Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians (2025)
Tribal code
Ask Donna
What actually matters in this document.
Text
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
2025 ANNUAL REPORT
Nme
Nme, the Lake Sturgeon. The late spiritual leader Eddie Benton-Banai
identified Nme as the Ogimaa (chief) of the Fish Clans. Members of the
Fish Clan are spiritual advisors, philosophers & keepers of wisdom.
The Seven Grandfathers Teachings
Debwewin— Truth
Gwekwaadziwin— Honesty
Aakdewin— Bravery
Nbwaakaawin— Wisdom
Minadendmowin— Respect
Zaagidwin— Love
Dbaadendizwin— Humility
—Be faithful to reality
—Tell the truth
—Choose with courage
—Use good judgment
—Act without harm
—Practice absolute kindness
—Treat all life equally
Win Awenen Nisitotung Special Section
Inside ...
Board of Directors.................................... 2
CEO Overview............................................ 3
Financials.................................................. 4
Tribal Court............................................... 6
Law Enforcement...................................... 7
Natural Resources.................................... 8
Language & Culture.................................. 10
Health........................................................ 11
Elder Services........................................... 13
ACFS.......................................................... 14
Housing Authority..................................... 15
Education.................................................. 16
Recreation................................................. 18
2% Report................................................. 19
Facilities.................................................... 20
EDC............................................................ 22
Transportation ......................................... 24
Special Section
Page 2
September 23, 2026 • Win Awenen Nisitotung
TRIBE’S GOVERNING BODY: BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Austin Lowes,
Chairman
Kimberle Gravelle
Director, Unit I
Ashley Gravelle
Director, Unit I
Robert McRorie
Director, Unit I
Michael McKerchie,
Director, Unit I
Aaron Payment
Director, Unit I
lana Causley-Smith,
Kimberly Lee,
Director, Unit II
Sue St. Onge,
Director, Unit III
Bridgett Sorenson,
Director, Unit III
Director, Unit II
The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of
Chippewa Indians Board of
Directors
Larry Barbeau,
Director, Unit IV
Cole Goudreau,
Director, Unit IV
Tyler LaPlaunt
Director, Unit V
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
seven-county service area
The tribe’s seven-county service area consists of the seven easternmost counties in
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula: Marquette, Delta, Alger, Schoolcraft, Luce, Mackinac and
Chippewa.
The Sault Tribe Board of Directors is the governing body
of the tribe. There are 12 board members and one chairperson,
elected to four-year terms. The board members represent the five
units of the tribe’s service area in the Eastern Upper Peninsula of
Michigan. The chairperson is elected at large. Five board members represent Unit I, two board members represent Unit II, two
board members represent Unit III, two board members represent Unit IV, and one board member represents Unit V. Regular
meetings are held twice a month, usually on Tuesdays.
See www.saulttribe.com/government/board-of-directors for
the meeting schedule, board votes and minutes. See www.facebook.com/saulttribe for live meeting links. Write to your board
representative care of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa
Indians, 523 Ashmun St., Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783.
Board of Directors contacts
Austin Lowes, Chairman
(906) 632-6453
alowes@saulttribe.net
Michael McKerchie,
Unit I, Treasurer
(906) 440-7768
mmckerchie@saulttribe.net
Ashley Gravelle,
Unit I, Secretary
(906) 203‑5160
agravelle1@saulttribe.net
Lana Causley-Smith,
Unit II
(906) 484‑2954
lcausley@saulttribe.net
Bridgett Sorenson, Unit III
(906) 430-0536
bsorenson@saulttribe.net
Sue St. Onge, Unit III
(906) 203‑5654
sstonge1@saulttribe.net
Robert McRorie, Unit I
(906) 379-8068
rmcrorie@saulttribe.net
Cole Goudreau,
Unit IV
(906) 286‑2966
cgoudreau@saulttribe.net
Aaron Payment, Unit I
(906) 440-8946
apayment@saulttribe.net
Larry Barbeau, Unit IV
(906) 259-3040
lbarbeau@saulttribe.net
Kimberle Gravelle, Unit I
(906) 259-3742
kgravelle@saulttribe.net
Tyler LaPlaunt, Unit V,
Vice-Chairman
(906) 440-8294
tlaplaunt@saulttribe.net
Kimberly Lee, Unit II
(906) 379-8965
klee@saulttribe.net
Sault Tribe Main Line:
(906) 635-6050
September 23, 2026 • Win Awenen Nisitotung
Special Section
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER 2025 HIGHLIGHTS
Governmental CEO
Jessica Dumback
The Governmental Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) is committed to providing strong leadership, effective administration,
and accountable governance,
which support the purpose of
the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of
Chippewa Indians. Through collaboration, strategic planning,
and operational excellence, the
Executive Office works to ensure
tribal programs and services
continue to meet the needs of the
tribal membership, while honoring Sault Tribe’s next seven
generations.
Guided by the tribe’s commitment to strengthening tribal
families and communities, the
Executive Office works alongside tribal leadership, departments, and community partners
to improve services and support
mino bimaadiziwin—a good
life—for all tribal members.
The Governmental Chief
Executive Officer provides
direct oversight and leadership
to key governmental divisions
and departments responsible for
delivering programs, services,
and administrative functions
across the tribe. These leadership
positions ensure the effective
implementation of board directives, operational coordination
among divisions and departments, and the continued delivery of services to tribal members.
The Governmental CEO
provides direct supervision and
guidance to the following divisions and departments:
— Anishnaabek Community
and Family Services (ACFS)
— Communications
— Education
— Elder Services
— Enrollment
— Housing Authority
— Human Resources
— Language and Culture
— Law Enforcement and
Conservation
— Legislative Affairs
— Natural Resources
— Recreation
— Strategic Planning
The Executive Office is
supported by an administrative
manager, executive assistants,
membership liaisons, receptionists, and an efficiency analyst, all
of whom play an essential role
in providing responsive service
to tribal members and supporting
daily governmental operations.
2025 HIGHLIGHTS
Leadership and
Organizational Development
During 2025, the Executive
Office focused on strengthening
organizational leadership and
improving operational effectiveness throughout tribal government.
Significant accomplishments
included:
— Filling key leadership positions within Natural
Resources, Human Resources,
Language and Culture, and
Anishnaabek Community and
Family Services, and ensuring continued operations with
the appointment of an Interim
Housing Director.
— Implementing the
Governmental Compensation
Study pursuant to Resolution
#2024-218.
— Recommending organizational charts for Key Employees,
Authorities and Commissions,
and Committees, which were
approved via Resolution #2025225.
— Completing the
Governmental Human Resources
restructuring.
— Reestablishing the Policy
Review Group to modernize
Governmental policies and procedures.
Enhancing Membership
Services
Improving communication
and access to tribal services
remained a priority throughout
the year.
Key accomplishments included:
— Updating and distributing the Membership Services
Directory to tribal members.
— Establishing Semi-Annual
Membership Services presentations to provide regular program
updates. These presentations
were livestreamed and are available to view on the tribal website.
— Creating a Frequently
Asked Questions section in Win
Awenen Nisitotung to address
common membership questions
and improve communication.
Strengthening Government
Operations
Several initiatives were completed to improve coordination,
accountability, and organizational alignment.
These efforts included:
— Collaborating with executive leadership to strengthen
emergency response readiness,
resulting in the development
of an Emergency Conditions
Procedure and creation of an
Emergency Texting Tree. This
procedure and implementation
tool ensure timely communication, coordinated decision-making, and rapid response during
emergency situations.
— Establishing a process
requiring Human Resources to
receive all remote work requests
for consistent administration.
— Streamlining to consolidate related programming by
transitioning the ConsortiumCoop Ecological Resilience
(CCER) Program under the
Natural Resources Division and
by moving Repatriation and
Historic Preservation under the
Language and Culture Division.
Government Relations and
Advocacy
The Executive Office continued building relationships with
tribal, state, and federal partners
to advance tribal priorities.
Throughout the year, leadership participated in:
— The I-500 Dinner, meeting
with state legislators to discuss
tribal priorities.
— The annual TribalState Summit with Michigan
Governor Gretchen Whitmer to
strengthen state and tribal relations.
— The Government-toGovernment meeting with U.S.
Attorney Timothy VerHey to
strengthen federal-tribal collaboration.
— Legislative meetings with
Khoury Johnson Levitt and state
of Michigan representatives
regarding key legislative initiatives.
Supporting Culture and
Community
The Executive Office
remained committed to preserving tribal culture, while strengthening services for tribal elders
and communities.
Highlights included:
— Updating the Cultural
Leave process and creating a
dedicated submission email
address to better support
employees participating in cultural activities.
— Continuing the Elder
Interview Project in partnership with Elder Services and
Communications staff.
— Encouraging expanded
outreach efforts through Elder
Services to increase participation
in elder meals and community
gatherings.
— Participating in the annual
Elder Holiday Luncheon, serving tribal elders, and celebrating
their contributions to tribal communities.
Recognizing Team Members
and Investing in the Future
Recognizing the dedication of
tribal team members and investing in future generations continued to be important priorities. In
2025:
— The annual Team Member
Recognition Luncheon honored
193 team members for their
years of service and commitment.
— Approximately 430 team
members participated in Team
Building Day, strengthening collaboration across tribal government.
— Community fundraising
efforts generated $83,352.65 to
support children’s Christmas
parties throughout the tribe’s
service area.
Strategic Communications
and Major Projects
The Executive Office continued working to increase public
awareness of tribal initiatives,
while supporting long-term
infrastructure improvements.
Notable accomplishments
included:
— Celebrating the comple-
tion of the Epoufette Access
Road Project after 13 years of
planning and coordination. Final
directional signage is expected
to further improve public access
to the harbor, while protecting
neighboring private property.
— The 24th Annual Sault
Tribe Golf Scholarship Classic
raised $112,000.00 to support
scholarships for tribal students
pursuing higher education.
— Partnering with Bellwether
Public Relations to develop and
implement a comprehensive
2% revenue sharing marketing
campaign through Win Awenen
Nisitotung and social media. A
total of $1,565,914 was distributed to local units of government
throughout the tribe’s sevencounty service area.
Tribal Government by the
Numbers
As of Dec. 31, 2025:
— Enrolled tribal members:
52,753
— Governmental team members (excluding Health): 524
LOOKING AHEAD
As the tribe continues to grow,
the Executive Office remains
focused on strengthening organizational leadership, enhancing
communication with tribal members, improving operational efficiency, and ensuring responsible
stewardship of tribal resources.
In 2026, the Office will focus
on strategic priorities designed
to enhance organizational coordination, service delivery, and
accountability across tribal government operations.
The impact of these priorities
include:
— Governance and Board
Alignment: Ensure timely, accurate reporting and communication
to support informed board deci-
Page 3
sion-making.
— Strategic Planning and
Organizational Alignment: Align
planning, budgeting, and performance measures with long-term
tribal priorities.
— Financial Responsibility:
Strengthen oversight, reporting,
and operational efficiency to safeguard tribal resources.
— Emergency Preparedness
and Operational Readiness:
Maintain continuity of government operations through initiative-taking planning and interdepartmental collaboration.
— Membership Engagement
and Service Delivery: Enhance
communication and responsiveness to tribal membership needs.
— Organizational Capacity
and Leadership Stability:
Reinforce leadership structures
and supervisory clarity to maintain operational consistency.
— Performance Accountability
and Data Transparency: Expand
data-driven insights to monitor
progress and guide decision-making.
By working collaboratively with tribal board members,
team members, and community
partners, the Executive Office
remains committed to delivering
high-quality programs and services, improving the lives of tribal members today, while building
a stronger future for the next
seven generations.
Photo courtesy state of Michigan
Attending the 2025 State-Tribal Summit for Sault Tribe were (L-R)
General Counsel Ryan Mills, Unit 1 Director Aaron Payment, Michigan
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Chairman Austin Lowes, Governmental CEO
Jessica Dumback and CEO of Enterprise Operations Dan Doyle.
St. Ignace and Sault Ste Marie area team members pose for a group photo at the 2025 Team Building Day in
August 2025.
Page 4
Special Section
September 23, 2026 • Win Awenen Nisitotung
SAULT TRIBE’S FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2025
The tribe’s total governmened space in the Administration
on the replacement of the Casino
Indian Health Services Sanitation
tal assets and deferred outflows
Complex.
South Entrance.
grant program. These grants
decreased by $25.0 million or
— The Transportation Dept
Enterprise Major Projects
afforded 18 tribal member fam7.3% over the course of this
purchased 4 vehicles at a cost of
— Additions to the various
ilies with new well or sanitation
year’s operations and total assets
$216,150 using a DOT CARES
casinos included land improvesystems.
and deferred outflows from busigrant for use in transporting tribments, furniture and fixtures,
— STHA also received
ness-type activities increased
al members to doctor and other
equipment and right-to-use assets $12,878,557 from the following
by $3.8 million or 2.1%. Total
appointments.
totaled $3,671,935 with the major sources: Housing and Urban
primary governmental assets
— The remodeling of an exist- projects being the replacement of
Development $6,555,400,
were $507 million at year-end, a
ing structure into the home for
computer equipment and credit
Michigan State Housing
decrease of $21.2 million or 4%.
the Sober Sanctuary Program was card devices, furniture and fixDevelopment Association
Total liabilities and deferred
completed and began operations
tures and slot machines at all
$26,025, and Sault Tribe
inflows in governmental activiin 2025. five locations. The major project
$6,124,512. These funds were
ties decreased by $30.8 million
ARPA use of funds in 2025
to refurbish 261 hotel rooms in
used for its mission to proor 21.99%. Total liabilities and
— With the receipt of ARPA
Sault Ste. Marie was completed
vide tribal members assistance
deferred inflows in business-type
funds in 2021, the Sault Tribe for- in fall 2025.
under the following programs:
activities increased by $8.1 milmulated plans in each geographic
— DeMawating 2025 addiHousing Assistance, Down
lion or 16.31%. Total primary
unit of the seven-county service
tions totaled $909,250. These
Payment Assistance, Housing
governmental liabilities and
area to purchase or use existing
included a rental property purRehabilitation Assistance,
deferred inflows were $167 miltribal property to develop much
chase in Sault Ste. Marie which
Emergency Housing Services,
lion at year-end.
needed housing and community
includes 19 units for short-term
Homelessness, New Housing
During the year, the tribe’s
centers.
rentals. The remaining additions
Construction, Furnace and Roof
governmental expenses and trans— As a result, the Sault Tribe
were part of their program of sys- Replacements and other, similiar
fers were $5.8 million less than
began to implement the board-ap- tematic roof and furnace replaceprograms.
the revenues generated by grants,
proved housing and community
ments and interior renovations.
— In addition, the Authority
taxes, and other sources for govcenter expansion projects. The
Work continued in 2025 on
served a total of 184 tribal memernmental activities.
Manistique Fitness Center was
the replacement of the water
bers under the Emergency Rental
In the tribe’s business-type
completed in 2025. The Hessel
and sewer infrastructure at the
Assistance Program Grant. Total
activities, total revenues were
Community Center will be comDeMawating-owned Riverside
expenditures for this program
$98.2 million while total expenspleted in 2026. The Marquette
Village Park. This is expected
were $124,390 in 2025.
es, taxes, and transfers were
and Escanaba Community
to be completed in 2026 with all
— The Housing Authority
$102.4 million.
Centers were opened in 2025.
sites having upgraded water and
was awarded $6 million in Indian
The General Fund
— In 2022, these ARPA funds
sewer lines.
Housing Block Grant funds,
reported a decrease in expendiwere used to begin construction
— Sawyer Village’s 2025
which were combined with $2
tures of $34,000 for the year due
of 38 affordable housing units at
additions were $311,696. These
million in ARPA funds to conto consistent General Government various locations throughout the
additions involved their program
struct 20 single-family housing
expenses funded with ARP Act
tribe’s service area. The goal for
of systematic roof and furnace
units at the Odenaang site in
of 2022 COVID-19 grants and
this project is to provide comreplacements and interior renova- Sault Ste. Marie.
Recreation and Culture expendimunity members another source
tions. Sawyer began the complete
— Sault Tribe Housing
tures. of desirable housing alternatives.
outside and inside renovation of
Authority Capital Assets totaled
The tribe’s MERS Defined
Units will be either placed on
42 previously unoccupied units.
$82,306,707 at the end of 2025
Benefit Pension Plan for law
lots at Odenaang (Housing devel- This is considered a “work-inand consisted of land improveenforcement employees reported
opment by Sault Tribe Housing
progress” until completed in
ments, building and structures,
a net pension asset of $390,297
Authority), Riverside Village
2026.
equipment and machinery and
in the government-wide financial
Park or on a site chosen by the
— In 2024, the Eagle Lending vehicles. The total net increase in
statements. tribal member. As of Dec. 31,
Program received a $2,956,523
2025 for these types of assets was
Tribal external debt reduction
2025, all the units were occupied. grant under the State Small
$6,419,412.
payments amounted to $1.2 milTotal cost of the project is $10.2
Business Credit Initiative
In addition to the renewal
lion. million.
