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Osage Nation hosting outreach meetings for Land Buy-Back Program

The Osage Nation is hosting outreach meeting events for the Osage public regarding the Land Buy-Back Program with seven meetings scheduled.

The next scheduled Land Buy-Back Program meeting is scheduled this evening at 5 p.m. at the Hominy Village Community Building. Each meeting is scheduled to run at least two hours to provide Osage landowners with more information on the program.

The buy-back program is a stipulation of the Cobell Settlement which provided $1.9 billion to purchase fractional interests in trust or restricted land from willing sellers at fair market value within a 10-year period, according to a U.S. Department of Interior release.

There is roughly 66,000 acres in the Osage Nation with 680-690 individual landowners eligible for the program. Those eligible for the buy-back program are individuals who own an interest in a parcel of land with multiple owners. There must also be a clear land title, and all estates in probate will not receive offers. The BIA has already been working to identify those individuals eligible for offers, according to the Executive Branch. A majority of the fractionated land lies in the southern part of Osage County.

An information website on the program is available at: www.osagenationlandbuybackprogram.com

Landowners can also contact the Trust Beneficiary Call Center at (888) 678-6836 to update their contact information, ask questions about their land or purchase offers, and learn about financial planning resources. Individuals can also visit their local Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians (OST) or Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) office, or find more information at http://www.doi.gov/buybackprogram/landowners 

Land Buy-Back Program meetings scheduled

  • July 12: Wakon Iron Community Building in Pawhuska (5 to 7 p.m.)
  • July 14: Osage Casino Hotel – Ponca City (5 to 7 p.m.)
  • July 19: Osage Casino – Bartlesville (5 to 7 p.m.)
  • July 21: ON Language Department building in Fairfax, 260 N. 2nd St. (5 to 7 p.m.)
  • July 23: Tulsa Central Center, 1028 E. 6th St. (noon to 3 p.m.)
  • Aug. 6: Oklahoma City – Neuroscience Specialists, 4120 W. Memorial Rd #300 (1 to 3 p.m.)

 

Also for more information, contact the ON Tribal Development and Land Acquisition Department at (918) 287-5208 or email landbuy-back@osagenation-nsn.gov


By

Benny Polacca


Original Publish Date: 2016-06-30 00:00:00

Author

  • Benny Polacca

    Title: Senior Reporter

    Email: bpolacca@osagenation-nsn.gov

    Instagram: @bpolacca

    Topic Expertise: Government, Tribal Government, Community

    Languages spoken: English, basic knowledge of Spanish and French

    Benny Polacca (Hopi/ Havasupai/ Pima/ Tohono O’odham) started working at the Osage News in 2009 as a reporter in Pawhuska, Okla., where he’s covered various stories and events that impact the Osage Nation and Osage people. Those newspaper contributions cover a broad spectrum of topics and issues from tribal government matters to features. As a result, Polacca has gained an immeasurable amount of experience in covering Native American affairs, government issues and features so the Osage readership can be better informed about the tribal current affairs the newspaper covers.

    Polacca is part of the Osage News team that was awarded the Native American Journalists Association's Elias Boudinet Free Press Award in 2014 and has won numerous NAJA media awards, as well as awards from the Oklahoma Press Association and SPJ Oklahoma Pro Chapter, for storytelling coverage and photography.

    Polacca earned his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and also participated in the former American Indian Journalism Institute at the University of South Dakota where he was introduced to the basics of journalism and worked with seasoned journalists there and later at The Forum daily newspaper covering the Fargo, N.D. area where he worked as the weeknight reporter.

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Benny Polacca
Benny Polaccahttps://osagenews.org

Title: Senior Reporter

Email: bpolacca@osagenation-nsn.gov

Instagram: @bpolacca

Topic Expertise: Government, Tribal Government, Community

Languages spoken: English, basic knowledge of Spanish and French

Benny Polacca (Hopi/ Havasupai/ Pima/ Tohono O’odham) started working at the Osage News in 2009 as a reporter in Pawhuska, Okla., where he’s covered various stories and events that impact the Osage Nation and Osage people. Those newspaper contributions cover a broad spectrum of topics and issues from tribal government matters to features. As a result, Polacca has gained an immeasurable amount of experience in covering Native American affairs, government issues and features so the Osage readership can be better informed about the tribal current affairs the newspaper covers.

Polacca is part of the Osage News team that was awarded the Native American Journalists Association's Elias Boudinet Free Press Award in 2014 and has won numerous NAJA media awards, as well as awards from the Oklahoma Press Association and SPJ Oklahoma Pro Chapter, for storytelling coverage and photography.

Polacca earned his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and also participated in the former American Indian Journalism Institute at the University of South Dakota where he was introduced to the basics of journalism and worked with seasoned journalists there and later at The Forum daily newspaper covering the Fargo, N.D. area where he worked as the weeknight reporter.

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