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North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live is a daily, five-minute newscast that shines a spotlight on the stories and perspectives of Minnesota’s diverse communities, including Black, Latine, Asian American, East African individuals, people living with disabilities, LGBTQIA2S+ residents, laborers, veterans, and those from Greater Minnesota.
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HOST: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live, a daily newscast about what it means to live in Minnesota.
ANCHOR: Today, an emergency quarantine has been instituted for parts of northern Minnesota. The fishing opener is this weekend. We explain why some have been fishing legally since the ice melted. And, why one Minnesota school district will be starting classes early in the fall.
I'm Gracie J.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is instituting emergency quarantines in parts of northern Minnesota after it discovered new Emerald Ash Borer infections. Over the winter, the MDA confirmed the pest in Pine, St. Louis, and for the first time, Aitkin County. The quarantine limits the movement of firewood and ash material into Minnesota and out of infested counties. Mille Lacs County will also be included in the quarantine. Emerald Ash Borer was first discovered in Minnesota in 2009. The invasive insect kills ash trees by tunneling under the bark and disrupting the tree's nutrient flow.
Next, the Minnesota fishing opener is this weekend. Every year, in mid-May, about a half million Minnesotans hit the lakes to cast their first fishing lines of the season. But, as Jamad Jama explains, tribal rights allow Native Americans in our state to start fishing much earlier.
Ashley Hanson: I'm enrolled in the My experience of Ojibwe. I am a mom of six. I've been angle fishing my whole life. I do it with my dad a lot, which is really great, because it's a nice way to learn from him and his perspective and how to do things.
Jamad Jama: Ashley Hanson has a long relationship with the water, and the spring season holds spiritual and personal significance for her.
Ashley Hanson: I've been watching like my dad and grandma and uncle spirit net due to it being a multi generational thing, the knowledge of where to fish, when to fish, and how to do it is passed down to us.
Jamad Jama: at the same time, Ojibwe leadership across Minnesota are at work on the technical aspect of the fishing season.
Pat Brown: Our tribal trust lands are about 800,000 acres throughout Northern Minnesota, and then 85% of the Northwest angle on Red Lake Nation lands.
Jamad Jama: Pat Brown explains his work as a fisheries biologist.
Pat Brown: I've been up here for about 28 years. My main job is to basically watch the lake, monitor the lake, and then make recommendations on you know, how many pounds of fish we can take out, be it walleye, yellow perch and some of the other species. We basically have what we call the Red Lake fisheries technical committee. We get together and we basically look over the fishing data, and then we make our management recommendations based on that, and the quota then is set.
Jamad Jama: A lot of planning and organizing goes into the Ojibwe spring fishing season so that fishers like Ashley can continue to reap the benefits.
Ashley Hanson: It's not just how we do it. It's a spiritual thing for us, being on that lake and being with your family and your community is good for our souls, good for our spirits. It's more to our people. It's more deep.
Jamad Jama: Some tribal members are focused on honoring cultural fishing practices while getting important information out to communities.
Bradley Harrington: Um, one of my main goals is to get out some awareness and some contacts around tribal fishing harvest in the spring.
Jamad Jama: Bradley Harrington, tribal liaison at the DNR explains how His work focuses on facilitating and getting important information out to Native communities.
Bradley Harrington: So, what we are aiming to do at the DNR is have that coordination efforts where there's tribal leadership, state DNR leadership, being able to oversee and guide that work.
Ashley Hanson: In our culture, we believe Water is life, so keeping that lake clean, keeping our fish healthy, really important to us,
Jamad Jama: Despite varying approaches. Ojibwe communities leadership and individual Fisher people are united in their goal of practicing safe and sustainable fishing. This year, with fishing guidelines being enforced across the state, it's important that Minnesotans check which rules apply to them. For North Star Stories, I'm Jamad Jama.
ANCHOR: You are listening to North Star Stories.
While many Minnesota students are counting down the days until summer vacation, some recently found out they'll be going back to class a little sooner this fall. The Mankato School Board approved an amended calendar calling for students to start in August rather than September. The earlier start is needed to accommodate some construction projects in the summer of 2026. The calendar also calls for shorter Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks. The earlier start also means school will end in mid-May in 2026, so the district can start several construction projects.
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HOST: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. Online at ampers dot org.