After years of study, Fond du Lac Band proposes reintroducing elk to northeastern Minnesota

DULUTH – The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa hopes to reintroduce elk to northeastern Minnesota by 2025, according to a proposal it submitted last week to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

The plan involves moving 100 to 150 elk from existing herds in northwestern Minnesota to nearly 300 square miles of land that includes parts of the Fond du Lac Reservation and the Fond du Lac State Forest in Carlton and St. Louis counties. The site is one of three proposed initially in the region and was chosen because of solid public and landowner support and a good, forested habitat for wild elk, which have been a nuisance to farmers in parts of Kittson County. More than 200 elk live among three distinct herds in that part of the state, a number above DNR goals and the reason for regular hunting seasons.

The band conceived of the idea to restore elk closer to its reservation in 2014, partnering with the University of Minnesota and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. A U study showed strong support for elk and the chosen habitat able to support up to 287 animals.

"The band's Reservation Business Committee believes restoring a wild elk population to areas where band members retain their historic treaty rights is in the band's best interest," Kevin Dupuis Sr., tribal chairman, said in a statement. "Elk have historically been, and continue to be, an intrinsic part of our culture and traditions."

Elk, known as omashkooz in Ojibwe, once roamed most of the state and were an important part of the Ojibwe diet and culture. The last recorded sightings were in Itasca and Aitkin counties in 1890, said Fond du Lac Band wildlife biologist Mike Schrage. Land-clearing and hunting brought them nearly to extinction. Minnesota first reintroduced elk starting in 1913 with the acquisition of wild game from Jackson Hole, Wyo., and north of Yellowstone Park in Montana. Remaining herds are in central Kittson County, near Grygla and one herd that moves between Manitoba and northeast Kittson County.

Elk can adapt to a variety of habitats, Schrage said.

"Most elk are found on prairies, but they live quite nicely on leaves and twigs and grasses," he said.

The proposal isn't "written in stone," and Schrage expects to work closely with the DNR and with input from the public through the process. An important piece, he said, would be plans from both the band and the DNR to manage the elk once transplanted. If the public doesn't support nearly 300 elk, that number could be adjusted, he said.

The northwestern Minnesota population goals are specific to that area, said Barb Keller, leader of the DNR's big-game program. The band's elk proposal is under review, she said, but removing elk from the Kittson County area is a way to help meet those population goals. A region of central Wisconsin similar in landscape to northeastern Minnesota introduced elk from Kentucky in recent years.

The majority of land in the proposed restoration area is forested and in state, county or tribal ownership. The plan has elk moving in stages over three to five years as their numbers exceed DNR goals in northwestern Minnesota, and includes provisions for health screenings and monitoring. The animals would be humanely captured and transported in cattle trailers over the roughly 300 miles across the state, Schrage said, noting that elk have successfully been moved from Arizona to West Virginia.

Long-term, elk would provide hunting for tribal members and others, and restore a species likely to adapt well to climate change, he said.

Jana Hollingsworth • 218-508-2450