1854 Treaty Authority News

Here are the answers to the "Dressing for Winter" word scramble printed in our Biboon newsletter. Remember to be safe and prepared this winter!!

1854 Treaty Authority's Biboon newsletter features reminders for harvest activities this winter and safety tips for the outdoors, including the impacts from salting our frequently traveled areas. Check out the plans for the Prospectors ATV Trail, and catch an interview with one of the ceded territory’s rare bow hunters. Find it under the Education and Outreach page...

For some, the sub-zero weather means one exciting thing: thickening ice on the lakes! EVEN IN WINTER we need your help to stop new aquatic invasive species (AIS) from coming into new lakes.

1854 Treaty Authority has just updated our new Infested Waters list, showing all waters in the 1854 Ceded Territory that have an AIS infestation. Although there are a few new editions to the list, efforts to stop the spread of new aquatic infestations are proving to be quite successful, with less than 5% of MN waters being infested.

Here are a few things you can do to stop the spread of AIS:

• Make sure to empty all bait buckets and/or drain the bait buckets you are using. Some infectious diseases and smaller AIS have been known to hitchhike from one lake to another by travelling in contaminated bait water. Not only is this good practice, it is also the law to not transport any water from one lake to another.
• Check your ice auger and fishing gear to make sure it is clear of any vegetation. Some aquatic vegetation can stay viable during winter months and frozen temps, and survive frozen temps.
• Look at the origin of your bait. Even if it is dead or frozen, it could still be infected with exotic viruses. Verify your bait came from a “VHS free zone”  and has either been harvested from MN waters or has been preserved under a “bait preservation permit”. All legal bait will have this explicitly stated on the label. 

A public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday December 7th, at 6:30pm at the Sandy Town Hall (County Rd 303 and Hill Rd). Wildlife managers and agency partners will give a presentation on cooperative wild rice and water level management efforts on Big Rice Lake over the past 30 years. Avid ricers, waterfowl hunters, trappers and other stakeholders are invited to discuss Big Rice Lake history, management and current conditions. *Participants are encouraged to bring any photos of Big Rice Lake as historical evidence of water levels.

Anyone who is interested buy cannot attend is welcome to send comments to Tower Area DNR Wildlife staff: 218-300-7860

1854's October 2016 newsletter features reminders for hunting this fall, an amendment to our Conservation Code, and how a partnership successfully tackled an invasive species at the Bois Forte Heritage Museum. Meet our new employee, learn more about navigating our updated website and get the skinny on what our staff has been up to. 

Welcome to our updated website!! In an effort to keep up with technology we needed an upgrade, but also got a face lift. Don’t let the reorganization scare you- all the same resources are available on the new site. For instance, you can find pertinent info, like seasons and bag limits under Quick Links. Treaty Harvest has all the necessary information for exercising rights, including codes, forms, postings, regulations, and links to resources. Find old newsletters and organization publications under Education and Outreach. And fear not, Wild Rice Condition Updates will still be available in 3 locations: under Management, Quick Links and on the slideshow during ricing season.

Please bear with us as we work through the kinks, and feel free to drop This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. a line if you are having trouble locating or accessing something.