Wind River Indian Reservation

Tribes and Dept. of Energy sign cooperative agreement

Irina Zhorov — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 00:16:23 +0000

New report details federal prosecutions of violent crime in Indian Country

Irina Zhorov — Fri, 31 May 2013 21:48:05 +0000

The Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 requires record-keeping of federal agencies’ activities with violent crime occurring in Indian Land. In compliance with the law, the Department of Justice has released a report detailing investigations and prosecutions of violent crimes in tribal communities for 2011 and 2012.

The report says federal efforts to prioritize criminal investigations and prosecutions in Indian Country have led to a 54% increase in that caseload.

Native American Lawmaker is hoping to get more tribal members engaged in politics

Bob Beck — Mon, 27 May 2013 23:44:21 +0000

A State Representative who represents the Wind River Reservation says it’s essential that Native Americans hold office and articulate their points of view to the rest of the state. That’s why Representative Patrick Goggles has been working to get more young people interested in politics.

“We are in that process of encouraging many young folks to endeavor into the arena of politics. Our motto is that if you don’t articulate the politics of your community, someone will for you.”

Northern Arapaho Tribe sanctioned for bad audits

Irina Zhorov — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:42:25 +0000

The Northern Arapaho Tribe is currently being sanctioned for not submitting their audits for the last couple of years, and the audits that were submitted, up to 2010, received poor marks. The audits found that everything from timely drawdowns to proper tracking of tribal and federal funds to a suitable Human Resources system that hired qualified workers and paid them appropriate wages were missing or lacking. The tribe put together a corrective action plan after the 2009 audit.

Peer mentoring program aims to prevent substance abuse and keep kids in touch with tribal heritage

Rebecca Martinez — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:13:23 +0000

Substance abuse is a concern for most school districts across the country, but on the Wind River Indian Reservation, it’s a red flag for especially high crime and suicide rates. Tribes have been trying – with mixed success – to keep kids from abusing alcohol and tobacco… But a new program from the Eastern Shoshone Department of Juvenile Services is working to train a league of student mentors to help their peers avoid risky behaviors. Wyoming Public Radio’s Rebecca Martinez filed this report.

New project wants to reduce diabetes on Wind River with gardens

Willow Belden — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:13:33 +0000

A new project on the Wind River Indian Reservation seeks to reduce diabetes rates by helping tribal families grow their own vegetables. More than 11% of the people on the reservation have diabetes.

The project is a collaboration between community health groups on the reservation, and the University of Wyoming.

Virginia Sutter with Blue Mountain Associates is one of the leaders of the project. She says diabetes rates are high because tribal members have very different diets than they have historically.

Wyoming tribes have 33 sanitation development projects in need of attention

Irina Zhorov — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:13:09 +0000

Native American leader says protecting water rights is key for tribes

Irina Zhorov — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:26:34 +0000

Native American tribes need to make sure they are protecting their natural resources. Eastern Shoshone Business Council member Wes Martel, from the Wind River Indian Reservation, spoke during a University of Wyoming American Indian Studies program this week. Martel said tribes need to be more careful about the kinds of contracts they enter into for energy development. He added that water is the new gold but very few tribes are taking real steps to secure this resource.

Wind River Indian Reservation

Wyoming's Wind River Country and windriver.org — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 16:14:57 +0000

Wyoming’s Wind River Country is home to the seventh largest Indian reservation in the country. Encompassing more than 2.2 million acres, the Wind River Indian Reservation is home to the Eastern Shoshone and the Northern Arapaho tribes.

http://vimeo.com/10449428

Visitors to the area can go to powwows and museums to learn more about the local culture, or can recreate on thousands of acres of vast, unspoiled reservation lands with special permits.

Secretary Salazar Finalizes Indian Trust Settlement

Irina Zhorov — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 23:15:52 +0000

After 16 years of legal proceedings, US Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has approved the final settlement of the Cobell class action law suit. Native Americans sued the federal government over mismanagement of tribal royalties and land, which has been held in trust by the federal government since the 1800s. The suit accused the government of mismanaging $150 billion in royalties, but the settlement is for $3.4 billion. Wind River Reservation in central Wyoming has 6,000-8,000 beneficiaries.

Northern Arapaho Tribal Elections On Hold

Irina Zhorov — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 00:27:22 +0000

The Northern Arapaho general tribal election, which was supposed to take place today, has been postponed to December.

First, the tribe will conduct a new primary later this month. The original primary election’s results have been voided because Arapaho Business Council members said one candidate, Kim Harja, should not have been on the ballot. Harja is supposed to sit out until 2016 because she was previously dismissed from the Council.

Update on Environmental Health Initiative on Wind River Looks at Cancer

Irina Zhorov — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 23:23:10 +0000

A public meeting today will present preliminary results of an Environmental Health Initiative study being conducted on Wind River Indian Reservation. The Rocky Mountain Tribal Epidemiology Center initiative aims to assess environmental risks on the reservation, and develop remediation strategies. Communities on the Wind River Reservation complained of high cancer rates. Folo Akintan directs the Epidemiology Center and says they distributed surveys on the reservation and in communities immediately surrounding it, and reviewed national and local data going back up to fifty years.

Tribal Energy Development Act Goes to Senate

Irina Zhorov — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 21:54:53 +0000

The Tribal Energy Development and Self-Determination Act Amendments of 2012 have passed the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. The Act aims to simplify and expedite the process of leasing for energy development on tribal land. U.S. Senator John Barrasso introduced it last October.

Northern Arapaho man loses bid to appeal ruling in infant death case

Willow Belden — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 00:42:46 +0000

A Northern Arapaho man has lost another bid to challenge his conviction in the beating death of his infant daughter.

Andrew John Yellowbear Jr. is serving a life sentence in the death of 22-month-old Marcela Hope Yellowbear in 2004.

He had argued Wyoming lacked authority to prosecute him because the area of Riverton where Marcela died was legally part of the Wind River Indian Reservation. The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year declined to consider that argument.