Where’s Cookie????

Cookie it might be the last time you get to use the cheatmaster on Red if the natives get it all back plus a mile buffer strip of real estate.

Just got an Amber alert for red lake, anyone else?,

glenn57 wrote:

Just got an Amber alert for red lake, anyone else?,

Yes, sad stuff.

So this will be more about asking for everyone’s support. If you have not heard the red lake nation has taken steps federal and state to acquire all of red lake and a 1 mile buffer zone around the lake. They would take big bog state park, the boat ramp access Plus the red lake state forest. I beleave there top priority is getting control of the lake. This has put a emotional toll on all it effects. Our best bet is to start asap e- mailing or calling as many of the state senators and reps from your districts and others districts as well. If they were rewarded a mile around the lake we would lose our home, business, and waskish would basically be gone. There would be no access to the lake .
This is a small community. This effects every hunter,fishermen,and visitor to the area.
My great grandpa Norman came here in 1909 and homesteaded here. my grandmother Olga was born and raised here. She lived her entire life here 92 years. She raised 3 children here. My dad John was going home to bemidji from waskish when he was tragically killed in a car accident. He was only 38 years old. This winter we had our great grandson here to make it 7th generation. This is Mary K Kunesh 39 dfl. Anyone in here district needs to call and or email her. even if you are not in her district call or email to oppose the land back bill 651 296 4334. This is 34 dfl John a Hoffman 651 296 4154 Grant Hauschild 03 dfl 651 296 1789 all the support we can get would greatly be appreciated.

I googled Mary K Kunesh looking for an email address and there isn’t one so I am going to try to add a link to the website, otherwise just google her name and it will pop up and you have to fill out a email form to send a message.

https://www.senate.mn/members/member_bio.html?mem_id=1242

Holy crap the link worked. Lets try and blow up this idiots email guys, even though I doubt she will read them.

Email sent

I really hope this doesnt gain traction for all the people who live in the area, but I fear the worst.

here is the letter my brother wrote
Dear XXXX

My name is Warren Halvarson and I am writing you to voice my vehement opposition to your calls to cede the remainder of Upper Red lake to the Chippewa tribe. My family has continuously lived and maintained a property on the shores of Upper Red Lake, in Waskish, for over 100 years and at least 6 generations.

The family property is a symbol of our ancestors overcoming enormous homesteading hardship and their attempt at obtaining the American Dream. My grandfather, John Halvarson, died of spinal meningitis after clearing land to make it suitable for farming. My grandmother lived alone and persevered on her own for 40 years after her husbands death. She welcomed many visitors over the years to enjoy her hospitality and the beauty of the area. My father John Halvarson died in a tragic car accident in Bemidji in the early 1970s and our family property is the only tangible thing that remains of his memory.

I have countless memories of swimming in Red Lake with my grandmother, cousins and siblings. Countless memories of campfires and enjoying the awe inspiring gallery of stars overhead. Countless hours spent fishing and communing with mother nature in all her splendor. A price cannot be put on the sentimental value that the lake and the surrounding wilderness has in our hearts.

While I can appreciate the intent of the perceived virtuous pursuit of appeasing the native tribes. They already control the majority of Upper & Lower Red Lake. Any attempt by you or any other officials to change existing agreements, treaties and boundaries is in my opinion Unconstitutional and profoundly unjust to people that have lived on the lake over the last 100+ years.

Please consider the economic impact of removing the area from general visitation. Please consider the emotional impact on the families that currently live there and make their living there. Please remember the profound beauty of the lake and general area is a gift for countless future visitors to cherish and behold. Sequestering this resource to a few designated few is discriminatory in nature and robbing the greater population of it’s grandeur.

Two wrongs don’t make a right. Let the natives hold what they have already and let the people who homesteaded the area keep their homes and rights. That is the right thing to do. We must all learn how to live together in peace and harmony,

I have heard back from a few senators and reps all saying thay are against the land back the bill is hf4780 and sf5080
i was also able to track down waltz e- mail Tim,[email protected]

cookie wrote:

was also able to track down waltz e- mail Tim,[email protected]

FYI that is not Walz’s email. You have to complete a form here:
https://mn.gov/governor/connect/contact-us/contact-form.jsp

cookie wrote:

i was also able to track down waltz e- mail Tim,[email protected]

Good luck getting an actually response from him. Good to hear about the senators who replied.

