Grand Portage National Monument hires Heather Boyd as next superintendent

The National Park Service announced June 2 the selection of Heather Boyd as the next superintendent of Grand Portage National Monument.

An enrolled member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Boyd will be the first Anishinaabe to serve as the superintendent at Grand Portage National Monument.

Boyd has been serving as the acting superintendent at the monument in Grand Portage and is also working as an administrative officer at Isle Royale National Park.

For decades, dating back to 1999, Grand Portage National Monument has served across the nation as an example of cooperation between the federal government and a sovereign tribal nation. The monument is co-managed by the National Park Service and the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

Earlier this year, an arrangement was reached between the federal government and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in Montana regarding management of the National Bison Range. Cook County residents, Montana residents and members of the press have mentioned the arrangement between Grand Portage and the National Park Service as a model to use as steps were made to reach an agreement on the National Bison Range.

Boyd told WTIP during a June 8 interview that she admires the work being done by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. In March 2021, Haaland made history when she became the first Native American cabinet secretary in U.S. history.

Boyd spoke about these topics and more in an interview with WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs. Audio below.

Joe Friedrichs June 8, 2022