1854 Treaty Authority News

Check out the CAMPGROUND here! 

See the HUNTER WALKING TRAILS here!

ATTENTION HUNTERS – with hunting seasons upon us, we wanted to remind folks to be safe and be aware of road conditions and closures. Heavy rains this spring and summer have washed out some roads and bridges in the 1854 Ceded Territory. Major forest road closures include Heffelfinger Rd just west of Finland, Beaver River Road between County Rd 15 and Heffelfinger Rd, East General Grade off of Hwy 1 north of Finland, and Esther Lake Rd between the Arrowhead Trail and Tom Lake Rd in Cook County.

Additional information on road conditions can be found in a few places: 

• MN DNR State Forest Road Conditions (updated weekly): https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/trailconditions/listing.html
• Lake County Forest Road Closures: https://www.co.lake.mn.us/forestry/roads/
• St. Louis County Forest Road Closures: https://gis.stlouiscountymn.gov/portal/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=fdeb33e08a72424ea3ea676fb366391a

1854 Treaty Authority's 2022 Dagwaagin (fall) newsletter is now available. It features 1854's approved 2022 treaty hunting and trapping seasons, and highlights a handful of opportunities for youth harvest experiences. 

Manoominike-giizis is just about underway, and we remind everyone that the harvest of unripe, green rice is unlawful. Join us in saying farewell to our Fish and Wildlife Specialist, Tony Anselmo.

Good luck and play it safe as you participate in treaty harfest activities this season. As always, if you have any questions don't hesitate to give us a call: 218-722-8907

READ IT HERE

Looking to reacquaint yourself with manoomin? Want to check out the finishing process first-hand? Join us!

We are weeks (or days) away from hitting the woods and waters and filling the freezer. Last week, the 1854 Treaty Authority Board of Directors approved the 2022 Ricing Seasons/Hours and the 2022 Hunting/Trapping Seasons/Bag Limits.

-> Approved 2022 Manoomin Harvest Season/Hours (*Please be a good steward and do not harvest rice until it is fully ripe.)

-> Approved 2022 Hunting/Trapping Seasons

A few reminders as we head into the dagwaagin harvest season...

• Take a spin through the 1854 Conservation Code before the opener to make sure you have your plans and appropriate gear ready and accounted for. (No one wants to be 2 hours up the trail when you realize you forgot "one of the most important things".
• Don't forget: the 1854 Board of Directors has approved the use of Tribal enrollment cards for off-reservation, treaty harvest, in lieu of an 1854 ID card until DECEMBER 31ST, 2022. No need for all the "Last Minute Lucys" to race to the 1854 Duluth-office the afternoon before deer opener.
• The Youth Early Deer Hunt is scheduled for October 20-23rd, 2022 (yes, that is MEA weekend). ALL participating Grand Portage and Bois Forte youth will be automatically be entered in a drawing to win a prize of hunting gear worth $150 or more after the close of the weekend. (Range finder? Tree stand? Trail camera?)
• Be safe out there, and bring home the bacon!

ACCESS THE 2022 MOOSE APPLICATION HERE

Looking forward to ricing season? So are we!

In general, it is a looking like maybe a slightly below average year for wild rice across the 1854 Ceded Territory. In our travels, we are seeing a mixed bag of rice conditions – some good areas, some areas down this year. Our website will always have the most current information and photos:  https://www.1854treatyauthority.org/wild-rice/wild-rice-condition-updates.html   

Condition Updates 8/8/2022

**Plans for Manoomin Camp are underway... It will take place on Saturday September 10th, 10am-3pm. Location TBD, although it will be held in the greater Duluth area. Stay tuned for details as they develop!

(photos from Breda Lake, 8/10/2022)

NOW AVAILABLE: the 2022 Moose Hunt Information Packet and Application

APPLICATIONS ARE DUE AUGUST 5TH, 2022, because of the season opening earlier this year (September 15th). The season will run through December 31st, 2022, or until a harvest limit of 15 moose is reached for each band. 

