Fort Belknap Indian Reservation

Onward and Upward: Spy Ego and Fort Belknap Obtain Grant to Enable Next-Gen Broadband and Communications Across the Reservation

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
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HARLEM, Mont., June 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Located forty miles south of the Canadian border and twenty miles north of the Missouri River sits the Fort Belknap Reservation, the fourth largest Indian reservation in Montana. Encompassing over 675,000 acres of land, spanning 28 miles east and west, and 35 miles north and south, the Fort Belknap Reservation's rolling plains are home to two communities with over 7,000 tribal members. Due to their location, funding, and resources, these tribal members have yet to hold current broadband and communication services that would empower community members with equal opportunities — until now.

Key Points: 
  • Due to their location, funding, and resources, these tribal members have yet to hold current broadband and communication services that would empower community members with equal opportunities — until now.
  • Spy Ego, the industry leader in delivering a broad spectrum of technological solutions is proud to announce that they will be partnering with the Fort Belknap Reservation to complete a full reservation wide Broadband Feasibility Study to determine the best course of action to enable broadband and communications services across the reservation.
  • Upon receiving the The Bureau of Indian Affairs National Tribal Broadband Grant (BIA NTBG), Spy Ego and Fort Belknap have set a plan in motion to study the needs of the communities, address broadband capabilities, and build out infrastructure accordingly.
  • The Bureau of Indian Affairs National Tribal Broadband Grant (BIA NTBG) will lay the foundation for next-gen broadband and communications systems that will propel the Fort Belknap Tribal Community into the modern age.

Supreme Court rules the US is not required to ensure access to water for the Navajo Nation

Retrieved on: 
Friday, June 23, 2023
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Today it is home to more than 250,000 people – roughly comparable to the population of St. Petersburg, Florida, or Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Key Points: 
  • Today it is home to more than 250,000 people – roughly comparable to the population of St. Petersburg, Florida, or Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
  • Unlike those cities, however, 30% of households on the Navajo Reservation lack running water.
  • While the average American uses between 80 and 100 gallons (300-375 liters) of water per day, Navajo Nation members use approximately seven.
  • Since the 1950s, the Navajo Nation has pressed the U.S. government to define the water rights reserved for them under the 1868 treaty that created their reservation.

The centrality of water rights

    • Water rights – the ability of individuals to use public water supplies – have always been a central issue in the U.S. West.
    • Because all of the water in many western rivers has been fully allocated, these rights have a significant potential to displace existing juniors, or people who came later and have rights under state water law.
    • In this context, it’s clear why the Navajo have called on the federal government for decades to specify their federally reserved water rights.

Does a ‘permanent home’ imply access to water?

    • Thousands of U.S. troops roamed Navajo lands, destroying everything they could.
    • After the Navajo surrendered in 1864, they were forcibly relocated 300 miles to Bosque Redondo, a barren area of eastern New Mexico.
    • Many Navajo died on the “Long Walk,” and more perished over the next four years.
    • Forty years later, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in Winters v. United States that became a guidepost for understanding tribes’ and nations’ federal reserved water rights.

What does the 1868 treaty require?

    • In the ruling, Justice Brett Kavanaugh refused to find that the 1868 treaty satisfied the Winters framework.
    • The 1868 treaty “reserved necessary water to accomplish the purpose of the Navajo Reservation.
    • “Nor is it the role of the Judiciary to rewrite a 155-year-old treaty.” That job, Kavanaugh asserted, fell to Congress.
    • In Gorsuch’s view, the promise of a permanent homeland, together with the history surrounding the treaty and background principles of Indian law, was enough to conclude that the 1868 treaty – following the principle set out in Winters v. United States – secured some water rights for the Navajo.

What’s next for the Navajo?

    • Any judicially recognized rights for the Navajo from the Colorado River would reduce water available to the states.
    • This ruling solidifies the states’ Colorado River water rights and indefinitely postpones resolution of the Navajo Nation’s claims.

In protecting land for wildlife, size matters – here's what it takes to conserve very large areas

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, April 26, 2023
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In the winter of 2022-2023 alone, over 1,500 bison have been “removed,” about 25% of Yellowstone’s entire population.

Key Points: 
  • In the winter of 2022-2023 alone, over 1,500 bison have been “removed,” about 25% of Yellowstone’s entire population.
  • The bison at Fort Belknap are refugees that have been trucked 300 miles to the reservation from past Yellowstone winter culls.
  • Although bison are the U.S. national mammal, they exist in small and fragmented populations across the West.
  • The federal government is working to restore healthy wild bison populations, relying heavily on sovereign tribal lands to house them.

Rethinking how protected areas are made

    • At a global scale, conservationists have done a remarkable job of conserving land, creating over 6,000 terrestrial protected areas per year over the past decade.
    • The average size of newly created protected areas over that time frame is 23 square miles (60 square kilometers), down from 119 square miles (308 square kilometers) during the 1970s.
    • Creating large new protected areas is hard.
    • But it’s becoming clear that it is possible to create large protected areas through nontraditional methods.

Big ideas make room for smaller actions

    • By raising the bar for land protection, they have made other conservation organizations seem more moderate and created new opportunities for those groups.
    • One leading beneficiary is The Nature Conservancy, which owns the 60,000-acre Matador Ranch within the American Prairie focal area.
    • But that skepticism has turned to support because the conservancy isn’t trying to create a protected area.
    • Via the grassbank, ranchers are now using these wildlife conservation techniques on an additional 240,000 acres of private property.

A global pathway to 30x30

    • The 30x30 target was adopted by 190 countries at an international conference in 2022 on saving biodiversity.
    • In my view, 30x30 policymakers should act boldly and include large protected area targets in current policies.
    • Past experience shows that failing to do so will mean that future protected areas become smaller and smaller and ultimately fail to address Earth’s biodiversity crisis.

Five Ways to Enjoy Fall in Montana

Retrieved on: 
Friday, August 26, 2022
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HELENA, Mont., Aug. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Montana offers a wonderous blend of exhilarating experiences, natural beauty, and western charm. And when the air turns crisp and the fall colors take the stage, it's even more enchanting. Experience the magic of fall in Montana with these five epic adventures:

Key Points: 
  • Experience the magic of fall in Montana with these five epic adventures:
    There's no better way to take in the beauty of the fall colors than by biking through Montana's unmatched trails and undiscovered country.
  • Montana weather in the fall can be unpredictable, so having the right gear and an expert guide are key.
  • Take this 1.5-mile brewery route and enjoy historic sites and beautiful fall landscapes along the way.
  • For those looking to turn up the spook factor this fall, Montana is full of haunted attractions that will send chills down your spine.