Citizen input mixed on Forestry Center plans

Close to 100 people gathered Tuesday to talk about the future of a place they all love, the Cloquet Forestry Center.

Although University of Minnesota representatives presented the transfer of the Cloquet Forestry Center to the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa as a mostly done deal - with only the details left to be negotiated - that didn't stop people from sharing their opinions on the proposal. And that was the intent, said Karen Diver, former Fond du Lac tribal chairwoman and now the university's senior advisor to the president for Native American affairs.

"We are all neighbors in this room," Diver said, laying the ground rules. "We've been neighbors for centuries. We may have differences of opinion on the direction of where it may be going ... but we will listen to each other respectfully."

The Cloquet Forestry Center is a 115-year-old research facility spanning 3,400 acres run by the University of Minnesota, but it was originally part of the Fond du Lac Reservation, purchased by timber companies in 1908 with the intent of creating an experimental research forest. For roughly 115 years, students have joined researchers to work on projects - many of them spanning decades - and learn how to be foresters.

University administration now want to return the land to the Band, one of many actions to improve relations with the state's tribal communities.

Opinions on the land transfer varied widely, with some advocating for joint management of the land, others looking for a better process, and tribal members asserting the Fond du Lac Band's right to the land that is theirs under the 1854 La Pointe Treaty.

Bemidji's Pete Aube, a forester who's worked his entire career in Minnesota and now serves as chair of the Forest Resources Council, argued to keep the forestry center and its research going, to slow down the process and make sure things are done the right way.

"This is not about land, this is an institution," Aube said. "There are thousands of us that learned how to practice forestry, and used its research to improve decisions and investments in Minnesota land for 120 years. ... Continued on Page 20

We need it to continue to contribute for the next 120 years."

Wayne Dupuis, Band member and former head of the Fond du Lac Natural Resources department, pointed out the Band ceded millions of original acres to what is now the state of Minnesota.

"We have 100,000 acres that's been marked as our homeland. This, what you call an institution, is our homeland. It's 3 percent of our home base," Dupuis said in response to Aube. "I hope we do this in the right way, too. I think there's ways that we can partner. But this is our own land, it isn't your institution."

"When we do get the land back, we'll take good care of it," said Charles Smith, Fond du Lac Ojibwe language program coordinator, after a long speech in Ojibwe. "Our rice lakes are proof of that."

What next?

The questions came mostly from nontribal members.

Carlton County land commissioner Greg Bernu - who introduced himself as Class of '81 Forestry School - asked two questions. The first was addressed to Brian Buhr, dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Science.

"Once the lease on this property runs out in the future, is the School of Forestry going to continue the forestry program or are we going to pass it off to Bemidji State, because I know they've made a play for a forestry school as well?"

Buhr later assured the crowd that the university has "no intent" of stopping the forest resources program.

Bernu also asked about public access to the forestry center, with its trails and 200-year-old red pines.

"Current use of the forestry center is pretty much open to all citizens in the state of Minnesota. I am wondering if that will continue or ... if you'll need to have a pass to enter these lands if you want to recreate," referring to current laws applying to non-Band members.

Part of the tension seemed to come from missing details regarding the transfer.

Former U of M president Joan Gabel pushed for a transfer with no strings attached when she addressed the Board of Regents finance committee a year ago. Current Fond du Lac tribal chair Kevin Dupuis told the Minneapolis Star Tribune in 2021 that the Band wants to use the land for "natural reasons," and not for research that was not historically shared or explained to the tribe.

Dupuis did not attend the meeting. Nor did any current tribal council members. At least two tribal council candidates were present, Bruce Savage and Bryan "Bear" Bosto.

Diver assured the audience that ongoing negotiations include a transition period, so the university can continue to educate forestry students and conduct ongoing research while they determine what happens next. But the timeframe is unknown, as is any future home for forestry, or all the ongoing research on the lands that make up the forestry center.

Cloquet city councilor and Fond du Lac Band member Lyz Jaakola encouraged people to think long-term.

"We need to be very mindful of relationships as we move forward," she said. "Because as far as I know, my family's still gonna be here. Your families are still going to be here. We want to do as best as we can to be role models for our young ones who will be taking care of this place in the future."

Process questions

Several speakers criticized transparency from the university and questioned the process.

Al Alm, the last surviving retired CFC faculty member expressed frustration with what he called a "secretive" process, which did not involve graduates or others who have worked at the forestry center.

"I'm not sure why that happened when there are people around here that knew about this place, its history and how it operated along with the positive relationship with the Band in the past," Alm said.

Carlton County commissioner Gary Peterson (speaking as a private citizen outside his district) said the university should have begun its public outreach much sooner.

"We're putting the cart before the horse," Peterson said. "We need these kinds of listening sessions so we can gather all the input, all the different sides and pros and cons before any decisions are made."

University spokesperson Jake Ricker declined to provide the Pine Knot with any documentation of the memorandum of understanding between the Fond du Lac Band and the university. However, he shared that items being discussed include possibilities for continuing existing research on the land; collaborative models for initiating new research; opportunities to build mutually beneficial education, research and engagement programs; and other opportunities for the Band and the university to partner.

Ricker also confirmed that there has been no formal action by the Board of Regents, just an understanding that there is an intent to return the land established last February.

"I'm interested in how a president can tell a Board of Regents that this is gonna happen," Aube said. "It seems to me our trustees and our regents put the university on the road and our administration carries us down that road."

Since she initiated the process, Gabel left for a job with the University of Pittsburgh. The University of Minnesota recently announced three finalists for the job. Any formal land transfer will have to involve the state legislature as well as the university.

Diver wrapped up the meeting, thanking the audience for their respectful commentary.

"I would challenge you to ask in your heart: Does it matter so much, as long as the relationship continues and the work continues?" she said. "It's about making meaningful respectful relationships ... as we look at new ways to take care of this place that we all love."