8982 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 39 / Thursday, February 27, 1997 / Notices

build, maintain, and disseminate

framework data.

Outcomes of these projects will

include the establishment of operational

framework sites that will provide

testbeds on policies and practices for

the framework process. The projects

also will serve as examples of

framework implementation and as

starting points for future framework

research and development.

Applications may be submitted by

State and local government agencies,

educational institutions, private firms,

private foundations, and Federally

acknowledged or state-recognized

Native American tribes or groups. Each

project must be collaborative and

involve two or more organizations. The

FGDC encourages the collaboration of

Federal agencies in these projects,

however, Federal agencies may not lead

a FDPP project nor submit proposals.

The USGS intends to award

approximately 7 cooperative agreements

with funds totaling $460,000 during

fiscal year 1997. Funds requested for a

specific project shall not exceed

$65,000. Participants are expected to

cost-share no less than 100% of the

amount of funding received from the

Federal government. Authority for this

program is contained in the Organic Act

of March 3, 1879, 43 U.S.C. 31 and

Executive Order 12906.

DATES: The program announcement is

expected to be available on or about

March 7, 1997. Applications must be

received on or before May 16, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Copies of Program

Announcement No. 1434–HQ–97–PA–

00023 may be obtained by writing to

Tammy Fanning, U.S. Geological

Survey, Office of Acquisition and

Federal Assistance, Mail Stop 205B,

12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston,

Virginia 20192. Requests may also be

made by facsimile to (703) 648–7901.

Confirmation by telephone at (703) 648–

7372 is recommended.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Tammy Fanning, U.S. Geological

Survey, Office of Acquisition and

Federal Assistance, Mail Stop 205B,

12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston,

Virginia 20192; voice telephone number

(703) 648–7363; facsimile telephone

number (703) 648–7901.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Applications of digital geospatial data

vary greatly, but users have a recurring

need for a few common themes of data.

The framework concept outlined in the

report ‘‘Development of a National

Digital Geospatial Data Framework’’

(April, 1995) proposes a means by

which the geospatial data community

can work together to produce and

maintain commonly needed data for

national, regional, state, and local

analyses. The report and additional

information about the framework are

available from the FGDC Secretariat.

The materials can be retrieved from the

Committee’s World Wide Web page at

http://www.fgdc.gov, or by contacting

the committee by mail at the U.S.

Geological Survey, 590 National Center,

Reston, Virginia 20192; by Internet at

gdc@usgs.gov; by facsimile at (703) 648–

5755; or by voice telephone at (703)

648–5514.

Within the geospatial data

community, multi-agency, and multisector partnership are being established

in local and regional areas to

collaboratively leverage resources and

funding, and coordinate data collection,

utilization, and access. The framework

builds on these activities by providing

a basic information content, and the

technical, operational, and business

contexts by which a distributed,

collaborative data collection and

maintenance effort for the nation would

operate. The framework information

content consists of geodetic control,

digital orthoimagery, elevation,

transportation, hydrography,

governmental units, and cadastral data

categories.

While the framework concept is well

received by the geospatial data

community, questions remain as to its

practical implementation, and the

modifications in approach that will

occur as the community evolves. This

program is a means by which the FGDC

facilities, and provides resources for the

development, and implementation of

the NSDI Framework concept.

This program will fund the

development of institutions and

technology needed for framework

operations. Proposals should be from

geographic areas where multiple parties

have data to share for at least a subset

of the framework data content. Project

activities may include establishment of

the following institutional roles:

evaluating, developing and

implementing technical standards;

coordinating data creation,

maintenance, and dissemination for a

geographic area; ensuring updates of

framework data from local data

contributions; developing data quality

certification policies; and ensuring data

integration among themes, and

geographic areas. Technical

development and applications may

include the following: permanent

feature-based identification; the support

of multiple resolution data; mechanisms

for maintaining the user’s data

investment when updating their data

holding from the framework; processes

for gathering and evaluating user

satisfaction to the framework; and the

evaluation of methods for implementing

metadata (including data quality

information), required for the

framework data.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

(FDAC) Program Number 15.808)

Geological Survey, Research and Data

Acquisition.

