Legislative proposal would transfer a Minnesota state forest to the White Earth Nation

State Sen. Mary Kunesh, DFL-New Brighton and Rep. Aisha Gomez, DFL-Minneapolis are sponsoring legislation to transfer state-owned land from the 160,000-acre White Earth State Forest to the White Earth Nation by the end of the decade.

The proposed legislation would also give the White Earth Nation the right of first refusal on the sale of any tax-forfeited land that comes up for sale within the forest.

Kunesh says the intent of the bill is to honor the sovereignty of the White Earth Nation. Most of the White Earth State Forest is located within the White Earth reservation.