Upnorth85, you sure come on this site whenever you think it is beneficial to tout the natives, sorry but I am going to call you out on these comments.
“Of course I’m biased, but I would go as far as to say that the tribes wrote this plan that is obviously beneficial to the state. The tribes proposed the specifics of this plan.”
I have been involved in discussions on ML for a lot longer than you have. While I am not allowed to attend the FTC Meetings, the DNR does provide me with the presentation materials and notes from the discussions. I attend all the MLFAC Meetings and although I applied to be one of the MLFAC members, after I inquired why I was not chosen, someone with direct knowledge in the DNR informed that those making the decisions on members thought there was someone more qualified in my lane, old white guy.
The DNR provides me with their modeling data, their creel survey data, LL Surveys, and any other data I ask for.
I was also provided an advance copy of the 5-year plan for review and input. My reply, it looks like the natives wrote this. The response back was the natives had input about what went into the plan.
Just FYI, before any notes can be published by the DNR, first the notes have to go to the natives for their input and updates. That is why it takes months for the notes from the FTC and MLFAC meetings to get added to the DNR Mille Lacs Web Page. The notes from the last 2 FTC meetings are still not up.
I was also the person who found the net that had been left out of CC Access and took the picture that was put on TV in the metro. I was also provided with DNR Report on this issue and the corrective actions the natives took and the folks responsible for leaving the net.
Now to your comments: For at least the past five years I have been pushing the DNR for three things. 1) A three-year plan, 2) Allow an overage as the science support this, 3) stop with the conservative shutdowns.
The DNR’s repeated responses, year after year, the natives will not allow a multi-year plan, the natives will not allow an overage, Parson’s comment that the DNR sets the goal at 50% of our allotment “so that he can sleep at night.”
The real reason there is a change here is that the DNR was pretty much backed into a corner during last Oct MLFAC meeting over the fiasco from last summer. The amount of heat on the DNR at the meeting left Parson scrambling for cover. He was forced to agree to visit Tutt’s Bait in Garrison and listen to their customer’s feedback on lake management, and went out with Tony Roach for a day on the water to get a real feel for how many fish and forage was in the lake.
One last comment, it was told to me personally by someone very involved from the DNR side in the FTC meetings, that science does not drive the decisions coming out of FTC and managing the lake.
I can’t stop, apparently the natives now want to be able to spear muskies and thus are now in support of starting to stock muskies again.
I also attend the nettings at CC each year as from my lake viewpoint, I can see all the nets set out from Doe Island. From my perspective, the netting is handled very well. I also don’t have a beef with the netting, my beef has been with the DNR being forced to take a conservative approach to management because of the natives. If you’re there this year, keep an eye out for a black ram pickup. I’ll sometimes strike up a conversation with the native conservation officers.
I much prefer Upnorth’s input.
That was entirely too long to just say you know alot of DNR people and breaking! The tribe runs the show!
