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LSP Supports Return of State Park to Upper Sioux Community

This Land Rightfully Belongs to the Upper Sioux Community

April 10, 2023

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Note: The Upper Sioux Agency State Park is located in western Minnesota’s Yellow Medicine County. For years, leaders of the Upper Sioux Community have asked to have the park land, which is sacred to them, returned to the community. The park is adjacent to the Upper Sioux Community and holds several burial sites and other sites of deep cultural significance. Currently, legislation is moving through the Minnesota House and Senate that could lead to the transfer of the park to the Upper Sioux Community. As the West Central Tribune recently reported, there is growing community support for this transference. The Land Stewardship Project’s State Policy Committee and our Land Access and Land Legacy Steering Committees both support Indigenous land return, and LSP’s Land Legacy Policy prioritizes such transferences. As a result, LSP has recently written a statement in support of transferring the park over to the Upper Sioux Community. Here is that statement:

Since its founding, the Land Stewardship Project has worked on behalf of family farms, sustainable agriculture, and rural communities. Additionally, the Land Stewardship Project is committed to advancing racial justice, food security for all people, and Indigenous land return. To that end, LSP is building relationships with tribal nations that have plans to address land access, food sovereignty, and restoration of ecological function.

Our vision is for revitalized rural communities, thriving family farms, a healthy environment, and an equitable, just society. This vision will be strengthened with the return of the whole 1,400 acres of Upper Sioux State Park to the Upper Sioux Community. This is why the Land Stewardship Project fully supports the current bill introduced by the Minnesota Legislature to return the land known as the Upper Sioux Agency State Park to the Upper Sioux Community.

We celebrate the Upper Sioux Community’s process of restoring its original lands and protecting the integrity of burial sites, as well as exploring food sovereignty for its members. We know that the Dakota people stewarded this land for thousands of years, and that land return is in the best interest of this culturally, historically, and socially important site. This land rightfully belongs to the Upper Sioux Community according to the terms of the 1851 Traverse des Sioux Treaty.  The return of this land to the Upper Sioux Community offers an opportunity to support Dakota sovereignty, serve justice, and create pathways to heal and steward relationships in western Minnesota, with each other and with the land.

We also recognize that accessible green spaces and wild spaces are rare and precious in this region of Minnesota, and that this park has been a beloved space by many of the local residents. That is why LSP is committed to advocating and organizing for additional green space development in this region, to increase habitat for native species of animals and plants, and increase access for residents to enjoy those public spaces. We see this as an opportunity to develop new public access acres in partnership with the Upper Sioux Community, and increase protected land and habitat in the Minnesota River Valley. The return of the Upper Sioux State Park to the Upper Sioux Community will ultimately benefit the entire region as we direct the Department of Natural Resources and community resources to steward and protect more green spaces in the western Minnesota region.

We look forward to supporting the Upper Sioux Community and the surrounding communities moving forward.

For more information, contact LSP’s Scott DeMuth, Robin Moore, Amy Bacigalupo, Nick Olson, or Matthew Sheets.

Category: Blog
Tags: racial justice • tribal sovereignty • Upper Sioux Agency State Park • Upper Sioux Community

Upcoming Events

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June 2025

Wednesday June 25

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
LSP-PFI Grazing Field Day at Hoosier Ridge Ranch
Wednesday June 25
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
LSP-PFI Grazing Field Day at Hoosier Ridge Ranch
Hoosier Ridge Ranch, 15998 Wabasha County Rd 26, Altura, MN 55910, USA

Over the last 50 years, livestock have left many farms. Eric Heins is doing the reverse: bringing cattle – and their poop, pee and hooves – back to his land. Come see how Eric is using his Normande-shorthorn crosses in a variety of grazing situations. During this Land Stewardship Project-Practical Farmers of Iowa field day, you can view permanent pasture, where Eric (like everyone) is battling the cool-season grass takeover. You’ll also learn how Eric is using his cattle in cover crop mixes, prairie and woodlands.

Since purchasing the farm in 2020, Eric has converted the cropland to pasture. He also custom-farms a diverse rotation of crops, covers and small grains on neighboring farms, including an established prairie on Iowa Department of Natural Resources land. A possible bonus: Eric is hoping to have virtual fence collars by the time of the field day, but no guarantees!

A meal featuring Hoosier Ridge Ranch burgers will follow the field day.

