OPA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Acting Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Aurene M. Martin today announced that James H. McDivitt, Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs (Management), will retire this month after a 35-year career in the Federal government. His retirement will be effective June 13, 2003. “Jim McDivitt has been a tremendous asset to the Bureau of Indian Affairs because of his experience as a Federal manager and dedicated public servant,” Martin said. “He proved himself invaluable to the Bureau and the Department, and he will be sorely missed.”

Prior to being named Deputy Assistant Secretary in 2000, McDivitt served as Chief of Staff to former Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin Gover. McDivitt’s experience in Indian Affairs began in September of 1995 when he became Budget Officer for the BIA. He held that position until May of 1998. McDivitt also served as Acting BIA Director for Management and Administration from May of 1996 to November of 1997. He continued as Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs (Management) under President George W. Bush.

McDivitt began his Federal career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1968. In 1969 he left Federal civilian service to become an officer in the U.S. Army for two years. He returned to Federal civilian service after leaving the Army to work first for the Economic Research Service (1972-1981) and then the U.S. Forest Service (1981-1990). In 1990, he joined the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the Executive Office of the President where he served as primary examiner for several bureaus of the Department of the Interior (DOI), including the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management. While at OMB, he also held positions as Deputy Branch Chief and Acting Branch Chief over all DOI programs included in Interior Appropriations legislation.

McDivitt received a B.A. in Economics and an M.B.A. in Financial Management from Michigan State University in 1968 and 1972, respectively.

-DOI-

Washington, D.C. – The Acting Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs regrets to announce that White Mountain Apache firefighter and Bureau of Indian Affairs’ employee Rick Lupe passed away on Thursday, June 19, 2003, having succumbed to injuries received on May 14, 2003, during the Sawtooth Prescribed Burn on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. Mr. Lupe was 43 years old.

“Rick Lupe was the type of person that loved his job and felt a real sense of honor to be doing what he was doing, the BIA will miss his skills and leadership,” said Aurene Martin, Acting Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs. “Our deepest sympathies go out to his family and to the community for the lose of such an outstanding person.”

Mr. Lupe served as a fire fuels management specialist at the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Fort Apache Agency. His firefighting career spanned 25 years starting out as a basic wild land firefighter, he later became a superintendent of the elite Fort Apache Hotshot crew, then moved to a division supervisor on a Southwest Type I Incident Management Team. In 2002, he was credited for his leadership, ingenuity and determination in stopping the spread of the massive Rodeo-Chediski Fire that saved the towns of Show Low, and Pinetop-Lakeside, and other nearby communities from burning.

Memorial Services for Mr. Lupe will be held Wednesday, June 25th, at the Alchesay High School Activity Center, Whiteriver, Az, beginning at 1:00 p.m.; followed by burial service at the Canyon Day cemetery. Mr. Lupe is survived by his wife Evelyn and three sons, Sean, Daniel, and Brent, a fund has been established to assist the family with their lose.

-DOI-

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On June 27, 2003, the Department of the Interior (DOI) will conclude its month-long schedule of presentations to employees of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians (OST) on the reorganization of both agencies with briefings at the Rocky Mountain Regional Office in Billings, Mont. and the Southern Plains Regional Office in Anadarko, Okla., the last of the BIA’s 12 regional offices to be visited. The Department is seeking to increase accountability and efficiency in its trust management functions by reorganizing the agencies that manage Indian trust funds and assets. The presentations began on June 3 and were held throughout the month at the regional offices and other locations around the country.

Employees will be briefed on the Department’s plan for reorganization of the BIA and OST, and on the Comprehensive Trust Management Plan (CTMP) at morning sessions on Friday. The CTMP describes how the new BIA and OST organizational structures will improve the delivery of trust services when the reorganization is completed. Tribal leaders from each region will also be briefed on the reorganization effort in subsequent sessions.

In 2002, the Department and the Tribes together undertook an ambitious effort to change the way the BIA and OST deliver trust and non-trust services to Tribes, tribal service populations and trust beneficiaries. The Plan is based on agreements reached with the Joint Tribal Leaders/DOI Task Force established by Secretary Gale Norton to examine and recommend proposals for improving service delivery to recipients and beneficiaries.

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. Press seating will be provided.

-DOI-

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Aurene M. Martin today announced that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) will be holding a series of tribal consultation meetings on the realignment of the BIA’s 12 regional offices. The realignment is a result of the reorganization currently taking place within the Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, the BIA and the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians. The meetings will take place on September 24-25 at the Hilton Garden Inn – Tulsa Airport in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and on October 27-30 at the MGM Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“With these consultation meetings, I intend to fulfill a commitment made to tribal leaders to consult with them prior to finalizing the regional level reorganization,” Martin said. “This is an opportunity for tribes to help us design a regional office structure that meets their needs.”

