The Gichi Onigaming Conservation Crew (GOCC), part of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, upgrades infrastructure and preserves natural resources at Isle Royale National Park. They enhance the park experience for visitors through their trail projects. Additionally, they are adding food storage lockers to reduce unwanted encounters between humans and wildlife.
Projects enhance visitor experience
During a recent trip to the island, the Gitchi Onigaming Conservation Crew (GOCC) installed a new food storage locker. It is one of many now available to help visitors securely store food and keep wildlife out. This project supports the park’s recently implemented food storage mandate. The order requires all campers and boaters to protect their food from animals. These permanent lockers promote safer human-wildlife interactions and reduce the risk of wildlife habituation.
In addition to installing food storage lockers, the crew completed several other projects. These included bridge construction over a historically wet area and trail maintenance along sections of hiking trail.
Next generation of land stewards
The GOCC was created to engage and mentor future Indigenous land stewards. Through hands-on fieldwork, Indigenous youth gain skills and knowledge in trail maintenance, archaeology, and historical preservation. They also learn about plant management, wildland fire management, and subsistence agriculture. These experiences often serve as stepping stones toward careers in conservation and public lands management.
The crew’s work expands beyond Isle Royale. They also contribute to projects within the Grand Portage community and at Grand Portage National Monument. A spokesperson for Isle Royale National Park stated that they will continue work on additional projects in the area this summer.
Traditional homeland
Minong (Isle Royale) has long served as a place of travel, subsistence, and cultural connection. In Ojibwe, it means “blueberry place” or “good place,” reflecting the island’s ecological richness.
Isle Royale National Park, established in 1940, is the second-largest island in the Great Lakes. The park encompasses a total of 571,796 acres. This includes 133,788 acres of land and 438,008 acres of surrounding Lake Superior waters. Long before European contact, Indigenous peoples traveled to the island to hunt, gather, and live along its shores. Reaching the island involved a 13-mile canoe crossing from present-day Minnesota or Ontario to its western edge.
Grand Portage National Monument was established as a National Historic Site in 1951 and designated a National Monument in 1958. It is the first National Park Service site co-managed with a Tribal Nation. The monument lies entirely within the traditional homeland of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.