The Iron County Board decides tonight if it will evict the Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) Harvest Camp from its site in the Penokee Hills.
The small county of 5,900 people on Lake Superior’s shores has a lot at stake: It could either face a costly court battle in trying to evict a traditional harvest camp that one of its committees approved in May, or risk the state stepping in and pulling its certification to sell timber. Both moves could break Iron County’s bank.
Last week, the Iron County Forestry Committee, which initially approved the camp, voted to have the sheriff or district attorney press civil and criminal charges against the LCO camp for not having a permit.
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But a week before that vote, LCO’s Chairman Mic Isham sent the Iron County Board a two-page letter asking for a meeting. The band also says that although rhetoric on social media by Iron County Forestry employees has been disrespectful, they’d like to “remove any misunderstandings between the County and the Tribe to maintain the spirit of cooperation.”
Forestry Committee and board member Jim Lambert says he hasn’t been given the letter, but thinks that may be reason enough to table the move to evict the camp.
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