The Southern Highland Reader

REGIONAL–From the Greensboro News Record:

North Carolina petitioned the federal government in 2006 for increased protection of wilderness areas, but Washington failed to act.

Last week, two dozen U.S. senators, including Greensboro’s Kay Hagan, filed the National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2009 aimed at preventing all development in 58.5 million acres across the country. Some 151,000 acres in Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests in North Carolina’s mountains would be covered.

Various levels of protection apply in national forests. While roads provide important access to some public lands, others should be left in their natural state. The preservation of additional pristine wilderness would be a priceless gift to future North Carolinians.

More here from GoBlueRidge.com.

STATEWIDE–North Carolina’s senators jointly introduced legislation last Thursday that, if approved, would provide federal recognition to the state’s Lumbee Indian tribe.

Republican Sen. Richard Burr and Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan sponsored the bill.

From the Greensboro News Record:

The tribe began its quest for recognition in 1888, three years after North Carolina formally recognized it. Congress partially recognized the tribe in 1956 but denied the Lumbees federal benefits given to other American Indians.

The House approved federal recognition for the Lumbees in June. President Barack Obama has pledged to support recognition of the Lumbee Tribe. Other tribes have opposed congressional recognition of the Lumbees, questioning their ability to trace members to a historic tribe.

There are 55,000 Lumbee Indians in Robeson, Cumberland, Hoke and Scotland counties.

The Cherokee have consistently opposed recognition of the Lumbee. More about that here.

STATEWIDE–There’s right much being made of this passage from Congressional Quarterly:

NORTH CAROLINA: Democrats stand a chance of picking up the state’s other Senate seat if they can find a solid challenger to Richard M. Burr , who in 2004 succeeded Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards. Obama narrowly won the state last year, and Democrat Kay Hagan unseated Republican incumbent Elizabeth Dole. Burr might have gained running room when popular state Attorney General Roy Cooper announced in May that he would not run for the seat; Democratic recruiters are still looking for a top-tier candidate.

And while it stands to reason in the current NC climate that Burr could be challenged, the suggestion — as one publication made — that he “faces a tough test” might be a little premature. After all, the same paragraph above notes that he has no actual competition.

CHEROKEE-North Carolina Senator Kay Hagan voiced support this week for N.C. State Rep. Mike McIntyre’s Lumbee Recognition Act, which would give certain federal rights that accompany recognition to the Lumbee Indian tribe, which is generally focused in southeastern North Carolina.

Sen. Hagan, Rep. Shuler

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians have long opposed recognition of the Lumbee — sometimes vociferously — but Cherokee opposition seems mostly economic. The Lumbee have some 50,000 enrolled members, compared to 14,000 for the Cherokee, and federal aid specific to tribes but disbursed at the state level could be watered down in North Carolina if the Lumbee are recognized.

In addition, the Lumbee could choose, if recognized, to become a competitor in the casino market by building along the I-95 corridor.

Economic considerations aside, some Native Americans see McIntyre’s bill as an attempt to sidestep the longstanding Bureau of Indian Affairs method of recognizing tribal identity. This method takes many things into consideration, not the least of which is the existence of a traditional language.

11th District Rep. Heath Shuler has voted against McIntyre’s act, and has instead argued that the Lumbee should make their case through the BIA.

More reading

Fayetteville Observer
Fayetteville Observer
Washington Watch
Asheville Citizen-Times
Indian Country Today

STATEWIDE–In December we mentioned Sen. Richard Burr’s much-more-likely challenge in the 2010 mid-term elections, after Libby Dole’s defeat at the hands of Kay Hagan.

11th District congressman Heath Shuler was mentioned as a likely challenger, and that possibility seems to have solidified.

Shuler and Attorney General Roy Cooper are mentioned as leading contenders in this post at the Raleigh News and Observer’s “Under the Dome” blog. On the face of it, Cooper vs. Shuler is an interesting matchup; Cooper has been aggressive in protecting the interests of North Carolinians with regards to air pollution and other progressive issues. Shuler, on the other hand, has positioned himself as a blue-dog Democrat, relatively right-of-center, as Democrats go.