Judge tosses charge against Fallon Paiute Shoshone man

Friday, November 4, 2011  

A federal judge dismissed a charge against Wesley Dick, a member of the Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe who was cited for gathering cat-tails in the Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada.

Dick was cited for illegally gathering the plants and driving off a designated roadway, Judge Robert A. McQuaid dismissed the first charge in August and the second charge yesterday at a hearing in which Dick represented himself.

Dick based his case on traditional gathering rights but McQuaid ruled that visitors to the refuge aren't given proper notice about the designation roadway.

Get the Story:
Paiute craftsman, cited for collecting cattails, wins federal case (The Reno Gazette-Journal 11/4)