Tulalip News

$1.9 Billion Dispute: Tribal Leaders Fuming Over Cobell Land Buy-Back Program

Adrian JawortMontana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council representatives express grievances to Bureau of Indian Affairs and Department of Interior officials. — Adrian Jawort
Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council representatives express grievances to Bureau of Indian Affairs and Department of Interior officials.

Adrian Jawort, Indian Country Today Media Network

The program manager for the Department Of Interior Land Buy-Back Program (LBBP) for Tribal Nations, John McClanahan, felt the heat as the frustration of Natives boiled over Friday, July 26 at the offices of the Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council offices in Billings, Montana.

Leery of a federal one-size-fits-all approach of how copy.9 billion of Cobell LBBP money allotted will be spent to purchase buy-back lands, tribal representatives from the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains areas grilled McClanahan and the BIA about the lack of transparency and cooperation between the DOI and tribal nations thus far. An estimated 70 percent of the fractional buyback acres are located in these areas.

As a result, the MT-WY TLC propose that Congressional legislation is needed to halt the DOI from holding primary purchasing control of buyback lands as well as halt bureaucratic fees that would total $285 million. It was the U.S. government that mismanaged the funds in the first place.

Frustrated with bureaucratic foot dragging, the MT-WY TLC plan to secure a meeting with President Barack Obama and Senate Committee on Indian Affairs before the November midterm elections in order to obtain Congressional support.

McClanahan tried to alleviate fears that the last year hasn’t been time wasted and they weren’t trying to push tribes aside. Bureau of Indian Affairs Director Michael Black and the BIA’s Rocky Mountain Deputy Regional Director Darrel LaCounte were also present to address grievances.

“One of the main things we’ve heard over the last couple of years of planning is tribal involvement is important,” McClanahan says. He addressed other widespread concerns he’s heard like map access of potential private land that could be bought, appraisal information, and accounts that gain interest rates for individual tribes as it waits to be spent.

“We’re trying to start out a program where everything can be balanced. We can’t work with everyone right at once, but we hope to ramp it up so we can work more tribes at once sooner,” McClanahan says.

Fort Belknap representative Donovan Archibald says he’s proposed three detailed plans to the DOI after initial implementation plan meetings were held earlier this year, but never received responses.

He told the BIA and DOI officials, “We’re the key players. You guys are working for us. If we get a contract from the government, we have to submit a proposal of what we’re going to do and that includes a plan and a budget. But you’re contracting our dollars that were awarded to us.” He notes the DOI plans to hire 100 new people to do jobs a lot of tribal members could do themselves. “We want to see a plan or budget to see how we’re going about this.”

McClanahan said many new staff members were hired to handle the mass amount of land cost appraisals. “Some tribes are interested in doing appraisals, and others aren’t,” he said. “But we just want to make sure we’re ahead of the game.”

Archibald said Fort Belknap Assiniboine-Gros Ventres Tribes have already been purchasing land for decades, and even bought 450 acres since March with the tribe’s own money. Cobell money that is supposed to be in the tribe’s possession would’ve come in handy. He also said with the salary of one DOI/BIA official with no knowledge of reservation lands, one could hire several local people on a poverty stricken reservation.

“I have 4.5 million dollars worth of sales in applications right now, and a lot of those are already appraised,” he adds. “We have our own land department and procedures and everything is legally approved by the bureau. We could be buying land right now, and so could a lot of other tribes like the Blackfeet and Northern Cheyenne. I don’t understand why we have to wait for you guys to catch up while we could be doing it.”

“We just want that reciprocal respect we’re affording the federal government,” Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribal representative Tommy Christian says. Although Christian understands the DOI and BIA needed to protect their interests based on regulative authority, they shouldn’t patronize tribal integrity and authority while having the audacity to call them sovereign.

“That’s the part of oppression we’ve been dealing with for years, and we need to get over this. You guys got copy.9 billion dollars to help us address these problems, but you’re just giving us a little bit here and there and there to satisfy an administrative process that’s totally ineffective to us. So when I say we need to ‘come to a level playing field,’ understand where I’m coming from.”

Christian said tribes didn’t want to fight the BIA or DOI, they just wanted to make the process easier for all involved. The MT-WY TLC statement says a tribally driven process “will be a real and true step towards self-determination and a fitting legacy for Elouise Cobell.”

