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Sad News: Terrence Stamp Walks On
Mike Taylor Obit — One of the Nicest People I’ve Ever Met

Here.
I first heard about Mike Taylor from John Petoskey, who had known him a long time and marveled at his audacity (Indigenacity(?), with apologies to the Dead Pioneers) in the Stock West cases and in masterminding the Quil Cede economic development project at Tulalip). If the Tribal In-House Counsel Association existed back in those days, he would be far better known.
In recent years, after his retirement, Mike started emailing me with hot tips to post on Turtle Talk. Later on, Mike explained to me that he repped Quinault in the US v. Washington trial that led to the Boldt decision. For whatever reason, Q was unwilling to intervene in the case at first, but when they did (Mike likely carried the laboring oar on that issue), they arrived as kind of a deus ex machina, being the only tribe with experience in regulating treaty fishing rights exercise at a time in the trial when Judge Boldt was asking if tribes could do so.
Mike was writing an autobiography. I sincerely hope that someone will be able to find those documents and put them together for publication. He shared a few snippets with me and all I can say is . . . LEGEND.
NARF Launches The Headwaters Report
The Headwaters Report – is a new digital blog site, bulletin, and source for Tribal water law information and resources. The Headwaters Report presents accessible information on foundational Tribal water law concepts and practices as well as current and emerging water-related issues.
The first article focuses on the Clean Water Act, a 50-year-old law that, among other things, allows Tribes to assert regulatory jurisdiction over water quality and activities that impact water quality within reservation boundaries. In our next Report update, we plan to address the changes the Trump Administration is attempting to make to the Clean Water Act and how that may affect Tribal Nations.
In the Report you will also find several slide decks on Tribal water rights information, including one on the basics of Tribal water rights, general stream adjudications, and Indian water rights settlements. We intend The Headwaters Report to act not only as a clearinghouse for Tribal water law and policy information, but as a place to bring questions and to get guidance.
DOGE Plans to Close 41 Offices of the BIA, IHS, NIGC, and DOI Office of Hearing and Appeals – Probate Hearings Division
Below is a list of planned lease terminations pulled from the DOGE website on March 10, 2025. The list is likely incomplete and inaccurate, since DOGE’s “wall of receipts” has notoriously overstated its savings impact for federal taxpayers, requiring numerous corrections since it began posting details of its work.
The list below also includes plans for the closure of seven additional BIA offices. These additional closures were pulled from a table published by the Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee.
“The impact on Bureau of Indian Affairs offices will be especially devastating. These offices are already underfunded, understaffed, and stretched beyond capacity, struggling to meet the needs of Tribal communities who face systemic barriers to federal resources. Closing these offices will further erode services like public safety, economic development, education, and housing assistance—services that Tribal Nations rely on for their well-being and self-determination.” – Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee
Mark Macarro, President of NCAI, explained to the A.P. that funding for the BIA, IHS, and the BIE represents the lion’s share of the government’s obligations to tribes, and last year those departments made up less than a quarter of 1% of the federal budget. “They’re looking in the wrong place to be doing this,” said Macarro. “And what’s frustrating is that we know that DOGE couldn’t be a more uninformed group of people behind the switch. They need to know, come up to speed real quick, on what treaty rights and trust responsibility means.”
| AGENCY | LOCATION | SQ FT | ANNUAL LEASE |
| BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | CARNEGIE, OK | 0 | $2,798 |
| BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | ST. GEORGE, UT | 750 | $50,400 |
| BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | FREDONIA, AZ | 1,500 | $22,860 |
| INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE-CALIFORNIA | ARCATA, CA | 1,492 | $37,012 |
| INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE NAVAJO | FARMINGTON, NM | 2,000 | $62,677 |
| BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | PAWNEE, OK | 7,549 | $156,171 |
| BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | SEMINOLE, OK | 9,825 | $184,770 |
| INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE-BEMIDJI | BEMIDJI, MN | 4,896 | $133,916 |
| INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE -OKLAHOMA | OKLAHOMA CITY, OK | 5,000 | $119,951 |
| BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | WATONGA, OK | 2,850 | $38,573 |
| BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | PABLO, MT | 620 | $10,418 |
| BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | RAPID CITY, SD | 1,825 | $53,911 |
| BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | FORT THOMPSON, SD | 4,870 | $58,976 |
| BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | SISSETON, SD | 4,911 | $180,008 |
| INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE-BEMIDJI | TRAVERSE CITY, MI | 798 | $28,638 |
| BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | ZUNI, NM | 2,117 | $39,819 |
| INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE NAVAJO | GALLUP, NM | 20,287 | $322,529 |
| BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | ELKO, NV | 4,760 | $134,297 |
| BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | ASHLAND, WI | 34,970 | $649,408 |
| BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | SHAWANO, WI | 1,990 | $36,395 |
| INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE NAVAJO | SAINT MICHAELS, AZ | 40,924 | $1,074,931 |
| BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | PHOENIX, AZ | 71,591 | $1,784,239 |
| BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | REDDING, CA | 5,307 | $154,103 |
| BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | HOLLYWOOD, FL | 3,000 | $79,365 |
| INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE-PHOENIX | ELKO, NV | 853 | $22,240 |
| INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE-NASHVILLE | MANLIUS, NY | 2,105 | $37,648 |
| INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE-NASHVILLE | OPELOUSAS, LA | 1,029 | $25,015 |
| INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE-BEMIDJI | SAULT STE MARIE, MI | 1,100 | $34,375 |
| INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE-CALIFORNIA | UKIAH, CA | 1,848 | $45,857 |
| BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | PAWHUSKA, OK | 10,335 | $166,134 |
| NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION | RAPID CITY, SD | 1,518 | $43,938 |
| BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | TOPPENISH, WA | 17,107 | $533,985 |
| BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | BARAGA, MI | 1,200 | $14,400 |
| OFFICE OF HEARING AND APPEALS (PROBATE HEARINGS DIVISION) | RAPID CITY, SD | 2,252 | $53,198 |
| TOTALS | 270927 | $6,339,757 | |
| Additional Office Closures – House Natural Resources Committee List | |||
| BUREAU | LOCATION | PLANNED TERM. DATE | |
| 1409: BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | SHOW LOW, AZ | 1/26/2026 | |
| 1409: BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | TOWAOC, CO | TBD | |
| 1409: BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | LAPWAI, ID | 9/30/2025 | |
| 1409: BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | SAULT SAINT MARIE, MI | TBD | |
| 1409: BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | POPLAR, MT | TBD | |
| 1409: BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | FT TOTTEN, ND | TBD | |
| 1409: BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS | EAGLE BUTTE, SD | TBD | |
Biden Commutes Leonard Peltier’s Sentence
Blast from the Past: Governmental Attacks on Akwesasne News
From The Nishnawbe News [Northern Michigan University], May 1972:

President Biden to Issue Boarding School Apology
Gloria Valencia-Weber Wins NLADA’s Pierce Hickerson Award
Here.





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