A Bad River Band powwow. Photo by Jim
Landowners from the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians are being offered $6.6 million as part of the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations. The Interior Department sent offers to nearly 3,000 owners of fractional interests on the reservation in Wisconsin. Interested sellers have until December 15 to accept. “The Buy-Back Program is an example of this administration’s commitment to strengthening tribal sovereignty and providing opportunities for tribal communities for generations to come,” Deputy Secretary Michael Connor, the second-in-command at Interior, said in a press release on Wednesday. “I am proud of the work our teams are doing every day to ensure that tribal governments and landowners have the information and resources they need to realize the potential of this unique opportunity.” The $3.4 billion settlement to the Indian trust fund lawsuit set aside $1.9 billion for the buy-back program. Individual Indians are offered "fair market value" for their fractional interests. Participation is entirely voluntarily and any interests that are acquired are transferred to tribal governments. As of September 28, more than 45,000 landowners have been paid more than $898.5 million for their factional interests. The equivalent of more than 1.6 million acres has been transferred to tribes as a result. Offers started going out in late 2013 and 44 percent have been accepted nationwide, according to Interior. If the sales continue at the current rate, the $1.9 billion land consolidation fund will run out before the 10-year deadline anticipated by the settlement. The Obama administration has been studying ways to continue the effort.
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