BECKER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Becker County and tribal leaders meet to thresh out issues with White Earth Forest bill

Nathan Bowe — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 23:17:06 GMT

DETROIT LAKES — Becker County commissioners and White Earth Tribal Council members engage in some spirited back and forth at a meeting to talk about proposed land transfers of White Earth State Forest and Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge.

The special Becker County Board meeting was held Tuesday before a packed commissioner’s meeting room at the courthouse in Detroit Lakes.

White Earth Chairman Michael Fairbanks and White Earth Secretary-Treasurer Michael LaRoque did not attend – they were meeting with state legislators in St. Paul, according to White Earth District II Rep. Eugene Sommers.

The meeting got off to a slow start, first because of technical problems getting the video feed working to an overflow seating area upstairs, then because commissioners spent 20 minutes talking to an executive recruiter working on finding candidates for the county administrator position.

“I don’t want to rush into this,” Commissioner Barry Nelson said of the search. “If we don’t have the right candidate pool, don’t rush it. Let’s take our time and do it right.”

Marijuana and comprehensive planning were originally on the meeting agenda, but they were taken off at the request of the White Earth delegation. So the meeting focused on White Earth State Forest land transfer legislation.

“We genuinely believe our legislation is a win-win for residents of Becker County,” Sommers told the commissioners. White Earth forest “gets progressively smaller,” he said, and that means less space for public use.

Because the forest is so deeply tied to tribal culture, “White Earth Nation is the only entity that can be trusted to never sell off this land,” Sommers said.

Commissioner Erica Jepson said she was concerned about the loss of payment in lieu of taxes (PILT) funding from the state.

Sommers said Becker County now receives about $130,000 a year in PILT funding from the state for White Earth State Forest land.

“The White Earth Nation is more than capable of paying that,” he said. “This is not a new process – it’s common practice.”

Sommers also said that the PILT revenue would roughly double under tribal ownership.

Commissioner Nelson said the proposed land transfer “has a lot of people on edge – there are a lot of worries. I don’t see how I could support directly transferring it to tribal ownership.”

One worry, he said, is that current White Earth leadership could change, and new leadership could bring different policies towards the White Earth Forest.

“There’s a lot of talk on social media,” Nelson said. “Some tribal members want to take the land and kick people off.”

That got Sommers a little upset. “You’re basing things off assumptions and social media comments,” he told Nelson. “We’re basing them off facts and law. We’re all family – I’m probably related to some people in this room – we’re not going to kick our family off tribal land.”

There’s a lot of fear out there, a lot of people looking at the negatives, but “there’s so many positive things nobody is talking about,” Sommers said. For one thing, White Earth would regulate the hunting season, and is able to be more flexible than the Minnesota DNR, which would be good for local hunters. The tribe is looking at introducing buffalo and elk to the area, which would be good for hunters as well, he said.

Off-reservation resorts would also be able to offer tribal gaming to their customers, he said.

“We have a lot of people coming to us with concerns,” Commissioner Jepson said, “There are concerns from townships in northern Becker County and concerns among farmers,” due to new White Earth agricultural policies.

“We’re not here to talk about ag – please stick to the agenda,” Sommers said.

There has been a lot of concern expressed by non-tribal members about keeping access open to property and hunting land in White Earth State Forest, but White Earth District III Rep. Cheryl “Annie” Jackson noted that the proposed land transfer legislation “has been amended to keep it open.”

Others have voiced concerns about emergency responders being shut out and not being able to quickly respond to calls from the White Earth Forest. But Jackson said that “Our DNR staff works hard, too. Our police and our ambulance are usually the first on site, so I don’t see a problem with that, either.”

“The access you have now is the same access you’ll get,” Sommers said. “White Earth is an open reservation – we’ve never kept people out. Currently on the White Earth Reservation – everyone is welcome to hunt and fish.”

White Earth Executive Director Laurie York noted that the land transfer bill includes a five-year window to work out problems with the transfer. “It’s not a request for an immediate transfer, it would happen after five years,” she said. “We’re here to correct the misinformation.”

But Commissioner Nelson said that, as written in the bill, the five-year window favors White Earth.

“After five years, if there is no agreement, it goes to tribal rule. It’s done, it goes into tribal ownership – no more negotiations,” he said. “If a trail or a road or a hunting lease is opposed,” White Earth will have final say, he said.

Sommer said he could not speak for White Earth, but would personally not be opposed to extending that five-year window “so we could work out a really good deal that would benefit us all.”

