Press Release
Navajo Government Forum at Arizona State University:
Debate on government reform voting initiatives to reduce the Council from 88 to 24 and provide a presidential line-item veto
Tempe, Arizona: For Immediate Release
A Navajo Government Forum that will focus on two initiatives — one that would reduce the Navajo Council from 88 members to 24 members and one that would add a line-item veto — will be hosted by Arizona State University at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28, in Armstrong Hall at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.
President Joe Shirley Jr. and three Council delegates — Kee Allen Begay (Many Farms/Round Rock Chapters), Jonathan Nez (Shonto Chapter) and Leonard Tsosie (Whitehorse Lake/Pueblo Pintado/Torreon Chapters) — will be questioned by a panel of experts, then will take questions on any Navajo Nation issue from the audience.
The initiatives will be on the Navajo Nation ballot in December. Voter registration closes Nov. 16, and voter registration will be available the evening of the forum.
The forum was conceived and organized by the ASU Navajo Students for Politics Committee, and is designed to mobilize ASU students and provide information for the the greater Phoenix Navajo community
The event is sponsored by the American Indian Policy Institute, American Indian Student Support Services, the Office of the Special Advisor to the President on American Indian Affairs, the Indian Legal Program at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, American Indian Studies, and the Phoenix Indian Center.
For more information, contact Kate Rosier, Director of the Indian Legal Program, at (480) 965-6204.

Date: 10/22/2009 3:00 AM

Contact: Nancy F. Piqösa, Employment Coordinator
Employer: The Hopi Tribe
Address:P.O. Box 123
CityStateZip: Kykotsmovi, AZ 86039
Email: NPiqosa@hopi.nsn.us
Phone: 928-734-3219
Fax: 928-734-6611

JobTitle: Chief Prosecutor
Salary: D.O.E

Qualifications:
Required Education and experience: Juris Doctorate; and four (4) years para-legal or administrative work experience with increasing management responsibilities in a federal, state or tribal judicial or law enforcement field.

Description: Please contact tribe for more information

Professor Rebecca Tsosie Welcomed as Inaugural Oregon Tribes Professor of Law

Oregon Law is pleased to welcome Professor Rebecca Tsosie as the first ever Oregon Tribes Law Professor and a Wayne Morse Center distinguished speaker for the Climate Ethics, Climate Equity theme.
Professor Tsosie, who is of Yaqui descent, has worked extensively with tribal governments and organizations and serves as a Supreme Court Justice for the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. She has served as Executive Director of the top ranked Indian Law program at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law since 1996. She teaches Indian law, property, bioethics, and critical race theory, as well as seminars on international indigenous rights. Professor Tsosie also teaches in the school’s LL.M. program in Tribal Policy, Law, and Government. Additionally, she is a Faculty Fellow of the Center for the Study of Law, Science, and Technology and an Affiliate Professor in ASU’s American Indian Studies Program. In 2005, Professor Tsosie was appointed a Willard H. Pedrick Distinguished Research Scholar.
Professor Tsosie has written and published widely on doctrinal and theoretical issues related to tribal sovereignty, environmental policy, and cultural rights. She is the author of many prominent articles dealing with cultural resources and cultural pluralism. Professor Tsosie is the co-author of a federal Indian law casebook titled American Indian Law: Native Nations and the Federal System. In addition, Professor Tsosie annually speaks at several national conferences on tribal sovereignty, self-determination, and tribal rights to environmental and cultural resources.
Professor Tsosie is a recipient of numerous distinguished awards and honors, including a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, the Native Nations Distinguished Alumnus Award, the “Judge Learned Hand Award” for Public Service, and the American Bar Association’s “2002 Spirit of Excellence Award.”
During Professor Tsosie’s visit, she will meet and consult with the faculty, students, and staff on Indian legal education, meet with Oregon Law’s Native American Law Student Association, meet with Oregon tribes to discuss the issues of climate change, and present the annual Rennard Strickland lecture, cosponsored by the Wayne Morse Center and Oregon Law’s Environmental and Natural Resources Law (“ENR”) Program on October 15.
The Oregon Tribes Professorship is established to boost scholarship, public service, and academic offerings in Indian Law. It is aimed to provide legal education about and to the Native Americans at Oregon Law, and serve as a bridge between the law school and the Native American community. This chair was made possible by a grant from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and contributions from numerous registered tribes in Oregon.

Dorinda Strmiska has accepted a new position with the National Indian Gaming Commission. She will be starting there on October 13, 2009.
The ILP congratulates you!

Nikki Borchardt (’09) started her job at Luebben, Johnson, and Barnhouse in Albuquerque, NM as an associate. Good luck with your new position Nikki!

Jordan Hale (’09) is a staff attorney for the Dilkon Judicial District of Navajo Nation.

