The Vineyard’s Wampanoag tribe is preparing to mount a legal challenge to the Cape Wind project.

In a press release on Monday, the tribe announced it had retained counsel and gave as its reason the fact that the federal Interior Department had declined the tribe’s latest request for a meeting.

Interior Secretary Kenneth Salazar already has held several meetings, on the Vineyard, the Cape and in Washington, with tribal spokesmen who oppose the plan to build a wind farm on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound.

Two weeks ago, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, in its report to Mr. Salazar, recommended against approval of the 130-turbine development. Tribal leaders believe Mr. Salazar intends to ignore that recommendation.

He is due to make a final decision before the end of the month.

The tribe said it was “dismayed” that there would be no further meeting.

“Because our government-to-government meeting request . . . will not be honored we can only reasonably conclude that the Secretary may move ahead with approval of the project,” the tribe’s press release said.

“We are thoroughly disheartened and disappointed with any approval that will cause such a devastating and irreversible effect on this sacred site,” it also said.

The Wampanoag tribes on the Cape and Vineyard oppose the wind farm on the basis that it would interfere with cultural practices related to greeting the rising sun, and also could damage potential archeological sites on Horsehoe Shoal.

The tribe has retained attorney Samantha Greendeer, of Whyte, Hirschboeck, Dudek, of Madison, Wisc., who has experience in preserving tribal sacred sites under the law.

A complete story about the tribe’s latest action related to Cape Wind will appear in the Friday Gazette.