Hogansburg, NY, Nov 27, 2012 — The U.S. Attorney General's office is defending the St. Regis Mohawks' land claim in its entirety. That's after a judge recommended throwing out most of it last fall.

In a brief filed earlier in November, Assistant Attorney General Ignacia Moreno made two important points about the decades old Mohawk claim to 12,000 acres in St. Lawrence and Franklin counties.  Go to full article

Oct 04, 2012 — Native tribes' claims to ancestral lands in New York haven't fared so well recently. In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court essentially dismissed the Oneida Nation's land claim, saying too much time had passed since the 18th century treaties the claims are based on. Other courts have followed that ruling with other tribes' land claims.

So this week, when a judge recommended throwing out 85% of the Mohawk land claim in St. Lawrence and Franklin counties, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe focused on the 15% that has a chance to survive. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Raquette Lake, NY, Jun 01, 2012 — This weekend in the Hamilton County community of Raquette Lake, landowners will gather to hear a proposal that could change New York state's constitution.

For generations, their community has been in conflict with the state over land claims affecting more than 200 parcels. Locals and seasonal residents say the property is privately owned.

But state officials, and some environmental groups, have argued that much of the land is actually part of the state forest preserve and should be kept "forever wild."

As Brian Mann reports, this is the latest effort to sort out one of the Adirondack Park's oldest and thorniest disputes.  Go to full article

Aug 18, 2008 — Three years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the Oneida Nation's claim to land in the central New York town of Sherill. It was considered a blow to native efforts to reclaim territory lost in the 1700s, including land claimed by the Akwesasne Mohawks in St. Lawrence and Franklin counties. The ruling was especially troubling for the Oneidas, because the land in question includes their lucrative Turning Stone casino and resort. The Oneidas are now taking a different tack. They're asking the federal government to put 13,000 acres into the native trust. That would make it sovereign territory, and part of the Oneida reservation. The town of Oneida, some citizen groups, and the State of New York are trying to block the trust in federal court. David Chanatry reports. This story was first produced for the NPR program Day to Day.  Go to full article

Jun 28, 2006 — The St. Lawrence County legislature voted unanimously Monday to withdraw its support from the Mohawk land claim. It's the latest blow to the Akwesasne Mohawks' drive for compensation for lands New York took illegally in the 1700s. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

May 17, 2006 — State officials are celebrating the US Supreme Court's refusal to review a Cayuga land claim appeal. US Senator Chuck Shumer called it a "major victory" for local taxpayers, and Governor Pataki issued a statement praising the decision to - quote - "definitively end the tribal land claims that have threatened our state's homeowners and businesses."
But what implication the ruling has for the Akwesasne Mohawk land claim in St Lawrence and Franklin counties isn't clear. And both sides are urging a go slow approach. Gregory Warner reports.  Go to full article

Jan 31, 2006 — The deal to settle the 23-year-old Mohawk land claim has hit another stumbling block. Last week, the town of Brasher voted to withdraw from the settlement. That's a problem because almost a quarter of land offered the Mohawks is in Brasher. The St. Lawrence and Franklin County legislatures plan to meet in joint session to discuss the land claim next week. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Jun 30, 2005 — The ruling on the Cayuga land claim could also endanger the Akwesasne Mohawks claim to 22,000 acres of land in St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties. That case was almost settled. The Mohawks stood to get $100 million, the right to double the size of its reservation near Massena, and the first chance to build a casino in the Catskills. The state Assembly, both county legislatures, and three Mohawk tribal councils have all signed off on the deal. Governor Pataki was prepared to sign it into law when the State Senate failed to act last week. Jim Ransom, chief of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, says he's disappointed with the latest turn of events. To learn more about the federal court's ruling on the Cayuga land claim, David Sommerstein spoke with Robert Odawi Porter. He's a law professor at Syracuse University and directs the Center for Indigenous Law, Governance, and Citizenship. Porter says the Cayuga decision is derived from the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling regarding the Oneida Nation. That one said the Oneidas are not immune from taxation on land it had bought in central New York.  Go to full article

Jun 10, 2005 — Governor George Pataki is re-introducing a bill in the state legislature that would settle the Akwesasne Mohawks' 23-year-old land claim in St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Mar 23, 2005 — The Franklin County legislature yesterday threw its support behind Governor Pataki's settlement to the 23-year old Mohawk land claim. St. Lawrence County is expected to do the same tonight. It's an about face for both counties, who had opposed the deal when it was announced last month. As David Sommerstein reports, the state more than quadrupled its compensation package to local communities.  Go to full article