Early Release Weekly Newsletter
Behold our Heritage, Share our Future
Electrofishing (Fish Shocking)
The Natural Resources Department has been conducting walleye surveys on various lakes throughout Washburn, Burnett, and Polk Counties.
These surveys are conducted in the fall of each year, beginning at dusk. The primary objective of these surveys is to assess the natural reproductions of the walleye populations in both stocked and naturally reproducing waterbodies. An electrofishing boat is driven once around the shoreline for these surveys. The boat is equipped with shocking devices (above) that temporarily stun the fish. The fish are then netted and placed into a recovery tank in the boat (below).
Once recovered, the collected fish are measured for length. Additionally, scale samples are taken for any walleye between six (6) and twelve (12) inches. These fish scales are similar to rings on a tree stump and will tell biologists the age of the fish. This can be useful to determine year class strength for the waterbody and forecast upcoming spawning populations. After length measurements and scale samples have been collected, fish are returned safely back into the water.
Click here and here for two short clips of the fish shocking!
Thank you, Don Taylor, Jake Didier, and Jimmy Barber for your important work!
Red Cross Blood Drive
The St. Croix Tribe is hosting a Red Cross blood drive on Wednesday, October 19th, 2022 in the Tribal Center gymnasium. The drive runs from 9am to 3pm and there are still spots available.
Please visit the below website to sign up. Donating blood saves lives!
Schedule a Blood, Platelet or Plasma Donation | American Red Cross (redcrossblood.org)
Make sure to select the drive “St. Croix Tribal Center”. There are still many open spots. Donating blood saves lives!
Tribal Government Job Openings
Paraeducator/NA Liaison (Spooner School)
Historic Preservation Admin Assistant
Full job descriptions are available by clicking on the job titles. Please contact Tiffany Iorns, [email protected] or ext. 5196, for additional information.
HHS Job Openings
BH Grants Manager/Case Manager
Full job descriptions are available by clicking on the job titles. Please contact Shaurette Reynolds, [email protected] or ext. 5133, for additional information.
Please spread the word to your friends and family members about our open positions!
Elder Luncheon
October 27th in Turtle Lake from 12pm-2pm.
Attending elders will receive $50.00 in Turtle Bucks! Elders may bring ONE guest. Elders and guests working in Tribal Enterprises will be allowed the day off with pay. Please contact Lisa Reynolds at #715-349-2195 ext. 5116 or Leah Reynolds ext. 5169 for additional details.
Celebrating 24 Years!
The St. Croix Tribe would like to thank Kelly Bertuleit, Benefits Director, for 24 years of dedicated service.
“October 2022 marks 24 years of service for me here at St. Croix Tribal Government, and now 57 trips around the moon on 10/12/2022. I really enjoy working with all the employees here at St. Croix & being able to assist the Tribal members with their needs. Growing up in the Hertel area gives me an advantage of knowing many of the community members & elders for many years. I have been told “It’s not a job when you enjoy what you do” – I pride myself on being an honest person and so here it goes… I love my co-workers and most days I love my job! Be Well & Be Kind, Kelly“
Tax Commission Community Meetings
Tax Commissioners are planning community events in Round Lake and Maple Plain on Tuesday, October 18th and in Danbury on Wednesday, October 19th. They will be present to help Tribal members complete tax-exempt forms for various needs. This is for Tribal members residing on the reservation.
10/18/2022 from 10am-12pm @ Round Lake Community Center
10/18/2022 from 1pm-3pm @ Maple Plain Community Center
10/19/2022 from 9am-11am @ Danbury Community Center
This will be a great opportunity to meet Neil Oustigoff Sr., who is new to the Tax Commission office, joining existing Tax Commissioner Jeff Taylor.
Gillnetting
Tribal harvest management allows for gillnetting ogaa (walleye) and maashkinoozhe (muskellunge or musky) in off reservation lakes throughout the ceded territories. The fishing is highly regulated, with individual lake quotas and a nightly permitting system. Tribal creel clerks or wardens count all fish harvested from nets, regardless of species. After counting, walleye and musky quotas are adjusted based off the allowable harvest, to ensure lake quotas are not exceeded.
On Tuesday evening 10/11/2022, Conrad St. John and Michael Belisle set four gillnets in Shell Lake, Washburn County. On Wednesday morning 10/12/2022, the 100-foot nets were pulled in. If Tribal members have an interest in gillnetting, or have more questions on this process, please reach out to Conrad St. John. Included below are some photos of the process!
If you’d like to watch a short clip of a net being pulled in, click here.
Glifwc.org. 2022. Inland Fisheries. [online] Available at: <https://glifwc.org/Fisheries/Inland/> [Accessed 12 October 2022].
If you would like an item featured in the weekly newsletter, please email Maggie Olson at [email protected].
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