Anyone that lives on or near a lake in the Upper Midwest pays attention to the various seasonal events that play big roles in life at the lake. Ice out is always a dominant spring topic of conversation. Life on the shores of mighty Lake Mille Lacs in spring is a classic example. "Well, when's the ice going out" is the first line out of most when meeting at a check out counter or especially at the local pubs. It's been that way forever.

But nowadays, ice out talk at the big lake, for most weekend cabin owners and full time locals and countless out of town anglers, can be a dreaded subject as well. Unlike that forever past, when looking out early one morning and not seeing any ice for the first time in months was a welcomed sight, nowadays that crystal clear, blue rippled water is littered with gill net markers. While most can't find a good legal reason to put their boats in the water for weeks to come, boat wakes are a constant right out their lakeside door.

Some say, "here we go again, it's spring and all the anti gill netting, racist talk comes out about Lake Mille Lacs. Why can't people just accept it and leave it at that?" I suppose the same type of statement was said by a few about most scenarios in this country over the past 200 plus years when their was one group being treated differently than the rest. Since my last talk in this space on the subject, message boards all over the internet have included my views on the subject. Of course, most of the loadest talk , although from a minority of the posters, has been from people who are willing to accept things as they are. That group thinks that people like myself, who advocate equal rights for all skin colors and ethnic origins in this country, are the radicals. Here's a recent, classic posting on the subject: (unedited with the posters spelling and grammer intact)

"Yes, buy trying to prove a point the way he is intending, I rank him right up with an activist/radical who handcuffs them selves to a tree or bulldozer.

When breaking the law becomes part of the protest (just like the protesters at the RNC), you are going to loose a lot of credibility and supporters (IMO).

Yet Steve wonders why no one will return his phone calls? That does crack me up every time I read this article.

Steve Fellegy is the Michael Moore of of the Mille Lacs Tribal netting issue lol "

My oh my! Where do I start when trying to reason with THAT way of thinking? I'll just add my "lol" too!

We have a national holiday in place, respecting the efforts and foresight of a guy who had a dream. A dream that included "all men are created equal". For the most part, that dream has come true. And thankfully so. Thankfully, our government righted a wrong, based on the likes of Rosa Parks moving to the front of the bus.

Many of us at mighty Lake Mille Lacs have a dream as well. A dream that in all reality is far bigger than any walleyes that drown in gill nets as they spawn. We have a dream that ice out, one day, will be a welcomed sight again. Maybe we can even create our own little ice out holiday.

Sadly, even in this day and age, the likes of Rosa Parks need to step up. I doubt history will ever include the likes of Michael Moore in the same text as Rosa Parks! And surely not Steve Fellegy either. But hopefully, when looking out at the pristine waters of mighty Lake Mille Lacs on the ice out date, someday we won't dread what's to come soon after. From the shores of the big lake, many have that dream. I'm moving to the front of the bus, like it or not. It's almost ice out at Lake Mille Lacs. contact Steve Fellegy at 651-270-3383 or sf1954@embarqmail.com