Bemidji residents named to new state environmental grant council

Bemidji landed two seats on Minnesota’s new environmental grant council, giving Beltrami County a direct voice as the state sets rules for a program backed by just over $28 million from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. Minnesota DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen appointed Karl Anderson and Robert Tibbetts of Bemidji to the 15-member advisory council on June 29, alongside appointees from Minneapolis, St. Paul, Afton, Shoreview, West St. Paul, North St. Paul, Mabel, Deer River and other communities.

The council was created under the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund Community Grant Program, established in 2023 in Minnesota Statutes chapter 116X. The Legislature’s 2025 appropriation gives the DNR funding through June 30, 2029, and the first round of grant applications is expected to open in fall 2026. Eligible spending includes environmental justice, stewardship education, restoration and preservation, trail maintenance and aquatic invasive species management.

For Bemidji and the rest of Beltrami County, the appointments matter because the council will review policies, guidelines, program structures and recipient eligibility before the money starts moving. That gives Anderson and Tibbetts a seat at the table when the DNR decides which kinds of projects fit best and how broad the program should be. It also gives local governments, schools, lake groups and community organizations a clearer path to shape where state environmental dollars go if they plan to apply.

The state required the advisory council to reflect geographic reach and lived experience, including expertise in natural resource protection, knowledge of Indigenous cultural context, strong understanding of environmental issues and the ability to work collaboratively. The law also requires representation from enrolled members of Minnesota Ojibwe and Dakota communities and people who identify as members of communities of color. Two Dakota Tribal member seats remain open because no eligible applications were received before the April 10 deadline, and the DNR is still taking applications on a rolling basis.

The council will meet at least quarterly, its meetings will be open to the public and available virtually, and members will serve terms of up to three years. The DNR submitted its implementation report to the Legislature on December 12, 2025, and the structure now in place leaves Bemidji with a sizable local presence as state officials prepare to decide who gets a voice in environmental funding. That influence will be tested before the first grant round opens in fall 2026.