Almanac: Red Lake Band of Chippewa designates land as wolf sanctuary

The Red Lake Band of Chippewa adopted a wolf-management plan last week that designates the tribe's 843,000 acres in eight counties of northern Minnesota as a wolf sanctuary to preserve wolves and their habitat. The plan emphasizes that the tribe has ultimate authority over wolf management on tribal lands.

"The council wanted to make it clear that no matter what the state does, the tribe will determine what happens to wolves on tribal land," said Jay Huseby, Red Lake Department of Natural Resources wildlife director.

The state has developed a management plan it would use when, and if, the federal government removes wolves from the endangered species list and turns management over to the state. That pending action prompted the tribe to adopt its plan.

Huseby said the plan formalizes how the tribe has been managing its wolves. It doesn't prevent removing problem wolves, "but we will do everything we can not to go to that measure," he said.

An estimated 100 wolves roam the tribe's lands. State biologists estimate the entire state's wolf population at about 3,000. Huseby noted the wolf represents a "minor clan" of the band, and their importance in Chippewa culture is highlighted in legends and oral history.

Muskie stocking A proposal to stock muskies in five new Minnesota waters to boost muskie fishing opportunities continues to draw fire. Waters that might be stocked are Roosevelt Lake in Cass and Crow Wing counties; Upper South Long Lake and Lower South Long Lake in Crow Wing County; Tetonka Lake in LeSueur County; and the Sauk River Chain of Lakes in Stearns County.

The Waterville Lakes Association, Waterville City Council and LeSueur County Board oppose muskie stocking at Tetonka. And Mike O'Brien, president of the Lower South Long Lake Improvement Association, said there is significant opposition from both Upper and Lower South Long Lake residents. "We're concerned it would bring more invasive species, like Eurasian watermilfoil and zebra mussels, to our lakes," O'Brien said.

The DNR is considering several options, including an 18- to 26-inch slot or four-fish bag limits. Fishing on Winnie has improved after 11 years with the slot, said Chris Kavanaugh, DNR area fisheries manager. "The abundance of fish has increased, and the angler catch rate has doubled," he said.

The meetings are 6 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Bug-O-Nay-Gee-Shig School on Hwy. 2 between Cass Lake and Bena, and 6 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center Training Room in Grand Rapids. People also can comment from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 29 at the DNR office in St. Paul or submit comments through Oct. 22 to chris.kavanaugh@state.mn.us.

Crane hunting So far the DNR has sold 1,523 crane permits for the first-ever hunt going on now in northwestern Minnesota. That's considerably more than DNR officials had expected. "I think it's mostly early goose hunters buying these, but we'll see what happens when the big flights of cranes arrive during the next couple of weeks," said the DNR's Bill Penning. He expects hunters to harvest about 500 cranes. The permits cost $3.50.

Did you know? North Dakota says its fall duck flight should rise about 20 percent from 2009. The nonresident season opens Oct. 2. The state's pheasant population, meanwhile, is up 34 percent from last year, but is still down about 40 percent from peak years of 2003-2008.