OPA

The Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service has awarded one of the largest tribal contracts in history to a 100% owned American Indian business. The $100 million contract, awarded to Wyandotte NetTel, offers telecommunications and information technology products and services to the federal government.

In today’s ceremony in Washington, D.C., executives from Wyandotte NetTel, the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Minerals Management Service, and the Small Business Administration celebrated the contract agreement.

“I congratulate Wyandotte NetTel and the Minerals Management Service on their groundbreaking contract,” said Neal A. McCaleb, Interior Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs. “Through Wyandotte NetTel, the Wyandotte Nation is becoming a leader in the telecom business world. Today’s agreement underscores my belief that tribes can build and sustain strong tribal economies through the successful diversification of their economic development portfolios.”

Wyandotte NetTel has grown as a telecommunications and information technology business through the leadership of Chief Leaford Bearskin. Chief Bearskin has emphasized community and economic development within the Wyandotte Nation, donating profits to fund education, housing and health-related projects for the tribe. College scholarships are provided to students, a housing program facilitates home ownership for under privileged families, and a local medical clinic provides free treatment to tribe members, while making medical care available to the public.

The Wyandotte NetTel contract was negotiated by GovWorks, a federal acquisitions center, managed by the Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service.

“By offering a ‘total solutions’ concept, the contract with Wyandotte NetTel will be a one-stop shop for government users,” said Bob Brown, MMS Associate Director for Administration and Budget. “GovWorks has a great track record with outstanding customer satisfaction results from contracts with small and disadvantaged minority companies such as this one. Wyandotte NetTel’s contract is particularly important because it directly benefits an American Indian tribe and it also provides creative information technology solutions to federal agencies. This is a win-win situation,” said Brown.

GovWorks provides a full range of acquisition services to federal agencies on a project by project basis and negotiates contracts such as this one to offer federal customers IT solutions. Wyandotte NetTel will provide a full array of hardware, software and integrated technology to engineering, installation and project management services

Wyandotte NetTel is a small and disadvantaged minority business, has Small Business Administration certification under the 8(a) Program, and is certified as a HUBZone contractor.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs provides services to and carries out the federal government’s trust responsibility for the 558 federally recognized Tribal governments and approximately 1.4 million American Indians and Alaska Natives nationwide.

MMS is the agency responsible for overseeing GovWorks operations.

MMS also manages the nation’s oil, natural gas and other mineral resources on the outer continental shelf in federal offshore waters. The agency also collects, accounts for and disburses mineral revenues from federal and Indian leases. These revenues totaled nearly $8 billion last year and more than $110 billion since the agency was created in 1982. Annually, nearly $1 billion from those revenues go to the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the acquisition and development of state and federal park and recreation lands.

An American Indian planning committee has set three goals for a White House Pre-conference dealing with library services on reservations, Dr. William Demmert, Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Office of Indian Education announced today.

Goals for the session to be held next October in Denver are to raise awareness among Indian people of the value of libraries, to help develop a consensus on a long-range plan to improve library services on reservations and to provide an organized Indian contribution to the subsequent White House Conference on Library and Information Services.

The planning committee is composed of thirteen American Indians who have demonstrated concern for Indian library and information services and who represent a cross section of Indian people.

Staff support for the groups is provided through the BIA's Office of Indian Education and the Interior Department's Office of Library and Information Services.

Members of the Committee are: Maxine Edmo (Shoshone-Bannock), Ft. Hall Education Council, Ft. Hall, Idaho; Anthony D. Genia (Ottawa/Choctaw), Minnesota Indian Consortium for Higher Education, Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota; David Gipp (Sioux), Educational and Technical Center, United Tribes of North Dakota, Bismarck, North Dakota; Joseph Hardy (Navajo}, Navajo Small Business Development Corporation, Ft. Defiance, Arizona.

Calvin Issac (Choctaw), Chairman, Choctaw Tribe, Philadelphia, Mississippi; Dr. Cheryl Metoyer (Cherokee), School of Library and Information Science, University of California at Los Angeles; David Risling (Hoopa), Deganawidah-Quetzcoa:tl University Davis, California; Joseph "Bud" Sahmaunt (Kiowa), Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Lotsee Smith (Comanche), College of Education, University of New Mexico.

Pete Soto (Cocopah), Phoenix Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs; Minerva C. White (Mohawk), Native American Special Services, St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York; Marilyn Youngbird (Arikara), Colorado Commission on Indian Affairs, Denver, Colorado: and Virginia H. Mathews (Osage), Chairman of the Pre-Conference, Director of Gaylord Professional Publications, Syracuse, New York.

Conservation projects totaling $20,102,500 which will create thousands of new jobs and extend into virtually every State were announced today by Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall following approval by President Kennedy of additional allotments under the Accelerated Public Works Program.

The new projects bring to $32,101,500 the amount to be administered by the Department under the program which was signed into law by President Kennedy September 14, 1962. The program is designed to help in the initiation and speed-up of State, local, and Federal public works projects that will provide immediate useful work for the unemployed and underemployed in labor-surplus areas.

Of the $20,102,500 just approved, $14,102,000 is for specific projects to be set up in 29 States, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. The remaining $6 million will be apportioned among virtually all the States on a matching-fund basis to improve fish and wildlife resources. State projects will be reviewed by the Area Redevelopment Administration, Department of Commerce, prior to the commitment of any funds by the Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service.

