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National Bison Range Annual Funding Agreement
Press Release (6/19/08) - NWRA Hopeful for Successful FWS/Tribal Partnership at
National Bison Range, MT
(6/19/08) U.S. FWS and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Sign Annual Funding Agreement for National Bison Range Complex
NWRA Guiding Principles
NWRA Press Release (1/15/08) - NWRA Questions New Negotiations at National Bison Range (pdf)
NWRA's Letter to Assistant Secretary, Lyle Laverty (1/14/08) (pdf)
Nov 2007 OIG report (pdf)
NWRA letter to Resources H.R. 3994 (November,26 2007) (pdf)
NWRA Press Release (October 29, 2004) (download release as pdf)
NWRA Press Release (July 16, 2004) (pdf)
NWRA Comments on Draft Annual Funding Agreement at
National Bison
Range Complex (August 20, 2004) (pdf)
Draft Annual Funding Agreement Between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (pdf)
Background
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An American bison at the National Bison Range in Montana.
© Tom Prall |
Under the "Indian Self-Determination Act Amendments of 1994," Public Law 103-413 (also known as the "Tribal Self-Governance Act of 1994"), native tribes can enter into annual funding agreements (AFA) with agencies within the Department of the Interior (DOI), including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). These AFAs authorize tribes "to plan, conduct, consolidate, and administer programs, services, functions and activities" administered by the DOI that are of special geographic, historical, or cultural significance to the participating Indian tribe requesting a compact. Required by the Act, a list of programs and refuges eligible for AFAs are printed in the Federal Register on an annual basis. Yukon Flats NWR and the National Bison Range, among others, are included on the list of at least 34 eligible refuges.
It is important to note that Public Law 103-413 allows for direct contracting between the FWS and an Indian tribe, excluding any sort of competitive bidding process. The National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) believes competitive bidding is an important way to use refuge funding wisely, and, while one or two refuge AFAs may not have a significant impact on funds, an increasing number of AFAs could prove to have considerable budget ramifications.
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) previously had an AFA with the FWS at the National Bison Range in Montana but it was terminated in December 2006 over FWS allegations of harassment by CSKT employees. In November 2007, Lyle Laverty, Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks at the Department of the Interior, instructed FWS Director Dale Hall to enter into negotiations with CSKT and finalize a new AFA by March 28, 2008. The negotiations process missed the initial deadline but a new agreement was signed on June 19, 2008.
NWRA has developed a set of principles, which we believe should guide the creation of any such agreement. These principles were also given to the FWS, the DOI and the CSKT and it is our understanding that many were incorporated into the new agreement. As we analyze the agreement, we will develop a detailed assessment of the agreement and our principles. To view the NWRA’s guiding principles, please click on the link above.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Desiree Sorenson-Groves, Vice President of Government Affairs, dgroves@refugeassociation.org
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