Press Releases FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Six Shooter Fire burns to approximately 220 acres overnight June 17, 2020 / July 2, 2020 by Lindsay Box FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT BIA Fire Management – 970.563.4751 Lindsay Box, PIO – 970.563.2313 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 17, 2020 Six Shooter Fire burns to approximately 220 acres overnight Ignacio, CO – The Six Shooter Fire was reported on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation at approximately 15:30, June 16, 2020. The fire is located in the Six Shooter Canyon and now estimated at 220 acres. Ground crews made headway on the fire which is now 15% contained. The Durango Interagency IMT 3 has assumed the fire management role today. Multiple agencies are working to fully suppress the fire, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Southern Ute Agency Fire Management, Los Piños Fire Protection District, Durango Fire, Florida Mesa Fire, and modules from the States of Colorado and Oklahoma. Ground resources include fire personnel, hot shot crew, heavy equipment, and utility terrain vehicles. Air resources aided in the initial fire response and remain on standby today. Smoke is visible from Colorado Highway 550 and County Road 318. Smoke will be visible to the local communities throughout the duration of the fire. Smoke from wildfires can cause health concerns and some individuals are more at risk of complications. To […] Read more » #SixShooterFire Six Shooter Fire
Uncategorized FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Six Shooter Fire breaks out on Southern Ute Indian Reservation June 16, 2020 / July 2, 2020 by Lindsay Box FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT BIA Fire Management – 970.563.4751 Lindsay Box, PIO – 970.563.2313 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 16, 2020 Six Shooter Fire breaks out on Southern Ute Indian Reservation Ignacio, CO – The Six Shooter Fire was reported on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation at approximately 15:30, June 16, 2020. (Insert directions) The fire is located in the Six Shooter Canyon and estimated between 75 acres and 0% contained. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Southern Ute Agency Fire Management and Los Pinos Fore Protection District immediately responded. Resources include an air attack, one large airtanker and a single engine airtankers. Smoke is visible from Colorado Highway 550 and County Road 318. Smoke will be visible to the local communities. For information related to air quality, please go to: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health The cause and extent of the fire is unknown at this time and the Tribe is coordinating with local agencies to ensure the safety of the public and to minimize the impact of the fire. The Tribe is also working with oil and gas operators in the area to shut-in facilities in the vicinity of the fire in an effort to mitigate any potential impact from those operators to […] Read more » #SixShooterFire Six Shooter Fire
Uncategorized FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Federal Agencies Narrow Scope of Federally Protected “Waters of the United States” But Tribe Intends to Protect Tribal Waters June 4, 2020 / July 2, 2020 by Lindsay Box FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT Christine Sage, Chairman – 970.563.0100 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 4, 2020 – 9:00 A.M. Federal Agencies Narrow Scope of Federally Protected “Waters of the United States” But Tribe Intends to Protect Tribal Waters Southern Ute Indian Reservation – Notwithstanding the Tribe’s strong opposition, on January 23, 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (collectively the “Agencies”), the agencies responsible for administering the Clean Water Act, finalized a rule to define “waters of the United States” (“Final Rule”). Under the Clean Water Act, there is federal authority to regulate the discharge of pollutants and the placement of fill into “navigable waters.” The Clean Water Act defines “navigable waters” to mean “the waters of the United States.” Whether a particular water body is jurisdictional as a “water of the United States” is a threshold question for determining whether a discharge into that water will require a permit under the Clean Water Act or whether a spill (i.e., an unpermitted discharge) is a violation of the Clean Water Act and subject to an enforcement action by the Agencies. In other words, under the Clean Water Act, the scope of federal regulatory authority is […] Read more »
Uncategorized FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Southern Ute Reservation Initiates Stage I Fire Restrictions May 8, 2020 / November 9, 2020 by Lindsay Box FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT Christine Sage, Chairman – 970.563.0100 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 8, 2020 SOUTHERN UTE RESERVATION INITIATES STAGE I FIRE RESTRICTIONS Ignacio, CO – Due to the current high temperatures, dry fuel conditions and occurrence of recent wildland fires, Stage 1 fire restrictions have been implemented for all trust lands throughout the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. Everyone on reservation lands is asked to be very cautious and use common sense with fire this time of year. Stage I Fire Restrictions prohibits acts for the general public, commercial operators and industrial oil and gas operators performing work on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. STAGE I General Public: Prohibited acts: OPEN BURNING. Burning of trash and/or yard waste is prohibited. AGRICULTURAL BURNING. Burning of crop land, fields, rangeland, debris burning, slash piles, prescribed burning and weed burning are prohibited. CAMP FIRES. Building, maintaining or using a warming fire or campfire outside of officially designated or developed camp sites is prohibited. The fire restrictions do not include charcoal fires (in suitable containers) for barbeques or fires for sweat ceremonies, however, such fires are not to be left unattended and are to be fully extinguished […] Read more »