See & Discuss

  • Cash-flowing the conversion to pasture on owned versus rented cropland
  • Stockpiling pasture for winter grazing
  • Mechanical buckthorn clearing for silvopasture
  • Grazing agreements on DNR prairie and neighboring cropland
  • A sudangrass mix after a canning pea crop
  • An extended rotation with oats, barley and Kernza

For details and to register, click here.

Friday June 27

9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Agrivoltaics Field Day
Friday June 27
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Agrivoltaics Field Day
West Central Research and Outreach Center, 46352 MN-329, Morris, MN 56267, USA

Join University of Minnesota Extension for presentations and solar site tours at the West Central Research and Outreach Center. You’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of the benefits, considerations and opportunities of farming using solar energy. Session topics include cattle and sheep solar grazing, solar site forages, grain crops under solar panels, and solar developer perspectives. Register here. Can’t attend the field day? Check out the July 22 agrivoltaics webinar on growing forages and grains.

Saturday June 28

4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LSP's Boots & Roots: A Celebration of Land & People
Saturday June 28
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LSP's Boots & Roots: A Celebration of Land & People
Dream Acres, Co Hwy 8, Spring Valley, MN 55975, USA

Join Land Stewardship Project members and supporters to kick-start the Driftless summer with an evening of good food, good music, and good times. We’ll have activities for all ages that will get you out in nature, exploring the connection between our region’s farms and your community’s food, land, and water. Bring a side or dessert to share for dinner, and the Dream Acres wood-fired oven will provide locally-sourced pizzas and flat breads. Dinner will be followed by live music and contra dancing by the Crater City String Band.  

To reserve a spot, click here.

Camping sites are available at nearby Masonic Park and Forestville Mystery Cave and Lake Louise State Parks. Camping at Masonic is rustic,first-come-first-serve, free, and does not require a reservation. Fillmore County, who manages the park, only asks that you call the dispatchers at507-765-3874 when you arrive with your vehicle information and phone number in case of emergency. State Park reservations cost $25 a night and can be made online.

July 2025

Wednesday July 9

8:00 am – 10:00 am
Risk to Resilience Climate Cohort
Wednesday July 9
8:00 am – 10:00 am
Risk to Resilience Climate Cohort
Online

Farming has always required adaptability, and today’s changing weather patterns are creating new challenges and opportunities. The Land Stewardship Project, in collaboration with University of Minnesota Extension, has created a resilience-focused program that gives commodity and small grain growers the opportunity to join a cohort with other like-minded farmers and learn how to prepare their operations for the future. At this Risk to Resilience cohort, you will learn:

  • How changing weather patterns in the Upper Midwest are likely to affect your farm. 
  • How you can prepare a plan that protects your farm from a changing climate.
  • How to improve your planning skills and meet with experts for opportunities to grow climate resilience  on your farm.
  • How to build community with fellow farmers interested in creating operations that are sustainable and resilient in the long term.

Program Details:

  •  Online format — join from your home or farm.
  •  Four sessions, 10-15 hours total investment — built for busy schedules, beginning July 2025. We’ll pause workshops for small grains harvest and resume in August 2025.
  • A $250 stipend will be provided to participants who attend the sessions and provide feedback on experience and content.

Dates of the Risk to Resilience Sessions:

  • Wednesday, July 9, 8 a.m.-10 a.m.
  • Wednesday, July 16, 8 a.m.-10 a.m.
  • Harvest Break
  • Wednesday, August 20, 8 a.m.-10 a.m.
  • Wednesday, August 27, 8 a.m.-10 a.m. 

To register, click here. 

12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
LSP Lewiston Office Summer Potluck Lunch
Wednesday July 9
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
LSP Lewiston Office Summer Potluck Lunch
Land Stewardship Project, 180 E Main St, Lewiston, MN 55952, USA

Spring planting is behind us and midsummer is upon us! Take a quick break from all the action by celebrating summer with the Land Stewardship Project by joining us for lunch at our Lewiston office.

Our Summer Potluck will be held on Wednesday, July 9, from noon to 2 p.m., at our office in downtown Lewiston, Minn. (180 E. Main Street). This will be an opportunity to build community, hear from other farmers, socialize, and enjoy a great meal together. We also invite everyone to take a self-guided tour of the newly renovated spaces in our office that we have been working on over the winter. As a member-driven organization, this is your space too.

LSP will be providing the main dish (meat and vegetarian options) and we invite you to bring a dish to pass. This event is open to all, so please bring a friend or two as well. Let’s celebrate the joy of summer through good food and good company!

RSVP’s are encouraged, but not required. Hope to see you there — you can RSVP by e-mailing LSP’s Alex Romano direct.

View Full Calendar

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