(SSBCI), which is geared towards of funding for a host of tribal
Major capital projects includ— ARPA funds were also used assisting tribal and tribal member programs, new grant awards in
ed:
to repurpose and upgrade existing businesses with procuring financ- 2025 consisted of the following
— The beginning of infrabuildings. Improved access, new
ing through loan participation
expenditure amounts: USDA
structure work in St. Ignace for
HVAC systems, security enhance- or collateral support. Two loans
Broadband Grant,$1,876,360;
the expansion of affordable hous- ments and restroom renovations
totaling $2,022,256 were comUSDA Co-Stewardship of
ing opportunities.
were among the uses of the funds. pleted in 2025, one a tribal loan
Federal Lands Grant, $73,742;
— The Tribal Building Fund
— The campus at JKL School
and the other a tribal member
DOI - Ecosystems & Wildlife
purchased equipment, vehicles
saw the completion of a numloan. Grants, $57,444; and Dept of
and made building improvements ber of ARPA projects in 2025.
— Bear on the Mountain
Transportation - RAISE Grant,
totaling $9,341,062. These were
Among those were the Bus
(Hessel Ridge) Golf Course
$125,779.
funded in part as noted in the
garage, storage building, cafeteria improvements included 20 elecGovernment-wide
ARPA section and with Building
and restroom remodeling and new tric golf carts costing $76,250.
Statements
funds. These included improvesets of entry doors.
— In July 2025, the entire
The government-wide statements to office buildings, cultural
— Remodeling was completed tribal organization began the sysments report information about
and recreation centers, and expan- at the Administrative Complex
tematic upgrading of the payroll
the tribe as a whole using
sion of member service opportufor three office suites using ARPA process beginning with a new
accounting methods similar to
nities.
funds. Completion was in mid
time-keeping system. All 1,800
those used by private sector
— Improvements at the JKL
2025.
employees were impacted as the
companies. The statement of net
School included the completion
position includes all of the gov— The tribal elder building
new system was implemented in
of a number of ARPA funded
ernment’s assets and liabilities.
had a complete roof replacement
July for all sites. The next phase
All of the current year’s revenues
projects as noted in the ARPA
and the outside was completely
beginning early January 2026 is
and expenses are accounted for in
section.
repainted using ARPA Funds.
to use the system for processing
the statement of activities regard— The Health Center in
— The Natural Resources
of payroll and benefits. Kewadin
less of when cash is received or
Marquette was opened in the fall
Division remodeled the existing
Casinos will begin this process
paid.
of 2025 with the commencing of
structure at the former Motor
first with the remaining areas
The two government-wide
patient services. The Escanaba
Pool Building in Sault Ste Marie
of the organization following
statements report the tribe’s
Community Center has a Health
and added additional space with
throughout 2026.
net position and how they have
Center which opened in 2025.
the completion expected in 2026.
— Also in the planning stages
changed. Net position – the
The Gladstone Health Building
— The following projects
is the replacement of the main
completed its fitness center.
were completed/initiated in 2025
accounting software for the entire difference between the tribe’s
assets and liabilities – is one way
The Health Centers also began
using ARPA funds: McCann organization as the current softto measure the tribe’s financial
the implementation of their
HVAC upgrade, Sugar Island
ware has run its course and is
health, or position.
new Electronic Health Record
powwow grounds, Sault cultural
not systematically supported any
— Over time, increases or
Software Project with completion building upgrades, Sault elderly
longer. This is a huge undertaking
decreases in the tribe’s net posiexpected in mid-2026.
building parking lot reconstrucgiven all the major improvement
tion are an indicator of whether
— The former Endayon
tion, Big Bear Arena chiller
to this type of software since the
Group Home located on the Sault upgrade, and Big Bear HVAC
original software was implement- its financial health is improving
or deteriorating, respectively.
Housing site was transferred to
System replacement.
ed in 1992. It is anticipated that
— To assess the overall health
Sault Tribe Housing Authority.
— ARPA funds were also
the switch over will commence in
of the tribe, consider additional
The STHA has plans to remodel
used by Kewadin Casinos to
January 2027.
non-financial factors such as
the building for use as a local
complete projects started in
Sault Tribe Housing
changes in the gaming industry
on-site housing office, tentative
2024 for various projects: Hotel
Authority
regulations and changes in federal
completion July 2026.
Room Remodeling Project, Hotel
— The Sault Tribe Housing
law.
— Governmental Human
Exterior Surface Replacement
Authority (STHA) received over
The government-wide finanResources relocated to renovatand the completion of the work
$798,873 in funding from the
cial statements of the tribe
are:
— Governmental activities –
Most of the tribe’s basic services
are included here, such as health
and welfare, public safety, education, and recreation and culture.
Taxes, federal revenue, state
revenue, and charges for services
finance most of these activities.
— Business-type activities
– The tribe charges fees to customers to help it cover the costs
of certain services it provides.
The tribe’s Gaming Authority and
businesses are included here.
Fund Financial Statements
The fund financial statements
provide more detailed information about the tribe’s most significant funds - not the tribe as
a whole. Funds are accounting
devices that the tribe uses to keep
track of specific sources of funding and spending for particular
purposes.
— Some funds are required by
federal law.
— The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe
of Chippewa Indian’s Board
establishes other funds to control
and manage grant money for
particular purposes (Head Start,
Fisheries, Sanitation, etc.).
The tribe has three kinds of
funds:
GOVERNMENTAL FUNDS –
Most of the tribe’s basic services
are included in governmental
funds, which focus on (1) how
much cash and other financial
assets that can readily be converted to cash flow in and out and
(2) the balances left at year-end
that are available for spending.
Consequently, the governmental funds statements provide a
detailed short-term view that
helps you determine whether
there are more or fewer financial
resources that can be spent in the
near future to finance the tribe’s
programs. Because this information does not encompass the
additional long-term focus of the
government-wide statements, we
provide additional information at
the bottom of the governmental
funds statement, or on the subsequent page, that explains the relationship (or differences) between
them.
PROPRIETARY FUNDS –
Internal services for which the
tribe charges internal customers
a fee are generally reported in
the general fund. Proprietary
funds, like the government-wide
statements, provide both long and
short-term financial information.
In fact, the tribe’s enterprise
funds (one type of proprietary
fund) are the same as its business-type activities, but provide more detail and additional
information, such as cash flows.
We use internal services for the
tribe’s other programs and activities – such as the IT, Human
Resources, Accounting, etc.
FIDUCIARY FUNDS – The
tribe is trustee, or fiduciary, for
its employees’ pension plans. It is
also responsible for other assets
because of a trust arrangement
– can be used only for the trust
beneficiaries. The tribe is responsible for ensuring that the assets
reported in the funds are used for
their intended purposes. All of
the tribe’s fiduciary activities are
reported in a separate statement
of fiduciary net position and a
See “Financials,” Page 5
2025 Annual Report
September 23, 2026 • Win Awenen Nisitotung
Page 5
SAULT TRIBE’S FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2025
Table A-1
Governmental
Business-type
Activities
Activities
55,154,210
$ 271,687,984
$ 317,707,032
(34,719,353)
-13.22%
(11,299,695)
-20.49%
(46,019,048)
128,609,826
235,197,816
209,967,800
10,100,617
12.42%
15,129,399
11.76%
25,230,016
12.02%
-
-
384,363
(384,363)
-100.00%
-
(384,363)
-100.00%
$ 183,764,036
$ 506,885,800
$ 528,059,195
(25,003,099)
-7.26%
3,829,704
2.08%
(21,173,395)
-4.01%
$
$
97,563,582
$ 123,429,704
(29,852,792)
-27.07%
3,986,670
30.32%
(25,866,122)
-20.96%
67,301,842
63,927,945
(994,418)
-3.39%
4,368,315
12.62%
3,373,897
5.28%
2,174,797
2,406,422
29,835
5.40%
(261,460)
-14.11%
(231,625)
-9.63%
49,624,411
167,040,221
189,764,071
(30,817,375)
-21.99%
8,093,525
16.31%
(22,723,850)
-11.97%
127,607,856
121,658,201
214,914,780
197,990,853
10,974,272
14.38%
5,949,655
4.89%
16,923,927
8.55%
8,281,841
240,000
18,501,096
9,971,629
487,626
5.01%
8,041,841
3350.77%
8,529,467
85.54%
115,091,298
(6,013,893)
12,241,424
101,929,703
127,332,722
(7,147,702)
-6.21%
(18,255,317)
-149.13%
(25,403,019)
-19.95%
3,000,000
-
-
4,500,000
3,000,000
1,500,000
50.00%
-
1,500,000
50.00%
$ 204,155,579
$ 129,875,804
$ 134,139,625
$ 339,845,579
$ 338,295,204
5,814,196
2.85%
(4,263,821)
1,550,375
0.46%
$ 227,833,469
$ 262,552,822
91,458,591
81,357,974
143,739,225
-
384,363
-
Total Assets and Deferred Outflows
$ 319,292,060
$ 344,295,159
$ 187,593,740
Current Liabilities
$
80,427,088
$ 110,279,880
$
28,312,488
29,306,906
38,989,354
34,621,039
582,709
552,874
1,592,088
1,853,548
109,322,285
140,139,660
57,717,936
Net Investment in Capital Assets
87,306,924
76,332,652
Restricted
10,219,255
9,731,629
Unrestricted
107,943,596
Designated
4,500,000
$ 209,969,775
Capital Assets
Deferred Outflows of Resources
Noncurrent Liabilities
Deferred Inflows of Resources
Total Liabilities and Deferred Inflows
$
2024
43,854,515
$
$ -
17,136,494
-
13,149,824
Amount change
% Change
Total
Amount change
2025
% Change
Business-type Activities
2024
2024
Current and Other Assets
Governmental Activities
Total
2025
2025
Amount change
% Change
-14.48%
Net Position
Total Net Position
$ -
#DIV/0!
-3.18%
at year-end and Internal Service
of $101.1 million.
— Amendments and supFrom “Financials,” pg. 4
geted expenditures are for direct
debt decreased by $1 million.
Interest, dividends and other
plemental appropriations are
statement of changes in fiduciary
services, consulting / subconrevenues of $8.9 million.
approved as needed by the Board
Economic factors and next
net position. We exclude these
tracting, and expansion of memThe increase in governmental
of Directors during the course of
year’s budgets and rates
activities from the tribe’s governber services. If these estimates
net position for 2025 was $5.8
the fiscal year.
The COVID-19 pandemic
ment-wide financial statements
are realized, the tribe’s budgetary
— Year-end modifications are
has had a significant impact on
because the tribe cannot use these million.
General fund balance is expected
Business-type Activities
made during the calendar year
the tribe’s operations. The tribe
to remain steady by the close of
assets to finance its operations.
Revenues of the tribe’s busias needed for programs with
is carrying over $4 million of
fiscal 2026.
Financial analysis of the
ness-type activities were $98.2
non-December year ends.
unspent ARP Act of 2021 COVID
As for the tribe’s busitribe as a whole
million and expenses were $99.4
Even with these adjustments,
19 funding into 2026 for COVID- ness-type activities, we expect
Net position: The tribe’s
million. (Refer to Table A-2).
actual expenditures were $2.7
19 disaster relief. The effect of
combined governmental and
that the 2026 results will also
Business-type activities promillion less than the final budCOVID-19 continued to impact
business-type net position was
improve based on these items:
vide all of the governmental tax
geted General Fund amounts.
all aspects of the tribal economy
$339,845,579 for 2025. (See
— Reduction in operating
revenues, and the decrease in
The actual excess of revenues
during 2025 from both the govTable A-1 above.)
costs.
net position for the businesses
over expenses and other uses was ernmental and business perspec— Reduction in Debt Service.
$87.3 million of governmenin 2025 was $4.3 million after
$10.4 million more than the final
tives. It will remain to be seen
tal assets are invested in capi— Increase in operating martaxes.
budget anticipated. This is due, in how quickly both the general and
tal assets (land, buildings and
gins.
As the tribe completed the
part, to lower transfers out as well tribal economies recover.
equipment) with $127.6 million
Contacting the tribe’s finanyear, governmental funds reportas higher transfers in than the
These indicators were taken
of business assets invested in the
cial management
ed a combined fund balance of
final budgeted amounts.
into account when adopting the
same manner.
This financial report is
$107.4 million, a decrease in
The most significant variances General fund budget for fiscal
Change in net position: The
designed to provide our memwere as follows:
2026. The amount appropriated
tribe’s total revenues from prima- combined fund balance of $4.3
bers, grantors, investors, and
million from 2025. The primary
— Interest and other revenues
in the General Fund budget for
ry activities (excluding special
creditors with a general overview
reason for the increase in fund
were higher than budgeted.
operations is $11.6 million, which of the tribe’s finances and to
items) was $251 million. (See
balance is highlighted in the analis a 9% decrease from final fiscal demonstrate the tribe’s account— Debt service costs were
Table A-2.) The tribe’s revenue
ysis of governmental activities.
2025 budget. The tribe will use
less.
ability for the money it receives.
comes mainly from gaming revits revenues to finance current
— Recreation and culture cost
enues, charges for services, taxes In addition, these other changes
If you have questions about this
in fund balance should be noted:
and expected future programs,
were less.
and federal sources.
report, contact the Sault Ste.
program expansions into outlying Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
— Debt service expenditures
— Other financing uses of
The total cost of all primary
areas, and the expected impact of Administration Office, 523
were $2.7 million.
funds were significantly less.
activities was $243 million and
Sault
Ste. Assets
Marie Tribe of Chippewa
Indians
inflation
on those programs.
— $15.5 million net was
Capital
Ashmun, Sault Ste. Marie, MI
included both governmental and
Management's Discussion and
At year-end, the tribe has
The largest fiscal 2026 bud49783.
member services along with busi- transferred out from the General
December
invested $235,197,816 in a broad
ness-type operating costs exclud- Fund, a decrease of 27% from
2025.
range of capital assets, including
ing transfers and taxes.
General Fund Budgetary
land, machinery and equipment,
Table A-3
The tribe was able to cover the
Tribe's Capital Assets - at Cost
Highlights buildings, roads, and vehicles.
current year’s costs for programs
Over the course of the year,
The principal change in capital
and services of governmental
Governmental
Business-type
Governmental
Business-type
Activities
Activities
Activities
Activities
the tribe’s Board made several
assets consists mainly of land
operations through revenues.
2025
2025
2024
2024
changes to the tribe’s budget. The purchases and equipment purTable A-2 and the narrative that
Land and improvements
$
30,889,950
$
12,497,000 $ 30,862,857
$
12,319,474
budget process falls into three
chases.
(See Table A-3 at right.)
follows consider the operations
Construction
in progress
13,018,707
52,079,459
8,873,817
30,909,709
categories:
Long-Term
Debt
of governmental-type activities
Buildings and equipment
148,748,506
262,701,434
136,790,064
262,173,361
— Original budgets are
At year-end, the tribe had
and business-type activities sepaLess: accumulated depreciation
(101,198,572)
(183,538,668)
(95,168,764)
(176,792,718)
approved by the Board prior to
approximately
$7.9 million in
rately.
notes
payable. There was $4.5
Governmental and Business- the beginning of the program’s
Totals
$
91,458,591
$
143,739,225 $ 81,357,974 $
128,609,826
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
fiscal
year.
million in Governmental
debt
type Activities
Management's Discussion and Analysis
— Revenues for the tribe’s
December 31, 2025
governmental activities decreased
Table A-2
17.94%, while total expenses
Changes in Tribe’s Net Position
increased 18.04%.
Governmental Activities
Business-type Activities
Total
Governmental Activities
Business-type Activities
Total
2025
2024
2025
2024
2025
2024
Amount change
% Change
Amount change
% Change
Amount change % Change
— Revenues for the tribe’s
Revenues
Program Revenues:
business-type activities decreased
Charges for services
$ 35,475,432 $
36,861,144 $
97,554,521 $ 115,985,885 $
133,029,953 $ 152,847,029
(1,385,712)
-3.76%
(18,431,364)
-15.89%
(19,817,076)
-8.59%
18.48%, while total expenses
Operating grants and
Contributions
94,211,444
119,156,416
94,211,444
119,156,416
(24,944,972)
-20.93%
0.00%
(24,944,972)
-26.48%
decreased 6.48%. (See Table
Capital grants and Contributions
6,952,366
10,080,500
6,952,366
10,080,500
(3,128,134)
-31.03%
0.00%
(3,128,134)
-44.99%
A-2.)
