OPA

An ample supply of standard art supplies will be available on each van with enough to allow for a supply to be left behind at each school when the van departs,

In addition, students will be taught methods for using the materials indigenous to their local environments in the creation of their art forms, Pigments ground from stone, water colors blended from berries, brushes shaped by hand from twigs, and natural fibers such as leaf and bark used for collages will be prepared by· the students, in the Indian tradition.

The facilities of the mobile studios will be available to adults in the local communities after regular school hours.

The concept for the mobile art vans was developed by David C. Young, a specialist in cultural arts with the BIA.

It was created in response to criticism from some Indian parents that cultural aspects of the American Indian heritage are often neglected in the curriculum, The "holding power" of art education has been demonstrated successfully in the unique high school and postsecondary programs offered by the BIA at its Santa Fe institute of arts, a school exclusively for Indians and oriented largely to a fine arts curriculum, Many of its graduates have been recipients of scholarships to colleges of art and architecture and to museum schools in this country and abroad, A growing number are becoming established as professional artists, sculptors, designers and writers.

One of the Institute's graduates, Frances Makil, served as an instructor on an experimental run of a mobile art van last Spring. A student in art education at Arizona State University in Tempe, she was "loaned" by the college to the original mobile studio which visited her native Hopi reservation, and other Federal schools in the vicinity. Enthusiastic response to that venture from students, parents and teachers led to this year's expansion of the program,

James E. Hawkins, a former teacher and administrator in Indian and Eskimo schools, was named today to fill the long vacant key post of Director of Education for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The appointment was announced today by Commissioner of Indian Affairs Louis R. Bruce ", who said: "Our long talent search 'for the right person in this position has paid off. We have a man who is not only an educator but an experienced administrator, not only a man who knows what it takes to make quality education but also one who understands the particular educational needs and views of the Indian people.”

Since 1964, when Hawkins resigned from his last previous BIA post as director of the Minneapolis area office, he has served as director of community services and as education commission for the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands as a special assistant to the secretary of Commerce to coordinate regional development programs; and as director of program development and evaluation for the Peace Corps, the post he left to return to the BIA. He is completing doctoral studies at Stanford University in the combined fields of education and economics.

Bruce also announced 12 other job changes in the BIA, all in the nature of reassignments and rotations of personnel to make the best use of the BIA's resources and talents. “These changes are the direct result of our policy to consult with tribes concerning their wishes," he said.

The other changes are as follows:

Sidney B. Carney, former area director at Anadarko, Okla., to be area director at Albuquerque, N.M. Carney is a Choctaw-Creek Indian.

Morris Thompson, former assistant to the Commissioner and special Indian affairs assistant to the Secretary to be area director at Juneau, Alaska. He is Athabascan Indian and a native of Alaska.

Walter O. Olson, former area director at Albuquerque, to be area director at Minneapolis, Minn.

Brice L. Lay, former superintendent of the Pine Ridge Sioux Reservation, to be area director at Anadarko, Okla.

Norman Tippeconnic, formerly with the BIA data center in Albuquerque, to be field representative at the Hoopa reservation in northern California. He is a Comanche.

Reginald Miller, former employment assistance officer in Minneapolis, to be superintendent of the Great Lakes Agency, Ashland, Wisc. He is a Stockbridge Indian.

Thomas Hardin, to take over the vacant superintendency at Rocky Boy’s Agency in Montana, moving up from the post of development officer on the same reservation.

James L. Claymore, formerly an employment assistance specialist at the Turtle Mountain Reservation, to be superintendent of the Cheyenne River Agency, Eagle Butte, Mont., his native reservation.

Celestine Maus, to move up from loan specialist to superintendent of the Red Lake Chippewa Agency in Minnesota.

Charles Richmond, to move from the area office directorship in Juneau to the assistant director for education in the eastern Oklahoma (Muskogee) office.

