Kelly Applegate

Commissioner of Natural Resources for Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe

Kelly Applegate is the Commissioner of Natural Resources of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. Kelly is a tribal member, has worked for the Mille Lacs Band for 23 years, and was appointed Commissioner of Natural Resources for a second 4-year term. As Commissioner, Kelly oversees a department of 40 staff who have a wide range of duties, including environmental and resource protection, cultural preservation, tribal enrollment, and programs to enhance tribal participation in harvesting under treaties. Kelly’s role as a Commissioner is to protect the sacred gifts, including clean water and the environment that the Creator has provided to his people. Kelly has also been appointed to three boards in the energy and natural resources realm, including Governor Walz’s Advisory Council on

Climate Change, Attorney General Keith Ellison’s Future of Minnesota Water Task Force, and the Critical Materials Recovery Task Force.

Panelist: “Tribal Views Towards Wolf Recovery and Proper Wolf-Human Relationship”