OPA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Acting Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Donald E. “Del” Laverdure today announced that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has provided $50,000 in a one-time emergency funding for the Emmonak Women’s Shelter in the Yup’ik Eskimo village of Emmonak, Alaska. The village’s only facility offering domestic violence protection is facing imminent closure due to a funding shortfall.

“By providing this one-time funding, the Bureau of Indian Affairs re-emphasizes the Administration’s support for the prevention of domestic violence,” Laverdure said. “The protection of American Indian and Alaska Native victims of domestic violence is a priority for me and Secretary Salazar, and it is important that the Emmonak Women’s Shelter be able to continue offering help to those who need it.”

The 34-year old facility serves families that live in the Emmonak region, including 13 rural villages surrounding Emmonak, and reportedly serves about 500 women and children each year. It is currently operating under a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women, but is not expected to receive notification of new awards until September.

The BIA Office of Indian Services provided the one-time emergency funding to the Emmonak Village, a federally recognized tribe, under its Tribal Priority Allocation authority. The tribe, in turn, will send the funds to the shelter.

Emmonak Village is located approximately 500 air miles northwest of the city of Anchorage, and the Emmonak Women’s Shelter is one of two in the state that offers domestic violence shelter and services for Alaska Natives living in the state’s rural areas. The other is the Tundra Women’s Coalition (TWC) in Bethel, several hundred miles from Emmonak.

The Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs oversees the BIA, which is headed by a director who is responsible for managing day-to-day operations through four offices – Indian Services, Justice Services, Trust Services and Field Operations – that administer or fund tribally based infrastructure, law enforcement, social services, tribal governance, natural and energy resources and trust management programs for the nation’s federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and villages through 12 regional offices and 85 agencies.

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WASHINGTON -- Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today praised President Obama’s signing of the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership Act (HEARTH Act) which grants greater authority to federally recognized tribes to develop and implement their own regulations for leasing on Indian lands. The Act passed the House and Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support and was signed into law today by President Obama.

“The HEARTH Act underscores President Obama’s commitment to empower Indian nations and strengthen their economies by expanding opportunities for tribal governments,” said Secretary Salazar. “This legislation complements the work we are doing at Interior to undertake the most comprehensive reforms of Indian land leasing regulations in more than 50 years. These parallel efforts will have a real impact for individuals and families who want to own a home or build a business – generating investment, new jobs and revenues.”

Under the HEARTH Act, federally recognized tribes can develop and implement their own land leasing regulations. Upon approval of these tribal regulations by the Secretary of the Interior, tribes will have the authority to process land leases without Bureau of Indian Affairs approval. This new authority has the potential to significantly reduce the time it takes to approve leases for homes and small businesses in Indian Country.

“The HEARTH Act has been a legislative priority for Interior because it advances the authority and ability of federally-recognized tribes to control their homelands and provides them greater self-determination,” said Acting Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Donald E. “Del” Laverdure. “We are moving forward to finalize our internal reforms at Indian Affairs that will bring greater transparency, efficiency and workability to the Bureau of Indian Affairs approval process.”

In 2011, Salazar announced a sweeping reform of federal surface leasing regulations for American Indian lands that will streamline the approval process for home ownership, expedite economic development and spur renewable energy development in Indian Country.

The proposed rule would modify regulations governing the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ process for approving the lease of surface acres on lands the federal government holds in trust for tribes and individuals. As trustee, Interior is responsible for managing approximately 56 million surface acres in Indian Country.

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Portland, Ore. — The fifth and final in a series of listening sessions will be held on the morning of Tuesday, August 28, 2012. The Obama Administration recognizes that the protection of sacred sites on federal lands is integral to traditional religious practices, tribal identities and emblematic of sovereign tribal nations. These sacred site listening sessions are intended to assist in developing policies that result in effective, comprehensive and long-lasting federal protection of and tribal access to the places that are so important to the fabric and culture of tribal nations.

To address tribal concerns regarding sacred sites issues, Interior will conduct listening sessions on sacred sites in general, as well as knowledge relating to specific sites on Interior-managed tribal trust and other federal lands. The Department will be better equipped to make decisions that are sensitive to the ceremonial use and physical integrity of sacred sites through the benefit of tribal input and views on such matters.

