WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of the Interior officials are having a more complicated (not “difficult,” they say) time filling the agency’s first-ever Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee (STAC) than they had originally hoped.

Announcements from Interior pushing back application deadlines until May 16 have indicated that they are still looking for diverse applicants. They are especially looking for female and two-spirit-plus candidates, according to the department.

Inside info: Many of the “usual suspect-type” tribal leader applicants have already been nominated to serve for a first term on the committee, according to sources close to the administration.