by Cordelia Frykman
Special to the Star News
The new park at Big Elk Lake in the western reaches of Sherburne has been a historic undertaking by local county officials.
The park, officially named Two Inlets at Bdé Heháka - Omashkooz Zaaga’igaans Regional Park on Nov. 7, 2023, represents a partnership between the county and three tribal partners. “Bdé Heháka” is Dakota for “Elk Lake,” and “Omashkooz Zaaga’igaans” means “Elk Lake Little” in Ojibwe.
The tribal partners have strong ancestral ties to the area and important cultural connections to the land. The Upper Sioux Community, Lower Sioux Indian Community, and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe are the tribes collaborating with the county on land management.
“Before even purchasing the land, a Phase 1 archaeological survey was conducted with many shovel tests and lots of pedestrian surveys,” said Gina Hugo, Sherburne County Parks director.
A Phase 1 survey causes relatively little disturbance to the land.
“We opted to do the traditional knowledge route in lieu of the Phase 2 archaeological survey, which is more invasive than a Phase 1 survey,” Hugo said. “A Traditional Cultural Place survey evaluates the landscape from a cultural perspective and draws on the Traditional knowledge of Tribal partners, as opposed to evaluating the landscape from an archaeological perspective. This method is completely noninvasive, involving no disturbance.
“So the Traditional Cultural Place survey is what requested input from elders and spiritual healers, and that culminated into a traditional cultural survey report.”
The report determines that the land is culturally significant and thus eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
Construction for the first phase of development is scheduled to begin in 2026. A parking lot should be ready by fall 2026, along with interpretive features that will educate the public on the land and its features.
Portion of the park is already open to public
A portion of the park, located at 6001 104th St. SE in Clear Lake, is already open to the public. There is one trail so far, and more will be added as native prairie gets planted and additional trails are mowed. A new entrance road and parking areas will be constructed during the first phase of development, which is scheduled for 2026. The land is flat and can accommodate many mobility devices. In later stages of development, more accessibility features will be added.
The development will be mostly restricted to mowing trails through prairie, putting up educational material, and ensuring there is enough parking. A community or park center building is not in the plans.
“I have gotten the impression that the less we do to that land, the better,” said Hugo regarding her work with tribal partners.
Cheyenne St. John, preservation officer with the Lower Sioux Indian Community, notes that this relationship isn’t typical.
“Tribal historic preservation offices have a very specific nexus for involvement and that requires the use of federal funds,” she said. “This was not, at the time we engaged, a federal undertaking.”
In other words, Sherburne County was not required to involve tribal governments, and usually, a county doesn’t reach out, since it is not a rule.
“They knew that the location of Big Elk Lake has ancestral significance to both the Anishinaabe tribes and Dakota tribes, so in an effort to have a more inclusive and collaborative consultation around the project, they engaged with tribal partners,” St. John said in reference to Sherburne County.
Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe commissioner pleased to be at table
In agreement is Kelly Applegate, commissioner of natural resources with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
“As a Tribal nation, we fight for being at the table,” he said. Often there is no opportunity for tribal governments to get involved, but in this case there is. “We were right there before any ground was broken, before anything was cleaned up.”
He expressed that this partnership is a “shining example” of how local governments can ensure Tribal involvement in land management with respect for spiritual and cultural traditions, something he says tribes have always pushed for. “We would love to see other counties follow this as an example,” Applegate said.
A main Tribal contribution is the ability to understand the history and significance of certain areas within the land parcel.
“Within each of the Tribal historic preservation offices, there lies varying levels of cultural expertise,” St. John said. Each Tribal government involved got a chance to survey the landscape and provide their own cultural expertise.
Tribal elders and spiritual practitioners help by identifying and confirming significant features and cultural resources. Some areas initially proposed for amenity development are now being avoided due to cultural significance.
Applegate explained the approach Tribes take to examining the land. “Rather than using so much Western type of science – digging things up and examining things under a microscope – there are other ways to achieve a sense of understanding on that land through a spiritual realm,” he said. “Western science can find answers to things, but it can also be disrespectful in the ways it’s implemented, and with this park we really want to focus on a respectful way to treat that land and not cause further harm.”
That respect extends to how the public will be using the land. Some areas will be unavailable or have limited activities.
Attention to sensitive areas will be limited
“We don’t tend to call attention to sensitive areas, but we do advocate to identify certain areas that should not be accessed by the public and provide the explanation why,” St. John said. For less sensitive areas, such as where significant medicinal plants grow, more public access and education will be available.
Applegate stressed the long history of Tribal relationships with the land, going back to before the U.S. existed as a country.
“Things like sugar bush, the maple trees, the different plant resources, the medicines that grow in the forests and throughout the prairies that are there, all of those are important to tribal people. Those are a few of the things that make it unique and different from what people think of as a standard county park.”
Outreach to area schools planned
Hugo said there will be outreach to local schools, both to teach students and to involve them in conservation efforts.
One avenue of learning would be showing students how to identify and harvest different native plants.
“We have a vision for doing that in partnership with educational institutions, such as the St. Cloud State American Indian Center,” she said. “We have connections with the staff there, and then there are indigenous cultural liaisons within several of the schools in Sherburne County where we can provide cultural enrichment for the indigenous students on the landscape.
“Those are kind of the visions we have in sight, and how those may evolve in the coming years is really exciting.”
There will be educational opportunities for students of all ages, as well as members of the public.
Not everything has to be tied to traditional uses, said Hugo – the main priority is to provide an opportunity for people to connect with nature and enjoy the benefits of outdoor activity.
County park will increase visibility of indigenous people
Applegate is excited that the park will increase visibility of indigenous people, both their traditional culture and modern presence: “We’re here today and can still use the resources and land that were guaranteed under the treaty.”
“It’s great to see that there are state agencies and even county agencies that are taking the initiative to be Tribally inclusive,” St. John stated. “There is a lot of traditional ecological knowledge that exists within Tribal communities, and these are standard and historic and best practices for managing the land. It’s been done for eons, and we are now seeing more interest in trying to exercise that across multiple locations and landscapes, which is really exciting.”
Most Popular
Comments / 0