
- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
The Department of the Interior announced on Thursday that nearly 5,000 landowners with fractional interests at the Blackfeet Reservation have been sent more than $130 million in purchase offers from the Land Buy-Back Program for tribal nations.
Those landowners who are interested in selling have 45 days or until December 13, 2021 to submit their signed agreements.
Want more Native News? Get the free daily newsletter today.
The Buy-Back Program implements the land consolidation component of the Cobell Settlement, which provided $1.9 billion to consolidate fractional interests in trust or restricted land within a 10-year period set to expire in November 2022. As of September 28, 2021, approximately $91 million remains.
“The Buy-Back Program is collaborating with the Blackfeet Nation towards our shared goals of promoting informed decision making among landowners and maximizing the consolidation of fractional interests.” Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Bryan Newland said. “We are pleased to be building on the achievements of past implementations at the Blackfeet Reservation, which resulted in the consolidation of more than 184,300 fractional interests and more than 435,00 equivalent acres.”
Various informational tools are available to landowners, who are encouraged to think strategically about their options and carefully consider how to use the funds they receive from selling their land. For example, the Program’s website includes:
- detailed frequently asked questions, available at https://www.doi.gov/buybackprogram/faq,and
- additional information to help individuals make informed decisions about their land, available at https://www.doi.gov/buybackprogram/informeddecisionmaking.
Landowners can contact the Trust Beneficiary Call Center at 888-678-6836 or [email protected] with questions about their land and/or purchase offers, or to request a copy of an appraisal report for any appraised tract in which they have an owner interest.
Landowners can also contact their local Bureau of Trust Funds Administration office with additional questions.
More Stories Like This
This Day in History — May 28, 1830, Andrew Jackson Signs Indian Removal ActNative News Weekly (May 28, 2023): D.C. Briefs
Oklahoma Legislature Overrides Governor Stitt’s Veto of Native Regalia Bill
Native Bidaské with Lummi Nation Chairman Anthony Hillaire on the Opioid Crisis
Tohono O’odham Citizen Shot and Killed by U.S. Border Patrol; FBI Investigating
Native News is free to read.
We hope you enjoyed the story you've just read. For the past dozen years, we’ve covered the most important news stories that are usually overlooked by other media. From the protests at Standing Rock and the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM), to the ongoing epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP) and the past-due reckoning related to assimilation, cultural genocide and Indian Boarding Schools.
Our news is free for everyone to read, but it is not free to produce. That’s why we’re asking you to make a donation to help support our efforts. Any contribution — big or small — helps. Most readers donate between $10 and $25 to help us cover the costs of salaries, travel and maintaining our digital platforms. If you’re in a position to do so, we ask you to consider making a recurring donation of $12 per month to join the Founder's Circle. All donations help us remain a force for change in Indian Country and tell the stories that are so often ignored, erased or overlooked.
Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you.