Browsing by Subject "Natural resources"
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Item Activities of the Grand Portage Reservation (Minnesota) to Protect and Restore the Aquatic Habitat in Lake Superior(2006) Frazier, Brad; Watkins, Margaret; Nelson, RyanThis is a 30-slide Powerpoint presentation summarizing the Grand Portage natural resources, wetlands, air quality, energy, solid waste and water quality program details; the cooperative agreement between the Grand Portage tribal authority and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency; the no discharge zone; and nonpoint source pollution efforts. Also briefly summarizes activities of the 1854 Treaty Authority.Item Anoka County holds first 'Field Days'(University of Minnesota Extension, 1965) University of Minnesota ExtensionItem The Benefits of Nature-Based Learning and Play for Young Children's Health, Development and Well-being(2019-06) Austin, JessieHistorical and current injustices, trauma and discrimination continue to impact Native communities across Minnesota and beyond - including our youngest children. Leech Lake Early Childhood Development's Megwayaak Project seeks to increase opportunities for outdoor learning and play to help buffer the impacts of adversity and support young chilren's health, development and well-being. This report summarizes research on nature-based learning and provides recommendations for the project team.Item Climate Change Impacts on the Water Resources of American Indians and Alaska Natives in the U.S.(2013) Cozzetto, K; Chief, K; Kittmer, K; Brubaker, M; Gough, R; Souza, K; Ettawageshik, F; Wotkyns, S; Opitz-Stapleton, S; Duren, S; Chavan, PThis informative paper links the perspectives and concerns of American Indians with predictions of climate change impacts on natural resources and Native communities. The report cites current and predicted impacts on the Fond du Lac Reservation in northeastern Minnesota, referencing several local sources and tribal authorities. Extracts of key points are reproduced below. "This paper provides an overview of climate change impacts on tribal water resources and the subsequent cascading effects on the livelihoods and cultures of American Indians and Alaska Natives living on tribal lands in the U.S. A hazards and vulnerability framework for understanding these impacts is first presented followed by context on the framework components, including climate, hydrologic, and ecosystem changes (i.e. hazards) and tribe-specific vulnerability factors (socioeconomic, political, infrastructural, environmental, spiritual and cultural), which when combined with hazards lead to impacts. Next regional summaries of impacts around the U.S. are discussed. Although each tribal community experiences unique sets of impacts because of their individual history, culture, and geographic setting, many of the observed impacts are common among different groups and can be categorized as impacts on—1) water supply and management (including water sources and infrastructure), 2) aquatic species important for culture and subsistence, 3) ranching and agriculture particularly from climate extremes (e.g., droughts, floods), 4) tribal sovereignty and rights associated with water resources, fishing, hunting, and gathering, and 5) soil quality (e.g., from coastal and riverine erosion prompting tribal relocation or from drought-related land degradation). The paper finishes by highlighting potentially relevant research questions based on the five impact categories. The Midwest (MW) is the location of the five lakes comprising the Great Lakes that together form Earth’s largest surface freshwater system. Thirty federally recognized tribes live in MW states and depend on this resource. Ceremonies honoring the waters as the life-blood of Mother Earth are held throughout the region. MW Tribes depend on the waters for subsistence and commercial fishing and for water-based plant materials for traditional crafts and artwork. Additionally, most MW tribes now operate gaming facilities and other tourism enterprises that rely heavily upon water for aesthetic and recreational uses. Many MW tribes consider climate change adaptation to be one of the most important long-range environmental issues for tribal nations. Michigan tribes, for instance, have worked with the state to negotiate and sign the May 12, 2004 Intergovernmental Accord between the Federally Recognized Indian Tribes in Michigan and the Governor of the State of Michigan Concerning Protection of Shared Water Resources and the June 11, 2009 Intergovernmental Accord between the Tribal Leaders of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribes in Michigan and the Governor of Michigan to Address the Crucial Issue of Climate Change. Biannual meetings are held between the state and tribes to discuss shared responsibilities and potential cooperative efforts. Impacts on MW tribes are diverse. Key impacts are related to flora and fauna important for diet, acknowledging clan responsibilities, social and mental health, and the exercise of treaty rights. Traditional healers in the region, for instance, have noted that lack of moisture and unreliable springtime temperatures have caused significant wild and cultivated crop losses. Wild rice (manoomin) is a sacred food of great importance to the Ojibwe of the Great Lakes area and may be detrimentally affected by climate change. In the Ojibwe Migration Story, The Great Mystery foretold the coming of the light-skinned race and instructed the Ojibwe to journey westward until they found ‘the food that grows on water.’ Since the 1900s, the loss of wild rice acreage to mining, dams, and other activities has been substantial. Warmer temperatures could cause further losses by reducing seed dormancy, favoring invasive, out-competing plants, and being conducive to brown spot disease. Water levels also influence rice survival. Extremely low Lake Superior levels in 2007 forced the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa (WI) to cancel its annual wild rice harvest due to dramatic crop reductions. A 2012 flood led to near total wild rice crop failure on the Fond du Lac Reservation. Tribes in the Great Lakes area rely on treaty fishing, hunting, and gathering rights. The exercise of these rights requires considerable attention to environmental issues, including climate changes that affect species and habitats. These rights have been the subject of several court cases, which have resulted in decisions upholding tribal rights. Native American tribes need relevant and culturally appropriate monitoring, assessment, and research on their waters and lands and to develop or be included in the development of contingency, management, and mitigation plans. Tribes also greatly need actual implementation of projects. Although climate change preparedness can take place as a stand-alone effort, climate change considerations can be included as part of planning and implementation that is already occurring. Tribes or intertribal organizations must decide what constitutes relevant work. We propose research questions that might be significant for tribes based on the five impact categories. These include examples of science, policy, and social science questions related both to further identifying impacts and contributing climate and vulnerability factors and to identifying adaptation strategies."Item Concept of low-maintenance lawns catches on(University of Minnesota Extension, 1980) University of Minnesota ExtensionItem Cook County Land Use Guide Plan Update: Sense of Place & Desired Future Condition(2015) Cook CountyThis three-page pdf summarizes the desirable attributes of Cook County, with numerous direct and indirect references to water resources and the coastal areas, for example: “The Physical Setting: A Wild Land Cook County’s blend of diverse natural resources and features, including its climate, attracts people to visit and live in the county and is the foundation for most of its economic activity. The county’s distinctiveness is founded upon its relatively low levels of development and population that are enhanced by a sense of undeveloped wildness and remoteness expressed, in part, by the presence of Lake Superior, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and other large tracts of publicly accessible land. This is furthered by its unique mix of seacoast and forest and lakes and mountains, its large expanses of relatively intact ecosystems, and its relatively unpolluted setting. Although the depth of individuals’ understanding of and reaction to the physical setting may vary, there is a broadly shared acceptance of the inherent value of these features and the need to sustain them into the future.”Item Duluth Values Open Space(2002) Kreag, Glenn MThis report documents how residents perceive the importance of open spaces in Duluth, Minnesota. While not specifically about water resources, this study refers occasionally to the value of wetlands, lakes and rivers. Key findings of the survey are extracted and reproduced below. Executive summary: “Duluth is known for its extensive open spaces, particularly their natural ambiance and relation to Lake Superior. The type, nature, and quantity of open spaces contribute significantly to the character and quality of a community, a concept captured locally in the community-wide "2001 & Beyond" visioning process (completed in 1997) where participants indicated that maintaining Duluth as an "urban wilderness" was a priority. The data in this report are the result of an 8-page, 20-question survey that reached 955 Duluth residents in 2001. The University of Minnesota Sea Grant Program designed the survey with assistance and review from the EAC, the NRI Committee, and the Minnesota Center for Survey Research. Two types of open space were defined in this study: Natural Open Space - places where the native vegetation grows without significant alteration and, Developed Open Space - places where land and vegetation are altered or controlled. Of the questions relating to water resources, 93% of those taking the survey reported that they frequently use and enjoy views of Lake Superior and the St. Louis River. 50% reported using and enjoying wetland areas. Regarding developed open spaces, 68% reported using a public access for boating and fishing. 