General Revenues:
0.00%
Taxes
7,731,744
7,884,656
7,731,744
7,884,656
(152,912)
-1.94%
0.00%
(152,912)
-1.98%
Governmental Activities
Interest/Dividends
8,879,930
12,702,890
706,251
741,050
9,586,181
13,443,940
(3,822,960)
-30.10%
(34,799)
-4.70%
(3,857,759)
-37.48%
Component unit distributions
1,528,778
1,528,778
#DIV/0!
(1,528,778)
-100.00%
(1,528,778)
#DIV/0!
Table A-2 presents the cost
Employee Retention Credit
2,232,960
2,232,960
0.00%
(2,232,960)
0.00%
(2,232,960)
#DIV/0!
of each of the tribe’s five largest
Other
(41,507)
7,950
(89,783)
(60,936)
(131,290)
(52,986)
(49,457)
-622.10%
(28,847)
47.34%
(78,304)
35.42%
programs—health and welfare,
Total Revenues
$153,209,409 $ 186,693,556 $
98,170,989 $ 120,427,737 $
251,380,398 $ 307,121,293
(33,484,147)
-17.94%
(22,256,748)
-18.48%
(55,740,895)
-15.95%
public safety, recreation and
Expenses
Gaming Authority
$
- $
- $
78,636,224 $ 72,529,705 $
78,636,224 $ 72,529,705
6,106,519
8.42%
6,106,519
3.88%
culture, education, and general
Other
20,761,679
33,755,773
20,761,679
33,755,773
(12,994,094)
-38.49%
(12,994,094)
-31.29%
Judicial
1,543,186
1,752,686
1,543,186
1,752,686
(209,500)
-11.95%
(209,500)
-13.58%
government as well as its judicial
Education
14,284,950
14,061,395
14,284,950
14,061,395
223,555
1.59%
223,555
1.56%
services, public works and interHealth and Welfare
94,714,299
76,487,286
94,714,299
76,487,286
18,227,013
23.83%
18,227,013
19.24%
Recreation and Culture
5,110,756
4,377,730
5,110,756
4,377,730
733,026
16.74%
733,026
14.34%
est expense.
Public Safety
5,332,595
4,786,619
5,332,595
4,786,619
545,976
11.41%
545,976
10.24%
General Government
18,707,779
15,066,755
18,707,779
15,066,755
3,641,024
24.17%
3,641,024
19.46%
— The cost of all governmenPublic Works
1,056,803
2,140,711
1,056,803
2,140,711
(1,083,908)
-50.63%
(1,083,908)
-102.56%
tal activities this year was $143.7
Interest Expense
2,907,612
3,034,185
2,907,612
3,034,185
(126,573)
-4.17%
(126,573)
-4.35%
million.
Total Expenses
$143,657,980 $ 121,707,367 $
99,397,903 $ 106,285,478 $
243,055,883 $ 227,992,845
21,950,613
18.04%
(6,887,575)
-6.48%
15,063,038
4.40%
— The cost of those services
Excess
$ 9,551,429 $
64,986,189 $
(1,226,914) $ 14,142,259 $
8,324,515 $ 79,128,448
(55,434,760)
-85.30%
(15,369,173)
-108.68%
(70,803,933)
-997.58%
Transfers
(3,737,153)
(24,330,893)
3,737,153
24,411,049
80,156
20,593,740
-84.64%
(20,673,896)
-84.69%
(80,156)
was paid from the following:
Taxes
(6,774,060)
(6,845,133)
(6,774,060)
(6,845,133)
0.00%
71,073
-1.05%
71,073
-0.52%
Taxes of $7.73 million.
Change in Net Position
5,814,276
40,655,296
(4,263,821)
31,708,175
1,550,455
72,363,471
(34,841,020)
-85.70%
(35,971,996)
-113.45%
(70,813,016)
2609.78%
Charges for services of $35.5
Net Position - Beginning
204,155,499
163,500,203
134,139,625
102,431,450
338,295,124
265,931,653
40,655,296
24.87%
31,708,175
30.96%
72,363,471
15.32%
million. Net Position - Ending
$209,969,775 $ 204,155,499 $
129,875,804 $ 134,139,625 $
339,845,579 $ 338,295,124
5,814,276
2.85%
(4,263,821)
-3.18%
1,550,455
0.33%
Operating and Capital Grants
Page 6
Special Section
September 23, 2026 • Win Awenen Nisitotung
TRIBAL COURT 2025 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
For the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe
of Chippewa Indians, the Tribal
Court is a cornerstone of tribal
sovereignty and self-governance.
The Court provides a forum
where disputes, criminal matters, child welfare cases, civil
actions, and community issues
can be resolved according to
Tribal law, values, and traditions
while ensuring due process and
fairness for all parties. Beyond
administering justice, the Tribal
Court helps protect the tribe’s
inherent right to govern its own
people and territory, strengthens
public safety, supports families
and vulnerable children, and promotes accountability and healing
through culturally responsive
practices. By maintaining an
independent judiciary, the Sault
Tribe reinforces its nation-to-nation relationship with federal and
state governments and ensures
that the community’s unique
customs, history, and interests
remain central to the administration of justice.
In 2025, our trial-level court
consisted of the chief judge, court
administrator/magistrate, court
clerk, deputy court clerk, a probation officer, a specialty court
coordinator, and a part-time field
surveillance officer/bailiff.
Court Administration
During 2025, the Tribal Court
received 376 new operational
case filings across a wide range
of case types, including criminal,
child welfare, guardianship, landlord-tenant, personal protection
The Tribal Court finalized 12 adoptions in 2025. Above, an adoption
takes place in court with a traditional ceremony.
order, conservation, and juvenile
ings, the Court continued to
matters. In addition, the Court
improve access to justice for litadministered 512 jury-related
igants, attorneys, service providmatters, bringing the total numers, and incarcerated individuals
ber of filings recorded during the
while reducing travel barriers and
year to 888.
increasing appearance rates. The
The Court recorded 1,196
Court also maintained a strong
hearing events and outcomes,
focus on timely case resolution,
including arraignments, pretrial
disposing of 1,418 cases and matconferences, motion hearings,
ters during the year and achieving
plea hearings, review hearings,
a clearance rate of approximately
permanency planning hearings,
160%. As a result, the Court
dispositional hearings, sentencreduced its pending caseload
ings, guardianship proceedings,
from 231 cases at the beginning
and other judicial proceedof the year to 161 cases at year
ings.
end, a reduction of more than
Through a combination of
30%.
in-person and remote proceedAmong the Court’s most
meaningful work were proceedings that strengthened and preserved families. During 2025, the
Court finalized 12 adoptions and
continued oversight of numerous
guardianship and child welfare
matters affecting tribal children
and families, advancing the
Court’s commitment to the safety,
well-being, and permanency of
tribal youth and families.
Probation Department
The Probation Department
plays a critical role in promoting public safety, accountability,
rehabilitation, and successful
reintegration by supervising adult
offenders in the community as an
alternative to incarceration. To
ensure compliance with court-ordered conditions and support
positive behavioral change, probation officers utilize a variety of
supervision strategies, including
electronic monitoring, random
drug and alcohol testing, field
contacts, and community service
oversight. The department also
supervises participants in the
Tribal Drug Court and Domestic
Violence (DV) Court. These specialty courts provide intensive
supervision, treatment services,
and evidence-based interventions
designed to address the root causes of criminal behavior, reduce
recidivism, and improve community safety.
In addition to adult supervision, the department provides
services to juvenile offenders
through both informal and formal
probation. Informal probation
offers eligible youth an opportunity to address behavioral concerns without creating a formal
court record, while formal probation provides structured, court-ordered supervision. To ensure services are tailored to each youth’s
needs, the department utilizes
the Michigan Juvenile Justice
Assessment System (MJJAS) to
identify risk factors and service
needs. Additional programming,
including the Juvenile Justice
Initiative (JJI) and Adolescent
In Home Assistance (AIHA),
supports accountability, skill
development, and positive decision-making. The department
also oversees juvenile community
service projects, providing opportunities for youth to give back to
the community while developing
responsibility, strengthening community connections, and building
valuable life skills.
Gwaiak Miicon
Gwaiak Miicon Adult
Treatment Court continued operations in 2025, marking its 25th
consecutive year of serving individuals affected by substance use
disorders. Gwaiak Miicon is an
evidence-based, highly structured
treatment court program designed
for individuals who are at high
risk of continued involvement
with the criminal justice system
due to substance use and related
challenges. By combining intensive judicial oversight, accountability, culturally responsive
support, and behavioral health
treatment services, the program
seeks to address the underlying
causes of criminal behavior and
promote long-term recovery. The
Court recognizes that when the
root causes of criminal conduct,
including substance use, trauma,
and other underlying issues, are
effectively addressed, participants
are better positioned to achieve
lasting stability and reduce future
involvement with the justice system.
Court of Appeals
The restructuring of the
Appellate Court occurred on Aug.
20, 2024, by board resolution.
Four new appeals were filed
in 2025: Two landlord/tenant
matters, and two child welfare
matters. The Sault Tribe Court of
Appeals plays an equally important role by providing independent
review of trial court decisions,
helping to ensure that laws are
applied fairly, consistently, and
in accordance with the tribe’s
Constitution and legal principles.
Through appellate review, the
Court of Appeals strengthens
public confidence in the judicial
system, safeguards the rights of
litigants, and promotes the continued development of tribal jurisprudence, creating a stable and
predictable body of law for future
generations.
Domestic Violence Court
The Court also continued its
Domestic Violence (DV) Court
program this year for offenders
convicted of abusive crimes
against an intimate partner. DV
Court is presided over by the
judge or magistrate and is a specialized docket that allows the
justice system to have intensive
oversight on cases, enhances
victim safety, and holds offenders accountable while offering
them rehabilitative services to
deter repeat offenses. Participants
must attend frequent Court
review hearings, attend Men’s
Group, complete a behavioral
health assessment and treatment
if recommended, and write a
series of essays on power and
control. Tribal Court staff are
trained in the Men’s Education
Group Duluth Model and Moral
Recognition Therapy (MRT) to
facilitate the weekly groups. The
curriculum for Men’s Education
is 26 weeks, and the Court also
incorporates cultural teachings
and two sweat lodges into its program through collaboration with
Traditional Medicine. MRT is a
12-step workbook designed to
modify criminal thinking. Tribal
Court accepts referrals to Men’s
Education Group and MRT from
social service agencies and other
tribal and state courts for a nominal fee.
Tribal Court Goals for 2026
— Continue efforts to prepare
the implementation of the Tribal
Law & Order Act, which would
increase the maximum criminal
penalty for a crime in this court
from 1 year to 3 years confinement.
— Continue to increase
responsiveness, efficiency, and
accuracy.
— Develop, implement, and
administer programs tailored to
the evolving needs of the tribal
justice community, and be a partner in problem solving with other
tribal services.
September 23, 2026 • Win Awenen Nisitotung
Special Section
Page 7
LAW ENFORCEMENT HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2025
Sault Tribe Law Enforcement
(STLE) serves tribal communities
in Sault Ste. Marie, Kincheloe,
Hessel, St. Ignace, Newberry,
Manistique, Wetmore, Munising,
Escanaba and Marquette. STLE
also serves as the Conservation
Enforcement and treaty licensing
entity for Sault Tribe.
STLE also provides access
to Sex Offender Registration
and Notification Act (SORNA)
resources, public website, registries, and related information
to help keep the community
informed and safe.
The department oversees the
operation and administration of
the Sault Tribe Youth Facility
(STYF), a 25-bed facility in St.
Ignace that houses ages 11-17
who are court-ordered to a detention facility. Trainings attended
by STYF staff in 2025 included BIA Detention Guidelines
Training, Detention Facility
Policies and Procedures, IAFMS
Maximo Training, First Aid, CPR
and Narcan Training.
Throughout 2025, STLE
remained continued to invest in
the professional development of
its officers and staff. Personnel
attended a variety of specialized
training programs, including
forensic interviewing, human trafficking investigations, active violence response, CPR certification,
firearms and taser instruction, K9
operations, and criminal jurisdiction in Indian Country. These
training opportunities strengthen
departmental capabilities and
ensure officers are equipped to
effectively serve and protect tribal
communities.
Officers coordinate, assist
and escort ACFS staff when they
need to fingerprint possible foster parents. In 2025, dispatchers
answered 11,316 phone calls.
Conservation
With regards to Conservation,
in 2025 STLE issued the following:
— 4,685 (104 increase from
2024) Inland harvest cards with
over 12,300 associated hunting
tags
— Received and processed
710 (41 increase from 2024) bear
applications and 764 (52 increase)
elk applications
— Received and entered 2,893
(256 increase from 2024) inland
harvest reports
— Issued 44 commercial captain, one Co-Captain, one Small
Mesh Permit and 65 (10 increase
from 2024) commercial helper
licenses
— Received 807 commercial
catch reports (12 increase from
2024)
— Issued 180 (one increase
Det. Sgt. McLeod gets pied for “Pie a Po-Po,” where he raised the second highest amount for the Brimley Child Advocacy Center.
from 2024) Great Lakes subsistence gillnet licenses and 205 (56
increase from 2024) subsistence
licenses, and entered 3,212 (515
increase from 2024) subsistence
catch reports
— Cancelled or reinstated
87 (25 increase from 2024)
Subsistence/Gill Net licenses
STLE’s 2025 highlights
— Staffing changes included
a SORNA Coordinator and two
new officers.
— Officer trainings included: De-escalation Training, BIA
Recertification, Legal Update,
Sex Trafficking, K9 Patrol and
Narcotics, FOIA, Controlled
Force MACH Train the trainer, MDHHS STOP Violence,
Criminal Jurisdiction in Indian
Country, Active Violence
Training, Mental Health
Awareness, CPT Training,
Child Abuse & Sex Crimes
Forensic Interviewing, Glock
Armorer, ARIDE, CPR, AntiTrafficking Operations, Human
Trafficking, Interrogation, Taser
Instructor re-certification, and
Pistol Shoot/Taser, Response to
Active Violence training , PAAM
Forensic Interview, and Active
Shooter and Response Mass
Casualty.
— STLE assisted with the
Election Ballot Count, picking up
ballots, and standing by to ensure
full transparency.
— The SORNA project coordinator and two officers attended
multiple Health and Housing fairs
in the following areas throughout
the year in Kincheloe, Newberry,
Hessel, St. Ignace, and Sault Ste.
Marie.
— STLE staff participated
in 2025’s team building event,
Sault Tribe powwow, Feeding
America food distributions, board
of directors’ meetings, YEA and
Kinross Trunk or Treat, Escanaba
Halloween party, Walmart safety
event, child abuse prevention
drive thru event, St. Ignace, Sault
and Kincheloe Housing Authority
Health and Safety Fairs, recovery
walk, domestic violence walk,
and ACFS’s family fun day for
child abuse prevention.
— Provided presence at multiple concerts at all of our Kewadin
Casino sites
— Provided safety/escort services for Bronco the Mac
— Hosted five Interns from
Sault High for a day
— Hosted intern focusing on
Conservation
— Supported Tri-County Drug
Enforcement Team (TRIDENT)
by dedicating one officer to serve
on this team
— Submitted Conservation
articles to be published in the
Sault Tribe newspaper
— Ensured continued compliance with Sault Tribe’s Chapter
72-Sex Offender Registration and
Notification Code, which included ensuring that all offenders
within Sault Tribe’s jurisdiction
were registered, updated, and/or
verified
— Worked with tribal departments to make sure the public has
the most up-to-date information
regarding offenders in our areas
— Worked with HR regarding incoming employees on the
SORNA registry
— Assisted Santa Claus
with his visit to the Sault Tribe
Daycare
— Participated with St. Ignace
and Sault schools for lock down
drills
— Participated in the sixth
annual Community of Trees, taking third place
— Participated on Sept. 30,
2025, “Every Child Matters” day,
wearing orange or orange ribbons
— Participated in the “Annual
Dispatcher” week with Central
Dispatch
— Sat on the Sault High
Advisory Board, Lake Superior
Officer Thorne, STLE Administrative Manager Amber Horner, and Sgt. Lester man the
booth at an ACFS Family Fun Night.
State University (LSSU)
MCOLES Advisory Board, and
hosted interns from LSSU and
Sault High School
— Completed annual firearms
qualifications under state and
federal regulations and met 40
hours of continuing education
under MCOLES licensing standards
— Participated in the Sault
Ste. Marie downtown trick or
treating and the 10th annual
fright night at the Manistique
Drive In
— Presented to Sault Area
Public Schools Law Enforcement
class
— Participated in the Sault
Ste. Marie “Shop with a Hero”
for Christmas
— Participated in I-500 to
ensure trails were safe. (Picture
below)
— Participated in the 2025
“Fire vs Police: Battle of the
badges” hockey game, raising
$10k in scholarship funding
— Received “Highline
Internet: EUP First Responder of
the Month” for July
— Participated in the 2025
USC Mental Health Awareness
Ice bucket challenge.