Howard E. Euneau, reassigned from superintendent of the Rosebud Sioux Agency to Tribal relations officer at Aberdeen, S.D. He is a Turtle Mountain Chippewa.

Robert E. Robinson, reassigned from superintendent at the Fort Apache Reservation in Arizona to industrial development officer for the Sacramento, Calif. Area office.

The reassignments or rotation of personnel are part of the talent search and result from consultation with tribal groups, Bruce stated. He said: "Hany of our employees have worked so effectively on special assignments or have demonstrated particular specialized skills that they are being considered to serve where they can best help the Bureau meet new responsibilities. Personnel changes are designed to meet the career development of the individual as well as to use our limited resources most effectively for the greatest benefit to the Indians.”

Intensive study is being given to various recommendations for making changes in the delegation of authority in order that Indian people will have more voice in a decision-making process at all levels, especially in their local communities. Special consideration is being given to delegation of authority to superintendents and their staffs in order that the new policy of contracting various functions to tribes can be properly carried out.

Hawkins, under whose supervision some of the contracting responsibility falls added this comment: “In education programs the Bureau’s contracting procedures will be responsive to Indian initiative. The Bureau is ready and willing to contract all or part of a local school program to the local Indian Community, or tribe, if this is the prevailing local wish. This is a part of the overall effort to put Indians in the driver’s seat and take them out of the back seat of community development.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Sixteen Crow Indians were greeted by newsmen Embassy officials at Dulles Airport here Tuesday as they changed from the airplane that brought them from Billings, Mont., to one that would take them to London, England on an European tour may rival those staged by Buffalo Bill Cody.

The tour is designed to help attract European tourists to three American tours packaged particularly for them-- two seven day tours, one a fifteen-day tour. The tours will include a visit to five Indian reservations -- the Crow, Blackfeet, Northern Cheyenne, and Flathead, all in Montana, and the Wind River in Wyoming.

The delegation is headed by Crow Tribal Chairman David Stewart, and includes Phillip and Martha Beaumont, Emma Tillie Bird Hat, Donald and , Agnes Deer Nose, Ernest Holds the Enemy, David and Gladys Jefferson, Hugh and William Little Owl, Dennis and Beverly Sanders, Patrick and Sharon I Stands Over Bull, and Adelia Stewart.

The Crow Tribe has spearheaded the package-tour plan, an idea that sprang to life on the Crow Reservation two years ago and is, expected to climax in 1973 by the arrival of 600 Germans to "Indian country.” They will start their trip at the Crow Indians' resort, "Sun Lodge."

In commenting on the tour Louis R. Bruce, Commissioner of the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs that helped finance the European trip said: “As far as I know this is the first successful effort to attract Europeans to the United States on the basis of its unique culture -- the American Indians."

"These tours will bring dollars to the Indian reservations. They will bring money to the United States from abroad. They will help build goodwill abroad. We are proud to be a part of an effort that involves so many ‘pluses.'"

The Crow Indians at Dulles Airport were in street clothes but they had in their baggage regalia that will help them put on a performance of an hour or more twice a day throughout Germany and periodic performances elsewhere in Europe.

The performance they plan include the pipe ceremony, in which the pipe ceremony, in which the smoke of the Indian pipe establishes contact with ‘the Great spirit,’ the bustle dance, in which the exploits of battle are dramatized, an ancient tribal history by war chiefs, a grass dance, buffalo dance, rabbit dance, and a victory or circle dance.

The tours that originate in Germany are already being marketed by a large German department store chain whose headquarters are in Frankfurt. The Crow Indians will attempt to interest private audiences in London, England, Copenhagen, Sweden, Venice and Milan, Italy, and in Paris, France, in sponsoring similar tours originating from those cities.

One special facet of the trip so far as the Indians are concerned is a proposed visit to the crypt of Field Marshall Ferdinand Foch in Paris. David Stewart told the story of why the group had a special interest in Marshall Foch.

