The Washington State Supreme Court Thursday denied a petition for review of a lower court ruling in January, which reaffirms the tribe’s claim of ownership of Lake Quinault.

“Hopefully, this will end the long odyssey through multiple courts to an end,” said Quinault Indian Nation President Fawn Sharp. “There is no question that the tribe owns the lake. We always have. Now court decision after court decision have upheld our ownership.”

The landowners who filed the suits, known collectively as North Quinault Properties, a non-profit established late in 2014, claimed Lake Quinault is a “public trust source” and, according to the State Constitution, is owned by the state. In March of 2016, Thurston County Superior Court granted a motion for summary judgment rejecting the landowners’ argument. The property owners filed a similar case in federal court against the Quinault Nation and State, which was dismissed the year before.

“The Quinault Nation will always take every step necessary to protect its land and its rights and oppose any attempt to diminish or undermine our interests,” said Sharp. “The Quinault Nation has done an excellent job of managing and protecting Lake Quinault. It is sacred to us and although we are willing to share it, we will not tolerate abuse or misuse of it. We will always fight to keep Lake Quinault, and to keep it open as long as it is safe to do so.”