''The fish and wildlife grants constitute a major increase in the fish and wildlife restoration program," Secretary Udall said. "Federal grants will be matched equally by the States. The projects will develop new fishing grounds for sportsmen, build access roads and trails for hunters, restock streams and lakes, and create havens for wildlife. This program, in which every State is welcome as a participant - along with Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam - will provide employment opportunities while assuring long-range benefits for the outdoorsman. Its benefits will continue to be felt for many years."

Secretary Udall pointed out that the other Accelerated Public Works Projects, specifically earmarked, will provide the equivalent of nearly 1,800 man-years of direct employment. This, he emphasized, will be in addition to that developing ­­­ from the fish and wildlife restoration program and from those jobs generated as a result of the allocation of $12 million for conservation projects October 31, 1962.

The $20,102,500 in new conservation projects just announced will involve seven bureaus and services in the Department as follows: Bureau of Land Management,

$1,660,000; Bureau of Indian Affairs, $4,361,500; National Park Service, $5,374,000; Bureau of Mines, $182,000; Geological Survey, $80,000; Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, $100,000; and Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, $6,000,000 in grant-in-aid programs and $2,345,000 in direct Federal allotments to various refuges and hatcheries.

Except in the case of Indian reservation jobs, employees for the projects will be hired only through local United States Employment Service offices.

Following is a breakdown of specific projects:

Alaska

Cook Inlet - One Indian village, in Election District No. 2, will be the site of $60,000 in construction and improvements of community centers, providing four man-years employment.

Norton Sound - Community centers at two Indian villages, located in Election District No. 23, will be benefited by construction and improvements costing $120,000 and providing eight man-years employment.

Southeast - Six Indian villages located in Election Districts Nos. 1, 2, J, and 4, will be economically assisted through $364,500 in construction and improve­ments projects affecting community centers. The equivalent of 19 man-years of local employment will result.

Katmai Project - Construction of a garage, dock and pier, fuel-storage facili­ties, and a campground under an investment of $100,000 are planned for this National Park area in the 15th Election District. Ten man-years of employment are assured.

Mt, McKinley National Park - In Election District 18, $100,000 will be invested in reconstruction of the Park road. Some 20 man-years of employment will be created.

Arizona

Fort Apache Reservation - An investment of $94,400 will be made to promote erosion control and improve timber stands and soil productivity. The equivalent of 17 man-years work will be provided in Apache, Gila, and Navajo counties.

Gila River Reservation - Eleven man-years of work will result from an invest­ment of $82,000 for the construction of roads, erosion control and the improvement of soil productivity in Maricopa and Pinal counties.

Hualapai Reservation - Under a $25,000 erosion control and soil productivity program in Coconino, Mojave, and Yavapai counties, 4 man-years of work will result.

Navajo Reservation - With a total investment of $882,200, three projects will be undertaken, creating the equivalent of 141 man-years' work in Coconino, Navajo, and Apache counties. Nine miles of primary highway from Ganado south will cost $400,000; a project to control erosion and improve soil productivity will be $282,200; and $200,000 will be invested in timber stand improvement.

Salt River Reservation - In Maricopa County, erosion control, soil productivity improvement, and road improvement, at an investment of $37,800, will result in six man-years of work.

California

Pinnacles National Monument - A $71,000 improvement project in San Benito County will involve the installation of visitor facilities and the placing of bituminous seal on roads used by travelers to this interesting area of spire like rocks, caves, and volcanic features. Seven man-years of work will result.

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area $200,000 investment in this new and popular recreation site on Whiskeytown Reservoir in Shasta County will create

24 man-years of employment in establishing parking areas and roads, beach facil­ities for swimming and boating, and other betterments to encourage use by recreationists.

Kings Range Recreation Area - This scenic spot on public land in Humboldt County will undergo $70,000 in improvements to encourage use by visitors. Seven man-years of employment will be created in constructing a campground, picnic facilities, and foot trails.

Kings Canyon National Park - A $245,000 program is planned for this Fresno County area. Trails, campsites, and other recreation facilities will be provided. Twenty-four man-years of employment will result.

Hawaii

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - Access roads, walks, trails, and safety turnouts will be provided under a $100,000 project employing the equivalent of eight men for a year.

City of Refuge National Historical Park - The sacred grounds of Hawaiian warriors and others of a bygone day will be made more accessible to present-day visitors by a clean-up program, control of exotic plants, and stabilization of picturesque ruins. In all, $175,000 will be invested in this scenic area. The equivalent of 16 man-years of employment will result.

Volcano Observatory Project - A total of $80,000 will be invested in improving this installation of the Geological Survey in Hawaii National Park. Work will include trenching and laying cable, repairing the observatory, and building parking facilities. About 10 man-years of on-site employment will be created.

Idaho

Kootenai Project - In Kootenai County, forest and recreation improvements requiring six man-years of employment will stem from an $80,000 investment on public lands. Planned are construction of five miles of the Latour Creek access road, a new Killarney Creek Campground, trails at Beauty Bay, and acceleration of forest stand and improvements on some 500 acres.

Ontario Project - Some five miles of foot trails and 15 family camping units, along with acceleration of conservation measures on public lands in Payette and Washington counties will result from an $87,000 investment that will supply seven many years of work.

Nez Perce Reservation - $47,300 will be invested in Clearwater, Idaho, Lewis, and Nez Perce counties on erosion control, timber stand improvement, and the improvement of soil productivity. The equivalent of eight man-years of work will be involved in these activities.

Illinois

Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge - Conservation improvements totaling $150,000 have been authorized for this refuge. Sixteen man-years of employment will be created in Calhoun and Jersey counties.

