Indian Tribe Threatens To Close Portion Of Appalachian Trail

By John Christoffersen

Associated Press

HARTFORD — Accusing the federal government of trespassing on its land, an American Indian tribe is threatening to close a portion of the Appalachian Trail on the busy Fourth of July weekend.

The decision by the Kent-based Schaghticoke tribe could affect hundreds of hikers and campers who use the trail, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday. Officials said they plan to reroute hikers, creating a much longer walk.

“I’m very concerned about the legal implications as well as the practical interference of the enjoyment of the trail by hikers at a peak period of the summer,’’ Blumenthal said.

The attorney general said there is “substantial question” whether the tribe has the legal right to close the popular trail. The Schaghticokes have been seeking federal recognition.

In a letter dated Monday and obtained by The Associated Press Tuesday, the tribe’s chief, Richard L. Velky, said the portion of the trail which runs through its reservation will be closed from 8 am Saturday, July 1, through 8 pm Tuesday, July 4. He wrote letters to the US Department of the Interior and to Blumenthal.

“The Department of the Interior of the United States Government has known for more than 15 years that it has routed the Appalachian Trail directly through our reservation, trespassing on our land,’’ Chief Velky wrote. “The tribe is not taking this action lightly since we know it will affect numerous hikers, campers, and other citizens who enjoy hiking the Appalachian Trail.’’

The tribe maintains it was forced to close the trail because its efforts to deal with land claims and federal recognition continue to be frustrated.

“Presently,” the letter states, “we are confronted by the US Government, which apparently believes that as long as it delays resolution of our claims, it can trespass on our land with impunity.”

Chief Velky said that he hopes the issue can be quickly resolved. He does not indicate how access to the trail would be blocked.

Chief Velky could not be reached for comment. Messages were left at the tribal office in Monroe Tuesday afternoon.

The move has sent local volunteers scurrying to reroute the path.

“Unfortunately, there aren’t many alternatives to putting hikers on public roads,” said Brian King, a spokesman for the Harper’s Ferry, Va.-based Appalachian Trail Conference, the nonprofit group that manages the trail.

That threatens safety and dampens the experience, especially for the many who plan to hike the trail’s length, Mr King said. The mile of official trail through the reservation would end up being about 7 miles with the detour.

“The hikers... understand it’s a complicated management situation for us local volunteers and they’re pretty understanding of measures that have to be taken,” Mr King said. “After all, they’re sort of living for the day out there.”

The dispute over the trail involves about 50 acres of reservation land that the trail crosses between the New York state border and Kent. The National Park Service is required by law to buy a protective corridor of land around the entire 2,167-mile trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine.

When parks officials took the reservation land by eminent domain, the Schaghticokes filed a federal lawsuit.

The tribe has since filed a second federal lawsuit – this one against the Appalachian Trail Conference – over another parcel of land they say belongs to them but is not part of the reservation.

Both cases, which stem back to the mid-1990s, have been held up in US District Court in Hartford. The judge has said he will not rule until a decision is made on the tribe’s application for federal recognition.