{"id":26816,"date":"2022-08-01T14:36:45","date_gmt":"2022-08-01T18:36:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=26816"},"modified":"2022-08-01T14:39:17","modified_gmt":"2022-08-01T18:39:17","slug":"fort-belknap-landowners-see-another-round-of-cobell-buy-back-offers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/08\/01\/fort-belknap-landowners-see-another-round-of-cobell-buy-back-offers\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Belknap landowners see another round of Cobell buy-back offers"},"content":{"rendered":" \"Fort<\/a>
A view of the Fort Belknap Indian Community near Blaine, Montana. Photo: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Montana<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n
Fort Belknap landowners seen another round of Cobell buy-back offers<\/div>\r\n
Monday, August 1, 2022<\/div>\r\n
Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nLandowners from the Fort Belknap Indian Community<\/a> have until next week to accept offers from the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations<\/a>.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nAccording to the Department of the Interior<\/a>, 2,184 landowners received offers for their fractional interests on the Fort Belknap Reservation<\/a>, located in Montana. They have until August 12 to determine whether they want to sell their holdings.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cThe department is excited to be consolidating land again through the Land Buy-Back Program at the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation,” Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland<\/a> said in a news release<\/a> last Thursday.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nAccording to the department, offers totaled $11.1 million. Any fractional interests acquired from willing sellers will be transferred to the Fort Belknap Indian Community.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n“The department recognizes the immense value that tribal involvement and advocacy brings to our mutual land consolidation efforts,\u201d Newland said. \u201cWe appreciate the continued collaboration with the Fort Belknap Indian Community to ensure that landowners are aware of this unique opportunity and understand their options and the resources available to make an informed decision.\u201d\r\n

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Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations Cumulative Sales June 29, 2022 [PDF<\/a>]<\/div>\r\nland-buy-back-program-for-tribal-nations-cumulative-sales-through-june-29-2022<\/a>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nFort Belknap landowners have previously participated in two rounds of the Buy-Back Program, according to sales data<\/a>. So far, 35,091 fractional interests, representing the equivalent of 268,443 acres, have been acquired and transferred to the tribe.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nBut the program is about to run out of money. As of July 26, only $7.6 million is left out of a $1.9 billion land consolidation fund that was established through the settlement of the Cobell trust fund litigation<\/a>.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nOf the $7.6 million left in the Cobell land consolidation fund, $3.6 million can be used to acquire fractional interests, according to the department. The remaining $4 million is to be used for administrative and implementation costs.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nSince establishment of the Buy-Back Program, landowners have accepted $1.68 billion for their fractional interests. Nearly 1.1 billion fractional interests, representing the equivalent of 2.94 billion acres, have been acquired and returned to tribes, the original owners of the land.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nAccording to the sales data, landowners on a little over 50 reservations have participated in the program. Nearly 40 percent of owners accepted offers, the data shows.\r\n

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