UPDATE at 2:06p.m. 01/14/2025 : Representatives from the Lac du Flambeau Chippewa tribe reservation have reached out to WTMJ News Radio saying they have misspoken on a timeline of when or if road barricades would be installed on tribal lands surrounding the the town of Lac du Flambeau.
Tribe public relations director Araia Breedlove sent WTMJ the following message: “At this time there has been no confirmed form of action regarding that, and when speaking with you I spoke about that enactment as fact, and that is a failure on my part.”
A new corrected version of this story has been edited to ensure accuracy.
LAC DU FLAMBEAU, Wisc.—- Tensions between the Lac du Flambeau Chippewa tribe reservation and the town of Lac du Flambeau have increased over the past few months.
The tribe is now threatening to possibly install barricades on tribal roads that town residents use, but nothing has been set in stone at this time.
A barricade was installed back in 2020, but has since lifted.
The reasoning for the tribe threatening barricades goes towards town officials not providing monthly payments for easements on the roads that were built on tribal land.
This contention eventually led to a federal district judge to issue a temporary injunction in September of last year.
“The reservation back in the 1960s allowed easements,” said Lac du Flambeau Public Relations Director Araia Breedlove. “And titles insurance companies allowed, easements for this, right of way, on these different roads. These rights expired in 2011 and 2014. So for 10-11 years illegally, these homeowners have been traveling on unpaid restricted access road and for several years. We’ve been trying to negotiate with the town of Lac du Flambeau to figure out a way to get compensation for these tribal roads.”
In February of 2024, the tribe stated that the town and its residents would not be eligible for permits to drive on tribal roads until it compensated the tribe for past
trespass damages—calculated at $9.65 million—for historical, unauthorized use.
These roads include Annie Sun Lane, Center Sugarbush Lane, East Ross Allen Lake Lane, Elsie Lake Lane (the “Four Roads”), and Big Thunder Lane.
In the tribe’s explanation, the town responded that the payments asked for were financially unsustainable.
WTMJ reached out to town of Lac du Flambeau leaders, but have not heard anything back at the time of this publication.
Currently, temporary access permits to drive on tribal roads costs an annual fee of 1.5% of the state-assessed fair market value of the homes situated along these
roads.
According to Breedlove, the barricades would be installed as a final option, but says nothing has led up to something as serious as that at this time.
“In terms of the barricades being enacted between certain times, this was just one of the many ideas we were contemplating in regards to restrictions,” said Breedlove.
Breedlove says that the tribe is open to starting conversations at anytime and is open to other options to find some sort of settlement if the town is unable to pay for the easements of the roads.
“We’re hoping that the payment plan continues on,” said Breedlove. “Or we can come to a different negotiation such as whether we get more of our land back or discuss different water rights, there are a lot of options that we can bring to the table.”