70% of respondents felt that water supply, sanitary and storm sewers were important government functions related to open spaces.”Item Essays on natural resources management with potential regime shift(2014-10) Ren, BijieThis dissertation includes three essays on natural resources management with potential regime shift, which is a rapid and persistent change of ecosystem processes leading to decline in the economic value of natural resources. The first essay analyzes the impact of a regime shift that reduces the natural growth of a renewable resource and shows that aggressive management is optimal under reasonable conditions. This is in contrast to the precautionary principle discussed in recent literature of resource economics. The second essay focuses on the allocation of risk of regime shift. It is shown that the regime shift that only threatens a portion of the resource stock causes more aggressive management, and the effect of regime shift changes non-monotonically as the share of threatened stock increases. The third essay considers a duopolistic resource market where the regime shift has asymmetric effects on two Cournot players' private resource stocks. Some examples are used to show that Cournot competition causes distortions that depend on the relative sizes of two Cournot players' stocks and the share of stocks that are under the threat of regime shift. It is found that the largest loss in social welfare occurs in the case where the regime shift affects the entire stock of one Cournot player's stock and has no impact on the other Cournot player's stock.Item Fond du Lac Resource Management: 2008 Integrated Resource Management Plan(2008) Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior ChippewaThis very comprehensive document was reviewed and is felt to have significant content and analysis relevant to Minnesota’s coastal area and water resources. It also contains biophysical and watershed-related content directly relevant to Native communities in Minnesota’s coastal communities. Key content is reproduced below: Executive summary: “This Integrated Resource Management Plan contains information about the Band’s past and current management activities and identifies resources that need additional management. The Integrated Resource Management Plan contains alternatives to resource management, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act, which are based on the management objectives. Management activities range from no action to full implementation, and the alternatives presented reflect that range. The objectives that can be completed under each alternative are displayed in a table located at the end of discussion on alternatives. Public input was solicited on the draft document, which included a variety of management alternatives. Comments obtained from the community and tribal government were incorporated into the final document, and the hearing process provided a basis for the formulation and selection of the preferred alternative. The preferred alternative is officially approved by Resolution # 1183/08. Each resource is described in a narrative that was developed in the following format: o Description of the affected environment o Background for that resource o Issues, concerns, and opportunities for that resource o Goals and objectives for that program, with different management alternatives The final chapter is a summary of the alternatives. The preferred alternative is identified for each resource.” Approximately 15 pages of this report are dedicated specifically to water-based resources, including chapters on wild rice, wetlands and water, and fisheries. Some sections are reproduced below. Wild Rice There are five primary wild rice lakes on the Fond du Lac Reservation. The total area on which wild rice is currently present on these lakes is 843 acres. The wild rice areas on the individual lakes are: Perch Lake, 411 acres; Mud Lake, 151 acres; Rice Portage Lake, 131 acres; Jaskari Lake, 79 acres; and Deadfish Lake, 71 acres. These lakes are all within the Stoney Brook Watershed, which is tributary to the St. Louis River. Wild rice is also present in Side Lake, Cedar Lake, Wild Rice Lake, Simian Lake, and Hardwood Lake. Side Lake and Hardwood Lake are within the Stoney Brook Watershed. Cedar Lake and Simian Lake are within the Simian Creek Watershed. Wild Rice Lake is the headwaters of the Moosehorn River, a tributary of the Kettle River. The density of mature wild rice varies from season to season, as the ecology of wild rice growth is related to cycles of plant decomposition, the number of growing days, and available nutrients. In addition, wild rice is easily lost as a result of natural events, such as high winds, flooding, and hail. The majority of the wild rice resource on the Fond du Lac Reservation is in the Stoney Brook Watershed. Beginning in 1916, the Stoney Brook Watershed was adversely affected by the creation of a network of judicial ditches. These judicial ditches drastically altered the hydrology of the watershed, resulting in the loss of over 500 acres of wild rice habitat. The lower water levels that resulted from the judicial ditching allowed competing vegetation to encroach on areas that at one time supported wild rice. Besides the Stoney Brook Watershed, wild rice resources in other areas of the Fond du Lac Reservation are in decline as well. The reason for this decline is primarily due to higher water levels, caused by road building and beaver activity. The Fond du Lac Natural Resources Program is responsible for the wild rice management and restoration activities on the Fond du Lac Reservation. The primary method of wild rice lake management consists of utilizing water control structures (dams) to stabilize water levels, ditch maintenance, and beaver dam management. The restoration of the major wild rice lakes on Fond du Lac is dependent on restoring the lakes to their historical elevation and a more natural annual hydrological cycle. The implementation of the Rice Portage Wild Rice and Wetland Restoration Project resulted in the construction of four water control structures. These four structures are located at the outlet of Perch Lake, the outlet of Rice Portage Lake, an impoundment that is upstream of Deadfish Lake (commonly known as “Upper Deadfish”), and at the outlet of Deadfish Lake. These structures are used to restore the lake elevations and improve hydrologic function. Issues: The ineffectiveness of current mechanical methods for the restoration project on Rice Portage Lake. Mud Lake continues to produce a thin crop of wild rice, despite its potential for higher yields. Concerns: Invasive species–both invasive and exotic plant species–are of great concern due to their persistence once introduced. While there are no know exotic species in our wild rice lakes, the risk is high given the uses of these lakes by waterfowl hunters and wild rice harvesters. Climate change–weather pattern changes, annual precipitation, and temperature changes–all may impact the viability of our wild rice lakes. Opportunities The Stoney Brook Watershed Study will provide a model that will allow for more effective water level management, and identify opportunities for restoration of the original river system, and abandonment of unnecessary ditch segments. The current trend of land purchasing, land use planning, and increased resource management capabilities affords long term protection for portions of the wild rice lake watershed that were unavailable in the past. Increased Resource Management Division staff and capabilities may allow for opportunities to partner with other agencies and organizations to restore, protect, and enhance wild rice growth throughout the Ceded Territories. Goals & Objectives At a minimum, maintain the current program and management. Increase vegetation treatment acreage per annum. Surface water resources The Fond du Lac Reservation includes abundant freshwater resources, with over 3,000 acres of lakes (828 acres of wild rice waters), nearly 44,000 acres of wetlands, and 96 miles of rivers and streams. The St. Louis River, the largest U.S. tributary to Lake Superior, borders the Reservation to the north and east, and approximately 95% of the waters of the Reservation lie within its watershed. All of the waters within the Reservation are believed to be relatively pristine. There are no known or permitted industrial or municipal discharges to the waters, except to the St. Louis River. Historical hydrological modifications to many of the Reservation’s wild rice lakes occurred with the development of the judicial ditch drainage system early in the twentieth century. Currently, a restoration project is underway to gradually restore Rice Portage Lake, one of the most productive rice lakes, to its historical water levels, and to minimize water level fluctuations on Deadfish Lake, thereby enhancing its stands of rice. Shoreline development and the accompanying potential for increased nutrient inputs (septic discharge and lawn chemicals) and erosion are factors that could affect the water quality of several Reservation lakes. By 1998, the Fond du Lac Environmental Program developed and the Reservation Business Committee adopted a set of Water Quality Standards for the surface water resources of the Reservation, setting contaminant criteria and designating uses for 24 lakes and eight streams within the boundaries, and identifying Outstanding Reservation Resource Waters. More recently, the Band has been granted “Treatment as a State” authority by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under the federal Clean Water Act, enabling it to enact and enforce such standards. As a critical tool for implementing these standards, the Environmental Program designed a comprehensive Water Quality Monitoring Plan. Initially a rigorous three-year monitoring project measuring the physical, chemical and biological quality of 24 lakes and eight streams located within the exterior boundaries of the Reservation, it has since been modified to reflect an ongoing status and trends program. This comprehensive database on Fond du Lac surface waters will also permit the Office of Water Protection to develop numerical biocriteria to replace the narrative biocriteria currently in the tribal Water Quality Standards. The data is also utilized to assess and report on the condition of these water bodies and their attainment of designated and aquatic life uses. Protecting human health requires monitoring for indicators that measure the safety of eating fish or other aquatic wildlife, or of swimming and boating. Conserving ecosystems requires indicators of diverse, healthy aquatic plant and animal communities, and