— Participated in the “Pie a
Po-Po” to raise money for the
Bay Mills Mashkawizii Child
Advocacy Center
— Participated in the Big
Bear summer program
— Handed out information
at Sault Ste. Marie’s annual
Engineers Day
— Participated in “Breakfast
with a Badge” with Malcolm
high school students
— Visited with Sault Tribe
Head Start and Cedarville Head
Start
— Created two “non-certified” police officer positions now
enrolled in the academy
— Helped Ms. Stecs’ Social
Studies class with a mock trial
— Assisted with the Elder
Christmas party in Sault Ste.
Marie
— Participated in the Hell to
Paradise Motorcycle Rally
— Participated in every local
parade in the tribe’s local counties
— Participated in a
Department of Homeland
Security grant program that provides funding for STLE officers
to assist the U.S. Border Patrol in
providing increased border security along the northern border
Officer Hadfield MSTQ decorated his vehicle for Trick or Treat in
Manistique on Halloween 2025.
Officers TenEyck and Lubben (L-R) and K-9 Nuka make a presentation.
Officers Gardner and Jezewski keeping the trails safe at the 2025 I-500 snowmobile race.
Page 8
Special Section
September 23, 2026 • Win Awenen Nisitotung
NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION HIGHLIGHTS IN 2025
The Natural Resources
Division (NRD), made up of
the Wildlife Program, Fisheries
Program, Environmental Program
and Consortium for Cooperative
Ecological Resilience, accomplished significant work in 2025.
In fiscal year 2025, NRD
managed $2,862,209, with 92%
coming from external funding
essential to sustaining our staffing
and programs from the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (USFWS),
U.S. Forest Service (USFS),
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), U.S. Bureau of
Indian Affairs (BIA), The Nature
Conservancy, and other partners.
WILDLIFE PROGRAM
Coastal Resilience Initiative
For more than a decade,
division staff have led innovative invasive species control
and coastal wetland restoration
throughout the St. Marys River.
The Wildlife Program is working
to restore wetlands and enhance
habitat for migratory birds by
reestablishing native plant species
such as manoomin (wild rice) and
bulrush, managing invasive species, and using long-term wildlife
monitoring to guide restoration.
Invasive Species Mapping
restoration in the St. Marys River 1836 Treaty Ceded Territory.
and Removal: Staff continued
Staff maintained 60 remote cama conservation priority. Since
systematic surveillance and treatera traps across the east unit of
2020, the Sault Tribe has worked
ment of aquatic invasive species
the Hiawatha National Forest,
with partners to monitor and
across coastal wetlands on public
compiled and organized data, and
protect one of the region’s largand Tribal lands in the lower
identified the wildlife species
est remaining breeding colonies.
St. Marys River. In 2025, staff
Through habitat restoration, long- present in each photo. Division
treated approximately 20 acres of
staff will use this data to develop
term monitoring, and installation
invasive species along St. Marys
occupancy models and inform
of nesting platforms, the Wildlife
River shorelines and mapped new Program is working to improve
future population estimates for
detections from Sault Ste. Marie
gray wolves in the eastern Upper
nesting success, strengthen colto Dunbar, including on Sugar
Peninsula.
ony resilience, and support the
and Neebish Islands. Through
Wolf Assessments,
recovery of this Michigan species
collaboration with Three Shores
Monitoring, and Planning:
of concern.
CISMA, 159 invasive species
Division staff continue to monitor
Mudpuppy Conservation:
detections were reported to
wolves through camera trapping
Mudpuppies are a key indicator
support rapid response efforts.
and GPS collaring activities. Staff
of clean, healthy aquatic ecoSince 2021, the Wildlife Program systems, yet populations are
spent time organizing and updathas treated 94 acres of invasive
ing existing camera data in prepadeclining across the Great Lakes
species, including hybrid cattail,
ration for analysis.
due to habitat loss, pollution, and
European frog-bit, and purple
Inter-agency Ishkode (Fire)
other environmental stressors. In
loosestrife.
Stewardship Plan: This plan is
2025, the Sault Tribe launched a
Manoomin Restoration: In
built off a partnership between
pilot assessment in the St. Marys
2025, staff advanced efforts to
the Division and USFS to reinRiver to establish baseline data
restore manoomin (wild rice)
troduce prescribed fire to the
on mudpuppy populations, evalacross St. Marys coastal wetHiawatha National Forest. NRD
uate spawning habitat, and build
lands, seeding approximately 27
continues to collaborate with the
a foundation for future conseracres. A community seeding event vation. This project will guide
USFS to ensure tribal ceremony
brought together Sault Tribe
and management priorities are
future conservation strategies for
members, local Anishinaabeg,
integrated into ongoing Ishkode
this species of greatest conservaand Division staff to seed
work. As part of NRD’s 2025
tion need. If you observe a mudMunuscong Bay. The Munuscong puppy, please report the location
pre-fire ecological assessment,
Bay experimental restoration site
staff conducted assessments on
and date to wildlifeprogram@
entered its sixth year. Through
spruce grouse and American
saulttribe.net and send a photopartnerships, staff are supporting
marten habitat use and vegetation
graph to aid in monitoring.
the refinement of a Manoomin
composition in Betchler Marsh.
Remote Camera Trapping:
Habitat Suitability Model to iden- The Wildlife Program continued
Additional vegetation surveys
tify areas with greatest potential
were conducted after the burn so
its multi-year camera-trapping
for successful restoration.
that the short-term and long-term
project designed to better quanSecretive Marshbird and
impacts of Ishkode can be docutify wildlife populations in the
Waterfowl Monitoring: The
Wildlife Program has led longterm monitoring of secretive
marshbirds, including American
bitterns, rails, and coots, along
with migratory waterfowl to measure the health of St. Marys River
coastal wetlands and guide restoration efforts. Annual surveys
track changes in species presence,
abundance, migration timing, and
breeding activity, allowing staff
to evaluate habitat conditions,
detect ecological change, and
ensure restoration efforts continue
to benefit the birds and wetlands
that sustain them.
Black Tern Monitoring:
Black terns have declined by
nearly 90% across Great Lakes
Successful nesting by Black Terns on an artificial platform installed to
coastal wetlands, making habitat
enhance breeding habitat.
mented. A community cranberry
assessment laid the groundwork
for long-term monitoring of cranberry responses to burns on peatland complexes. Two waabizheshi
(martens) were fitted with radio
collars in 2025 to understand how
their habitat use may be influenced by fire.
Harvest Assessment and
Reporting
In 2025, tribal members with
Sault Tribe-issued harvest cards
submitted 2,117 annual harvest
reports for 2024, which are vital
for understanding subsistence and
commercial use of fish, wildlife,
and plant species across the 1836
Ceded Territory. This information
helps guide species assessments,
regulatory review, and monitoring
programs that support treaty-reserved harvesting by tribal members. Staff conducted the annual
lake sturgeon, elk, and bear
permit lotteries. Finally, NRD
worked with Sault Tribe Law
Enforcement to issue and meet
reporting requirements for 129
walleye system harvest permits,
one steelhead permit, and 29 specially regulated methods reports.
Fisheries Program - Great
Lakes Fisheries Management
The Fisheries Program collects data to estimate stock size
and mortality of commercially
important species such as lake
whitefish and lake trout. Projects
that protect subsistence fishing
and recreational angling for tribal
citizens are also prioritized.
Fishery-dependent Surveys:
Survey crews completed dockside
sampling of commercial harvest
and ride-alongs with tribal commercial fishers. Crews completed
34 dockside samples and sampled
nearly 1,300 fish representing six
commercially harvested species,
collecting biological information
such as length, weight, and age.
Crews completed eight ridealongs and lifted 54 nets with
tribal commercial fishers, used
to monitor year class strength of
juvenile fish or “throwbacks” collecting information from over 200
juvenile fish.
Fishery-independent Survey:
In 2025, crews deployed 18
experimental graded mesh nets on
the bottom of Lake Huron along
randomly selected depth strata
and set six suspended nets targeting the midwater column. They
collected biological information—length, weight, and age—
from over 400 fish representing
16 different species.
Deepwater Project: The team
completed 2025 fieldwork for the
GLRI-funded Deepwater project
sampling fish and zooplankton at
four study sites in Lake Huron.
Non-Local Being
Monitoring: Non-local species
monitoring survey in the St.
Marys River was completed as
part of a collaborative effort
with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, the Bay Mills Indian
Community, the Department of
Fisheries and Oceans Canada,
the Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources, and the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources.
Tribal staff sampled 36 sites,
contributing to the 110 total sites
surveyed by all collaborators and
the examination of over 15,000
fish. They detected no new
non-local species during the survey but found and removed three
non-native Eurasian Ruffe and
one Threespine Stickleback from
Lake George, one Threespine
Stickleback from the North
Channel, and one Sea Lamprey
from the Charlotte River.
Lake Whitefish Initiative
Lake whitefish are central
to the Sault Tribe’s commercial
fishery, yet populations within
the 1836 Treaty waters have
experienced significant declines
since the early 2000s. Sault Tribe
initiated a groundbreaking pondbased lake whitefish rearing program in 2018 to support the restoration of river-spawning stocks
while advancing propagation and
conservation techniques. The
program is centered at Nunn’s
Creek Hatchery, which has the
capacity to incubate approximately 1.5 million eggs and produce
up to 400 pounds of juvenile fish
annually. In 2025, the program
successfully stocked 110,000
summer fingerlings. The fish
were predominately stocked in
Northern Lake Huron tributaries:
the Pine River and Nunn’s Creek.
During the 2025 November
spawning season work began
towards 2026 stocking. Gametes
were collected from more than
100 adult spawning pairs, resulting in the fertilization of over 1.4
million eggs. More than 900,000
eggs successfully hatched to the
fry stage.
The Fisheries Program also
continued its Carp River whitefish translocation project, an
initiative designed to reestablish river-spawning stocks from
wild adult fish. During 2025, a
total of 243 adult lake whitefish
were captured in Lake Huron
and transported approximately
23 miles upstream into the Carp
River. Of these, 64 fish were fitted with acoustic transmitters
See “NRD 2025,” page 9
A female marten (Waabizheshi) is released and bounds into the
Hiawatha National Forest wearing a new radio collar.
Setpember 23, 2026 • Win Awenen Nisitotung
Special Section
Page 9
NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION IN 2025
From “NRD 2025,” page 8
to monitor post-release movements and spawning behavior.
Preliminary telemetry data
indicate that many translocated
fish remained within the river
well beyond the peak spawning
period. This suggests an encouraging level of site fidelity and
the potential for successful reestablishment of river-spawning
populations.
Walleye Production
The Sault Tribe operates a
production walleye hatchery in
Barbeau, with an annual stocking
target of 1–1.5 million fingerlings
for release into Great Lakes and
inland waters within the 1836
Treaty territory. In the summer
of 2025, more than 437,000 fingerlings were stocked. During
fall electrofishing surveys, staff
found that more than 75% of the
sampled juvenile walleye were
hatchery-reared, demonstrating
successful contributions from the
stocking program. Each year the
Fisheries Program assists in local
Walleye tournaments. These fish
are returned alive to the water by
the program. However, if fish do
expire, the program collects biological samples and, with the help
of Massey Fish Co., processes
the fish into meals for the Elders’
Meal Program.
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROGRAM 2025
HIGHLIGHTS
In 2025, Environmental staff
served communities throughout
the tribe’s seven-county service
area, protecting drinking water,
expanding air-quality monitoring,
Sault Tribe Fisheries Technician II and Boat Captain, Rich Reining,
operates the lifter aboard the R/V Atikameg, Sault Tribe’s Great Lakes
research vessel.
improving emergency response
readiness, and building a longterm surface-water monitoring
program.
Protecting drinking water
One of the year’s most direct
benefits to tribal members came
through the groundwater uranium project. Some private wells
located on or near the Jacobsville
Sandstone formation along the
northern Upper Peninsula can
contain naturally occurring uranium. The Environmental Program
focused testing in this area.
When a well tested above the
federal drinking-water limit for
uranium, the program installed a
Sault Tribe Fisheries Biologist I Coco Eberhard and Fisheries Technician
II and Boat Captain, Rich Reining, sample a commercial fisher’s catch
at a fish shed.
reverse-osmosis treatment system
in the home.
Staff continued required
drinking-water monitoring community water systems in Hessel,
Manistique, and Wetmore; casinos in Hessel, Christmas, and
Manistique; and the Manistique
Tribal Health Center. Monthly
bacteriological sampling checked
for possible contamination. Staff
also coordinated required testing
for nitrate and nitrite, lead and
copper, disinfection byproducts,
and radionuclides.
Expanding Air-Quality
Protection
In late 2025, the tribe began
monitoring PFAs deposited into
the environment via rain and
snow. PFAs are long-lasting
chemicals that can travel through
air and water and persist in the
environment. The Environmental
Program secured grant funding to
support this work through the end
of 2027. The new project builds
on the tribe’s participation in the
National Atmospheric Deposition
Program’s National Trends
Network, which has collected
precipitation data at the tribal
monitoring site since 2021.
Staff also conducted indoor
air-quality assessments for
tribal members throughout
the seven-county service area.
Assessments were also completed
at tribal facilities upon request.
Strengthening Emergency
Response
The Environmental Program
also strengthened the tribe’s ability to respond to hazardous spills
and other environmental emergencies. In May 2025, staff participated in Incident Management
Assistance Team training with the
U.S. Coast Guard. Staff soon had
an opportunity to put that training into practice during the 2025
Oberstar incident, when a freighter ran aground in the St. Marys
River. An Incident Command
Center was established, and NRD
staff provided tribal leadership
with daily updates on changing
conditions and response activities.
In recognition of that work, the
Environmental Program Manager
received a U.S. Coast Guard
public service commendation in
2026 for the response to the 2025
incident.
The tribe also purchased a new
spill-response trailer and related
equipment. The trailer gives staff
better access to the tools needed to respond when hazardous
materials threaten tribal property,
waterways, or nearby communities.
Surface Water and
Community Stewardship
The Surface Water Program
made progress on a 5-year
water-quality monitoring strategy
and Quality Assurance Project
Plan. Together, these documents
will guide where water samples
are collected, how testing is completed, and how the quality of the
results is confirmed.
The program also hosted successful rain-barrel workshops
for tribal members. Participants
learned how rain barrels can
conserve water and reduce stormwater runoff, and free rain barrels
were provided to those attending.
The workshops gave members a
practical way to help protect local
waters at home.
CONSORTIUM
FOR COOPERATIVE
ECOLOGICAL RESILIENCE
Regional Wild Rice Planning,
Forest Partnerships, and Policy
Advocacy
The Consortium for
Cooperative Ecological
Resilience (CCER) officially
joined the Sault Tribe’s Natural
Resources Division (NRD), and
spent 2025 building out four
major efforts that shape how the
division works with tribes, universities, and federal agencies
across the region: a basin-wide
plan for wild rice, a shared
framework for managing forest
ecosystems, new tools supporting
the tribe’s forest research, and a
growing role in policy that protects treaty rights.
Regional Wild Rice
CCER’s biggest undertaking
in 2025 was continued leadership on the Great Lakes Basin
Manoomin Stewardship Plan,
a years-in-the-making effort to
guide the restoration and care of
manoomin (wild rice) across the
entire Great Lakes region. This
fall, CCER brought on Compass
Resource Management to help
lead the planning process and
began reaching out to tribal communities throughout the basin to
understand their priorities.
That groundwork built toward
a major community event in
November, when CCER co-hosted the Great Lakes Manoomin
Gathering, Gimaada’oonidimin
manoomini-gikendaasowin (We
share wild rice knowledge),
at the Kewadin Casino and
Convention Center. Chairman
Lowes opened the two-day gathering, which drew tribal members, First Nations, university
researchers, and state and federal
partners from across the region to
share knowledge about caring for
wild rice.
The Hemiboreal Decision
Support Project
CCER, NRD, the U.S. Forest
Service, and the U.S. Fish and
Rain Barrel Display at a Sault
Tribe powwow.
Wildlife Service spent 2025
laying the groundwork for a
shared, three-year plan to manage the region’s boreal forest
ecosystems. In May, CCER
hosted a Hemiboreal Decision
Support Project retreat, bringing
together representatives from
those agencies along with the
Bay Mills Indian Community,
Little River Band of Ottawa
Indians, Grand Traverse Band of
Ottawa and Chippewa Indians,
and Little Traverse Bay Bands
of Odawa Indians to discuss
how to improve collaboration on
ecological stewardship across
land ownership. That work led
later in the summer to a finalized
joint decision charter, the guiding
document for the project going
forward.
This fall and winter, CCER
worked with the First Nations
Development Institute to build
a training plan for the partner
tribes and agencies involved.
TFPA Support: Turning
fieldwork into understanding
CCER also spent 2025 building the tools and partnerships
that support the tribe’s work
under the Tribal Forest Protection
Act (TFPA) agreement with the
Hiawatha National Forest. While
the Wildlife Program’s biologists
ran the cameras, traps, and collars that gather data across the
forest, CCER’s role is turning
that fieldwork into usable science.
NRD Policy Support
CCER played a growing role
this year supporting NRD’s work
on policy issues that affect treaty
rights and resource management.
In May, CCER and NRD leadership reviewed a proposed federal
bill, the FORESTS Act, aimed at
expanding tribal co-management
of federal lands.
Looking Ahead
Together, these four efforts
— wild rice planning, forest ecosystem planning, wildlife science
partnerships, and policy support
— reflect CCER’s role within
NRD: building the partnerships,
funding, and frameworks that
make the tribe’s on-the-ground
stewardship work possible.
Heading into 2026, CCER will
continue building out project
teams, growing research partner-
Page 10
Special Section
September 23, 2026 • Win Awenen Nisitotung
2025 LANGUAGE & CULTURE DIVISION HIGHLIGHTS
The Sault Tribe Language
and Culture Division works to
provide meaningful opportunities
for tribal members to learn our
Anishinaabe Bimaadiziwin (way
of life) and Anishinaabemowin
(Ojibwe language). In doing so,
we honor and respect our inherent responsibility to protect and
preserve the beautiful way of
life given by Gichii Maniidoo
(Creator) and left to us by our
ancestors to carry on for generations to come.
2025 Cultural Events and
Activities
— Winter Ceremony
Gathering
— Snow Snake Workshop
— Snow Snake Competition
and Games
— Ribbon Skirt Workshop
(four workshops)
— Winter Storytelling
— Winter Survival Camp at
Mary Murray Culture Camp
— Flint Knapping Workshop
— Spring Ceremony
Gathering
— Pucker Toe Moccasin
Workshop
— Eagle Cleaning
Demonstration
— Annual Sugar Bush Camp
at Mary Murray Culture Camp
— Winter Mitten Workshop
(three workshops)
— Hand Drum Workshop
(three workshops)
— Powwow Accessory
Workshop
— Medicine Pouch Workshop
(two workshops)
— Annual Chiefs’ Feast
— 43rd annual Baaweting
Summer Gathering and Powwow
— Music in the Park
— Fall Ceremony and Jiibay
Feast
— Men’s Retreat at Mary
Murray Culture Camp
— Veteran’s Day Drum Social
and Feast
— Black Ash Basket
Workshop
— Bi-Weekly Craft Nights
(St. Ignace)
— Zhishiigwaanike (Shaker/
Rattle making)
— Cooking classes with
Indigenous foods
— Wabeno Lodge Building
Teachings
— Ojibwe design leather belt
workshop
— Powwow Dance Instruction
— Monthly Teachings at St.
Ignace Youth Detention Center
— Foliage Basket Workshop
— Beaded Fringe Earring
Workshop
— Craft and Tea Evenings in
Library
— Paper Quilling Workshop
— Women’s Talking Circle
— New Year’s Eve Sobriety
Powwow and Feast
Niigaanagiizhik Ceremonial
Building
The division acts as caretaker for the Niigaanagiizhik
Ceremonial Building, which was
built in the 1990s at the request
of tribal elders in the Baaweting
community. The elders wanted
a place where loved ones could
journey to the spirit world with
Anishinaabe ceremony, traditions, and family, without question.
2025 Niigaanagiizhik Usage
— Community Funerals, 24
— Community Fundraisers, 5
— Craft Workshops, 12
— Meetings, 24
— Gatherings and
Ceremonies, 27
— Community Usage, 22
The facility was also used for
weekly drum practice and weekly
cultural craft night — both are
organized by community members and not division staff.
For 2026, Niigaanagiizhik will
undergo painting upgrades, new
appliances, and landscaping.
NAADIN ESHPENDAAGWAK
— To get back what we hold
sacred
The Ojibwe Learning Center
& Library offers educational
materials and space for the tribal
community, and promotes the
learning and preservation of
traditional Anishinaabe ways.
Books are focused on Native
American traditions, cultures, and
languages. The library contains
authentic cultural pieces, including baskets, beadwork, and a
birchbark canoe. It is also a place
to hold meetings, events, classes,
or language classes (in-person
and online).
Repatriation & Historic
Preservation represents our tribe
on issues concerning the Native
American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)
and Section 106, and facilitates
the return of ancestral remains
and items of cultural patrimony
removed from our homelands,
past and present. The program
deals with inadvertent discovery
of ancestral remains and sacred
or traditional cultural properties
taken from tribe during construction projects. It also serves
as the administrative contact for
Wequayoc Cemetery Committee.
It addresses the tribe’s policy
concerning gravesites and their
protection, works with tribal, federal, state, and local branches of
government.
RHPO STAFF
The Repatriation and Historic
Preservation Office, located in
the Ojibwe Learning Center
and Library is staffed by the
Repatriation and Historic
Preservation Specialist, and a
part-time library aide.
REPATRIATION
The RPHO facilitated the
repatriation of 24 ancestors
and their belongings. The
Repatriation Specialist conducted
routine NAGPRA consultations.
The RHPO held four Repatriation
Ceremonies (burial of ancestors)
on June 3, June 14, Oct. 18, and
Nov. 22.
HISTORIC
PRESERVATION
The Repatriation Specialist
conducted routine NHPA Section
106 reviews or consultations
with the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (USACE) at Soo
Locks Complex to discuss the
removal of the Brady Park
Obelisk from the burial mounds.
Also:
— Held a Section 106 staffto-staff conversation with
Huron Manistee National Forest
Mary Murray Culture
Camp – Sugar Island, Mich.
Mary Murray Culture Camp
(MMCC) on Sugar Island is
also under the supervision of the
Language and Culture Division.
It sits on 40 acres of hardwood
with nature trails throughout.
The camp was built to provide
an environment to teach our traditional life ways. It sleeps 36
guests for overnight stays, with a
full kitchen, showers, bathrooms,
and community gathering space.
The camp is available for use by
other tribal departments and community groups.
The biggest event hosted
annually at the camp is the Sugar
Bush, usually running for a
month between March and April.
In 2025, 70 trees were tapped,
groups from Joseph K. Lumsden
School and Sault Area High
School visited the camp to take
part in sap collection and boiling,
and the division hosted an annual Community Sugar Bush day
where a boiled dinner was cooked
in maple sap for all who attended.
The division also hosted a staff
in-service day to make maple
sugar. Other MMCC activities in
2025 included a craft workshops,
spring and fall fasting camps,
drum groups, and a men’s retreat
in October. For 2026, we will
be looking to bring back many
more camps by collaborating with
Youth, Education & Activities
(YEA), Education, Community
Health, Traditional Medicine and
Bay Mills Community College.
43rd Annual Baaweting
Homecoming Powwow
— Culture staff, board members, other department staff, and
volunteers began meeting early in
February to identify needs such
as repairs to the arena, new sound
system, electrical, water access,
landscaping, garbage disposal,
and more carts for handicapped
and elders. In 2025, the powwow
had six drums, 175 registered
contest dancers, additional 50
registered non-contest dancers, 51
vendors, and an estimated crowd
2,500.
Ceremonial Events
— Aadizookaanan – Series of
sacred winter story telling events
at Niigaanagiizhik.
— Seasonal Ceremonies,
Ziibing, Niibin, Miinwaa
Dgwaagi, Biboon (spring, summer, fall, winter.)
— Annual Chiefs’ Feast during
summer Baaweting Homecoming
to honor our chiefs from the past
who made a path for the people
to survive here today.
— Annual Jiibaakwe (Fall
Spirit Feast, Ghost Feast).
— Assist with Waabeno lodge
teachings and building for summer ceremonies in Hessel, Sault
Ste. Marie, and Sugar Island.
— Men’s sweat lodge –
monthly from May through
September.
— Division director worked
with ACFS and Tribal Court to
provide eight blanket ceremonies
for adoptions and placements
for tribal families adopting
children into their families.
Anishinaabemowin (Language)
Activities
— Developed Ojibwe calendars with the traditional names
for each month which are available on the site along with list of
language related to that month.
Language lessons are also published monthly in the tribal newspaper.
— The division continues to
offer weekly Anishinaabemowin
classes virtually via Zoom
(Wednesdays 6-8 p.m. and
Thursdays 10 a.m.-12 p.m.).
— Cecil Pavlat, Paul
Blondeau, Susan Askwith and
Yvette Pitawanakwat all continue
to serve as language instructors.
— Hosted the annual
Baaweting Anishinaabmowin
conference to give opportunity to
learners to listen to and interact
with other language speakers and
each other.
— After-School Program for
children ages 7-12 aims to produce emerging speakers. Children
take part in fun projects and
recreational activities and learn
everyday language and cultural
practices woven into the curriculum.
— Youth Summer Program
provided a summer program for
young language learners ages
7-12 four afternoons a week. The
children experience Ojibwe language through participation in fun
activities such as cooking, gardening, picking medicines, visiting
local tourist sites, Native crafting,
fishing, traveling to water parks,
and a couple of camping trips
(language immersion).
— In 2026, we will be looking to expand our collaboration
with other tribal departments
including Education, Recreation,
Communications, and others.
Heritage Manager.
— Conducted tribal relations relationship building with
Hiawatha National Forest Tribal
Liaison for presentation “Tribal
101” to Hiawatha leadership,
line officers, and staff.
— Met with DNR archaeologist to discuss Palms Book and
Indian Lake State Parks cultural
resource management and the
DNR’s new planning document
for each park.
— Attended routine Line 5
Tribal Cooperation meetings.
— Worked with United States
Geological Services on re-naming traditional cultural landscape.
This included creating a pronunciation guide. The USGS is
documenting the Sault Tribe’s
approach as a model in a report
for other tribes.
OJIBWE LEARNING
CENTER AND LIBRARY
In 2025, the OLCL hosted
885 visitors. The OLCL was
available to tribal and community members to view library
materials and research. The
OLCL accepted several library
materials and collections donations from individuals. The
OLCL hosted three Anishinaabe
Art Workshops, as a part of
the Rematriating Anishinaabe
Art Grant: Mitten Workshop
March 1-3, Drum Stick Making
Workshop April 6, and Quill
Wrapped Earrings, Nov. 21-23.
The OLCL also loaned items to
be on display for the First Lady
Jill Biden visit on May 17.
GOALS FOR 2026
Repatriation and Historical
Preservation will continue consultations with current institutions and follow-up with institutions reaching out requesting a
consultation.
Ojibwe Learning Center and
Library will continue developing
art workshops for Rematriating
Anishinaabe Art Grant and
develop a plan to display OLCL
collections throughout the service area.
Jingle dress dancer from the
annual Bahweting Powwow in
Sault Ste. Marie.
REPATRIATION AND LIBRARY ACTIVITIES FOR 2025
The obelisk displayed in Brady Park among Anishinaabeg gravesites
was removed November 2025 in sections by the USACE.
September 23, 2026 • Win Awenen Nisitotung
Special Section
HEALTH DIVISION’S 2025 HIGHLIGHTS
The Sault Tribe Health
Division entered 2025 laying the
groundwork for major advancements, including preparation for
the new electronic health record
(EHR) system, implementation of
the Pharmacy ScriptPro system,
expansion of facilities, and the
addition of new staff.
The Health Division now
operates five large health centers—Sault Ste. Marie, St.
Ignace, Manistique, Munising,
and Marquette — along with
four smaller nursing stations in
Hessel, DeTour, Newberry, and
Gladstone. In December, the
Health Division opened the new
Marquette clinic, upgrading the
site from a nursing station to full
clinic, designed to offer expanded
services and improved access.
Another key addition in 2025 was
the establishment of a dedicated
Human Resources Department,
focused on supporting team members, supervisors, and leadership
throughout every stage of the
employment lifecycle.
Accreditation
During 2025, the tribal Health
Division completed accreditation
reviews through the Accreditation
Association for Ambulatory
Health Care (AAAHC) for medical services and the Commission
on Accreditation of Rehabilitation
Facilities (CARF) for Behavioral
Health. These rigorous evaluations assess clinical quality,
safety, and operational standards.
The division earned three-year
AAAHC accreditation for
Medical, Pharmacy, Optical,
Community Health Nursing,
Dental, and Radiology, and
three-year CARF accreditation
for Mental Health and Substance
Abuse services.
Patient Satisfaction Survey
Results
Phone surveys conducted by
JP Morgan & Associates showed
continued progress across key
areas of patient experience. Nurse
communication remained a strong
area, maintaining last year’s high
satisfaction rate of 94%. Non
urgent appointment availability
improved from 87% to 90%, and
urgent appointment access rose
from 82% to 85%. To further support patient engagement, kiosks
are now located in the clinics to
collect real time patient satisfaction information.
Behavioral Health
The Sault Tribe Behavioral
Health Program provided a wide
range of culturally sensitive outpatient services in 2025. Services
were available to all Native
Americans, non-Native individuals pregnant with a Native child,
spouses and adopted children of
Sault Tribe members, Sault Tribe
employees and their immediate
dependents, and Medicaid recipients. Offerings included intake
and assessment; individual, couples, family, and group therapy;
psychological and psychiatric
evaluations with follow up care;
crisis intervention/urgent care;
integrated care, recovery support, referral support, and case
management; and therapeutic
interventions such as play therapy,
cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma focused care, and motivational
interviewing.
Additional services included
outpatient substance use disorder
treatment, compulsive gambling
counseling, driver’s license
review assessments, prevention
Manistique’s new fitness center. Both Manistique and Gladstone
opened new fitness centers in 2025, offering 24/7 access to modern
exercise equipment and wellness spaces.
and education programs, continuhome visits, office visits, and
ing care counseling, alcohol/drug
public health education through
awareness, Employee Assistance
Community Health staff.
Program counseling, and homeA major milestone in 2025 was
based parenting education through the opening of the new Marquette
the Family Spirit Program.
Tribal Health Center, which now
Psychological testing was availoffers expanded ambulatory clinable for patients from age 5
ical services. Ten new clinical
through older adulthood.
staff positions were hired between
Special initiatives strengthened 2025 and 2026.
access and recovery. The Road to
In 2025, Newberry provided
Wellness Program helped clients
1,297 Community Health service
overcome transportation barriers
contacts, Munising delivered
to medical appointments. The
5,988 ambulatory and commuFamily Spirit Program delivered
nity health visits, and Marquette
evidence-based, culturally-tailored recorded 1,277 contacts during its
home visiting support for families first month of expanded operaduring pregnancy through early
tions. Together, these clinics comchildhood. The Healing for Those pleted 8,562 patient care contacts.
Creating Life Program addressed
Since 2023, telemedicine has
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
supported an additional 483 visits
and opioid-related issues, support- across all sites, improving access
ing mothers at risk, or diagnosed
for patients who face travel barriwith substance use disorders. The
ers.
Sault Tribe Opioid Prevention and
The Manistique and Gladstone
Response Grant Program operclinics continued to provide comated three recovery homes, partprehensive services. Manistique
nered with schools to deliver the
offered Medical, Nursing,
Positive Action curriculum, hosted Audiology, Dental, Optical,
culturally-relevant sober events,
Pharmacy, Nutrition, Behavioral
and provided peer recovery
Health, and Community Health
coaching across the seven-county
care, while Gladstone provided
service area.
Community Health, Laboratory
services, telemedicine clinics,
Program statistics reflected
medication pick up, and access
strong demand: in 2025, 7,309
to tribal programs. Together, they
individuals received outpatient
completed 3,429 medical and
treatment and 414 accessed psynursing visits, 2,066 dental visits,
chiatry services. The waitlist was
939 optical visits, and 2,353 comreduced to under three months
munity health visits in 2025.
by early 2026. Accomplishments
included a successful Recovery
Both Manistique and
Walk in September with more
Gladstone celebrated the opening
than 250 participants at the
of new fitness centers in 2025,
Big Bear Arena. The program
offering 24/7 access to modern
advanced the second year of a
exercise equipment and wellness
5-year Tribal Opioid Response
spaces for tribal members and the
grant and maintained success with public.
the Road to Wellness, Mental
Clinic Services – St. Ignace
Health Block, Family Spirit, and
St. Ignace Tribal Health, the
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
Health Division’s second-largest
grants. In 2025, Behavioral Health facility, continued to advance
assisted 20 individuals in entering services and strengthen partnerresidential treatment.
ships throughout 2025. Daily
Clinic Services - Rural
operations ran smoothly in the
Health
new 20,000 square-foot medical
office building on the Mackinac
The Sault Tribe’s Rural Health
Straits Health System campus in
Program provides essential care
St. Ignace, supported by upgraded
across five Upper Peninsula
equipment, digitized records, and
locations, delivering medical,
community health, and wellness
improved workflow systems.