The schedule for the consultation meetings will be as follows:

• September 24, 2003 (Tulsa): Southern Plains Region, Eastern Oklahoma Region

• September 25, 2003 (Tulsa): Midwest Region, Eastern Region

• October 27, 2003 (Las Vegas): Great Plains Region, Rocky Mountain Region

• October 28, 2003 (Las Vegas): Southwest Region, Navajo Region

• October 29, 2003 (Las Vegas): Pacific Region, Northwest Region

• October 30, 2003 (Las Vegas): Western Region, Alaska Region

In June 2003, the Department held 18 informational sessions throughout the country to brief employees, Indian tribes and interested parties on the status and structure of the reorganization. The upcoming consultation meetings will provide an opportunity for tribes and interested parties to provide oral and written comments regarding the organizational structure of the BIA’s 12 regional offices for consideration by the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs.

The Department will publish this week a notice in the Federal Register with dates and locations of the meetings. Comments will be due two weeks following the consultation for each region.

-DOI-

WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Interior Gale A. Norton has appointed Christopher B. Chaney as associate solicitor for the Division of Indian Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior. Chaney, a member of the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma, previously worked for the U.S. Department of Justice, serving with the United States Attorney’s office in Salt Lake City, Utah, and, more recently, at the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys in Washington, D.C.

“I am pleased to appoint someone of Chris Chaney’s experience in Indian law and deep understanding of Indian country to the Office of the Solicitor,” said Secretary Norton. “We have many issues that we confront on a daily basis and a person of his caliber will be an asset.”

Chaney obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1984, and a law degree from Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School in 1992. From 1992 to 1997, he had a private law practice in Farmington, N.M. During that time he worked primarily in the field of Indian law and served as the prosecuting attorney for the Jicarilla Apache Tribe, the Southern Ute Tribe, and as an administrative law judge for the Navajo Housing Authority. In 1997, he accepted a position with the U.S. Department of Justice as an Assistant United States Attorney in Salt Lake City, Utah. As a federal prosecutor he prosecuted violent crimes that occurred on the Navajo Nation reservation, the Ute Tribe’s Uintah & Ouray reservation, and other areas of Indian country within the state of Utah. He also served as the U.S. Attorney’s Tribal Liaison to the eight tribes located in Utah. In 2000, Chaney accepted a work detail to the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys as Counsel to the Director’s Office where he worked on Indian country legal issues on a national scale. Mr. Chaney is a member of the bars of Utah, New Mexico, and the Navajo Nation.

“I am humbled that Secretary Norton has entrusted me with this associate solicitor position,” said Chaney. “My goal is to have a positive and lasting impact by doing what I can to serve the needs of Indian country and the public in general.”

The Interior Solicitor’s Office Division of Indian Affairs is responsible for legal matters related to the programs and activities of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In addition, the Division provides legal assistance and counsel to the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs and the Special Trustee for American Indians.

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

-DOI-

Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton today officially signed the Colorado River Water Delivery Agreement, a landmark pact that begins a new era of cooperation on the river by fulfilling a promise California made more than 70 years ago.

"This Agreement marks a historic turning point for California and the Colorado River Basin States," Norton said after signing the pact with officials of four California water agencies. "The economy and well-being of a large part of the growing West rely on critical agreements, such as this one, that allocate Colorado River water, provide assurances of long-term supplies, and clear the way for market-based transfers and other tools that are essential to meet the growing water needs of the region."

Under Norton's leadership as Secretary of the Interior, California has agreed to take specific, incremental steps that will reduce its over-reliance on Colorado River water in the next 14 years, allowing the state to live within its authorized annual share of 4.4 million acre-feet. The Agreement allows the six other Colorado River Basin States to protect their authorized shares to meet future needs.

Federal, state and local officials from the Colorado River Basin States joined Norton for the signing of the pact at Hoover Dam. Norton said the venue was particularly appropriate, noting that "in 1928 Congress required California to 'irrevocably and unconditionally' agree to limit its annual use of Colorado River water to 4.4.million acre-feet, making the state's assent a condition for building this magnificent keystone of the lower Colorado River distribution system. Without California's 1929 promise, there would be no Hoover Dam."

Though California agreed to this limitation in 1929, the state has been drawing extra or surplus water from the river for the past several decades, leaving its promise to the other Colorado River Basin States and the Federal Government unfulfilled. The key to meeting California's commitment was dividing the state's 4.4 million acre-foot share among its southern farming and urban communities.

The Agreement signed today is that long-sought quantification - the Federal Quantification Settlement Agreement - that enables California to meet the needs of its citizens, urban and rural, in a manner that respects the rights of other Colorado River Basin States.

