Santa Ynez Tribe of Chumash Indians File Motion to Intervene

Santa Ynez Tribe of Chumash Indians File Motion to Intervene in Lawsuit to Defend BIA’s Fee-to-Trust Decision

Washington, D.C. – Marzulla & Marzulla today announced that the filing of a motion on behalf of the Santa Ynez Tribe of Chumash Indians to intervene in a lawsuit filed on March 10, 2006 by two citizen groups, Preservation of Los Olivos (POLO) and Preservation of Santa Ynez (POSY). That lawsuit is pending in federal district court in Los Angeles. The lawsuit appeals a decision of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) granting the Tribe’s fee to trust application to annex 6.9 acres of Tribe-owned land to its reservation. The Tribe seeks to intervene in order to defend the Regional Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ approval of the Tribe’s request to transfer the 6.9 acres of land owned by the Tribe into federal trust status.

“We are optimistic that the court will grant the Tribe’s motion to intervene. After all, who has more interest in the outcome of this lawsuit than the Tribe itself, which owns the 6.9 acres to be taken into trust,” explained Nancie G. Marzulla. “We are also confident that we will prevail on the merits of this case because the Tribe’s plans for the 6.9 acres, to preserve the remains of an intact, ancient Chumash village and burial site, are entirely consistent with the purpose of the federal regulations allowing the Secretary of Interior to acquire land for a tribe in trust status.”

The 6.9 acres to be taken into trust status is adjacent to the current 138.95 acre-reservation of the Tribe, located in the community of Santa Ynez, which is southwest of Highway 246 in Santa Barbara, California. The plans for the land include the construction of a cultural center and museum, a commemorative park that focuses on the history of the Chumash people, and a small professional office center to generate revenue for the upkeep of the cultural center and park.

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