In my Jan. 25 Outdoor News column, I reminded readers how, in August 2015, tribal gill-netters intentionally violated state law by setting a 200-foot gill net in Gull Lake, with encouragement from tribal attorneys and politicos. The intent: get charged, appeal based on “treaty rights,” and ascend the court ladder.
After Crow Wing County court personnel misinformed me that the appeal deadline was Jan. 9, my column wrongly reported that the appeal deadline had passed with no appeal.
Meanwhile, I learned that a formal appeal was filed by tribal attorneys Jan. 22. So that case, with potentially huge significance for a large expanse of Minnesota, is still alive. Will state courts, Gov. Tim Walz, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and other state officials defend state and citizen interests?
Joe Fellegy