The framework to implement the quantification agreement was reached after years of difficult negotiations. In late 2000, California, the other six Basin States, and the Department of the Interior agreed on this framework, known as the Interim Surplus Guidelines. The Guidelines provided California with a choice as to how it would reduce its over-reliance on the waters of the Colorado River.

If the state met all of the Guidelines' benchmarks, it would continue to have access to extra water during the transition to its 4.4 million acre-foot limit. If California failed to meet a benchmark, it would immediately lose access to that extra water. Despite the efforts of many local, state and federal officials, California failed to meet the first major benchmark under the Interim Surplus Guidelines on Dec. 31,2002, and automatically lost its access to the extra Colorado River water.

Since then, negotiations among the four California water agencies, the Department, and representatives of all seven Colorado River Basin States have continued, and all parties worked through an astounding series of difficult issues. "But they persevered," Norton said, "and as a result of the hard work, dedication, and persistence of those negotiators, we are here today to celebrate a success for the Colorado River."

By executing this pact, California regains the right to access extra Colorado water over 14 years, easing its gradual reduction and lessening pressure on Northern California to send more water south. By reallocating the state's share, California also will be able to provide water for its growing cities and address the environmental concerns of the Salton Sea. The Agreement also allows farming communities in Southern California to strengthen their economies through water efficiency projects, canal modernization, conservation, and water marketing.

"For the Basin States, the Agreement provides certainty, allowing them to protect their authorized allocations and meet their future water needs," Norton emphasized. "As part of this agreement, and in reliance on the promises made in the agreement, I have fully reinstated the Interim Surplus Guidelines," Norton declared.

That will allow Nevada, which lost access to extra water from the Colorado River along with California, to again have access to this water and return to the long-term path it has developed to meet the needs of its growing population.

The Agreement also provides the critical water supply necessary to resolve the water rights claims of the La Jolla, Pala, Pauma, Rincon, and San Pasqual Bands of Mission Indians. "Because of the hard work, dedication, and persistence of local, state and federal negotiators over the past nine months as well as over the last decade, we are here today to execute the hard-won fruits of these Herculean labors," Norton said. "With this agreement, conflict on the river is stilled."

"To the countless people who worked long hours, sacrificed weekends away from family and sat down in good faith to make today's agreement a reality, I thank you," Norton said.. "People throughout the West thank you; and future generations in the Colorado River Basin - from the headwaters to the Lower Basin -- will enjoy the benefits of your success." Norton said the agreement also demonstrates "what can be accomplished by working cooperatively -- despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles -- and by using innovative approaches to find solutions to the water supply challenges facing communities across the West."

-DOI-

WASHINGTON – Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Aurene M. Martin today announced that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) will hold a series of tribal consultation meetings on the realignment of the regional and agency offices in 8 of its 12 regions. The meetings will take place October 27-30 at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nev. The realignment is a result of the reorganization currently taking place within the Interior Department’s Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, the BIA and the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians.

The BIA held the first series of consultation meetings on September 24-25 in Tulsa, Okla., with representatives from federally recognized tribes in the Southern Plains, Eastern Oklahoma, Midwest and Eastern Regions. The schedule for the remaining consultation meetings is as follows (all times are local time):

October 27, 2003

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Great Plains Region

1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.: Rocky Mountain Region

October 28, 2003

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Southwest Region

1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.: Navajo Region

October 29, 2003

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Pacific Region

1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.: Northwest Region

October 30, 2003

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Western Region

1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.: Alaska Region

In June 2003, the Department held informational sessions throughout the country to brief employees, Indian tribes and interested parties on the status and structure of the reorganization. The consultation meetings held last month and taking place this month are opportunities for tribes and interested parties to provide oral and written comments regarding the organizational structure of the regional offices for consideration by the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs.

On September 17, the Department published a notice in the Federal Register with dates and locations of the meetings. Comments are due two weeks following the consultation for each region.

-DOI-

WASHINGTON – Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Aurene M. Martin will meet with tribal leaders October 27 through 30, 2003, in Las Vegas, Nev., at a series of consultation meetings on the realignment of the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) Alaska, Great Plains, Navajo, Northwest, Pacific, Rocky Mountain, Southwest and Western regional and agency offices. The meetings will be held at the MGM Grand Hotel (3799 Las Vegas Blvd.) starting daily at 9:00 a.m. (PST).

The realignment is a result of the reorganization currently taking place within the Interior Department’s Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, the BIA and the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians. In June 2003, the Department held informational sessions across the country to brief employees, Indian tribes and interested parties on the status and structure of the reorganization. In September, the BIA held consultation meetings in Tulsa, Okla., with representatives from federally recognized tribes in the Eastern, Eastern Oklahoma, Midwest and Southern Plains regions.

