Discussion of treaty rights and trip to Isle Royale among highlights of moose conference in Grand Portage
The 55th North American Moose Conference arrived to the North Shore of Minnesota in late May. Researchers, biologists, and professionals gathered in Grand Portage and at Isle Royale National Park on Lake Superior for the annual event.
The multi-day conference and workshop took place May 22-26. It included various presentations, interactive workshops in moose habitat in Cook County, and a full-day field trip to Isle Royale National Park on May 22.
In previous years, the moose conference took place in Maine, Washington, Alaska, and Montana, in addition to other locations across the country. The first conference was held in St. Paul in 1963. Grand Portage also hosted the 35th conference, in 1999.
The opening remarks at this year’s moose conference were made by Grand Portage of Lake Superior Chippewa Treasurer/Secretary April McCormick. WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs spoke with McCormick during the moose conference about treaty rights, the importance of moose to the Grand Portage community, and other information specific to moose across the 1854 ceded territory. Listen to the full interview in the audio shared below.
During the interview, McCormick also discusses a memorandum of understanding signed by Bois Forte, Fond du Lac, and Grand Portage with the U.S. Forest Service.
The MOU recognizes the sovereign tribal nations as the original stewards of land now encompassing the 3.3-million-acre Superior National Forest. The document outlines procedures to ensure that input from the Bois Forte, Fond du Lac, and Grand Portage Bands is meaningfully incorporated into Forest Service decision-making.
“The signing today is a commitment, a call to action for the U.S. Forest Service, that when we sign this piece of paper with words on it, that it is not just going to stay a piece of paper with words, that we are going to live out that commitment to each other,” McCormick said earlier this month. “We are leading alongside one another to enhance and protect our treaty reserved resources within the 1854 ceded territory and the Superior National Forest.”
Joe Friedrichs May 28, 2023
