Land Management
The Catawba Nation continues to strengthen its sovereignty and build capacity through managing the Nation’s lands and issuing Land Use Permits within its Trust and Fee Simple land boundaries.The Division operates two programs; Realty and Department of Transportation
Realty
This Realty department supports the Nation’s goal of serving the tribal communities by fulfilling the responsibilities of ensuring that trust and fee owned lands are protected, managed, inventoried, developed, and utilized, in environmentally friendly and efficient manner.
- The program processes transactions that include acquisition and disposal; lease compliance; leasing and permitting for both surface and sub-surface; unresolved rights; right-of-way; land assignments; agricultural/grazing agreements; and land use permits.
- Fee-to-Trust cases which involve fee simple lands purchased for the purpose of taking into Reservation Status.
- Acquisitions and transfer from federal agencies and/or the private sector
- Surface assignments and leases for agriculture, residential, and business purposes
- Subsurface leases for oil and gas, coal, copper, uranium amongst other hard rock minerals
- Rights-of-way for roads, water, sewer, fiber optics, cable, telephone, electricity, natural gas, other energy related activity.
- Investigation of trespass related to taking of timber, encroachment on trust land, encroachment on lands assigned to others including individuals and businesses, and other unauthorized uses.
Lease Compliance
Department staff ensures that lease activities on trust and non-trust Catawba lands and their assignees are in compliance with the terms of properly executed leases.
These activities may result in the recovery of funds through the collection of late payment penalties and interest, damages or bond forfeitures. Compliance actions include physical inspections of lease file and site visits, lease cancellations for non-timely payment, non-rentals, non-compliance with terms of lease, and prevention of future lease violations. Many of the violations identified require extensive field site visits, which can be in remote densely forested locations that demand in depth review and expertise. The program goal is to protect and enhance the leasehold estate.
Rights Protection
This program element supports the Nation's goal of serving the tribal community by fulfilling trust responsibilities. A portion of this program element (Water Rights Negotiation/Litigation Program) is administered within the Branch of Water Resources at the BIA Eastern Region Office level. Under the Tribal Rights Program, Nation staff provides advice and offers technical assistance to elected officials, Nation citizens and other Nation staff in various Nation rights issues. Department staff consult and cooperate with other agencies involved in negotiating or litigating the Nation's water rights; establishing and/or protecting Nation treaty hunting, fishing and gathering rights; addressing issues concerning trespass on trust lands; protecting the Nation’s cultural resources; natural resource damage claims; and addressing other unresolved land management issues. The department staff may request assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs in preparing applications for funding from the Bureau’s Attorney Fees and Litigation Support programs.
Land Use Ordinance
The Realty department works closely with the Planning Board to ensure land assignees and leases are in compliance with the Land Use Ordinance that was passed by the Nation in the General Election on July 23, 2011. Please visit the Planning Board page in About Us for more information about the Land Use Ordinance.
Contact Information
Denise Williams, Director
Phone: (803) 366-4792, ext. 272
denise.williams@catawba.com
Shana George-Perry, Coordinator
Phone: (803) 366-4792, ext. 266
shana.george@catawba.com
Department of Trasportation
Catawba Indian Nation Department of Transportation (CINDOT)
Planning
The Transportation Planner is responsible for deciding the transportation needs for the Nation including the 20-year Long Range Transportation Plan, Road Inventory, and the yearly Transportation Improvement Plan. The department holds public meetings to seek input on upcoming projects.
Upcoming projects include the following:- 20 year Long Range Transportation Plan update
- Annual Transportation Improvement Program
- Recreational Trail Plan in partnership with the National Park Service
The Catawba Nation 2023 Long Range Transportation Plan can be accessed here.
If you have any questions utilize the contact below.Coordinator, Shana George-Perry (803) 366-4792 ext. 266.
Construction
The Land Management & Services Division includes the Catawba Indian Nation Department of Transportation (CINDOT). CINDOT staff are the designated Tribal Representatives involved in all aspects of roadway construction including preliminary engineering, pre-construction, construction, construction engineering, and project closeout
Current projects include:
- Rivercrest Road Phase III
- Avenue of the Nations bike/pedestrian paved trail expansion
- Indian Tr. Safety Project
Director, Denise Williams (803) 366-4792 ext. 272.
Maitenance
It is important to maintain the existing road infrastructure. Road Technicians are in responsible for the following activities: mowing right of ways, trash removal, removing line site issues, patching potholes, filling low shoulders, lowering high shoulders, driveway apron culvert repair or replacement, right of way drainage issues, our trails and more. If you would like to report a road maintenance issue utilize the contact number below.
Contact Information
Road Maintenance Supervisor, Conar Webster (803) 366-4792 ext. 300.Emergency contact (coming soon) An emergency would include a vehicle accident, tree or limbs on the roadway, and flooding