Nelson said that the county’s concern about non-tribal members losing access in the White Earth Forest is based on past experience. “It’s real, it’s happened before,” he said, noting that the county had to reroute access roads through tax-forfeited land after long-established lease-holders were denied access on tribally-owned trails.

Sommers said White Earth needs to do a better job with its signs,explaining why certain areas are being closed off.”A lot of no-trespass signs are actually protected land,” he said.

“Some of the unique biomes on White Earth grow our medicines,” he added. “We had cases where ATVers tore up all our medicines – it took years to grow them back.”

The Minnesota DNR also restricts land when necessary, Jackson said.

Nelson also said that northeastern Becker County “has a substantial logging industry,” and said some of those loggers “are very dependent on those cuts.”

Two non-tribal members currently log on tribal lands, and a healthy forest requires some logging for maintenance purposes, Sommer said.

A lot of benefits could come from tribal ownership, he added.

“There’s a lot of things we can do for those resorts – our Class 2 gaming opportunities, implementing buffalo and elk into those lands – that’s exciting for hunters – and we will stock fish into those lakes. We’ll probably replant the forest, restore the trail system, and return the White Earth Forest to its previous glory.”

Commissioners thanked the White Earth delegation for coming and said it had been good to meet people and talk face to face.

But the County Board had earlier passed a resolution opposing the state forest land-return legislation, and commissioners Nelson, Jepson and David Meyer said the meeting had not been enough to change their positions.

Nelson urged White Earth to get re-involved in the county natural resources management committee by sending a representative on a regular basis, which would help the county avoid impacting forest areas that are important to tribal members. “We’d love to have input from tribal sources,” he said.

And the tribal delegation invited commissioners to come up to White Earth next time to meet and eat and talk over their concerns.

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Watch: Becker County commissioners and White Earth Tribal Council talk land transfer

News Staff — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 13:12:26 GMT

DETROIT LAKES — The Becker County Board hosted a meeting with the White Earth Nation on Tuesday, April 9, at 8:15 a.m. in the Becker County Courthouse Boardroom to talk, among other things, about the proposed land transfer of the entirety of the White Earth forest from Becker County to White Earth Nation.

There was no allotted time for public comment on the agenda.

During the Becker County Board meeting on Tuesday, April 2, Interim County Administrator Carrie Smith said representatives of the White Earth Nation asked for two items to be placed on the agenda: a discussion regarding marijuana and a conversation about comprehensive planning. Both those items were removed prior to the meeting at White Earth's request.

Becker County Commissioner Barry Nelson said he would also like to discuss the White Earth Forest land transfer that state legislators have proposed with Senate Bill 3480 and House Bill 4304.

This is a developing story; check back for updates.

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Becker County Commissioners set meeting with White Earth Tribal Council to talk land transfer, marijuana

Barbie Porter — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 21:00:24 GMT

DETROIT LAKES — The Becker County Board will host a meeting with the White Earth Nation on Tuesday, April 9, at 8:15 a.m. in the Becker County Courthouse Boardroom (913 Lake Ave., Detroit Lakes).

There is no allotted time for public comment on the agenda.

Becker County Commissioner Barry Nelson said he would also like to discuss the White Earth Forest land transfer that state legislators have proposed with Senate Bill 3480 and House Bill 4304.

Both bills were introduced by DFL representatives from the Minneapolis area. On April 2, a third author was added to the House Bill, Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura, DFL-Minneapolis.

The White Earth Forest spans 160,000 acres in Mahnomen, Clearwater, and Becker counties. The majority of the forest is within the boundaries of the White Earth Reservation. The forest has motorized and non-motorized trails, a boat launch, primitive camping opportunities, a fishing pier, a historic sight and a rest area, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website.

Nelson said he would like to ask tribal leaders what the county could do better in regard to land stewardship. He said that he would also like to know why tribal leaders believe they would be better equipped to manage the land.

Commissioner Richard Vareberg said he would like to know how the lives of enrolled tribal members would improve if White Earth were to own the forest.

Vareberg also expressed concern for property owners in the White Earth State Forest area, and how the land transfer would affect them.

White Earth Tribal Chairman Michael Fairbank has publicly stated the forest and its 65 miles of roads (and 70 miles of snowmobile trails) would remain open to the public, much like the 2,000 acres of former Potlatch land by Lower Rice Lake that White Earth purchased several years ago.

According to a June 2016 article by Lakeland PBS, the land purchase came with stipulations to keep all current accesses open, allowing the public to hunt and fish during appropriate seasons, and that the land could not be placed in a trust. The article noted if the conditions were not met, the land ownership would revert back to the state.

