MLFAC talks upcoming regulations
By Eric Jacobson, Mille Lacs Messenger, March 9, 2022

The Mille Lacs Fisheries Advisory. Committee (MLFAC) Met on Fob. 15 at the Brainerd DNR offices to discuss a number of topics. First on the ‘were introductions of all committee members. including 10 new members along with the DNR, staff that was present in person and virtual.

Mille Lacs Area Supervisor Tom Heinrich gave a presentation on the fall
netting survey conducted last fall. The conclusion of the survey was that the results were down from the previous year, but the number of mature walleyes captured were up. So this bodes well for the future.

Upcoming 2022 regulation discussion
As talk turned to the upcoming regulation options Steve Johnson, owner of Johnson’s Portside reminded the DNR that over the past 24 years of […]

After twenty plus years – it’s time for a new plan

Javier Serna’s report in Outdoor News gives us some real insight on the DNR’s “co-management” of the Mille Lacs walleye fishery. (DNR weighing 2022 Mille Lacs open-water regulations, Outdoor News, February 25,) It is a great snapshot of the DNR’s failed efforts currently and over time—using their data, charts, and comments. (see below)

It clearly shows why PERM is calling for the DNR to discontinue its co-management of the Mille Lacs walleye fishery. It is time for the DNR to admit their co-management it is not working.

Think about it, over 20 years of co-managing one of the best walleye reproducing lakes in the nation and as a licensed angler you are allowed to keep one walleye on occasion. Failure is the […]

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 County. They did not agree that the tribe still owns all land in the former reservation.

He did not get “that ‘neighbor’ thing” from a claim that threatens to wipe out property rights within the former reservation.

Even though the boundary issue is in court, the Band still promotes its claims with oversized “Mille Lacs Reservation Boundary” highway signs. These are signs that popped up overnight prior to the 2020 State of the Band address.

More “appalling” was Gov […]

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. By December, Wisconsin’s Sporting Heritage Council heard concerns about tribal members having to pay access fees to enter state parks. A member of the Ho Chunk tribe, which hosted a gathering at Copper Falls State Park, was upset that tribal members had to pay to enter the state park. Although park staff were able to waive fees for that event, he asked that fees be waived year-round. His reasoning, “It creates problems for tribe members […]

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.

*** Welcome new members onto the committee.

Fifteen minutes are reserved for public comments and questions

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Members of the public who wish to observe the meeting or speak during the public comment period should contact millelacs.fisheries@state.mn.us by (before) noon  Monday, Feb. 14, to receive the online meeting link.  

This is an email contact so start early!

Again, fifteen minutes are reserved for public comments and questions.

Meeting minutes will be posted after the meeting on the MLFAC page.

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 trusted to defend Minnesota’s best interests.”

Read more below.

Fellegy selfie Q&A: tribal state park permits and more
By Joe Fellegy    Outdoor News Minnesota    January 21, 2022

Editor’s note: Joe Fellegy this week offers readers an interview with … himself. Covered are matters of tribal state park permits, angling exaggerations, and the state’s walleye limit.

Q: Why question Minnesota’s new state park permit law, effective Jan. 1, giving free annual permits to enrolled members of Minnesota’s 11 tribal nations? Isn’t […]

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 or flow, PERM has to maintain a continuous presence. Returning after mothballing or shutting down until a big headliner issue comes up could take months, even years. That would certainly cancel any chance for an effective response.

So, we stay nimble. We maintain a much-downsized office, monitor the issues, and respond as we can.  Help PERM keep the goal of “Equal Hunting and Fishing Rights for All” moving forward. If everybody pitches in, we can do […]

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 the electric car mandate. But a lot of other laws were missed by the public. One was the Free State Park Permit for Indians. The new law reads:

“As of Jan. 1, 2022, any member of the 11 federally recognized tribes in Minnesota is eligible for an annual state park permit for no charge. The permit is valid only when displayed on a vehicle owned and occupied by the person to whom the permit is issued. Additionally, […]