DETROIT LAKES — A bill in the Minnesota Legislature would transfer thousands of acres of DNR-managed state forestland to the White Earth Nation, and a northwestern Minnesota county has voiced its opposition.
During a meeting Tuesday, March 5, the Becker County Board unanimously approved a resolution against the proposed land transfer.
The White Earth State Forest was established in 1933, and most of its 155,394 acres are within the boundaries of the White Earth Reservation, which spans across portions of Becker, Mahnomen and Clearwater counties.
The forest has 65 miles of dual-purpose forest roads and 70 miles of snowmobile trails; and offers recreational opportunities like dispersed camping, hunting and snowshoeing. This includes a portion of the North Country Trail, a national scenic route that stretches across eight states.
While tribal officials stated in a news release that public access in the forest would continue if the bill were to pass, Becker County commissioners, like Barry Nelson, aren’t convinced.
"This is at a time when the state is moving forward with a new Minnesota office that aims to catch us up with states that are marketing outdoor recreation as an economic boost for creating jobs and drawing visitors, and we're going to eliminate this type of acreage from public access?" Barry said.
"Now I know the tribe says that they are willing to keep this open in this bill, but we have no control. Once they get that control, they don't have to abide by what they said in a letter. And if the tribal council changes, then they can change it on a whim."
Becker County commissioners and staffers plan to testify in St. Paul on Thursday, March 7. The bill will have its first hearing with the Senate Environment, Climate and Legacy committee.
“There's so many people from here that don't have any place to go,” Becker County Commissioner Richard Vareberg said. “[The White Earth State Forest is] where they walk, that's where they bike.”
Introduced by DFL state Sen. Mary Kunesh, the bill proposes transferring all state-owned lands in the White Earth State Forest to the White Earth Nation. The transfer would exclude school trust and tax-forfeited land. But the bill includes language giving White Earth the first right of refusal should local governments sell their tax-forfeited parcels.
In a Star Tribune article, Kunesh, a Standing Rock Lakota descendant, said the bill is “an acknowledgment of White Earth Nation’s sovereignty and their inherent right to manage their lands as best they see fit.”
The White Earth Reservation was established by a federal treaty in 1867, and, like many other tribal nations across the United States, it lost millions of acres in the following decades with allotment-era policies like the Dawes Act.
“The White Earth Nation intends for public access in the forest to continue and be carefully balanced with conservation, restoration, and stewardship goals – a model common in state and federal parks and forests,” stated the White Earth Reservation Business Council in a news release.
“Preservation of the land for future generations is a priority for the Nation, demonstrated by the Nation’s history of being strong stewards of the land. This transfer does not mean taking of private lands.”
If the bill were to be signed into law, the transfer wouldn’t occur until 2029.
“We want to ensure all Minnesotans continue to enjoy the beauty and serenity the White Earth State Forest offers for generations to come,” White Earth chairman Michael Fairbanks stated in a news release.
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