indicators are also needed to assure that water quality and sediment conditions can maintain those biological communities. The Water Quality Monitoring Plan was designed to assess indicators for both human health and aquatic life. Atmospheric deposition of mercury is of particular concern in this boreal forest and wetland ecoregion, as biochemical processes enhance mercury availability to the aquatic food chain, bioaccumulating to levels that are hazardous to top predators and humans. Consequently, fish caught in Reservation waters can be dangerously high in tissue mercury content. Criteria for the Water Quality Standards were calculated under an assumed fish consumption rate that is much higher than the state of Minnesota or the Great Lakes region assumes for the general population, as some Band members rely upon fish at a subsistence level in their diet. The Environmental Program has completed several projects that assessed contaminant levels (mercury, PCBs and lead) and characterized sediments of twelve Reservation lakes and the St. Louis River. In 2001, Fond du Lac partnered with the Minnesota Department of Health to collect and analyze fish tissue from lakes and the St. Louis River (preferred fishing waters), using the data to develop specific fish consumption advisories. Groundwater In 2004, Fond du Lac completed its first Nonpoint Source Assessment Report and applied for Treatment as a State for non-point source authority. The Office of Water Protection received its first base program funding in 2005 and is using that support to implement several projects under the following categories: hydro modification, timber harvesting, roads and urban development. The Resource Management Division is also engaged in a major hydrologic study of the Stoney Brook watershed in partnership with Natural Resources Conservation Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. Ultimately, a Stoney Brook Watershed Management Plan will be developed to account for multiple resource management objectives, including wild rice production and stream and wetland restoration. The Office of Water Protection also has identified aquatic invasive species as a major concern for protecting the Reservation’s water resources. The nonpoint source program provides for broad education and outreach to the Reservation community and affected stakeholders, in order to minimize nonpoint source impacts to Fond du Lac water resources. The primary objectives of the Environmental Program are to ensure the protection of valuable ground water resources through the continued closures of abandoned wells, the delineation of protection zones for wells contributing to community water systems, and the development of a wellhead protection plan for the Reservation. The Fond du Lac Reservation boundary encompasses 101,153 acres, of which 43,264 (43%) are wetlands. These wetlands consist of forested (67% – black spruce, tamarack, or black ash dominant; includes bogs), scrub shrub (29% – alder or willow dominant), emergent (3% – sedge, reed canary grass, or cattail dominant; includes wild rice lakes), and open water (< 1% – coontail dominant). Many wetlands on the Reservation have been degraded due to human activities, particularly by ditching, road construction, agricultural and silvicultural runoff, and commercial and residential development. The Environmental Program has a Wetlands Conservation and Protection program that has been active since October of 1998. A Wetlands Protection and Conservation Plan was adopted by the Reservation Business Committee in October 2000. The plan was expanded, updated and adopted by the Reservation Business Committee in February 2006 to become the Fond du Lac Joint Comprehensive Wetlands Protection and Management Plan. The adoption of this plan led to the development and adoption by the Reservation Business Committee of the Fond du Lac Wetlands Protection and Management Ordinance in June 2006. Erosion and sedimentation resulting from storm water can cause significant impact to surface waters. On the Reservation, construction activities have the potential to be a major contributor to these impacts. Since March 2003, the Office of Water Protection has been providing erosion and sedimentation control best management practices oversight of construction projects on the Reservation. This is the result of the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Phase II Construction Storm Water regulations as part of Section 402 of the Clean Water Act. In addition to this voluntary oversight, the Office of Water Protection has also entered into a Storm Water Direct Implementation Tribal Cooperative Agreement to conduct inspections of construction sites impacting one acre or more. Two tribal inspectors have been trained and credentialed by Environmental Protection Agency to conduct inspections on the Reservation. More than 13 projects are scheduled for inspection during the construction seasons of 2007 and 2008. In addition, the Office of Water Protection has been developing the required Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans for nearly all projects conducted by the Reservation, as well as occasional projects conducted by individual Band members.” A long list of concerns and threats