Indiana

Lincoln Boyhood National Monument - Improvements to this Spencer County historic site will be made with $39,000 to be invested in boundary markings, grass seeding, and clearing unwanted growth. The equivalent of six man-years of work will result.

Kentucky

Mammoth Cave National Park - A $143,000 improvement program is scheduled for this well-known tourist attraction. Work will include new electrical wiring, structural improvements to the cave itself, and construction of a storage building. Approximately 25 man-years of employment will result in Edmonson,County.

Kentucky Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge - A $300,000 project, assuring

30 man-years of employment in Lyon County, will see wildlife facilities improved and a series of additional conservation measures taken. An important element in this project will be the development of recreational facilities for the public visiting this Between-the-Rivers area.

Maine

Acadia National Park - Tourism to this scenic area will be encouraged under a $145,000 program centering on trail reconstruction, creating a swimming beach and pier, and better sanitary facilities. Some 18 man-years of employment in Hancock County will be created.

Craig Brook fish hatchery - This National Fish Hatchery in Hancock County will be the site of $121,000 in improvements, including construction of roads and picnic areas, a water-supply line, and new buildings. The equivalent of 10 man-years of labor will be required.

Maryland

Harpers Ferry_ - Improvements totaling $68,000 will be made at this famed National Monument. Work will include construction of fire-control facilities, better marking of boundaries, and removal of old buildings of non-historic importance. About eight man-years of employment in Washington County will result.

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, - Under an investment of $130,000 a dike now under construction will be completed and recreational-facilities will be improved. Some 13 man-years of employment in Dorchester County will result.

Glen Martin National Wildlife Refuge, - Provision of additional wildlife facilities and fulfillment of other conservation measures will result from an investment of $100,000 which also will generate the equivalent of 10 man-years of on-site employment in Somerset County.

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal - A $32,000 project in Washington County will center on stabilization of the canal bed and banks. Three man-years of employment will be created.

Michigan

Isle Royale - Betterments totaling $400,000 are scheduled for this National Park in Lake Superior. Work will include removal of old structures, improved fire-control facilities, replacement of wooden lookout towers, building of protective barriers, and reconstruction of docking facilities. Employment equivalent to 40 man-years of work will be created in Keweenaw County.

Jordan River Hatchery - Employment equivalent to more than JO man-years' work will be created under a $400,000 improvement program at the Jordan River National Fish Hatchery in Antrim County. Work will cover construction of concrete raceways, raceway roofs, supply and drainage lines, roads, and picnic areas. Landscaping will be included and fencing installed.

Hiawatha National Fish Hatcher - Under a $60,000 investment, new buildings will be constructed, raceways improved, and betterments effected in utility lines, roads and parking areas, and recreational facilities. The equivalent of five man-years of employment will be created in Chippewa County.

Mississippi

Natchez Trace Parkway - Betterments totaling $528,000 are scheduled for four counties of this scenic area between Nashville and Natchez. They will involve screen planting, drainage improvements, picnic area development, vista clearing, and construction of a visitor center. The four projects will represent the following investments! Attala County, $50,000; Choctaw County, $72,000; Leake County, $180,000; and Madison County, $226,000. The resulting employment in these four projects will total 53 man-years.

Vicksburg National Military Park - With an investment of $400,000 many improve­ments are to be made in this historic area, including boundary survey and marking, slope stabilization, vista clearing, and the provision of better driveways and parking areas. The equivalent of 80 many years of employment will be created in Warren County.

Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge - Development of recreational facilities, wildlife betterments, and other conservation measures are scheduled for this refuge and will create 40 man-years of on-site employment under a $400,000investment in Noxubee and Oktibbeha counties.

Choctaw Reservation - Under a $210,000 program, employing the equivalent of 42 man-years of labor in Attala, Kemper, Leake, Neshoba, and Newton counties, reservation roads will be graded and surfaced, costly erosion will be controlled, and improvements will be made in soil productivity and timber stands.

Montana

Blackfeet Reservation - Reemployment of 27 man-years will result in Glacier and Pondera counties under a $165,400 program of grading and surfacing reservation roads, controlling erosion and improving soil productivity, and timber stand improvement.

Crow Reservation - Ten man-years of employment will result from a $90,800 investment in boundary fencing, road improvement, erosion control, and improvement of soil productivity. Work will be in Big Horn and Yellowstone counties.

Flathead Reservation - Reservation roads will be graded and surfaced, and timber stands will be improved under a $50,500 program in Flathead, Lake, Missoula, and Sanders counties. Nine man-years of work will result.

Fort Belknap Reservation - In Blaine and Phillips counties, the construction and improvement of a community center will involve a $46,500 investment and provide the equivalent of four man-years of employment.

Nebraska

Omaha Reservation - An investment of $25,400 will be made in Burt, Cuming, and Thurston counties for erosion control, improvement of soil productivity, and boundary fencing. Four man-years of work will result. Winnebago Reservation - Boundary fencing, erosion control, and soil improvement in Dixon and Thurston counties will provide four man-years of employment under an investment of $25,400.

Camden Project - A surplus Army vessel, now stored at Charleston, S. C., will be moved to Camden County, New Jersey, to be outfitted as a supply vessel for the Fish and Wildlife Service to carry materials between Seattle and the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea. The conversion will cost $100,000 and will create 12 man-years of employment in the Camden area.