"Marshall Foch came to Arlington, Va. to help dedicate the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the close of World War I. Crow chief plenty coups, our outstanding chief, represented Indian warriors in the military at the same event. Foch liked Chief Plenty Coups. He told the Chief he would like an Indian name. Chief Plenty Coups told the Marshall 'You step foot on my land and then you will be given an Indian name.’

"Chief Plenty Coups had almost forgotten the incident when the next year, he got a letter from Marshall Foch reminding him of his remark and saying that he would make a special trip to the Crow Indian Reservation. Chief Plenty Coups said that in honor of his visit he would give the Marshall the best of his Indian names -- Chief of all Chiefs. Foch was adopted into the Crow Tribe by that name. It is my understanding that 'Chief of all Chiefs' is inscribed on Marshall Foch's crypt."

Stewart concluded his s tory by pointing out that his title was "tribal chairman" instead of "Chief" because the title "Chief" was abolished with the death of Chief Plenty Coups. "He was so outstanding that no one could follow in his footsteps," explained Stewart "So the title was buried with him.”

Greeting the Crow Indians at the airport were representatives of several embassies representing countries the Crows will visit. These included representatives from the German, Swiss, and Austrian embassies.

The German representatives indicated that some of the interest in Indians in Germany has been generated by a series of books by the German author Karl May, who vividly portrayed the Plains Indians although he never visited the United States.

When the Europeans tour, they will fly to Billings, Mont., then board buses for the remainder of their stay. In a typical tour they will be given, an outdoor barbeque by Crow Indians, take part in a campfire program and listen to an Indian lore lecture by a Crow. They will tour Custer National Battlefield. They will be presented with a medicine bag by the Northern Cheyenne Indians and listen to a brief history of the tribe when they visit that reservation. The tour includes a visit to Big Horn National Recreation Area, a guest ranch, and various western museums.

On the Wind River Indian Reservation they will see the graves of Chief Washakie and Sacajawea, guide for the Lewis and Clark Expedition. They will visit the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks a, Wyoming "ghost town." Also included will be a trip to Hungary Horse Dam and Glacier National Park, as well as the nearby Flathead and Blackfeet Indian Reservations.

The resignation of Louis R. Bruce as Commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs was announced today President Nixon. The resignation is effective January 20,1973.

Bruce. 66 has served as Commissioner since August 1969. A member of the Ogala Sioux tribe of South Dakota, Bruce was born on the Onondaga Indian Reservation in New York and grew up on the State's St. Regis Mohawk Reservation.

In submitting his resignation to the president, Bruce said: "Since my appointment and confirmation, I have worked to carry out the self-determination policies as outlined in your Indian message of July, 1970.

"Some of these are: Aid to tribal governments; an aggressive National Tribal Chairman's Association; and Indian Bank; the Indian Action Teams; Tribal control of Indian Education and a strong Bill of Rights for BIA boarding school students; roads on the reservations; establishment of viable Indian economies; Indian preference and consultation -- spells self-determination as I have been trying to identify it in my efforts during the administration.

"This I have done in a time when American Indians have been more directly involved with the Federal Government than ever before in determining the shape and direction of the policies and programs that vitally affect their lives."

Secretary of the Interior Cecil D. Andrus announced today the appointment of Sidney L. Mills as the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, effective January 19, 1980, when Assistant Secretary Forrest J. Gerard leaves the Department.

Gerard announced his resignation December 11 to return to private business.

Andrus said the Mills appointment was made to insure that programs, such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs management improvement project, continue without interruption for the remainder of this Administration. Andrus said his primary concern was that on-going programs to Indians are not interrupted. "We are committed to assuring continuity in policy making for Indian Affairs," he said.

Mills, an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, has been serving as the Acting Deputy Commissioner of Indian Affairs since July 30, 1979. He has also served as the Albuquerque Area Director and as the Executive Assistant to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs. "

Resigning Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs Forrest. J. Gerard said that Mills "brings a rich and diverse background to the Indian field. He has both the government and the private sector experience which can only benefit his constituents...the Indian people."