Perhaps venting the sentiments and concerns for all the involved tribes at the meeting, Archibald said in regards to the DOI and BIA’s perceived over involvement, “It’s the same old rhetoric: play ball with us, or you’re not going to get your money.”

Eerie Echoes of Seattle Woodcarver Killing: Toronto Cops Gun Down Teen

Video still/YouTubeToronto police surround, then open fire on, an empty streetcar in which an 18-year-old Syrian boy is brandishing a small knife. Sammy Yatim died of his wounds. — Video still/YouTube
Toronto police surround, then open fire on, an empty streetcar in which an 18-year-old Syrian boy is brandishing a small knife. Sammy Yatim died of his wounds.

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

Sammy Yatim moved to Toronto five years ago along with his sister, to live with their father and escape the danger of the escalating civil war in Syria, where average citizens are being slaughtered daily.

But July 26 found the 18-year-old dead, outnumbered and gunned down by police officers after he refused to drop a knife on an empty streetcar. Friends and family are shattered, and hundreds of people filled Toronto’s streets on Monday in a protest march and vigil.

“We are in very, very difficult times,” Yatim’s father, Nabil, told The Star. “He was an average kid, loved by his friends. Now, you have totally different versions coming out.”

The drama aboard the 505 streetcar late Friday night, just before midnight Saturday. According to witnesses, he was holding a knife. Police were summoned, with at least half a dozen converging on the stopped, now-empty streetcar. Witness videos caught the voices of police yelling, “Drop the knife!” while a fainter voice could be heard saying, “He’s the only one in the car.”

The car was indeed empty, but the cops start shooting. They fired nine shots, CTV News reported. Then one boards the car, and the sound of a Tazer can be heard.

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair said he wanted answers as well, having viewed the video footage taken by witnesses and posted on social media.

“I am aware of the very serious concerns the public has,” Blair told CTV News. “I know that people are seeking answers as to what occurred, why it happened and if anything could have been done to prevent the tragic death of this young man. I am also seeking answers to these important questions.”

Slain Seattle woodcarver John T. Williams

It was sadly reminicent of the shooting of Native woodcarver John T. Williams in Seattle in 2011. Walking across the street, he was holding a knife, but not near any people. Police told him to drop it, but the hard-of-hearing 50-year-old did not respond. A police officer opened fire.

Be it an 18-year-old Yatim, a 17-year-old Trayvon Martin or a host of others judged on the slightest perceived aberration and issued the death penalty, it was yet another example of how vulnerable the non-white population can be.

Blair said the provincial Special Investigations Unit would conduct a full, objective evaluation, and offered condolences.

“As a father, I can only imagine their terrible grief and their need for answers,” he said of the family.

Grassroots anti-pipeline groups and Idle No More say “Enbridge no more! Shut down the tar sands!”

Source: Intercontinental Cry, July 27, 2013

Today, members of Aamjiwnaang and Sarnia Against Pipelines (ASAP) along with supporters of the Idle No More movement and environmental groups gathered in Sarnia’s Chemical Valley at Lasalle Line where Enbridge’s Line 9 comes above ground across the road from the border of the Aamjiwnaang reserve. Community members and grassroots activists briefly blocked the Lasalle Line road with a mock oil spill, calling attention to the risks posed by the Line 9 Reversal Project and to commemorate the 3 year anniversary of the Line 6 spill in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

The demonstration on Lasalle Line is at the spot where Line 9 comes above ground and there is a small Enbridge facility right on the edge of Aamjiwnaang. At this site, Aamjiwnaang community members will conduct a land protection ceremony.

The Line 9 Reversal Project is Enbridge’s plan to ship tar sands oil east for export through a nearly 40 year old pipeline for which experts not employed by oil companies agree that it is a matter of when, not if, this line will spill.

Today’s demonstrators call attention to the broader destruction caused by the tar sands and not just the local risks posed by the Line 9 reversal Project. “All pipeline spills are overlooked by the media all the time,” says Vanessa Gray, a member of Aamjiwnaang First Nation and a founding member of ASAP. “The problem is not how we transport the product, it’s the product itself and the oil companies we should question. The Tar Sands is the most destructive project exploiting First Nation’s territories on Turtle Island today and the future generations of all peoples are depending on the actions we take to defend the air, water, and land we need.” said Gray.

