Jason Schlender Delivers Remarks to the Congressional House Appropriations Committee in Washington DC

On February 25-27, the congressional House Appropriations Committee heard testimonies from over 90 tribal leaders and representatives about issues and policy priorities for Fiscal Year 2026.

Jason Schlender, Executive Administrator of the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC), spoke on Day 3, detailing GLIFWC's role in the Ceded Territories, its importance to member tribes, and the benefits the Commission provides to all communities in the upper Great Lakes region… Read More

Waawaashkeshi harvest up by a third in Ojibwe Ceded Territory

By Travis Bartnick, GLIFWC Wildlife Biologist
 

Look for more whitetail wiiyaas at feasts, family gatherings, and ceremonies this ziigwan. Over the 2024 off-reservation tribal hunt, Ojibwe hunters registered 831 deer from the 1836, 1837, and 1842 Ceded Territories. The harvest total marks a significant uptick—about 35% higher compared to the 616 deer registered in 2023—in white-tailed deer treaty hunting success in the territory spanning portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and… Read More

Ice spearing culture camp lures in school of grown-ups

By Jenny Van Sickle, Staff Writer

On the eve of the Sucker Moon, a log cabin style multi-purpose building in Lac du Flambeau, Wis. came alive for a second night of carving and painting fish decoys as the aromas of warm bread and wild rice soup filtered through the air. 

Voigt Intertribal Task Force representatives Gerry Mann and Lyle Chapman organized the three-day camp with Lac du Flambeau’s special events committee member, Charlene Theobald to encourage… Read More

For research or pelts, BMPs illuminate the good path to humane trapping

By Charlie Otto Rasmussen, Editor
 

Ashland, Wis—At first glance through a door window, the space conjured the trappings of so many police procedurals, forever streaming on network television, as men and women dressed in matching aprons pored over examination tables. Inside, overhead lights illuminated a series of white polymer tables, while the clinking of scalpels and forceps on stainless steel pans accented low murmurings about trauma and tissue samples.… Read More

Trapping for beaver remains a time-honored tradition

By Bay Paulsen, Staff Writer

It only took a few minutes of walking away from the rural parking spot to reach a space where “civilization” melted away, where the only sound of the unnatural world was the faint buzz of trucks and commuters driving along the nearby highway. The snow on the ground, several inches to a foot in depth, and the soft clumps clinging to the trees helped to dampen the fading noise. Ojibwe fur trapper, GLIFWC’s Travis Swanson, led the way through… Read More

Weweni amwaadaanig ogaawag

Let's eat walleye safely

The return of extended sunshine after a long cold winter means spring ogaa (walleye) spearing season is on the horizon. As families begin to prepare for spring harvest activities, food safety is a top priority. GLIFWC’s Mercury Maps can help you and your family make informed decisions about where to harvest ogaa and how much is safe to eat.

Like all fish species, ogaawag contain mercury, a contaminant that can have negative health impacts, particularly… Read More

Anishinaabe Insights: A closer look at TEK - Indigenous knowledge finds its way into science & policy.

By Michael Waasegiizhig Price, GLIFWC TEK Specialist

In November 2021, the President of the United States issued an Executive Memorandum ordering all federal agencies to integrate Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK) into federal decision-making. This memorandum is meant to strengthen relations between federally recognized tribal nations and the federal government, as well as tap into the rich wisdom that Indigenous people possess about the landscape. But what does this… Read More

The word is out on Ganawenindiwag agamiing (They take care of each other on the shore)

By Rob Croll, GLIFWC  Climate Change Program Coordinator 

When Cherie Hagen, Lake Superior Unit Manager in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Office of Great Waters, heard Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve (LSNERR) and GLIFWC staff share a presentation on Ganawenindiwag: Working with plant relatives to heal and protect Gichigami shorelines at the 2024 St. Louis River Summit she was excited about this new resource and started thinking about how her… Read More

Copperwood project updates A funding shortfall & GLIFWC report details potential mining waste threat

By John Coleman GLIFWC Environmental Section Leader 

Protecting and restoring Buffalo Reef Final Alternatives Analysis released

By Esteban Chiriboga & Jennifer Vanator GLIFWC Staff