New Mexico

Isleta Pueblo - An investment of $68,000 will be made in the construction and improvement of community centers. Six man-years of employment will result in Bernalillo, Valencia, and Torrance counties.

Jemez Pueblo - In Sandoval County, $36,300 will be invested in boundary fencing, erosion control, and improvement of soil productivity, employing the equivalent of five men for a year.

Laguna Pueblo - Under a $105,800 program in Bernalillo, Sandoval, and Valencia counties, 15 man-years of work will result from the grading and surfacing of reservation roads, erosion control, and improvement of soil productivity.

Nambe Pueblo - Construction and improvement of community centers will require

$30,000 and provide three man-years of work in Santa Fe County.

Navajo Reservation - At an investment of $400,000, road construction, timber stand improvement, erosion control and improvement of soil productivity will provide the equivalent of 66 man-years of work in McKinley and San Juan counties.

Picuris Pueblo - The $30,000 construction and improvement of community centers in Taos County will result in three man-years of employment.

Pojoaque Pueblo - An investment of $25,000 will bring about construction and improvement of community centers. The equivalent of three man-years of work will result in Santa Fe County.

Ramah - Road improvements will be made in this Navajo Community for $30,000. The equivalent of four man-years of work will result in McKinley and Valencia counties.

San Ildefonso Pueblo - With an investment of $25,000, erosion control and soil productivity improvement programs will result in five man-years of work in Santa Fe County.

Santo Domingo Pueblo - Thirteen man-years 1of work will result from the con­struction and improvement of community centers; boundary fencing; erosion control; and the improvement of soil productivity. Work will be done in Sandoval and Santa Fe counties. The investment will total $102,300.

Ohio

Mound City Group National Historical Park - Recreation facilities will be provided under an $85,000 project in Ross County. The equivalent of 12 man-years of employment will result.

Oklahoma

Platt National Park - This improvement project will be in Murray County. A $75,000 program will rehabilitate buildings and provide other betterments for the benefit of tourists. Approximately nine man-years of employment will be generated.

Tishomingo Refuge - At the Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge in Marshall County, $50,000 will be used for road betterments, water-management facilities, building fences, rehabilitating buildings, development of recreational areas, and soil and moisture conservation measures. The equivalent of five man-

Tishomingo Hatchery - At the Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery, recreational facilities will be installed and many betterments made to hatchery facilities, including replacement and repair of buildings, subdivide ponds, install fencing and curbs, and improve roads. An investment of $121,000 will create 10 man-years of on-site employment in Johnston County.

Iowa - The Iowa Indians in Lincoln County will benefit from the investment of $70,000 for construction and improvement of community centers and the resultant creation of five man-years of work.

Kickapoo - The construction and improvement of community centers for the Kickapoo Indians of Lincoln County will cost $70,000 and create five man-years of work.

Seneca-Cayuga - A program of erosion control and improvement of soil productiv­ity to benefit the Seneca-Cayuga Indians of Delaware and Ottawa counties will involve $30,000 and require six man-years of work.

Oregon

Gold Beach Project - Recreation facilities at Sixes River and timber stand improvements on 185 acres at Bosley and Edson Buttes will create four man-years of work in a $26,000 project in Curry County, Oregon.

Salem Project - A wide variety of recreation and forest improvements near Salem will create 25 man-years of work in a $285,000 program. Recreation sites at Santiam River, Elk Horn Valley, Canyon Creek and Mill Creek, and 25 family recrea­tion sites at Salmon Falls will enhance tourist and visitor attraction Surfacing five miles of the Gooseneck Road, and 15 miles of the Mt. Horeb Road will aid visitor access and timber harvest routes. Timber stand improvements are also listed for the Salem Project in Marion and Polk counties.

Albany Project - A $200,000 project in Linn County, will require 12 man-years of work in surfacing seven miles of the Yellow Bottom segment of the Quartzville road system, improving timber harvest and visitor access. Site improvement measures will be taken on 175 acres of public forests.

Warm Springs Reservation - Timber stand improvement and road improvement will be made for $64,000, creating 10 man-years of work in Jefferson and Wasco counties. Pennsylvania

Fire-Control Project - An $84,000 coal-mine-fire control project will be undertaken by the Bureau of Mines in Northumberland County. The fire threatens a residential area at Coal Run, near Shamokin. The Coal Run project will provide 25 man-years of employment.

El Canton Surface Mined Reclamation Demonstration Project - A $98,000 project on State-owned land in Clearfield, Clinton, and Elk counties will test and demon­strate methods for reclaiming extremely hilly country after completion of surface mining. Twenty man-years of work will be required.

Lamar National Fish Hatchery - This Federal hatchery near Tylersville, Clinton County, will undergo $150,000 in improvements that will include construction of concrete raceways, a water-supply line to various facilities, building of a retain­ing structure and spring intake, and installation of recreational facilities for the public. The equivalent of 12 man-years of employment will result.

Gettysburg National Military Park and Cemetery - An amphitheater and sidewalks will be provided in a $29,000 project in Adams County. Man-years of employment will total three.

years of on-site employment will be created.

Independence National Historical Park - Non historic structures will be leveled and historic sites and structures restored under a $273,000 project in the city of Philadelphia. A total of 35 man-years of employment will be created.

South Dakota

Cheyenne River Reservation - An investment of $68,000 will be made for erosion control and the improvement of soil productivity in Dewey and Ziebach counties. Ten man-years of employment will result.