Because many Indian tribes have belief systems that discourage or even prohibit the disclosure of the location or other information about sacred sites and places, Interior will respect tribal requests that information about such locations be kept confidential and only share this information with appropriate agency personnel.

For all those unable to attend any of these listening sessions, please send your input/suggestions by September 21, 2012, via email to consultation@bia.gov or the U.S. Department of the Interior, attn.: Mr. Dion Killsback, Counselor to the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, 1849 C Street, NW, MS 4141-MIB, Washington, D.C. 20240. Should you have additional questions, Mr. Killsback can be reached at (202) 208-6939.

CREDENTIALS: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) and valid media credentials.

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TULSA, Okla. — The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs has added an extra session to the Interior Department’s series of listening meetings on sacred sites in Indian Country. A sixth session will be held on Tuesday, September 18, 2012, in Tulsa, Okla. The first five were held last month in Albuquerque, N.M., Billings, Mont., Prior Lake, Minn., Uncasville, Conn., and Portland, Ore.

The Obama Administration recognizes that the protection of sacred sites on federal lands is integral to traditional religious practices, tribal identities and emblematic of sovereign tribal nations. These sacred site listening sessions are intended to assist in developing policies that result in effective, comprehensive and long-lasting federal protection of and tribal access to the places that are so important to the fabric and culture of tribal nations.

To address tribal concerns regarding sacred sites issues, Interior is conducting listening sessions on sacred sites in general, as well as knowledge relating to specific sites on Interior-managed tribal trust and other federal lands. The Department will be better equipped to make decisions that are sensitive to the ceremonial use and physical integrity of sacred sites through the benefit of tribal input and views on such matters.

Because many Indian tribes have belief systems that discourage or even prohibit the disclosure of the location or other information about sacred sites and places, Interior will respect tribal requests that information about such locations be kept confidential and only share this information with appropriate agency personnel.

For those unable to attend any of these listening sessions, please send your input/suggestions by September 21, 2012, via email to consultation@bia.gov or to the U.S. Department of the Interior, attn.: Mr. Dion Killsback, Counselor to the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, at 1849 C Street, N.W., MS 4141-MIB, Washington, D.C., 20240. Should you have additional questions, Mr. Killsback can be reached at (202) 208-6939.

CREDENTIALS: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) and valid media credentials.

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WASHINGTON -- Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today applauded President Obama’s intent to nominate Vincent G. Logan, a member of the Osage Nation, as the next Special Trustee for American Indians.

“Vincent Logan has been a part of the fabric of Indian Country for many years as an investment professional, mentor for Native American attorneys and founding member of the Native American Bar Association of Washington, DC,” Secretary Salazar said. “His asset management expertise, legal experience and extensive network of professional relationships in Indian Country will well serve the Office of Special Trustee as we work to build a stronger and more responsive trust asset management system for the Nation’s First Americans.”

The Office of Special Trustee for American Indians works to improve the accountability and management of Indian funds held in trust by the federal government. As trustee, the Interior Department has the primary fiduciary responsibility to manage about $3.7 billion in tribal trust funds and Individual Indian Money accounts, as well as leases for developing natural resources, such as coal, oil, natural gas, timber and grazing, that generate income for those accounts.

Vincent G. Logan is the owner of The Nations Group, LLC, which works with Native American tribes on asset management, investment strategies, and financial education. He worked in the Private Banking and Investment Group at Merrill Lynch from 2006 to 2009, and was a corporate finance attorney for Schulte, Roth, & Zabel from 2001 to 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Logan worked in the Antitrust Division at the United States Department of Justice from 1996 to 1998. He was appointed to the Oklahoma State University Foundation Board of Governors in 2010. Mr. Logan is a member of the Osage Nation. He received a B.S. from Oklahoma State University and a J.D. from the University Of Oklahoma College of Law.

The position of Special Trustee requires Senate confirmation.

More information on the Office of Special Trustee is online at https://www.doi.gov/ost.

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WASHINGTON – Acting Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Donald “Del” Laverdure today praised a federal training program that is working to develop tribal courts by enhancing and improving the trial advocacy skills of tribal court prosecutors, defenders and judges. The Tribal Court Trial Advocacy Program is a joint effort by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior that furthers the mandate of the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 (TOLA) to strengthen tribal sovereignty over criminal justice matters on federal Indian lands by strengthening the skills of those who practice within the tribal court system.

