Shared Care for Leech Lake Tribal Lands, Chippewa National Forest Emphasized at Event

Adventures in Lifelong Learning in Bemidji looks to continue education for people of all ages. On Tuesday, they highlighted the importance of not only learning about the future, but also preserving the past and the heritage of nationally registered areas like the Chippewa National Forest.

Following the return of land to the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in December of 2020 by the U.S. Congress, the preservation of history and heritage became important to work on as some of the returned land resides in the Chippewa National Forest.

Working in conjunction with the tribe, the Chippewa National Forest Heritage Program presented why working to establish more sites within the forest is important toward these preservation efforts of both Minnesota history and Native American heritage.

“For so long, we experienced disassociation, removal from places that were important for us,” said Amy Burnette, Leech Lake Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, “so when we have evidence like this that we can see today, it’s important for our children to be able to see that stuff and have a physical connection to place.”

Other projects the Heritage Program is working on include further evaluating the Red Lake/Leech Lake Trail and a youth archaeology program.