SISKIYOU COUNTY, Calif. — A
congressional bill to restore federal recognition to a
Northern California tribe is headed toward final committee
consideration after being approved Tuesday by the House
Committee on Natural Resources.
HR 3535 is headed to the
House Rules Committee and, if approved, would go to the
floor of the House of Representatives. The bill is sponsored
by Republican Doug LaMalfa, of California’s First
Congressional District, and his office has said they
anticipate bi-partisan support during a House vote.
HR 3535 was submitted by
LaMalfa last July and would restore recognition to the
Ruffey Rancheria, based in Siskiyou County, Calif.
The rancheria was established
in 1906 and consisted of 57 Native Americans living near
Etna, Calif. The tribe founded a 441-acre reservation the
following year, but in 1961 Congress terminated recognition.
HR 3535 would restore
recognition and allow the Ruffey Rancheria to re-establish a
reservation. It would also broaden the definition of those
who belong to the tribe, bringing rancheria members to an
estimated 350.
Rancheria Chairman Tahj Gomes
said the tribe intends to be good neighbors to existing
tribes and landowners. He said they do not yet have a
location in mind for a new reservation, but they are willing
to cooperate with landowners and pay fair value for
reservation land.
However, the bill does not
sit well with tribes who believe HR 3535 is a ploy to
interfere with ongoing disputes over natural resources in
the region. The Karuk Tribe, headquartered in Happy Camp,
Calif., claims recognition of the Ruffey Rancheria would add
“chaos and confusion to long-running debates between tribes,
fishermen and area farmers.”
The Karuk Tribe has accused
LaMalfa of not being transparent and not responding to
requests for information. Karuk Chairman Russell Attebery
accused LaMalfa of rushing the bill and trying to pass it in
secrecy.
LaMalfa spokesperson Parker
Williams said the congressman was willing to delay the bill
multiple times to allow for changes. Such amendments include
a provision approved Tuesday limiting a Ruffey Rancheria
reservation to Siskiyou County, which addressed concerns
over the tribe potentially establishing itself elsewhere in
Northern California or Oregon.
Williams said every
substantive concern LaMalfa’s office received was addressed
by the committee Tuesday. He also said the small population
of the Ruffey Rancheria would mean their impact on
neighboring tribes would likely be “negligible.”
He added LaMalfa does not
want to allow “delay tactics” to stall the bill.
In a release Tuesday in
response to the bill’s committee approval, the Karuk Tribe
said the new changes “only made matters worse.”
“The final bill expanded the
potential size of a restored reservation to exceed the
original 441 acres size and now allows the new group to
claim unlimited reservation lands anywhere in Siskiyou
County, bypassing the administrative process other tribes
must face,” said the release.
When responding to criticisms
against HR 3535, Chairman Gomes said there has been a
“campaign of misinformation” about both his tribe and the
bill. He said his tribe has demonstrated good faith in
working with neighbors and stakeholders to address concerns
and he feels confident the bill will “ultimately prevail.”
“Most tribes pride themselves
for not opposing other tribes’ federal acknowledgment and/or
restoration, and we believe that ethic will prevail now that
the amendments we requested have been adopted,” said Gomes.
He also clarified concerns
about the Ruffey Rancheria building a casino and said the
tribe “does not have any plans to develop or construct a
gaming facility.” The Karuk Tribe opened the Rain Rock
Casino in Yreka last month.