*MORE permits will be distributed this year, increasing applicant chances of getting a tag - 50 permits total (25 Bois Forte, 25 Grand Portage)

The 1854 Duluth-offices will be closed Monday June 20th in honor of the Juneteenth Day Federal holiday. Our offices will return to regular business hours on Tuesday June 21st, 2022 (8am-4:30pm).

Moose show their approval of a new project to monitor snow depth in moose habitat!

Last fall, 1854 Treaty Authority resource management staff partnered with the Environmental Institute at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College and the NASA SnowEx program to monitor snow depth across the 1854 Ceded Territory as a part of the climate program’s efforts to track changing winter conditions. Images from one of the monitoring sites suggest another use for the snow depth measurement post as a FACE SCRATCHER. 

2021-2022 winter season data will be analyzed this summer, and we hope to follow through with expanding the program and establish more monitoring stations this coming winter.

For questions about this project contact Climate Biologist, Hilarie Sorensen:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

(218) 722-8907

Well, winter sprang into summer, and here we are! Anyone making plans to go camping?

1854 has updated the Superior National Forest Camping Information for the 2022 Season.

Following last year’s wildfires, there is only one campground closed due to burn damage - McDougal Lake Campground. Updates such as closures and/or restrictions, are listed on the Alerts and Notices page of the USFS Superior National Forest webpage. It is recommend to call ahead to the Range Station overseeing specific campground destinations for conditions before going out on the Forest, especially the BWCA Wilderness:

• Gunflint Ranger Station: (218) 387-1750

• Kawishiwi Ranger Station: (218) 365-7600

• LaCroix Ranger Station: (218) 666-0020

• Laurentian Ranger Station: (218) 453-8650

• Tofte Ranger Station: (218) 663-8060

Reminder: Bois Forte and Grand Portage band members can camp at Superior National Forest campgrounds listed below without paying camping fees. 

NEW IN 2022: NO fees will be charged to Grand Portage or Bois Forte enrollees when reserving campgrounds ahead of time. Reservations can be made via the online system or by calling: 1-877-444-6777. If reserving online, please select the “Apply Discount” button when checking. If reserving via telephone, indicate that you are a band member to avoid being charged fees. *Campsite usage by “drop in” (daily) is still free for enrollees as before. Campers must have their 1854 or Tribal identification card on their person and provide their ID number and Band affiliation on campsite registration forms.

Superior National Forest campgrounds available for band member use without fees: 

• Birch Lake 

• Cadotte Lake  

• Crescent Lake

• Divide Lake

• Devil Track Lake

• East Bearskin Lake

• Echo Lake

• Fall Lake

• Fenske Lake

• Flour Lake

• Iron Lake

• Jeanette Lake

• Kimball Lake

• Little Isabella River

• McDougal Lake

• Ninemile Lake

• Pfeiffer Lake

• Sawbill Lake

• S. Kawishiwi River

• Temperance River

• Trail’s End

• Two Island Lake

• Whiteface Reservoir

Information and updates for each individual campground can be found here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/superior/recreation/camping-cabins/?recid=36905&actid=29

Miigwech Forest Service for working to make this change and maintaining trust responsibilities!

  Campsite on Lake Jeanette

An amazing opportunity for Bois Forte youth this summer...

Grand Portage has been a site of cosmopolitan partnership since well before the fur trade in the 1790’s. In a novel co-management situation, the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the National Park Service collaborate to tell that story at the Grand Portage National Monument. Likewise, the Grand Portage Band is proud to have the significance of Isle Royale National Park acknowledged and designated as a ‘Traditional Cultural Place’ (dedicated August 2021). The 1854 Treaty Authority Education and Outreach Division prioritizes providing tribal youth with experiential opportunities with culturally significant resources and outdoor skill building. It is of utmost importance for tribal youth to invest in protecting, preserving and enhancing area natural/cultural resources as they grow to become the future stewards of rights (‘ways’) and resources (‘beings’) within the Indigenous ceded lands and the Lake Superior basin.

