Land transfer to Leech Lake band nears in Minnesota’s Chippewa National Forest

Deer River, Minn. — The Chippewa National Forest is providing a public comment opportunity regarding the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Restoration Act’s Land Transfer Project. The act will transfer about 11,760 acres of public land currently managed by the Chippewa National Forest to the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs to be held in trust for the benefit of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.

The act was signed Dec. 23, 2020, and will include only land within Cass County. Michael Stansberry, forest supervisor for the Chippewa National Forest, said the Leech Lake band has gone through all three branches of government to complete the transfer of land parcels and hopes to see economic growth from the transaction.

Stansberry added that of the original 11,760 acres of land, some is underwater or has access or easement issues, so the U.S. Forest Service and Leech Lake band are working together to determine what acreage is best to transfer within the Chippewa forest.

“Those acres that were taken in the 1940s and ’50s, don’t make a lot of sense anymore,” Stansberry said. “It’s really a checkerboard pattern. … You talk about access issues and easements and, honestly, different ways we’re using the forest now – that’s where it gets complicated.”

The parcel’s history started in 1855 when the first Leech Lake Reservation boundary was established, according to the CNF website. Between 1855 and 1874, the band received land to create part of the present-day reservation.

By the 1920s, the band had lost about 650,000 acres via different federal policies and laws such as the allotment era. In 1887, with the passing of the Dawes Act, reservation lands were broken into smaller pieces of land that were allotted to individual tribal members. The reservation lands that weren’t allotted were sold out of tribal ownership, which decreased acreage for the Leech Lake band, according to the CNF website.

Between 1948 and 1959, the Interior Department secretary authorized land transfers from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to the Department of Agriculture in a process known as “secretarial transfers.” About 16,000 acres of land was transferred and the land sales were found to be illegal because there wasn’t consent from the owners of the land, according to the Forest Service.

Via the 2020 Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Restoration Act, 11,760 acres will be returned to the band. Stansberry said the act says the land can be used for housing and economic development, but not to build a casino.

He also added that the 11,760 acres will not affect hunting areas or accesses to lakes within the CNF. The U.S. Forest Service, Minnesota DNR, and Leech Lake band are working together to make sure land is returned to the band, but also with the mindset of not affecting easements and the areas that hunters and anglers appreciate.

“None of these (land transfer parcels) affect our hunter walking trails that we developed with the Ruffed Grouse Society, and we are working with the DNR on fishing access to make sure there’s an understanding that access to lakes isn’t affected or that the band knows that this may be an access to a lake,” Stansberry said. “The band is just as interested in making sure there’s access as much as the U.S. Forest Service is. As far as hunting opportunities, fishing opportunities, outdoor recreation opportunities, I don’t see a big change.”

The Chippewa National Forest encompasses 660,000 acres, so, Stansberry said, the 11,760 acres is a small fraction.

Eli Mansfield, chair of the Minnesota Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, said BHA supports retaining and expanding access for fishing, hunting, and recreational access. If anything restricts that access, the group opposes such land transfers, he said.

Mansfield added that the chapter has noticed a continued “11th-hour” style of public comment and communication when public land access is affected, but the chapter will continue to press for strong communication and transparency from all levels of government.

“We are respectful of tribal history, culture, and tradition, and would support land transfer actions that put the lands under tribal management, as long as it doesn’t restrict hunters, anglers, and outdoor recreators from enjoying those national forests, state lands, fisheries, and other public lands,” Mansfield said. “We would seek to take part in conversations with our tribes, agencies, and other stakeholders that would keep opportunities available for everyone.”

The public comment period runs now until Sept. 15, and people may submit comments two ways: electronically via email in a common file format to comments-eastern-chippewa@usda.gov with the subject line “LLBO Land Transfer Project.” Include your name, address, telephone number, and the title of the project with your comments.

They also may mail their comments to the Chippewa NF Supervisor’s Office: Attn: Christopher Worthington, Forest Environmental Coordinator, 202 Ash Avenue NW, Cass Lake, MN, 56633.

Once the public engagement period ends, the Forest Service and Leech Lake band will determine what land parcels will be included in the transfer. Those final maps and parcels will be sent to the U.S. Congress.

Stansberry said the transfer will take a couple of years to be finalized, but during that time of approval the Bureau of Indian Affairs will be in control of the 11,760 acres.

The Leech Lake band was contacted for comments, but did not respond to Outdoor News requests.