“Tribal courts are fundamental to strengthening tribal sovereignty because of their role in administering and dispensing justice in Indian Country,” Laverdure said. “The Tribal Court Trial Advocacy Program is bringing much-needed and desired training to those who practice law within the tribal court system, which will only enhance the courts’ ability to serve their communities. I am very pleased that this program is already proving its worth, and I want to thank the Justice Department for partnering with us on meeting the Tribal Law and Order Act’s mandate in this area.”

The result of a collaborative effort by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services (OJS) and DOJ’s Access to Justice Initiative (AJI), the Tribal Court Trial Advocacy Program is the first national effort by DOI and DOJ to offer trial advocacy training with courses designed specifically for tribal courts and free training to the judges, public defenders and prosecutors who work in them. Training is provided in three topic areas – domestic abuse, illegal narcotics and sexual assault on children and adults – with faculty and instructional materials prepared by experts knowledgeable about tribal court issues. The program is unique because it also has training specifically for public defenders.

A pilot training session on domestic violence held by the OJS and the ATJ in August 2011 in Rapid City, S.D., proved so successful that the OJS and its federal partners provided funding for seven additional sessions. The first of those, which focused on illegal narcotics, was held March 13-15, 2012, in Phoenix, Ariz. Each of the six remaining sessions, to be held through the rest of 2012 and into 2013, will focus on one training topic. The schedule for the coming sessions is:

• July 24-26, 2012, Duluth, Minn.
• August 14-16, 2012, Durango, Colo.
• September 11-13, 2012, Great Falls, Mont.
• October 2-4, 2012, Seattle, Wash.
• October 23-25, 2012, Chinle, Ariz.
• January 15-17, 2013, Albuquerque, N.M.

Training is structured in a way whereby participants are brought together for combined training, with breakout sessions provided where prosecutors and defenders can be trained separately to further develop their trial skills. Coursework is focused on evidentiary issues and provides participants with opportunities to work one-on-one with faculty and practice opening statements, direct examination, cross-examination and closing arguments in a small, courtroom-like setting.

In addition to the ATJ, the Department’s other DOJ partners in designing the training program and serving as trainers include the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Districts of Arizona, Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota; the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the District of Arizona; and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts’ Office of Defender Services.

For more information about the DOI-DOJ Tribal Court Trial Advocacy Program, which training topic will be offered at which site, and how to register for upcoming sessions, contact the BIA’s Indian Police Academy at 575-748-8151.

The BIA Office of Justice Services’ mission is to enhance public safety and protect property in Indian Country by funding or providing law enforcement, corrections and tribal court services to the nation’s federally recognized tribes. It also coordinates emergency preparedness support on federal Indian lands by working cooperatively with other federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies throughout Indian Country. It also operates the Indian Police Academy in Artesia, N.M., which provides training and professional development to BIA and tribal law enforcement personnel.

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WASHINGTON – Acting Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Donald “Del” Laverdure today posted on the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs blog “The First Anniversary of Let's Move! in Indian Country Brings Together Renowned Panelists and the Positive Accomplishments in Indian Country’s Quest for Healthier Living and Eating.”

The Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs blog can be found at: http://www.bia.gov/WhoWeAre/ASIA/blog/index.htm

The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs carries out the Secretary’s responsibility for managing the government-to-government relationship between the federal government and the 566 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes with a combined service population of about 1.9 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. The Indian Affairs Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development provides assistance to tribal communities with managing and developing their renewable and non-renewable energy resources and helping them to expand job creation, workforce training and economic development.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today applauded the Senate’s confirmation of Kevin K. Washburn, a member of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, to serve as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior. The Senate confirmed Washburn’s nomination, which President Obama announced in early August, by unanimous consent last night.

“As we continue to strengthen the integrity of the nation’s government-to-government relationship with federally-recognized Indian tribes and empower Native American and Alaska Native communities, Kevin Washburn will be an outstanding addition to our leadership team and a vital asset for President Obama’s initiatives in Indian Country,” Salazar said. “Kevin’s professional and academic achievements and his thorough knowledge of the critical issues facing the Nation’s First Americans will help us to fulfill the President’s commitment to empower tribal governments and advance their economic and social goals.”

