[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 82 (Thursday, June 12, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S5608]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. BOXER:
  S. 894. A bill to provide for the conveyance of certain land in the 
Six Rivers National Forest in the State of California for the benefit 
of the Hoopa Valley Tribe; to the Committee on Indian Affairs.


             THE HOOPA VALLEY SOUTH BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT ACT

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce legislation that 
would allow the Hoopa Valley Tribe to obtain lands of deep cultural and 
historical significance.
  The Hoopa Valley Tribe has resided in Hoopa Valley, beginning at the 
mouth of the Trinity River Canyon in Humboldt County, for 10,000 years. 
In the 1950s, a settlement agreement between the Hoopa Valley Tribe and 
the U.S. Government designated a 12-by-12 mile area for the Hoopa 
Valley Reservation. When this land was surveyed and demarcated, a 
``dog-leg'' was created along the southern boundary which omitted 
certain lands the tribe has deemed culturally and religiously 
significant.
  My legislation will remedy this situation by transferring 2,641 acres 
of the Six Rivers National Forest to the Hoopa Valley Tribe. I join the 
U.S. Forest Service in commending the Hoopa Valley Tribe for its 
history of natural resource management and expertise. This legislation 
enjoys broad bipartisan support in California and in the House, where 
it was sponsored by Congressman Frank D. Riggs.
  During the 104th Congress, the House version of this legislation was 
unanimously approved. Unfortunately, despite approval from the 
administration and the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, the legislation 
was never brought before the full Senate for a vote. I encourage my 
colleagues to act quickly to provide the Hoopa Valley Tribe with lands 
necessary to maintain their cultural and religious heritage.
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