Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Land Into Trust

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, the Tuolumne Band of the Me-Wuk Indians of the Tuolumne Rancheria is seeking a transfer of the two parcels that have been mentioned from the U.S. Forest Service land to the Department of the Interior to be held in trust for the tribe. These two parcels, which represent a combined total of about 80 acres, are both undeveloped and they are landlocked.

The parcels are located in an area of great cultural and historical significance to the tribe and are contiguous to lands the tribe currently owns in fee simple, known simply as the Murphy Ranch.

When the tribe inquired about the status of these parcels, the local U.S. Forest Service staff confirmed that there are no current or future uses to the U.S. Forest Service or any other Federal agency.

The tribe would like to make these existing two parcels a part of their Murphy Ranch Conservation Area, which was established to protect the environment, wildlife, and the natural beauty of the area, and also, as Congressman McClintock noted, to provide additional fire protection, which is absolutely essential.

We, as a result of 4 devastatingly dry years, combined with the bark beetle, have a tinderbox of extreme fire conditions that we are dealing with in California. Some of you have noted the fires that have taken place already in other Western States.

So fire protection is a part of the concern of this effort, and I feel very strongly that we need to do everything we can to improve the Forest Service's ability to manage our forest lands. Frankly, we are spending all the money that we do give to the Forest Service to put out fires and, therefore, it only makes matters worse because we are not doing the kind of work we ought to be doing in managing the forests.

So I want to commend the tribe for working with the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors and the Edward Ingalls Trust to mitigate any other concerns that the land transfer might have had.

Of course, Congressman McClintock has been tenacious in working with all the parties to try to bring this legislation to the floor for swift adoption, and I want to commend his efforts.

We have no further speakers, and I think it would be appropriate that I thank the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Mrs. Lummis) for all her good work. I, too, will be one of those who will miss her presence, her active engagement, and her constructive efforts to try to find bipartisan solutions to the challenges we face here in Congress.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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