HELENA, Mont. -- It's National Forest Week, and members of the Crow Tribe are celebrating recognition of a special place in Montana.

In the U.S. Forest Service's final draft of its Custer Gallatin National Forest plan released last week, the agency recognized the cultural and spiritual significance of the Crazy Mountains, designating it an "Area of Tribal Interest."

Shane Doyle, a Crow tribal member and founder of Native Nexus Consulting, said the "Crazies," as they're known locally, are a ceremonial site.

"We've been going to fast there for many hundreds of years, since time immemorial," he said, "and it's always been a concern among the Crow people that at some point we might lose that opportunity."

The Custer Gallatin plan recognizes only the southern part of the Crazies. The Forest Service did not include the cultural significance of the northern part in its Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest plan from May.

Ideally, Doyle said, the tribe would like to see both sections recognized, but he noted that the region in the Custer Gallatin National Forest is most significant.

"Our main area of focus was the historic sites, where so many historic figures have gone and attained noteworthy blessings," he said.

Doyle said it's important to protect this place for the future.

"It's part of our heritage," he said, "and we want to continue to be able to offer that opportunity to young people as the generations go by."

People and organizations that commented on the forest plans earlier in the process still can submit objections to the final plans. The deadlines are Monday for the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, and Sept. 8 for the Custer Gallatin National Forest.

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Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.


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Tribal advocates are closely analyzing the potential impact of a new U.S. Supreme Court ruling dealing with state investigations of certain crimes on reservations. A common sentiment is that the protected rights of Native Americans are being chipped away.

The Supreme Court case stemmed from Oklahoma, about whether the state can prosecute non-Native Americans for crimes committed against an Indigenous person on tribal land. In a five-to-four decision, the court sided with the state.

Melody McCoy - staff attorney with the Native American Rights Fund - said while it's a complex matter, it's a clear blow to tribal sovereignty.

"It's an unauthorized and unconsented intrusion," said McCoy, "of state authority within Indian country."

McCoy said how it affects future investigations depends on the motivations of each state. But she said the ball is now in hands of tribal governments, and whether they want to appeal to Congress.

South Dakota, which has nine federally recognized tribes, has optioned for at least some jurisdiction under a 1953 law that gave certain states power to prosecute crimes on tribal lands.

McCoy said in theory, adding more resources to an investigation isn't always a bad thing. But she noted that in these situations, there are culturally sensitive matters that tribal and federal authorities are often better equipped to handle.

"Not everything is cut and dry," said McCoy, "and you're dealing with vulnerable populations."

Other tribal advocates worry that state investigators might not carry out a thorough investigation if a non-Native comes to a reservation and commits a crime. They also worry about the court's interpretation expanding to other areas, such as environmental regulation.

In issuing its opinion, the court majority argued that a state has jurisdiction over all the areas within its borders.

A Native American organization is hoping to increase voter numbers after low turnout during the Montana primary this month.

Keaton Sunchild, political director for Western Native Voice, said numbers were low even for a midterm primary, at 21 % of Native American precincts in Montana.

He acknowledged new election laws likely affected numbers, especially an end to same-day voter registration. Sunchild noted same-day sign-ups are used frequently by Native Americans who often live in rural areas and only make one trip to the polls.

"Certainly disappointed with how low the turnout was originally, but we also recognize that there were some new barriers put in place, some confusion with the laws and various lawsuits," Sunchild explained. "As well as turnout is usually lower, as we all know, in midterm elections."

Restrictive election laws were passed by Montana legislators in 2021, but an injunction had been in place blocking those laws, including an end to same-day voter registration. However, the state Supreme Court overturned the injunction in May, allowing the restrictive laws to go into place before the primary. A trial is expected on the laws later this summer.

Sunchild emphasized there are important reasons to vote in the midterm.

"The presidential races seem to get all the glitz and glamour of elections and of voters' time," Sunchild pointed out. "But on a day-to-day level, what you're voting for in a midterm affects your life more."

Western Native Voice is setting up voting kiosks on reservations across the state to ensure people are registered before Election Day.

Sunchild added the organization is looking at the data and determining where their work will be most impactful. For instance, the Rocky Boy reservation precinct had the lowest turnout among tribes in the primary, at 7%.

"Doing things proactively rather than reacting is going to be key these next few months," Sunchild stressed. "That's kind of what we're trying to focus on."

Native American communities say the pandemic severely limited their ability to communicate with the rest of the world and each other, largely because of internet access issues. But new grant money will help some areas improve service, including three South Dakota reservations.

The federal government said $77 million will be shared among tribal governments in 10 states, to be used for things like new equipment and creating affordable internet service programs.

Sherry Johnson, education director for the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate tribe, said many local students were not able to be fully connected with teachers when schools were shutdown.

"This really affected our children, with our academics, our test scores," Johnson reported. "We definitely can see that in our data."

She pointed out reading and math scores saw declines, but with funding, the roughly 700 homes on the Lake Traverse Reservation will get more reliable service, and schools will be equipped with devices like Chromebooks. Johnson emphasized it puts families in a better position for future distance-learning scenarios.

Johnson acknowledged some homes already have service, but the bandwidth is low. Adding to the dilemma is a large land ridge running through the reservation.

"At times, it's really a barrier for our cell boosters and stuff [that] are needed to really pick up and have a good signal there," Johnson remarked.

She added they will be able to buy more equipment to counteract signal disruptions. The community will see other connection gaps addressed, including telehealth.

The two other grantees in South Dakota are the Cheyenne River and the Flandreau Santee Sioux tribes. The Census Bureau's American Community Survey shows tribal areas trail the rest of the nation by 21 percentage points when it comes to homes with internet service.