CASS LAKE — Members of the public are encouraged to submit comments on the proposed parcel exchange between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.
The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation Restoration Act, passed by the 116th Congress in 2020, restores 11,760 acres of illegally transferred lands out of the Chippewa National Forest and back to the band.
Comments will be accepted through Friday, Sept. 15. The Forest Service will also mail land transfer information to adjacent landowners, stakeholders and others with land use rights granted by the Forest Service.
After the public engagement period, Forest Service officials, in consultation with the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, will take comments into consideration in the final determinations about which parcels will be included in the land transfer.
Background
Between 1948 and 1959 and over the course of four secretaries, the U.S. Secretary of Interior authorized the transfer of 26,000 acres of allotted lands within the Leech Lake reservation, without the consent of the tribal landowners.
Allotted lands refer to the allotment era beginning in the late 1880s, when tribes across the country lost 90 million acres of land after the passage of the Nelson and Dawes acts.
The first Leech Lake Reservation boundary was established by treaty in 1855, with more treaties signed in 1863, 1864 and 1867, forming part of the present-day Leech Lake Reservation. Additional lands were granted by three of President Ulysses S. Grant’s executive orders between 1873 and 1874.
Reservations were initially held communally by all tribal members before the allotment acts. These allotted smaller tracts of land to individual tribal members, with lands not allotted sold out of tribal ownership.
By the mid-1920s, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe had lost over 650,000 acres of reservation land due to allotment era policies.
Restoration Act
The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation Restoration Act transfers proposed parcels within the boundary of the Leech Lake Reservation and within Cass County.
These lands will be held in trust by the secretary of the interior, ultimately to be used for residential or economic development purposes in benefit of the Leech Lake Band.
“It’s been a pleasure and an honor to work with the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe as we implement the Reservation Restoration Act to transfer back 11,760 acres to this sovereign nation. We understand the importance the land holds to the Band and will continue to work with the Band as we move through this process,” stated Chippewa Forest Supervisor Michael Stansberry in a news release.
Leech Lake Chairman Faron Jackson Sr. expressed gratitude for the collaboration of Forest Service and tribal staff to move the land transfer toward completion.
“It is with great joy and hope for the future in our hearts that we celebrate the latest step forward in restoring a portion of the illegally transferred lands back to the Leech Lake Ojibwe,” Jackson stated. “ … This is one of the most monumental and positive developments to take place on Leech Lake since the first treaties were signed and the reservation was established in 1855.”