The Forest Service and 10 Chippewa Tribes of the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission entered into an agreement December 1998. The parties include are the Chequamegon-Nicolet (Wisconsin), the Hiawatha, Ottawa and Huron-Manistee (Michigan) National Forests; the Bay Mills Indian Community, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Indians, Bad River Band, Lac Courte Oreilles Band, Lac du Flambeau Band, the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin, the Sokaogon Chippewa Community of the Mole Lake Band an dthe Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians.

The agreement (Memorandum of Understanding Regarding Tribal - USDA-Forest Service Relations on National Forest Lands Within The Territories Ceded in Treaties of 1836, 1837, and 1842) deals primarily with the exercise of the Tribes' treaty rights to gather wild plants on National Forest lands within the areas ceded in those treaties. Information about the agreement can be found on this web page. The Forest Service and Tribes have accepted comments on the agreement and considered suggestions which may clarify or improve the agreement. The Revised Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Explanatory Notes concerning the revised MOU are the result of this comment opportunity.

The Forest Service seeks public feedback on the MOU on an ongoing basis. In order to be incorporated into the annual review meeting in 2007, all comments are due by the end of August 2007. See the Feedback Request Document for more information.

Original Memorandum of Understanding

Revised Memorandum of Understanding

Off-Reservation National Forest Gathering Code (Appendix A)

Tribal Self-Regulation Agreement (Appendix B)

Tribal Wildernesses, Research Natural Areas, and Vehicle Permit Areas

Campground Fee and Length of Stay Restriction Documents

Implementation Plan - May 2000

Exemption Agreement - May 2000

Campground Listing - June 2008

As part of the MOU, the Forest Service and the Tribes have agreed to meet annually to review progress made on implementing the MOU, and to discuss issues that may affect the MOU. The agreement also states that the Forest Service will accept feedback from interested citizens about the implementation of the MOU at any time throughout the year, but will also provide an opportunity for feedback annually. In accordance with this provision, the Forest Service is seeking input to assess our effectiveness of implementation of the MOU throughuot each year. The following documents will provide assistance in reviewing the implementation progress on the MOU.

• Initial News Release, January 1999
• News Release, March, 2000
• MOU-One Year Implementation Summary, March 2000
• Summary of the Conceptual Agreement on Campground Fee and Length of Stay
• Additional Questions & Answers on Campground Fee and Length of Stay

The Forest Service and Tribes have provided some explanatory materials to help people understand the MOU. They can be viewed by clicking on these links:

• MOU Explanatory Notes (to the original MOU)
• MOU Explanatory Notes for the revised MOU, explaining changes to the original MOU, page-by-page.
• MOU Summary Information
• Map of Treaty Ceded Areas and National Forests in the Lake States (Small scale 22KB) (Large scale 333KB)

Various laws, regulations, and policies direct the Forest Service to develop relationships with federally recognized Indian Tribes.

• Presidential Executive Order 13084
• Forest Service Policy regarding Tribal Governments
• National Tribal Resource Book - A link to the US Forest Service tribal relations guide, called the "Forest Service National Resource Guide to American Indian and Alaska Native Relations". This document describes and is intended to improve the implementation of the Forest Service's American Indian and Alaska Native policy.
• Office of Tribal Relations - A link to the US Forest Service National Office of Tribal Relations. This site contains links to National Policies, Statutes, Executive Orders and Reports.

Comments may be e-mailed to the Forest (see the contacts page) or written comments may be mailed to:

Forest Supervisor Chequamegon-Nicolet NF 68 South Stevens St. Rhinelander, WI 54501

Forest Supervisor Hiawatha NF 2727 N. Lincoln Rd. Escanaba, MI 49829

Forest Supervisor Huron-Manistee NF 1755 S. Mitchell St. Cadillac, MI 49601

Forest Supervisor Ottawa NF E6248 US Hwy. 2 Ironwood, MI 49938