“This donation is the result and culmination of a very long, storied history and relationship with the State of Colorado,” Reggie Wassana, governor of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, said in a statement. “The Tribes plan to use the donated bison as a cultural, conservation and educational resource, with the goal of locating the bison on our own tribal natural plains habitat.”
All 14 bison were adult females and about half of the bison donated might be pregnant, meaning the Cheyenne Arapaho tribe in Oklahoma could get six or seven calves in the coming weeks on top of the donated bison, said Scott Gilmore, deputy executive director of the Parks and Recreation Department.
The fight over who owns former reservation land in Oklahoma is intensifying. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter is asking a local tribe to stop sending letters to oil companies for past-due tax payments. The letter, sent to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes in early April, comes after oil and gas operators reached out to Hunter’s office about the past-due notices they received from the tribes.The letters were notices involving “significant outstanding severance taxes with interest and penalties.”Hunter said the notices to the companies are “unclear as to the scope of the jurisdiction the tribes now assert.”The letters appear to have been widely sent to operators within Blaine and Canadian counties, Hunter explained.Hunter said a lack of clarity in the notices has blindsided operators and threatened the local economies. Hunter said in a statement that his office is asking the tribes to clarify their positions on the past-due notices.Today, tribal Gov. Reggie Wassana re
Denver Parks and Recreation Department donates 14 bison to American Indian tribes washingtontimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washingtontimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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City officials are hoping the donation is the beginning of a new tradition.
Mayor Michael Hancock joined Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Gov. Reggie Wassana on Friday at Genesee Park as Denver embarked on what officials hope is a new tradition: donating bison from its herd to tribal nations.
The city donated 13 bison to the federally recognized tribe based in Oklahoma, holding a brief ceremony in Golden before the animals were loaded onto trailers for a 10-hour trip to their new home. Wassana said the animals will be used to help provide food for tribal members and breed more bison.