Peoria Tribe Gets Federal Money To Help With Wildlife Conservation

Tuesday, May 23rd 2006, 6:24 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Eight federally recognized American Indian tribes will get more than $1.7-million to manage, conserve and protect fish and wildlife resources on tribal lands in Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

The Interior Department's US Fish and Wildlife Service said Monday that the money will be awarded as grants under the Tribal Landowner Incentive Program and the Tribal Wildlife Grant Program.

Under the Tribal Wildlife Grant Program, the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma will get $249,997 to help the Neosho Madtom and Neosho Mucket.

The Neosho Madtom is a scaleless catfish that historically has been found in the Neosho, Cottonwood, Spring and Illinois rivers in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. The species has declined because of habitat destruction by dams, the dredging of gravel and increased water demands.

The mucket is a mussel mostly found in large rivers like the Mississippi and is an endangered species in Oklahoma.