White Earth Nation, federal agency sign co-management agreement for wildlife refuge
Agreement expands the tribe's role in managing lands, wild rice beds and forests at Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge
White Earth Nation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service signed a multiyear funding agreement Tuesday that expands the tribe's role in managing the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Minnesota. According to reporting from MPR News, the agreement takes effect July 1 and directs about $400,000 to White Earth Nation to help manage water, wild rice beds and forests on refuge lands within the reservation. Tribal staff will work alongside federal employees under the agreement, which follows a memorandum of agreement and co-stewardship agreement signed in 2024.
The agreement was established through the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975, according to the reporting from MPR News. White Earth Nation Chairman Michael Fairbanks said the agreement is part of the tribe's broader effort to reclaim a role in managing treaty lands. Refuge Manager Kent Sundseth said public access and visitor experiences at the refuge will remain unchanged while tribal and federal staff work together on conservation, habitat management and educational programming.
- 1.MPR News.
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