Capital Briefs: Birdsprings marks paving project for N71

BIRDSPRINGS, Ariz.

Birdsprings Chapter officials and residents on Aug. 12 marked the start of construction for the paving of a nearly seven-mile stretch of N71 that is the bus route for 100-plus students of Little Singer Community School.

“This was a homegrown initiative that many elders have prayed for over the years,” said Delegate Thomas Walker Jr. “The Little Singer Community school board has supported this project for many years through resolutions.

“We are here because of our past and present leaders,” he said.

Birdsprings Chapter President Vernice Wagner recalled the long-ago pleas from residents to improve the road.

As a child, Wagner said she remembers local residents talking about the need for improved roads in the community.

Walker noted that the chapter first passed a resolution supporting the road improvements in 1971.

Birdsprings resident and longtime member of the Little Singer Community School board, Dennis Yazzie, said the community’s “prayers have been answered.”

The project includes grading, pavement, drainage, fencing, and the installation of cattleguards. The project is funded through the Tribal Transportation Program under the Federal Highway Administration.

President Jonathan Nez said, “This initiative shows that when leaders work together and support one another, we get things done for the people.”

Navajo Division of Transportation Executive Director Garret Silversmith thanked all involved in the project, including Dibble Engineering, Logan Simpson, Navajo Area BIA, Navajo Nation Historic Preservation and CB Emulsion.

The project is expected to be completed in one year.

Virtual event pays tribute to Code Talkers

WINDOW ROCK – Navajo Nation leaders on Saturday honored the Navajo Code Talkers in a virtual tribute. Held on Navajo Code Talkers Day, the tribute included U.S. Marine Corps retired Gen. James Mattis.

In the proclamation signed in 1982 by President Ronald Reagan that established National Navajo Code Talkers Day, he wanted Aug. 14th to be a “day dedicated to all members of the Navajo Nation and to all Native Americans who gave their special talents and their lives so that others might live.”

President Jonathan Nez said, “By using Diné Bizaad, our Navajo language, they helped to win the war and protect the freedom that we have today.

“Many of our warriors have gone on to their final resting place,” Nez said. “However, their service and leadership will forever live on in our hearts and memories.”

Thanks goes to Tséhootsooí Diné Bi’ólta’ for reciting the pledge of allegiance in Navajo, Carlla Smith for singing the national anthem, Zachariah George and Talibah Begay for singing honor songs, and the U.S. Marine Corps Band and Navajo Nation Band.

Utah official makes first visit

WINDOW ROCK – Utah Lt. Gov. Diedre Henderson made her first visit to the Navajo Nation capital on Monday.

With Utah Division of Indian Affairs Director Dustin Jansen, Henderson discussed priorities involving the seven Navajo communities located in Utah.

Her visit was a follow-up to a July 22 meeting over the Westwater subdivision in Blanding, Utah. Nation and state officials have wrestled with the problem of 27 families who live on 120 acres with no running water or electricity.

The land was purchased by the Nation in 1986.

This year, the Utah Legislature approved $500,000 in the state’s FY 2022 budget to help bring electricity to Westwater, which signed into law by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox.

Navajo Tribal Utility Authority is currently working with Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems and the city of Blanding on several options, including the possibility of extending powerline infrastructure from Blanding’s electric system to Westwater.

Henderson said, “I appreciate the warm welcome we received in the Navajo Nation’s capital city today. The purpose of our visit was to seek input from President Nez on a joint plan to deliver running water to Westwater.”

President Jonathan Nez said, “We have to get water and electrical infrastructure to the families that reside in the Westwater Subdivision. It’s been talked about for years and now it’s time to take action and we are on the path to getting it done.”

Navajo officials also provided updates to Henderson regarding the Gentle Ironhawk Shelter in Blanding, which is in the process of reopening under the Utah Navajo Health System.

Also, support for Indian Child Welfare Act provisions in cases involving Navajo children, ongoing broadband connection issues, roads projects, public safety needs and others.

Summit announced to improve broadband in Indian Country

WASHINGTON – The?2021 National Tribal Broadband Summit will take place throughout September as a virtual event because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The summit offers a platform to share best practices, new ideas, and lessons learned from experiences of bringing high-speed internet to tribal businesses, governments and homes.

The pandemic has forced students to shift learning online and others into telework and the need for home broadband access has become increasingly apparent and critical.
The Federal Communications Commission estimates that 18 million Americans still have no home access to high-speed internet service.

Tribal lands are some of the most digitally disconnected areas in the United States, where 1.5 million people lack basic broadband and wireless services.

And, according to a 2018 report?by the FCC, approximately 35% of those living on tribal lands lack broadband access.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said, “Tribes have been left further behind in the digital divide than most areas of the country due to the consistent lack of infrastructure investment in Indian Country.”

The summit is the result of a partnership between the Department of the Interior, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Service and the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunication and Information Administration.

Information: Visit the 2021 National Tribal Broadband Summit website.

Pay increased for wildland firefighters

WASHINGTON — Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Tuesday announced the implementation of President Biden’s pay initiatives for federal wildland firefighters.

According to an Interior news release, pay will be increased for 3,500 firefighters with Interior and more than 11,300 at the USDA Forest Service to at least $15 an hour.

Interior currently employs roughly 5,000 firefighters across the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service.
Approximately 3,500 of those employees will receive $7.6 million under these initiatives.

The USDA Forest Service employs 14,500 wildland firefighters and, under these initiatives, more than 11,300 will receive an additional $24.3 million.

The western United States is currently under extreme wildfire conditions, driven by ongoing, severe drought in the region.

On July 14, the national wildfire preparedness level was raised to its highest level, PL 5. This is only the third time over the past 20 years that it has reached this level by mid-July.

The fire outlook continues to predict drier, warmer conditions for the remainder of the summer and into the fall.

FY 20 gaming revenues drop 19.5%

WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, the National Indian Gaming Commission released the Fiscal Year 2020 overall gross gaming revenue figure, which is $27.8 billion, a decrease of 19.5% from FY 2019.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted FY 20 revenue. Unlike previous years, the regions saw a decline of more than 13% in revenue.

The Rapid City Region experienced the largest decrease of 36.6%.

The revenue figure is a combined number from 524 independently audited financial statements from 248 federally recognized tribes across 29 states.

The gross gaming revenue for an operation is based on the amount wagered minus winnings returned to players.

Information: National Indian Gaming Commission

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