Reservation boundary signs divisive Mike Jorgensen, in Take down the signs to again unite our area Letter of the Week, Mille Lacs Messenger, 2-16-22, responds to increasing divisiveness in the Mille Lacs area over tribal reservation boundary claims. Jorgensen challenged Mille Lacs Band statements about being “good neighbors.” Which came after a lawsuit against Mille Lacs [...]
Minnesota's new Free State Park Permits for Indians, signed into law by Gov. Walz in last June, went into effect Jan. 1 of this year. Under the new law any member of the 11 federally recognized tribes in Minnesota is eligible for an annual state park permit for no charge. Apparently, this new law has legs. [...]
PERM members are invited to observe/comment via online video-conference The Mille Lacs Fisheries Advisory Committee will meet from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15. PERM members and interested outdoor enthusiasts are invited to observe/comment via online video-conference. The agenda covers: *** Fall netting results *** Upcoming open water regulations *** Update on the Mille Lacs management plan. [...]
It's not racist to question racist government policy Joe Fellegy nails it in today's Outdoor News, Fellegy selfie Q&A: tribal state park permits and more. He calls out the Governor, DNR, various state leaders, and unnamed tribal politicos over a discriminatory tribal state park permit policy. He explains why the Governor "and his administration cannot be [...]
The most asked questions I get about PERM are: With no major case in court why is PERM still operating? And, what is done with funds raised? Every chance to speak up, challenge, inform, organize citizen response, initiate or sign on to a lawsuit all vary in timing and scope. (And depend on resources available.) Ebb [...]
Looking at new laws going into effect in 2022 one stood out—Free State Park permits for Indians. This law came out of the Legislature’s 2021 Special Session and the SF 20, Environment and Natural Resources omnibus bill. It was signed into law by Gov. Walz on June 29, 2021. SF20 was controversial in part because of [...]
An article by Star Tribune reporter Jim Williams explains how tribes in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan acquired special permission to open up the hunting of Tundra swans. " Tundra swans can be hunted by some American Indian tribes in Minnesota." They are legal game in eight states, but the nearly identical-looking Trumpeter swans are strictly protected [...]
Recent reporting by Tim Spielman pulled the curtain back on the White Earth and Leech Lake Bands' abrupt "teal hunting ban.” Streams of Thought, Tim Spielman, Editor, Outdoor News Minnesota, September 10, 2021. It came just days before the launch of a new experimental teal hunting season. It's a pretty big deal, being the first new [...]
The only detail concerning non-tribal hunters is "none" Javier Serna, Assistant Editor, Outdoor News Minnesota, recently did a great job revealing these details. How is it that Grand Portage and Bois Forte bands of Ojibwe, and the Fond du Lac Band of Chippewa can hunt Moose whenever they want and decide how many they kill when [...]
Regs are out of sync for Mille Lacs walleye population/forage balance Mille Lac’s Steve Johnson recently challenged the DNR’s “very strict regulations on the harvest of walleyes from Mille Lacs Lake.” No walleye for you, Mille Lacs Messenger, July 20, 2021. Johnson, a local businessman, community leader, and member of the Mille Lacs Fishery Advisory Committee [...]