Dated: February 21, 1997.

Richard E. Witmer,

Acting Chief, National Mapping Division.

[FR Doc. 97–6904 Filed 2–26–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–31–M

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Notice of Receipt of Petition for

Federal Acknowledgment of Existence

as an Indian Tribe

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

This is published in the exercise of

authority delegated by the Secretary of

the Interior to the Assistant Secretary—

Indian Affairs by 209 DM 8. Pursuant to

25 CFR 83.9(a), notice is hereby given

that the Biloxi, Chitimacha

Confederation of Muskogees, Inc., 1112

Daisy Street, Houma, Louisiana 70363

(BCCM), has filed a letter of intent to be

considered for acknowledgment by the

Secretary of the Interior that the group

exists as an Indian tribe. This letter was

received by the Bureau of Indian Affairs

(BIA) on October 24, 1995, and was

signed by members of the group’s

governing body.

This petitioner was part of the United

Houma Nation, Inc. (UHN), which

received a proposed finding December

22, 1994 (59 245:66118–66119). In

response, this portion of the UHN has

requested that it be considered

separately from the UHN. The BCCM

has received an extension until May 13,

1997, to respond to the proposed

finding. After receipt of the BCCM

response to the proposed finding, the

BIA will issue an amended proposed

finding, which will be published in the

Federal Register.

Under §§ 83.9(a) and 83.10(i) of the

Federal regulations, the petitioner may

then respond to the amended proposed

finding, and interested and informed

third parties may submit factual and/or

legal arguments in support of or in

opposition to the group’s petition and

the proposed finding. The comment

period will end 180 days from the date

of publication of the amended proposed

finding pertaining to the Biloxi,

Chitimacha Confederation of
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 39 / Thursday, February 27, 1997 / Notices 8983

Muskogees, Inc. in the Federal Register.

Any information submitted will be

made available on the same basis as

other information in the BIA’s files.

Such submissions must be provided to

the petitioner and the BIA

simultaneously. The petitioner will

have a 60-day period in which to

respond to such submissions prior to a

final determination regarding the

petitioner’s status.

Under § 83.10(h), a report

summarizing the evidence upon which

the UHN proposed finding was based is

available upon written request to the

BIA. The petition may be examined by

appointment in the Department of the

Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs,

Branch of Acknowledgment and

Research, MS–4603–MIB, 1849 C Street,

NW., Washington, DC 20240. Phone:

(202) 208–3592.

Dated: February 11, 1997.

Ada E. Deer,

Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs.

[FR Doc. 97–4838 Filed 2–26–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–02–P

Proposed Finding for Federal

Acknowledgment of the Cowlitz Indian

Tribe

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of proposed finding.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to 25 CFR 83.10(h),

notice is hereby given that the Assistant

Secretary—Indian Affairs (Assistant

Secretary) proposes to acknowledge that

the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, PO Box 2547,

1417 15th Avenue No. 5, Longview, WA

98632–8594, exists as an Indian tribe

within the meaning of Federal law. This

notice is based on a determination that

the tribe satisfies all of the criteria set

forth in 25 CFR 83.7 as modified by 25

CFR 83.8, and, therefore, meets the

requirements for a government-togovernment relationship with the

United States.

DATES: As provided by 25 CFR 83.10(i),

any individual or organization wishing

to challenge the proposed finding may

submit arguments and evidence to

support or rebut the evidence relied

upon. This material must be submitted

within 180 calendar days from the date

of publication of this notice. As stated

in the regulations, 25 CFR 83.10(i),

interested and informed parties who

submit arguments and evidence to the

Assistant Secretary must also provide

copies of their submissions to the

petitioner.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the proposed

finding and/or request for a copy of the

report of evidence should be addressed

to the Office of the Assistant Secretary,

1849 C Street, NW., Washington, DC

20240, Attention: Branch of

Acknowledgment and Research.

