Barricade on Lac du Flambeau reservation (Photo: Dave Miess)
RHINELANDER, WI (WSAU-WXPR) – Federal lawmakers are still trying to push federal agencies to resolve the road issues in Lac du Flambeau.
It’s been five weeks since the Lac du Flambeau Tribe put up barriers on four roads. The roads are tribal land, but they’re the only access point for dozens of private homes within the reservation.
Congressman Tom Tiffany and Senator Ron Johnson last week sent letters to the Secretaries of the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Interior. The letter requests assistance in resolving the issue and pushes the Bureau of Indian Affairs to intervene.
Governor Evers visited members of the tribal council last month. Here’s what he had to say about the situation when asked about it during a visit to Rhinelander yesterday. “The only way we’re going to solve this is to have everybody come together. I’m hopeful that will happen. There is Indian land that has not been essentially revealed to the owner of those houses that is still on the roads is their land and the title insurance companies frankly dropped the ball.”
Evers and Senator Tammy Baldwin have also sent a letter to the Secretary of the Interior urging her to get the BIA involved.
The Lac du Flambeau Tribal Government says it’s owed $20 million for the rights-of-way easements and to make up for the trespassing over the 10 years the easements have been expired. The title companies have offered just over one million dollars.
With no further progress made on the issue, more than two dozen landowners that are blocked from their property filed a lawsuit in federal court last week against members of the Tribal Government.
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