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<p>Office of Public Affairs</p>

Newland Names Bartholomew “Bart” Stevens BIA’s Deputy Bureau Director for Field Operations, Kimberly Bouchard as Eastern Regional Director

For Immediate Release:
June 17, 2021

WASHINGTON – Today, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Bryan Newland announced appointments to two key leadership posts within the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA): Bartholomew “Bart” Stevens, an enrolled member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe in Arizona with ancestry from the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in Idaho and the Ute Tribe in Utah, as Deputy Bureau Director for Field Operations in Albuquerque, N.M., and Kimberly Bouchard, of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians in Wisconsin, as Eastern Regional Office Regional Director in Nashville, Tenn. Both appointments became effective this month.

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BIA Issues Final EIS for Moapa Band’s Proposed Southern Bighorn Solar Project

For Immediate Release:
June 03, 2021

Project will provide multiple benefits to Band members, help Nevada meet its renewable energy needs, and contribute to America’s clean energy future.

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Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Newland to Host Briefing for Tribal Leaders on President’s FY 2022 Budget Request for Indian Affairs

For Immediate Release:
May 28, 2021

WASHINGTON – Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Bryan Newland will host a briefing for Tribal leaders on the President’s FY 2022 budget request for Indian Affairs. The briefing will take place via conference call on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. EDT.

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President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Makes Significant Investments in Bureau of Indian Education

For Immediate Release:
May 28, 2021

Proposed budget would expand educational opportunities, fund supports and services for Native American youth, and invest in early childhood education

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President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Makes Significant Investments in Indian Affairs Programs

For Immediate Release:
May 28, 2021

Request reflects Biden-Harris Administration’s investment in Indian Country to empower Tribal nations and strengthen their resilience by improving quality of life and economic self-sufficiency in their communities.

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Buy-Back Program at the Spirit Lake Reservation – June 1 Deadline Approaching for Landowners

For Immediate Release:
May 28, 2021

Program encourages informed decision-making by landowners considering whether to accept a voluntary purchase offer

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Environmental Assessment

Purpose and Need for the Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) 

Two people standing on red soil with a pile of rocks nearby talking. Blue sky in background with white clouds.

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Assistant Secretary McCaleb to Appear On C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal” Program

Media Contact: Nedra Darling, OPA-IA Phone: 202-219-4152
For Immediate Release: July 13, 2001
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Interior Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal McCaleb will appear on C-SPAN’s live nationwide public affairs call-in program “Washington Journal” on Sunday, July 15, 2001, at 9:15 a.m. (EDT). He will be speaking on contemporary American Indian issues, tribal economic development, education and his goal of shaping the Bureau of Indian Affairs into a 21st century service agency responsive to the agency’s customers: federally recognized tribes and American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Who:

Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb

What:

Appearance on C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal” program

When:

9:15 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. (EDT), Sunday, July 15, 2001

Where:

C-SPAN studios, Washington, D.C.
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Media Contact: Nedra Darling, OPA-IA Phone: 202-219-4152
For Immediate Release: February 20, 2001
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Department of the Interior Deputy Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs James H. McDivitt today announced his approval of an application to take into trust a 55-acre parcel of land located in Hudson, Wisconsin, for three Federally-recognized Indian Tribes for gaming purposes after determining it would be in the best interest of the Tribes without being detrimental to the surrounding community. The application was submitted on March 4, 1994, by the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin, the Sokaogon Chippewa Community of Wisconsin and the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin. The Tribes had applied for a trust land acquisition of the 55.82 acre parcel of land and for a two part Secretarial determination pursuant to Section 20(b)(1)(A) of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), 25 U.S.C. Section 2719(b)(1)(A). The purpose of the Tribes’ action was to augment parimutuel dog racing already operating at the site as the St. Croix Meadows Greyhound Park with other Class III gaming activities.

