Trust Performance • Self-Determination • Self-Governance

Educational Excellence • Economic Development

Strengthening

the Circle

Interior Indian Affairs

Highlights

2001-2004
Executive Summary ................................2

Indian Education Programs ....................4

Fiduciary Trust Programs......................10

Economic Development 

and Tribal Services ................................17

Law Enforcement and 

Security Programs ................................29

Commissions and Board ......................34
Message from the

Secretary

I

am pleased to present this publication of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s activities

and accomplishments toward improving the lives of American Indians and Alaska

Natives. From its start, the Bush administration has been firmly committed to American

Indian and Alaska Native issues, working on a government-to-government basis with

tribal leaders to promote self-determination and self-governance.

Because quality education is paramount for today’s students to succeed in tomorrow’s

economy, this administration has invested more than $1 billion in four years to construct,

repair, and maintain Bureau of Indian Affairs funded schools. With the leadership of

President Bush, the Department of the Interior is committed to leave no child behind.

We are working with tribal leaders to promote economic growth and prosperity and to build

tribal institutions that lay the foundation for the future economic success of Indian Country.

We have furthered energy, forestry, and irrigation projects, and we have provided guaranteed

and insured loans for the establishment, acquisition, and expansion of new American Indian

and Alaska Native business enterprises. Through our economic development summit, Indian

entrepreneurs have heard the stirring success stories of established Native-owned companies.

Positive and productive trust reform has remained a high priority throughout the Bush

administration. As the trustee for Indian lands and funds, Interior is committed to protecting

trust assets and fulfilling our trust responsibilities to individual and tribal trust beneficiaries.

Our trust budget for FY 2005 is double the FY 2001 funding, allowing us to progress toward

21st Century financial management capabilities. Significant reforms in trust management

during the past four years have increased the professionalism, customer-service focus, and

quality of beneficiary services.

I am proud of the significant strides we have made during my tenure. We will continue our

work in areas where more remains to be accomplished. The Department embraces its mission

to enhance education, prosperity, economic development, and safety across Indian Country to

meet the important goal of improving the quality of life for all American Indians and Alaska

Natives.

Sincerely,

Gale A. Norton 

1
2

Executive

Summary

T

his publication highlights the U.S. Department of the Interior’s activities

and accomplishments in the American Indian and Native Alaskan

communities during the past four years.

Indian Education Programs

• FY 2004 funding reached $526 million, an increase of almost $34 million

from FY 2001.

• Interior concluded a successful negotiated rulemaking in 2004 with

Indian tribal leaders regarding the new “No Child Left Behind”legislation,

reaching consensus on how “adequate yearly progress”would be

measured for BIA-funded schools.

• Between 2001 and 2003, BIA’s early childhood Family and Child

Education (FACE) program added 17 schools to its roster and serviced

almost 11,000 students and parents.

• Since FY 2001, more than a billion dollars has been spent for school

construction and renovation projects.

Fiduciary Trust Programs

• For the first time, Interior has placed Fiduciary Trust Officers at the local

level, whose sole purpose is to address beneficiaries’ trust issues.

• Interior completed the first Comprehensive Trust Management Plan,

articulating its strategy for managing and reforming how it carries out its

fiduciary trust responsibilities.

• $80M has been spent on information technology systems to protect trust

data Interior-wide.

• The new American Indian Records Repository can store 250,000 boxes of

records in a world-class, archival-quality facility.

• From January 2003 through August 2004, Interior’s new electronic

indexing project indexed approximately 82,000 boxes of inactive Indian

records.
3

• Between 2002 and 2004, Interior has reconciled and distributed more

than $35 million of special deposit account monies to their rightful

owners.

• Since 1999, the Indian Land Consolidation pilot program has acquired

almost 100,000 fractional allotment interests representing over 70,000

acres.

Economic Development and Tribal Services

• Since 2001, funding for BIA’s Mineral Assessment Program increased by

over $3 million, boosting program projects from 15 to 150.

• Since 2001, the number of acres treated for wildland fire has grown by 56

percent with 24,500 acres of Wildland Urban Interface Projects and 96,260

acres of fire-prone areas treated through August 2004.

• Significant water rights settlements achieved during the past four years

include settlements with the Zuni Tribe and the Shivwits Band of Paiute

Indians.

• Increased funding during FY 2002–03 supported BIA-initiated inventory

updates on almost 10 percent of Indian rangelands.

• BIA’s Loan Guarantee and Insurance Program generated over 5,000 jobs

during the past four years.

• Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service awarded 53 grants for $9 million in

2004 to Indian tribes to enhance Indian wildlife management.

Law Enforcement and Security Programs

• Since FY 2001, the BIA Office of Law Enforcement and Security budget

has realized an 11 percent increase to its current level of $172 million.

• BIA law enforcement has worked extensively with local communities to

build positive working relationships to improve conditions within the

communities by introducing successful programs, such as the child safety

program Operation Stranger Danger; the nationally recognized Drug

Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) and Gang Resistance Education and

Training (GREAT) programs; and the Traffic Safety Initiative.

• Significant operations during the past four years have been undertaken

that have resulted in the prosecution of arsonists, gang members, and

drug dealers.

Commissions and Boards

• Since January 2003, the National Indian Gaming Commission developed

and published the first government-to-government Tribal Consultation

Policy, and has conducted consultation meetings with over 130 separate

gaming tribes and several national, regional, and state intertribal

associations.

• The Indian Arts and Crafts Board is implementing and enforcing the

Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990, a truth-in-advertising law that

provides criminal and civil penalties for marketing products as “Indianmade”when they are not made by Indians.
4

Indian Education

Programs

During the last four years, Interior has heightened its commitment to the

education of American Indian children and adults. Interior supports an

educational system across 23 states on 63 Indian reservations that is

composed of 184 elementary, middle, and high schools; 2 BIA-operated

postsecondary institutions; and 26 tribal colleges and universities.

Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is one of only two agencies in the

federal government that manages a school system. In administering its

educational programs, BIA is cognizant of tribal needs for cultural and

economic well-being, and recognizes the tribes and Alaska Native villages as

diverse and distinct cultural and governmental entities.

Ninety-eight percent of funding provided to Interior for education of

American Indians is passed directly to the schools and to the tribal authorities

that manage schools through contract and grant programs. This funding

provides for salaries for educators and administrators, maintenance of school

facilities, student transportation and boarding, and instructional materials. In

FY 2004, this funding amounted to $520.6 million, an increase of almost $32

million from FY 2001.

The Bush Administration made a promise to improve the education of

American Indians. Today, the fruits of that promise can be seen by

improvements in student performance, educational funding, and school

facilities.

IMPROVING STUDENT PERFORMANCE

No Child Left Behind

In its capacity as a State Education Agency, BIA is legally responsible for

providing about 46,000 students a quality education that is equal to the

education other students receive throughout the country.

Interior concluded a successful negotiated rulemaking in 2004 with Indian

tribal leaders regarding the new “No Child Left Behind”legislation.

“I enjoy this program

because it teaches me to

be a better parent and

helps me spend more

time with my children.

The program is also

helping me get my

education—the one I

thought I didn’t need.”

—Evangeline Anna Apache

Gomez, Mescalero Apache,

speaking about the Family and

Child Education program
5

Consensus was reached on how “adequate

yearly progress”would be measured for BIAfunded schools. Application of this

methodology will allow BIA to track its

students’ progress.

Family and Child Education Program

Research shows that students who are

behind at grade three lag behind other

students’ achievement throughout their

schooling. BIA has focused on improving

early childhood education through its Family

and Child Education (FACE) program, which

is available at 39 pre-K–3 schools—an

increase of 17 schools since 2001. FACE also

offers adult education to strengthen literacy

skills, along with providing assistance

support activities. FACE is supplemented by 61 “Baby FACE”programs, which

prepare students from birth through age three for entry into kindergarten and

early school grades. These programs, combined with the Imagination Library

partnership program, provide reading resources to parents or guardians with

young children and support families with one-on-one counseling to improve

early reading aptitude and school preparation.

Between 2001 and 2003, FACE provided services to almost 11,000 students

and parents.Vice President Cheney’s 21st Century Summit on Best Practices

to prepare adults for success in the 21st century recognized FACE as a leader

in early childhood and adult education.

FOCUS Schools

BIA has introduced a number of other innovative programs to address the

needs of Indian students, particularly younger students in elementary schools.

Most recently, the FOCUS program, which concentrates on the lowestperforming schools, has demonstrated that schools can dramatically improve

if provided the resources and guidance needed to enhance efficiency.

Five schools on the Navajo Reservation, where student performance was

below expectations, were entered into a pilot program designed to give

teachers and staff additional training on using data to refine their

instructional programs. These schools raised student performance

significantly. The FOCUS program will reach five additional schools in 2004.

Reading First

BIA received a “Reading First”grant from the Department of Education for a

total of $30.4 million over the next six years. So far, BIA has distributed $4

million to 24 schools that represent the geographic diversity of BIA-funded

schools. Extensive professional development is provided to improve reading

achievement through scientifically based reading programs for grades K–3. All

teachers are trained to collect data (using a Palm Pilot through a wireless

system) to obtain real-time evaluation results.

Between 2001 and 2003, the

Family and Child Education

(FACE) program provided

services to almost 11,000

students and parents.