St. Ignace offers Medical,
services tailored to tribal members
Dental, Optical, Pharmacy,
and their families. The Newberry,
Traditional Medicine, Community
Munising, and Marquette clinHealth, Behavioral Health, and
ics continued to expand access
more. The Mobile Medical Office
in 2025, offering treatment for
continued seasonal visits to
acute and chronic conditions,
Romulus, and quarterly off-site
medication pick up, Traditional
clinics were held at the Hessel
Medicine, telemedicine, nutrition
Community Center.
counseling, smoking cessation,
In 2025, St. Ignace recorded 6,066 medical visits (5,835
ambulatory and 231 telehealth),
3,619 dental visits (1,949 dentist,
1,670 hygienist), 280 oral surgery
referrals, 901 optical visits, 115
after hours TeamHealth encounters, and 2,704 referrals for 1,153
patients.
Several service enhancements were completed, including
expanded optical frame inventory
and pharmacy upgrades to the
ScriptPro Pharmacy Management
system.
St. Ignace strengthened collaborations with Intertribal Council
of Michigan and Midwest AIDS
Education and Training Center;
Wayne State University School of
Medicine; Michigan Department
of Health and Human Services;
and Luce, Mackinac, Alger and
Schoolcraft Counties District
Health Department to enhance
clinical services and expand
access to specialized care. A new
affiliation agreement with the
University of Michigan–Flint
Physician Assistant Program was
finalized to strengthen clinical
education and student rotations.
Clinic Services – Sault Ste.
Marie
The Sault Ste. Marie Tribal
Health Center (STHC) continues to serve as a central hub for
high-quality ambulatory care,
providing essential services—
including Laboratory, Radiology,
and Medical Records—to patients
and satellite clinics across the
seven-county service area.
In 2025, medical providers
completed 15,768 patient visits,
while nursing staff conducted
1,057 nurse-only appointments.
These visits supported a wide
range of services such as immunizations, dressing changes, suture
and staple removal, allergy injections, cerumen removal, medication reconciliation, injectable
medications, and EKGs.
The on-site Walk-In Clinic
remained a critical resource for
immediate, non-emergency care.
Open Monday through Friday
from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., the
clinic served 6,050 patients in
2025. Providers addressed acute
concerns including respiratory
illnesses, COVID-19, sinus infections, sprains and strains, urinary
tract infections, and minor lacerations.
The Naandwejgegamig
(Healing Place) Medication
Assisted Therapy (MAT) Clinic
continued its growth as a vital
support for individuals seeking
long-term recovery from substance use disorders. Open to all
tribal members and the broader
community, the clinic completed 3,366 patient visits in 2025.
Operating Monday through
Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.,
the Healing Place requires no
referral and can be reached at
(906) 635-8877. The MAT program remains a cornerstone of
accessible, compassionate recovery services.
The STHC Laboratory introduced a new women’s health
testing through the Xpert Xpress
MVP Multiplex Panel, an
advanced molecular diagnostic
tool designed to improve the
detection of common infections with greater accuracy and
efficiency. The laboratory also
expanded point-of-care testing
at the Marquette Tribal Health
Page 11
Clinic, increasing access to timely
diagnostic services and supporting faster clinical decision-making.
The Radiology Department
achieved reaccreditation from the
American College of Radiology
(ACR) in 2025. ACR accreditation, considered the gold standard
in the field, recognizes excellence
in image quality, staff training,
equipment performance, and safety protocols. In 2025, Radiology
completed 2,041 X-ray exams,
954 mammography exams, and
695 ultrasound exams, continuing
to provide comprehensive imaging services to the community.
Community Health
Education
In 2025, the Sault Tribe
Community Health Education
program continued to expand
prevention focused, culturally-grounded wellness services
across the tribe’s seven-county service area. The Nicotine
Dependence Program (NDP)
maintained early morning, evening, and weekend hours to
increase accessibility, and provided youth outreach through e
cigarette and vaping education at
Pickford High School, reaching
more than 250 students. Public
awareness efforts were strengthened through a culturally-tailored
TV commercial and tobacco prevention billboards.
The Medical Fitness Program
offered individualized clinic-based exercise plans and continued group classes such as fall
prevention, elder balance, and
flexibility. Outdoor activities—
including moonlight snowshoe
walks, community hikes, and
kayak excursions—remained
popular and supported year-round
physical activity.
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention funded initiatives through Good Health and
Wellness in Indian Country and
Tribal Practices for Wellness
in Indian Country (TPWIC)
advanced trail-based wellness
projects, including enhancements
to Sault Ste. Marie’s Downtown
Lunch Loop and installation
of the bilingual Little Red Hen
Storybook Trail. In Kinross, a
walking trail was revitalized with
Ojibwe-English signage highlighting native plants, animals,
and movement prompts.
Cultural wellness programming expanded with workshops
in cultural beading, tea blending,
apple cider press, drum teachings,
moccasin making, birch bark
crafts, ribbon skirt and shawl
making, Indigenous breastfeeding, and canning and preserving.
More than 250 Gitigaan (garden)
kits were distributed in partnership with MSU Extension’s
Federally Recognized Tribes
Extension Program, supporting
See “Health,” page 12
2025 Annual Report
Page 12
Setepmber 23, 2026 • Win Awenen Nisitotung
2025 OVERVIEW OF SAULT TRIBE HEALTH DIVISION
From “Health,” Page 11
traditional food knowledge and
food sovereignty. The Indigenous
Food Week Challenge encouraged
families to prepare and share
meals featuring traditional foods.
In total, 5,856 participants
engaged in Community Health
Education programs in 2025.
Highlights included 249 Medical
Fitness referrals, 1,229 one-onone visits, 46 program graduations, 217 NDP referrals, and
25 successful tobacco cessation
completions. Participant surveys
showed high satisfaction and
increased cultural connection
across TPWIC-supported activities.
Community Health Nursing,
Diabetes, and Nutrition (Sault
Ste. Marie, St. Ignace, Hessel,
DeTour)
In 2025, the Sault Tribe’s
Community Health Nursing,
Diabetes, and Nutrition programs
continued providing comprehensive support in clinic, home, and
community settings for tribal
members and their families. The
team focused on diabetes management, nutrition education, and
culturally-grounded wellness,
offering one-on-one diabetes education, continuous glucose monitor support, insulin and injectable
starts, individualized nutrition
counseling, and case management. Glucose meter distribution,
diabetes supplies, and Head Start
nutrition screenings remained
core services, along with InBody
scans, a non-invasive body
composition analysis, to support
fitness and weight management
goals.
Cooking education played a
central role in prevention efforts.
The program hosted cooking
classes in the Big Bear Teaching
Kitchen, summer recreation cooking sessions for youth, and family
focused workshops that pro-
moted healthy meal preparation
and traditional food knowledge.
A new full-time diabetes home
fitness trainer expanded access
to in home exercise support for
patients managing chronic conditions.
Outreach remained strong
throughout 2025. Staff participated in community events
such as Project Backpack, the
MyMichigan Health Baby
Shower, Housing Health and
Safety Fairs, school family
nights, college resource fairs, teen
health fairs, snowshoe events,
senior expos, and Big Bear Arena
family activities. Nutrition talks,
cooking demonstrations, and portion sizing education were provided at Lodge of Hope and Head
Start programs.
Dental
During 2025, the Sault Tribe
Dental Program provided 11,109
dental visits, including 5,081 in
Sault Ste. Marie, 3,553 in St.
Ignace, and 2,475 in Manistique.
Eligible patients received comprehensive care, including
exams, oral cancer screenings, X
rays, cleanings, preventive and
periodontal treatment, fillings,
crowns, dentures, root canals,
nightguards, pediatric care, oral
surgery, and emergency services.
Optical
Comprehensive optical care is
available at the Sault Ste. Marie,
St. Ignace, and Manistique sites.
Services include cataract evaluation, glaucoma evaluation,
diabetic and dilated eye exams,
children’s eye exams, retinal and
macular degeneration assessments, and emergency eye care.
Additional offerings include
contact lens classes and fittings,
visual field testing, Optical
Coherence Tomography (OCT),
eyeglass repair, and a full-service
optical dispensary with Medicaid
and Upper Peninsula Health
Plan (UPHP) eyewear options.
Referral services are also provided.
In 2025, the Optical Program
recorded 3,462 visits across all
three sites. The program hired
a new optometrist in Sault Ste.
Marie, hired a new optician in St.
Ignace, and moved into the new
St. Ignace Tribal Health facility
equipped with modern optical
technology and expanded patient
care space.
Purchase Referred Care
Purchased Referred Care
(PRC) ensures Sault Tribe members have access to high quality
medical services not available
through tribal health facilities.
PRC benefits are defined by
federal law and funded through
federal appropriations, with coverage priorities set by the tribe.
Because PRC is the payor of last
resort, members should apply for
all alternate resources for which
they may be eligible.
To qualify, members must
reside within the tribe’s seven-county service area, have a
completed application on file,
provide proof of income and residency, and be enrolled in PRC
90 days prior to an inpatient stay.
Members are responsible for contacting the PRC office directly
when assistance is needed.
PRC continues to expand
communication options. Voucher
numbers can now be sent by text
message or email, allowing members to receive information quickly and securely. Members should
update their contact information
with PRC to use this service.
After hours and weekend coverage is available through the nurse
triage line associated with the
member’s primary care location.
In 2025, 4,181 members
accessed PRC services.
Pharmacy
Throughout 2025, the Sault
Tribe Pharmacy Department
dispensed 195,467 prescriptions across its three locations:
91,932 in Sault Ste. Marie,
43,870 in St. Ignace, and 44,086
in Manistique. The Pharmacy
team continued providing high
quality medication dispensing,
comprehensive counseling, personalized Medication Therapy
Management (MTM), smoking
cessation support, and leadership
in antimicrobial stewardship.
The Sault Ste. Marie site also
maintained its convenient medication disposal service in the
medical waiting room lobby.
The department collaborated
with Community Health and
Elder Care for medication setup
and delivery, offered mail order
refills through USPS for elders
(age 60-plus) and members with
disabilities, and delivered prescriptions to rural community
health locations to ensure equitable access across the service
area.
A major accomplishment
in 2025 was the department’s
upgrade to the ScriptPro
Pharmacy Management System
(PMS). This modernization
improved workflow efficiency, strengthened patient safety
through enhanced clinical alerts,
expanded integration with
NextGen EHR, improved federal
340B compliance and inventory
tracking, supported electronic
prior authorization, and provided more robust reporting
and analytics. The upgrade also
enhanced multi site coordination, security, and overall system
stability—resulting in faster
processing, fewer errors, and a
better patient experience.
Traditional Medicine
The Sault Tribe Traditional
Medicine Program continued
its commitment to supporting
the spiritual, emotional, men-
tal, and cultural well being
of Anishinaabek members
throughout 2025. Staff provided smudging, prayers, and pipe
ceremonies for board of director meeting invocations, home
cleansings, elder visits, and end
of life care.
Core services included names,
clans and colors teachings,
traditional plant medicine prescriptions, Ojibwe ceremonial
approaches to wellness, sweat
lodges, seasonal fasting camps,
and community tea and teachings. The program remained
fully integrated within the tribe’s
western health delivery system
and collaborated with departments and outside organizations
to strengthen holistic care.
Both the spring and fall fasting camps were successfully
held at the Mary Murray Culture
Camp, offering community
members meaningful opportunities for reflection and ceremony. Throughout the summer,
Traditional Medicine staff partnered with the Natural Resources
Department, Michigan Natural
Features Inventory, and other
environmental organizations to
identify and inventory plant species at the Shingle Bay Project
and Raco fire site. These collaborations highlighted the importance of protecting natural plant
nurseries and reinforced the role
of medicinal plants in community wellness.
The department also performed ceremony following an
oil spill on Marquette Island
and participated in the People,
Plant, and Pollinators gathering,
leading a plant walk focused on
pollinator benefits. Staff joined
college interns and the tribe’s
Natural Resources Division for
the annual sage harvest, ensuring
medicines were gathered responsibly for departmental use.
SAULT STE. MARIE TRIBE OF CHIPPEWA INDIANS HEALTH CENTERS
Marquette Tribal Health Center
1210 S Front Street
Marquette, MI 49855
(906) 225-1616
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Services: Medication Pick up,
Community Health, and Nutrition
Munising Tribal Health Center
622 W Superior Street
Munising, MI 49862
(906) 387-4721; (800) 236-4705
Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30 am – 5:00 pm
Services: Medical, Pharmacy,
Community Health, Traditional
Medicine, and Nutrition
Newberry Tribal Health Center
4935 Zee-Ba-Tik Lane
Newberry, MI 49868
(906) 293-8181
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Services: Community Health, Nutrition,
Medication Pickup, and Traditional
Medicine
Sault Ste. Marie Tribal Health Center
2864 Ashmun Street, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783
(906) 632-5200; (877) 256-0009
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Services: Medical, Laboratory, Imaging, Dental, Optical,
Walk-In Clinic, Pharmacy, Behavioral Health, Community
Health, Traditional Medicine, Diabetes Education, and
Nutrition.
MAT Clinic
2861 Ashmun St, SSM, MI 49783
(906) 635-8877
Gladstone Tribal Health Center
2002 Minneapolis Ave
Gladstone, MI 49837
(906) 341-1836
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Services: Medication Pick up, Community
Health, Nutrition, and Traditional
Medicine
Manistique Tribal Health Center
5698 W Hwy US-2
Manistique, Ml 49854
(906) 341 -8469; (866) 401 -0043
Hours: Mon-Fri 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Services: Medical, Optical, Dental,
Pharmacy, Behavioral Health, Community
Health, Traditional Medicine, and
Nutrition
St. Ignace Tribal Health Center
1140 N State Street, Suite 2805
St. Ignace, MI 49781
(906) 643-8689; (877) 256-0135
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Services: Medical, Dental, Optical,
Pharmacy, Behavioral Health, Community
Health, Traditional Medicine, and
Nutrition
Hessel Tribal Health Center
3355 N 3 Mile Rd
Hessel, MI 49745
(906) 484-2727
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Services: Medication Pick up,
Community Health, Nutrition, and
Traditional Medicine
DeTour Tribal Health Center
200 S Superior Street
DeTour, MI 49725
(906) 442-0111
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Services: Medication Pick up,
Community Health, Nutrition, and
Traditional Medicine
September 23, 2026 • Win Awenen Nisitotung
Special Section
SAULT TRIBE ELDER SERVICES’ 2025 HIGHLIGHTS
The Elder Services Division
provided a wide variety of services to tribal elders in 2025.
The goal of Elder Services is to
provide the best possible programming to meet elders’ needs,
promote healthy living opportunities and improve their quality of
life. Team members provide high
quality in-home care and access
to community-based services. The
goal is to help tribal elders have
good health and independence, all
while being able to remain in their
homes. Federal funding from the
Older Americans Act Title VI program, state funding through Upper
Peninsula Commission For Area
Progress (UPCAP) Area Agency
on Aging, third-party revenue and
tribal support allowed the division
to provide all of the following services.
In 2025, over 52,000 meals
were provided to tribal elders
across our four meal programs,
Elder Sub-Committee meetings,
Mackinac Island meal vouchers,
and special events like the summer picnics and holiday parties.
Over 22,000 of those meals were
served in house at our four Elder
meal programs located in Sault
Ste. Marie, St. Ignace, Hessel and
Manistique, and 29,000 meals
were delivered to homebound
elders. Each elder meal program
provides lunch Monday through
Thursday, and is supported by
two Elder Services team members. The Sault and Manistique
had summer youth workers, and
Hessel has an elder worker, both
as part of the WIOA Program, and
are a significant support to the
Elder Meal Programs.
Elder Services is fortunate to
have a full-time registered nurse
as part of the team. She oversees
the four full-time Home Health
technicians and four full-time
outreach workers who provide
services to tribal elders across the
seven-county service area. An initial assessment completed by the
registered nurse helps determine
what services will best help the
elder. The Home Health technicians can provide home care,
personal care and respite services
for elders who are referred to the
program. Reassessments are completed on a regular basis to ensure
that the elders’ needs are still
being met.
Elder Services is proud to
partner with care agencies in the
Upper Peninsula, with funding
through the UPCAP, to be able to
provide additional services to tribal elders who live in areas outside
of where the Home Health technicians are able to travel. Close to
5,000 in-home visits were made
in 2025 to tribal elders, thanks to
the dedicated Elder Services team
members and the UPCAP partnership.
