Brief showing flimsy legal basis is a call for action Friends, I do a lot of my thinking while I am out enjoying nature. While sitting in my deer stand in the far northern reaches of MN on Veterans Day, I reflected on the commitment my family, friends, and those Vets I have never met made in the name of freedom. A whole lot of gals and guys who signed on the dotted line for Uncle Sam to use as he sees fit. Many paid the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives or limbs. During my 4-year adventure I worked side by side with folks of every race, religion, and economic upbringing. At no time did we feel that at some point there would be special rights based on ethnic background. “Whenever special rights are given to someone, rights are taken from others.” Deer sign? More Wolf, Bobcat, and Bear [...]

The legal basis for expanding the Mille Lacs reservation is very flimy as can be seen in the Amicus Brief itself. It available for download–in its original format–HERE.

Effective Wednesday, Nov. 1, anglers fishing on the state waters of Upper Red Lake can keep up to four walleye with one longer than 17 inches. Beginning Friday, Dec. 1, Mille Lacs Lake anglers can keep one walleye 21-23 inches long or one longer than 28 inches. The DNR sets winter regulations for these lakes after completion of annual fall population assessments. Results from Upper Red showed an optimal level of walleye spawning stock and a high overall net catch rate, especially of nearly mature walleye. Mille Lacs' results found slightly lower walleye numbers than in 2022. But the continued strong presence of walleye born in 2013 and 2017 and acceptable numbers of walleye born in 2021 and 2022 suggest there are adequate numbers of younger fish to keep the population sustainable as they mature and reproduce to replace fish caught by anglers.    

The point addressed by Tim Spielman’s “Why the Crickets?” (Streams of Thought column, Sept. 1, 2023, Outdoor News) (Below) is one PERM confronts in all our letters, emails, web posts, and social media. Spielman asks: Where are our public-lands advocates? Why are they largely silent when the [public lands transfer] topic turns tribal? His commentary  should be read by everyone concerned about equal protection of the law for ALL Minnesotans. By Tim Spielman, Editor
Minnesota Outdoor News 09-01-23 WHY THE CRICKETS? Nearly every major conservation group that’s known by readers of this publication includes access to public lands – for hunting, fishing, and otherwise – as a priority. And well they should. The future of these important endeavors depends upon those who partake, and those who partake need places in which to partake. Simple. So today I ask, why is it the groups that promote public lands are largely silent when [...]

PERM is sharing this pre-release version the Mille Equal Rights Foundation analysis of the Mille Lacs reservation boundary ruling. It follows the PERM/MERF joint filing of an amicus brief for an appeal of the ruling. MERF's report below describes the run-up to the Court's ruling and it's impact on the civil rights of non-tribal citizens in the Mille Lacs County area. This case is also important as the Court's final decision will set a precedent that could be used in similar cases across MN and the entire U.S. PERM supports giving the report as much distribution as possible. Your donation will help awareness and support for a ruling that supports the civil rights of all citizens Please consider your support for the cause. DONATE to MERF HERE --- Mille Lacs County Has a Duty to Defend Itself and its Citizens --- Mille Lacs Band sued Mille Lacs County. Over the [...]

Allowing harvest of smaller fish offers more opportunity to keep a walleye The minimum length of walleye Mille Lacs Lake anglers can keep drops from 21 to 20 inches beginning Tuesday, Aug. 1. Mille Lacs' one-fish limit will remain in place, but the change allows anglers to keep one walleye between 20-23 inches or one longer than 28. The previous limit was one walleye 21-23 inches or one longer than 28. "With the catch rates we've had this spring and early summer, we can expand opportunity a bit for the rest of the open water season without harm to the long-term sustainability of the lake's walleye population," said Brian Nerbonne, central region fisheries manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The recent lower catch rate of Mille Lacs walleye is less a reflection of the number of walleyes in the lake than the abundance of natural forage. Minnesota DNR [...]

There is a lot more to the story than what is reported below. Reasons for transferring this gem of Minnesota's outdoor heritage are window dressing for the DNR bureaucracy's dodging its responsibility to represent and serve ALL Minnesotans. See Rob Drieslein's intro below. UPPER SIOUX LAND Outdoor Insights By Rob Drieslein Outdoor News Minnesota July 14, 2023 https://npaper-wehaa.com/outdoornews#2023/07/s1 The public policy low point for this scribe in 2023 has been the ongoing transfer of the Upper Sioux Agency State Park to the Upper Sioux Community. By the time state residents became aware of this deal a few months ago, the matter already looked like a foregone conclusion. The few opportunities for public discourse or comment have been causal lip service, then the Walz administration and DFL Legislature slammed through a plan to simply turn over a 1,300-acre, multi-million-dollar state asset. The lack of transparency on this matter has been disappointing. [...]

Tribes being used to expand Federal jurisdiction over states PERM and Mille Lacs Equal Rights Foundation have jointly filed an Amicus Brief on the Mille Lacs reservation boundary ruling. The Brief supports Mille Lacs County's appeal of the Eighth Circuit court's ruling that the entire long-disestablished 61,000-acre reservation still exists. PERM early on committed to a well-argued Brief, counting on our members' support. Now, thanks to your generous response, you have ensured that commitment. The Amicus Brief is outstanding! Never before has the basis for "tribal sovereignty" been explored going back over 160 years. From the beginning of the United States, the Federal government had to manage non-state territories and relations with Indian tribes throughout the country. In the run up to the Civil War and after, the issue of slavery divided the country. It also started to unravel the efforts to manage the non-state territories. The struggle to end [...]