Crow Creek-Lower Brule Reservation - The grading and surfacing of reservation roads will require $38,000 and provide five many-years of work in Buffalo, Hughes, Hyde, Lyman, and Stanley counties.

Tennessee

Great Smoky Mountain -With an investment of $219,000, a wide range of improvements will result in this National Park area in Sevier County, including road sealing, vista clearing, rehabilitation of historic buildings, and construc­tion of trails and trail shelters. About 40 man-years of employment will be provided.

Natchez Trace Parkway - A $131,000 investment will be made in Wayne County and will include construction of water lines, improvements to grounds, and installation of boundary posts. Nine man-years of employment will result.

Utah

Navajo Reservation - In San Juan County an investment of $85,500 will be made for erosion control and improvement of soil productivity, resulting in 12 man-years of employment.

St. George Project - Widespread improvements on several thousand acres of public rangelands will create 21 man-years of work in a $300,000 project in Washington County. Included will be 105 miles of fence, two stock wells, and 15 spring developments. Sagebrush-control measures will improve forage on 4,000 acres of the national land reserve.

Sanpete Project - In Sanpete County, $32,000 will be invested in public land improvements, creating the equivalent of three man-years of employment. Five cattle guards will be built and 20 miles of fencing installed.

Carbon and Emery; Project - Improvements on public land in Carbon and Emery counties will involve an investment of $180,000 and will include construction of 16 family recreation units, replacement of the Bureau of Land Management office building at Price, construction of a storage warehouse, and the cutting of thousands of posts for fencing. The equivalent of 14 man-years of employment will result.

San Juan Project - A total of $400,000 will be invested in public land improvements in San Juan County for construction of recreation facilities at Anticline Overlook, Canyonlands Panorama, Needles View Point and Hatch Point, and building 47 miles of access road. More than 32 man-years of employment will result.

Virginia

Blue Ridge Parkway - This heavily used recreation and scenic area will undergo $255,000 in betterments in Carroll County covering soil and moisture control, vista clearing, and addition of picnic facilities. In Grayson County, $111,000 will be invested in similar work. The equivalent of 51 man-years of employment will be created.

Washington

Olympic National Park -In Grays Harbor County, $115,500 will be invested in improving campgrounds and trails and providing other recreation facilities. A total of 16 man-years of work will result.

Lummi Reservation - In Whatcom County, $91,000 will be invested for the control of erosion and improvement of soil productivity; improvements also will be made to a community center, Nine man-years of employment will result.

Spokane Reservation - A $95,000 program for grading and surfacing reservation roads, erosion control, and improvements of soil productivity and timber stands will result in 15 man-years of employment in Stevens County.

Yakima - With an investment of $175,800, reservation roads will be graded and surfaced, erosion control measures taken, and improvements will be made in timber stands and soil productivity. The equivalent of 29 man-years of work will result in Klickitat and Yakima counties.

West Virginia

Harpers Ferry National Monument - Under an investment of $250,000, trails will be improved, vistas cleared, buildings reroofed, and a general cleanup arranged. More than 25 man-years of employment will result in Jefferson County.

Leetown National Fish Hatchery - Installation of recreational facilities and many improvements to the hatchery in Jefferson County, such as building construc­tion, development of a water supply, and a fire-suppression system, and rebuilding of catch basins will result from a $203,000 investment which will create the equivalent of 15 man-years of on-site employment.

Wisconsin

Northwestern Wisconsin Reservations - Several counties will benefit from an investment of $154,000 in timber stand and road improvements, and the creation of 27 man-years of employment.

Puerto Rico

San Juan National Historic Site - A total of $400,000 will be invested in repairs at Morro Castle, Son Cristobal, and El Barico and in constructing parking areas and in general cleanup. A total of 40 man-years of work will result.

Virgin Islands

Virgin Islands National Park - This tropical park will have $291,000 in improvements. Historic ruins will be made more presentable, better trails and roads will be provided, vistas cleared, and a general cleanup of facilities conducted. About 30 man-years of employment will be provided on St. John, on which the park is located, and on nearby St. Thomas, St. Croix, and Buck islands.

Washington – Jerry Gidner, Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), announced today the Second National Conference on Child Protection & Child Welfare in Indian Country will be held August 19-22, 2008, in Billings, Mont. The Conference is sponsored by the BIA and will be held in conjunction with the Interdepartmental Tribal Justice, Safety and Wellness Session #7 hosted by the Department of Justice in partnership with the Departments of the Interior, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development and the Small Business Administration, along with the Indian Health Services and Substance Abuse and Mental Heath Services Administration Behavioral Health Conference 2008.

“This is the first year that all these agencies, working together on very important issues in Indian Country, have joined to sponsor this important conference,” said Gidner, Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs. “We are anticipating approximately 1,000 participants from tribal, urban, state and federal employees, educators, law enforcement, tribal court personnel, social service providers, counselors, psychologists, and social workers.”

The opening ceremony will be held at 8:00 a.m. on August 20, 2008, at the Holiday Grand Hotel, Convention Center. The week long conference is full of workshops featuring presentations on best practices, advocacy for children and lectures from the most preeminent professionals in Indian Country. Some of the workshops and lectures will be: Developing a Culturally Based Tribal Welfare System; Suicide Prevention in Indian Country; Developing Child Advocacy Centers; Risk Assessment of Children in Meth Homes; The Impact of Trauma on American Indian Children and Wisconsin Tribal State Collaboration on Modifying State Laws to Address the Indian Child Welfare Act. The Conference will culminate on Friday with the making of a video: “Pathways to Hope: Healing Child Sexual Abuse,” that will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Survivors of Sexual Abuse.

