Systemic Change: Over the past several years the ILWG has organized a series of meetings for the purpose of identifying what changes are needed in federal policy and regulations governing trust allotments. Through these meetings the "Indian Trust Estate Planning and Land Title Improvement Act" was formulated. It provides for estate planning services; access to land records, removal of real estate transaction barriers; a land acquisition program for individual landowners; and a probate code to prevent the loss of Indian land through inheritance. Portions of this proposal have been included in the ICLA amendments of 2000. (P.L. 106-462)

Training and Technical Assistance: The ILWG has developed educational videos and manuals in the areas of Estate Planning and Probate; Land Exchange & Consolidation; Leasing of Indian Land; Land Acquisition and Financing; and Land Data. In response to changes in the Indian Land Consolidation Act and the American Indian Probate Reform Act, the Indian Land Working Group (ILWG) has conducted 27 community based trainings over the past 2 years. This includes 15 meetings with tribal councils/tribal employees and landowner associations. In addition the ILWG has responded to well over 300 on-site, and approximately 400 letter/e-mail requests that have been received over the past year alone.

Representatives from the San Xavier Allottee Association (AZ), the Oklahoma Indian Land & Mineral Owners Of Associated Nations – OILMAN (OK), the Allottee Association of the Affiliated Tribes of the Quinault Reservation (WA), the Ft. Hall Landowners Alliance (ID), and the Lakota Landowners Association (SD) are some of the community based entities and locations where trainings have been conducted or individual one-on-one assistance has been given. In addition, trainings were coordinated for Tribal Councils, educational institutions, legal entities, and additional tribal communities on a per request basis.

Formation of ILWG Committees: The ILWG formed a fee-to-trust committee (FTT) in April 2005; an action taken during a fee-to-trust forum conducted by the ILWG in Albuquerque, NM which was attended by over 100 tribal representatives. Currently the Committee is chaired by Deb Louie, Councilperson with the Colville Confederated Tribes with Kim Yearyean serving as staff liaison.

Following the 16th Annual Indian land Consolidation symposium hosted by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians last year, the ILWG formed a Rights of Way (ROW) Committee to  address ongoing concerns related to ROW activities on both Tribal and allotted trust lands. The Committee is currently chaired by Joanna Merrick, Councilperson Nez Perce Tribe, with Karen Woodard, Morongo Band of Mission Indians, serving as Committee liaison.

Additionally the ILWG formed a S.1439 Task Force to address legislative initiatives related to probate reform. This task force has since become the ILWG Probate and Estate Planning (EP & P) Committee currently chaired by Austin Nunez, San Xavier district of the Tohono O’odham with Sally Willett as Committee staff liaison.

The Committees met the morning of November 2nd in Green Bay, WI following the 17th Annual Indian Land Consolidation Symposium to formulate positions and pass resolutions related to their respective issue areas. Additionally the committees will report on the surveys received on the fee to trust backlog, rights of way, and probate issues These surveys were sent out by the ILWG to each Tribal Chairperson in the beginning of October. We encourage all Tribes to fill out this survey and submit it to ILWG.

Some of the issues that the committees will be considering in 2008 are:

- the general backlog impacting fee to trust, rights of way and probate and legislative/regulatory changes which could remedy;

- proposed revisions to 25 CFR Part 151 for the comment period ending
March 3, 2006;

- the draft “Model Tribal Probate Code” regulations released on September 26, 2007;

- federal land transfers being planned by the Department related to Corp of Army Engineer lands;

- the need for foreclosure ordinances to loss of agricultural and home site loans;

- adoption of tribal economic development and land use codes such as those adopted by the Navajo Nation and Hoopa Nation respectively;

Training of Trainers: In August of 2001, the ILWG received funding from the Ford Foundation for support of the "Training of Trainers" project, whereby land specialists from 7 tribal communities will be trained in techniques for managing fractionated allotments. Training in estate planning options; how to access land ownership data; negotiating leases; purchasing fractionated interests; and consolidating fractionated title will be included. Once the training has been completed the land specialists will hold a series of the reservation-based workshops that will be open to all tribes, landowner associations, and intertribal organizations who want training on these topics.

Land Use Education Project: The ILWG has joined with the Tuskegee University (AL) and the Land Tenure Center of the University of Wisconsin to establish a land security program. This effort is funded by the USDA/Fund for Rural America. Under the "Land Use Education Project" the ILWG is developing training materials that focus on turning fractionated allotments of trust land into viable economic units of land. Tools such as cooperatives, family trusts, and lease councils for administering allotments, will be used.

Socio-Cultural Preservation Project: Landowners from The San Xavier District of the Tohono O'odham Nation are being trained on how to document and assess on-going land loss prevention and recovery efforts. This includes learning how to research land title records and conducting oral history interviews. The ILWG is seeking funds for replication of this project at other sites. This project is also a part of the land security program sponsored by the Tuskegee Institute.