December 26, 2011

First tribal park open to public

Public national park is a tribal first

By Don BehmIn a first for the U.S., the Red Cliff Chippewa is creating Frog Bay Tribal National Park on nearly 89 acres of its reservation and opening the lakeshore property and its views of the Apostle Islands to the public.

The park's canopy of old towering trees--hemlock, white pine, white spruce, balsam fir, yellow birch and white cedar--marks a healthy and diverse boreal forest community, uncommon in Wisconsin even before settlement, Red Cliff Natural Resources Administrator Chad Abel said.

"This is a rare gem," Abel said.

There is no other tribally owned or controlled park in the U.S. open to the public, according to the National Park Service.Comment:  For more on national parks, see Doig Reserve Plans Tribal Park and Indians Left Out at National Parks.

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2 comments:

  1. Shonie7:23 AM

    Monument Valley is a Navajo Tribal park that is open to the public. Has been for many many years.

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  2. Rob8:46 PM

    Yes, I've been there twice.

    I'm not sure what makes this park special. The article calls it a tribal national park, so maybe that's it.

    Of course, I don't know the difference between a tribal national park, a tribal state park, and a plain ol' tribal park. But I suspect there's some distinction between Frog Bay and Monument Valley.

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