Press Release: Gov. Evers Releases Statement Regarding Meeting with Lac du Flambeau Tribal Leadership

State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 02/06/2023 05:29 PM CST
Office of Governor Tony Evers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 6, 2023
Contact: GovPress@wisconsin.gov 
 
Gov. Evers Releases Statement Regarding Meeting with Lac du Flambeau Tribal Leadership
 
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today released a statement regarding his meeting with leaders of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The governor met with President John Johnson and the Tribal Council on the Lac du Flambeau Reservation this weekend regarding an ongoing, private dispute over right-of-ways on land that is part of the Lac du Flambeau Reservation. Gov. Evers released the following statement:

“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. 

“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.”

At issue in the private dispute are right-of-way easements that expired more than 10 years ago and are now affecting several local residents’ property access. To date, attempts to negotiate and execute new right-of-way easement agreements over the interceding decade have been unsuccessful, leading to recent road closures on the Lac du Flambeau Reservation. Last Friday, the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa also released additional information regarding the dispute, which is available here.
 
An online version of this release is available here.
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