to water resources is included in the report. These related to taconite and sulfide mining operations, mercury deposition, nonpoint source pollution and other causes. “Fisheries The majority of the lakes on the Fond du Lac Reservation are small, shallow bodies of water, more suitable for growing wild rice than for the management of any significant fisheries. Many of these lakes do have fish, however, with populations consisting primarily of northern pike), largemouth bass, panfish, yellow perch), and bullhead. Due to relatively shallow water, high abundance of aquatic macrophytes, and substrates composed predominantly of decaying organic matter, many of these Reservation lakes are incapable of supporting any naturally reproducing populations of walleye (Sander vitreus). These lakes are, however, conducive to the production of northern pike, panfish, largemouth bass, and bullhead but are also subject to frequent winterkill. Most of the lakes on the Reservation do have some type of public access, though most are strictly carry-in accesses. The fishery of the St. Louis River is by far the most important one for residents of the Reservation. At least four game fish species can be found in appreciable numbers; northern pike, walleye, smallmouth bass, and channel catfish. The channel catfish fishery remains the highest priority of Fond du Lac Band members who regularly use the St. Louis River’s fishery resources. Much can be done to improve the trout populations on the Reservation. Stream improvements and the removal of beaver and their lodges and dams may improve habitat for resident trout populations. Stocking may need to be a part of future management activity, but shouldn’t be random and haphazard as past stocking activities appear to have been. In addition, regular assessments need to be performed following any stocking efforts. The fisheries in the 1854 and 1837 Ceded Territories are numerous and diverse, from small trout streams in the Superior National Forest, to lakes such as Mille Lacs that are capable of sustaining large walleye populations, to the salmon and trout of Lake Superior. Walleye and northern pike appear to be the most important species to Band members, and are relatively abundant throughout both of the Ceded Territories. A high priority for Band members is a concentrated subsistence harvest at Mille Lacs Lake, where a regular spring harvest season occurs.”Item Grand Portage Nonpoint Source Management Program: A Successful Program/Case Study(2007) Frazier, BradThis is a 15-slide Powerpoint presentation summarizing the steps needed for tribal communities to apply for and implement a federally-funded NPS project. Gives practical steps and examples from Red Rock Creek and stabilization of a beaver dam. The presentation emphasizes the steps needed to obtain eligibility, secure cooperators and partners, apply for base funding and to apply for competitive funding. It notes the need to justify the importance of water resources, and to gain tribal support and endorsement for the project.Item Mothers’ Concerns about Children’s Exposure to Pesticide Drift in the Red River Basin of the North: A Novel Application of Photovoice, Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care 12(2)(Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care, 2012-11) Stedman-Smith, Maggie; McGovern, Patricia M; Peden-McAlpine, Cynthia J; Kingery, Linda R; Draeger, Kathryn JWomen of childbearing age and children living in agricultural regions are at-risk for pesticide exposure from many pathways, including occupational track-in from parents, residential use, dietary intake, and drift from farming. Little is known about mothers’ concerns regarding the potential for their children to become exposed to pesticides in these regions. Photovoice was used as a community needs assessment to learn mothers’ perceptions of exposure pathways to pesticides and other environmental health concerns. This article reports the perceptions of women raising children regarding children’s potential for exposure to pesticide drift. Recruitment occurred among three distinct groups living in the Red River Basin of the North: Caucasians living adjacent to actively treated farmland, enrolled in the Women, Infant and Children’s nutrition program (WIC); Native Americans surrounded by active farmland, affiliated with a local tribal college; and new American Immigrants from East Africa affiliated with a local immigrant development center. Perceived sources of exposure included agricultural-aerial and tractor spraying, and truck fogging for mosquito control. Mothers wanted advanced notice of spraying or fogging so they could take their children and toys indoors as protective measures, and education to prevent pesticide exposure, delivered in tailored formats for each group. The findings provide real-world insights from mothers and prevention strategies that can be utilized by public health professionals, extension educators, and primary care providers with the aim of reducing pesticide exposure to children in agricultural regions. Contents are solely the authors' responsibility and do not represent the official views of any funding source.Item Native American Students' Perceptions of the Manoomin STEM Camp(2013) Kowalczak, Courtney