FACE Programs in 

BIA Schools (FY 2001-2004)

20

40

30

10

0 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04
6

Leadership Academy School Program

In August 2004, BIA consulted on a new initiative—the development of a

Leadership Academy School Program. This innovative program is being

considered for implementation on a pilot basis in the near future and will use

a model being developed with a group of exceptional Indian school principals.

In fostering leadership and achievement, the school(s) will be dedicated to

overcoming the many obstacles Indian students face in completing high

school and going on to postsecondary programs.

Postsecondary Educational Opportunities

Forestry Cooperative Education 

BIA’s Forestry Cooperative Education program annually recruits 20 promising

young American Indian and Alaska Native students enrolled in secondary

schools, tribally controlled community colleges, and other postsecondary or

graduate schools for future employment as professional foresters or other

forestry-related employees of BIA, tribes, or tribal forest-related enterprises. In

exchange for BIA payment of all costs for tuition, books, and fees, co-op

students work one year in a part-time professional capacity for each year of

education received. Students can satisfy this commitment by working for BIA,

a tribe, or a tribal forest-related enterprise.

Water Resources Technical Training

Since 2001, more than 164 students from more than 125 tribes have

graduated from BIA’s water resources technician training program. The

program, which is offered at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, as

well as in remote on-site locations, aims to alleviate the shortage of technical

expertise on Indian reservations, and to enable tribal governments to become

self-sufficient and increase economic growth through better management and

use of their water resources.

Records Management

This fall, at Haskell Indian Nations University, 15 students enrolled in a

records management program that was established by an agreement between

the Secretary of the Interior and the Archivist of the United States to create

the American Indian Records Repository.

Students will work with the National Archives

and Records Administration and Office of Trust

Records staff to become qualified to provide

records management services.

During the summer of 2004,

BIA provided on-the-job

training for a number of 

college interns in a variety 

of professions.

This fall, 15 students enrolled in

a records management program

at Haskell Indian Nations

University.

“With the support of BIA,

our school board, and

staff, Tohaali’ Community

School has turned around

from failing to succeeding,

exemplifying a school

where students learn

today to lead tomorrow.”

—Delores Bitsilly, Principal of

Tohaali’ Community School
7

INCREASING

EDUCATIONAL FUNDING

Expanded Accreditation

Tohono O’odham Community College

(AZ) and Saginaw Chippewa Tribal

College (MI) are the newest among

institutions accredited under the Tribal

Community Colleges and Universities

(TCUs) Assistance Act. The progress

that TCUs have made in preparing

students for success in life has led to

increases in funding for TCUs from

$38.1 million in FY 2001 to $48.6

million in FY 2004.

Postsecondary and Adult

Education

BIA provides funding directly to education programs sponsored by tribes

through the Tribal Priority Allocation (TPA). This funding is helping

approximately 2,000 adults annually improve their literacy skills and complete

requirements for their GED. Since 2001, thousands of adults have benefited

from these programs. The TPA also awards scholarships to over 1,000 students

to attend postsecondary education programs, primarily at TCUs.

Postgraduate Grants 

Since FY 2001, BIA has increased the number of awards of scholarship grants

to Indian students seeking postgraduate degrees from 250 to almost 450, with

the average award now reaching $3,350. Funds are also provided to the

summer Law Institute for American Indians for a preparatory course for

Indian students entering the field of law. The number of Law Institute

scholarships during the 2001–04 academic years has increased annually from

270 to 390 and will continue to increase.

Assistance to Public Schools

The Johnson O’Malley program distributes supplemental funding to public

schools serving Indian students who apply for assistance by providing

additional support (e.g., tutors, extended hours). Over 250,000 American

Indian students every year benefit from this program. Other locally designed

education programs are also offered through this funding to meet unique

local tribal government educational needs.

Increased Tribal Management

Interior encourages tribes to assume management of their schools. During the

last four years, additional tribal authorities have elected to operate BIAfunded schools under grant or contract provisions. By FY 2005, BIA expects to

operate 60 schools, while tribal authorities will operate 124 schools—a net

increase of five schools since FY 2001. This change provides for greater Indian

self-determination, a key Interior strategic goal.

BIA has increased the number 

of awards of scholarship grants

to Indian students seeking

postgraduate degrees from 250 

in FY 2001 to almost 450 in 

FY 2004, with the average 

award now reaching $3,350.

Management of BIAFunded Schools

During FY 2003, two-thirds of

BIA-funded schools were

operated by tribal authorities

under grant or contract

provisions.

33%

67%

Tribal Management

BIA Management
8

IMPROVING SCHOOL BUILDINGS

Many Indian schools are located in isolated, remote, rural communities,

posing greater challenges and requiring greater operational costs than those

typically facing public school districts. The condition of many of them makes it

exceedingly difficult for Indian children to get the quality education they need

today to succeed in tomorrow’s economy.

In FY 2000, the budget for school construction and renovations was $133.2

million; by FY 2004 it had increased to $295 million, for a total of more than a

billion dollars over the past four years. Funding is allocated for replacement

schools, advanced planning and design, employee housing repair, facilities

improvement and repair, and the tribal school construction demonstration

project. Over the past four years, 26 replacement schools/projects were begun

across the breadth of Indian Country: Arizona (7), North Dakota (2), New

Mexico (10), South Dakota (3), Washington State (2), and Mississippi (2). BIA

has already completed seven of these and hopes to complete two more by the

year’s end. BIA has an approved list of the next 14 schools that will be

scheduled for replacement. Further, 40 major facilities improvement and

repair projects were funded between 2001 and 2004.

BIA is also currently undergoing a substantial network upgrade to enhance

telecommunications systems and expand network capacity to better serve BIA

schools. Upgrades to the Education Network are providing high-speed

Internet to more K–12 schools and tribal colleges. All BIA schools are

connected to the Internet.

Schools Benefiting from BIA Funding During 2001–2004

During the past four years, 26 schools across Indian Country have received BIA funding for new

educational, school, and dormitory facilities. Work on two-thirds of these schools is in progress, and

construction has been or is expected to be completed at year’s end at the following schools:

Baca Dlo’Ay’Azhi Community School (NM)

Fort Wingate Elementary School (NM)

Holbrook Dormitory (AZ)

Lummi Tribal School (WA)

Paschal Sherman Indian School (WA)

Polacca Day School (AZ)

Santa Fe Indian School (NM)

Tiospa Zina Tribal School (SD)

Zia Day School (NM)

BIA is currently undergoing a

substantial network upgrade to

enhance telecommunications

systems and expand network

capacity to better serve BIA

schools.

The new Baca Dlo’Ay’Azhi Community School

under construction.
9

Outside Recognition

• In 2002, Charlotte Begaye, FACE coordinator for Fort Wingate

Elementary School in Fort Wingate, New Mexico, won the Milken Family

Foundation Educator Award and $25,000 for her outstanding teaching.

• Gwendolyn Paul of the Blackwater Community School, near Coolidge,

Arizona, was selected as the “Toyota Teacher of the Year” in 2002. Ms.

Paul is the first American Indian to receive this prestigious award. 

• Johanna Chess, also from Blackwater, was selected by the Phi Delta

Kappa International Education Association as the Wal-Mart 2002

Teacher of the Year for Arizona. 

• Cecelia Lucero of Laguna Elementary School, located at the Laguna

Pueblo in New Mexico, was chosen as one of 32 teachers from over

185,000 national nominations to receive Disney’s American Teacher

Award for SY 2002–03.

• The Bahweting School, in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, was selected by the U.S. Department of

Education as a “Blue Ribbon School” for its outstanding student achievement for SY 2002–03.

• In 2003, Trina Cheatham, the technology specialist for the Choctaw Central Schools, located

on the Choctaw reservation, was named the “Technology Teacher of the Year” for the state of

Mississippi.

• The Riverside Indian School, an off-reservation boarding school in Anadarko, Oklahoma, was

chosen in 2003 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to pilot a program that

promotes careers in the math, science, information technology, and health care areas, with

special emphasis on the space industry.

• In 2004, Maureen Lesky of the San Felipe Pueblo Elementary School was selected as one of

two teachers from New Mexico who will participate in the Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher

Program to learn about and promote the culture of the Japanese people by spending time in

Japan beginning November 2004.

• In New Mexico, the U.S. Green Building Council recognized the Baca Dlo’Ay’Azhi School as

the first “green” building in the state for meeting the highest environmental standards.

Charlotte Begaye
10

Fiduciary Trust

Programs

I

nterior has responsibility for what may be the largest land trust in the

world, encompassing approximately 56 million acres. On these lands,

Interior manages over 100,000 leases for individual Indians who own more

than 10 million acres, and for tribes who own nearly 45 million acres. In FY

2003, the trust collected revenues from leasing, use permits, sales, and interest

of approximately $195 million for 240,000 individual Indian money (IIM)

accounts, and approximately $375 million for 1,400 tribal accounts. The trust

also manages approximately $2.9 billion in tribal funds and $400 million in

individual Indian funds.

Interior is strongly committed to high standards for managing its Indian trust

land and natural resource responsibilities; delivering beneficiary services;

managing its financial trust resources; and securing the necessary

underpinnings for supporting its information technology and record-keeping

responsibilities. As stated by Ross Swimmer, Special Trustee for American

Indians: “We are striving to provide increased investment returns, accurate

and timely account statements, greater protections to trust information,

proper identification and valuation of trust assets, and an overall level of

improved beneficiary services.”