Christina Entrekin (’98) is the Director of Programs for Vancouver Aboriginal Child & Family Services in Vancouver, BC. VACFSS has been a child and family serving agency since its incorporation in 1992. The group is continuing to transform services to make them more grounded within our history and to reflect the diverse cultures of the clients we serve. With the transfer of child protection services from the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) in 2008, VACFSS continues to focus on better outcomes for the children and families it serves. VACFSS honours the traditions and wisdom inherent in the Aboriginal community. The goal is to work to create a stronger community through partnerships with other service providers and by connecting with community resources.

Michael Lane, (’94) graduate in May, 2009 (with first class honors) with a Masters of Indigenous Studies from Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi ( a fully accredited Maori University). He is cuurently employed as a Specialist Advisor-Ngati Rangiwewehi Charitable Trust
Job. He is currently assisting with the capacity development for tribal selfgovernment; assisting in developing linkages with other Indigenous Peoples; establishing their Quality Management System; advising and researching on a possible Aboriginal Title Claim addendum to their Treaty of Waitangi Claim.

Gila River Indian Community Defense Services Office is looking to hire an IMMEDIATE full time TEMPORARY position of Defense Attorney I. This position should be as long as two months, working four ten hour shifts. Salary would be pro rated from approx. $60,000 annual w/o benefits. This position could lead to permanent position with benefits. Contacts: Cecilia Vaca-Payton or Jessica Turk @ (520) 562-5700

March 17-18, 2009 Workshop on NEPA in Indian Country
International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management
444 South Emerson Street
Denver, Colorado 80209-2176
Phone: (303) 733-0481; FAX: (303) 744-9808
E-Mail: iiirm@iiirm.org Website: www.iiirm.org

A Workshop on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in Indian Country Designed for Tribal Council Members, Attorneys, Natural and Cultural Resource Specialists and environmental Protection Professionals and Federal Agency Personnel and Contractors Working in Indian Country

March 17-18, 2009 Radisson Hotel Denver Stapleton Plaza
3333 Quebec Street
Denver, Colorado

Applied to the Colorado Supreme Court for Continuing Legal Education Credit

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) can be an important part of federal agency consultation with Indian tribes. However, effective tribal participation in the NEPA process requires an awareness of the workings and procedural requirements of NEPA, technical expertise, knowledge of the broad range of tribal environmental, social, cultural, health and safety interests that March be affected by federal programs and activities and a strategy that links NEPA responses to other legal and statutory requirements such as the federal-Indian trust doctrine, treaty rights, AIRFA, NAGPRA, etc. This Workshop will provide practical instruction and assistance to inform tribal decision-makers on: the requirements and latest developments in NEPA compliance and litigation; the role of tribal, federal and state regulators in the NEPA process; and strategies to identify and protect tribal interests that March be affected by
proposed federal actions.

Preliminary Agenda
March 17, 2009
8:15 a.m. Registration, Coffee and Continental Breakfast
9:00 a.m. Welcome and Introductions Mervyn L. Tano, International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management
9:30 a.m. Small Group Exercise
10:15 a.m. History and Overview of NEPA James “Skip” Spensley, Spensley & Associates
10:30 a.m. NEPA as a Tribal Environmental Protection and Development Strategy Mervyn L. Tano
11:30 a.m. Break
11:45 a.m. An Approach to Identifying Tribal Interests Affected by Proposed Federal Actions Mervyn L. Tano
12:30 p.m. Lunch (on your own)
1:30 p.m. Planning for NEPA: What Tribes Need to Know About Federal Agencies, What Federal Agencies Need to Know About Tribes Mervyn L. Tano
2:30 p.m. The Environmental Impact Statement: The Process James “Skip” Spensley
4:30 p.m. Adjourn

March 18, 2009
8:30 a.m. Registration, Coffee and Continental Breakfast
9:00 a.m. Content of the EIS: Making Sure it’s Adequate James “Skip” Spensley
10:00 a.m. Assessing Cumulative Impacts Mervyn L. Tano
10:45 a.m. Break
11:00 a.m. Tribes as Cooperating Agencies: Issues and Opportunities Mervyn L. Tano
11:30 a.m. Other Issues including Programmatic EIS, Environmental Justice, etc. James “Skip” Spensley and Mervyn L. Tano
12:30 p.m. Lunch (on your own)
1:30 p.m. Indigenous Approaches to Adaptive Management Mervyn L. Tano
2:10 p.m. Strategic Approaches to NEPA Requirements James “Skip” Spensley Mervyn L. Tano
2:40 p.m. Small Group Exercise
4:15 p.m. Adjourn

