TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) – Though it passed the Tribal Council and was signed by both parties, the issue of the Cherokee Nation’s hunting and fishing compact with the state will not go away.

Principal Chief Bill John Baker and Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin signed the agreement May 29, but opponents have not conceded, and a petition is circulating.

Baker essentially acknowledged the controversy around the compact when he pointed to its advantages during his Aug. 14 inaugural address.

“Our inherent right to freely hunt and fish in the Cherokee Nation had been ignored for far too long,” Baker said. “After many years of tenderly dancing around the issue with the state of Oklahoma, we took the initiative and resolved the question of where Cherokees can fish and hunt.”

Baker said “careful and exhaustive negotiations” with the state reinvigorated the Nation’s treaty rights to hunting and fishing.

“The agreement not only acknowledges our hunting and fishing rights inside our jurisdiction, it expands those rights across the entire state of Oklahoma,” he said. “The Cherokee Nation was made stronger because of this agreement. Other tribes are looking at this agreement, now that they know it is possible, to see what they can do for their people.”

Chuck Hoskin Jr., CN secretary of state, said the compact goes into effect in January 2016.

“For the first time in more than a century, Cherokees will be able to do what their ancestors did – hunt and fish in our territory and beyond,” Hoskin said.

The compact was approved at a special May 28 meeting of the Tribal Council, after legislators passed it 11-6 during Rules Committee earlier in the day.

Tribal Councilors Tina Glory Jordan, Joe Byrd, David Walkingstick, David W. Thornton Sr., Janelle Fullbright, Frankie Hargis, Jodie Fishinghawk, Curtis Snell, Victoria Vazquez, Dick Lay and Janees Taylor voted to approve. Tribal Councilors Don Garvin, Harley Buzzard, Cara Cowan Watts, Lee Keener, Jack Baker and Julia Coates voted in opposition.

The group of protesters outside the Rules Committee meeting was small, but several in the audience offered applause when legislators spoke against the compact.

Opponents most commonly argue the compact is a concession of sovereignty, though they mention other concerns. During the Rules Committee meeting, Coates said there was enough “ambiguity” in the 1828 federal treaty to construe that fishing and hunting rights applied only to the Cherokee Outlet, and that the agreement might be interpreted as “encroaching on the rights and territories of other tribes.”

Those opposed are circulating a petition, held by Cherokee storyteller Gayle Ross. A Facebook message requesting comment from Ross was not answered by press time, and Cowan Watts, who termed off the Tribal Council on Aug. 14, replied via email that she is out of state, visiting an ill relative.

However, both have publicly stated their opposition to the compact. Oklahoma insists that the Nation pay $300,000 a year to issue 150,000 licenses. Ross has said the number of licenses – and the Nation’s payment – is particularly exorbitant, suggesting that Cherokee hunters and anglers only number in the thousands.

The compact was negotiated by the Baker administration in the months before the tribe’s general election, and passed only weeks before the polling. Cowan Watts suggested the compact was rushed through the Tribal Council to minimize consultation with legislators and the public, and maximize its populist impact.

Petitioners want the agreement put to the CN voters. If 1,000 verified signatures are gathered, it could stall the compact until the June 2017 Tribal Council elections, or a referendum is called.

Hoskin said legal mechanisms are available to set aside council statutes, and that the administration supports CN citizens expressing their views – including those contrary to official positions.

“But it is difficult to understand the criticism,” Hoskin said. “The compact was negotiated to open incredible opportunities for the Cherokee Nation and the state of Oklahoma. The state gets access to federal funds. It has the infrastructure to maintain habitats, and the Cherokee Nation can offer guidance, or if the state needs personnel, we can offer Cherokees to serve as game rangers. This is an investment that yields massive returns.”

Though no formal poll has been taken, proponents seem to outnumber opponents. Once enacted, the compact allows CN citizens to hunt and fish anywhere in Oklahoma for free. The Nation picks up the licensing expense.

Supporters say the compact is a validation of sovereignty. At the May meeting, Glory Jordon said the compact avoided litigation, and many Tribal Councilors said they heard from constituents claiming that fishing and hunting supplemented food budgets. Fishinghawk was particularly expressive, saying hunting and fishing were “real world” issues for some Cherokee families, who made difficult financial choices to pay state licensing fees, or just accepted the risk of being caught.

Proponents also claim that regardless of the number of licenses actually issued, the $300,000 is worth eliminating confusion over hunting and fishing access, and the funds go toward Oklahoma’s wildlife conservation efforts. They argue further the Cherokee license revenue qualifies Oklahoma for another $4 million in federal conservation funds.

Under the compact, the CN adopts the “minimum requirements” of federal wildlife management laws, and “official requirements” for hunting and fishing, as established by the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission and the OWC Code. For example, the Nation observes state bag limits and catch-and-release requirements.

The Nation will assume responsibility for issuing “compact licenses,” valid on tribal and state lands, and pays the state $2 for each license. The Nation must issue a minimum of 150,000 licenses a year to Cherokees between ages 16 and 65. All Oklahoma Cherokees within the age bracket receive the license, even if they don’t hunt or fish. They will not be charged, and the licenses include tags for one deer and one turkey.

Hoskins said Cherokees who do not hunt or fish can use the licenses to access wilderness areas, such as the J.T. Nickel Family Nature and Wildlife Preserve, at no cost.

All sides in the compact argument – and the state – anticipate the CN paying $300,000 each year to keep the agreement in force, even if the minimum number of licenses isn’t issued.

Oklahoma must recognize the licenses if recipients are state residents and the Nation meets the revenue requirements.

If any dispute arises, the parties must negotiate in good faith for at least 30 days before withdrawing, which can only be done on Dec. 31 of each year. The compact expires on Dec. 31, 2018.

If there is no delay, the first licenses will be disbursed by mail in December.