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This Website is Dedicated to Alvin Alexander Cheyne January 10, 1921 - June 17, 2005 |
Petitions oppose reservation
for tribes
By
TY BEAVER
H&N
Staff Writer
The
Klamath Basin Alliance submitted 1,100 signatures on petitions to county
commissioners Tuesday opposing a proposal to create a reservation for
the Klamath Tribes.
The
move revived the debate over tribal land rights and the preservation of
national forests.
“We
don’t want to poke a stick in and stir things up, but there doesn’t
appear to be a right time to bring this up,” said Steve Rapalyea,
Klamath Basin Alliance spokesman.
Commissioners
said they plan to schedule a public hearing on the issue early next
year.
The
Klamath Tribes lost its 1-million acre reservation, now part of the
The
possibility of re-creating sovereign tribal lands from the national
forest came in late 2003 when tribal officials began working with the
federal government on the issue. Tribal officials say in order for the
Tribes to become self-sufficient, they need to have land on which to
base their economy and society.
The
Klamath Basin Alliance formed as a result of the Tribes’ attempt to
recreate the reservation. The group is opposed to creating a reservation
from national forests, Rapalyea said. The group also opposes sale of any
public lands in the county.
Rapalyea
said while creation of the reservation rests with the federal
government, the Tribes are expected to have public support of the move.
The Klamath Basin Alliance began circulating its petition about a year
ago and more are coming in, he said.
Allen
Foreman, chairman and spokesman for the Tribes, was unavailable for
comment as of press time.
State Sen. Doug Whitsett, a Klamath Falls Republican, also spoke in opposition to the reservation at the meeting. He said he feared a reservation would further segregate tribal and nontribal Basin residents, violate property rights of landowners within the proposed reservation boundary and create tribal dependence on the federal government.
“It’s a losing proposition for the tribes, for non-tribal citizens and the county,” he said.
Reg
LeQuieu, county assessor, also spoke against the reservation and said he
submitted one of the petitions the Klamath Basin Alliance gave him.
********************************************************************************************************
If you
want to sign the petition, go here: BaSWaFF
The
petition is below - print it out, sign it and send it in:
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541-882-6562 Dear
Friends: Within
the last two years, the Klamath Tribes have made public their
desire to have some 730,000 acres of former reservation that they
sold returned to them. First, it was to have the land given
to them. Then, when that met with disfavor, they proposed to
buy the land back. That didn’t sit well with either the
public or some of the Tribal members. The Klamath Basin
Alliance, Inc. has asked the Klamath County Commissioners to adopt
a resolution opposing any land management or any form of land
return to the Klamath Tribes. To date they have not made
that commitment. We encourage you to fill out and sign the
petition below and return it to the above address. Please
feel free to copy this letter and petition and give it to your
friends and neighbors. ________________________________________________________ PETITION TO
KEEP THE WINEMA/FREMONT NATIONAL By
my signature below, I indicate my opposition to the sale of,
management of or the giving of any portion of the Winema/Fremont
National Forest and the Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge to
the Klamath Tribes. I
further demand that these lands remain under public ownership,
control and management. The land must be available for
all Americans to use and enjoy. Additionally,
I demand that the Klamath County Board of Commissioners adopt a
resolution in opposition to the sale of, management of or the
giving of this land to the Klamath Tribes. This resolution shall
be presented to the United States President and Congress. _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ |
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Source:
http://pioneer.olivesoftware.com/Daily/Skins/heraldandnews/navigator.asp?skin=heraldandnews