Today’s demonstration was called to commemorate the three year anniversary of the spill on Enbridge’s Line 6 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, which started spilling on July 25, 2010, and was the largest inland oil spill in US history. Communities around that spill site continue to deal with devastating local environmental and health impacts. However, the message coming from Chloe Gleichman of the Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands was similar to Gray’s, in that she too was interested in focussing on broader, rather than local impacts.

“The community and climate devastation caused by tar sands transcends fabricated boundaries drawn by governments and authorities in collusion with companies like Enbridge,” said Gleichman. “Tar sands development is industrial genocide to indigenous cultures, ecosystems, and anyone who stands in the way of infrastructure expansion. We must resist Enbridge because no community should become collateral damage in the endless and reckless pursuit of profit,” she said.

Clayton Thomas Muller, National Campaigner for Idle No More’s Sovereignty Summer (#SovSummer) campaign, says that, “a movement is rising up from coast to coast to coast against the Canadian Tar Sands and will continue to grow incrementally until we take back our democracy from the hands of corporations like Enbridge who would see all our streets, rivers, lakes and coastal areas destroyed by tar sands pipeline spills.” Thomas-Muller continues, “We will not stop until the six core demands of Idle No More & Defenders of the Land’s campaign, #SovSummer, including the right of communities to say NO are respected by the Harper Government.”

Expansion of drilling prompts deep fears in Michigan

Gary Heinlein, Detroit News

A new environmental fight looms over a huge natural gas harvesting project opponents claim will industrialize northern Lower Peninsula forests and drain billions of gallons of water from aquifers that feed treasured trout streams.

A Canadian firm proposes to use hydraulic fracturing to draw natural gas from as many as 500 wells extending nearly two miles underground and the same distance horizontally.

“It’s intense industrial resource use, intense water use unprecedented in Michigan,” said Traverse City environmental lawyer Jim Olson, who represents an outdoors organization that wants to protect the unspoiled Jordan River Valley in Antrim County near the affected area. “We need to get a handle on this way ahead of time.”

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has been used in Michigan for 60 years on 12,000 wells with very few problems and little public attention, but not in shale formations this deep.

Environmental activists, partially driven by highly publicized fracking battles in other places, are starting to butt heads with state agencies that oversee oil and gas drilling and with Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration.

Calgary, Alberta-based Encana Corp.’s project dovetails with Snyder’s energy plan.

“I am committed to ensuring that Michigan can take advantage of the reliability, affordability and environmental and economic benefits of natural gas resources,” Snyder said in a special address to lawmakers last November.

Calling Michigan “a very strong natural gas state,” Snyder also called for a state reserve to set aside some of what’s harvested and hold down the price.

The governor defended the use of hydraulic fracturing and announced a University of Michigan study that will guide state policies for tapping the abundant natural gas deposits discovered over the past decade or so in Michigan.

Encana is tapping Michigan’s mammoth Antrim and Collingwood shale formations, which zig-zag from the tip of the mitt all the way down the middle of the state to Gratiot County. The company’s mineral rights are mostly in Cheboygan, Emmet, Kalkaska and Missaukee counties but also spread into other counties.

Fracking sparks concern

Controversies have swirled around the fracking technique, which opens vast new sources of oil and gas to world markets but has been blamed for environmental problems, from earthquakes and tremors in England to methane gas in drinking water in Pennsylvania.

Two recent movies, “Gasland” and Gasland II,” stoked new concerns and made claims disputed by the industry and some studies.

Encana’s project, for which it has leased mineral rights to 432,000 acres of public and private land, has the potential to make fracking more of an issue than it has been in the past in Michigan.

Fly fishermen are starting to wonder if their favorite waters will be harmed; Charlevoix-headquartered environmental activists want voters to ban the technique; and House Democrats are calling for tighter state restrictions. Also, fracking opponents have held demonstrations at DNR mineral rights bidding sessions in the past year and a half.

“My big concern is where’s the water going to come from?” said Josh Greenberg, owner of Gates Au Sable Lodge, next to Michigan’s most-popular trout stream in the Grayling area. “It’s coming from here. Who’s going to benefit? Someone who’s not here.”

