American Indian Special Emphasis

Athena Pratt, Program Manager can be reached at (684) 633-1031.

American Indian Heritage Month is in November:

• Seven Generations Planning
• American Indian Agriculture
• Thanksgiving

How is NRCS doing with regards to providing services and hiring American Indians?

Program Delivery:
In 2002 there were 1.9 million producers that qualify for program assistance. 13% of the eligible white males received cost share dollars while 20% of American Indian producers received cost share dollars. White males received an average of $20,720 each. American Indians received an average of $39,720. Tribal lands were designated as environmental priority areas and this is why a high percentage of dollars was awarded to American Indians. We also need to keep in mind that some of the American Indian applicants that received assistance are tribal organizations that use the money to benefit the tribe.
There were no cases of discrimination in program delivery in 2003.

NRCS has assisted in the formation of Tribal Conservation districts and RC&D Councils and is a partner with the Intertribal Agriculture Council. Several states hire tribal liaisons to coordinate conservation planning and contract implementation with tribes.

Special training modules for working with tribes have been developed by NEDC. Training is also provided to the civil rights staff and program managers.

Hiring and Promotion:
Nationally 0.3% of the civilian labor force population is American Indian. In 2003 NRCS had 321 American Indian employees. This is 2.7% of the NRCS work force. Most of these employees are in the professional category. Even though NRCS has met parity with regards to American Indian employees, recruitment efforts targeted at American Indians continue. NRCS also supports the AI/AN employee organization that provides support to NRCS American Indian employees.

Hawaii:
In Hawaii 2.1% of the population is American Indian. Only 18 other states in the country have an American Indian population greater than 1.5%. In 2002 47 farms in Hawaii were operated by American Indians. These numbers indicate that there are no obvious opportunities in Hawaii to hire or provide services to American Indians/Alaska Natives, but we still need to be aware that there are American Indians in our population that could benefit from our programs. We also need realize the importance of statistical data and the importance of giving our clients the choice of declaring their racial background. We can either ask them directly (Would you care to identify your race?) or we can give them the SCIMS form.

I will have the pleasure of serving as Hawaii's program manager for American Indians/Alaska Natives for the next year. As program manager I will be identifying barriers to program delivery and employment and will make recommendations to the state conservationist on how we can improve in these areas. Feel free to send me your suggestions and concerns.

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