1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to natural resources; appropriating money for elk reintroduction.
1.3 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.4 	Section 1. FOND DU LAC BAND ELK REINTRODUCTION; APPROPRIATION.
 1.5 	$4,000,000 in fiscal year 2024 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner 
1.6 	of natural resources for a grant to the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa to 
1.7 	expand Minnesota's wild elk population and range. Consideration must be given to moving 
1.8 	elk from existing herds in northwest Minnesota to the area of the Fond du Lac State Forest 
1.9 	and the Fond du Lac Reservation in Carlton and southern St. Louis Counties. The Fond du 
1.10 	Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa's elk reintroduction efforts must undergo thorough 
1.11 	planning with the Department of Natural Resources to develop necessary capture and 
1.12 	handling protocols, including protocols related to cervid disease management, and to produce 
1.13 	postrelease state and Tribal elk comanagement plans. This is a onetime appropriation.