A Navy veteran, Mills, 54, entered 'Federal service in 1973 in the Aberdeen, South Dakota, Area Office. He was supply and contract officer and: for almost a year, the Acting Deputy Area Director before transferring to Washington, D. C., in August of 1975. He had previously been Purchasing Manager for the Great Western Sugar Company; Merchandise Control Manager, creative Merchandising, Inc.; and Purchasing Manager for Sundstrand Aviation, all in Denver, Colorado.

Mills is married with two sons. His wife, Corrine, is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

Ada E. Deer, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs and Joann Sebastian Morris, Director, Office of Indian Education programs attended the inaugural meeting establishing the Arctic Council in Ottawa, Canada on September 19, 1996.

"The Arctic is a particularly fragile ecosystem, and pollutants from elsewhere have entered the food chain in Alaska and acid rain falls on the native people," Ms. Deer said. "The Alaska Natives are very concerned about their health and the environment. The Alaska Natives depend on a subsistence system of hunting and fishing as a means to sustain livelihood and are therefore particularly vulnerable to environmental threats.

Ms. Deer likened the risk to Alaska Natives to those of the Miccosukee Tribe in Florida who depend on subsistence in the Everglades; quoting their Chairman, Billy Cypress who observed, "the snakes are dying, the turtles are dying, are we next?" Clearly we must take action in the Arctic today to avoid the near catastrophe that occurred in the Everglades ecosystem," Ms. Deer said.

The Arctic Council will provide a mechanism for addressing the common concerns and challenges faced by the governments that have land within the 60' Latitude, including the United States, primarily Alaska, and the people of the Arctic. 'The Council will develop rules of procedure, adopt terms of reference for a sustainable development program as a basis for collaborative projects, and ensure effective transition of the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS) into the Arctic Council, to be completed at the time of the 1997 AEPS Ministerial meeting in Norway.

Indigenous peoples of the Arctic have been included in the establishment of this new intergovernmental forum as an important milestone in a commitment to enhance cooperation in the circumpolar North. This inaugural meeting was attended by the leaders and senior representatives of three international Arctic indigenous organizations - the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, the Saami Council, and the Association of Indigenous Minorities of the North, Siberia, and the Far East of the Russian Federation, as Permanent Participants in the Council. Also in attendance were senior representatives from countries with populations within the 60' Latitude, including the United States.

The Arctic Council Declaration was signed by the foreign ministers and senior representatives of Canada, Denmark on their behalf and for Greenland, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and the United States. Undersecretary Timothy Wirth, of the Department of State represented the United States, signing the Declaration.

“Attendance at this meeting by affect Arctic countries and their indigenous peoples is a giant step forward in the preservation of this very fragile environment," Ms. Deer said. "It will be-through joint efforts and international cooperation that the culture and lifestyle of the Alaska Natives will be preserved. It is imperative that the United States continue to take part in this Council and remain an active player."

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb today announced the appointment of Robert D. Ecoffey, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, as its lead law enforcement officer. As director of the Bureau’s Office of Law Enforcement Services, Ecoffey will oversee a 750-person department that provides uniformed police services, detention operations and criminal investigations of alleged or suspected violations of major federal criminal laws in Indian Country.

“BIA law enforcement is in very capable hands,” said McCaleb “Robert Ecoffey has the knowledge and expertise in federal law enforcement required for working with tribes across the United States.”

Ecoffey will be responsible for all headquarter and field activities associated with the direction, coordination, support and operation of BIA law enforcement programs. “I am honored to have been selected,” said Ecoffey. “I look forward to the challenge of making our Indian reservations a safer place to live. It is important that we work hand-in-hand with tribal communities to achieve this goal, and I will work with them every step of the way.”

