National Forest Treaty Gathering & Camping Regulations Summary

Campground Agreement

Campground Agreement Implementation

Wild Plant gathering in national forests

     Through an agreement between participating GLIFWC member bands and the US Forest Service, tribal members exercising treaty rights may camp for free and without length of stay restrictions for most campgrounds in the Chequamegon-Nicolet, Ottawa, Hiawatha, and Huron-Manistee National Forests.

     Member bands that have ratified the agreement include Bad River, Bay Mills, Keweenaw Bay, Lac du Flambeau, Lac Vieux Desert, Mille Lacs, Red Cliff, and Sokaogon (Mole Lake). Member bands that have not yet ratified the agreement include Lac Courte Oreilles and St. Croix.

      Some fee-exempt campgrounds still maintain length of stay restrictions between June 15 and August 15. The Forest Service states that these campgrounds experience high visitation rates during these summer months. This provision will be periodically reviewed to ensure that these restrictions are not interfering with the exercise of treaty rights.

     In addition, some campgrounds operated by concessionaires will not have fee or length of stay exemptions until the solicitation and awarding of new concessionaire contracts.

For fee-exempt camping in the NATIONAL FOREST campgrounds you must:

1.  Be a member of a band that has ratified the Tribal/USFS Campground    

      Agreement.
2.  From your tribal conservation department or other person designated by    

     your band, obtain a tribal camping permit, the list of fee-exempt camp-

     grounds, and the booklet entitled Regulations Summary: National

     Forest Treaty Gathering and Camping.
3.  Follow the camping registration procedures at the campground. Generally

     this involves providing information requested on a registration form or    

     envelope.

     a. Indicate the number of days that you plan on camping on both the tribal  

         camping permit and on the campground registration form.

     b. Instead of paying a fee, give the camping permit to the campground

         registration personnel or place the permit in the envelope.

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING REGARDING TRIBAL—USDA-FOREST SERVICE RELATIONS ON NATIONAL FOREST LANDS WITHIN THE TERRITORIES CEDED
IN TREATIES OF 1836, 1837, AND 1842 NATIONAL FOREST CAMPGROUNDS

CAMPGROUND FEE AND LENGTH-OF-STAY RESTRICTION
(VERSION 1.7) JUNE 2009

I. INTRODUCTION
As required by the National Forest Campground Fee and Length-of-stay Restriction Exemption
Agreement, this document identifies:

• Fee-Exempt Campgrounds: Those National Forest campgrounds that may be used
  without charge in the exercise of the Tribes’ ceded territory rights;
  
• Length-of-stay Restrictions: Those National Forest campgrounds for use in the
  exercise of the Tribes’ ceded territory rights that have specific length-of-stay
  limitations between June 15 and August 15; and
  
• Campgrounds “Closed” at Certain Times of the Year: Those National Forest
  campgrounds where camping outside of their annual operating season is prohibited
  without a special tribal permit.
  

This document also provides additional information beyond what is specifically required by the
Exemption Agreement, such a whether campgrounds are operated by concessionaires. This
additional information is included to provide a single source where tribal leaders, tribal members
and those responsible for administering the tribal National Forest camping regulations can look
for information about the status of particular campgrounds.

This document is assembled as a table. The columns contained in this table are explained below.

II. EXPLANATION OF TABLE AND COLUMNS

A. COLUMN 1 – CAMPGROUNDS

 

Column 1 list attempts to list all campgrounds found on Forest Service lands that are
addressed by the Exemption Agreement and Implementation Plan. As used in this
document, “campground” means those campgrounds and campsites where a fee would
otherwise have to be paid by the general public to spend the night and where some
process, such as registration, is used to identify the camper and the specific campsite that
will be used.

 

At this time, Column 1 includes some campgrounds that are not fee-exempt for tribal
members. These are included in the interest of providing complete information. As
campgrounds change status, Column 1 will be amended.

 

B. COLUMN 2 – FEE-EXEMPT

 

Column 2 indicates whether the campground is fee exempt; that is, where fees are waived
for tribal members camping while exercising their treaty rights. Some concessionaire
contracts were already in place when the Exemption Agreement went into effect. Fees
and length-of-stay restrictions currently are not waived in them. The Forest Service has
agreed that as these contracts are renegotiated, the fee and length-of-stay exemptions will
be addressed. As these concessionaire campgrounds change status and become feeexempt,
the list will be amended.

 

C. COLUMN 3 – LENGTH-OF-STAY LIMITATIONS

 

Column 3 deals with how long tribal members may camp at a particular site. Under
general Forest Service rules, people are not permitted to remain in a campsite for more
than two weeks or 16 days, depending on the particular National Forest. For tribal
members camping while exercising their treaty rights, these length-of-stay restrictions do
not apply for most campgrounds. The term “waived” is used in Column 3 where there
are no length-of-stay restrictions for tribal members.

 

Where the Tribes have agreed, some campgrounds have a length-of-stay restriction
during the period June 15 through August 15, the peak tourist season. Column 3 shows
these the length-of-stay restrictions in number of days and the dates within which these
restrictions apply in parentheses.

 

Tribal members must comply with the existing length-of-stay restrictions in campgrounds
operated by concessionaires that presently are not fee-exempt. These length-of-stay
restrictions apply at all times and are listed in Column 3 in number of day.

 

D. COLUMN 4 – CLOSED OR OUT OF SERVICE

 

Column 4 identifies those campsites that are closed to camping outside of the annual
operating season without a special tribal permit and those campgrounds where camping
may take place but where no services are provided. This is a distinction in both tribal and
Forest Service regulations. It applies to campgrounds during the non-camping season
(usually winter).

 

Some campgrounds are designated as closed and all camping in these sites is prohibited
during the off-season without a special tribal permit. Column 4 identifies these as
“closed.”

Column 4 identifies other campgrounds are designated as “out of service.” In these
campgrounds, camping during the off-season is permitted but limited services would be
available then. For example, there may be no toilet facilities, or garbage would not be
collected. Tribal members may camp in these areas with the understanding that certain
services would not be provided.

 

E. COLUMN 5 – CONCESSIONAIRES (EXPIRATION DATES)

 

Column 5 identifies those campgrounds that are operated by concessionaires under
contract with the Forest Service. The year the contracts are up for renewal is listed in the
parentheses for those campgrounds that currently do not have fee or length-of-stay
exemptions.

 

F. COLUMN 6 – RESERVATIONS

 

Column 6 identifies with a “yes” are campgrounds that use a local or national reservation
system to reserve particular campsites within a campground. Typically not all campsites
in a campground are included in the reservation system. Tribes and tribal members may
use the reservation system but with certain restrictions (see Section 6(c) in the Exemption
Agreement). Generally, tribal members making reservation through the national
reservation system will have to pay both camping fees and a reservation fee. Some
campgrounds on the Huron-Manistee National Forest have “maybe” entered in this
column. At these campgrounds, consessionaires have the option and responsibility to
decide to use the reservation system.

Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest

Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest

Ottawa National Forest

Hiawatha National Forest

Hiawatha National Forest

Huron-Manistee National Forest

*Column 6 - New concession permits were issued and it is concession permit holder option and responsibility to decide to use the National Reservation Service or not. Check for reservation opportunities at www.recreation.gov