Bill would transfer vast tract of Minnesota-owned woodlands back to White Earth tribe

Mar 05, 20240

Glen Stubbe, Star Tribune count

State Sen. Mary Kunesh, DFL-New Brighton and a Standing Rock Lakota descendant, is one of two sponsors of a bill that would transfer ownership of most of White Earth State Forest to the White Earth Band of Ojibwe.

A Minnesota state forest that spans three northwestern counties would be transferred to the White Earth Band of Ojibwe under a bill introduced by two Twin Cities lawmakers.

State Sen. Mary Kunesh, DFL-New Brighton, and Rep. Aisha Gomez, DFL-Minneapolis, put forward a bill that would give state-owned portions of the 160,000-acre White Earth State Forest to the tribe by 2029. The proposal would also give White Earth Band the right of first refusal to buy any tax-forfeited land in the forest.

"This is an acknowledgment of White Earth Nation's sovereignty and their inherent right to manage their lands as best they see fit," said Kunesh, a Standing Rock Lakota descendant.

https://www.startribune.com/bill-would-transfer-vast-tract-of-minnesota-owned-woodlands-back-to-white-earth-tribe/600348214/