SF4441

Purpose

• Establish Minnesota’s Core Moose Range and create a Moose CoStewardship Committee to guide moose restoration, habitat work, and research.
• Create a Moose Restoration and Research Account to fund moose-related activities and to support rulemaking, monitoring, and oversight.
• Set up processes for moose hunting management, including seasons, quotas, and license distribution, in a way that balances conservation, Indigenous involvement, and public access.
• Require annual reporting and align related state policies to support moose health and ecosystem balance.

Main Provisions

• Moose season and restrictions (97B.505):

  • The commissioner may, by rule, open a bull-only moose season and specify where and how moose may be taken, but only if specific conditions are met.
  • Conditions include: population size, survival and recruitment thresholds; habitat indicators showing sustained capacity; and approval of the harvest quota by the Moose CoStewardship Committee.
  • The harvest quota must be reviewed each year by both Tribal biologists and Department of Natural Resources (DNR) biologists.
  • The commissioner may establish processes for awarding moose licenses, including lotteries and auctions.

• Core Moose Range designation and policy alignment (97B.512):

  • The 1854 Ceded Territory is designated as Minnesota’s Core Moose Range.
  • Moose are treated as a priority species within this Core Moose Range.
  • State agencies (Pollution Control Agency, Board of Water and Soil Resources, Environmental Quality Board) must align land, forest, wildlife, and climate policies within the Core Moose Range to support moose restoration and ecosystem health.

• Moose CoStewardship Committee:

  • The committee must be established and include participants from:
  • Department of Natural Resources
  • 1854 Treaty Authority
  • Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
  • Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
  • Bois Forte Band of Chippewa
  • Federal land management agencies
  • Conservation organizations
  • Timber and forest products industry
  • Duties include:
  • Developing and maintaining a management plan for the Core Moose Range
  • Coordinating moose habitat restoration and monitoring
  • Reviewing moose population data and harvest recommendations annually
  • Ensuring decisions reflect best available science and Indigenous knowledge

• Moose restoration and research account:

  • Created in the game and fish fund.
  • Revenue sources: moose licenses, moose license auctions, and moose license lotteries.
  • Funds are appropriated to the commissioner for:
  • Moose research
  • Moose habitat restoration and enhancement
  • Moose monitoring
  • Costs of the Moose CoStewardship Committee and other moose stewardship activities

• Reporting requirement:

  • By January 15 each year, the commissioner must report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over environment and natural resources.
  • The report must cover: moose population trends, habitat restoration outcomes, economic impacts, and stewardship costs.

• Fiscal transfer (Sec. 3):

  • A one-time transfer in fiscal year 2027 from the general fund to the moose habitat restoration and research account.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Adds a formal Core Moose Range designation and designates moose as a priority species within that range.
• Creates the Moose CoStewardship Committee with broad representation and a mandate to incorporate Indigenous knowledge and scientific data into decision making.
• Establishes and funds a dedicated Moose Restoration and Research Account with revenue tied to moose licensing activities.
• Introduces new rulemaking pathways for seasonal designations, quotas, and license distributions (lotteries/auctions) tied to biological and habitat thresholds.
• Requires ongoing alignment of multiple state environmental policies with moose restoration goals.
• Introduces a one-time General Fund transfer to support initial moose habitat restoration and research efforts.

Terminology and Impact (Key Terms You Might See)

• Core Moose Range
• 1854 Ceded Territory
• Moose CoStewardship Committee
• moose restoration and research account
• moose licenses
• moose license lotteries
• moose license auctions
• habitat restoration
• best available science
• Indigenous knowledge
• population trends
• harvest quota
• bull-only season
• Tribal biologists
• Department of Natural Resources (DNR)

Relevant Terms - Core Moose Range - 1854 Ceded Territory - Moose CoStewardship Committee - moose restoration and research account - moose licenses - lotteries - auctions - habitat restoration - science - Indigenous knowledge - population data - harvest quota - bull-only season - Tribal biologists - Department of Natural Resources - Pollution Control Agency - Board of Water and Soil Resources - Environmental Quality Board - general fund - January 15 reporting date