ENHANCING BENEFICIARY SERVICES AND

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Improving Beneficiary Services

For the first time, beneficiaries have federal employees whose sole purpose is

to address their trust issues. As part of its oversight and financial reporting

responsibilities, the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians (OST)

continues to place Fiduciary Trust Officers at the local level to be the primary

contact to interact with the Indian beneficiaries and to facilitate local decision

making. Outreach meetings with beneficiaries are held to introduce the

Fiduciary Trust Officers and explain their roles and offer assistance to

beneficiaries. First-line supervisors for the Fiduciary Trust Officers are

Regional Trust Administrators who have extensive trust background from

For the first time, beneficiaries

have federal employees whose

sole purpose is to address their

trust issues.

“We are striving to

provide increased

investment returns,

accurate and timely

account statements ...

and an overall level of

improved beneficiary

services.”

—Ross Swimmer, Special

Trustee for American Indians
11

both the private and the government sectors. Furthermore, OST has

developed an intensive training process to ensure employees delivering trust

services are conversant with their trust responsibilities.

To improve the delivery of services to beneficiaries, OST will be implementing

a Beneficiary Call Center. The nationwide, toll-free Call Center will enable

beneficiaries to conveniently access information regarding their trust assets,

check the status of a trust service, or update IIM account information. In

addition to providing improved access to financial and resource management

information, the Call Center is expected to greatly improve communications

between Interior and Indian beneficiaries. The pilot Beneficiary Call Center is

expected to be in service in early December 2004.

Management of Investment Portfolios

OST meets with tribal representatives to best determine investment

objectives, constraints, and preferences in order to achieve the best return.

OST manages investments of approximately $2.9 billion of tribal trust funds

and $400 million of IIM funds. Over 80 tribal meetings and over 200 portfolio

reviews were conducted during FY 2004. As a large institutional buyer, OST

receives favorable rates, prices, and structures that compete with the private

sector. In addition, OST uses the same computer systems as many commercial

banks in accounting for these funds. Further, OST strives to meet or exceed

the performance of the Shearson Lehman 1- to 5-year government bond

index.

Comprehensive Trust Management Plan and 

Business Process Model

In 2003, Interior created the first Comprehensive Trust Management Plan,

which articulates Interior’s strategy for managing the programmatic reform of

its fiduciary trust responsibilities and will guide the strategy’s implementation.

Consistent with this strategy, Interior reorganized the trust functions of BIA

and OST to enhance the delivery of services to trust beneficiaries and the

financial management of the trust resources.

The Office of the Special

Trustee is headquartered in

Albuquerque, New Mexico.

OST has developed an

intensive training process to

ensure employees delivering

trust services are conversant

with their trust responsibilities.
12

Concurrently, Interior meticulously developed an accurate, current trust

business process model. This documentation of “As-Is”business processes has

given Interior a comprehensive understanding of current trust business

operations, an opportunity to identify needs and places for improvement, and

an understanding of differences of practice among geographic regions.

After completing the “As-Is”phase review, Interior developed, with the help of

many Indian representatives, detailed recommendations in 2004 for

reengineering business processes and compared the “As-Is”and “To-Be”

processes to determine what needed to be changed. In particular, where

existing business processes vary from region to region, efforts were made to

incorporate standardized processes. Also, Interior compared the “As-Is”and

“To-Be”processes to standard industry practices. Interior will integrate the

final “To-Be”model processes with universal support functions, such as

records, training, and information technology (IT).

SECURING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Interior is committed to protecting trust information and has invested $80

million in improving its IT systems Interior-wide. In December 2001, a U.S.

District Court ordered Interior to disconnect from the Internet all IT systems

that housed or contained access to individual Indian data due to possible

concerns over potential security breaches. Interior has made significant

headway toward making its computer systems more secure from computer

hackers and other threats, although four bureaus and offices remain

disconnected from the Internet. The lack of Internet connectivity challenges

Interior’s ability to deliver its services to Indian country as quickly and

efficiently as possible, by impeding Interior’s work processes and ability to

communicate effectively, both internally and externally.

Trust Computer Security Upgrades

In addition to ensuring the security of individual Indian and tribal accounts,

BIA has performed massive security upgrades to computer systems, provided

security training, certified systems, and enhanced overall network security.

The environment is further improved by physical security upgrades. In

addition, BIA-wide security awareness training was instituted in 2001.

BIA’s new modern computer

center was opened in

September 2003.
13

The Wide Area Network upgrade and TrustNet modifications have created

significant levels of security for Interior Trust organizations. TrustNet is the

basis for Interior’s Enterprise Systems Network.

Improved Technical Support

Interior completed transition to a new 24/7 Consolidated Network Operations

Command Center/Security Operations Command Center in 2004. Also, BIA

established a modern service center in 2003 to provide computer help and

problem tracking. The center represents a clear and present value to tribes by

prioritizing workloads, allowing regional support personnel to focus more

effectively on business mission support, and ensuring that vital data reach the

appropriate end users. High-tech telecommunications switches allow BIA to

reduce its total networking costs, while increasing overall productivity.

Improved Trust Management Systems

BIA has several new trust management systems underway. For the first time,

using ProTrac, Interior will have an automated system to track probate

progress—information essential to properly managing titles and leases.

The Geographic Data Service Center instituted the Land Title Mapping

System (LTMS) prototype to provide management and analysis of land

ownership and trust data. LTMS generates spatial maps from data attached to

Land Title Status Reports for each Indian landowner. With the development of

this system, individual landowners can go to a Land Title and Records Office

and obtain reports listing their land, surface, and subsurface ownership.

IMPROVING RECORDS MANAGEMENT

Locating and securing Indian records is central to the success of managing

the trust. Interior has taken significant steps toward putting its records house

in order.

American Indian Records Repository 

In cooperation with the National Archives and Records Administration

(NARA), the American Indian Records Repository (AIRR) in Lenexa, Kansas,

was opened in 2004. All Indian tribes and individuals now can be assured that

their records will be appropriately cared for. Previously, records from BIA were

stored in regional centers across the country. Now, records from BIA, OST,

and other Interior agencies with Indian records will be consolidated in AIRR.

The new repository, which can store 250,000 boxes of records in an archivalquality facility, is one of only two archives in the world that already meet the

NARA standards that will be in place in 2009.

Electronic Indexing of Records

Historically, researchers have had to manually comb through paper

inventories to locate boxes of Indian records. In January 2003, Interior

undertook a major project to index boxes of records and capture the

information in an electronic database. The database provides a box index and

a file-level index of all boxes. As of August 31, 2004, approximately 82,000

boxes of inactive Indian records have been indexed. When the project is

completed, all Indian affairs records located in AIRR will be searchable using

the Box Index Search System, which will be made available to all BIA and

OST offices.

The new American Indian

Records Repository can store

250,000 boxes of records in an

archival-quality facility.

“AIRR is only the second

facility in the world

outside of the National

Archives that meets the

most stringent standards

for archival preservation.”

—Tom Mills, Assistant

Archivist for Regional Records

Services, NARA
14

IMPROVING LAND AND NATURAL 

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Cadastral Surveys

Official land boundary, or cadastral, surveys are critical to the economic

development of Indian Country, to the improved management of land in

support of realty actions and trespass and boundary disputes, and to the

protection of Indian cultural heritage. The Bureau of Land Management’s

Cadastral Survey Program performed 8,379 miles of cadastral surveys on

Indian lands between FY 2001 and 2003. An Indian land inventory was

created and prioritized, including a Cadastral Geographic Information System,

and is resulting in a more efficient process for addressing needed cadastral

survey services in Indian county.

Land Titles and Records

The nine Land Titles and Records Offices provide for the ongoing trust

responsibility of protecting and preserving trust lands and resources. Their

mission is to maintain timely, certifiable federal title, encumbrance, and

ownership services and to provide land title services that are accurate, timely,

accountable, and efficient. This includes complete title, ownership, and

encumbrance information for all federal Indian trust and restricted lands.

These offices are also responsible for developing and implementing trust asset

management systems, including quality assurance actions.

As an example of this work, BIA renegotiated for the conversion of an

antiquated land title system to a new title system. It has been successfully

deployed in the Rocky Mountain and Southern Plains Regions and is on

schedule for the other regions.

As of August 31, 2004,

approximately 82,000 boxes

of inactive Indian records

have been indexed in an

electronic database.

The Bureau of Land

Management’s Cadastral

Survey Program performed

8,379 miles of cadastral

surveys on Indian lands

between FY 2001 and 2003.
15

CONDUCTING HISTORICAL ACCOUNTING 

On January 6, 2003, Interior presented a plan to the District Court in Cobell v.

Norton for the historical accounting of about 260,000 individual Indian money

(IIM) accounts that were open from October 25, 1994, through December 31,

2000. Interior’s plan would conduct the historical accounting by a

combination of: (1) using transaction-by-transaction reconciliation methods

(all transactions in certain account types); (2) reconciling all transactions over

a certain dollar threshold; and (3) reconciling a statistical sample of lower

dollar-value transactions. The work described in the plan will provide

information on how much money was credited to each account and from

what sources, the amount of interest credited to each account, and the

disbursements made. Interior’s assessment of the accuracy of the account

transaction history and information regarding land assets as of December 31,

2000, was expected to take five years to complete, and was preliminarily

estimated to cost about $335 million.