Ecoffey comes to the position with over 25 years of experience in the federal government, 18 of which spent in law enforcement. In 1983, he became the first American Indian to serve as a U.S. Marshall in the 204-year history of the Service. Ecoffey’s priorities for his tenure are curbing drug abuse, developing greater cooperation between tribal and Bureau law enforcement agencies, involving Indian communities at the initial stages of policy development, and increasing the number of tribal and BIA law enforcement officers to meet growing public safety needs in Indian Country. To facilitate the latter, he feels that the success of future recruitment efforts to bring more young Indian men and women into the Bureau’s law enforcement ranks will depend on partnerships between the tribes, K-12 schools and tribal colleges to generate interest in choosing law enforcement as a career. In addition, he is also looking at providing educational grants to Indian students in exchange for years of service in law enforcement and the creation of an Indian Youth Police Academy for 16-19 year-olds, which is already taking shape with two sessions scheduled for the summer of 2002. Prior to his appointment as director of OLES, Ecoffey served as superintendent of the Bureau’s Pine Ridge Agency on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota for the past five years. During his time there, Ecoffey working closely with the Oglala Sioux Tribe in a successful effort to have the reservation designated as an empowerment zone under the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He is particularly proud that he was instrumental in helping the Sueann Big Crow Boys and Girls Club, an affiliate of the National Boys and Girls Club of America, plan and build a new $6 million facility on the Pine Ridge reservation, which is slated for completion in June 2002.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs, an agency with almost 10,000 employees nationwide, provides services to, carries out its federal trust responsibilities for, and promotes the self-determination of the 558 federally recognized Tribal governments and approximately 1.4 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. Through the Office of Law Enforcement Services, the Bureau directly operates 49 and funds 160 tribally operated law enforcement programs across the country which combined provide Indian Country with nearly 2,100 law enforcement personnel including law enforcement and detention officers. OLES personnel work cooperatively with other federal law enforcement agencies to provide protection to persons and property and to enforce federal laws on federal Indian reservations.

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WASHINGTON - Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton today conducted a ceremonial swearing-in of the founding members of the American Indian Education Foundation (AIEF) Board of Directors at its inaugural meeting in the Interior Department's headquarters in Washington, D.C. Congress established the Foundation in December, 2000 under the Omnibus Indian Advancement Act (Public Law 106-568).

The Foundation is authorized to accept contributions from private citizens and outside entities wishing to provide direct assistance to Indian students attending Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) schools. "Education is one of the highest priorities of this administration," said Secretary Norton. "We are striving to leave no child behind in our efforts to improve the quality of education - including those at BIA schools across Indian country. The American Indian Education Foundation will play a vital role in supporting Indian students and bringing hope to their parents and communities."

Secretary Norton was joined today by Acting Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs Aurene M. Martin and AIEF Founding Director Lorraine P. Edmo for the ceremonial swearing-in of nine business leaders, educators and social service professionals who will serve on the Foundation's 11-member board. The Secretary and the Assistant Secretary will both serve as ex-officio board members. The BIA school system is comprised of 185 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools on 63 reservations in 23 states serving 47,909 students.

"The individuals who will serve on the board of directors are experienced and dedicated professionals in their fields," Secretary Norton said. "I am deeply grateful for their willingness to commit their time and energy to such a worthy effort. Through their leadership, the Foundation will become an effective advocate for BIA schools everywhere." In addition to Secretary Norton and Assistant Secretary Martin, the founding board members include:

