The mayor of Anchorage, Alaska has thrown her support behind the Eklutna Tribe’s efforts to build a small casino on the outskirts of the city.

The tribe sees gaming as an opportunity to create jobs and boost the economy.

As Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA tells us, the endorsement comes amid a lawsuit to block the project.

Only about six-and-a half acres are involved – a Native allotment that has become a test case of tribal sovereignty in Alaska.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-AK) has asked President-elect Donald Trump to reverse an Interior Department decision last year that cleared the way for the tribe to seek a permit for a gaming hall that would have up to 700 electronic slot machines.

Mayor Suzanne LaFrance. (Courtesy City of Anchorage)

The BIA released its environmental assessment of the project and opened it up for public comment.

In her written response, Mayor Suzanne LaFrance gave a whole-hearted endorsement of the gaming hall, noting that the assessment found no significant concerns.

She also cited the Eklutna tribe’s track record for environmental stewardship.

“We’d like to formally share our support for the Native Village of Eklutna, as it exercises its sovereignty and pursues economic development.”

Mayor LaFrance says she has confidence in the tribe, based on its relationship with the city.

“There’s such an emphasis on listening, problem solving and being very open about the situation and so I feel like that’s part of what makes the relationship so strong.”

Sky Starkey is a tribal rights attorney.

“It’s really good to see Mayor LaFrance embracing what tribes have to offer.”

Longtime tribal advocates like attorney Starkey say these kinds of endorsements are not unusual in the Lower 48 states, but unprecedented in Alaska where there’s been an ongoing debate about whether tribes exist.

Michelle Demmert, an assistant professor at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Department of Tribal Governance, says she’s glad to see the mayor acknowledge the importance of tribes.

“Tribes are really great partners. We bring in a lot of money, we bring in a lot of resources. We want the same types of healthy communities for our villages like everyone else wants.”

A group of neighboring property owners say the mayor shouldn’t have endorsed the project without hearing from them first.

In a lawsuit, they say the land does not have Indian Country status and that the casino will hurt the rural character of their community.

A community corn field at the Jemez Pueblo in north-central New Mexico, seen here on March 17, 2023. The Pueblo, which is largely supported by farming, irrigates its farms with snowmelt from the surrounding mountains. (Photo: Kaleb Roedel / Mountain West News Bureau)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a new plan to strengthen its collaboration with tribes and help build more sustainable food systems.

The Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel has more.

Nationwide, there are 574 federally recognized tribes.

Nearly half of them are in the West, where tribes manage or farm more than 55 million acres of land.

The USDA’s new strategy aims to help tribes better protect and preserve the natural resources and farmland they rely on.

That includes dedicating more staff and funding to conservation across tribal lands. And incorporating Indigenous knowledge into that work.

Roylene Comes At Night is a conservationist with the agency and a member of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana.

“This gives us an opportunity to now build this tribe by tribe, so that each tribal nation that has their own concerns can adapt and adopt those concerns to meet their needs.”

She says, overall, the new strategy supports tribes’ cultural and farming traditions. And will make sure their priorities and knowledge shape future federal policies.

UAII volunteers feed our Navajo Firefighters in Los Angeles County. (Courtesy UAII / Facebook)

The United American Indian Involvement (UAII), an urban Indian organization in Los Angeles, Calif., is offering support to those impacted by wildfires in the area.

The organization’s emergency response includes providing food, water, and temporary shelter to those in need.

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