The Department of the Interior recently sent more than 4,000 purchase offers to tribal land owners in southern Arizona and Montana as part of their Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations. The offers total almost $100 million.
The program was created in 2010 to reduce fractionation, or the amount of land within tribal boundaries that’s individually owned. The land sold through the buy-back will be held in trust for each tribe.
All sales are voluntary. Since being launched, the Interior Department has closed transactions on almost 265,000 acres worth nearly $97 million.
Land owners in the Gila River Indian Reservation in Arizona have until October 17 th to act on the offers. Those who chose to sell receive fair market value for their land plus an additional $75.
