By Toni Johnson 

About 1,200 cars streamed through Seneca County Saturday in what was described as a turning point in how local landowners are handling the Cayuga land claim.

 Until Saturday's hourlong procession, landowners in 64,000 acres in Cayuga and Seneca counties sought by the Cayuga Indian Nation have drawn modest support at local protests. Or they have attended similar protests in Madison and Oneida counties, where the Oneida Indian Nation has a land claim, that have drawn thousands of supporters.

 On Saturday, about 2,000 people from Madison and Oneida counties, Grand Island and as far as California and Italy convened at the Shuster Farm on Route 89 in Seneca Falls to support local opposition to the Cayugas' land claim. The farm is included in a settlement proposal.

 U.S. District Judge Neal P. McCurn has ruled the Cayugas have a valid claim to the land, and he is considering damages. He has scheduled a jury trial to begin Sept. 8 if no settlement is reached.

 "In coming here today, you are part of the solution," Leon Koziol, a lawyer representing Oneida landowners, told the rally. "We are here in search of justice, and there is a serious injustice around us."

 Koziol renewed the vigor in the sun-beaten crowd, which earlier quickly adopted Vietnam War-era veteran Richard Ricci's battle cry: "Fight like hell." The crowd applauded when Koziol said, "The landowners have had enough, and we won't take it anymore."

 Koziol said he intends to file with McCurn a petition outlining landowners' concerns.

 State Sen. Michael Nozzolio, R-Fayette, whose home is in a claim area, said he was speaking as a homeowner when he said he shares the concerns of others. He said he was speaking as a local representative when he renewed his promise to oppose a negotiated settlement of the Cayuga Indian land claim if there is no local legislative approval.

 Nozzolio urged people to make their concerns heard to local officials who will be deciding landowners' future.