Dane County Executive Agard Honors Indigenous Peoples’ Day

October 12, 2026
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County Executive

County Executive highlights historic partnership to return ancestral land to the Ho-Chunk Nation

 DANE COUNTY – Dane County Executive Melissa Agard today recognized Indigenous Peoples’ Day, honoring the history, cultures, contributions, and enduring presence of Indigenous peoples in Dane County and across Wisconsin.

 

“Indigenous Peoples’ Day is an opportunity to honor the people who have called this land home since long before Dane County existed and to recognize that the Ho-Chunk Nation remains an essential part of our community today,” said County Executive Agard. “It is also a reminder that honoring that history must be reflected in our actions and in the relationships we build for the future.”

 

Dane County sits on the ancestral and contemporary lands of the Ho-Chunk Nation, whose connection to this region stretches back thousands of years.

 

This year, Dane County took a historic step to honor that connection through the purchase and protection of approximately 165 acres of ancestral Ho-Chunk land in the Lower Mud Lake Natural Resource Area in the Town of Dunn. The Herro property, located along the Yahara River and Lower Mud Lake, contains wetlands, woodlands, shoreline, and significant archaeological and cultural sites connected to generations of Ho-Chunk people.

 

Dane County approved $6.41 million from the Conservation Fund to acquire the property. In partnership with the Ho-Chunk Nation and Groundswell Conservancy, the land will be permanently protected through a conservation easement and donated to the Ho-Chunk Nation, returning stewardship of this culturally significant landscape to its original caretakers.

 

“Returning this land to the Ho-Chunk Nation is one meaningful way we can move beyond acknowledgment and put our values into action,” Agard said. “This land holds generations of history and cultural significance. I am proud that Dane County can help protect it while returning its stewardship to the Ho-Chunk people, whose ancestors called this place home.”

 

“This Indigenous Peoples’ Day, I am grateful for our growing partnership with the Ho-Chunk Nation and for the Indigenous leaders, families, and communities who continue to enrich Dane County,” Agard said. “May this day be an opportunity to continue building relationships rooted in respect, understanding, and partnership.”

 

Dane County formally recognized Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2019, replacing Columbus Day in recognition of the history, culture, and contributions of Indigenous peoples.