The Elder Services outreach
workers’ main focus is establishing key relationships with
tribal elders and their families
by coordinating programs and
services to help them continue to
maintain a good quality of life,
and age in place. For some tribal
elders, their outreach worker is
like family, serving as an advocate
when there might not be anyone
else. Whether it is assisting an
elder with completing a number
of applications for both tribal
and non-tribal programs, helping
coordinate social and recreational
programs, or simply being a kind
listening ear, this position can
be very rewarding. Over 10,000
points of contact, like home visits, phone calls, emails or sending
a card in the mail, were made
between outreach workers and
tribal elders in 2025.
The Elder Services
Transportation Program provides
non-emergency rides to medical
appointments across the Upper
Peninsula, and into northern
Lower Michigan and northern
Wisconsin. Close to 1,000 rides
were provided to tribal elders
from across the service area.
Under the supervision of the
Transportation coordinator, one
full-time driver and two parttime drivers provide the bulk
of the rides to medical appointments. Frequently, other Elder
Services team members step in
to assist with transportation as
well. Close to 1,300 medication
deliveries were made to homebound elders within the Sault Ste.
Marie city limits throughout the
year.
Elders also enjoyed a number
of outings in 2025 in the two
13-passenger mobility buses,
including color tours, trips to
northern Lower Michigan, the
U.P. State Fair, and dinner and a
Christmas concert.
The Elder Health Fund continues to assist tribal elders with
partial payments for various dental and vision needs. This benefit
is open to any tribal elder, as
long as the work is done at any
of the Sault Tribe Health Centers.
Eligible elders are also able to
purchase a lifeline unit, using the
Elder Health Fund. Assistance
is based upon income, following
the Federal Registry Poverty
Guidelines. In 2025, over 180
Elder Health Fund applications
were processed.
The Elder Services Ramp
Program provided three long-term
ramps to tribal elders across the
service area. Referrals for ramps
are sent to the Elder Services
registered nurse, who then visits the home and completes
the assessment for need. Elder
Services partners with a Saultbased, tribally-owned company
to design and build the custom
ramps, which provides safer
access for the elder into his or her
home. The ramps are available to
the tribal elder for as long as it is
needed.
With the opening of the
Marquette Community Center,
the Marquette area elders finally
have a space to gather and meet
for workshops and Elder SubCommittee meetings and meals.
Nokomis-Mishomis Gamik had
some exterior work done in the
fall of 2025, including a new
roof, exterior paint, and new
cement sidewalks near the building’s entrances.
Elder Services team members
had the opportunity to engage in
a number of conferences, trainings and meetings throughout
the year. Elder outreach workers
attended Alzheimer’s Association
seminars and Mental Health
First Aid trainings in Marquette
and Sault Ste. Marie. The Elder
Services Division director was
able to attend a week-long
National Title VI Training &
Technical Assistance Conference
in Minneapolis, Minn., as well
Meal Program Aide Midge Gugin and Cook Sarah Watkins serve Unit 2
Hessel Elders at their summer picnic held at the Hessel Tribal Center.
Tom and Brenda Cook at the Elder Sock Hope Prom.
Elder Services Director Katie Peabody and the late Kathy Egert (L-R) at
the Unit II Newberry Elder Christmas Lunch.
as the MDHHS Tribal Summit in
Lansing. The Elder Services registered nurse was able to attend
the annual UPCAP Provider
meeting in Escanaba. Both the
director and registered nurse
attended the Aging, Community
Living, and Supports Bureau
Wellness and Nutrition Summit in
Roscommon.
In 2025, Elder Services was
fortunate to partner with a number of tribal and community
entities to provide additional
programs and assistance to
Sault Tribe elders. Sault Tribe
Community Health offered balance classes throughout the year
at the St. Ignace Elder Complex.
Community Health provided
immunizations at both Sault Ste.
Marie and St. Ignace Elder Meal
Program locations. The dietitian and intern from Sault Tribe
Health Center provided Heart
Health and Nutrition BINGO to
Unit 1 elders.
Community Health and the
EUP Intermediate School District
SNAP-Ed Program partnered with
Elder Services to provide fresh
fruit trees to be planted at the
Hessel Tribal Center, and raised
garden beds for interested elders
residing at the St. Ignace Elder
Complex. EUPISD also provided
a portion of the 13 moons teachings to elders in both the Sault
Ste. Marie and Hessel.
Tribal elders received gitigaan (garden) seed kits through
a partnership with the Tribal
Food Sovereignty Coalition and
Community Health. A Natural
Resources Division team member
traveled to the majority of the
Elder Sub-Committee meetings
to share about the Ishkode (Fire)
Project she was working on, and
invited elders to share fire knowledge toward the project.
A team member from the
Advocacy Resource Center visited the Sault Ste. Marie and
Hessel Elder meal programs to
share education on the different
types of elder abuse, and ways to
prevent, report and advocate for
elders who may be experiencing
abuse.
The Sault Tribe Fisheries program donated large quantities of
fresh and smoked fish throughout
the year, which were distributed
at Elder Sub-Committee meetings
across the service area.
Page 13
Sault Tribe Video Productions
partnered with Elder Services to
begin an elder interview video
series. Video Productions visited with Sault Tribe elders and
recorded their stories, to be shared
on the Sault Tribe YouTube
channel. The elder interviews
are ongoing. Video Productions
traveled to Elder Sub-Committee
meetings in Manistique and
Escanaba to share about the project, as well as finished interviews
of elders from their respective
areas.
Other visits included:
— A team member from the
Tribal Action Plan (TAP) Program
visited Nokomis-Mishomis Gamik
and provided education on sobriety and well-being.
— The Mobile Secretary of
State Office provided services
to tribal elders in the Sault Ste.
Marie, St. Ignace, Manistique and
Escanaba locations.
— An attorney from Michigan
Indian Legal Services made visits
to Elder meetings in Newberry,
Naubinway, and Munising,
regarding services available for
estate planning.
— Local insurance agents traveled throughout the service area to
educate elders on the importance
of supplemental insurance programs for healthcare.
— The Sault Women’s
Auxiliary provided Christmas baskets to homebound elder veterans
in Units 1, 2 and 3.
Sault Tribe Elder Services once
again promoted and supported
tribal youth in 2025. The Elder
Advisory Committee Scholarship,
thanks to donations from each of
the Elder Sub-Committees, awarded two graduating seniors $500
each to use toward their post-secondary education. The Michigan
Indian Elders Association incentive program returned, rewarding
Sault Tribe children grades K-12
for their perfect attendance and
all A’s on their report cards. Over
$2,000 in incentives were paid out
to students this year.
2025 brought a number of
social and recreational gatherings for Sault Tribe elders.
Recreational BINGOs were held
before the monthly elder meetings
in Escanaba and Marquette, at the
Manistique and Naubinway Elder
picnics, and after lunch throughout the year at both the St. Ignace
Elder Complex, and in Sault Ste.
Marie.
The first ever Elder Prom was
held in the Sault Ste. Marie. A
sock hop-themed dance brought
a number of elders, guests and
friends to Nokomis-Mishomis
Gamik to dance the night away,
ending with the crowning of a
Prom King and Queen.
A special Christmas in July
lunch was served in St. Ignace,
and a Christmas in July themed
BINGO was held in Sault Ste.
Marie. Elder picnics were planned
and coordinated throughout the
service area, providing elders and
guests a time to enjoy good food,
beautiful weather, live music and
games. The year wrapped up with
elder Christmas parties, bringing
over 700 elders and guests together to celebrate the holidays.
Elder Services is excited for
what 2026 will bring, and chi
miigwech to the hard-working
team that makes this division run
so smoothly.
Page 14
2025 Annual Report
September 23, 2026 • Win Awenen Nisitotung
ANISHINAABEK COMMUNITY & FAMILY SERVICES
The People Behind The
Work
Every number in this report
represents a relative helped, a
family supported, a child protected, a survivor believed, a household kept warm, or a person provided food, shelter, and another
opportunity. Behind every one
of those numbers is an ACFS
employee who answered the call,
completed the paperwork, drove
the miles, appeared in court,
worked through the night, rebuilt
what was lost, and kept services
accessible.
Anishnaabek Community and
Family Services (ACFS) is one
of the Sault Tribe’s largest and
most complex service divisions.
More than 90 employees administer an annual budget exceeding
$15 million and manage more
than 40 grants and funding
agreements while providing child
welfare, victim advocacy, homeless shelter, emergency assistance, child care, heating assistance, employment support, and
food distribution throughout the
tribe’s seven-county service area
and for some services beyond.
The work is often difficult,
urgent, and largely unseen. In
2025, ACFS employees continued doing it through one of the
agency’s most challenging years.
They rebuilt while they
served
The 2025 malware attack
resulted in the loss of more than
two years of critical electronic
files. Employees spent months
recreating databases, recovering
documents, rebuilding shared
files, and restoring administrative systems.
At the same time, children
still needed placements. Families
still needed services. Courts still
required responses. Survivors
still needed safety. Elders still
needed heat. Households still
needed food and shelter.
ACFS staff did not have the
option to pause. They continued
the agency’s work while rebuilding the systems that support
it—a process that remains ongoing today.
They protected tribal children and tribal sovereignty
Child Welfare managed 2,691
cases and inquiries during 2025,
including 90 foster children,
540 monitoring cases, 372 legal
intervention cases, 214 child and
adult protective services cases,
and 1,153 ICWA inquiries.
The reopening of Tribal
Enrollment brought additional responsibility as children
became newly enrolled or eligible during active state child
welfare proceedings. ACFS
staff and tribal attorneys worked
quickly to establish eligibility,
notify courts and agencies, and
protect each child’s rights under
the Indian Child Welfare Act
and the Michigan Indian Family
Preservation Act.
This ICWA work was not
always welcomed. ACFS continued encountering resistance
from some state courts and
child welfare systems regarding
notice, active efforts, placement
preferences, meaningful tribal
participation, and recognition of
the tribe’s sovereign authority.
Staff continued showing up,
documenting the law, asserting
the tribe’s rights, and protecting
A guardianship goes through tribal court.
ACFS staff representing Sault Tribe .
Family Fun Day is hosted each year by ACFS.
children’s connections to family,
culture, community, and tribe.
The tribe also continued
implementing customary adoption as a culturally grounded
permanency option. The Binogii
Placement Agency completed
its annual contract and licensing
reviews with no cited noncompliance, participated in a federal
Title IV-E review, completed
a Department of Justice Tribal
Access Program audit, and
continued supporting foster,
adoptive, and kinship families
throughout the service area.
They kept the doors open
Bgwasendam Gamigong—
Lodge of Hope, the tribe’s
21-room homeless shelter,
housed 47 tribal households
during 2025. The lodge operates
24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Staff assist guests with housing
barriers, Medicaid, food assistance, disability benefits, documentation, and housing-voucher
applications while maintaining
the safety and stability of a
shared residential environment.
ACFS also assisted relatives
outside the lodge through emergency motel placements, security
deposits, first month’s rent, and
eviction prevention.
The lodge strengthened its
entry and waiting-list procedures
to prioritize applicants based on
vulnerability and need. ACFS is
also working toward a restorative
approach that creates voluntary
opportunities to have eligible
community standard violation
occurrences eliminated.
Shelter work is demanding and often misunderstood.
Lodge staff is expected to be
compassionate and firm at the
same time while ensuring consistent professional boundaries
exist. Involuntary exits are not
made casually; each community
standard violation is reviewed
through three levels of management before a final determination
is rendered.
They stood with survivors
Advocacy Resource Center
(ARC) staff provided 4,022
advocacy support units to 236
survivors, with 210 minor children as secondary beneficiaries.
ARC provided $111,971.94 in
direct financial assistance and
traveled 29,693 miles to provide
transportation, advocacy, outreach, and regional service coordination.
Aakdehewin Gaamig—Lodge
of Bravery provided 2,693 shelter nights to 28 adults and 14
children. ARC staff answered
401 community service inquiries,
participated in 79 community
events and outreach activities,
and continued providing culturally honoring, trauma-informed
services throughout the seven-county service area.
ARC experienced significant
growth in service demand and
community reach during 2025.
Aakdehewin Gaamig—Lodge
of Bravery provided 2,693
shelter nights, compared with
1,766 in 2024—a 53% increase.
ARC staff also traveled 29,693
miles to provide transportation, advocacy, outreach, and
regional coordination, compared
with 18,465 miles in 2024—an
increase of approximately 61%.
In addition, ARC participated
in 79 community events and
outreach activities, more than
double the 37 events reported in
2024.
ACFS has documented 35
Sault Tribe citizens who meet the
MMIP definition. Of those 35
individuals, 22 were murdered
and 13 were reported missing. Of
the 13 individuals reported missing, 10 have since been located
and three remain unlocated/missing.
ARC staff continue carrying
these stories with the seriousness, care, and respect they
deserve.
They helped families meet
basic needs
Direct Services assisted 2,223
households during 2025 through
heating and utility assistance,
emergency housing, child care,
employment support, funeral
assistance, medical travel, and
other emergency programs.
— 901 households received
Low Income Home Energy
Assistance.
— 472 households received
child care assistance through 50
child care providers.
— 483 households received
Tribal Emergency Assistance.
— 239 households received
Funeral Assistance.
— 202 households received
Emergency Housing assistance.
The USDA Food Distribution
Program served an average of
approximately 700 family members each month and distributed
more than $1.3 million in USDA
food during 2025. By December,
481 families representing 820
family members were certified.
In December 2025 alone, staff
distributed $116,359 in food to
444 households and 743 individuals.
The program also fully utilized $140,800 in emergency
supply-chain funding to provide additional foods, including wild rice, whitefish, trout,
venison, beef, turkeys, tuna,
and other nutritious items. Food
Distribution employees supported tribal shelters, New Hope
programs, Feeding America,
and other community partners
in addition to serving enrolled
households.
They carried the agency
through change
In November 2025, a carefully planned leadership transition
allowed a new director to begin
work before the former director’s
retirement. The overlap protected
institutional knowledge, relationships, grant continuity, and
agency operations. For a division
of this size and complexity, that
planning mattered.
What 2025 says about ACFS
The most important accomplishment of 2025 cannot be
reduced to a single statistic.
ACFS employees continued
serving through disruption, pressure, scrutiny, crisis, and change.
They rebuilt systems without
abandoning families or each
other. They defended tribal children and tribal sovereignty. They
kept shelters open. They transported survivors. They delivered
food, heat, child care, emergency
assistance, and support. They
carried out both the visible work
and the work few people will
ever see.
To every ACFS employee:
your work mattered in 2025. The
lives touched by this agency are
the evidence.
ACFS enters the next year
committed to building stronger
systems, improving outcome
data, increasing employee support, and enhancing culturally
honoring services. Most importantly, ACFS remains committed to the purpose set forth in
the Sault Tribe’s Constitution:
perpetuating our way of life,
advancing the welfare and prosperity of our people, preserving
our right of self-government,
and protecting the future of our
tribe—one relative, one family,
and one generation at a time.
September 23, 2026 • Win Awenen Nisitotung
Special Section
TRIBAL HOUSING AUTHORITY 2025 OVERVIEW
The Sault Tribe Housing
Authority (STHA) is a tribally
designated housing entity (TDHE)
for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of
Chippewa Indians. A TDHE is
an organization that a federally
recognized Indian tribe authorizes
to receive federal housing funds
and administer affordable housing
programs on the tribe’s behalf.
STHA is governed by a Housing
Commission appointed by the
Sault Tribe Board of Directors.
The Sault Tribe Housing
Authority’s mission is to “improve
the quality of life for tribal
members through affordable and
unique housing opportunities.”
Its vision is to “create and sustain
housing programs that promote
improved quality of life, economic
self-sufficiency and future growth
for members of the Sault Tribe of
Chippewa Indians.”
2025 HIGHLIGHTS
DTE Energy Incentives/
Rebates
Housing Operations has been
working with DTE on rebates for
the new construction project at
Odenaang. There is potential to
recover a considerable amount in
rebates. Becoming a “traditional
partner” with DTE will enable
STHA to leverage other DTE programs. In 2025, STHA recovered
over $157,000 in DTE rebates.
Resident Services
The Resident Services
Department processed 577 applications for rental units, completed 39 move-ins and conducted
2,727 home visits. Occupancy
specialists processed 475 interim
recertifications and 280 annual
recertifications in 2025, and 17
families were provided with rental
vouchers through the rental voucher program.
Housing Authority Events
Housing staff facilitated 21
on-site events at housing sites in
partnership with community agencies, including mini-site cleanups,
elders bingo, health and safety
fairs, and back-to-school events,
with 703 participants.
