Walz signs legislation allowing return of 3,400 acres to Fond du Lac Band
Minnesota legislation clears the way for the University of Minnesota to transfer reservation land back to the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed legislation Wednesday allowing the return of about 3,400 acres of land within the Fond du Lac Reservation to the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, MPR News reports. The land, located at the Cloquet Forestry Center, has been held by the University of Minnesota for more than a century. The legislation transfers several state-owned parcels to the University of Minnesota Board of Regents and appropriates $1.3 million to release outstanding bonds tied to the property, removing the final legal hurdle for the transfer.
Fond du Lac Band Chair Bruce Savage said community members were “delighted” by the decision, while University of Minnesota President Rebecca Cunningham called the transfer “the right thing to do.” Under agreements still being negotiated, the university will lease back the land and continue operating the Cloquet Forestry Center for an initial 30-year term. The return stems from recommendations included in the University of Minnesota’s 2023 TRUTH Report.
- 1.Melissa Olson. MPR News, .
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