(a) Pursuant to sections 11(b) and 16(a) of the Act, the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall review and make a determination, not later than December 19, 1973, as to which villages are eligible for benefits under the act.

(1) Review of listed native villages. The Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall make a determination of the eligibility of villages listed in section 11(b)(1) and 16(a) of the Act. He shall investigate and examine available records and evidence that may have a bearing on the character of the village and its eligibility pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section.

(2) Findings of fact and notice of proposed decision. After completion of the investigation and examination of records and evidence with respect to the eligibility of a village listed in sections 11(b)(1) and 16(a) of the Act for land benefits, the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall publish in the Federal Register and in one or more newspapers of general circulation in Alaska his proposed decision with respect to such eligibility and shall mail a copy of the proposed decision to the affected village, all villages located in the region in which the affected village is located, all regional corporations within the State of Alaska and the State of Alaska. His proposed decision is subject to protest by any interested party within 30 days of the publication of the proposed decision in the Federal Register. If no valid protest is received within the 30-day period, such proposed decision shall become final and shall be published in the Federal Register. If the final decision is in favor of a listed village, the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall issue a certificate as to the eligibility of the village in question for land benefits under the act, and certify the record and the decision to the Secretary. Copies of the final decisions and certificates of village eligibility shall be mailed to the affected village, all villages located in the region in which the affected village is located, all regional corporations within the State of Alaska, and the state of Alaska.

(3) Protest. Within 30 days from the date of publication of the proposed decision in the Federal Register, any interested party may protest a proposed decision as to the eligibility of a village. No protest shall be considered which is not accompanied by supporting evidence. The protest shall be mailed to the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs.

(4) Action on protest. Upon receipt of a protest, the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall examine and evaluate the protest and supporting evidence required herein, together with his record of findings of fact and proposed decision, and shall render a decision on the eligibility of the Native village that is the subject of the protest. Such decision shall be rendered within 30 days from the receipt of the protest and supporting evidence by the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs. The decision of the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall be published in the Federal Register and in one or more newspapers of general circulation in the State of Alaska and a copy of the decision and findings of fact upon which the decision is based shall be mailed to the affected village, all villages located in the region in which the affected village is located, all regional corporations within the State of Alaska, the State of Alaska, and any other party of record. Such decision shall become final unless appealed to the Secretary by a notice filed within 30 days of its publication in the Federal Register in accordance with the regulations governing appeals set out in 43 CFR part 4, subpart E.

(5) Action on appeals. Appeals shall be made to the Board of Land Appeals in accordance with subpart E of part 4 of this title. Decisions of the Board on village eligibility appeals are not final until personally approved by the Secretary.

(6) Applications by unlisted villages for determination of eligibility. The head or any authorized subordinate officer of a Native village not listed in section 11(b) of the Act may file on behalf of the unlisted village an application for a determination of its eligibility for land benefits under the act. Such application shall be filed in duplicate with the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, prior to September 1, 1973. If the application does not constitute prima facie evidence of compliance with the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section, he shall return the application to the party filing the same with a statement of reasons for return of the application, but such filing, even if returned, shall constitute timely filing of the application. The Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall immediately forward an application which appears to meet the criteria for eligibility to the appropriate office of the Bureau of Land Management for filing. Each application must identify the township or townships in which the Native village is located.

(7) Segregation of land. The receipt of the selection application for filing by the Bureau of Land Management shall operate to segregate the lands in the vicinity of the village as provided in sections 11(a)(1) and (2) of the Act.

(8) Action on application for eligibility. Upon receipt of an application which appears to meet the criteria for eligibility, the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall have a notice of the filing of the application published in the Federal Register and in one or more newspapers of general circulation in Alaska and shall promptly review the statements contained in the application. He shall investigate and examine available records and evidence that may have a bearing on the character of the village and its eligibility pursuant to this subpart 2651, and thereafter make findings of fact as to the character of the village. No later than December 19, 1973, the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall make a determination as to the eligibility of the village as a Native village for land benefits under the act and shall issue a decision. He shall publish his decision in the Federal Register and in one or more newspapers of general circulation in Alaska and shall mail a copy of the decision to the representative or representatives of the village, all villages in the region in which the village is located, all regional corporations, and the State of Alaska.

(9) Protest to eligibility determination. Any interested party may protest a decision of the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, regarding the eligibility of a Native village for land benefits under the provisions of sections 11(b)(3)(A) and (B) of the Act by filing a notice of protest with the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, within 30 days from the date of publication of the decision in the Federal Register. A copy of the protest must be mailed to the representative or representatives of the village, all villages in the region in which the village is located, all regional corporations within Alaska, the State of Alaska, and any other parties of record. If no protest is received within the 30-day period, the decision shall become final and the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall certify the record and the decision to the Secretary. No protest shall be considered which is not accompanied by supporting evidence. Anyone protesting a decision concerning the eligibility or ineligibility of an unlisted Native village shall have the burden of proof in establishing that the decision is incorrect. Anyone appealing a decision concerning the eligibility or ineligibility of an unlisted Native village shall have the burden of proof in establishing that the decision is incorrect.

(10) Action on protest appeal. Upon receipt of a protest, the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall follow the procedure outlined in paragraph (a)(4) of this section. If an appeal is taken from a decision on eligibility, the provisions of paragraph (a)(5) of this section shall apply.

(b) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(4) of this section, villages must meet each of the following criteria to be eligible for benefits under sections 14(a) and (b) of the Act:

(1) There must be 25 or more Native residents of the village on April 1, 1970, as shown by the census or other evidence satisfactory to the Secretary. A Native properly enrolled to the village shall be deemed a resident of the village.

(2) The village shall have had on April 1, 1970, an identifiable physical location evidenced by occupancy consistent with the Natives' own cultural patterns and life style and at least 13 persons who enrolled thereto must have used the village during 1970 as a place where they actually lived for a period of time: Provided, That no village which is known as a traditional village shall be disqualified if it meets the other criteria specified in this subsection by reason of having been temporarily unoccupied in 1970 because of an act of God or government authority occurring within the preceding 10 years.

(3) The village must not be modern and urban in character. A village will be considered to be of modern and urban character if the Secretary determines that it possessed all the following attributes as of April 1, 1970:

(i) Population over 600.

(ii) A centralized water system and sewage system that serves a majority of the residents.

(iii) Five or more business establishments which provide goods or services such as transient accommodations or eating establishments, specialty retail stores, plumbing and electrical services, etc.

(iv) Organized police and fire protection.

(v) Resident medical and dental services, other than those provided by Indian Health Service.

(vi) Improved streets and sidewalks maintained on a year-round basis.

(4) In the case of unlisted villages, a majority of the residents must be Native, but in the case of villages listed in sections 11 and 16 of the Act, a majority of the residents must be Native only if the determination is made that the village is modern and urban pursuant to paragraph (b)(3) of this section.

(43 U.S.C. 1601-1624)

[38 FR 14218, May 30, 1973, as amended at 40 FR 33175, Aug. 6, 1975; 49 FR 6373, Feb. 21, 1984]