For the approximately 21,500 special deposit accounts, Interior is pursuing a

project begun in 2002 to distribute the funds to the proper owners and to

close those accounts where appropriate. Through August 2004, more than $35

million in the special deposit accounts has been reconciled and distributed to

individuals and tribes.

Finally, Interior is also undertaking the historical accounting of certain tribal

trust funds. Interior has already conducted a number of briefings for tribes

and tribal organizations. These briefings are a first step in addressing

unresolved or additional accounting issues, and are a prelude to anticipated

discussions and negotiations with tribes to develop tribe-specific work plans

for resolving the outstanding accounting issues.

CONSOLIDATING INDIAN LAND

Over time, the system of allotments established by the General Allotment Act

of 1887 has resulted in the fractionation of ownership of Indian land. As

original allottees passed on their assets to future generations, their heirs

received an undivided interest in the allottees’ lands. In successive

generations, smaller undivided interests descended to the next generation.

Today, there are approximately 3.2 million owner interests in the 10 million

acres of individually owned trust lands—a situation whose magnitude makes

Since 1999, the Indian Land

Consolidation pilot program

has acquired almost 100,000

fractional interests representing

over 70,000 aggregate acres.
16

management of trust assets extremely difficult and costly. These millions of

interests will continue to expand, unless an aggressive approach to alleviating

fractionation is taken.

Addressing the rapidly increasing fractionation on Indian land is critical to

improving management of trust assets. Purchase of fractional interests

increases the likelihood of more productive economic use of the land, reduces

record keeping and large numbers of small-dollar financial transactions, and

decreases the number of interests subject to probate.

Indian Land Consolidation Pilot

BIA conducted a pilot fractionated interest purchase program in the Great

Lakes Region. The pilot has successfully demonstrated that large numbers of

owners are willing to sell fractionated ownership interests, and that a

purchase program can be administered at reasonable cost. The pilot has also

taught valuable lessons about the need to target purchases to maximize

return of land to productive use and allow closure of IIM accounts.

Since 1999, the pilot program has acquired almost 100,000 fractional interests

representing over 70,000 aggregate acres. In FY 2004, the program expanded

from the original three reservations to 16 reservations located within seven

BIA Regions: Bad River, Lac du Flambeau, Lac Courte Oreilles, Red Cliff, Fond

du Lac, Keweenaw Bay, Rosebud, Winnebago, Standing Rock, Quapaw,

Quinault, Gila River, Pine Ridge, Navajo, Crow, and Flathead. Currently over

800 applications are pending, consisting of over 8,000 interests with a value of

almost $7 million.

In response to these findings, BIA is designing a nationally coordinated and

targeted purchase program. This program will be managed by a small national

program staff, and will use contractual arrangements with tribes or private

entities to purchase individual interests on behalf of Interior. Interior has

requested an unprecedented $75 million to fund this program.
17

Economic

Development and

Tribal Services

Working closely with federally recognized tribes, Interior promotes

economic development and an improved quality of life for 1.5

million American Indians in communities across Indian Country and

Alaska. Dramatic developmental advances have come to Indian Country over

the past four years in such areas as energy, minerals, forestry, water,

agriculture, range and grazing, and wildlife and recreation. In the words of

David W. Anderson, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs: “Thriving tribal

economies create a dynamic synergy of jobs, financial resources, and a “cando”attitude. More than ever, tribes and tribal members have the opportunity

to engage in America’s free enterprise system. Thriving tribal economies not

only strengthen tribal government, but also contribute significantly to a

stronger America.”

Interior has been involved in promoting the economic development of tribes

in a variety of areas. Building sustainable tribal economies and creating jobs

was the focus of the National Summit for Emerging Tribal Economies, which

took place in Phoenix, Arizona, in the fall of 2002. More than 1,600 attendees

from across Indian Country heard from and interacted with representatives

from government and business offering

insights and resources for improving

economic conditions in tribal communities.

GUARANTEED AND

INSURED LOANS 

Providing guaranteed and insured loans to

tribes, Alaska Natives, and individual

Indian-owned businesses is an integral

component of Interior’s efforts to stimulate

and expand economic development in

Indian Country and to reduce

unemployment on Indian reservations.

BIA’s Guaranteed Loan Program makes it

possible for Indian economic enterprises

The National Summit for

Emerging Tribal Economies

focused on ways to create jobs in

Indian Country and to establish

sustainable, market-driven tribal

economies.
18

on or near reservations to obtain loans that they otherwise would not have

been able to receive from private lenders. The default rate on these loans has

been less than one percent since 1997, and over 90 percent of the businesses

funded through this program have been successful. For example, in FY 2003,

the full loan ceiling was used, with loans guaranteed for 64 businesses that

created or sustained almost 1,550 jobs. Over the past four years, more than

5,000 jobs can be attributed to this program.

ENERGY DEVELOPMENT

Oil, Gas, and Coal

Oil, gas, and coal are valuable commodities, reaching into the millions of

dollars for some tribes. They are also trust resources that must be properly

managed. Energy and other mineral development agreements have become

increasingly sophisticated and complex, requiring substantial analysis to

determine if they are in the best interest of their Indian owners.

BIA oversees the exploration and development of over two

million acres of actively developed oil, gas, and coal resources,

and helps tribes and individual Indian landowners prepare for

the potential development of an additional 15 million acres of

energy and mineral resources. To facilitate the President’s

National Energy Policy, BIA is helping to expedite key energy

and mineral resource development opportunities through the

timely processing of joint-venture development and lease

agreements, while ensuring consistency with its trust

responsibilities for tribes and individual Indian allottees. BIA’s

Mineral Assessment Program (MAP) provides grants to tribes

for gathering exploratory geotechnical data, interpreting the

data, and obtaining other needed technical assistance. Funding

for MAP has increased by over $3 million since 2001, boosting MAP projects

from 15 to 150.

BIA has developed computer-based systems to evaluate mineral resource

potential after mineral assessment data are gathered. The National Indian

Oil/Gas Evaluation and Management System, completed in 2003, was

designed under tribal self-determination guidelines as an easy-to-use

computer system run by Indian resource managers to locate and display

complex oil and gas information in map form concerning production, lease

information, and well data. The system incorporates the National Indian

Energy and Mineral Resources database, and is the primary data warehouse

for Indian energy and mineral data. It consists of hard-copy report files, maps,

logs, cross-sections, and digital data pertaining to the evaluation and

assessment of undiscovered energy and mineral resources.

Energy development can occur on and off reservations. For example, in June

2002, Interior approved a request by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe to partner

with the Trident Exploration Corporation in developing the Canadian

company’s natural gas leases in Alberta, Canada. The tribe is widely

recognized for its success in extracting coal-bed methane gas and lent its

expertise to Trident as part of its economic development strategy. In

BIA is helping to expedite key

energy and mineral resource

development opportunities

through the timely processing

of joint-venture development

and lease agreements.
19

accordance with its corporate charter, the tribe sought Interior’s approval for

the economic terms of the partnership—a tribal purchase of 4 million shares

of Trident for $15 million (CAN).

Power Production

Interior assists with the development of feasibility studies, detailed market

assessment, examination of transmission access and interconnection issues,

and site analysis for power plants. For example, the St. Croix Chippewa

Indians of Wisconsin are currently developing a 40–45 megawatt peaking

natural gas power plant project that will sell the power under a 20-year Power

Purchase Agreement.

Renewable Energy

While renewable energy is an emerging aspect in U.S. energy development,

most renewable energy projects have difficulty competing with more

traditional energy production technologies. Several federal and state tax

incentives are in place or are being proposed that will allow renewable power

to be competitive with other energy sources. Further, seven states with Indian

lands are governed by a renewable energy portfolio standard, which requires

that a percentage of each utility’s generation in the state come from some

form of renewable energy.

Wind Energy

The wind potential map shows that 93 of 298 reservations have a high wind

energy potential, with the majority of the reservations being in the western

states (California, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, Montana,

and North and South Dakota) and the Upper Midwest (Minnesota and

Wisconsin). Since 2001, Interior funded three wind energy feasibility studies—

Bad River Band of Chippewa Indians, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians,

and the Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation, each with

similar wind energy potential.