Encana says fracking uses 58,800 to 31.5 million gallons of water per well. The amount varies from one well to another.

Olson last September urged the state’s Natural Resources Commission to slow down mineral rights leasing on public lands and declare absolutely off-limits state game reserves, recreational and natural areas he characterizes as Michigan’s “crown jewels.”

Safety ensured

Officials at the two key regulatory agencies expressed confidence hydraulic fracturing can continue to be done safely.

“The biggest concern is the volume of fluids (water) being used,” said Harold Fitch, state geologist and head of the Office of Oil, Gas and Minerals at the Department of Environmental Quality. “If you manage water consumption and the waste water that’s produced, you’ve got control.”

The Department of Natural Resources, which oversees mineral rights, is careful about where drilling is permitted, added spokesman Ed Golder. Special areas such as critical dunes, Great Lakes bottom lands and the Jordan River Valley are off-limits.

“We do a thorough analysis of the land we lease and what type of use should be allowed,” Golder said.

Fracking uses high volumes of water, sand and a chemical mix, pumped under very high pressure, to create fissures in shale formations, releasing the natural gas they hold.

Two-thirds or more of the mixture stays in the deep formation, Encana says. The rest shoots back up the pipe to be drawn off into special tanks and trucked to one of 740 deep-formation chemical waste storage wells.

The hydraulic fracturing takes from a few days to a few weeks. Once that’s completed, a well can continue to produce natural gas for as long as 40 years, according to company literature.

Encana has drilled a dozen wells since 2009. One goes down 10,500 feet and about two miles horizontally, said spokesman Doug Hock.

“We’re in the early stages,” Hock said of new drilling in northern Michigan. “Til we do the exploration, we won’t know whether we have something that can scale up and be economic.”

Hock said the investment could be huge: $10 million per well.

Dems seek safeguards

House Democrats argue for more safeguards and have rolled out bills with stringent requirements for disclosure of fracking chemicals and water use. Municipalities and individuals would be entitled to court hearings before permits are issued.

“If I lived in northern Michigan and they were putting (fracking chemicals) in the ground near my house, I’d want to know,” said Rep. Andy Schor, D-Lansing, one of the bill sponsors.

Fitch, the state geologist, said the DEQ has looked into a recent case in which the process temporarily affected a homeowner’s well. Beyond that, he said, fracking has been almost trouble-free here: two limited wastewater spills.

That’s not enough assurance for those who worry about toxic chemicals left in the ground, no matter how deep, and waterways that might be hurt by massive groundwater withdrawals.

Charlevoix-based Ban Michigan Fracking wants to collect at least 258,088 registered voter signatures by Oct. 1 for a 2014 ballot proposal to prohibit fracking. A similiar effort to get a ban on the 2012 ballot failed when opponents didn’t collect enough petition signatures.

At Gates Au Sable Lodge, Greenberg views Encana’s project with deep concern. For his lodge, shop and restaurant to thrive, the Au Sable River always must flow clear and cold.

“I’m scared and a little concerned about what it’s going to look like if it all comes to pass,” Greenberg said.

“I don’t think you could ever convince me you can take that much water from what’s under the earth and not affect what’s on top of it.”

America Recycles Day 2013 Announces Open Registration for Local Events

Join the national celebration of recycling by hosting a local event

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 29, 2013) – Online event registration is now open for America Recycles Day, a national initiative of nonprofit Keep America Beautiful (KAB). This year’s America Recycles Day theme, “I Want To Be Recycled,” will help to educate people about the importance of recycling to our economy and environmental well-being as well as motivate occasional recyclers to become everyday recyclers.

America Recycles Day, which takes place annually on Nov. 15, recognizes the benefits of recycling while providing an educational platform that helps raise awareness about the value of reducing, reusing and recycling – every day – all throughout the year.

Online registration is now open at AmericaRecyclesDay.org for local organizers to schedule events in their communities and gain access to valuable resources to plan, promote and host an event. To support event organizers, there are best practices guides for hosting events, activity ideas, downloadable posters and banners, media outreach tools, sample proclamations, and much more. Events can be scheduled any time during the fall, but should be held as close to Nov. 15 as possible.

America’s leading companies are proud to make America Recycles Day possible. National sponsors of America Recycles Day to date are: Anheuser-Busch, the Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies and Waste Management.

About Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful is the nation’s leading nonprofit that brings people together to build and sustain vibrant communities. With a strong national network of 1,200 affiliates and partners including state recycling organizations, we work with millions of volunteers who take action in their communities. Keep America Beautiful offers programs and engages in public-private partnerships that help create clean, beautiful public places, reduce waste and increase recycling while educating generations of environmental stewards. Through our actions, we help create communities that are socially connected, environmentally healthy and economically sound. For more information, visit kab.org or follow us on Twitter at @kabtweet.

About America Recycles Day
America Recycles Day is a national program of Keep America Beautiful, and is the only nationally-recognized day and community-driven awareness event dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the U.S. Since its inception in 1997, communities across the country have participated in America Recycles Day on Nov. 15 to educate, promote environmental citizenship, and encourage action. To learn more, visit americarecyclesday.org.

Nez Perce Elder Drowns After Rescuing 7-Year-Old Grandson

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

The Nez Perce Tribe is mourning the loss of Elmer Crow, Jr., 69, who drowned while saving his 7-year-old grandson the evening of July 26.

“I am still in such shock and grief, but am so proud of my father’s final act of heroism that I just have to share it with the world,” wrote son Jeremy Crow on the Elmer Crow Memorial Facebook page. “….His final act of lifting my nephew above the water for those last few moments was what saved his grandson’s life but cost him his own.”

On the fateful night, two cousins, Crow’s grandsons, were swimming in the Buffalo Eddy of the Snake River—an eddy or reverse current, created when the water flows past the river’s sharp bends. Buffalo Eddy in the Nez Perce National Historic Park is notable for the densely grouped clusters of petroglyphs and pictographs on the stone sides.

Elmer Crow, Jr. (Elmer Crow Facebook Memorial/Ben Knight)

According to witnesses, the children were playing in the popular swimming area when they were sucked underwater by the wake of a jet boat. That’s when Crow jumped in, the Lewiston Tribune reports. The older child managed to swim to shore, and Crow rescued the younger one.

“My dad, submerged by this time, managed to get his grandson’s feet on his shoulders and stabilize him by reaching up to hold his waist,” wrote Jeremy Crow on the Facebook memorial page. “Just as his grandson started dipping below the surface, a boat reached them and pulled him in, but by that time, my dad had already perished in the river.”

The rescue team reportedly returned to retrieve Crow but “efforts to revive him were unsuccessful,” the Tribune reports.

A memorial service followed by a Nez Perce drum ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, August 1 at 5 p.m. PDT in Lapwai, Idaho. The funeral service will start on August 2 at 9 a.m. at the Pi-Nee-Waus in Lapwai, followed by burial at the Jonah Hayes Cemetery in Sweetwater.

Lac-Mégantic Rail Tragedy Resonates in Quinault Nation as Victims Are Memorialized

Fire rages the day after a 73-car train carrying crude oil from the Bakken shale of North Dakota to refineries in New Brunswick, Canada, burn after the train got loose and smashed into the town of Lac-Mégantic, killing 47.

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

As hundreds attended a memorial service in Lac-Megantic on Saturday July 27 for the 47 people killed in the train explosion that flattened the center of the 6,000-population town, the horrific accident resonated with a tribe all the way over in the Pacific Northwest.

The Quinault Nation is fighting a plan to transport oil by rail through their territory and across ecologically sensitive areas. Indeed, the July 6 accident in Quebec, in which the brakes failed on a Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway train and it sped downhill from its overnight resting place to derail and slam into the center of the small town, highlighted a drastic increase in rail transport of oil across the U.S. and Canada.

“It could have easily been Hoquiam,” said Fawn Sharp, President of Quinault Indian Nation, in a statement soon after the crash.

About 234,000 carloads of crude oil were moved around the U.S. in 2012, up from 66,000 carloads in 2011 and 9,500 in 2008, USA Today reported. That makes for a more than 2,000 percent increase over four years, the Quinault Nation pointed out in its July 9 statement.

“It is not a matter of ‘if’ these shipments will cause a major spill; it’s a matter of ‘when’,” said Sharp.

