Coteau Properties donates land to Indian Cultural Education Trust

 (10/25/07)

The Three Affiliated Tribes and The Coteau Properties Company (Coteau), a wholly owned subsidiary of The North American Coal Corporation, announced today a donor agreement where Coteau will donate 1,240 acres of land and $626,700 to an account within the Indian Cultural Education Trust.  The Trust was established for the purpose of generating income to benefit Indian culture.  This agreement is the first of its kind between a tribal organization and a mining company.

“This is the first time a donor agreement and trust arrangement has been used to enhance a cooperative partnership between a mining company and a Native American tribe,” said Marc Schulz, Coteau’s President.  “We are honored to have worked with the Three Affiliated Tribes, especially Cultural Resource Program Director, Elgin Crows Breast, for his vision and efforts.  Coteau is proud to be a partner in preserving Indian cultural heritage through education, and we also appreciate the efforts of the State Land Department in establishing and administering the Trust.”

The Indian Cultural Education Trust will be managed by the Board of University and School Lands, commonly known as the State Land Department.  An executed donor agreement between Coteau and the Three Affiliated Tribes was presented as a donation to the Trust which was approved and accepted by the State Land Department earlier this morning.  The donation establishes provisions to manage donated lands and generated income, and make disbursements to the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation Cultural Education Foundation for their use in financing cultural education activities and programs.

“Coteau has been an excellent partner throughout this process, and we plan to use these resources to preserve our cultural heritage through education activities that may have otherwise been lost,” stated Three Affiliated Tribal Chairman Marcus D. Wells, Jr.  “Cultural education activities may include teaching Native American language, art, clothing design, history, and providing seminars, workshops and camps for dance, singing, storytelling, and traditional crafts.  The focus of the education programs will be to enhance and perpetuate knowledge about the ethnicity of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation so it remains an important and viable part of our culture.”

The donor agreement is the result of eight years of efforts to mitigate the effect of Coteau’s mining operations on cultural sites of importance to Native Americans.  The donor agreement includes provisions for Coteau to initially donate 160 acres of land and $626,700 into the Trust.  It further provides for an additional 1,080 acres to be added to the Trust following final bond release from the mining permit area by the North Dakota Public Service Commission after mining and reclamation.  These lands contain cultural resource sites that will be avoided by mining operations and preserved for future generations.