Tribe reopens Clay Pit path with call for dialog

The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) last week removed brush it had placed to block a path opposite Clay Pit Road, that gave access to Lobsterville Beach. The tribe’s action followed a meeting August 9, between a representative of the town’s three-member board of selectmen, Aquinnah town counsel, and the tribal

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Editorial : Town-tribe relations may need to add a kind of Bill of Rights

In December 2004, the state Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruled that the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) is subject to local enforcement of zoning regulations with respect to the construction of a small shed on the so-called Cook Lands.

The dispute centered on the language of the 1983 settlement agreement between

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Tribe Opens Lobsterville Path But Stresses Access Is Temporary

A sandy path to Lobsterville Beach in Aquinnah has been reopened to the public, halting, at least for now, a contentious land-use battle between the town and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).

In a letter to the Aquinnah selectmen dated Aug. 12, tribal council chairman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais confirmed that the

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Lobsterville Beach Pathway Reopened

The access path at the foot of Clay Pit Road to/from the Vineyard Sound beach has been re-opened.   This is a very positive development and is part of an on-going process between the Town and the Tribe.  A PDF of the letter of yesterday’s date from the Chairwoman of the Tribe regarding

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Tribe Hears Town Counsel as Path Closure Prompts Dialogue

A meeting between the town and tribe in Aquinnah has finally taken place, but no agreement has been reached on whether an access path to Lobsterville Beach, blocked off by the tribe last month with a rope barrier and a blockade of branches and brush, will be reopened.

“I met with the

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Beach Path Issue: AGHCA Offers Background Memorandum to Selectmen and Tribal Council

In order to help the Aquinnah Selectmen and the Wampanoag tribal council in their discussions about the Lobsterville beach access issue, AGHCA president Larry Holt sent the following cover letter and memorandum to town hall and to the tribe:

Click links below to view:

Cover Letter

Memorandum re: Beach Path

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Aquinnah selectman to meet with tribal council over beach path

The narrow, sandy path that is the subject of a scheduled meeting Saturday between a representative of the Aquinnah selectmen and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) tribal council leads to Lobsterville Beach and Vineyard Sound.

The final destination of the parties to a dispute that has erupted over the tribe’s

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Tribe Fails to Show for Meeting Over Blocked Lobsterville Path

All seats were filled in the tiny town hall room used by the Aquinnah selectmen Thursday evening for a meeting between the town and Wampanoag tribal council members about the closure of a path to Lobsterville Beach, but one party was noticeably absent: the tribe.

Selectman and board chairman Camille Rose opened

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Peace Accord in Aquinnah-Editorial

A sandy path to the sea is now the scene of a small battleground in Aquinnah between the Wampanoag Tribe and town selectmen. For reasons that remain unclear, the tribe has blocked access to the path which leads to Lobsterville Beach, and the Aquinnah selectmen are up in arms about it.

But

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Tribe Blocks Path to Beach

Six years after the conclusion of a Supreme Court case in which the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) battled with Aquinnah taxpayers and the town over sovereignty rights, a new battleground has potentially sprung up on a sandy path to the sea.

The tribe has blocked off access to the path

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Aquinnah selectmen question tribe decision to close Lobsterville Beach path

The Aquinnah selectmen plan to meet in public session at 8 am this morning with town counsel Ron Rappaport to discuss the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head’s decision to close off a path that had previously provided walking access to Lobsterville Beach.

Aquinnah selectmen question tribe decision to close Lobsterville Beach path