The Quinault are battling plans by the Westway Terminal Company out of Louisiana and Texas to build an oil shipping terminal in Grays Harbor with the capacity to store 800,000 barrels of crude. The company expects to transport 10 million barrels of crude through the ecologically sensitive harbor every year, the Quinault said in their statement.

In addition two other facilities to receive crude oil via rail shipments also being proposed in the Grays Harbor area, which includes marine shipping, would create “major environmental risks” to the community and the Quinault.

“The massive train, oil barge and ship traffic this project will bring to Grays Harbor is a tragedy waiting to happen,” Sharp said. “There will be spills and they will harm salmon, shellfish, and aquatic life, trample our treaty rights and cultural historic sites, and tie up traffic for extensive distances.”

Moreover the expansion of the Westway Terminals’ Port of Grays Harbor facility violates treaty rights as well as the tribe’s standards of “good stewardship and common sense,” Sharp said. “The risk is not worth a few more, unsustainable jobs. Far too much is at stake, and there is simply no way oil train proponents can pass the straight face test and tell us that their proposal is safe. Lives are at stake. Fish and wildlife resources. Water quality and much, much more. These are the same type of rail cars that will come pouring through our area, and unquestionably threaten the lives and safety of our people and resources.”

Back in Quebec, the tragedy hit home anew. Nearly 1,000 people crowded into Ste-Agnes Church for the morning Mass presided over by Archbishop Luc Cyr of Sherbrooke, the Associated Press reported. Also attending were Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau, Quebec Premier Pauline Marois and Mayor Colette Roy-Laroche, as well as the Crown representative, Governor-General David Johnston. Maine Governor Paul LePage also attended.

“This has been an emotional day followed by a very emotional period,” Harper said outside the church, according to AP. “It is very difficult to absorb all this when you see all of these families who have been affected.”

Several lawsuits have been filed as a result of the explosion, and both the police and federal transportation safety officials conduct investigations, AP reported.

Navajo President Ben Shelly Signs $3 Million Drought Relief Bill

Under a state of emergency and watching its horses die of thirst, the Navajo Nation is getting $3 million of relief from the tribe’s coffers.

“We need to get help out there to the communities,” said President Ben Shelly on July 25 upon signing a bill to provide $3 million in relief. “We declared an emergency because of the drought, now we need to make resources available to help our people. We are in difficult times and thankful for the recent rains, but we still have to create plans to manage the drought.”

The bill, known as Legislation CJY-44-13, will give about copy.4 million to the Department of Agriculture for feral horse round ups, and $202,761 to the Department of Resource Enforcement and the remainder to the Navajo Department of Water Resources for well and windmill repairs, the Navajo Nation said in a press release. The money will come from the Undesignated Unreserved Fund Balance, the tribe said.

The tribe said that Western Agency’s precipitation is 65 percent below normal for the year, Fort Defiance Agency is 63 percent below normal, and Northern and Eastern agencies are 55 percent lower than normal. Chinle Agency is 30 percent below average, the tribe said. Despite that, the seasonal monsoon rains, while welcome, are compounding the problem by causing flash flooding in dried-out areas, the Arizona Daily Sun reported.

All executive departments have been instructed update and revise a drought management plan, Shelly said.

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

The Navajo Nation has been plagued with drought for several years, but the effects are of late ever more dire. Roaming horses desperate for water are dying after wading into sticky mud puddles that turn into virtual quicksand. Shelly declared a state of emergency on July 1.

Drought was the opening subject of Shelly’s State of the Navajo Nation address on Monday July 15, the Navajo Times reported.

“We are in some challenging times right now as we look to the Holy People to continue to bless us with moisture,” he said.

“I support drought relief, and I am thankful that we could work through the laws of our Nation to provide much needed resources to our Navajo departments and Rangers,” Shelly said in the drought-relief statement, alluding to some budgetary snafus that had caused him to veto a bill earlier in the month.

“We are going to help our people through these tough times. I know it’s difficult with little vegetation for our livestock and small yielding crops,” he said. “We are strong people and we will persevere through these challenging times.”

