Grand Portage Band launches first Indigenous-led coast guard on Lake Superior
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By Chuck Olsen | WTIP
When the U.S. Coast Guard closed its Grand Marais station in 2022, it left a significant gap in safety coverage along a large stretch of Lake Superior. For the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the answer was clear: step in to protect the waters they have long called home.
Now, the Band has launched what the tribe says is the first Indigenous-led coast guard in the nation. On Wednesday, new search and rescue boats will be christened at a ceremony on the North Shore. With state funding, new boats, and volunteer crews in training, the program is already rescuing stranded vessels and benefiting communities and visitors to Minnesota’s North Shore.
The Coast Guard’s exit came after decades of local reliance on federal rescue resources.
“Our tribal chairman, Bobby Deschampe, was concerned about aquatic safety on Lake Superior,” said Dr. Seth Moore, director of natural resources for Grand Portage and one of the captains. “We had a number of rescues every single season up until that point, and we were worried with no backup resources from the federal government that people might not have enough capability to be rescued on the lake.”
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“If Coast Guard got called to something out here, it would be a good two hours before they could make it here from Sault Ste. Marie or Duluth,” said Ruth Vogel, Emergency Manager for Grand Portage.
Working with lawmakers, the Band secured $3 million from the Minnesota legislature. The money funded four state-of-the-art rescue vessels. Two will remain in Grand Portage, while others are being gifted to the Cook and Lake County sheriffs’ departments to extend coverage from Duluth to the Canadian border.
The first boat, powered by twin 350-horsepower engines, carries a name that reflects both its mission and its heritage: Genawaaboonagak, an Ojibwe word which translates as “Watchers Over the Water.”
“We think the name fits perfectly for the cultural history of the tribe,” said Moore. “The Grand Portage Band has always been watching over the water and stewarding our resources, and is a Lake Superior-based tribe.”
The vessel is packed with modern technology: State-of-the-art GPS, radar, lights, sirens, a towing bollard, and a thermal imaging camera to spot people in the water or along shorelines. Vogel said crews are training as volunteers and will be paid for rescues once they’re called into service.
The community’s reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, she added. “Everyone’s excited. People know Lake Superior, but they’ve also seen things happen. They want to make sure we’re protected.”
Proof of the program’s importance came almost immediately. Moore said the Band received the new boat on a Friday afternoon. By Saturday morning, they had their first mission: a disabled vessel off Rock of Ages light house near Isle Royale.
“We had the boat for less than 24 hours,” Moore said. “But we were able to respond and bring them in safely.”
The boat is designed to handle towering waves — 15 to 20 feet, perhaps more — though Moore said humans, not machines, are the limiting factor. “It’s probably the nicest vessel I’ve run in 30 years on Lake Superior,” he said.
“The hope is to be a rescue resource for our people, and everyone else along the North Shore,” said Vogel.
Watch a short video aboard the boat here. Find Chuck’s longer audio interview here.