The wind potential map shows

that 93 of 298 reservations

have a high wind energy

potential, with the majority of

the reservations being in the

western states.
20

Interior-supported Energy Projects 

2001 

Aggregate

Grande Ronde 

Andesite Basalt 

Nez Perce

Coal 

Ute Mountain Ute

Tribe

Geothermal

Fallon PaiuteShoshone Tribe

Limestone, Basalt,

Cinder, Commercial

Fill Material, Iron Ore

White Mountain

Apache Tribe

Oil & Gas

Alabama-Coushatta

Tribe of Texas 

Confederated

Chilocco Tribes 

Iowa Tribe of

Oklahoma 

Lower Brule Sioux

Tribe 

Pawnee Nation of

Oklahoma

Thlopthlocco Tribal

Town

Ute Mountain Ute

Tribe

Precious Minerals

Ramona Band of

Cahuilla Mission

Indians

San Carlos Apache

Tribe

Sand & Gravel

Lac du Flambeau

Band of Lake Superior

Chippewa

Sand & Gravel,

Gypsum, Phosphate,

Travertine

Shoshone & Arapaho

Tribes, Wind River

2002 

Coalbed Methane

Northern Cheyenne

Geothermal, Shallow

Gas

Lower Brule Sioux 

Limestone, Basalt 

Nez Perce Tribe

Oil & Gas

Alabama-Coushatta

Tribe of Texas 

Blackfeet

Fort Belknap

Oneida Tribe

Ute Mountain Ute

Tribe

2003

Biodiesel

Nez Perce Tribe

Biomass

Northern Cheyenne

Tribe 

Coal, Uranium, Clay

Resources

Pueblo of Acoma 

Engineering—Oil/Gas

Fields

Jicarilla Apache

Gas

Oneida Nation 

Geothermal 

Pyramid Lake 

Gravel 

Fort Peck 

Literature Review

Pascua Yaqui 

Oil & Gas

Alabama-Quassarte

(Creek Nation) 

Cheyenne River Sioux 

Comanche 

Fort Berthold 

Fort Belknap

Kaw Nation

Seismic Interpretation

Osage 

Woody Biomass

Colville Confederated

Tribes of Indians

2004 

Biomass Demo Project

Warm Springs Tribe

Peaking Power Plant

Project

St. Croix Indians of

Wisconsin

Renewable Energy

Feasibility Study

Agua Caliente

Relicensing of a

Hydropower Plant

Colorado River Indian

Tribe 

Solar

Skull Valley Band of

Goshutes 

Wind

Bad River Tribe of

Chippewa Indians

Ewiiaapaayp

Biomass Energy

While almost all Indian lands have a form of biomass potential, from woody

biomass and biodiesel and ethanol production from agricultural waste, to the

growing and use of such energy crops as hybrid poplar, the biomass potential

map identifies 118 reservations with high potential.

For example, with Interior FY 2003 funding:

• The Colville Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation (WA)

launched a large-scale biomass pilot project to determine the economic

feasibility of utilizing its biomass resource, obtaining a healthier forest, and
21

producing energy sustainably in conjunction with President Bush’s Healthy

Forests Initiative.

• Northern Cheyenne (WY) has started the pre-construction phase of its

biomass project to use small-diameter forest biomass to provide steam and

electricity to manufacture a high valued-added, bio-based product from

agricultural residue.

• The Nez Perce Tribe (ID) is developing a biodiesel fuel facility with the

assistance of MAP funds. The tribe is negotiating long-term contracts with

local farmers to increase their profitability by purchasing the rotation crops

of soy, canola, and rape (soft oilseed that will be crushed and made into

biodiesel fuel). The tribe will use the fuel as an energy source at its basalt

and limestone quarry and to operate the plant. The plant is expected to

create 450–470 direct and indirect jobs.

With Interior FY 2004 funding of $196,735, the Warm Springs Tribe (OR) is

conducting a due diligence study for a biomass electrical generating plant. If

developed, the plant is expected to produce 15.5 MW of renewable energy,

create 125 new, living-wage jobs, and preserve 135 existing jobs at the mill;

clear wood waste that could fuel catastrophic wildfires; and demonstrate to

other forest-resource tribes the viability of marketing “green”energy to local

utilities and state and federal governments.

Solar Energy

Interior assists tribes with both large- and small-scale solar projects that are

capable of providing electricity to tribal facilities and individual Indian homes,

especially in the southwestern reservations. For example, with Interior’s

financial help the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians is completing a

feasibility study on the development of a solar-driven electric power generation

plant that will provide the power needs of the reservation and the tribal

community center, create jobs, and generate excess power to sell off

reservation. The long-term economic objective of the tribe and Interior is to

develop a stable supply of electricity to the reservation.

Hydroelectric Power

There are a number of hydroelectric power systems in Indian Country. Interior

achieved a precedent-setting settlement with Pacific Gas and Electric (PGE)

and the Warm Springs Tribes of Oregon for the Pelton-Round Butte

hydroelectric power project relicensing. PGE and the Warm Springs Tribes are

co-licensees through an innovative business partnership for the operation of

the hydroelectric project located on the Warm Springs Reservation. As part of

the relicensing process, Interior developed special license conditions for the

protection and utilization of the reservation.

Interior has also worked on the implementation of license conditions that were

mandated or agreed to in settlements at five other smaller hydroelectric power

plants. Some of these implementation activities involve conducting millions of

dollars of project mitigation and natural resource restoration work annually.

At the Kerr Hydroelectric project on the Flathead Indian Reservation of

Montana, the fisheries were essentially decimated by operational practices

during the first fifty years of operation. As a consequence of monitoring and

mitigation, these practices are no longer allowed. Additionally, advanced

Biologists and game wardens

working with BIA’s Wildlife and

Parks program provide technical

assistance for tribal fisheries,

game, and other programs.
22

hydroclimate prediction methods, developed as part of the Drought

Management Plan for Flathead Lake (a requirement in the Kerr project

license), have proven so reliable that other hydroelectric operations are

adjusting them for their use.

In addition to the hydroelectric projects, Interior oversees 16 irrigation

projects and over 100 irrigation systems throughout Indian Country. These

facilities irrigate over 1 million acres, create an approximately $600 million

agriculture economy, and generate approximately $120 million a year. These

revenues are returned to the individual projects to pay for operation and

maintenance.

Renewable Energy Assessments

Interior is working with the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians located in

Palm Springs, California, to prepare a strategic value analysis of the renewable

resources on the Agua Caliente tribal lands. The project will include an

assessment of their solar, wind, geothermal, and possibly biomass resources;

an analysis of the applicable technologies and their economics; an

investigation of regulatory issues; and an evaluation of environmental and

cultural impacts to determine the feasibility of creating one or more

businesses based on the resource.

MINERAL DEVELOPMENT 

Solid minerals, other than coal, are also mined on Indian lands. Between 2001

and March 2004, tribes have earned more than $25 million from projects that

develop these resources. A new project that Interior has been actively

involved in is with the Metlakatla Tribe in Alaska. The Bald Ridge Aggregate

Project will mine rock that will then be processed into concrete aggregate,

asphalt road base, riprap, jetty stone, and other products for shipment and use

in Alaska and the U.S. West Coast. It is estimated this project will produce

more than 200 million tons of rock over its 40-year life, generate about $1

billion in revenue, and employ 60 tribal members.

FOREST RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

During FY 2001–04, the Indian forestry program, which represents

the combined national BIA and tribal forestry programs, harvested

2.4 billion board-feet from Indian forest lands. That equates to an

annual average of 600 million board-feet, enough to build over

30,000 residential homes a year.

During that same period, Indian timber harvests directly generated

nearly $290 million to tribes and individual Indian landowners.

The indirect economic benefits, although not currently quantified,

are substantial, and include: wages to tribal loggers, sawmill

workers, and lumber truck drivers; profits generated by tribal

forest product enterprises; energy production from forest woody

biomass; and support of other local businesses by tribal worker

forest-generated wages. An additional benefit of the Indian

forestry program is the reduction of catastrophic fire risk by

treating forest fuels during the harvest operations.

During FY 2001–04, the Indian

forestry program harvested

almost 2.4 billion board-feet,

directly generating nearly $290

million to tribes and individual

Indian landowners.

Computer-generated model of

mineral quarry site development

on Annette Island, Alaska.
23

In the same four fiscal years that directly

generated nearly $290 million to tribes and

individual Indians in timber revenue, the federal

appropriation to operate the Indian forestry

program was $168 million. In addition, Indian

tribes significantly reinvest in their forest land,

both through the legislatively mandated forest

management deduction program (usually 10

percent of gross timber proceeds) and through

voluntary reinvestment in forest management

activities. This results in a very successful

partnership among tribes, individual Indians, and 

the federal government in the management of Indian forests.

Assessment

As required by the national Indian Forest Resources Management Act of 1990,

beginning in 1991 and again every ten years thereafter, Interior must assess

Indian forest lands and Indian forest land management practices. In his

testimony before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in 2004, Dr. John

Gordon, head of both assessments to date, stated: “... on the whole, the

management of Indian forests is different and better than it was ten years

ago, largely through the efforts of dedicated tribal and BIA resource managers

and staff.”

Fire Management

An important aspect of forest resource development is wildland fire

management. Since the introduction of the National Fire Plan in 2000,

Congress has appropriated substantial funding for wildland fire programs,

including pre-suppression, equipment, suppression, fuel treatments, and

rehabilitation. Since 2001, the number of acres treated for wildland fire has

grown by 56 percent.

In particular, Interior’s focus and attention has been directed over the last few

years toward thinning fire-prone areas. The recently passed Healthy Forests

Restoration Act has translated into BIA’s treating over 25 percent more acres

in 2003 than in 2002. In 2004, 24,500 acres of Wildland Urban Interface

Projects acreage and 96,260 acres of fire-prone lands were treated.

Fuels treatment efforts undertaken by the Round Valley Indian Tribe proved

instrumental in stopping a catastrophic fire near the Mendocino National

Forest (CA) in August 2001. The Medicine Fire started in the foothills near the

edge of the Round Valley Reservation on a hot afternoon and spread rapidly

uphill, consuming approximately 70 acres until state and local firefighters,

with the aid of air support, were able to stop the blaze on a recently

constructed fuelbreak. Without the Perry Ridge fuelbreak, the fire could have

spread to over a thousand acres, consuming valuable timber and impacting

watershed resources.

During the past four years, Interior assisted 208 rural and volunteer fire

departments with $1.3 million in funding and completed 41 projects under

Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation, encompassing 216,000 acres, at a

*As of September 15, 2004, BIA

had treated 160,000 acres to

reduce catastrophic wildland

fires.

