Here are some of the successful partnerships that State Councils have had with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. For more information, contact Office of Community Development Desk Officer Ella Ennis.
The Alaska Rural Development Council, in partnership with Alaska Village Initiatives (AVI) and with the assistance of federal funding through the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Senator Stevens, has established the Private Lands Wildlife Management Partnership in hopes of providing rural Alaskans with management control of wildlife revenue opportunities in their communities. By bringing private sector activities such as sports fishing, hunting on private lands for a fee, and adventure tourism businesses into Alaska's rural economy, the partnership seeks to strengthen the private sector in an economy that is currently dominated by transfer payments from federal and state programs. Though still in its infancy, the partnership has already created new jobs and renewed hope in rural communities such as Tyonek and Nikolski. Communities along the Kuskokwim River and the Yukon River, as well as Kodiak Island, have expressed strong interest in the Private Lands Wildlife Management Partnership.
The New Mexico Rural Development Response Council (NMRDRC) partnered with the Office of Indian Affairs (OIA) to participate in Indian Day, a large and prestigious event held annually to provide business development resources to Native Americans. NMRDRC helped to coordinate the event's resource fair. For the last three years, the NMRDRC coordinated resource fair has been held at a location separate from the Capitol, where most Indian Day events are held. This year OIA invited the NMRDRC to bring the event into the Capitol Rotunda as a part of the Indian Day events. Approximately 50 exhibitors provided information to attendees. The Rotunda location gave a greater visibility to the resource fair, and provided NMRDRC a new opportunity to partner with agencies involved in Native American development. It is anticipated that the resource fair will become a regular event at Indian Day.
The North Dakota Rural Development Council serves as a full team member on all North Dakota emergency preparedness and recovery efforts, which have included both the immediate response to the floods and severe blizzards of 1997-98 and longer-term rebuilding efforts. The NDRDC further acted as the catalyst for bringing together tribal governments, FEMA, the North Dakota Division of Emergency Management, and community colleges to train tribal government representatives in emergency management planning and practices. This training resulted in the reservations being better prepared to respond to both natural disasters and the more common emergencies of fires and accidents.
Wyoming Rural Development Council (WRDC) helped the Wind River Indian Reservation apply for a fire stewardship grant of $100,000, designated for the development and implementation of a range management plan for the reservation. The plan is expected to be complete in December 2002. WRDC brought together a partnership to help manage the grant and plan development. The Bureau of Indian Affairs and the State of Wyoming Forestry provide technical expertise; the Northern Arapaho Tribe provides tribal consulting; and WRDC itself administers the $100,000 grant.
