Post by Okwes on Feb 28, 2007 16:30:09 GMT -5
Agency will re-establish relationship with tribes on bison range By
MARY CLARE
JALONICKhttp://www.helenair.com/articles/2006/12/30/ap-state-mt/d8maosjo\
4.txt
WASHINGTON - Federal wildlife managers have reversed their decision to
cut off tribal involvement in management of the National Bison Range.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service abruptly canceled
an interim plan that had allowed the Confederated Salish and Kootenai
Tribes a role in managing the range, on tribal land in northwestern
Montana. The department said Friday that it will re-establish that
relationship in January, under certain conditions.
The agreement was announced by Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn
Scarlett, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall and
Associate Deputy Interior Secretary Jim Cason. The three said they have
agreed to draft a five-year range operations plan and retain an
ombudsman to work at the range to assist in resolving any problems with
range management.
The Interior Department statement also said a tribal proposal seeking
full management of the 19,000-acre bison range would be "suspended at
this time."
That proposal came just months after release of a performance report
that indicated some of the work for which the tribes were responsible
was not done.
Tribal chairman James Steele Jr. said Friday that members were surprised
and pleased about the department's reversal. He said the tribe was
taking care of its responsibilities on the range and there has been a
"continual pattern of misinformation and false allegations" about tribal
activity there.
The new decision means "somewhere along the line someone was actually
listening to our concerns," he said.
"We had some serious concerns with the allegations and the reasons they
had used to negate this agreement," Steele said.
A fax sent to the tribes Dec. 11 told them to "immediately cease
performing all activities" at the bison range and withdraw all employees
from the site. The fax said the tribes had failed to perform work
properly and had created a hostile and intimidating work environment.
The joint management plan has been controversial from the start.
Environmentalists worried tribal management could lead to reduced
stewardship. And earlier this year, federal employees at the range
complained of mistreatment.
Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental
Responsibility, a Washington interest group that lobbies for
environmental causes, said he thought the agency had "cast a rare
profile in courage" when it cut off the tribe's responsibilities. He
said the decision to re-establish the relationship was a political move.
"This is all about politics, and politics don't get the fences
repaired," he said.
The Salish-Kootenai maintain that they should manage the land to which
they have historical ties, and that they are best prepared to tell
visitors about the bison and American Indians. The range lies within the
Flathead Indian Reservation.
Two years ago, the tribes and the federal agency reached an interim
agreement that allowed the tribes to take on some management
responsibilities at the federal bison range.
The agreement expired at the end of September, but the two governments
had agreed to continue honoring it while anticipating negotiations aimed
at producing a permanent management plan.
MARY CLARE
JALONICKhttp://www.helenair.com/articles/2006/12/30/ap-state-mt/d8maosjo\
4.txt
WASHINGTON - Federal wildlife managers have reversed their decision to
cut off tribal involvement in management of the National Bison Range.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service abruptly canceled
an interim plan that had allowed the Confederated Salish and Kootenai
Tribes a role in managing the range, on tribal land in northwestern
Montana. The department said Friday that it will re-establish that
relationship in January, under certain conditions.
The agreement was announced by Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn
Scarlett, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall and
Associate Deputy Interior Secretary Jim Cason. The three said they have
agreed to draft a five-year range operations plan and retain an
ombudsman to work at the range to assist in resolving any problems with
range management.
The Interior Department statement also said a tribal proposal seeking
full management of the 19,000-acre bison range would be "suspended at
this time."
That proposal came just months after release of a performance report
that indicated some of the work for which the tribes were responsible
was not done.
Tribal chairman James Steele Jr. said Friday that members were surprised
and pleased about the department's reversal. He said the tribe was
taking care of its responsibilities on the range and there has been a
"continual pattern of misinformation and false allegations" about tribal
activity there.
The new decision means "somewhere along the line someone was actually
listening to our concerns," he said.
"We had some serious concerns with the allegations and the reasons they
had used to negate this agreement," Steele said.
A fax sent to the tribes Dec. 11 told them to "immediately cease
performing all activities" at the bison range and withdraw all employees
from the site. The fax said the tribes had failed to perform work
properly and had created a hostile and intimidating work environment.
The joint management plan has been controversial from the start.
Environmentalists worried tribal management could lead to reduced
stewardship. And earlier this year, federal employees at the range
complained of mistreatment.
Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental
Responsibility, a Washington interest group that lobbies for
environmental causes, said he thought the agency had "cast a rare
profile in courage" when it cut off the tribe's responsibilities. He
said the decision to re-establish the relationship was a political move.
"This is all about politics, and politics don't get the fences
repaired," he said.
The Salish-Kootenai maintain that they should manage the land to which
they have historical ties, and that they are best prepared to tell
visitors about the bison and American Indians. The range lies within the
Flathead Indian Reservation.
Two years ago, the tribes and the federal agency reached an interim
agreement that allowed the tribes to take on some management
responsibilities at the federal bison range.
The agreement expired at the end of September, but the two governments
had agreed to continue honoring it while anticipating negotiations aimed
at producing a permanent management plan.