Tribe WON'T net Vermilion

[Lee Borgersen]

  MN: Tribe WON'T net Vermilion after all.


Fond du Lac won't net on Vermilion this year
Bois Forte officials convince FDL council to reverse decision for 2015

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LAKE VERMILION— Members of the Bois Forte Tribal Council have convinced the Fond du Lac Band to hold off on exercising its treaty rights by netting for walleye on Lake Vermilion this spring.

That was the announcement made Thursday night by Bois Forte Tribal Chairman Kevin Leecy at a quarterly gathering of tribal officials held at Fortune Bay Resort Casino.

Bois Forte tribal officials, after weeks of trying, were able to meet with members of the Fond du Lac Tribal Council on Thursday morning to weigh in against Fond du Lac’s plan. The Bois Forte Tribal Council had approved a resolution the day before calling on Fond du Lac not to issue netting or spearing permits to its band members to take walleye on Lake Vermilion.

Fond du Lac officials had announced their plan to net walleye on Lake Vermilion three weeks ago, much to the dismay of Bois Forte officials as well as resort owners, fishing guides, and other Vermilion stakeholders.

The decision to suspend that decision applies only to walleye netting this spring, but Bois Forte officials say they hope to meet with Fond du Lac officials later this summer to discuss future years.

While Leecy said the Bois Forte understand Fond du Lac’s legal rights under the 1854 Treaty, he said in a true government-to-government relationship, the Fond du Lac should respect’s the interests of the Bois Forte Band as well. “Fond du Lac has the right to harvest fish in the 1854 ceded territory, and we defend their right,” Leecy said. “But we have significant concerns about them harvesting in our backyard. Fond du Lac tribal members use motorized boats to net, while Bois Forte tribal members net in the traditional way with canoes only. Also, Fond du Lac has access to many lakes in the ceded territory besides Lake Vermilion, which we consider part of our reservation.”

Tribal Council Member Ray Toutloff agreed, noting that the Bois Forte have been harvesting walleye from Lake Vermilion for hundreds of years, without incident. “Never have we had a situation where someone was that bold as to come into our resource area,” he said. “We feel this is a serious issue and I think we got that point across.”

While the two tribal councils met Thursday morning, it was late afternoon before the Bois Forte got the final word. Fond du Lac Tribal Chair Karen Diver and another council member were traveling Thursday and it was only after the rest of the council had the opportunity to consult with them, that the final decision was made.

“It’s great news,” said Tim “Buck” Lescarbeau, president of the Lake Vermilion Guides League about the decision. “My hat’s off to the Bois Forte for making the case,” he said.

While Bois Forte officials and band members who spoke at Thursday’s meeting made it clear they objected to what they see as Fond du Lac’s encroachment on a critical local resource, many had other issues as well. “I’m concerned about backlash from our non-Indian neighbors,” said Joe Hedlund, a Band member who lives in Virginia. “We have had a very good relationship in the past,” he said.

Chairman Leecy agreed. “We’re very concerned about that,” he said. Leecy noted that the Bois Forte have worked hard to maintain strong relations with surrounding communities, particularly residents and businesses in the Lake Vermilion area, where Fortune Bay is the largest contributor to the local lodging tax district.

Leecy said the approaching Governor’s Fishing Opener was another concern for the Bois Forte this year. “We will really be in the spotlight and we didn’t need netting to be front page news,” he said.