Stan Visser, a long-time PERM member, and Board member passed away on February 8. His death came after a lengthy hospitalization.

Stay was involved with PERM from its earliest days. He later served on PERM’s Board of Directors for many years.

An avid fisherman, Stan was well-known for his advocacy for having Minnesota anglers getting an even break under the law when it came to fishing his beloved Mille Lacs.

Stan had the perfect credentials for an advocate: feisty, tenacious, and tireless. Those same qualities also made him a super volunteer.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Phyllis and all of his extended family.

PERM will share information about any upcoming services and it becomes available.

Stan will be sorely missed.

Mille Lacs Fisheries Advisory Committee (MLFAC) is seeking new members to fill several open seats. PERM regularly attends these meetings and encourages anyone concerned about the co-management of Mille Lacs to apply. The deadline is February 22.

Details were reported in the Mille Lacs Messenger on February 3rd. See the link and more info in their article below.

Mille Lacs Lake Fisheries Advisory Committee openings

Staff Report   Mille Lacs Messenger.  February 3, 2021

Minnesotans can apply to serve on committees that advise the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources about fisheries and wildlife topics.
The DNR is seeking to fill open seats on the Mille Lacs Fisheries Advisory Committee (MLFAC), and the Minnesota R3 Council.

Mille Lacs Lake Fisheries Advisory Committee is a stakeholder group that advises the DNR on the fisheries management program for Mille Lacs […]

The Mille Lacs Band called on the MN Department of Transportation to erect highway signs on the “reservation boundaries.” These are based on tribal claims that the long-since disestablished reservation still exists. The secretly-negotiated signage campaign went up without the knowledge of any Mille Lacs County Commissioners.

It’s just another tactic to support tribal boundary claims. This time while a lawsuit addressing those claims is still underway!

The tribal maneuvering is understandable, maybe. But there is no justification for MNDOT’s blatant (and clumsy) catering to special interests. They are discriminating against the rest of Minnesota’s citizens, who no longer enjoy equal protection of the law.

Read more below

County gets hundreds of calls on boundary sign issue
By T.A. LeBrun news.messenger@apgecm.com Jan 30, 2021

The Mille Lacs County Board of Commissioners, during their work session on […]

Tracy LeBrun writing in the Mille Lacs Messenger, Reservation Boundary Signs Go Up, January 11, 2021, provides details about the Mille Lacs Band’s MnDOT “reservation boundary” campaign.

Mille Lac tribal claims for the existence of the long-since-disestablished Mille Lacs reservation are being amped up with MnDOT highway signage. The signs include the words “Established in 1855 Treaty” and are placed where the old boundaries cross highways.

It’s part of a well-funded, coordinated campaign of public relations, litigation and political influence to bolster the “reservation still exists” narrative. The Band hopes to mold public opinion against Mille Lacs County, which is defending itself against a lawsuit that is ultimately over defining reservation boundaries.

A similar effort came in January when Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced filing an “opinion” in court that […]

Steve Johnson makes some good points in his recent opinion article in the Mille Lacs Messenger, “When will we be able to keep a walleye?” Mille Lacs Messenger, Nov 27, 2020.

He says, “On the Native American side, subsistence and culture are the claimed reasons for the harvest.” But Steve believes neither reason forces DNR to co-manage by simply reacting to numbers.

He writes, “The subsistence part of the equation can easily be replaced. (Actually, the Supreme Court specifically eliminated “subsistence” as a consideration in making their ruling. Subsistence only counts if there was an actual Phase II allocation in which the need for subsistence is considered.)

Steve then adds, “The culture argument in my opinion is actually a neutral point as culture exists on both sides.” That’s a great point he […]

I am saddened to report that because of new COVID restrictions we have been forced to cancel our scheduled Dec 3, 2020 “Save Minnesota” Blainbrook fundraising event.

This has always been a time to renew friendships, have some fun, and raise much-needed funds to keep moving forward with our goal for equal hunting and fishing rights for all Minnesotans and beyond.

It seems needless to be having this argument in 2020, a year when so many Americans are expressing their need for equal rights. With the treaties that have been signed, and with the Indian Claims Commission Act being the so-called end to claims, we should all be living under one set of laws.

PERM really appreciates your continued support and hopes you will continue to support our efforts […]

Here are the WINNERS of PERM’s Fall Legal Fund Raffle.

I’m always happy to share some good news. It also gives me a chance to talk to some our raffle winners. There’s no question PERM has a very supportive membership.

Thanks to everyone who got in on the raffle. We count on your support, and you came through. It’s the only way PERM can continue making your voice heard in these difficult times.

Again, thanks for your support!

Doug,
Douglas Meyenburg,
President, PERM

List of Winners

#1 Cindy B.*          Foley                   Savage Axis 30-06 w Leupold Scope

#2 Brad S.           Lindstrom            Ruger American 270 Win Bolt

#3 Dennis N.      Little Falls           Ruger American 7mm-08 Remington

#4 Dave M.         Princeton             Ruger American 243 Win Bolt

#5 […]

Buried MLFAC meeting notice excludes citizen participation

PERM encourages Minnesotans concerned about the Mille Lacs Lake and economy surviving “co-management” to attend (now ZOOM) Mille Lacs Fishery Advisory Committee meetings. Committee members deserve and could use citizen support for their often thankless and sidelined efforts to help the DNR’s political bureaucracy make “co-management” work.

According to the DNR, “Members of the public may observe MLFAC meetings,” They even get fifteen minutes “reserved for public comments and questions.”

That’s looking like a hollow promise.

PERM monitors all DNR press releases for upcoming meetings so we can get the word out. The Monday October 12 meeting was announced in a DNR release sent out (after business hours) on Friday, October 9 at 5:26 pm. This was for a 4:30 meeting on Monday, (Columbus Day) a national […]