Independent news from the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance

Day 2: Indian Land Consolidation Symposium, (Live Internet Stream)

buffalos fire ad final crop for blogSPOKANE, Wash. – We’re now into Day 2 of the  Indian Land Consolidation Symposium, a three-day conference that began Tuesday morning. Speakers are addressing issues central to the protection and preservation of natural resources, including land and water as they pertain to Native peoples.

The “Protecting & Preserving Mother Earth and Her Resources” symposium panelists have been discussing issues, such as the American Indian Probate Reform Act, status of the Cobell settlement, probates, appraisals, fractionation and land acquisition. The event ends Oct. 28.

The 20th Annual Land Consolidation Symposium is hosted by the Kalispel Tribe and sponsored by the Indian Land Working Group. The conference is taking place at the Northern Quest Resort and Casino.

If you go to Buffalo’s Fire on USTREAM, you can view a live Internet stream of the panels. It’s a work in progress, so, thanks for being a part of it. All the shows are also being recorded for later viewing.

The goals of the Indian Land Working Group are to:

  • Restore and preserve the native land base
  • Promote native use and management of the land and resources
  • Educate tribal communities about land restoration, use, and management options and models
  • Support native land policy reform at the local and federal level

Here’s a look at Day 2:

Wednesday, October 27th

8:00 am Continental Breakfast

General Session Begins 9:00 am

9:00 am – 9:45 am

Panel VI – American Indian Probate Reform Act: implementation and possible legislative remedies and initiatives

Panelists:
Judge Sally Willett
Gloria Koehne, BIA Realty, Southwest Region
Helen Sanders, Chehalis Landowners Association

9:45 am – 10:45 am

Panel VII – Appraisals

Speaker: Iris Crisman, deputy director, Office of Appraisal Services

10:45 am – 11 am          Morning Break

11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Panel VIII –Book project on trust reform

Panelists:
Helen Sanders, Chehalis Landowners Association

Kristin Ruppel, assistant professor, Montana State University

Judge Sally Willett

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm         Lunch on your own

1:00 pm – 1:45 pm

Panel IX – WA State Dept. of Revenue Real Estate Tax Exemption

Panelists:
Sindy Armstrong, WA State Dept. of Revenue
Sharon A. Redthunder, ILWG Interim Director

1:45 pm – 2:45 pm

Panel X– Leases/Rights of Way – Using GIS to locate improvements, rights-of-ways, and to identify possible trespasses

Panelists:
Bill Austen, Attorney at Law
Dave Lundgren, Attorney at Law
Marcella Giles, Attorney at Law

2:45 pm – 3:00 pm         Afternoon break

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Panel XI Cobell v. Salazar updates

Panelists:
Judge Sally Willett

David Hobbson

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm Evening break

6:00 pm – 9:00 pm ILWG Banquet & Fundraiser Auction

Jodi Rave Spotted Bear

Jodi Rave Spotted Bear is the founder and director of the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance, a 501-C-3 nonprofit organization with offices in Bismarck, N.D. and the Fort Berthold Reservation. Jodi spent 15 years reporting for the mainstream press. She's been awarded prestigious Nieman and John S. Knight journalism fellowships at Harvard and Stanford, respectively. She also an MIT Knight Science Journalism Project fellow. Her writing is featured in "The Authentic Voice: The Best Reporting on Race and Ethnicity," published by Columbia University Press. Jodi currently serves as a Society of Professional Journalists at-large board member, an SPJ Foundation board member, and she chairs the SPJ Freedom of Information Committee. Jodi has won top journalism awards from mainstream and Native press organizations. She earned her journalism degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder.