And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 11:21:29 EST >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: California reservation gains title to 11,000 acres >X-Mailer: AOL 3.0 16-bit for Windows sub 41 >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >X-Comment: Nevada Indian Environmental Coalition > > >From: MarthaET >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >CC: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Tribe hails historic land deal >Tuesday, December 15, 1998 > > >URL: >http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/1998/12/15/ >state2128EST0114.DTL > > > >(12-15) 18:28 PST SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) -- After a $1.3 million check >changed hands on Tuesday, the Round Valley Indian tribe gained secure >title to 11,000 acres of timber and grazing land -- and one of the >largest reservations in the state. > >The purchase of the Big Bend Ranch in northern Mendocino County from the >Harwood family makes the reservation nearly 30,000 acres. > >The Round Valley reservation, home to about 1,000 American Indians, is >located about 120 miles northeast of Santa Rosa in the rugged Eel River >watershed. > >``This is a very courageous move by the tribal council, one that will >help secure an economic future for the tribe,'' said tribal >administrator Michael Pina. > >About 8,500 acres of the new land are commercial forest, mostly Douglas >fir and ponderosa pine which has been logged since the 1940s. > >The tribe used money earned from logging on land it already owned to >make the final payment. With the additional timber, tribal leaders hope >to generate more revenue and new timber and recreation-related jobs. > >``It's the first real step toward economic self-sufficiency. It's truly >a historic moment for this tribe,'' Pina said. > >The Round Valley reservation was established in 1858 after federal >authorities forced members of six Northern California tribes to live >together in Round Valley. Residents have struggled ever since with >poverty, alcoholism and a lack of jobs. > >``Paying off the debt and earning control over all timber harvesting >will allow the tribe to generate much-needed revenue for other tribal >operations,'' Pina said. > >Charles ``Skip'' Thompson, a Covelo native and veteran U.S. Forest >Service employee who came out of retirement in 1995 to help the tribe >develop its fledgling timber operations, said on average the property >should be able to generate $500,000 in annual revenue. > >``It could be more, but the tribe is not interested in short-term >profits. There is a deep respect for the land. Tribal leaders want to >make sure there are forests and jobs for their children, and their >children's children,'' Thompson said. > >Today's transaction culminates a deal first orchestrated in 1986 on >behalf of the tribe and the Harwood family by former Rep. Doug Bosco, a >Sonoma County Democrat who represented the area during the 1980s. > >Congress approved $1.9 million of the $3.1 million purchase price for >the Big Bend Ranch. > >The Harwood family, which still operates Mendocino County's largest >independent mill, has logging rights for a 27-year period in return for >carrying a note on the $1.3 million balance. > >Pina said the tribe and the Harwoods have worked well together. > >``We expect to continue to do business with them,'' Pina said. > >But Pina said the advantages of paying off the debt and controlling the >Big Bend acreage became clear to council leaders. > >The tribe earned enough this year from its logging operations to pay off >the Harwoods, Pina said. ><<<< To remove your name from this list send a message to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" with the message "unsubscribe triballaw" >>>> > &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment ...http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ `"` `"` `"` `"` `"` `"`