CTribal governments are facing harsh realities as climate change, development, and economics threaten not only the sustainability of the natural resources but also their culture. There is a growing need to recruit Native American students into STEM fields to meet the needs of their tribal communities. Tribal communities are seeking educational interventions that will motivate their young people to go to college and pursue STEM fields that will benefit future generations. The Manoomin (“wild rice” in the Ojibwe language) camp is a place-based American Indian youth science research program based in Cloquet, MN. This camp is a result of partnerships between University of Minnesota researchers, Fond du Lac Reservation natural resource managers, local teachers, Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College, and community members, working together to integrate meaningful research with emphasis on the cultural significance of wild rice on the Fond du Lac Reservation. The study described how the students in the Manoomin STEM camp felt that camp impacted their sense of community, their academic success, opportunities for careers, connection with their culture, and influenced their attitudes and behavior. These results holds out hope that the Manoomin STEM camp model is an educational intervention that will lead to academic success and future generations of STEM professionals.Item Natural Resources of Minnesota Point: Maps and Data in Support of the Minnesota Point Environmental Plan(University of Minnesota Duluth, 1999) Johnston, Carol A; Trauger, Amy; Meysembourg, Paul; Bonde, John; Hawrot, Rita Y; Walton, Gary BIncludes maps and data regarding ecological subsections of Minnesota, information regarding the distribution and relationships of habitats and birds in the St. Louis River estuary, a map and inventory of open space in Duluth, and a map and data from an aquatic habitat survey (fish monitoring) in the Park Point area.Item Northeast Minnesota Economic Development District Midpoint Progress Report(2014) Arrowhead Regional Development CommissionThis is essentially a brief summary and status report of Northeast Minnesota Economic Development District projects. The projects include the Minnesota Woody Biomass Thermal Energy Team; Hazard Mitigation Planning; Go Cook County; Koochiching County- International Falls Economic Adjustment Assistance; Northern Aero Alliance; Two Harbors Planning; Hermantown Planning; Tourism Cluster and Scenic Byways; and Minnesota Association of Development Organizations and Greater Minnesota Development Strategy. While these individual projects undoubtedly have impacts on coastal waters and people, there is not enough detail in this report to draw any conclusions about their nature.Item Regulating a mystery: science, colonialism, and the politics of knowing in the pacific halibut commons.(2011-02) Richmond, Laurie ShannonRecognizing that environmental management is as much about managing people as managing biological resources, researchers in environmental studies have begun to pay increased attention to the human dimensions of natural resources and the environment. However, few of these scholars and managers have focused on the historical context of environmental management and the ways that history shapes people's interactions with natural resource issues. In this dissertation, I utilize a historical approach to examine the experiences of community members from the Alaska Native fishing village of Old Harbor as they interact with the regulatory and knowledge processes of the international Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) fishery. I argue that the colonial history of the United States is perpetuated into the present in the processes that guide the management of fish resources in Alaska. Specifically, I argue that this colonial legacy is exhibited in the politics surrounding Pacific halibut management where Western ways of knowing halibut come to dominate decisions made about the resource while Alaska Native ideas and interests in the fishery are pushed to the periphery. This has required Alaska Native halibut fishermen from communities such as Old Harbor to engage with new forms of natural resource science and management in order to participate in processes governing the use of their local resources. I show that in Old Harbor, the marginalization of local ideas about halibut resources has contributed to significant emotional and material impacts for community members including alienation from regulatory processes that impact their fishing activities and loss of access to fish resources that are essential to their livelihoods. To explore these issues, I employed an interdisciplinary methodology that included ethnographic experience in the community of Old Harbor and the regulatory agencies that manage the fishery, examination of historical and current halibut policy documents, participation in a fisheries science investigation into the growth dynamics of halibut in the waters surrounding Old Harbor, and over 40 interviews and oral histories with Old Harbor community members, halibut managers, and halibut biologists. I examine the interaction between Old Harbor and regulatory agency approaches to three aspects