Bluestem's been covering bills in the Minnesota legislature to return Upper Sioux Agency State Park to the Upper Agency Dakota/ Yellow Medicine Community in posts from Upper Sioux Community Pezihutazizi Oyate land transfer clears first MN House committee hearing to Bill author not buying Gary Dahms' alternate reality about Upper Sioux Agency Park transfer.
At the Marshall Independent, Deb Gau interviewed Senator Mary Kunesh about the bill, reporting back in New Brighton state senator talks support for Upper Sioux park transfer:
The land that is now part of the Upper Sioux Agency State Park is more than just a park, state Sen. Mary Kunesh said.
“I think the first, most important thing is to acknowledge that these are sacred lands,” said Kunesh, DFL-New Brighton.
Kunesh is the chief author of one of the bills in the Minnesota Legislature that would start the process of transferring ownership of Upper Sioux Agency State Park lands to the Upper Sioux Community.
Kunesh spoke with the Independent about how she came to carry the bill in the Senate. Kunesh said it wasn’t appropriate for the Upper Sioux Agency lands to be used as a recreational area.
The proposed park transfer was a topic that drew a large crowd to an informational meeting in Granite Falls earlier this month. Speakers at the meeting, including Upper Sioux Community Tribal Chairman Kevin Jensvold said land included in the park was both sacred, and part of historic treaty land.
At the meeting, area legislators pointed out that the park transfer bills moving through the legislature were authored by lawmakers from other parts of the state.
Kunesh represents state Senate District 39, which covers parts of Anoka, Hennepin and Ramsey Counties. However, as a legislator she has also been active on issues that affect Native Americans.
“I have a lot of background on these issues nationally, locally and statewide,” she said. Kunesh is of Native descent. As a Minnesota state Representative, she was part of efforts that led to the creation of the Minnesota Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office. As a Senator, she also authored a bill strengthening the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act, which was passed this spring.
Kunesh said she was asked about carrying the Upper Sioux Agency State Park transfer bill early in January. But, she said, “This is not new information, from what I understand.”
The Upper Sioux Community and Chairman Jensvold had been talking with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Historical Society about a possible land transfer for a number of years, Kunesh said.
“It did not come out of the blue,” she said.
At the public information meeting in Granite Falls, DNR Southern Region Director Scott Roemhildt also said Jensvold had repeatedly asked that the park lands be returned to the Upper Sioux Community.
Kunesh said she didn’t think returning the park lands to the Upper Sioux Community would be setting a precedent. There have already been other pieces of land returned to Native American tribes, she said. In some cases, tribes have also bought land back.
Kunesh said so far, other state legislators have shown interest in hearing about the park transfer. . . .
This bill is likely to happen,” Kunesh said of the land transfer proposal.
But there would still be a lot of work to do, she said. The park transfer bills require the DNR to identify any possible obstacles to the transfer, along with possible solutions. Funds were also being requested to create a replacement recreation area for the park.
Kunesh said it was important for neighboring community members to learn more about the issue.
“It’s a good time to start to learn and understand both sides of the issue,” she said.
Read the rest at the Marshall Independent.
The bill is included in both the House and Senate versions of the omnibus bills that will be considered beginning Monday morning at 9:00 a.m. by the Environment, Natural Resources, Climate and Energy Conference Committee (HF2310).
Bluestem believes the language will remain in the conference committee report and be passed by both houses of the legislature. We support this change.
Related posts
- Bill author not buying Gary Dahms' alternate reality about Upper Sioux Agency Park transfer
- Video & news digest: Granite Falls informational hearing on transferring Upper Sioux Agency State Park to Yellow Medicine Community
- Area legislators to host April 5 community meeting in Granite Falls about transfer of park to Upper Sioux Community/Pezihutazizi Oyate.
- Upper Sioux Community Pezihutazizi Oyate land transfer clears first MN House committee hearing
- Upper Sioux Community/Pezihutazizi Oyate land transfer bill heard in two MN Senate committees,
Photo: State Senator Mark Kunesh, DFL-New Brighton. Kunesh is a Standing Rock Sioux Tribe descendant. Photo by Lisa Miller/for Mary Kunesh for State Senate.
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