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- By Native News Online Staff
WASHINGTON — In addition to articles already covered by Native News Online, here is a roundup of other news released from Washington, D.C. that impacts Indian Country recently.
Legislation Introduced to Restore 1,000 Acres to the Lower Elwha Klaallam Tribe
U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) introduced the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Project Lands Restoration Act, legislation that would restore more than 1,000 acres of ancestral land along the Elwha River to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.
These parcels of land were acquired by the National Parks Service under the Elwha River Ecoystems and Fisheries Restoration Act of 1992 to facilitate the removal of two dams on the Elwha River. By taking these lands into trust for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, the legislation would protect and restore sacred and cultural lands, including the Tribe’s Creation Site. The legislation would also allow for the continued restoration of the region’s ecosystem, including the protection and repopulation of native fish species.
“This legislation will fulfill a critical commitment made as part of the dam removal project. Specifically, it will help restore the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe's homelands – ensuring the Tribe can continue to restore sacred ancestral grounds and treaty fishing rights,” Rep. Kilmer said. “I’ll keep working to ensure the federal government fulfills its trust and treaty obligations.”
“The Tribe is excited by the introduction of this bill, which is an important final action to the dam removal project and the restoration of the fisheries. The transfer of these lands along the Elwha River to the Tribe will safeguard the federal investment in restoration of the river ecosystem and the salmon fisheries through tribal management of the resources. The bill will also protect the Tribe’s sacred cultural homelands by restoring them to the stewardship of the Tribe,” said Chairwoman Frances Charles of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.
Secretary Haaland Applauds President's Designation of Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument
President Joe Biden on Friday established the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument as America’s newest national park site — the eighth addition to the national park system during the Biden-Harris administration. The new national monument will help tell a more complete story of America by preserving historic objects associated with a violent, racially motivated riot in President Abraham Lincoln’s hometown of Springfield, Illinois, in 1908 that ultimately served as a catalyst for important steps in the civil rights movement, including the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
The Presidential Proclamation signed today details several days of mass violence that took place August 14–16, 1908, when a white mob attacked the Black community in the town of Springfield. Rioters lynched two Black men, looted businesses, and burned down homes. This brutality was emblematic of the racism and violence experienced by Black Americans in the late 19th and 20th centuries. In the wake of the devastation, a group of civic leaders – including Ida B. Wells-Barnett, W. E. B. Du Bois and Mary Church Terrell – came together to launch the NAACP, which went on to achieve momentous civil rights victories.
"Establishing the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument is an important step in recognizing and remembering this painful but important moment in America’s history,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, who joined President Biden for a signing ceremony in the Oval Office today. “The Springfield 1908 Race Riot was a horrific and significant part of our nation’s march toward equality and civil rights. As we work to tell America’s story – even when difficult – may this monument help us learn from the past in order to build a more just and equitable future.”
FEMA Updates Application Procedures for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program
FEMA is increasing flexibility for one of its largest grant programs to make communities more resilient. Today, the agency is announcing a final rule that updates application procedures for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). The HMGP Application Period Extension rule will give emergency management partners better opportunities to address high-level current and future risks to natural disasters.
“This change makes valuable resilience grant funding more accessible and is a result of us listening directly to local, state, tribal and territorial governments around the nation,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “We understood that barriers existed for our partners accessing HMGP dollars while they were also working to recover from devastating climate events. These changes will reduce these barriers and empower communities to access even more critical resiliency funding so they can become more resilient to the climate crisis.”
The final rule has four changes that FEMA is implementing and its effective immediately upon publication in the Federal Register on Aug. 15, 2024.
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