Number of Acres Treated to

Reduce Fires (FY 2001-2004)

100,000

200,000

150,000

50,000

0 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04*

Since 2001, the number of acres

treated for wildland fire has

grown by 56 percent.

“On the whole, the

management of Indian

forests is different and

better than it was ten

years ago, largely through

the efforts of dedicated

tribal and BIA resource

managers and staff.”

—Dr. John Gordon,

in testimony before the Senate

Indian Affairs Committee
24

cost of $20.1 million. The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho,

provides direction and coordination to all BIA activities associated with fire

protection and management on approximately 61 million acres of land.

WATER DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS

Interior’s long-term strategic goal in this area is to assist tribes with

establishing and defining water rights and settling claims through negotiation

and litigation. Funds are used for technical research and studies related to the

preparation and defense of tribal water rights claims, including the

determination of surface- and ground-water supplies, identification of arable

lands, analysis of historical water use, assessment of fish and wildlife

requirements, and the examination of the amounts of water required for

irrigated agriculture and the related engineering and economic studies for

water delivery.

Program dollars support the work of both BIA personnel and individual

Indian tribes associated with these efforts. During 2004, for example,

approximately 20 teams are involved in ongoing negotiations for

quantification of water rights reserved for tribal trust lands. These efforts

require ongoing coordination and consultation with the affected tribes.

Program dollars also support approximately 150 projects related to water

rights.

In the past few years, there have been many noteworthy successes. For

example, the Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Agreement, which

Congress ratified and confirmed on June 23, 2003, resolves claims associated

with the Zuni Heaven Reservation in the Little Colorado River Basin of

northeastern Arizona. The tribe will be entitled to purchase annually up to

3,600 acre-feet of surface water rights, in addition to existing surface water

rights on the Zuni Heaven Reservation. The settlement also recognizes the

tribe’s right to annually withdraw or use up to 1,500 acre-feet of ground water

from wells on specified Zuni lands.

The settlement will provide $19.2 million from a Zuni Indian Tribe Water

Rights Development Fund for restoring streams and wetlands as close as

possible to their original condition, which will necessitate acquiring statebased water rights from willing sellers. The federal government will contribute

the bulk of the funds; the state of Arizona will contribute $1.6 million to the

Tribes Receiving Land and Water Settlement Funding: 2001–2004

Aleutian Prilof 

Cherokee

Chickasaw

Chippewa Cree Tribe of the

Rocky Boy’s Reservation 

Choctaw

Hoopa Valley Tribe

Pueblo of Santo Domingo

Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe

Shivwits Band of Paiute Indians

Southern Ute

Torres-Martinez Band of

Cahuilla Indians

Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah

and Quray Reservation

Ute Mountain Ute

Walker River Paiute Tribe

White Earth 

Yurok Tribe

Zuni Tribe

“It [the water rights

settlement] will help us

to preserve our religious

traditions by ensuring

that the Zuni will

continue to make

pilgrimage to the lands

our ancestors call home.”

—Wilford Eriacho, Chairman

of the Zuni Tribe’s Water

Rights Negotiating Team

Interior provides funds for

technical research and studies

related to the preparation and

defense of tribal water rights

claims, including the

determination of surface- and

ground-water supplies.
25

tribe’s restoration activities and will make additional settlement contributions;

and the Salt River Project will contribute $1 million for restoration activities.

In a second success story, the Shivwits Band of Paiute Indians Water Rights

Settlement Act, which became effective on September 20, 2003, confirms a

water right of 4,000 acre-feet per year for the band, whose reservation lies in

the Virgin River Basin just north of St. George, Utah. Most of the water to

satisfy the band’s right will come from two separate projects developed as

part of the settlement. One, the St. George Water Reuse Project, will treat and

recycle discharges from the St. George Water Reclamation Facility. The other,

the Santa Clara Project, will use a pressurized pipeline to replace certain

irrigation water deliveries via area canals, thereby conserving water currently

lost through seepage and evaporation. Besides benefiting the Shivwits Band,

these projects will benefit the city of St. George and other water users in the

area.

AGRICULTURAL, RANGE, AND GRAZING LANDS

Of the total 56 million acres of trust lands, 44 million acres are rangelands or

forest grazing lands, and 3 million acres are dry and irrigated farmland.

Interior’s objective is to protect, conserve, restore, improve, and enhance the

agronomic and range resource values of Indian lands,

preserve the land in a perpetually productive capacity to

ensure continuous production, develop renewable

resources, provide technical assistance to Indian farmers

and ranchers, and assist Indian landowners in leasing

and permitting their farmland and rangeland for the

best economic return consistent with tribal goals and

objectives.

Rangelands provide the forage base for most of the

western livestock industry, in addition to wildlife habitat

and recreational opportunities. The condition of

rangelands in many areas of the western states has

declined in recent years. Interior, in consultation with

Indian landowners, is implementing effective

conservation and management practices on Indian

agricultural lands. These practices include regulating

grazing capacity by recommending stocking rates based

on range inventories and regulating grazing on range

units by permits, establishing grazing fees and

conservation and land use controls, constructing range improvements as a

condition of permitting, regulating livestock trespass, controlling animal

damage and invasive species (e.g., noxious weeds), preparing annual range

management plans in conjunction with the permittees, and developing policy

and procedural handbooks that provide guidance to field personnel in

carrying out program objectives.

Increases in funding in FY 2002 and 2003 have allowed for additional

personnel to be hired and for the initiation of updated inventories for over

four million acres. A number of important guidance documents have been

created during the past four years to direct Interior’s actions with regard to

Of the total 56 million acres of

trust lands, 44 million acres

are rangelands or forest grazing

lands, and 3 million acres are

dry and irrigated farmland.

“This [water] settlement

will help us become selfsufficient and will open

the door for economic

development....”

—Glenn Rogers,

Shivwits Band of the 

Paiute Indian Tribe
26

agriculture and grazing activities. Of particular note is the draft Agriculture and

Range Manual and Handbook, which replaces guidance that had not been

rewritten since the 1950s. Draft grazing regulations for the Navajo Partitioned

Lands developed by BIA and the Navajo Nation were published in the Federal

Register in November 2003. In addition, BIA and tribal participation in

Interior’s Rio Grande Tamarisk Initiative is effectively addressing the issue of

this invasive shrub.

WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AND RECREATION

BIA’s Wildlife and Parks program consists of an on-reservation component

designed to conserve and develop Indian fish, wildlife, and outdoor recreation

and ecotourism resources, and to manage and regulate associated tribal and

public hunting, fishing, and related activities on tribal lands. Interior has

provided funding for certain on-reservation programs, such as wetlands

management, fish hatchery maintenance, and bison herd development. BIA

biologists and game wardens have provided technical assistance for the

Metlakatla Indian Fisheries Program, Hoopa Valley and Yurok Fisheries

Program, Red Lake Fisheries Program, and Wind River Game Code

Implementation, among other programs.

The Wildlife and Parks program also has a large off-reservation component

designed to protect treaty fishing, hunting and gathering rights, and the

resources upon which the meaningful exercise of those rights depend. Several

court rulings that reaffirmed the off-reservation treaty rights of more than 40

tribes provided authorization for most of the associated Rights Protection

Implementation Programs. Each of the off-reservation court rulings has

In 2004, the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service awarded 53

grants to help federally recognized

Indian tribes conserve and recover

endangered, threatened, and atrisk species and other wildlife on

tribal lands in 22 states.
27

resulted in the creation of an intertribal fish and wildlife commission or

authority, and multi-tribal efforts to manage and conserve off-reservation

resources shared by the tribes and non-Indian entities through biological

research, conservation enforcement, and conservation court programs. This

program is 100 percent contracted to affected tribes.

In 2004, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded 53 grants to help federally

recognized Indian tribes conserve and recover endangered, threatened, and

at-risk species and other wildlife on tribal lands in 22 states. About $3 million

was awarded under the Tribal Landowner Incentive Program and about $6

million under the Tribal Wildlife Grant Program.

TRIBAL SERVICES

Self-governance and Self-determination 

Indian self-determination has been the basis of federal Indian policy since the

1970s. Today, BIA provides funding and services to more than 1.5 million

American Indians and Alaska Natives in 31 states in three ways—directly,

through self-determination contracts and grants, and through self-governance

compact agreements with tribes. In support of self-determination, BIA has

provided more than $125 million in contract funds in each of the past four

years. These funds are helping to strengthen and stabilize the administrative

structures for those tribes and tribal organizations contracting and

compacting BIA programs. Tribes use the funds for administrative and

management costs, including finance, personnel, maintenance, insurance,

utilities, and audits.

Over 450 federally recognized tribes have self-determination contracts or selfgovernance compacts with BIA and receive annually over $650 million in

funding to provide services to other citizens. Self-determination contracts are

given to tribes that express a desire to take over a specific program, service,

function, or activity that Interior would have otherwise provided. As a

consequence, tribal members then provide these services to the tribe.

Self-governance compacts implement the Tribal Self-Governance Act of 1994,

so that tribes can efficiently plan, conduct, consolidate, and administer

programs, services, functions, and activities for tribal citizens according to

priorities established by their tribal governments, and as a consequence, can

reprioritize funding and redesign programs.

