Access guarantees sought following land transfer
BY STU MERRY
BHG News
The horse left the barn.
That was the take by the Friends of Lake Sakakawea board Friday when they met with the representatives of state and federal agencies, the Tribe and congressional delegation.
The board reviewed a Memorandum of Agreement that transfers oversight of 30,480 Lake Sakakawea shoreline acres from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The agreement would transfer jurisdiction of some Garrison Reservoir project lands located on the Fort Berthold Reservation, to the Department of the Interior. The land would be kept in trust for the Three Affiliated Tribes.
One of the biggest fears of Friends of Lake Sakakawea board members is that the change in oversight would impact access.
The announcement caught a lot of people off guard, including members of the Friends of Lake Sakakawea.