Mailstop 4603—MIB.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Holly Reckord, Chief, Branch of

Acknowledgment and Research, (202)

208–3592.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This

notice is published in the exercise of

authority delegated by the Secretary of

the Interior to the Assistant Secretary by

209 DM 8.

The petitioner consists of descendants

of the historical Lower Cowlitz Indians

and Upper Cowlitz, or Cowlitz Klickitat,

Indians of southwestern Washington. Its

members are descendants specifically of

the Lower Cowlitz Indians who were

represented in 1855 at the Chehalis

River Treaty negotiations held between

several American Indian tribes of

southwest Washington and Federal

officials, and of the Upper Cowlitz band

which was subsequently amalgamated

with the Lower Cowlitz band. Although

the Lower Cowlitz refused to sign the

Chehalis River Treaty, their

participation in the negotiations

constitutes unambiguous Federal

acknowledgment of the tribe’s

sovereignty. The petitioner thus meets

the requirements of § 83.8 as having

unambiguous previous Federal

acknowledgment and has been

considered under the modifications of

§ 83.7 that are prescribed by § 83.8. The

date of the treaty negotiations, March 2,

1855, has been used as the date of latest

Federal acknowledgment for purposes

of this finding to enable the petitioner

to proceed under the provisions of

§ 83.8. Because the petitioner had

already completed documentation of the

petition before the present regulations

became effective, it was not necessary to

determine if there was a later date of

unambiguous Federal acknowledgment

for purposes of this evaluation under

the 1994 regulations.

The Federal acknowledgment

regulations confirm that it is historically

valid for tribes to have combined and

functioned together as a unit. Under the

regulations in 25 CFR part 83, tribes

which combined because of historical

circumstances may be acknowledged in

so far as the group resulting from the

amalgamation continued to function as

a single tribal unit. The petitioner is an

example of a group which has evolved

from linguistically distinct and

politically independent bands which

combined. In reaching this

determination, the Assistant Secretary—

Indian Affairs took fully into account

the historical circumstances

surrounding the petitioner’s

development and the impact of Federal

policy in combining the Salish-speaking

Lower Cowlitz, the me ́tis descendants of

the Lower Cowlitz, and the Sahaptinspeaking Upper Cowlitz into a single

entity for administrative purposes

between the 1860’s and the 1920’s.

Since 1855, the Cowlitz Indians have

continued to reside in a traditionally

dispersed residential pattern along the

Cowlitz River valley. The residential

locations of the individual subgroups

today remain similar to those described

by observers in the mid-19th century

and by BIA Special Agent Charles

Roblin’s 1919 Schedule of Unenrolled

Indians in western Washington. The

tribal entity as defined by Federal policy

was identified in BIA documents from

the 1860’s through the 1880’s, from

1904 through the 1930’s, and since

1950. The umbrella tribal organization

was also regularly identified as an

American Indian entity by newspaper

accounts from the period 1912–1939,

and 1950 to the present. The component

settlements comprising the umbrella

tribal organization were described by

local residents and local historians from

the 1890’s through the 1960’s.

Additionally, throughout this period,

county vital records and articles in local

newspapers regularly described

individuals, families, and component

settlements as ‘‘of the Cowlitz Tribe.’’

Therefore, we conclude that the

petitioner meets criterion 83.7(a) as

modified by criterion 83.8(d).

As a result of the historical

circumstances surrounding the

petitioner’s development, the modern

Cowlitz Indian Tribe (CIT) is a two-level

tribal community in which there is

comparatively intense community

within defined subgroups and a looser

community encompassing the overall

membership. It is significant that the

modern situation does not represent a

post-World War II dispersal of a once

tightly-knit and more closely related

group, but the continuation of a longstanding historical pattern. The

subgroups have interacted in consistent

ways and similar patterns at least since

the formation of the formal Cowlitz

Tribal Organization in 1912.

Genealogical relationships within the

subgroups remain comparatively close:

Within each subgroup, today’s adults

ordinarily share a set of grandparents.

Within the Cowlitz as a whole, the

majority of the adult membership shares

at least one set of great-grandparents.

Throughout the late 19th and early 20th

centuries large proportions of people

known as Cowlitz married non-Indians,

and assimilated into the dominant