of the halibut resource: (1) Biology - ideas about the biological status of fish stocks and surrounding climate. Fisheries science research conducted with the International Pacific Halibut Commission to examine the changing growth patterns in the annual ring structure of halibut otoliths provides important details about halibut growth patterns and life history characteristics. Discussions with and observations of Old Harbor fishermen show that over the course of a long history of seeking these elusive organisms, community members have developed a number of important ideas about the biology, movements, and change of Kodiak area Pacific halibut. When these two as well as a number of other approaches to halibut biology were brought together in negotiations to develop catch limits for the fishery, Western science approaches to halibut biology tended to dominate the discussions. This domination presented challenges for both indigenous and non-indigenous fishermen who understand the resource in different terms. (2) Place - conceptions and meanings tied to fish in space. Old Harbor fishermen and halibut managers exhibit different approaches to the halibut fishing geography. Top-down spatial decisions made by managers and biologists - about issues ranging from where to place regulatory areas, at what scales to assess halibut, and where to hold policy meetings - have significant impact on the lives and geographies of Old Harbor fishermen. (3) Property rights - understandings of fish ownership. Old Harbor ideas about fish property rights differed in many ways from those inherent in the 1995 Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program that privatized the halibut fishery. The import of a private-property system under the IFQ program worked to erode Old Harbor ideas and systems of property rights within their local fisheries. As a result, the IFQ program contributed to a dispossession of Old Harbor's fish resources and to devastating impacts on the livelihoods of community members. Ultimately, this dissertation advocates that historical and geographical perspectives are essential for understanding natural resource issues. A historical orientation reveals a significant colonial legacy and social justice implications inherent in Pacific halibut management. While Western-oriented management of the halibut fishery has often marginalized Old Harbor approaches to fish, Old Harbor fishermen have responded to subvert, resist, and change halibut management processes in efforts to legitimize and institutionalize their own visions for the resource. They have continually brought their history and places to the management forum and never accepted domination by Western agency ideas about fish. Their efforts combined with the perspectives of managers and biologists who are concerned with protecting the resource provide a path towards imagining a form of fishery management that is both ecologically sustainable and socially just.Item Soil Health Case Studies, Vol. III(Sustainable Farming Association, 2020) Luhman, JaredThe Sustainable Agriculture Case Studies project is a partnership among several organizations and numerous individuals. The project reflects the partners’ understanding that farmers learn best from each other and that strong connections across the landscape will result in wider adoption of effective soil health practices. These new case studies, and a related previous series, are the basis of FarmMaps.umn.edu, a farmer-to-farmer networking tool, adapted to a variety of outreach platforms allowing interested farmers to learn about, connect with, and receive advice from fellow farmers with experience successfully applying soil health practices.Item Source, Spring-Summer 2007(University of Minnesota Extension, 2007) University of Minnesota ExtensionItem Source, Spring-Summer 2008(University of Minnesota Extension, 2008) University of Minnesota ExtensionItem Source, Winter 2013(University of Minnesota Extension, 2013) University of Minnesota ExtensionItem Treasures Under Pressure: The Future of Northeastern Minnesota Lakes - Result of the 1998 Public Workshops: Summary Report(1999) Hagley, Cindy; Kreag, Glenn M; Jensen, Douglas A; Anderson, Keith AThis information-rich report summarizes the results of a survey, roundtable and workshop that took place in 1998 in collaboration with the MN DNR. The report summarizes two parts of the four-part process including a roundtable and public workshops. The roundtable took place on July 27, 1998, in Hibbing, MN, followed by the public workshops on September 11 and 12, 1998, in Duluth and Grand Rapids, MN. Results of the statewide lakes survey are reported separately. A Minnesota Lakes Survey, a collaborative project with the MN DNR, was sent also to 2,000 randomly-selected people statewide and reported separately (not as part of this study). The report includes fact sheets summarizing issues about water surface use, property values and economy, septic systems, water quality, education, planning and zoning, interagency collaboration, balancing individual rights versus sustaining quality, and balancing aquatic and wildlife needs with human demands. Many of the issues and proposed actions appear to be relevant in 2015 and continue to have merit.