Here is a link to the MN Senate district map showing which party holds the seat. Scroll down. The DFL only holds a 1 seat majority so convincing just one of them to vote against it would stop it. Anyone know where these DFL senators stand on it?
Grant Hauschild district 3 (far northeast)
Rob Kupec (Detroit Lakes to Moorhead)
Aric Putnam (St. Cloud)
Nick Frentz (New Ulm)
MN Senate Map

I will start with a fishing report since I know someone that went fishing on friday and what thy caught. Jonny boy escorted Darrin, big tony and 2 young ones Mason and Major. Tony did bring the cheatmaster 3000 fish catching machine. Most say you still have to get them to bite. The area they fished; I think someone with upper red lake knowledge could have found them without the machine. Jonny boy shared a video of them catching the ever-elusive yet still catchable upper red lake crappies. It looked pretty exciting for all involved. It sure set off many memories of landing on the motherlode. Upper red lake has given who knows how many fisher people the best fishing of their life. I’m not kidding either. Let’s hear some stories! on the facebook pages. Back in the 80s we were here visiting grama Olga enjoying our time here eating, fishing, swimming, The hammer, I and my good friend the Greek. “Grama gave him that nickname because he gave her some some greek seasoning salt ! She also gave me my nickname Cookie when I was just a baby. Anyway back to the fishing story we were trolling spinners because that was the best way. The hammer and greek were catching left and right I could not get a bite. After they had caught many fish, I finally had the big one. It was fighting so good. as we scooped it up, I caught a rock with a little hole in it the hook had gone right in it.
The next day was quite the opposite as I had the hot hand as they both struggled to catch a fish. It might not have been the best fishing that weekend, but it is one of a million stories to remember and share.
I’ve caught my biggest crappie here, the hammer has caught her biggest who knows how many others have? I have caught my biggest pike here as well as the hammer. She has also caught here biggest walleye her on a grand lake that owes us nothing.

Well, a little good news. Writing our senators and reps has paid off for now. The bills have been tabled which means they suspend
consideration of a bill indefinitely. That sounds like it could be presented again but not this year. I feel we still need to keep a eye on what the federal level is doing. We all need to keep letting Amy Klobuchar http://www.klobuchar.senate.gov Also Tina Smith. smith.senate.gov let them know how we feel.
We encourage all to join upperredlakeassn.com.
This news from the beginning upset quite a few people. I know it was always burning on my mind. It also has made me think about all the times I’ve been here starting in 1966. My mom left our step farther Carl and we came up here from Colorado in a 1956 lite purple Cadillac. We left when he was not around, so he had no idea where we had gone. We arrived here sometime in the early summer. Every day we could we were playing in the lake it was so much fun on the real windy days. We would run full speed into the water tell it made us fall down. I hate to say I’m too old for that now. We also had our uncle Pete and aunt Bertha next door. I do not know how but we were all small enough to crawl through the culverts in the ditch. My real dad came up at some point, so he was able to take me fishing. I would get seasick and crawl up in the bow of the boat. Sometimes I would throw up chumming in the water. My dad encouraged me to keep pucking as it helped the bite. We also got to meet our cousin Stan. He was maybe 12 13 years old. For some reason he took me, my sister and another kid fishing. At some point we ran out of gas way out in the middle of the lake. So we were trying to ore back as a storm was coming. We were getting pushed around in the waves and lost one of the ores. We had no clue we were in any danger. At some point we lost the other ore. Then after a while one of the ores came next to the boat. We were laughing throwing minnows at each other splashing each other. That’s probably how we lost the oars. Then what seemed out of nowhere a big boat pulled up and rescued us. We did not even know we needed to be rescued. When we got back here, we wanted to go down and play in the big waves. It was a firm no. That was 58 years ago.

That is great news Cookie!

Good to hear Cookie, but this will come back up again. We need to vote to change anything for real here.

If I understand right Senator green is going to present a bill to try and make it where these things are studied. Shared with all involved before they try slipping in a bill

That’s good news cookie.

All the various bills that were presented to give MN land to the tribes were presented by the same political party. If you don’t think we should be giving our land away you shouldn’t vote for the party that has been attempting to do so.

How is the ice melt coming along up on Red Cookie?

ice out was the 7th 8th

wow been 5 months since i posted anything. The fishing this summer has been bad, good, great, so so. I think I only got skunked twice. We did find a few elusive yet still catchable upper red lake crappies but not what we expected. Although some fishermen with the cheatmaster 3,000 did get on to them. I believe Alabama is trying to make them illegal. The guys using them Ice fishing have dialed them in pretty good.
At this time we should have the same fleet to rent this year. We are looking for a couple more big ice castle to rent for customers. They pick a few dates when they come up the house is on fresh ice ready to go.
I again will be doing less of the manual labor as the old body just cannot keep up to the young guys. With bear hunting started our books are open and we have taken a few reservations at this time. Old minnesota took a beating last year and does have some major repairs we need to tackle, it always hard to get going on the projects during the summer.as there always so much going on including work. I’ve been rehabbing my body as being 64 is catching up.
Blue thunder needs a new starter installed. The red baron still needs a transfer case. Rusty trusty has been fired up and moved a couple times. black beauty will again be my lake beater she only has 1rst 2nd and reverse. We also may have acquired a custom-made house and will give it a name and put on our website when it’s a done deal.
Jonny boy will again be handling finding the fish for the houses to be placed. After last years cruddy ice everyone up here are hoping for a much better season of ice. Thats it for now on a grand lake that owes us nothing

An update from Cookie means my favorite season can’t be far away!