Workshop Faculty:
James W. “Skip” Spensley is one of the nation’s experts on the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) working with its requirements from numerous perspectives including administrative, legislative, judicial, and project development. Mr. Spensley served as staff to the President’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) in 1970 after NEPA was first enacted. He assisted in preparing the first CEQ guidelines on environmental impact statement (EIS) preparation. He subsequently worked with an environmental law firm in Alexandria, Virginia where he litigated NEPA cases. In 1974, Mr. Spensley worked for a transportation and consulting firm which managed one of the largest urban transportation projects in New York where he was the architect of the EIS for the West Side Highway Project in New York City. In 1975, Mr. Spensley was hired by the United States House of Representatives to act as Legal Counsel to the Subcommittee responsible for NEPA. During his tenure there, he was responsible for writing the first and only amendment to NEPA in 1975. In 1984, The Marchor of Denver hired Mr. Spensley to manage the preparation of the EIS for Denver’s new international airport, the largest land area commercial airport in the world. Between 1989 and 1995, he has consulted with numerous large-scale projects concerning their NEPA requirements including among others the Vail Ski Area Expansion project; the Department of Energy’s Technology Integration Program; the E-470 Toll Road Project in Denver; and the Rocky Flats Site Wide Environmental Impact Statement. Since 1995, Mr. Spensley has provided consulting and project management services to the Colorado Department of Transportation, the City and County of Broomfield, the Seattle Port Authority, Will County Illinois on the 3rd Chicago South Suburban Airport project and several private company clients concerning environmental documents related to major transportation and development projects. Mr. Spensley has lectured on environmental law and NEPA at both the University of Colorado and the University of Denver in the law schools and other graduate programs since 1982. He is the author of the NEPA Compliance Manual for federal managers and author of the NEPA Chapter in the Environmental Law Handbook (Editions 12-16) for Government Institutes. He conducts regular annual national workshops on NEPA and the EIS process.

Mervyn L. Tano Mervyn L. Tano, Esq. is an attorney and the president of the International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management. He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from the Church College of Hawaii, Masters Degree in Education from the University of Arizona and the Juris Doctor Degree from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University. Mr. Tano has extensive experience working with Indian tribes and includes, as a small sample: assisting the Confederated tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation establish a comprehensive water quality management system; helping the Nez Perce tribe establish the tribal environmental restoration and waste management department to oversee the cleanup of Department of Energy facilities at Hanford; and, advising the Oglala Sioux tribe on solid waste management issues. Mr. Tano has been a member of several national advisory boards including EPA’s Federal Facilities Environmental Restoration Dialogue Committee, the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council, DOE Office of Science and Technology’s Community Leaders Network, the National Academy of Public Administration’s committee on intergenerational responsibility and the National Research Council’s committee on priority setting, timing and staging of DOE’s environmental management activities. Mr. Tano has written numerous papers, articles and manuals on risk, environmental justice, environmental restoration, technology development, environmental law and radioactive waste management, and has written extensively on tribal strategies for NEPA responses.

Workshop Logistics:
All workshop sessions will be held at the Radisson Hotel Denver Stapleton Plaza, 3333 Quebec Street, Denver, Colorado. Rooms are available to workshop attendees at the special rate of $89.00 (single or double) per night. For reservations, call the Radisson Hotel Denver Stapleton Plaza at 303-317-3500 or 1-800-333-3333. Be sure to mention the “IIIRM NEPA in Indian Country Workshop” and make your reservation by April 20, 2009, to qualify for the special rate.

Registration Information:
Registration Fee: Early registration (until February 28, 2009) is $395.
After that date registration is $450. Tuition includes morning and afternoon coffee service and one copy of the workshop materials. For information on multiple registrations from one tribe, or other information, call the International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management at 303-744-9686. Please fill out the registration form and send it and your check or purchase order to: IIIRM, 444 South Emerson Street, Denver, CO 80209-2176; or FAX to: 303-744-9808.

The International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management
444 South Emerson Street, Denver, Colorado 80209-2176
Workshop on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in Indian Country Radisson Hotel Denver Stapleton Plaza, 3333 Quebec Street, Denver, Colorado March 17-18, 2009

To pay by credit card or electronic check, please call Jeanne Rubin at 303-744-9686. A small on-line convenience fee applies.

If you no longer wish to receive these notices please send an e-mail message with “Unsubscribe” on the Subject line to mervtano@iiirm.org.

Mervyn L. Tano, President
International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management
444 South Emerson Street
Denver, Colorado 80209-2216 U.S.A.
Phone: +1 303-733-0481; FAX: +1 303-744-9808; Mobile: +1 720-341-4755
E-mail: mervtano@iiirm.org; Website: www.iiirm.org

Mervyn L. Tano, President
International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management
444 South Emerson Street
Denver, Colorado 80209-2216 U.S.A.
Phone: +1 303-733-0481; FAX: +1 303-744-9808; Mobile: +1 720-341-4755
E-mail: mervtano@iiirm.org; Website: www.iiirm.org