[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 77 (Tuesday, April 22, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19845-19846]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-9840]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians


Working Group on Land Consolidation Program: Call for Nominations

AGENCIES: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior, Office of the Special 
Trustee for American Indians, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Office of the 
Special Trustee for American Indians (OST) in the Department of the 
Interior intend to assemble a working group to address the rapidly 
increasing fractionation of

[[Page 19846]]

ownership of Indian land. This fractionation is due to the system of 
allotments established by the General Allotment Act of 1887. The 
President's fiscal year (FY) 2004 Budget, which is now before Congress, 
incorporates a request for a significant increase for the Indian Land 
Consolidation program aimed at reducing the number of individual owners 
in parcels of Indian lands allotted to individuals. This notice serves 
as a call for nominations of Tribal officials to participate in a 
working group to discuss the issue of fractionation, problems caused by 
fractionation, and the universe of possible solutions.

DATES: All nominations must be postmarked within 30 days of the date of 
publication in the Federal Register. Final selections will be made by 
and served at the discretion of the Deputy Commissioner for Indian 
Affairs and the Special Trustee for American Indians.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: You can obtain information and a copy 
of the Call for Nominations at the following offices: ATTN: Terry 
Virden, Deputy Commissioner for Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian 
Affairs, Room 4160, 1849 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 20240, or ATTN: 
Donna Erwin, Acting Special Trustee, Office of the Special Trustee for 
American Indians, Room 5140, 1849 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 20240.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The allotment of Indian lands--dividing 
tribal lands into small parcels and allocating those parcels to 
individual Indians--became Federal policy in 1887 with the enactment of 
the General Allotment Act. By the 1930s, however, it was widely 
accepted that the policy was a failure and, in 1934, it was ended with 
passage of the first Indian Reorganization Act. Interests in these 
allotted lands started to ``fractionate'' as interests divided among 
the heirs of the original allottees, expanding rapidly with every 
generation.
    Today, there are approximately four million owner interests in the 
10 million acres of individually-owned trust lands, and these four 
million interests could expand to 11 million interests by 2030. 
Moreover, there are an estimated 1.4 million fractional interests of 2 
percent or less involving 58,000 tracks of individually-owned trust and 
restricted lands. There are now single pieces of property with 
ownership interests that are less than 0.000002 percent of the whole 
interest.
    Addressing this issue is critical to improving the management of 
trust assets. The Department of the Interior, the Department in which 
the BIA and OST are located, is bound by its trust obligations to 
manage each owner's interest, regardless of size. Reduction of 
fractional interests will increase the likelihood of more productive 
economic use of the land, reduce record keeping and large numbers of 
small dollar financial transactions, and decrease the number of 
interests subject to probate.
    Starting in 2004, the BIA will oversee the National Indian Land 
Consolidation Program. The BIA and OST are now establishing a working 
group that will consist of Tribal leaders and Departmental personnel to 
discuss fractionation, the problems associated with fractionation, and 
possible solutions to problems. The BIA and OST are interested in 
receiving nominations of Tribal officials from Tribes with highly 
fractionated lands or other Tribal officials having a strong interest 
in resolving the problem of fractionation who would participate in this 
working group. Participants should be prepared to engage in serious 
dialog on all matters relating to the problem of fractionation of 
Indian lands. Nominees should be committed to spending a significant 
amount of time reviewing existing statutes and programs, discussing the 
issues within a diverse working group, and exploring creative solutions 
to the problems discussed. Participation should plan to meet 
approximately once per month from June through August 2003. Travel and 
per diem expenses will be provided.
    Tribal officials who have been nominated to serve as a member of 
this working group must complete and submit the following information 
to the BIA or OST at the address listed above in the section titled 
ADDRESSES AND FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT within 30 days of 
publication of this Notice in the Federal Register:

A. Nominee's Full Name:
B. Business Address:
C. Business Phone:
D. Home Address:
E. Home Phone:
F. Title/Position in Tribe:
G. Qualifications (e.g., education, experience, or whether you are a 
Tribal official owning lands with fractionated interests):
H. Nominated by: Include Nominator's Name, Address and Telephone 
Number(s).
I. Date of Nomination.
J. A minimum of Two Letters of Reference.
K. A brief Summary or Explanation of Specific Methods, Conceptions, or 
Proposals That You Will be Prepared to Discuss With the Working Group 
Regarding Potential Solutions to Fractionation and Problems Associated 
with Fractionation. Groups may nominate more than one person. If 
nominating more than one person, please indicate your preferred order 
of appointment selection.

    Dated: April 11, 2003.
Richard V. Fitzgerald,
Trust Policy Manager.
    Dated: April 15, 2003.
Aurene M. Martin,
Acting Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 03-9840 Filed 4-21-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-02-M