CHEYENNE - Leaders of the Northern Arapaho Tribe are in Washington, D.C., this week to meet with federal leaders regarding the recent deaths of three teenage girls on the Wind River Indian Reservation.

Northern Arapaho Business Council Chairman Anthony Addison Sr., council co-chairman Harvey Spoonhunter and Ryan Wilson, director of the Northern Arapaho Council of Elders, plan a press conference today at the National Press Club in Washington.

According to a statement from the tribe, the officials plan to call on Congress and federal agencies to pay more attention to the needs of American Indian children.

Federal investigators have said they're waiting for autopsy results to determine what killed the three Northern Arapaho girls found dead June 4 at the Beaver Creek tribal housing area south of Riverton. The tribe has identified the three as Elyxis Gardener, 13, Alex Whiteplume, 14, and Winter Rose Thomas, 15.

The Northern Arapaho held a community meeting in Ethete on June 17 to discuss the girls' deaths. Despite the lack of final autopsy results, the discussion at last week's meeting focused on the need to reduce alcohol and drug use among reservation youth.

Jonathan Barela, spokesman for the Northern Arapaho Tribe, said the tribe still hadn't received any word from investigators as of Tuesday on what killed the three girls. He said he had spoken with Fremont County Coroner Ed McAuslan, who told him that autopsy results were still pending.

Calls to McAuslan and an FBI spokeswoman in Denver on Tuesday were not immediately returned.

The Northern Arapaho Tribe shares the 3,400-square-mile reservation in west-central Wyoming with the Eastern Shoshone Tribe. The Arapaho tribe has more than 8,700 members on and off the reservation.

Wilson said Tuesday that he and the other Northern Arapaho leaders intend to try to reach a national audience to emphasize that the needs of American Indian children aren't being met.

"Our children are kind of the miner's canary," he said. "And when we see those events happening, it's really up to us to acknowledge it, and not conceal from ourselves and others the full circumstances."

Wilson said that the Northern Arapaho are going to Washington "with great hope that we could coordinate services better than the various agencies are investing in our reservation, and to procure more opportunities for our young people."

Wilson said that the Northern Arapaho formed a task force to address issues facing children on the reservation after last week's community meeting. He said more than 100 people have joined it and are working to try to achieve a higher level of cooperation among government agencies that provide services to the reservation.

The Northern Arapaho plan to meet with members of Wyoming's congressional delegation this week to discuss the tribe's request for projects to help youth on the reservation, he said.

"I can't go into detail on it, but they'll be focused on what our unmet needs are," Wilson said. "And one of those that has emerged is the need for a wellness center and recreational center that's a safe and positive place for them to go and do their homework, and engage in recreational activities, cultural activities."

In addition, Wilson said law enforcement on the reservation needs improvement.

"We don't expect miracles from this trip," he said. "It's the beginning of a long and arduous process of addressing these needs. It's not going to happen overnight, but it's a very important step in what will be a very long and arduous journey."

* Last we knew: Three teenage girls died on the Wind River Indian Reservation.

* The latest: Northern Arapaho leaders have gone to Washington, D.C., to bring attention to the needs of Indian children.

* What's next: The leaders plan a press conference today at the National Press Club in Washington.]]->