A couple of cultural events will be held: Thursday, August 21, 2008, at 12:00 p.m. “The Pink Shawl Event,” in honor of Breast Cancer Survivors, that evening at 6:00 p.m. “Our Way of Life,” music and dancing of the Apsaalooke Nation.

For more information, or if your organization is interested in sponsoring any of the events, please contact Jade Snell or Lisa Geda at the In-Care Network, 406-259-9616, or by e-mail jsnell@180com.net: or lgeda@180.com.net. Additional information and registration material can be downloaded at www.incarenetwork.com for the BIA conference. For the IHS/SAMSHA conference, the website is: www.bhconference.com, and for the OJP/DOJ conference, www.circlesolutions.com.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Indian Health Service (IHS) and the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) entered into an Interagency Agreement today that will increase access to mental and behavioral health services for students attending BIE schools and youth detained in BIA Office of Justice Services (OJS) facilities.

“The Indian Health Service is dedicated to addressing behavioral health issues across Indian Country with a special focus on Native youth,” said IHS Principal Deputy Director Mary L. Smith. “This Agreement is another major step we have taken to increase access to quality health care in tribal communities. This is a great partnership and key to caring for our Native youth.”

“In keeping with President Obama’s Generation Indigenous initiative to improve opportunities for Native youth and the BIA’s Tiwahe initiative to strengthen Native families, this interagency agreement will enable the BIA and BIE to work collaboratively with IHS to bring much-needed behavioral health resources to Native youth,” said Lawrence S. “Larry” Roberts, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior. “I want to thank IHS for working with us to bring these resources to our educational and juvenile detention facilities. The services will be of immense help to our students and youth detainees and their families.”

The Agreements allows each agency to establish local partnerships through Memoranda of Agreement (MOA) between IHS federally operated mental health programs, BIE-operated elementary and secondary schools and BIA OJS-operated juvenile detention centers to provide mental health assessment and counseling services, which includes telebehavioral health services. In the first year of this agreement, more than 25 schools could access these services.

Under this 10-year Agreement, behavioral health services will be offered at BIE schools and OJS facilities. Tribes, tribally controlled schools or detention facilities may enter into a MOA with the three agencies for these services; however, tribal participation is completely voluntary.

A similar partnership already exists with the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Since November 2015, nine schools and one detention center on the Pine Ridge Reservation initiated agreements for behavioral health services. This Agreement builds on the other interagency efforts between IHS and BIA, including a December 2015 partnership to equip BIA law enforcement officers with naloxone for responding to drug overdoses in tribal communities.

Launched by President Obama in December 2014, Generation Indigenous, also known as Gen-I, is a Native youth initiative focused on removing the barriers that stand between Native youth and their opportunities to succeed. This initiative takes a comprehensive, culturally appropriate approach to help improve the lives and opportunities for Native youth. Earlier this year, IHS announced more than $7 million in Generation Indigenous behavioral health funding for Tribes, Tribal organizations and other programs.

About the BIA and BIE:

The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is headed by a director responsible for managing day-to-day operations through four offices – Indian Services, Justice Services, Trust Services, and Field Operations. These offices directly administer or fund tribally based infrastructure, economic development, law enforcement and justice, social services (including child welfare), tribal governance, and trust land and natural and energy resources management programs for the nation’s federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes.

The PDAS also oversees the Bureau of Indian Education, whose director implements federal Indian education programs and funding for 183 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools (of which two-thirds are tribally operated) on 64 reservations in 23 states, as well as peripheral dormitories, serving over 40,000 students. The BIE also operates two post-secondary institutions of higher learning, administers grants for 28 tribally controlled colleges and universities and two tribal technical colleges, and provides higher education scholarships for Native youth. For information about BIA programs, visit www.indianaffairs.gov. For information about BIE programs, visit www.bie.edu.

About the Indian Health Service:

The IHS, an agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides a comprehensive health service delivery system for approximately 2.2 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. For more information, visit http://www.ihs.gov. Follow IHS on Facebook.

WASHINGTON – Acting Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Michael S. Black announced today that the Department of the Interior has scheduled a series of tribal consultation sessions beginning February 23, 2017, on updating the Licensed Indian Trader regulations at 25 C.F.R. Part 140. The Department is taking this action in an effort to modernize implementation of the Indian Trader statutes consistent with federal policies of tribal self-determination and self-governance.

“The Interior Department’s Indian Trader regulations need updating to reflect the present day realities of commerce and business development on tribal lands,” Black said. “I strongly encourage tribal government and business leaders to give us their feedback on ways in which these regulations can be improved to better reflect their business environments and the Nation-to-Nation relationship.”

The Department is asking for public comments on whether and how it should update the regulations, including how they might be updated to govern who trades on Indian lands and how they can better promote tribal self-determination regarding trade on Indian lands. The regulations were first published in 1957, revised in 1965, and modified in 1984.

On December 9, 2016, the Department published in the Federal Register an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) stating that it is considering whether to propose an administrative rule that would comprehensively update the Indian Trader regulations. The Department is seeking comments on questions that were listed in the December 9 notice.

On February 8, 2017, the Department published in the Federal Register a notice with complete information on the dates, times and locations for the eight tribal consultation sessions to be held.

The Department is seeking comments from tribes, states and their agencies, and the public. Comments must be submitted on or before April 10, 2017.

