The Outdoors

By Scott Rall, Outdoors Columnist

I made a call last week to a resort called West Winds Resort located in Washkish Minnesota. They are located on the east shore of Upper Red Lake which is about 75 miles from Lake of the Woods. I have been making an annual trip to this location for about the past 13 years or so.

For those of you who are not familiar with this great walleye lake it has quite a story. Back in 1880 the Red Lake Nation reservation was reduced from 3 million acres down to about 300,000. Then this change was made to all of Lower Red Lake and about two-thirds of Upper Red Lake stayed in tribal hands. This left about one-third of Upper Red Lake open to sport fishing by members of the general public. It was the treaty of 1889 that made these changes.

In and around 1990, almost 100 years later, the lake collapsed. The cause was assigned to overfishing by the band and state anglers. Walleye fishing was closed and a huge restoration effort was undertaken. It took years of work but the end result is one of the very best walleye fisheries in all of North America.

It made the news this week that the Red Lake Nation is now making contact with the Secretary of the Interior to discuss the restoring the original reservation boundaries and thus making Upper Red Lake off limits to non-tribal members. This has the potential to change a lot of things in Minnesota. What happens to all of the non-tribal businesses that rely on the fishing tourism generated from this world class walleye fishery? What happens to all of the guides and outfitters who have operated here for the past three decades? What becomes of the houses owned by regular visitors of Red Lake and what will happen to the value of those homes if only tribal members can utilize this lake?

All of these are questions I cannot answer. What do you think the chances are for these lands to revert back to tribal lands? Some will say very slim and others who follow state and national politics might have a different opinion. I just read an article that follows along these same lines. There is current legislation in both the house and the senate in Minnesota that would turn over the ownership of all state-owned lands within the boundaries of the Upper Sioux Agency State Park back to the Upper Sioux Community by Sept. 15, 2023. This transfer would be done for zero dollars to the state. Because federal money was used to purchase the state park these acres would have to be replaced by other state acres. Where would these funds come from if the transfer is at zero dollars?

There are many other state parks that share a significant tribal history.  These include Mille Lac Kathio, Itaska and Fort Snelling.  If this transfer happens could this possibly lead to the transfer of these or other state parks back to tribal nations?

All of these questions have no current answers. All I can say is that if events like these were to happen, they have no better chance of doing so then in the current political climate in the state of Minnesota. I don’t follow all of the reparations bills happening in other states and jurisdictions but there is certainly a movement afoot on a state and national scale to right the wrongs perpetrated from generations stemming from 100 years ago.

Much of the state of Minnesota was once ceded territory. I am just trying to understand how what is happening today in Minnesota might affect the Minnesota I know another 100 years from now. Minnesota’s natural resources are some of the best in North America. All I can say and wish for as a lifelong conservationist is that if the legislature moves forward in these directions that they do so purposefully, intelligently and well informed for the benefit of all Minnesotans.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

If you have any questions, reach out to me at scottarall@gmail.com.