BISMARCK — Standing Rock Tribal Chairwoman Janet Alkire unveiled legislative priorities during her Tribal-State Relationship Message delivered to a joint session of the North Dakota Legislature in the House Chamber on Tuesday, Jan. 7.

Alkire said that among her biggest priorities were a bill that would create an alert for missing and murdered Indigenous people in North Dakota — an issue she said was of “epidemic proportions” — and garnering funding for Senate Bill 2304, passed into law during the 2021 session. The law ensures greater understanding of Native American history and culture in the classroom.

Alkire said Rep. Jayme Davis, D-Rolette, plans to spearhead the missing and murdered Indigenous people bill.

Alkire during her address lauded lawmakers for passing

SB 2304

two sessions ago but in a follow-up interview said more funding was necessary to finish the work the bill started.

“There is no funding attached to it, so that would be helpful,” Alkire told The Bismarck Tribune. “I’m not talking tons of funding, but at least … let’s get it moving so that it is fair to everyone.”

Alkire also spoke on the need for collaboration between state and tribal law enforcement and commended the three tribes that have entered into mutual agreements with state entities such as the North Dakota Highway Patrol and the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation. She said those tribes are the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, the Spirit Lake Nation, and the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation.

She also said in her address that tribal nations want to work with legislators as education bills come during the session to “ensure the outcomes are in the best interest of all children.”

Senate Majority Leader David Hogue, R-Minot, said he wasn’t able to attend Alkire’s address but welcomed the idea of collaboration.

“Every member of the tribe is a North Dakota resident. So, they are entitled to all the consideration that everybody else is, and the fact that they are a sovereign nation as well does not mean that we as a sovereign state don’t extend them the same rights, benefits and privileges,” Hogue said. “So, wherever we can collaborate on education, we should do so.”

Alkire also said in her address that there is a need for a bridge over the Missouri River in the southern part of the state. She said there is a 121-nautical-mile stretch between the two current crossings in Bismarck and the South Dakota city of Mobridge.

She announced a $14.5 million planning grant was secured from the Department of Transportation to begin the process of creating a new bridge.

Alkire said the plan for a new crossing had been in the works for nearly 40 years before the recent grant was secured.

WEST FARGO – North Dakota’s hunting, fishing, trapping and conservation heritage is well known, and even those who don’t hunt or fish enjoy the outdoors of our great state. It’s part of why we live here. The great outdoors is ever changing from the impacts of weather and loss of habitat, to the cyclical nature of populations that ebb and flow as a function of nature.

While we spend time this winter pondering the long-term influence of North Dakota’s lean months on deer and pheasants, we’ll also keep our eyes and ears open for happenings at the biennial North Dakota legislative session.

Once again, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department will track hunting and fishing issues during the 2025 legislative session. This is helpful to those interested because keeping track of the changes to just one bill, for example, can be challenging.

Interested outdoor enthusiasts can follow proposed outdoors-related bills by going to the

Game and Fish Department website

at gf.nd.gov. A brief description of each bill will be included. To view each bill in its entirety, click on the hot-linked bill number.

If you were born after 1961 or are age 12 or older, you must take an in-person or home study certified hunter education course before you can get a firearm or bowhunting license in North Dakota.

Understanding this, especially if you have your sights set on hunting this fall, now is not the time to drag your feet. Most in-person courses are held from January through May.

Individuals interested in taking a hunter education class in 2025 must click the education link on the

North Dakota Game and Fish Department

website, gf.nd.gov. To register for a class, click on “enroll” next to the specific class and follow the simple instructions. Personal information is required. Classes are listed by city and can also be sorted by start date. Classes will be added throughout the year as they become finalized.

To receive a notice by email or SMS text message when each hunter education class is added, click on the “subscribe to news and alerts” link below the news section on the Game and Fish home page. Check the box labeled “hunter education” under the education program updates.

Children must turn 12 during the calendar year to take the home study course, and age 11 during the calendar year to take the traditional in-person class.

Tree stands, blinds, steps and other personal items such as cameras, must be removed from all wildlife management areas by Jan. 31.

Items not removed by then are considered abandoned property and are subject to removal and confiscation by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.

North Dakota hunters receiving a survey this winter are encouraged to help with wildlife management by completing the survey online or returning it to the Game and Fish Department.

Big game, small game, waterfowl, swan, turkey and furbearer questionnaires are being sent to randomly selected hunters.

It is important hunters complete and return the survey, even if they did not hunt. The harvest survey allows Game and Fish to evaluate the hunting season, determine the number of hunters, amount of hunting activity and size of the harvest.

A follow-up survey will be mailed to those not responding to the first survey.

Doug Leier is an outreach biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Reach him at dleier@nd.gov.

CASSELTON, N.D. — Freezing temperatures and frigid winds have become familiar challenges for Casselton firefighters this winter as they respond to emergencies in some of the harshest conditions.

“We have to monitor ourselves and look for any signs of frostbite,” Casselton Fire Chief John Hejl said.

Despite the weather, firefighters wear the same uniforms year round, which can be both a blessing and a curse.

“So, in the summertime, we’re quite warm, and in the winter, it helps keep you warm to a point, but it’s pretty important for us to be wearing layers underneath just like everybody else,” Hejl said.

The priority during winter calls is ensuring everyone’s safety — those impacted by the fires and the firefighters.

“If we have people who live in a home and now they’re displaced, or people that were in a vehicle and now they’re outside of it or it’s no longer running so it’s cooled off, we need to keep those folks warm, so we carry a lot of extra blankets,” Hejl said.

Another critical factor is maintaining a steady water flow to put out fires, as stagnant water can freeze in the hoses.

“We have to keep water flowing, otherwise our hoses will freeze, so finding a ditch or somebody’s front yard or some place to put that water so we’re not icing up a roadway is important so we can keep those lines open and flowing,” Hejl said.

Hejl also noted an uptick in fire calls during colder weather, emphasizing the importance of fire prevention measures.

“Keep your furnace tuned up and working properly, keep your vents open,” he said.

He also urged people to unplug rechargeable batteries once they are fully charged, especially if they’re stored in a garage.

The combination of cold weather and fire hazards requires constant vigilance, but Hejl remains confident in his team’s ability to adapt and protect the community.

Isak Dinesen joined WDAY-TV as a reporter in September 2024. He previously worked as a multimedia journalist at WAOW-TV in Wausau, Wisconsin for three years. He graduated from NDSU in 2020, majoring in Journalism and minoring in Sports Communication at MSUM.