The consultation meetings are opportunities for tribes and interested parties to provide oral and written comments regarding the organizational structure of the regional offices for consideration by the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs. On September 17, the Department published a notice in the Federal Register with dates and locations of the meetings. Comments are due two weeks following the consultation for each region.

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. Press seating will be provided.

-DOI-

(LOS ANGELES) - Interior Secretary Gale Norton today commended federal and private land managers for the conservation partnerships they have forged with communities and urged them to find new ways to connect citizen stewards with landscapes and habitat.

Speaking to the opening session of Joint Ventures: Partners in Stewardship Conference, Norton said for conservation to succeed in the 21 st century, "we must involve the people who live on, work on and love the land."

"The environmental challenges we face today are in many ways more subtle and more difficult than we have faced in the past," Norton said. "This conference will supply the knowledge, skills and tools needed to work with partners and create opportunities."

Noting President Bush's strong support for citizen stewardship initiatives, Norton said the Interior budget the president signed last week contains almost $120 million for the Cooperative Conservation Initiative in 2004, an increase of about $19 million over FY 2003.

At President Bush's request, more than $42 million is included in the Department's 2004 budget for the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, a 13 percent increase over 2003 levels. This will allow more than 1,000 additional private landowners to participate in the program.

The conference, which opened today at the Los Angeles Convention Center, focuses on the importance of federal, public-private partnerships and how planning and working together will provide for future success. An estimated 1,500 participants will take part in the three-day conference, which has 250 educational sessions.

The meeting brings together much of the senior leadership of Interior's National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs; along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service and the Army Corps of Engineers.

Several hundred representatives of state and local governments, non-profit associations, concessionaires, universities and many others who work with federal and state land management agencies also are participating in the conference. More information is on-line at www.partnerships2003.org

(WASHINGTON) - Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton announced today that all of the requirements of the Shivwits Band of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah Water Rights Settlement Act, Public Law 106-263, have been completed, allowing the settlement to become fully effective. As required by the Settlement Act, the Secretary's statement of findings will be published in the Federal Register.

"Congress approved this important water rights settlement for the Shivwits Band of Paiute Indians and the citizens of Southwestern Utah in 2000, but the Settlement Act still required certain actions by the parties and full appropriations by Congress before the end of this year to validate and enforce the settlement," Secretary Norton said. "I am pleased to report that all of the requirements under the Settlement Act have been met.

"I congratulate the Shivwits Band, the Washington County Water Conservancy District, the city of St. George, and the state of Utah for coming together to resolve these often contentious issues through a creative, negotiated settlement for the benefit of all the parties, rather than relying upon costly litigation, which often takes decades and results in few winners and many losers. I also want to thank the Utah congressional delegation for their continued support of the legislation and the funding required to complete this settlement and also thank the federal settlement team for helping to shepherd the successful resolution of these issues."

According to Glenn Rogers, band chairman, Shivwits Band of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, "This settlement will help us become self-sufficient and will open the door for economic development so that we can look forward to the future."

The Settlement Act confirms a water right of 4,000 acre-feet per year for the Shivwits Band of Paiute Indians, whose reservation lies in the Virgin River Basin just north of St. George, Utah. Most of the water to satisfy the Band's right will come from two separate projects developed as part of the settlement. One, the St. George Water Reuse Project, will treat and recycle discharges from the St. George Water Reclamation Facility. The other, the Santa Clara Project, will use a pressurized pipeline to replace certain irrigation water deliveries via area canals, thereby conserving water currently lost through seepage and evaporation. These projects will not only benefit the Shivwits Band but will also benefit the city of St. George and other water users in the area.

To become fully effective, the Settlement Act required the Secretary to find that: congress had fully appropriated the $24 million authorized for the settlement; parties had revised, as necessary, the underlying settlement agreements to conform to the settlement legislation; the state engineer of Utah had taken all actions necessary to implement the agreements; and the state's district court had entered a final decree in the Virgin River adjudication confirming the water rights of the Shivwits Band. Publication of the Federal Register notice will certify the Secretary's findings as required by the Settlement Act.

This settlement also represents an example of the collaborative approaches to address water supply problems in the West sought under Secretary Norton's recently announced Water 2025 Initiative.

"In this water-short area of the country, the Shivwits Band, local water users, the city and the state came together to develop innovative solutions to address their respective water needs while also working to protect the habitats of species of concern in the basin, such as the Virgin River spinedace," Secretary Norton said. "The projects developed as part of the settlement provide water supply flexibility through improved water conservation and efficiencies in the area and by also providing an opportunity for market-based transfers of water as well. These projects, combined with the cost-sharing arrangements for all parties under the settlement, represent the type of collaborative approach which I hope Water 2025 will foster in resolving other water supply challenges in the West."

-DOI-