By Mary Blitzer
Stewards advocate for policies related to water, forests, and wildlife.
Forests and Wildlife
The Forest and Wildlife Stewards hosted Keith Karnes, tribal forester for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, at their most recent meeting. Keith presented ideals and protections for tribal forests in Northern Minnesota and shared the projects he is currently working on in the reservation. The tribe’s refreshing goal is not to maximize dollars, but to restore a natural ecosystem, including old-growth forests.
The team is also encouraging everyone to take the Minnesota Off-Road Vehicle Visioning Survey. Those who care about the expansion of motorized recreation in Minnesota will want to take this survey. The Forests and Wildlife Stewards team are especially concerned that the DNR's new Off Road Vehicle Master Plan will not adequately address environmental concerns, including degradation of water quality and biodiversity, the spread of nonnative invasive species, and climate change impacts from the promotion of significantly increased motorized recreation. This is a multiple-choice survey and can be completed quickly. It is also important to fill out the public comment box at the end. Comments are due February 28th, 2021.
Waters and Wetlands
The Waters and Wetlands Stewards are continuing to prioritize the issues of agricultural pollution, wake boat legislation, and microplastics. Did you know that microplastics have now been found in human placentas? On a more optimistic note, last week the team discussed the introduction of the "Incentivizing 100% Soil Healthy Farming Bill" to the Minnesota Legislature. The Stewards are enthusiastically behind this effort and intend to support it however they can.