pace with a changing marketplace, ensuring that American Indian Tribes and individual Indian mineral owners continue to receive a fair return for energy production on their lands,” said Greg Gould, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Natural Resources Revenue in the DOI’s Office of Policy, Management and Budget.

The negotiated rulemaking committee, authorized and established under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, will make recommendations to replace existing regulations governing the valuation of oil production from American Indian leases, which has been in place since March 1, 1988. Many changes have occurred in the oil market since the 1988 rule was codified.

The Federal Register Notice can be accessed via the web at: www.regulations.gov, or directly at: http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=ONRR-2011-0007-0003.

The committee includes representatives from Native American Indian Tribes, Individual Indian Mineral Owner Associations, the oil and gas industry, and the Department of Interior. The committee is expected to hold its first meeting in late February 2012.

The Office of Natural Resources Revenues, under the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget, is responsible for collecting and disbursing revenues from energy production that occurs onshore on Federal and American Indian lands and offshore on the Outer Continental Shelf. ONRR makes disbursements on a monthly basis from royalties, rents and bonuses it collects from mineral companies.

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Bureau of Indian Education Director Keith Moore announced today that BIE-funded schools across Indian Country will have the opportunity to participate in the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Green Ribbon Schools program, and will soon invite them to apply to the BIE to be nominated for this national recognition.

“I am excited to have the BIE participate in the Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools pilot program,” said Moore. “The Green Ribbon Schools award will provide additional opportunities for us to showcase how our schools are making progress on creating healthier learning environments for our students.”

The Green Ribbon Schools program was recently launched by ED to recognize schools that save energy and reduce operating costs, create environmentally friendly learning spaces, promote student health, and provide environmental education to incorporate sustainability into their curricula. The recognition award is part of a larger ED and BIE effort to identify and disseminate knowledge about practices proven to result in improved student engagement, academic achievement, graduation rates, and workforce preparedness, as well as a government-wide aim to increase energy independence and economic security. To date, 35 state agencies, which includes the BIE, have announced that they will be participating. Each participating state agency will have their own unique application meeting ED’s program requirements.

According to ED guidance, Green Ribbon Schools receiving the national award will have achieved or made considerable progress toward the three pillars established in the program: 1) energy efficient buildings; 2) healthy students and school environments; and 3) environmental literacy of all graduates. The combined achievement in these three areas will be the basis for the Green Ribbon Schools award. All schools must meet high college- and career-ready standards, be in compliance with federal civil rights laws, and all federal, state and local health and safety standards and regulations.

The bureau will release additional details shortly on their website for BIE-funded schools, including the BIE Green Ribbon Schools application, training opportunities, and program timeline. Up to four schools may be nominated for the award. For more information about the bureau’s participation in the program visit http://www.bie.edu/greenribbonschools/index.htm or visit the ED Green Ribbon Schools website at www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools to learn more about the program.

As part of this effort to promote a comprehensive approach to creating a healthier school environment in all BIE-funded schools, the bureau committed to the Let’s Move! in Indian Country (LMIC) initiative in 2010 and encouraged all BIE-funded schools to sign up to become Team Nutrition Schools. The LMIC website http://www.letsmove.gov/indiancountry includes information about resources, grants and programs available to assist schools in becoming healthier places of learning.

Immediate questions or inquiries regarding the BIE’s participation in the Green Ribbon Schools initiative can be emailed to greenribbonschools@bie.edu.

The Bureau of Indian Education in the U.S. Department of the Interior implements federal education laws, such as the No Child Left Behind Act, in and provides funding to 183 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools and peripheral dormitories located on 64 reservations in 23 states and serving approximately 48,000 students from the nation’s federally recognized tribes. Approximately two-thirds are tribally operated with the rest BIE-operated. The bureau also serves post secondary students through higher education scholarships and support funding to 26 tribal colleges and universities and two tribal technical colleges. It also directly operates two post secondary institutions: Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan., and the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque, N.M.

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk today took action on two tribal gaming applications from tribes in Michigan and New York.

The Assistant Secretary approved a proposed gaming facility in Marquette County, Mich., determining it would be in the best interest of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and would not be detrimental to the surrounding community.

“I undertook a careful and thorough review of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community’s application. The tribe’s application satisfies the rigorous standards contained in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and our regulations,” Echo Hawk said. “The tribe demonstrated that it has a significant historical connection to the proposed gaming site, and its proposal to move an existing gaming facility closer to its reservation has strong support from the local community.”

The Assistant Secretary also dismissed a gaming application submitted by the Cayuga Nation of New York for the acquisition of land in trust for gaming purposes in Seneca County, N.Y., returning the application to the tribe. The tribe’s application was incomplete, and did not address all of the requirements contained in the Department’s regulations. The Department has removed the application from consideration, although the tribe can submit a new application at a time when it is prepared to address all of the relevant factors in the regulations.