• Dave Anderson of Edina, Minnesota, a member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwa and Founder and President of Famous Dave's Barbecue Restaurants franchise. His entrepreneurial experience and leadership helped his reservation substantially increase it gross revenues, an effort which was recognized by President Reagan's Presidential Commission on Indian Reservation Economies. In 1999, the Anderson family established the Youth Skills Foundation with a $1.4 million gift. Anderson was awarded the Bush Leadership Fellowship in 1985 and received a Masters Degree from Harvard University in 1986.
• Dr. David Beaulieu of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, an enrolled member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe - White Earth Reservation and the first Electa Quinney professor of American Indian education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's School of Education, a position named for the state's first American Indian public school teacher. He has extensive experience in federal Indian education having served as Director of the Department of Education's Office of Indian Education from 1997 to 2001 and on the Indian Nations at Risk Task Force from 1990 to 1991.
• Sharon K. Darling of Louisville, Kentucky, Founder and President of the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) and an internationally recognized leader in the field of family literacy. She is an active member of several boards and serves on the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. Darling also pioneered a program combing early childhood education, adult literacy education, parent support and structured interaction between parents and their children. She received the National Humanities Medal from President George W. Bush.
• John Guevremont, a member of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe of Connecticut and Director of the Tribe's National Government Affairs Office located in Washington, D.C. He has held several positions within Mashantucket Pequot tribal government, has been active in local and state politics, and is a retired major of the U.S. Marine Corps (1975 to 1995). He has a Masters Degree in Engineering Management and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• Daniel Lewis of Phoenix, Arizona, a member of the Navajo Nation and Senior Vice-President and Director of the Office of Native American Financial Services for Bank of America. Prior to joining the financial services company, Lewis served as Minority Staff Director for the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C. He is active in various local and national organizations and is currently chairman of the National Native American Advisory Committee of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
• Nick Lowery of Tempe, Arizona, President of the Nick Lowery Foundation and Co-Founder of "Nation Building for Native Youth." He has over 20 years experience organizing and leading community projects at the local and national level that promote and facilitate volunteerism, and that try to restore faith and healing to isolated communities. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. A former All-Pro professional football player with the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets, Lowery is the only American to work for Presidents Reagan, Bush and Clinton in the Office of National Service and Drug Abuse Policy.
• Jo-Anne Stately of St. Paul, Minnesota, a member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and Senior Program Officer of The Saint Paul Foundation. She was recently elected President of Native Americans in Philanthropy, a national non-profit association of American Indian and Alaska Natives promoting philanthropic giving across Indian Country. She has specialized experience in fund development in communities of color and her areas of focus include economic and neighborhood development, health care, and management of special projects.
• Dr. Linda Sue Warner of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a member of the Comanche Tribe of Oklahoma and Research Associate Professor, Truman Center for Public Policy, University of Missouri - Columbia and most recently served as Chief Executive Officer for the Indian Community School of Milwaukee, Inc.. Dr. Warner has extensive teaching experience in public and BIA schools as well as at the University of Kansas-Lawrence, where she also did graduate level research on Indian education leadership. In addition to her teaching credentials, Dr. Warner has a M.Ed. from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. from The University of Oklahoma-Norman.
• Della Warrior of Santa Fe, New Mexico, a member of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Oklahoma and President of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) where she also served as Interim President and, prior to becoming president, as Development Director. Under her leadership, the Institute has received over $9 million to establish permanent facilities, received full accreditation for its two-year academic programs and implemented its first four-year degree programs. She has a Masters Degree in Education from Harvard University.

AIEF founding director Lorraine Edmo, a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of Fort Hall, Idaho, has extensive experience in the federal and non-profit sectors. She previously served in the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Indian Education (OIE) as an Education Program Specialist. From 1993 to 1999, she served as executive director of the National Indian Education Association (NIEA), the country's oldest and largest non-profit Indian education organization.

From 1983 to 1992, she served as Executive Director of the American Indian Graduate Center (AIGC) in Albuquerque, N.M., a non-profit scholarship organization for American Indian and Alaska Native graduate students. Edmo has a Bachelors Degree from the University of Montana and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of New Mexico.

