Prior to a meeting with property owners this month, an attorney for the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa offered the tribe's perspective to clarify their position on easements over Tribal trust land. They also are starting the process of reaching a mutally acceptable solution to renewing property owner's rights of way to land owned within the reservation.

The tribal council is meeting with what is termed fee-simple property owners who are mostly non-tribal members. Letters have been mailed to property owners needing easements over trust land, specifically East Ross Allen Lake Lane, Annie Sunn Lane, Elsie Lake Lane, Center Sugarbush Lane.

Tribal attorney Andrew Adams said the tribe wants to alleviate fears about people losing access to their land...

"....the tribe has no desire or interest to deny access of a property owner to their property..."

He says the process is slowed because when the easement is granted locally, it can take a long time for that agreement to get final Bureau of Indian Affairs approval. Adams estimates along the four roads about 60 people are affected by the easement question and the tribe has sent letters to meet with those property owners.

The Lac du Flambeau reservation is about 86,000 acres of which about 4 percent are fee-simple lands.