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Lac du Flambeau Tribe wants “good faith offer” before removing barriers on roads

The Lac du Flambeau Tribal Government's response to the Town of Lac du Flambeau request to remove the barriers for 60 days while the groups involved work towards a resolution.
Lac du Flambeau Tribe
The Lac du Flambeau Tribal Government's response to the Town of Lac du Flambeau request to remove the barriers for 60 days while the groups involved work towards a resolution.

The Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa says it has no intention of removing the barriers it put up on four roads until a good faith offer is made.

Those barriers are currently blocking access to dozens of homes of non-tribal members who own homes within the reservation boundaries.

As WXPR previously reported, the Tribe put up barriers on four roads last week.

It was in response to failed negotiations between the Tribe, two title companies, the Town of Lac du Flambeau and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

At the center of the issue are expired right-of-way agreements.

At an emergency meeting last week, the town board voted to reach out to the Tribe with an offer to sit and down find a resolution.

It asked the Tribe to lift the barriers on the roads for 60 days while they come to an agreement.

The Lac du Flambeau Tribal Government responded to that request Monday saying, “First and foremost, we have no intention of removing the barriers that we installed on our land until the town, title companies, and right-of-way applicants make a good faith offer to the tribe for compensation for over 10 years of trespass and valid rights-of-way over the tribal lands these roads traverse.”

You can read the full statement here.

The Tribe says the town has been aware of these issues since 2011 and has not taken the proper steps to resolve it.

The town board posted on its website that it will be holding another meeting to discuss this response. As of 3:30 p.m. Monday no day or time for the meeting had been set.

Governor Tony Evers visited Lac du Flambeau over the weekend. According to the tribe, he met with the Lac du Flambeau Tribal Council, Tribal Land Management Director, Tribal Administrator, and the Tribe’s legal counsel.

The Tribe says the purpose of the meeting was to listen to tribal leaders as they shared the historical facts behind the events leading to the road closures.

“I want to thank President Johnson, the Tribal Council members, and other officials from the Lac du Flambeau Tribe for a good and productive meeting over the weekend. I appreciate the Tribe’s commitment to ensuring affected residents have the information they need and can continue accessing critical services and assistance," said Governor Evers in a statement. “As this is an ongoing private dispute, my priority as governor is encouraging everyone in the area to engage amicably and peacefully with each other while working to bring all parties to the table to resolve this issue quickly. I remain hopeful that with everyone at the table, the parties will be able to reach meaningful resolution.”

You can read information the tribe released regarding history of the situation here.

Katie Thoresen is WXPR's News Director/Vice President.
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