For more details on the ANPRM and how to submit comments, see the December 9 Federal Register notice. For the complete schedule of tribal consultation sessions, visit the Indian Affairs Office of Regulatory Affairs & Collaborative Action webpage here.

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke sent a draft report to the president which included his findings and recommendations on national monuments that were under review as a result of the April 26, 2017 executive order. The report summary can be read here. The extensive 120-day review included more than 60 meetings with hundreds of advocates and opponents of monument designations, tours of monuments conducted over air, foot, car, and horseback (including a virtual tour of a marine monument), and a thorough review of more than 2.4 million public comments submitted to the Department on regulations.gov. Additionally, countless more meetings and conversations between senior Interior officials and local, state, Tribal, and non-government stakeholders including multiple Tribal listening sessions.

The review was initiated by President Trump in order to restore trust in the multiple-use mission of the Department and to give rural communities a voice in federal land management decisions. In order to make the process transparent and give local residents and stakeholders a voice, the Secretary announced on May 5, 2017 the opening up of a formal comment period for the review, as the President directed. This was the first time ever that a formal comment period was open on regulations.gov for national monuments designated under the Antiquities Act.

“No President should use the authority under the Antiquities Act to restrict public access, prevent hunting and fishing, burden private land, or eliminate traditional land uses, unless such action is needed to protect the object,” said Secretary Zinke.“The recommendations I sent to the president on national monuments will maintain federal ownership of all federal land and protect the land under federal environmental regulations, and also provide a much needed change for the local communities who border and rely on these lands for hunting and fishing, economic development, traditional uses, and recreation.”

While traveling across the country, Secretary Zinke met with hundreds of local stakeholders and heard concerns about some national monuments negatively impacting things like local revenue from federal lands, agriculture, private property rights, public access to land, traditional Tribal uses of the land, and timber harvesting.

Over the 120-day review, Secretary Zinke visited eight national monument sites in six states:

• Bears Ears (UT)
• Grand Staircase Escalante (UT)
• Katahdin Woods and Waters (ME)
• Northeast Canyons and Seamounts
• Cascade Siskiyou (OR & CA)
• Organ Mountain Desert-Peaks (NM)
• Basin and Range (NV)
• Gold Butte (NV)

The following national monuments were announced to have been removed from review prior to the August 24 deadline:

• Craters of the Moon
• Hanford Reach
• Upper Missouri River Breaks
• Grand Canyon-Parashant
• Canyons of the Ancients
• Sand to Snow

The Department of the Interior has asked Congress for legislation to authorize disposition of funds arising from a $567,000 judgment in favor of the Snake or Paiute Indians (in this case, the names are synonymous) of the former Malheur Reservation in Oregon.

A proposed bill submitted by the Department brings to light an obscure and interesting bit of American history and focuses attention on the complexities, hat often arose as a result of the settlement of Indian tribes on reservations. The requested legislation would authorize and direct the Secretary of the Interior to prepare a roll of persons of Snake or Paiute Indian blood living on the date the bill becomes law, who were members or who are lineal descendants of members of the bands as they existed in 1879 and whose chiefs or headmen were parties to an unratified treaty of December 10, 1868.

The problem is that records of membership and of descendancy establishing membership are vague and unreliable.

The Snake Indians are a group of the Shoshonean stock which inhabited the great plateau lands of western Utah, northern Arizona, southern Idaho, eastern Oregon, Nevada, and southern and eastern California. The name of Northern Paiute was given to, and has been retained by, the tribes or bands of the Paviotso of Nevada and the Snakes of eastern Oregon.

Tribes of the Shoshoni were affected along with other Indian tribes, by the great western migration of settlers; the hysteria occasioned by the discovery of gold and other ores; and the introduction of livestock to lands used by the Indians as a source of food plants and animals. Completion of the first trans-continental railroad in 1869 brought the native period in that area virtually to an end.

The Federal Government, three years earlier, had extended its authority without formal purchase over the territory of the "Western Shoshoni" and included within it the northern part of the lands occupied by the Northern Paiute tribes, assuming "the right of satisfying their claims by assigning them such reservations as might seem essential for their occupancy and supplying them in such degree as might seem proper with necessaries of life."

From 1864 to 1874 the President, by Executive Order, created several reservations to accommodate the Northern Paiute, including, in 1872, the Malheur Reservation for the Snake Indians. The lands were taken into possession by the Government "without formal relinquishment by the Indians," who did not, by any means, confine themselves to the reservations established for them.

In December 1868, the chiefs and headmen of the Snake--We-you-wa-wa, Caha-nee, E-hi-gast, Po-nee, Chaw-wat-na-nee, Ow-its, and Yash-a-go--signed a treaty with the Federal Government. The treaty was never ratified by the United States Senate. Thereafter, and for diverse reasons, the Snake or Paiute Indians became increasingly hostile to the changes that were taking place around them and reluctant to accept the reservation environment that was eventual thrust upon them. The Bannock, a detached branch of the Northern Paiute, enlisted the sympathy and support of the Snake in an uprising in 1878 occasioned by the loss of Bannock lands, failure of the buffalo herds, and the lack of prompt relief on the part of the Government.

The uprising was suppressed in 1879 by Gen. O. O. Howard and the Snake were removed by the military to the Yakima Reservation in the State of Washington. Soon after their arrival on the Yakima Reservation, the Snake or Paiute began drifting away. Many went back to their old home country in Harney Valley and settled in what is now the town of Burns, Oregon, where some still reside. Some affiliated with other bands of Paiute. Others settled on the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon. The Malheur Reservation, upon which they were originally settled, was abandoned and later restored to the public domain without compensation to the Indians.