An Architect of Self-Determination Act Honored by U.S. Senator

Forrest Gerard Senator Henry Jackson and Forrest Gerard 1976

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

On July 24, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, recognized the significant contributions of Forrest Gerard to Indian country in a floor statement to the U.S. Senate. Mr. Gerard joined the staff of Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson (D-WA) in 1971. He was appointed the first Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs by President Jimmy Carter in 1977. Gerard, a member of the Blackfeet Tribe, was one of the primary architects of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the introduction of the Act by Senator Jackson in 1973. The Act, which passed Congress in 1974 and was signed by President Gerald Ford in 1975, reversed a policy of termination and assimilation, and launched the era of self-governance and self-determination, which continues to guide federal Indian policy today.

In her statement, Senator Cantwell applauded Gerard for his commitment to tribal sovereignty. “Today we recognize Forrest Gerard for his dedication, intelligence, and persistence, which paved the way for the political achievements that transformed the landscape of Indian affairs,” Cantwell said. “Tribes now have greater autonomy in managing their resources, preserving their cultures, and utilizing their land base.”

Cantwell emphasized Gerard’s role in strengthening the government-to-government relationship between the United States and Indian tribes. Gerard helped promote a shared goal of tribal self-determination and self-governance. Today, Cantwell said, that relationship is a mature one.

“I think we are long overdue in commending Forrest for his pioneering, industrious career as a voice for Indian country,” Cantwell said. “Today we celebrate his leadership in charting a new path for American Indians – a path that won the support of Congress, tribal governments, and the nation.”

Gerard’s service began with the U.S. Army Air Corps as a member of a bomber crew in World War II. After flying 35 combat missions over Nazi-occupied Europe, he became the first member of his family to attend college, receiving a bachelor’s degree from University of Montana in 1949.

Over the next two decades, Gerard worked for the state of Montana, the newly formed Indian Health Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs as a legislative liaison officer, and the Director of the Office for Indian Progress in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

Forrest spent the last 30 years advising Indian people on how to effectively participate in developing policy with government leaders and how to be part of the political process.

The full text of Senator Cantwell’s floor statement follows:

Mr. President, on the 40th anniversary of the introduction of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act in 1973, I rise to honor a distinguished advocate for Indian country and one of the key architects of the Act, Forrest J. Gerard, and recognize him for a lifetime committed to public service.

Forrest, a member of the Blackfeet Tribe, was the first American Indian to draft and facilitate the passage of Indian legislation through Congress. During the 1970s, Forrest partnered with Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson to dramatically change the United States’ policy on Indian affairs. Together, they ended the policy of termination and assimilation, and launched the era of self-governance and self-determination, which continues to guide federal Indian policy today.

Forrest’s service began with the U.S. Army Air Corps as a member of a bomber crew in World War II. After flying 35 combat missions over Nazi-occupied Europe, he became the first member of his family to attend college, receiving a bachelor’s degree from the University of Montana in 1949.

Over the next two decades, Forrest worked for the state of Montana, the newly formed Indian Health Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs as a legislative liaison officer, and as the Director of the Office for Indian Progress in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. His goal was to enable future generations of Indian leaders to build healthy and educated communities.

Forrest arrived at the United States Senate in 1971 to work with Senator Jackson, then Chair of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. Senator Jackson had become a strong supporter of self-determination, and believed Forrest Gerard, with his significant background with federal agencies and his understanding of the American Indian experience, would bring an important perspective to the debate. Forrest was able to combine significant issue expertise with his solid relationships with tribes to enact meaningful legislation that would alter the course of Indian affairs.

Forrest’s unique skills and relationships played a critical role in producing the landmark Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. With the leadership of Senator Jackson and Forrest Gerard, this critical bill was signed by President Ford in 1975 and remains the basis for federal dealings with tribal governments.

Following the success of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, Forrest worked to strengthen tribal governance by helping to pass the Indian Health Care Improvement Act and the Submarginal Lands Act.

As Native American journalist Mark Trahant put it, “Gerard did great work – subtly, without fanfare, and too often without recognition or even thanks. His approach was honesty and directness in dealing with Indian country, and he never wavered in his loyalty to the tribes.”

Today we recognize Forrest Gerard for his dedication, intelligence, and persistence, which paved the way for the political achievements that transformed the landscape of Indian affairs. Tribes now have greater autonomy in managing their resources, preserving their cultures, and utilizing their land base. And the government-to-government relationship between the United States and tribes is now a mature relationship.