Nelson also expressed concern over how the land transfer could impact those who utilize the forest. He noted that while Fairbanks stated the forest would remain open, that could change. He pointed to a recent White Earth Nation Tribal Court hearing that the public was invited to attend. However, on the day of the hearing, the public was not allowed into the courtroom.

“Their input could change in a blink of an eye on what they want,” Nelson said. “It can change so fast, so you can go to committees at the state, and say this will stay open for the public forever, and in the blink of an eye, it can change. That type of behavior, at a simple meeting like that, shows, in my opinion, what can happen if that transfer happened.”

Commissioner John Okeson said while the public wasn’t allowed into the hearing, he was able to testify along with Smith and Becker County Sheriff Todd Glander.

Smith said that she submitted a written response on behalf of the county after the meeting in White Earth. She said the correspondence was similar to what was sent to the state Legislature, which included the County Board’s resolution opposing the land transfer and written testimonies. She noted that the letter also expressed the county’s disappointment about public participation being restricted at the Tribal Court hearing.

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Becker County Board opposes, vows to fight White Earth Forest transfer

Nathan Bowe — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 02:29:23 GMT

DETROIT LAKES — The Becker County Board voted unanimously on Tuesday for a resolution opposing the transfer of 155,000 acres of the White Earth State Forest over to the White Earth Band of Ojibwe.

Then the commissioners upped the ante by approving up to $15,000 to pay for a lobbyist to fight the bill in St. Paul.

“I just don’t know where to start with this — this is so overwhelming with such a short time frame,” said Commissioner Barry Nelson, noting that the first hearing on the bill is set for Thursday in St. Paul.

“It has moved so fast,” added Board Chairman John Okeson. “It went from no (legislative) hearing date Saturday, and here we got a notice yesterday that there’s a hearing on Thursday … Businesses in the area are very, very concerned about losing that property up there.”

The bill also gives the White Earth Band the first option to buy any tax-forfeited land offered for sale in the forest.

The bill (Senate File 3480 and House File 4304) was sponsored by state Sen. Mary Kunesh, DFL-New Brighton, and Rep. Aisha Gomez, DFL-Minneapolis.

“The bill is changing as we speak,” Nelson said. “They are now wanting first right of refusal on (the sale of) private property … I just don’t know how you can do that. And the DNR has not been brought in. There are so many red flags on this, it’s just mind-boggling.”

State Sen. Rob Kupec, DFL-Moorhead, on Saturday, called looking for feedback on economic impacts to Becker County, said Interim County Administrator Carrie Smith.

“We need to inform the legislature of the fiscal loss,” to townships and the county, said Commissioner Erica Jepson.

“If we lose tax-forfeited land, we’ve lost revenue to schools, the townships and the counties just through (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) and timber sales,” Nelson said. “Hunting, camping, hiking, picnicking, snowmobiling, ATV, UTV, horseback riding, bird-watching — we have a huge bird-watching event in Detroit Lakes — boating, access to boat ramps, kayaking, swimming, canoeing, cabin leasing — the list is huge.”

Most of the White Earth State Forest is within the borders of the White Earth Nation. Property there is a mix of state-managed and county-managed tax-forfeited land, tribal land, and privately-owned homes and land.

There is a lot of concern about people losing access to hunting land and trails and even losing access to their property.

“The tribe has closed access to roads before, well-established roads,” Nelson said. “You’re putting your head in the sand if you don’t think it could happen. It’s a systematic way of getting what they want in the end. What is the gain? Native Americans have full access now — the only thing is to close this off to others.”

The White Earth State Forest is split roughly evenly among Becker, Mahnomen and Clearwater Counties.

In its resolution, Becker County listed several reasons for opposing the bill:

The transfer of state-managed forest lands to the White Earth Band would restrict legal access to Becker County-managed tax-forfeited land. Access to public and privately owned land would be restricted if state lands were transferred to tribal ownership. The transfer would affect a host of recreational activities and businesses that depend on them in the area, hurting the local and regional economy. Access over state forest roads, forest trails and lake accesses would be restricted, making it more difficult for local emergency responders to provide help in the area when needed. Counties and other local units of government would lose out on current PILT funds paid to them by the state.

Several Becker County commissioners and department heads plan to attend the hearing in St. Paul on Thursday, some in person and some remotely over Zoom.

