EARTH DAY 2024 THERE IS NO PLANET B
By Mashkodebizhikigahbaw, Benji Sam
Each year, the discussions around resources, management, collaboration, and sustainability are had at every major level of government across the world. What kind of world do we want to live in? What kind of world are we leaving our children?
Earth Day, a now internationally celebrated holiday across the world, was established to take a step back and have these difficult conversations and recognize that our footprint on Mother Earth may be larger than we care to admit. As an avid outdoorsman and lover of the land and water, it often pains me to travel to lakes, rivers, forests, and trails that are filled with garbage, waste, and ignorant practices around single-use items such as plastic bags, bottles, and so much more.
The impact our society is leaving on this Earth is one that may define our generation. We have a chance to become stewards of the land and water, but so many must rise to the occasion to clean the mess left behind by just a few. More outdoorsmen are becoming more aware of the rising issue in our freshwater left behind by the vast minority of all fishermen as well as the generally low likelihood that fellow outdoors folk are the culprits in contributing to the need for annual Adopt-A-Highway or -Shoreline. There is a large push in the outdoor world to pick up at least one piece of trash every time we enter the woods or venture out on our favorite lakes, and the sad reality is you don't need to go searching very far to find that piece of trash.
In an effort to continue building healthy habits and maintaining a healthy ecosystem here on Mille Lacs, the Mille Lacs Band Department of Natural Resources and the office of each respective District Representative promote an annual Adopt-a-Shoreline project across all three districts of the Mille Lacs Band. According to the MLB DNR records from 2023, a total of 110 participants signed up to donate their efforts in just one singular day to commit to healing our waterways. Across all districts, nearly 60 yards of trash was collected across just a few miles of shorelines in our great communities.
To put this into perspective, 60 yards of trash is estimated to weigh well over 12,000 pounds. And to put over 12,000 pounds into perspective, this is about the size of three 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 trucks' worth of garbage from our shorelines alone. You read that correctly. Our districts collected over three full-size trucks' worth of trash from the shorelines of lakes and waterways in each of our districts alone!
And while this is an amazing feat, that our people joined together to collect garbage and waste off the shorelines in our beautiful communities, this is but a drop in the ocean compared to the grand scheme of garbage and waste dumped into local lakes, Band owned properties around the state, and into the ditches we drive above every day. Earth Day is meant to celebrate remembering what it means to be a steward of the land, and while most don't pollute excessively, there are still those who do. "My wish to share on this upcoming Earth Day would be to hope that we can help each other keep our streets, water, and woods clean and free from dumping and misuse," said Susan Klapel, the Mille Lacs Band Department of Natural Resources Executive Director. "Maybe if we can all work towards recycling more, cutting up our recycling materials, and taking care of our trash in the rightful way, we wouldn't have to have these Adopt-A-Shoreline days," Klapel said.
As part of celebrating Earth Day and spring cleanup, public works is once again offering spring clean up dates across all districts to help residents reduce their trash, waste, and throwaway items to help keep our world in a better place. District I dates are April 20 to April 28, District II from May 4 to May 10, and District III from April 13 to April 14.
Another theme the MLB DNR is going to carry into this year's Earth Day, is the promotion of reusable bags for groceries and shopping, to help promote less single-use plastic bags. The MLB Climate Specialist, Peter Okoro, advised that the use of reusable bags could help reduce our carbon footprint immensely. He indicated that billions of single-use plastic bags go to waste each year in the United States, and it takes millions and millions of barrels of oil just to create these single-use bags. By doing something as simple as using reusable bags we can help promote safer practice for the next generation. Look ahead for Mille Lacs Band printed reusable bags as part of the spring cleanup and Earth Day celebration to come.
While it might not seem like much, with one person using a few less plastic bags a year, the return on impacting our planet can be felt tenfold when we as a community can rise together and stand for Mother Earth, as she has stood for us time and time again. And while you're still at it, maybe plant a tree this spring during the annual tree giveaway presented by the MLB DNR. This year, members can choose from a variety of trees to plant, including highbush cranberry, American hazelnut, American plum, choke cherry, paper birch, red maple, red pine, or white spruce trees. No date has yet been set for the tree giveaway days. For more information on tree distribution, please watch the MLB DNR Facebook page or contact Jacob Horbacz, Forester, at 320-630-5752.
If you have any questions or concerns, or want to sign up for the Mille Lacs Band Harvesters Text Alert Thread, please contact Lead Licensing Agent for District I Leroy Day at 320- 532-7896 or email at Leroy.day@millelacsband.com. If you have signed up previously you do not need to sign up again. For harvesting declaration the DNR also urges fishermen to use the declaration link on the MLB website, DNR Facebook page, or to utilize the new QR code on previous page to declare landings for harvesting in 2024.