Tribes depend on Tribal Priority Allocation (TPA) funds for basic necessities

and programs critical to improving the quality of life and economic potential

on reservations. The TPA gives tribes the flexibility to prioritize funds among

most TPA programs according to their unique needs and circumstances and is

an important tool for accomplishing BIA’s self-determination performance

goals. The TPA activity has grown by almost $40 million since 2001.
28

Welfare Assistance/Housing

Interior provides welfare and housing assistance to eligible Indians who are

unable to receive assistance from other federal, state, or local programs. These

programs serve American Indian individuals and families on reservations and

Alaska Natives living in designated service areas.

In the past four years, Interior has provided about $375 million in welfare

assistance payments to approximately 50,000 eligible individuals a month, on

average. As part of this sum, in FY 2003, for example, Interior distributed

approximately $11 million to support 1,600 disabled Indian adults and $30

million to support 4,400 abandoned or neglected children. During the same

period, Interior spent more than $90 million for renovation and construction

of homes for more than 2,200 individuals and families. Without these

services, many more Indian families would have experienced serious health

and safety problems.
29

Law Enforcement

and Security

Programs

Under this Administration, Indian Country law enforcement has

continued to press forward to enhance public safety and protection of

property for approximately 1.5 million American Indians residing on

56 million acres of land. BIA’s Office of Law Enforcement and Security

(OLES) has direct and oversight responsibility for Indian Country uniformed

patrol, criminal investigations, and detention services. BIA-OLES operates the

Indian Police Academy, 19 detention/corrections centers, and 50 tribally

contracted law enforcement detention centers. It also monitors and oversees

tribally operated law enforcement programs through Indian selfdetermination contracts and self-governance compacts.

Since FY 2001, the BIA-OLES budget has realized an 11 percent increase to

its current level of $172 million. This increase demonstrates the

Administration’s commitment to police training, building partnerships with

communities, strengthening drug and crime interdiction, and improving

facilities throughout Indian Country.

BIA-OLES stands ready to respond to Indian Country Homeland Security

issues and matters affecting the nation. After the September 11 terrorist

attack, 25 BIA officers and special agents served in the Federal Air Marshals

program, protecting commercial air traffic.

INCREASING POLICE TRAINING

Indian Country law enforcement officers routinely respond to “in progress”

serious assaults, car accidents, suicides, sexual assaults, incidents of child

abuse, search-and-rescue operations, and missing children reports and

conduct myriad community preventive and protective activities. The officers

are occasionally involved in high-speed pursuits, armed confrontations, and

situations of dangerous civil unrest.

BIA-OLES recognizes the basic foundation for effective, efficient, and safe

performance-based law enforcement programs begins with training. The

Indian Police Academy continues to build partnerships with other federal

“Greater love has no one

than this, that he lay

down his life for his

friends.”

—In memory of 

Creighton Spencer,

who died in the line of duty

March 25, 2001
30

agencies to maximize training opportunities to meet the needs of Indian

Country law enforcement. The Indian Police Academy promotes the goals of

BIA by providing technical assistance, developing policy, and coordinating

training programs.

In FY 2003, BIA-OLES trained 3,357 Indian Country law enforcement

personnel, including BIA and tribal investigators, police officers, correctional

officers, dispatchers, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agents, and

state and local law enforcement officers. July 2004 marked the 100th basic

police class to graduate from the Indian Police Academy in Artesia, New

Mexico. Classes have been designed to offer a broad range of training,

including:

• 15 separate basic training programs for police, criminal investigation,

detention, and dispatch personnel;

• 26 advanced training programs, which include child abuse investigation,

community policing, use of force, firearms instruction, archaeological

resource protection, police management and supervision, crime scene

processing, detention, and dispatcher training courses; and

• 39 outreach training programs, consisting of the BIA/FBI joint training

programs; the Department of the Interior Management Training

Programs; the BIA Criminal Jurisdiction in Indian Country Training

Programs; BIA-In Service Training for Criminal Investigators, Police

Officers and Correctional Officers; and the BIA-Department of Justice

(DOJ) Safe Trails child abuse conferences.

BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITIES

Indian Country law enforcement comprises 206 law enforcement programs

managed and overseen by six District Offices. The police departments in

Indian Country are encouraged to operate under the community policing

philosophy that builds proactive and meaningful partnerships with local

stakeholders. These positive working relationships

have led to numerous prevention and enforcement

initiatives, and in some cases have dramatically

improved conditions within the communities.

Operation “Stranger Danger”

As part of the Uintah & Ouray Agency’s “Stranger

Danger”child safety program in Utah, police officers

and telecommunications equipment operators

conducted presentations for the local schools and

communities regarding personal safety.

Crime, Drug, and Gang Prevention 

BIA officers provide classroom instruction for the

nationally recognized DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance

Education) and GREAT (Gang Resistance Education

and Training) programs throughout Indian Country.

In Oklahoma, the programs have been so successful

that BIA has experienced a dramatic increase in the

Pyramid Lake Tribe and

Western Nevada Agency,

BIA-OLES, hosted the First

Youth Basketball Tournament.
31

number of schools requesting the programs. The area tribes and communities

continually express vigorous support for these two initiatives.

Traffic Safety Initiative

In 2002, 11 people were killed on the Crow Indian reservation in Montana

involving drug- or alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents. BIA Chief of Police

Darren Cruzan and Lieutenant Ed Eastman developed a proactive prevention

and enforcement partnership with the Crow Tribe, Indian Health Services,

and local service providers. Thanks in large part to their proactive efforts, in

2003, there was only one motor vehicle fatality on the reservation.

Seatbelt and DUI Prevention

New Mexico’s Mescalero Agency conducted a campaign to enforce and

encourage the use of seatbelts and child safety restraints. The effort also

targeted citizens driving while under the influence.

STRENGTHENING DRUG AND CRIME PREVENTION

Operation Kiipokya

A four-month federal and tribal task force, dubbed Operation Kiipokya,

investigated illegal bootlegging of alcohol on Arizona’s Hopi Indian

Reservation. The operation involved BIA agents and agents representing the

Hopi, Uintah & Ouray, San Carlos, and Fort Apache tribes. The U.S.

Attorney’s Flagstaff Office charged the most prolific and high-volume

operators for violations of federal bootlegging, drug trafficking, and firearms

statutes. The arrest of these individuals had a significant and positive impact

on the communities and resulted in a reduction in the sales of illegal

substances.

Drug Operations

In May 2003, residents of South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Community

expressed concern to law enforcement officials regarding the escalating gangrelated shootings potentially linked to drug trafficking. BIA’s Aberdeen District I

As part of the Uintah & Ouray

Agency’s “Stranger Danger” child

safety program in Utah, police

officers and telecommunications

equipment operators conducted

presentations for the local schools

and communities regarding

personal safety.
32

office created an operational plan targeting drug interdiction and gang

suppression, using BIA special agents and agents from the Northern Plains

Drug Task Force and the FBI. The overall objective and mission of the

operations plan was to gather intelligence on gang and drug activities, target

specific groups, and build evidence to prosecute identified gang members

and drug dealers. The result was 75 arrests, 45 investigative cases initiated,

and the seizure of various dangerous drugs.

Operations Torch Hunter and Red Sky

In 2002, in response to over 270 arson fires on the Mescalero Reservation

(NM), BIA formed a joint task force with the U.S. Forest Service, FBI, Tribal

Rangers, and local and county law enforcement. The task force

personnel drafted an operations order that set forth policy and

protocols to ensure a seamless investigative operation. A command

post was established and equipped with state-of-the-art

surveillance equipment and computer software. The result was the

arrest of a local wildland firefighter who was setting the fires to

generate a paycheck.

During the same timeframe, in response to the 400,000-acre

Rodeo/Chedeski arson fire, BIA mimicked Operation Torch Hunter

and used the model to create the Operations Red Sky Task Force. As

a result of the joint investigative effort, the arson was solved within

three days, and a local wildland firefighter who was also setting fires

to generate a paycheck was arrested.

BUILDING SPECIAL RESPONSE CAPABILITIES

BIA’s Special Response Team operates with an understanding that Indian

Country, like the rest of the United States, is at risk of natural, accidental, or

deliberate disasters, and that there constantly remains the potential for armed

civil disturbance. Composed of highly trained special agents and police

officers, the team has responded to a number of emotionally and politically

charged situations. For example, in February 2001, it responded to the

proposed eviction of Navajo tribal members from Hopi Reservation lands.

After several tense days wherein hundreds of protesters congregated and

pledged to disrupt Hopi Tribal Services, the Special Response Team was able

to peacefully diffuse the situation. More recently, the team responded to

Hurricane Frances to ensure the safety, response, and recovery of the

Seminole Tribe of Florida.

IMPROVING THE DETENTION PROGRAM

While a great deal remains to be accomplished and improved, BIA has been

working with many different partners to improve the conditions and

management of the detention program. BIA-OLES has worked in

partnership with the Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) Corrections Programs

Office, which provides grants to the tribes to build new detention facilities.

While DOJ has provided grants to tribes, BIA-OLES has requested funding to

staff and operate the programs. BIA-OLES has received approximately $20.7

million in new budget authority to operate these new programs.

Community bike patrols make

Indian Country safer.
33

Since 2001, BIA-OLES has worked with DOJ and the National Institute of

Corrections (NIC) to provide detention management training for Indian

Country detention programs. BIA-OLES staff and Indian Country detention

administrators attend training sessions twice a year at NIC’s facility in

Longmont, Colorado, and three training programs held annually in regional

locations. This includes training for small Agency training coordinators,

interpersonal communications, policy and procedure development, and

inmate classification and supervision. NIC’s training programs are tailored

specifically to Indian Country needs.