The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community is located in Baraga County, Mich., and has approximately 3,310 members. It has more than 6,000 acres of existing trust lands on its reservation in the state’s Upper Peninsula. The tribe has been operating and regulating a class III gaming facility in Marquette County, about 90 miles from its headquarters, since at least 2000. The tribe is proposing to relocate this existing facility to a new location within Marquette County, on an 80-acre parcel at the site of the former Marquette County Airport. The new site is 18 miles closer to the tribe’s reservation than its existing facility. Under a 2000 settlement agreement with the state of Michigan, the tribe has agreed to close its existing off-reservation gaming facility if its proposal receives final approval and it begins gaming activities on the new site.

The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) prohibits Indian gaming on lands acquired in trust after the law’s enactment in 1988, unless one of three explicitly crafted exceptions applies. The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community submitted its application under IGRA’s “Secretarial Determination” exception, which requires the Secretary to determine the proposed gaming establishment is in the best interest of the tribe and its citizens, and would not be detrimental to the surrounding community. The governor of Michigan must concur in this determination before the land can be acquired in trust for the tribe for gaming.

Under IGRA, the governor of Michigan has one year to concur in the Assistant Secretary’s determination. If the governor does not concur in the Assistant Secretary’s determination, then the tribe may not conduct gaming on the proposed site.

For more information concerning these decisions, please click on the following links:

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community

Cayuga Nation of New York

Washington, D.C. – Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk today announced that the Indian Affairs program to recruit and train American Indian and Alaska Native postsecondary students in the field of energy and natural resources management is accepting applications for twelve internships in its 2010 class. The application deadline is March 15 for an internship period beginning May 25 through August 6.

“Indian Country’s young men and women are the future leaders of their tribal nations,” said Echo Hawk, “and as such they will play a critical role in shaping the future of tribal energy development. This internship program is intended to help prepare the next generation of tribal energy and natural resource management professionals.”

The Energy Resource Development Tribal Internship Program was started last year by the Indian Affairs Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory. The ANL will provide leadership, educational and networking activities for the interns, who will reside and study on-site at its premier national laboratory located near Chicago, Ill.

“By directly engaging them in the work we do at our facility, this program offers a terrific opportunity for students to learn about science and engineering while gaining valuable employment experience,” said ANL Director of Educational Programs Harold Myron. “Students will be able to take and use these new skills to benefit their own or another tribal community.”

Interns will gain hands-on experience working with nationally known scientists in a wide range of research fields including energy resource development, both renewable and non-renewable, and environmental evaluation and analysis of potential impacts from energy resource development activities.

This year’s program also will include two Faculty and Student Teams (FaST). The FaST teams will be comprised of one faculty member and two to three students each. This approach will provide collaboration and hands-on research opportunities in mutually beneficial research areas for faculty members and interns.

The program’s purpose is to increase the number of American Indians and Alaska Natives who can effectively manage a tribe’s energy and natural resources. It also helps Indian Affairs meet mandates of Title V of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which requires the Secretary of the Interior to provide technical assistance to those Indian tribes seeking to develop their energy resources, establish an Indian energy resource development program and further the goal of Indian self-determination. It also provides an opportunity for American Indians and Alaska Natives to train for careers in the science and engineering professions, two fields where they are underrepresented.

Applications are currently being accepted through a rolling admissions process through the ANL’s website at http://www.dep.anl.gov/p_undergrad/TribalInternships. The deadline is March 15, 2010. For more information, contact the ANL Division of Educational Programs at (630) 252-4114.

The Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs oversees the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development, whose mission is to foster stronger American Indian and Alaska Native communities by helping federally recognized tribes with employment and workforce training programs; helping tribes develop their renewable and non-renewable energy and mineral resources; and increasing access to capital for tribal and individual American Indian- and Alaska Native-owned businesses. For more information about IEED programs and services, visit http://www.indianaffairs.gov/WhoWeAre/AS-IA/IEED/index.htm.

WASHINGTON, DC (January 8, 2010) – U.S. Department of the Interior officials will welcome college football All-American and Rhodes Scholar Myron Rolle to Bureau of Indian Education schools in New Mexico and Arizona on January 12-13 to kick off the new Our Way to Health™ Program.

WHO: Myron L. Rolle – college football 2008-09 All-American safety at Florida State University and recipient of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. Myron is attending Oxford University this school year pursuing a Master’s degree in Medical Anthropology, while training for the 2010 National Football League Draft.

WHAT: A joint initiative between the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education and the Myron L. Rolle Foundation, the public-partnership will bring an innovative physical fitness and health program, developed by Myron himself, into Interior-funded American Indian schools.

WHEN/WHERE:

January 12, 2010 – 1:30 p.m.

Isleta Elementary School 1000 Moonlight Drive,

Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico Fifth and sixth grade students from Isleta Elementary and San Felipe Pueblo Elementary School (San Felipe Pueblo, NM) will attend

January 13, 2010 – 9:30 a.m.