Washburn is Dean of the University of New Mexico School of Law, a position he has held since June 2009. Prior to that, he served as the Rosenstiel Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law from 2008 to 2009 and as an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota Law School from 2002 to 2008. From 2007 to 2008, Mr. Washburn was the Oneida Indian Nation Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School. Previously, he served as General Counsel for the National Indian Gaming Commission from 2000 to 2002, and as an Assistant United States Attorney in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from 1997 to 2000. Mr. Washburn was a trial attorney in the Indian Resources Section of the U.S. Department of Justice from 1994 to 1997. Mr. Washburn is a member of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma. He earned a B.A. from the University of Oklahoma and a J.D. from Yale Law School.

Washburn will lead a team that includes Lawrence S. “Larry” Roberts as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. An enrolled member of the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin, Roberts, who joined Interior on September 5, is an accomplished federal attorney with extensive experience in federal Indian law and programs. He had been serving as General Counsel of the National Indian Gaming Commission since July 2010.

Donald "Del" Laverdure, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, has been serving as the Acting Assistant Secretary. During his tenure, Laverdure has worked to resolve long-standing water rights issues, improve public safety and education in tribal communities, accelerate the restoration of tribal homelands, and help Indian nations pursue the future of their choosing.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs will be holding tribal consultation sessions on Oct. 29 and 30 and Nov. 1 and 9, 2012, to seek comments and suggestions from tribal leaders in preparation for the Interior Department’s 2013 American Indian Population and Labor Force Report. The sessions will provide an opportunity for tribal leaders to provide their views on the report’s scope, data, and methodology. Four consultation sessions will take place: three in person and one via a national teleconference.

Tribal leaders will be asked to provide their ideas on issues such as data collection, definitions of “service population” and other terms, how service populations should be measured, and other issues in order for the Department to meet the report’s 2013 deadline. The Department did not publish a report in 2010 because the data collected did not meet the standards of quality and reliability that are required of federal agencies in reporting official statistics.

Public Law 102-477, the Indian Employment, Training, and Related Services Demonstration Act of 1992, as amended, requires the Department to publish the American Indian Population and Labor Force Report at least once every two years. Section 17 of the Act requires the report to capture the population eligible for services the Secretary provides to American Indians at the national level by state, Bureau of Indian Affairs service area and tribal level.

Written comments may be submitted by email to consultation@bia.gov no later than November 12, 2012. For more information and to view background and explanatory materials related to the listening and consultation sessions, please see “Preparation for American Indian Population and Labor Force Report – 2013” at http://www.bia.gov/WhoWeAre/AS-IA/Consultation/index.htm.

CREDENTIALS: This invitation is extended to working media representatives, who are required to display sanctioned media credentials for admittance to the event.

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WASHINGTON – Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Aurene M. Martin today announced that she has confirmed Woodrow W. Hopper Jr., a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, as Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs for Management. “Mr. Hopper is an experienced manager and a dedicated public servant,” Martin said. “His professionalism and commitment to excellence will serve both the BIA and the tribes well.” Hopper had been serving as acting Deputy Assistant Secretary since June 12, 2003. His appointment became effective on September 24.

Hopper joined the Interior Department following his retirement in 1986 from a long and distinguished human resources career in the United States Air Force. He rejoined the Department in 2002 as Director of Human Resources within the Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs. In the 1990’s, he served as the Department’s Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Resources from 1996 to 1997 and as Director of Personnel from 1993 to 1997.

Raised in Oklahoma City, Hopper joined the Air Force at 17 and completed his high school education while in service. After graduating from the University of Oklahoma through the Air Force “Airman” Education and Commissioning Program, he attended Officers Training School where he earned his commission. Hopper earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Oklahoma-Norman in 1970 and a Master’s degree in Personnel Counseling from Troy State University in Troy, Alabama, in 1975. He is also a graduate of the USAF Air Command and Staff College, Squadron Officers School, Academic Instructors Course, Personnel Officers Course and Professional Personnel Managers Course. Hopper served as an instructor in management and leadership at Southwest Texas State University from 1979 to 1981 and at the University of Texas at San Antonio from 1981 to 1983.

Hopper has two meritorious service medals and one Air Force Commendation medal for outstanding service. In 1997, he received the Interior Department’s Meritorious Service Award.

Hopper and his family currently reside in Washington, D.C. He and his wife are HarleyDavidson enthusiasts and marathon runners.

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

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