In partnership with Minnesota SeaGrant, the Grand Portage National Monument was initially awarded 2018 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding project monies to hold science-based programming for youth. Postponed events in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic provided extra planning time for the management team to strategize how best to meet Great Lakes Environmental literacy principles through meaningful and indigenous-focused programing. With the addition of Tribal Interpretive staff leadership, careful planning was taken to orient the ‘Agaaming Aki’ program goals to fit tribal community needs and strengths. During the summer of 2022, Grand Portage youth will host Bois Forte peers and Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College ‘Gidaa’ camp youth in two ‘Agaaming Aki’ events. Through hands-on experiences, intertribal youth will network; build relationships and confidence through structured and unstructured near-shore, science-based activities, career exploration, and community connections on the Grand Portage Reservation and Isle Royale National Park. Camp activities will include:

• Experience historic sites and natural features that define kinship on the landscape (ex. the main depot of the Northwest Trading company, High Falls on the Pigeon River, Isle Royale, Little Sprit Cedar Tree)

• Investigate shoreline processes that sustain lake-wide food chains

• Participate in a Lake Superior Lake Trout monitoring survey and subsistence activities

• Engage over evening campfires; witness a Ojibwe/Dakota star story presentation, craft with community members, and catch up on natural resource management career opportunities

Submit the APPLICATION by Friday June 17th, 2022

Read the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

See the FULL PROGRAM FLYER

by Morgan Swingen,  1854 Treaty Authority Wildlife Biologist 

This spring, a strain of highly-pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI or “avian flu”) has been circulating in wild birds. As these wild birds have been migrating back north for the summer, the virus has been spreading to both wild and domestic birds. 

This strain of avian flu appears to have the greatest impact on wild birds such as waterfowl (ducks, geese, swans) and raptors (eagles, hawks, owls). The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) has been collecting information on observations of sick and dead wild birds, and has been testing birds in areas where the virus has not yet been confirmed. So far, the virus has been detected in wild birds in 29 counties of Minnesota. More information on avian influenza in wild birds in Minnesota, including a map of positive detections, can be found on the MN DNR’s website: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/wildlifedisease/avian-influenza.html

Another main concern about the current strain of avian flu circulating is the impact on domestic birds such as poultry (chickens, turkeys, ducks). This strain of avian flu can quickly kill domestic birds, and is easily transmissible between birds. When a domestic bird tests positive for HPAI, the entire flock must be euthanized to prevent further spread of the disease. This is a major issue in commercial farms that produce eggs and meat from these birds. Minnesota is the number one producer of turkeys in the United States, with farms concentrated in the central and west-central parts of the state. More information on avian flu in domestic birds in Minnesota is available from the Minnesota Board of Animal Health: https://www.bah.state.mn.us/hpai/

If you see a sick or dead wild bird, you should not handle it, but should report it to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. People with backyard poultry flocks should do their best to keep domestic birds separate from wild birds, regularly inspect their flocks, and report any sick or dead birds to the board of animal health for testing.

The current strain of avian flu can be spread to humans from birds, but is uncommon outside of poultry farmers and is considered a low risk to the public.

 photo by Rick Anderson, 2022

https://heartofthecontinent.org/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 4^th, 2022

Contact: Glenn D. DelGiudice, moose project leader, 651-539-3314

DNR Researchers More Optimistic About Moose Population Wellbeing, Immediate Future

For the 11th year in a row, Minnesota’s moose population remains relatively stable. The 2022 population survey estimates the moose population at 4,700, statistically unchanged from the last survey, which was conducted in 2020.

Although there is no statistically significant change in the estimated population relative to 2020, this year’s estimated number of moose is the highest since 2011, when the population was midway through a steep decline.

Additionally, calves comprised an estimated 19% of the population and the estimated calf-cow ratio was 45 calves per 100 cows. This is the highest both indicators have been since 2005, when the population was near its peak and considered healthy. Both factors are indicators of potential improvement in reproductive success, which has a positive impact on population numbers.

While the continued population stability and indicators of reproductive success are good news, DNR researchers point out that Minnesota moose remain at risk long term. Presently, the moose population is 47% lower than its peak in 2006.

Both the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the 1854 Treaty Authority contributed funding and personnel for the annual survey. The survey is available on the DNR’s moose management page.

Find more information about moose in Minnesota on the DNR’s moose management page (mndnr.gov/Moose).