Mark Ojibway wades in shallow water looking for walleye during the spring spearfishing season at the Chippewa Flowage on the Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation, Sunday, April 14, 2024, near Hayward, Wis. Walleye numbers in some lakes are dwindling due to warming waters, increasingly variable seasonal changes and lakeshore development. Losing the species would mean losing a food source for Ojibwe and other Indigenous people, a sovereign right to fish and a deep connection to tradition and nature.
“We’ve seen things here over the last couple of years that I’ve never seen before,” said Brian Bisonette, Gabe’s uncle and the conservation director of the Lac Courte Oreilles Conservation Department. “It worries me, what I’ve seen in my lifetime, what’s my grandson going to see in his lifetime?”A big boost for a climate solution: electricity made from the heat of the Earth
Today, wardens at every boat landing work to keep people safe, but incidents still happen from time to time. Bisonette can laugh at the notion of people screaming “go back to where you came from” at Native people, but still carries the weight of past run-ins. “It would be scary for anybody,” he said. “You like to think time heals everything, but it still doesn’t.”
The goal is an accurate picture of the fish populations of inland lakes, which the DNR gathers in partnership with tribal conservation partners and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. Pooling their data, experts across all groups are noticing signs of change. Martin has seen waters altered by other factors like development, too. After the pandemic, in his work as a roofing contractor, he saw business skyrocket on the lakefront homes that attract remote workers and tourists alike.
“That knowledge held by tribal elders seems to be receiving more widespread acceptance,” and science is both supporting and learning from Indigenous knowledge, Rasmussen said.Many Northern Wisconsin tribal members have watched the influx of people into their small community, coming for the promise of a “climate proof” getaway thanks to its abundant supply of fresh water, relative safety from sea level rise and warming-but-still-cold winters.