The approval reverses a July 14, 1995, decision by the Deputy Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs not to exercise the Bureau’s authority to take the land into trust because the administrative record at the time failed to support a finding of no detriment to the surrounding community, a final determination for the Department of the Interior. In September 1995, the Tribes filed suit in U.S. District Court of the Western District of Wisconsin in Sokaogon Chippewa Community, et al., v. Babbitt, et al., Case No. 95-C-659-C (W.D. Wis.) to reverse the Department’s determination. In the Settlement Agreement dated October 8, 1999, the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs agreed to resume consideration of the Tribes’ application based on the administrative record already developed and as supplemented only in the manner specified in the Agreement. The decision to approve the application was based on the administrative record and additional information provided by the Tribes including a more thorough environmental assessment of the proposed facility and projected benefits, income, and employment, as well as projected impact on neighboring tribes and surrounding communities. In addition, the City of Hudson, Wisconsin, whose Common Council had passed a resolution opposing the casino in 1995, has since clarified its position as one of being in favor of the project.

McDivitt sent a letter to Wisconsin Governor Scott McCallum today announcing his decision. Governor McCallum must concur with the two-part Secretarial determination if the Interior Department is to complete the trust application process for the Hudson property pursuant to the requirements of 25 CFR Part 151.

-BIA-

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Media Contact: Nedra Darling, OPA-IA Phone: 202-219-4152
For Immediate Release: January 3, 2001
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One tribe’s 22-year journey through the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) process for federal recognition ended this afternoon when Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin Gover signed the final determination in favor of federal acknowledgement for the Chinook Indian Tribe/Chinook Nation of Washington State in a ceremony at the Department of the Interior’s main building in Washington, D.C. “Today, we have the opportunity to address directly a historical injustice lasting many years,” said Assistant Secretary Gover, “The Chinook rejoin the family of Tribal Nations acknowledged by the United States.”

Present at the signing were Chinook Chairman Gary Johnson and a delegation of tribal council representatives and tribal members. “This is a great day for the Chinook people,” said Chairman Johnson, “We are grateful to everyone who supported our recognition. Throw out the books that say the Chinook do not exist.” Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Michael J. Anderson and BIA Deputy Commissioner M. Sharon Blackwell also signed the final determination, which was Assistant Secretary Gover’s last official act on his final day with the Interior Department.

The Chinook Indian Tribe/Chinook Nation is located in western Washington State with significant portions of the approximately 2,000-member tribal population having lived along the shores of Willapa Bay and the Columbia River 25 to 45 miles to the south and southeast of Bay Center. The tribe first treatied with the United States in 1851. Despite suffering through decades of neglect by the federal government, tribal members maintained tribal and cultural traditions. In 1979, the tribe notified the BIA of its intent to submit a petition for federal recognition to the agency’s Branch of Federal Acknowledgement and Research (BAR). Assistant Secretary Gover made his final determination based on documentary and interview evidence, which in 1997 formed the basis for a proposed finding not to acknowledge the Chinook Indian Tribe/Chinook Nation, and an analysis of information and comments received in response to the proposed finding from third parties and the tribe itself. He reached additional factual conclusions after conducting a review and analysis of the existing record in light of the additional evidence. A review of the 1997 proposed finding and information submitted by the Chinook Indian Tribe/Chinook Nation and third parties established that the tribe had met all seven mandatory criteria from first contact to the present under 1978 regulations on recognition. The Assistant Secretary also concluded the Chinook Indian Tribe/Chinook Nation had been acknowledged by Congress in 1925, thus meeting 1994 regulations requiring that a petitioner demonstrate historical continuity for the period commencing from the time of previous acknowledgement to the present. The Chinook Indian Tribe/Chinook Nation was therefore determined to have met the criteria under both the 1978 and 1994 regulations.

The final determination, which reverses the proposed finding, becomes effective 90 days after being published in the Federal Register. The full text of Assistant Secretary Gover’s remarks can be accessed via the BIA’s web site at http://www.doi.gov/bureau-indian-affairs.html.

-BIA-

For Immediate Release: January 3, 2001
Assistant Secretary Gover, Chinook Chairman Gary Johnson, Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Michael Anderson, and BIA Deputy Commissioner M. Sharon Blackwell each signed the final determination for federal recognition of the Chinook Indian Tribe/Chinook Nation. Also present were Congressman Brian Baird (WA-3rd) and tribal council members. Standing Left to Right: Congressman Baird; DAS-IA Anderson; Council members Peggy Disney, Richard Basch (behind Disney), and Penny Harris; Chinook Chief Clifford
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