Forrest Gerard was honored for his work by the National Congress of American Indians. In 1997 President Jimmy Carter appointed him to be the first Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. Forrest spent the last 30 years advising Indian people on how to effectively participate in developing policy with government leaders and be part of the political process. Forrest truly has devoted his life to empowering tribal communities.

I think we are long overdue in commending Forrest for his pioneering, industrious career as a voice for Indian country. Today we celebrate his leadership in charting a new path for American Indians – a path that won the support of Congress, tribal governments, and the nation.

Forrest Gerard is a hero among a new generation of great Indian leaders. And his contributions will be remembered forever.

A Senate Committee on Indian Affairs press release.

$100,000 Awarded to 18 Native Students Pursuing Health Degrees

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

The American Indian College Fund announced that the United Health Foundation’s Diverse Scholars Initiative has awarded copy00,000 for scholarships to 18 academically deserving Native students pursuing health or health-related degrees.

The scholarships were announced at the fifth annual Diverse Scholars Forum, which brings more than 60 scholarship recipients to Washington, D.C., July 24-26 to celebrate the scholars and inspire them to work toward strengthening the nation’s health care system. This year’s event gives these future health care professionals the opportunity to meet and interact with members of Congress and leaders from a variety of health care fields.

Five scholarships will be awarded to New Mexico tribal college students attending Navajo Technical College; five scholarships will be awarded to Arizona tribal college students attending Dine College or Tohono O’odham Community College; four scholarships will be awarded to students attending Northern Arizona University, Arizona State University, Grand Canyon University, or the University of Arizona; and four scholarships will be awarded to students attending San Juan College-Farmington, University of New Mexico-Albuquerque, or Western New Mexico University.

According to the American Medical Association and Association of American Medical Colleges, the number of multicultural health professionals is disproportionately low when compared to the overall population. For example, while about 15 percent of the U.S. population is Hispanic/Latino, only 5 percent of physicians and 4 percent of registered nurses are Hispanic/Latino. About 12 percent of the population is African American, yet only 6 percent of physicians and 5 percent of registered nurses are African American.

Given the changing demographics in the United States and the volumes of people entering the health care system due to the Affordable Care Act, there is an even greater need for a more diverse health care workforce.

Research shows that when patients are treated by health professionals who share their language, culture and ethnicity, they are more likely to accept and adopt the medical treatment they receive[1]. Increasing the diversity of health care providers will reduce the shortage of medical professionals in underserved areas, reduce inequities in academic medicine and address variables — such as language barriers — that make it difficult for patients to navigate the health care system.

The scholarships announced today are part of United Health Foundation’s Diverse Scholars Initiative, which has provided nearly $2 million in scholarships this year through partnerships with organizations like the American Indian College Fund. The initiative aims to increase diversity in the health care workforce by supporting promising future health professionals.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to support these exceptional students in their efforts to achieve their educational goals and work to improve our health care system,” said Kate Rubin, president of United Health Foundation. “The Diverse Scholars Initiative helps these scholars fund their education, and gives them an opportunity to learn from one another and interact with experts who are leading the way in improving patient care.”

“The American Indian College Fund is thrilled to continue its partnership with the United Health Foundation. Inequity in health care combined with the highest rates of diabetes, cancer, and other serious diseases have created a vital need for Native health care professionals across Indian Country. These scholarships will help train the next generation of Native healers,” said Dr. Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund.

For more information about the Diverse Scholars Initiative, visit www.unitedhealthfoundation.org/dsi.html.

About the American Indian College Fund

With its credo “Educating the Mind and Spirit,” The American Indian College Fund is the premier scholarship organization for Native students. Created in 1989 to provide scholarships and support for 34 of the nation’s tribal colleges, the Fund receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators, including the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, and received its third consecutive four-star rating from Charity Navigator. It provides more than 4,200 Native students with scholarships annually.

About United Health Foundation

Guided by a passion to help people live healthier lives, United Health Foundation provides helpful information to support decisions that lead to better health outcomes and healthier communities. The Foundation also supports activities that expand access to quality health care services for those in challenging circumstances and partners with others to improve the well-being of communities. Since established by UnitedHealth Group [NYSE: UNH] in 1999 as a not-for-profit, private foundation, the Foundation has committed more than $210 million to improve health and health care. For more information, visit www.unitedhealthfoundation.org.