Leech Lake Reservation Restoration Amendments Act of 2025

This bill would transfer certain federal land in the Chippewa National Forest (Cass County, Minnesota) to the Interior Department for the benefit of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. The land to be transferred is land that Bureau of Indian Affairs records show was sold without the unanimous consent of the rightful landowners. Transfers can happen over time as parcels are identified and surveyed, with acre‑for‑acre swaps inside the county to avoid creating isolated patches and to prioritize land near existing Leech Lake trust lands and places important to the tribe . The Forest Service must involve the public, and the bill says it does not plan to immediately change how the land is used . Hunting, fishing, and recreation rights for non‑tribal members remain unchanged.

Key points

• Who is affected: Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe; local residents and visitors to the Chippewa National Forest; federal agencies managing the land.
• What changes: Certain disputed parcels move to Interior for the tribe’s benefit; USDA and the tribe can agree to acre‑for‑acre substitutions to keep the forest whole; public input is required; non‑tribal hunting, fishing, and recreation rights stay the same .
• When: After it becomes law, transfers may occur on a rolling basis as land is identified and surveyed .