During 2004, BIA developed and implemented strategic plans to address

detention health and safety issues. BIA is placing the highest priority on the

safety and well-being of detainees and staff. To date, one detention facility

has been closed, and other closures are planned as new construction is

completed and tribes are consulted. In addition, BIA

restructured management within Law Enforcement in

2004. District Detention Supervisors were appointed

and immediately began resolving health and safety

issues at BIA and tribal facilities. Positions for an

Associate Director of Corrections and an Assistant

Director for Detention Facilities were created and

focus attention on the improvement of buildings and

detention operations.

Outside Recognition

• Lt. Ed Eastman and BIA Chief of Police Darren Cruzan

received an award from the Indian Health Service for their

successful traffic safety initiative.

• Tribal police officers and BIA Special Agent in Charge

received an appreciation award from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe

for promoting sovereignty. 

• Supervisory Special Agent John Oliveira, Western Nevada

Agency, received a nomination for a national award based

upon his contributions to fight child abuse and sexual assault

in Indian Country. 

• The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona Law

Enforcement Coordinating Committee, recognized Operation

Kiipokya with the Cooperative Law Enforcement Award.

Two of BIA’s police officers.

Lt. Ed Eastman (left) and BIA Chief of

Police Darren Cruzan (right).
34

Commissions

and Boards

I

nterior receives considerable advice from independent commissions and

internal boards regarding its Indian services and policy programs.

Although such organizations are numerous, three of the most visible

groups are the National Indian Gaming Commission, the Indian Arts & Crafts

Board, and the Special Trustee Advisory Board.

NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION

The National Indian Gaming Commission regulates gaming activities on

Indian lands to shield tribes from organized crime and other corrupting

influences, and to ensure both that tribes are the primary beneficiaries of

gaming revenue and that gaming is conducted fairly and honestly by

operators and players. To achieve these goals, the Commission is authorized

to conduct background investigations and audits; review and approve tribal

gaming ordinances; and undertake enforcement actions, including issuing

notices of violation and closure orders and assessing civil fines.

Since January 2003, the Commission has developed and published in the

Federal Register the first Government-to-Government Tribal Consultation

Policy and has conducted consultation meetings with over 130 separate

gaming tribes and several national, regional, and state intertribal associations.

The Commission also worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

to organize the Indian Gaming Federal Law Enforcement Working Group to

better coordinate federal law enforcement resources and to effectively

investigate and prosecute Indian gaming-related crime. Current participating

agencies include the FBI, Interior’s Offices of the Inspector General and Law

Enforcement, BIA Law Enforcement, the Internal Revenue Service, the

Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Analysis Center, and the Department

of Justice’s and U.S. Attorney’s Indian Country Subcommittees.

The Commission has established two advisory committees. The first is helping

the Commission correct shortcomings in regulations on its Minimum Internal

Control Standards, keeping them up to date with changing gaming

technology and methods, ensuring the adequacy of tribal regulations and

Phil Hogan, Chairman, National

Indian Gaming Commission.
35

control of Indian gaming operations. The second committee is developing

uniform technical standards and procedures as Commission regulations to

help tribes distinguish permissible electronic, computer, and other

technological aids. The Commission plans to finalize promulgation of these

gaming classification standards and procedures by June 2005, in consultation

with gaming tribes.

To ensure that gaming facilities are constructed, maintained, and operated in a

manner that adequately protects the environment and the health and safety

of tribal members, employees, and the general public, the Commission

developed an environmental, public health, and safety field inspection check

list to assist tribal governments in developing adequate requirements and

procedures. The Commission’s efforts to provide oversight on Indian gaming

activities have created a more equitable environment for state and Indian

gaming interests to work together.

INDIAN ARTS & CRAFTS BOARD

Congress created the Indian Arts & Crafts Board as a separate agency within

Interior to promote the economic development of American Indians and

Alaska Natives through the expansion of the Indian arts and crafts market. A

top priority of the Board is implementing and enforcing the Indian Arts and

Crafts Act of 1990 (the Act), a truth-in-advertising law that provides criminal

and civil penalties for marketing products as “Indian-made”when they are not

made by Indians, as defined by the Act.

The Indian Arts & Crafts Board

promotes the economic

development of American Indians

and Alaska Natives through the

expansion of the Indian arts and

crafts market.
Special Trustee Advisory Board

members, left to right: Helen

Sanders, Chief Gray, Governor

Anoatubby, Special Trustee

Ross Swimmer, Chairman

Milanovich, Secretary Norton,

Ed Holland, Chairman Matt,

Bobby Brooks, and Bat Pourier.

(Not pictured: Dr. David

English.)

36

The Board’s other activities include providing American Indian artists,

artisans, and cultural organizations with professional business advice,

information on the Act and related marketing issues, fundraising assistance,

and promotional opportunities. The Board produces a consumer directory of

approximately 190 arts and crafts businesses owned and operated by

American Indians and Alaska Natives, and is the only federal agency that is

consistently and exclusively concerned with the economic benefits of

American Indian cultural development.

Among the Board’s most significant accomplishments was the promulgation

of final regulations in 2003 that defined and provided examples of “Indian

products”for Indian artists and artisans. The Board also resumed its national

educational program in 2003 to educate Indian artists and artisans on how to

protect their work by becoming familiar with the Act and its definitions, and

how to file complaints of possible violations. Through its participation in

several significant artist events, including the Santa Fe Indian Market, the

Heard Museum Guild Indian Market and Fair, and the Red Earth Festival, the

Board has continued to reach out to tribes and their members.

Recently, in collaboration with the state of New Mexico, the Board aired a

televised public service announcement on the Act to promote the market for

and encourage the purchase of authentic Indian arts and crafts from federally

recognized artists and artisans. The Board also continues to communicate

information on the Act in tourism and special-interest publications

nationwide.

SPECIAL TRUSTEE ADVISORY BOARD

On February 5, 2004, the Special Trustee for American Indians announced the

membership of the 2004-05 Office of the Special Trustee Advisory Board. The

new Board reflects a diverse membership, as directed by statute, and

represents tribal account holders, individual Indian money account holders,

and private trust managers and investors. As Interior is embarking on some

of the most significant Indian trust management reforms in history, the

Advisory Board will be invaluable in helping the Department successfully

achieve them. The nine members of this Board have solid credentials and a

genuine desire to play a crucial role in reforming the management of Indian

trust assets nationwide.
Message from

the Assistant

Secretary –

Indian Affairs

T

hroughout the years, the Bureau of Indian

Affairs has played a very important role in

many of our lives. I have worked

alongside many BIA native and non-native

employees, and I have been encouraged by

their genuine caring and hard work. I would

like to acknowledge the dedication and service

of our BIA employees.

This document is an acknowledgment of the

many accomplishments of BIA working in

consultation and cooperation with American

Indian tribes throughout the United States and

the native villages in Alaska.

I sincerely believe that this report, for the first

time, highlights the importance of BIA in

empowering sovereignty of our tribal

governments by providing education, law

enforcement, the protection of our natural

resources, and increased entrée into greater

economic development opportunities on a

global basis. As a native businessman myself, I

understand the importance of encouraging

entrepreneurship and training young people for

success.

It is my goal that every American Indian and

Native Alaskan youth can grow up with the

hope that all of their dreams can be fulfilled just

like any other youth living in this great country

of ours. It is my goal that our youth can grow

up knowing they can access the best in

education, that they can look forward to a

fulfilling and rewarding career, that they can

enjoy a healthy lifestyle, and have a deep sense

of pride in their culture, language, and

traditions as America’s first people.

I am honored that President Bush appointed

me as Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs. I am

equally honored to be representing our Indian

people.

David W. Anderson

Message from

the Special

Trustee for

American

Indians

I

am pleased with the firm foundation Interior

is putting in place to improve services to

Indian trust beneficiaries. During the past

four years, I have witnessed great progress by

this Administration in achieving its commitment

to improving the management of trust assets. I

am excited about continuing to implement

efforts to ensure that beneficiaries receive a

superior level of service, and that trust assets are

properly managed by Interior.

Interior’s Comprehensive Trust Management

Plan outlines the structure and strategy used to

guide thoughtful trust reforms. Consistent with

this plan, implementation of a trust business

model has begun, ushering in a new era of

beneficiary-focused fiduciary trust services.

Implementation of this model throughout

Interior is a historic opportunity to bring

efficient, consistent, integrated, and fiscally

responsible trust operations to Indian Country.

The goals of the Special Trustee to bring about

improved beneficiary services and fiduciary

accountability are now being realized. For

instance, the Office of the Special Trustee is

hiring Fiduciary Trust Officers at locations across

the nation to provide beneficiaries with

information and advice concerning their trust

assets. State-of-the-art computer systems are

being implemented, and work with tribes is

ongoing to ensure that their funds are invested

pursuant to an investment strategy that meets

their financial requirements. In addition, trust

beneficiaries will be ensured of timely receipt of

trust funds and comprehensive trust account

statements as these improvements continue.

I am confident that, going forward, Indian trust

beneficiaries will experience the valuable

improvements in trust services provided by

Interior.

Ross O. Swimmer
www.bia.gov

www.doi.gov

www.mms.gov

www.blm.gov www.fws.gov