Uncategorized Southern Ute Indian Tribal Court REVISED Operations May 7, 2020 / July 2, 2020 by Lindsay Box The Southern Ute Tribal Court has updated their operating functions for the modified services they are currently providing to address Tribal Court matters. The Court’s Administrative Order and Public Notice have been approved by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s Incident Management Team (IMT). The new hours and operations are set to begin Monday, May 11, 2020. For questions related to the modification of tribal operations, tribal members are encouraged to call the Southern Ute COVID-19 Call Center at 970.563.0214. The Call Center hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Administrative Order COVID May 2020 Notice to Public Tribal Court 05072020 Read more »
Press Releases FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Southern Ute Indian Tribe Demands Investigation into Unlawfully Leaked Information for CARES Act Funds April 18, 2020 / July 2, 2020 by Lindsay Box FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT Christine Sage, Chairman – 970.563.0100 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 18, 2020 – 1:00 P.M. Southern Ute Indian Tribe Demands Investigation into Unlawfully Leaked Information for CARES Act Funds Southern Ute Indian Reservation – On March 27, 2020, the President signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act. This act provided $150 billion for governments, including $8 billion to be allocated among the 574 federally recognized Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages The funds were to be distributed within 30 days. On Monday, April 13, 2020, all state, local and tribal governments were instructed to download information in to a secure portal at the Department of Treasury so that they could receive their CARES Act funds. For Tribes and tribal businesses, the information to be provided included tribal membership, lands held in trust and in fee, expenditures, and bank account information in which the funds were to be deposited. The first portion of the funds were to be deposited in to the Tribe’s bank account within approximately 24 hours of filing the certification. Although the Southern Ute Indian Tribe filed its certification on Wednesday morning, no […] Read more »
Press Releases FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Southern Ute Indian Tribe Recommends Face Coverage for Health Safety April 2, 2020 / July 2, 2020 by Lindsay Box FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT Christine Sage, Chairman – 970.563.0100 Amy Barry, SUIT IMT PIO – 970.563.2281 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 29, 2020 – 09:30 A.M. Southern Ute Indian Tribe Recommends Face Coverage for Health Safety Southern Ute Indian Reservation – The Southern Ute Indian Tribal Council, in a collaborative response with the San Juan Basin Public Health (SJBPH) to COVID-19 and recommends to individuals to cover your nose and mouth when leaving home for essential travel to the grocery store, doctor, or pharmacy. Individuals could practice extra precaution by using a bandana or homemade facemask coverings. It is important to reserve healthcare grade personal protective equipment (ppe) for the healthcare professionals. Individuals who need to leave their homes are able to use a face covering over their nose and mouth as a precaution. Symptoms of COVID-19 have a long incubation period and individuals who leave their home for necessary reasons could contact the virus or unknowingly spread COVID-19 to others. “The spread of the virus occurs primarily through droplets from an infected individual, which fabrics can filter. A face covering helps lessen the risk for a healthy individual to breathe in droplets as well as spread from […] Read more »
Press Releases FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Southern Ute Indian Tribe confirms two positive cases of COVID-19 March 29, 2020 / July 2, 2020 by Lindsay Box FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT Christine Sage, Chairman – 970.563.0100 Amy Barry, SUIT IMT PIO – 970.563.2281 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 29, 2020 – 09:30 A.M. Southern Ute Indian Tribe confirms two positive cases of COVID-19 Southern Ute Indian Reservation – Two employees of the Southern Ute Indian Tribal government have tested positive for COVID 19. They are in self-quarantine and we wish them the best in their recovery. All appropriate steps are being taken to identify anyone who may have been exposed for notification to self-quarantine and self-monitor for symptoms of the disease. San Juan Basin Public Health (SJBPH) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (DCPHE) are providing assistance during this investigation. Anyone who is contacted by SJBPH and CDPHE are encouraged to cooperate to assist them in protecting the health and welfare of our Southern Ute tribal membership and government. It is important to know that, by definition of the Centers for Disease Control, you have not been “exposed” unless you have had close contact with a person who has tested positive. The definition of close contact is: “being about six (6) feet (approximately two (2) meters) from an infected person or within the […] Read more »
Health Southern Ute Incident Management Team – Disease Control Level March 27, 2020 / July 2, 2020 by Lindsay Box Southern Ute Indian Tribe Incident Management Team (IMT) Disease Control Level The Southern Ute Indian Tribe Incident Management Team (IMT) would like to share the Tribe’s Disease Control Level. As of Wednesday, March 25, 2020 the Tribe is under a ‘Stay at Home’ order. This is one tool the IMT has been using to determine its response and tribal action plan related to the COVID-19 outbreak. Created & Published by Lindsay J. Box Read more »
Health Southern Ute Health Center COVID-19 Testing Tent Procedures March 26, 2020 / July 2, 2020 by Lindsay Box Southern Ute Health Center COVID-19 Testing Tent Procedures All patients who have any type of respiratory illness will be seen in the tent erected behind the health clinic. THIS IS NOT A DRIVE-THRU FACILITY. There will be no walk-in appointments. Please call for an appointment at 970.563.4581. Clinic hours are 7:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Photo Credits: Jeremy Wade Shockly | Southern Ute Drum; and Jeremiah B. Valdez Designed and Produced by Lindsay J. Box Read more »
