The Utica Observer Dispatch reports that environmental regulations were not followed when the Oneida Indian Nation built the Atunyote Golf Course and other projects. The Dispatch review of records related to the Oneida Nation's projects revealed in the Final Environmental Impact Statement, the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs cited the Nation's admission that its construction impacted 33 acres of federally protected wetlands. When state Department of Environmental Conservation maps were superimposed over Google Earth images of the Nation's properties, construction on state wetlands was confirmed.Photo: William P. Cannon. September 2007, during the Turning Stone Resort Championship at the Atunyote Golf Club

The review highlighted the ambiguities of law regulating activity on Indian lands. Local officials want a clearer enforcement of environmental regulations and citizen groups such as the Citizens Equal Rights Alliance are also seeking greater accountability in federal Indian policy, particularly as the U.S. Department of the Interior considers whether to place as much as 13,000 acres of Oneida Nation land into federal trust.