Tribes Reach Agreement with State

It being called an historic event the first of its kind between the State of North Dakota and any tribe North Dakota and the Three Affiliated Tribes signed an agreement today making it easier for boaters to gain access to Lake Sakakawea The tribe is dropping its fees for people who want to use tribal land to access the lake In exchange North Dakota s Game and Fish Department will pay the tribe 25 000 annually Officials say its a win-win situation Marcus Wells Jr Three Affiliated Tribes Chairman There s been many contributions that this state has provided to the tribe on how we can do things better You know we re in the heart of Lake Sakakawea we have the Badlands and the plains too and we have the beautiful Lake and why not work together with the state and find out the best way to get the job done The 25-thousand dollar fee will be used to offset the revenue that would normally come in through the sale of conservation licenses that are currently charged to non-Tribal members using tribal land It will also go toward any future tribal boating development projects