Congress established the Foundation as a federally-chartered charitable, nonprofit corporation under Title XIII of the Omnibus Indian Advancement Act of 2000 to accept and administer charitable donations for the benefit of Interior's Office of Indian Education Programs (OIEP) and "other activities" to further educational opportunities for American Indian students attending Bureau-funded schools. Federal agencies are prohibited from accepting private donations unless authorized to do so by Congress.

The Foundation will be organized as a 501(c)(3) corporation in the District of Columbia. Under the terms of the statute, the Secretary is authorized to provide support for the Foundation for a period of at least five years until it becomes an independent entity. The board will meet annually and operate independently from the Interior Department. The board also intends to select a permanent name for the Foundation as it develops the organization's articles of incorporation in the coming months.

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – On Thursday, March 14, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Assistant Secretary Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn will visit New Mexico to participate in two historic signing ceremonies for Indian Country.

In the morning, Salazar and Washburn will join Governor Victor Montoya at the Pueblo of Sandia in Bernalillo. Salazar is expected to approve one of the first tribal leasing regulations issued pursuant to the newly enacted HEARTH Act. The Act, originally introduced by then-Representative Martin Heinrich (N.M. - 1st Dist.) in 2009, was signed into law by President Obama in July 2012. The law restores the authority of federally recognized American Indian tribes to control the leasing of their trust lands, thereby promoting self-determination and economic development.

In the afternoon, Salazar and Washburn will join leaders from the Pueblos of Tesuque, Nambe, Pojoaque, and San Ildefonso to finalize the Aamodt water rights settlement. The settlement was one of four water rights settlements included in legislation signed by President Obama in 2011 that will help deliver clean drinking water to tribes in New Mexico, Arizona and Montana. The implementation of the Aamodt settlement will provide for the construction of a regional water system to serve American Indian communities in Northern New Mexico, closing a chapter on one of the longest running water rights cases in the federal court system.

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Contracts totaling nearly $7.5 million to build roads on American Indian reservations entered into by the close of fiscal year 1973 will help make those land areas more economically and socially viable and accessible to visitors, Marvin L. Franklin, Assistant to the Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs predicted today.

''These projects should help Indian reservations catch up with the rest of the country," Franklin said. ''No local roads were built on Indian reservations from 1900 to 1935 -- when the rest of the Nation was getting its foothold on a transportation system," he said. ''Today's Indian reservations need local roads to move the people, goods and services necessary for optimum economic, social and educational development."

The contracts include:

A $1,627,936 contract to asphalt surface 27 miles of the southern end of Route 18, Hualapai Trail (U,S, Highway 66 North) on the Hualapai Indian Reserva­tion, Coconino County, Arizona. The successful bidder is W.R. Skousen, Mesa, Arizona.

This will bring all-weather access to the Havasupai Reservation 27 miles closer and provide asphalt surfacing to the junction of the road leading to the Hualapai Youth Camp and Thornton Lookout.

A contract for $1,543,345 to grade, drain and surface and construct curbs, gutters and sidewalks on Zuni Pueblo streets was let to Neilson, Inc. of Delores, Colo. In addition, the contract provides for grading, draining and surfacing Nutria Road and Rio Pescado Bridge on the Zuni Reservation in McKinley County, N.M. When completed, the project will provide additional hard surface streets and sidewalks in Zuni Pueblo and an all-weather road to the Nutria Lakes Recreation Area. Total construction mileage involves 13.04 miles.

A $1,168,998 contract for grading, draining, and bituminous surfacing of 30.3 miles of access roads and bus routes serving Queens Well, Santa Rosa Ranch; and Pisinimo on the Papago Indian Reservation, Arizona. Successful bidder was D.C. Speer Construction Company, Phoenix, Ariz.A $919,338 contract to grade, drain, and give a bituminous surface to a 12 mile stretch of road that serves the villages of Vaya Chin, Hickiwan, and Charco 27 on the Papago Indian Reservation in Arizona was let to Ashton Company Tuscon, Ariz. This road, on Route 34 is a school bus route and has been given high priority by the Papago Tribe.