Tuba City Boarding School

306 Main Street, Tuba City, Arizona Fifth and sixth grade students from Tuba City Boarding School, Hotevilla Bacavi Community School (Hotevilla, AZ) and Keams Canyon Elementary School (Kearns Canyon, AZ) will attend

AGENDA: Each kickoff event will include: Welcome by School Principal or representative Remarks by U.S. Department of the Interior officials Address to students by Myron Rolle, explaining the Our Way to Health Program, current developments in his life, his interest in First Americans, the importance of physical activity and leading a health lifestyle. Myron Rolle Q&A with students, teachers, parents and members of the community. Myron Rolle Q&A with media

DETAILS: Media are invited to attend but must RSVP to Nedra Darling or Jeff McKenzie at least one hour prior to each event, and present appropriate media credentials upon entering school property. No media filming or photography of students will be permitted without written consent from a parent or guardian. Use of any footage taken during kickoff events will be limited solely to news stories pertaining to the Our Way to Health Program.

About the Bureau of Indian Education

Interior’s Bureau of Indian Education serves 42,000 students in 183 schools and dormitories across the country on 64 reservations in 23 states. The mission statement of BIE reflects its commitment to “manifest consideration of the whole person by taking into account the spiritual, mental, physical, and cultural aspects of the individual.”

About the Myron L. Rolle Foundation

The Myron L. Rolle Foundation is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated to the support of health, wellness, educational and other charitable initiatives throughout the world that benefit children and families in need. The Foundation was established in 2009 by Rhodes Scholar and College Football All-American Myron L. Rolle and his family.

WASHINGTON, DC. – As a follow-up to the Tribal Conference held at the Department of the Interior this past November, today Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan met with prominent American Indian educators to discuss the educational challenges and opportunities facing tribal communities and share strategies that have helped to advance opportunities for American Indian students around the Nation.

“I asked these accomplished professionals, all of whom have exemplary records of educational service, to share their thoughts on the partnerships, projects and creative efforts that have proven successful in their schools and communities,” Salazar said. “It is essential that we continue to improve the delivery of educational services through our schools and programs while ensuring the concerns of Tribes and the best interests of American Indian students are addressed.”

“Today’s meeting was a critical first step in our partnership with the Department of Interior and tribal leaders to address the academic needs of American Indian and Alaska Native students,” said Duncan. “Our agenda is broad, our work is urgent, and we will collaborate to ensure that the unique educational and culturally related academic needs of these students are met.”

Improving Indian education was a major topic of discussion during President Obama’s historic meeting with tribal leaders at the Interior Department in November 2009. More than 400 members of federally recognized tribes participated in the event. “Following the White House Tribal Nations Conference, it was clear to me that we must do more to ensure that American Indian students receive an academically rigorous, culturally appropriate education that will prepare them to be productive citizens and leaders in their communities and help to build safer, stronger, healthier, and more prosperous Indian communities,” Salazar said.

Today’s discussion at Interior headquarters included a presentation on major concerns and challenges by Interior officials, including Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk, and a panel discussion by the experts, who described some of the experiences and education practices that have shown significant results in their states and tribal communities.

Interior’s Bureau of Indian Education educates more than 44,000 Indian students in 183 schools and two tribal colleges and the Obama Administration has made educational reform and improvements a focus of its assistance efforts in Indian Country. The goal of the Administration’s overall efforts, including the President’s $3 billion investment in Indian Country through the Recovery and reinvestment Act, is to help empower American Indian nations so they can build a future of their choosing.

The panelists included the following: Patricia Whitefoot, president of the National Indian Education Association; Sam Deloria, a nationally renowned Indian policy expert who was executive director of the American Indian Graduate Center; Denise Juneau, superintendant of Public Instruction for state of Montana (and the first American Indian to hold statewide office in Montana); Ryan Wilson, president of the National Alliance to Save Native Languages and former president of the National Indian Education Association; Keith Moore, former director of Indian Education for South Dakota’s Department of Education; Benny Shendo, former cabinet secretary of Indian Affairs for the state of New Mexico and director of the American Indian Program at Stanford University; Colin Kippen, former senior counsel to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee; Kara Bobroff, founder of the Native American Community Academy; Patrick Shannon, a former appointee of Michigan Gov. Granholm, overseeing more than 40 charter schools throughout Michigan, with more than 10,000 students; Robert Cook, former president of the National Indian Education Association; and Notah Begay: founder of the Notah Begay III Foundation which promotes the health, wellness and leadership development of Native American youth.

Image of participants at meeting is available on line at http://www.doi.gov/news/10_News_Releases/U.S.DepartmentoftheInterior-Bu…

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar discusses strategies for improving Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs educational programs and services with a panel of experts. To the left of the Secretary are Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (blue shirt) and Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk. To the right of the Secretary are Kim Teehee, Senior Policy Advisor for Native American Affairs at the White House Domestic Policy Council; and Keith Moore, former director of Indian Education for South Dakota’s Department of Education. Photo by Tami Heilemenn, DOI.