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Becker County's K-9 Cooper retires with honors

Nathan Bowe — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 23:46:17 GMT

DETROIT LAKES — K-9 Cooper has arthritis in both hind legs and a front wrist, and has seen a lot of action, but he wears his battle scars proudly. After eight successful years with the Becker County Sheriff’s Office, the police dog will officially retire at the end of this year.

But he will be missed. Cooper and his handler Deputy Cody Bouchie, originally from Bemidji, have made a name for themselves across northwestern Minnesota.

They were called in to help track a murder suspect in Red Lake County who was on the run for nearly a month, according to Becker County Sheriff Todd Glander. Authorities found Eric Reinbold hiding in the woods near an abandoned homestead in Pennington County. In January, Reinbold was sentenced to 40 years in prison for murdering his wife.

The K-9 team of Cooper and Bouchie were honored at the Becker County Board meeting on Tuesday.

At just over a year old, K-9 Cooper started patrol work for Becker County in the spring of 2016, and first showed his tracking prowess a few months later in July, when he and Bouchie searched for a suspect that had disappeared into a big cornfield and was hiding somewhere in those several hundred acres of corn. They emerged scratched up and tired, with the man in custody.

But it was in November of 2017 that the Cooper-Bouchie K-9 team really showed their stuff. They were called in to help find a man who took off on foot after crashing his vehicle — which held multiple pounds of narcotics — into trees during a police chase that ended on a trail in rural Becker County.

When the K-9 team arrived, the trail was already 30 minutes old, but Cooper’s nose and stamina couldn't be beaten, and they began tracking the suspect, launching a search that took about two and a half hours and lasted for nearly 7 miles — through swamps, heavy brush, open fields and trails.

The suspect was eventually found hiding behind a downed tree and arrested by the Becker County K-9 team and White Earth police officers.

While it might be going too far to say that Cooper, like the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, always gets his man — he actually has gotten his man most of the time.

The dog has been deployed about 85 times and has helped make an arrest 75 times. “Out in the swamps, in the middle of the night, rain, cold, snow — it didn’t matter,” Glander said. “When we called them, they were on their way.”

K-9 Cooper also has a nose for sniffing out drugs, and took first place in the narcotics category in a K-9 competition in 2017, Bouchie said, adding that the dog’s largest drug find on the job was one pound of methamphetamine. Cooper has also been involved in “countless other narcotic finds on traffic stops and residence searches,” Bouchie said.

And the dog has “continued to succeed in multiple areas, primarily in tracking fleeing individuals,” he added. Cooper has been called on to track lost and missing people, some with special needs or dementia, and has found several of them.

He found three people who fled from a stolen vehicle at one time, and also found five people in the attic of a residence, to name a few successful incidents. “They’ve done some amazing feats,” Glander said.

K-9 Cooper's service to Becker County and the surrounding area “has kept an unknown number of residents safe in their home, because he has been able to locate, and we are able to get the individual in custody,” Bouchie said. “If K-9 Cooper and human partners would not have been able to get those individuals in custody, it's unknown how many would have broken into a residence to continue to flee and take the occupants hostage or burglarize their residence.”

When he’s not after the bad guys, Cooper is very friendly and loves people. “He has visited many schools and been petted by hundreds of kids,” Bouchie said. “K-9 Cooper is a very loving dog and will be transitioning to retirement soon.”

During a recent vet visit, arthritis was found in both back hips and his front wrist, and the 9-year-old dog is not quite as energetic as he used to be. So K-9 Cooper will enjoy his retirement at the Bouchie home with another family dog (a yellow lab) and his five human family members.

“Many thanks to the administration at the sheriff's office for encouraging and supporting the K-9 program,” Bouchie said. “And a big thank you to the community for supporting the K-9 program — without support from all aspects, it would not have been possible.”

K-9 dogs usually serve from seven to 10 years, and when Cooper was about 5 years old the sheriff’s office brought on a second K-9 dog, named Durman, who is still active with the department.

Glander said the office will start fundraising for a new K-9 dog, which will have a new handler who has not yet been determined. The second K-9 unit will ensure the department has continued service when Durman retires.

Bouchie has no plans to leave the sheriff’s office, but will now give another deputy the chance to be a K-9 officer.

“The community and businesses have been incredibly generous with donations,” Glander said, “and we will be asking for donations again.”

It cost about $25,000 when the sheriff’s office added K-9 Durman in 2019. That money paid for the dog, extensive K-9 team training, and equipment.

But it’s well worth the cost.

Glander said a K-9 team brings an element to police work that new technology can’t replace. “We have drones now that assist us with searches, but they can’t replace a K-9,” he said. “About two weeks ago, we used both to capture a felon.”

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