As a result of the scattering of the Snake following settlement on the Yakima Reservation, and their continued affiliation with the Bannock, efforts to locate a record of the members of the respective bands of Snake or Paiute Indians whose chiefs were parties to the unratified treaty of December 10, 1868, have been unsuccessful. An 1877 census roll and an 1875 subsistence list appear to be the best records available to establish eligibility of living Snake or Paiute Indians to share in the distribution of the judgment funds. However, these records not on list the names of Indians who were members of the seven bands whose chiefs signed the unratified treaty, but they include names of all individual Indians who were living on the Malheur Reservation and who were eligible to receive subsistence at that agency. Some of these Indians were Bannocks, who have no legal claim to compensation for the lands comprising the former Malheur Reservation, the Department said.

The proposed bill, recognizing the lack of adequate official records of membership, includes language which will permit persons who were members of the seven Snake or Paiute bands who are still living, and descendants of the original members of the bands, to apply for enrollment, using whatever records are available to establish the validity of their claim to benefit in the judgment funds, regardless of their present tribal affiliation.

Under the proposed bill, the Secretary of the Interior would be authorized to prorate the funds and distribute the shares of the living enrollees directly to such enrollees, or in such manner as he decides is in the best interest of the enrollees. This will permit pooling the shares of those who are enrolled or are eligible for enrollment and who elect to spend their shares for reservation development. It also permits payment directly to adults having no present affiliation with other enrollees, and provides for Secretarial responsibility for disposition of shares of minors or persons under legal disability.

The judgment fund constitutes payment for the lands which were set aside by Executive Order in 1872 for use and occupancy of the individual bands of Snake or Paiute Indians and were, by Executive Orders issued in 1882 and 1883, restored to the public domain without payment of any compensation to the Indians. Legal fees and other expenses reduced the amount of $468,395.50, but this, drawing interest at 4 percent per year, had grown to the substantial sum of $519,827.49 by June 5, 1963.

Secretary of the Interior Rogers C. B. Morton today announced approval of two Land and Water Conservation Fund grants totaling nearly one-quarter of a million dollars to the Mescalero Apache Tribe of New Mexico for public recreation and campground developments on its Reservation.

"We are delighted to help the Mescalero Apache Tribe share with all Americans the superior hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreation opportunities available on its beautiful Reservation Secretary Morton said.

"I commend the Tribal leaders for their foresight -- these projects and their long-range plan for public recreation services that will provide job opportunities and enhance the economy of the Mescalero Apache people 'predates, but is consistent with, the Nixon Administration policy to promote greater self-determination and self-sufficiency for the Nation's Indian people on their Reservations, policies that now are being implemented through new programs in the Bureau of Indian Affairs. "

The campgrounds are some 20 miles apart, on Eagle Lake and Silver Lake, in Otero County, N.M., about 29 miles north of Alamogordo. They are the first Mescalero Apache Tribe applications for Land and Water Conservation Fund assistance, and an integral part of the Tribe's master plan to develop a multi-activity public outdoor recreation complex on about 100,000 acres of the Reservation. Facilities for skiers, and hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation opportunities have been available to the public for some time.

The projects are in a picturesque tree-covered mountainous region of the 460,000 acre reservation which is bisected by the Sacramentos, a southern extension of the Rockies and the first major mountain range west of the Appalachians. The nearby towns of Ruidoso and Cloudcroft now serve as a major recreation center for residents of west Texas and southern New Mexico.

G. Douglas Hofe, Jr., Director of the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation which administers the Land and Water Conservation Fund program for the Department, commended both the Tribe and the New Mexico State planning department for their effective cooperative efforts in developing the project proposals.

Federal funds for the projects --$116,035 for the Eagle Lake Recreation Area and $112,942 for the Spring Lake area -- are provided from the State of Mexico's Land and Water Conservation Fund apportionments. The Tribe is providing 20 percent of the matching funds required for the Federal grants, and the Economic Development Administration's Four Corners Regional Commission is providing 30 percent.

The total of $457,954, in Federal and matching funds, will be used to develop a 54-unit trailer campground at Eagle Lake and a 45 unit trailer campground at Spring Lake. Picnic areas with grills and, parking areas also will be developed. Support facilities at each area will include underground electric utility lines, water and sewer systems and a trash compactor. Part of the funds will be used to improve “existing access roads.

The campgrounds, which will be screened from view from the nearby lakes, will increase by about 80 percent the availability of trailer camp spaces in the area. The nearby, more primitive, Forest Service campgrounds, are in constant demand, and the few private trailer parks in the vicinity cannot accommodate the increasing numbers of trailer campers. "Eventually Tribal officials hope to build additional campgrounds near other Reservation lakes.

The Mescalero Apache Tribe's "Triad" recreational development program, of which these campgrounds are a part, has been underway for about 11 years. The major elements of the program are: 1) expansion of the Sierra Blanca Ski area on both Tribal and Forest Service lands where the facilities are owned and operated by the Tribe, and now receives about 400,000 visitors a year; 2) development of a 125 room resort hotel at Cienegita Canyon with an 18 hole golf course and 100-acre man-made lake, on which construction is expected to begin this Spring and completion is anticipated in 1973; and 3) a longer-range plan to set aside a large natural area on the Reservation and allow only minimal development.