Mini-Site Cleanups
Mini-Site Cleanups were completed at all housing sites. Housing
staff, community members and
Housing residents picked up
garbage from common areas and
elders’ yards. Housing provided all
materials.
Family Fun Day
Housing staff attended the
Family Fun Day at the Big Bear in
Sault Ste. Marie, manning a booth
with housing information, games,
giveaways, snacks, and prizes.
Health and Safety Fairs
Resident Services held health
and safety fairs in Escanaba,
Wetmore, Marquette, Kinross,
St. Ignace, Sault Ste. Marie, and
Manistique. Participants played
games, including some with the
local fire departments, and ate
walking tacos. Vendors gave out
prizes and ice cream treats, and
there were elder-youth discussions.
Back to School
Back-to-school events were
held at Kincheloe, Wetmore,
Manistique, Escanaba, Marquette,
Hessel, Newberry, Sault Ste.
Marie and St. Ignace. Bus safety,
rock painting, and pizza were
offered, and children received their
school supplies.
Culture Camp and Cultural
Activities
The Housing Authority provid-
Housing presented with DTE rebate check.
ed financial assistance to support
select tribal resident community
events that promoted wellness,
education, safety, and community engagement. In addition, 19
in-person cultural activities, such
as workshops, camps, and conferences, were held throughout the
year, supporting cultural education, language revitalization, traditional practices, and community
connection.
Homeownership Department
The Homeownership
Department provides counseling
and resources in efforts to reach
the goal of homeownership. The
department provides information
on mortgage products, assistance
with credit repair and advocates
on behalf of tribal members with
banks and credit unions. Services
are available to all tribal members.
Down Payment Assistance
The Down Payment Assistance
(DPA) program selected 11 recipients from 36 applications in 2025
to receive $9,500, or 20% of the
purchase price, for down payment
or closing costs. A homebuyer
education course is required for all
selected participants.
Home Rehabilitation Services
The Home Rehabilitation
Program assists Sault Tribe members living in the seven-county
service area who privately own
their home. Each eligible member may receive a grant within
approved budget amounts for
weatherization services, or rehabilitation services.
In 2025, the Homeownership
Housing Programs received 45
applications. These programs
provide financial assistance to
homeowners who do not have the
resources to obtain other funding for needed home repairs and
improvements.
Approved projects included
a variety of home improvements
based on the level of assistance
provided. Level 1 services included window, insulation, and door
replacements. Level 2 services
focused on roof repairs and
replacements. Level 3 rehabilitation projects addressed more
extensive housing needs, including
roofing, interior and exterior door
replacement, window replacement, sidewalk improvements,
ADA-accessible ramps, electrical
upgrades, kitchen and bathroom
renovations, drywall installation
and repair, and interior and exterior painting.
Additionally, five rehabilitation
projects that began in 2024 were
successfully completed during
2025.
Owner Occupied
Rehabilitation
This program assists tribal
homeowners in the seven-county
service area with replacement or
repair of furnaces, boilers and
water heaters that are no longer
functioning properly. High efficiency replacements are required
so the homeowners can also save
on future energy costs. In 2025,
11 furnaces/boilers and six water
heaters were replaced.
Crime Prevention & Safety
The Sault Tribe Housing
Authority supported the Tribal
Law Enforcement K-9 Team with
medical expenses, which included
routine appointments and vaccines
to maintain good health. Also,
financial support was provided for
essential supplies and equipment
for the K-9 team. The Tribal Law
Enforcement K-9 team attended
all Annual Fire and Safety Fairs
on housing sites.
Energy Efficient Roof
Replacement Project-Sault Ste.
Marie
The Housing Authority Indian
Housing Plan designated funding
to leverage the Indian Community
Development Block Grant
(ICDBG) and provide 18 energy-efficient roof replacements on
the Sault Ste. Marie Housing site.
Operations and Maintenance
The Housing Authority provides residents with a 24-hour
maintenance emergency phone
line. The Operations Department
provides daily management of
routine and non-routine/emergency maintenance of all 577 Housing
Authority units. In 2025, there
were 387 annual maintenance
inspections, 2,233 routine maintenance work orders, 42 non-routine
work orders, and 80 emergency
work orders.
Emergency Housing
Assistance
The Housing Authority, in
combined efforts with Sault Tribe
Anishnaabek Community and
Family Services, provided emergency financial assistance to tribal
members faced with homeless
situations in the tribal community. This program assists tribal
members maintain current housing or secure safe and sanitary
housing. The Emergency Housing
Assistance Activity assisted 184
tribal households in 2025 — 54
families received financial assistance for hotel/motel stays to
address homelessness and secure
safe and sanitary temporary housing, 34 families received financial
assistance for security deposits or
first month’s rent, and 96 received
payments preventing evictions or
foreclosures due to past-due rent,
delinquent mortgage payments,
and associated fees.
Rental Assistance
The Housing Authority provided 17 tribal families with a rental
assistance voucher. The program
provides financial assistance for
eligible families to secure decent,
affordable, safe, and sanitary housing off the reservation throughout
the seven-county service area. The
program placed six project-based
vouchers at Garfield Landing
Apartments in Sault Ste. Marie.
2025 PILT
The Housing Authority has
established cooperation agreements with many of the local
cities and townships that have
housing sites. Each year payments
are made to the local municipality
for emergency, fire and police services, road maintenance and snow
removal.
AREA 2025 PILT Amount
Soo Twp.
$18,150
Schoolcraft County
$5,700
Pentland Twp.
$3,450
Kinross Charter Twp. $15,750
St. Ignace
$1,500
Sault Ste. Marie
$17,700
Marquette
$1,500
Escanaba
$4,200
Alger County
$2,850
TOTAL
$70,800
Tribal Treasury ARPA
Projects Assigned to STHA via
Interagency Agreements 2025:
Unit I Treasury ARPA Project
-Single Person Apartment
Complex
The remaining $2 million of
ARPA funds for Unit I are being
used on the apartment building
at Odenaang and will be spent in
2026.
Unit II Treasury ARPA
Project
Construction on both the
Hessel and Newberry projects
continues to progress on schedule,
with no delays reported. Both
projects remain on track for completion during the second quarter
of 2026.
Unit III Treasury ARPA
Project
To help streamline the process
and support the project timeline,
the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
is recommending that the Sault
Tribe lease the property to the
Sault Tribe Housing Authority,
the Tribally Designated Housing
Entity (TDHE). This approach is
expected to simplify the process
and better accommodate the project’s accelerated schedule. All
required easements and rights-ofway (ROW) from the county have
Page 15
been secured, providing access to
the previously landlocked Savard
Property and allowing the project
to move forward. Construction
began in spring of 2026.
Unit V Treasury ARPA
Project
All Tiny Homes at the
Wetmore site have been occupied, marking the successful
completion of move-ins for the
development. Planning for future
land development at the Wetmore
site remains under way. The
Operations Manager and Housing
team are collaborating with
Coleman Engineering to develop
a comprehensive site plan that
will guide future expansion.
Housing Authority Dress
Down Funds
Housing assisted 20 low
income and one homeownership
family with $100 gift cards to
help with Christmas expenses,
made possible by Housingspecific Dress Down funds.
Former director honored
nationally
Joni R. Talentino and her
legacy as a dedicated leader
in tribal housing continues to
inspire across Indian Country.
During the recent National
American Indian Housing Council
(NAIHC) Annual Convention and
Tradeshow, Joni Talentino was
posthumously honored with the
prestigious Virginia Kizer Award,
one of the highest recognitions in
Native Housing.
2026 Goals
— Establish a mechanism to
accept online payments via the
new website and accept debit
and credit card payments at all
Housing offices.
— Select best option for
installing solar panels on rental
units with electric heat.
— Apply for a Low-Income
Housing Tax Credit application
with MSHDA for a 36-unit permanent supportive housing project.
— Construct a 20-unit single
person apartment complex at
Odenaang housing site.
— Construct two duplexes
(four rental units) for elders at
Odenaang.
— Complete water, sewer and
roads at the Savard housing development in St. Ignace.
— Submit an Indian Housing
Block Grant Application to construct 26 housing units at the
Savard Property.
— Complete land development in Escanaba, Manistique
and Munising. This will include
wetland delineations, site prints
and plans, moving a playground
and a basketball court and beginning construction of new road in
Wetmore.
— Development of homeownership post-purchase education for
new tribal members homeowners.
Page 16
Special Section
September 23, 2026 • Win Awenen Nisitotung
SAULT TRIBE EDUCATION DIVISION 2025 HIGHLIGHTS
The Sault Tribe Education
Division provides quality educational opportunities grounded
in Anishinaabe traditions to our
tribal members from infancy
through adulthood. The division
consists of several departments
including Early Childhood
Education, Youth Education
& Activities (YEA), Higher
Education, Adult Education
and Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (WIOA) along
with the Youth Development
Fund (YDF), Summer Internship
Program, and the tribal Education
Department (TED) Scholarship
Program. Through our various
programs, we strive to instill all
students with high expectations of
academic success and competent
thinking skills while fostering
growth in social and emotional
behaviors and positive attitudes.
Youth Development Fund
This program helps eligible families fund activities for
their children in support of the
strategic directions of the medicine wheel including academic/
intellectual, physical, emotional,
and cultural/spiritual activities.
Eligible activities include, but are
not limited to, sports registration,
drivers education courses, sports
equipment purchases, language
lessons, educational and sports
camps, class trips, and instrument purchases. In 2025, 377
tribal youth were served with a
total of $76,471 in funding used
across the seven-county service
area. For more information or the
application, email youthdevelopmentfund@saulttribe.net.
Summer Internship Program
Started in 1997, the Sault
Tribe Internship Program is
designed to provide Sault Tribe
college students with valuable
experience, where they can both
apply their skills and learn new
ones, as they work in their fields
of interest. Their internships
provide real world experience
and help them as they look for
permanent employment upon
graduating college. Our hope is
that each of these talented students will come back and work
for us here at Sault Tribe. In
2025, we employed eight interns,
each placed in their first choice as
it relates to their fields of study.
Participating programs included:
JKL Bahweting School, Sault
Tribe YEA, Early Childhood
Education, Community
Health, Repatriation, Natural
Resources, Traditional Medicine,
Planning & Development, and
Communications.
The program runs for 10
weeks, with the interns working
a regular, full-time, schedule. The
Sault Tribe Education Division
manages the program and works
closely with site supervisors to
ensure everything goes smoothly.
Aside from their regular workday
schedule, we planned several fun
activities to ensure a fun experience. Examples included touring
our Sault Tribe fisheries program including the hatchery and
actively rearing walleye, attending the sunrise ceremony at the
annual Bahweting Homecoming
Powwow, participating in a fun
“downtown day” playing tourist,
and attending a guided kayak tour
through the Soo Locks.
Above, a young scientist enrolled in the Child Care Center inviestigates
some leaves.
TED Scholarship Program
Early Childhood Education
The TED Scholarship pro– Head Start / Early Head Start
/ Child Care Center
gram is administered through
The Early Childhood
the tribal Education Department
Education Programs provides a
(TED) Grant and graciously
comprehensive, interdisciplinfunded by the Bureau of Indian
Education (BIE). This is a $1,000 ary approach to services which
include education, health, nutrischolarship, awarded to eligible
tion, social services, and parent
recipients enrolled in university
involvement to achieve successful
or trade school, per academic
semester. In 2025, there were 324 child and family outcomes.
In 2025, Sault Tribe Early
scholarships awarded between
Childhood
Programs served a
the Winter and Summer 2025
total
of
170
children including
semesters. Due to lack of avail127
preschoolers
and 43 infants/
able funding after the Summer
toddlers
from
153
families. Head
2025 semester, we were unable
Start
provides
40
extended
durato administer a Fall 2025 scholtion slots in Sault Ste. Marie, 20
arship round. We remain hopeful
full-day, full-year slots through
for additional funding in 2026!
Nine Tribal Youth Council students attended Native Youth Leadership
Summit held in Washington, D.C., in February 2025
Becoming acquainted with drumming at the Child Care Center.
its Child Care Center Partnership,
and 20 extended duration slots in
St. Ignace. Head Start and Early
Head Start programs are federally
funded through the Department
of Health and Human Services
Administration for Children and
Families, Office of Head Start
and American Indian and Alaskan
Natives Program Branch with a
tribal match grant.
The Child Care Center provided full-day, full-year services
for 103 children and in Sault Ste.
Marie. The Child Care Center
partners with Head Start and
Early Head Start providing before
and after care services to children enrolled in the partnership.
The Child Care Center is funded
through the tribe and receives
funding through ACFS Childcare
Development Fund grant, Head
Start, Early Head Start, and parent fees.
The Anne Suggitt Early
Childhood Education Center is
in Sault Ste. Marie and houses
Head Start, Early Head Start, and
Child Care under one roof and is
attached to the Big Bear Arena.
The center has seven infant/
toddler classrooms and four preschool classrooms with the ability
to enroll up to 136 children making it the largest childcare center
in the Eastern Upper Peninsula.
St. Ignace center is operated at
225 WaSeh Drive and houses one
pre-k classroom.
Program highlights in 2025
include our continued partnership with Bay Mills Community
College to provide financial support to our team members who
are enrolled in Early Childhood
Education courses through the
HOPE grant, which is funded
through the Office of Head Start.
Over 30% of our team members
were enrolled in college and continuing their education during the
Fall 2025 semester. Partnerships
with Early On Michigan, Sault
Ste. Marie Area Public Schools
and St. Ignace Area Schools to
provide special education services
and supports to our children with
diagnosed disabilities.
Early Childhood Education
hosted 14 family events and
on-site hearing, vision, dental,
and nutrition screenings. Progress
was made in all areas of development towards school readiness
goals as well as family goals.
Lastly, the program provided
monthly professional development to 73 team members in
2025 on topics that ranged from
child development, health, safety,
culture & language, mental wellness, administrative, and policy
reviews.
Youth Education and
Activities
Throughout the year, Youth
Education & Activities (YEA)
offered services to a significant
number of students and recorded
numerous interactions, demonstrating our commitment to
offering a wide range of support
for tribal students. In 2025, YEA
served 15,086 students, which
includes in-school presentations
and tutoring to students across the
service area.
The YEA Program was active
in 21 schools in 2025 — including Sault Ste. Marie, Rudyard,
Hessel, St. Ignace, Manistique,
Escanaba, and Munising —
sharing the tribe’s rich culture
through classroom presentations,
traditional crafts, and other
engaging activities. Outside of
school, YEA offers leadership
opportunities through the Tribal
Youth Council, and in some areas
a Junior Tribal Youth Council.
YEA hosts a Youth Leadership
Conference and takes part in the
United National Indian Tribal
Youth Conference (UNITY).
Additionally, YEA provides afterschool programming that includes
academic support, health and fitness programs, the Circle of Life
Summer Program, and the Youth
Empowerment Powwow. Nearly
all sites offer classroom instruction for the schools within their
service areas, focusing on cultural
education and character building
through the Seven Grandfather
Teachings.
The Sault Tribe Board of
Directors extended its support to
the Tribal Youth Council members, enabling the youth council
See “Education,” page 17
September 23, 2026 • Win Awenen Nisitotung
2025 Annual Report
Page 17
SAULT TRIBE EDUCATION DIVISION 2025 HIGHLIGHTS
From “Education,” Page 16
cil to attend the UNITY
Conference in San Diego, Calif.,
June 27-July 1, 2025. Tribal
Youth Council also participated
in the Native Youth Leadership
Summit in Washington, D.C.,
through the National Congress
of American Indians (NCAI).
Nine Tribal Youth Council students attended this summit in
February 2025. This was a great
opportunity to meet other Native
youth from across the country to
develop strategies for improving
tribal communities through policy
development and resolution process. They learned how to become
advocates for their communities
while networking with peers and
tribal leaders from across Indian
Country.
The Youth Empowerment
Powwow was a success with the
Munising powwow committee
and YEA joining forces to offer
a spectacular event, honoring
students, elders, and community
members. YEA also offers other
joint activities that include the
culture camp programs and the
Circle of Life Summer Program.
During the academic year, all
YEA locations provide academic support through tutoring and
homework lab, either on-site, in
the classrooms, or during afterschool programs. Nearly all sites
provide classroom instruction for
the schools within their service
area. YEA extends its gratitude to
all parents, guardians, and grandparents for trusting their children
with the program. It is an honor
to guide the tribe’s future generations.
MiLEAP Out-of-School Time
(OST) Grant
In November 2025 YEA
applied for, in collaboration with
Lake Superior Academy (LSA),
a state of Michigan (MiLEAP)
Out-of-School Time (OST) grant.
The award, scheduled to begin in
February 2026, was $705,355 —
$514,075 for YEA and $191,280
for LSA. YEA’s portion will be
split, as instructed by MiLEAP,
between each YEA site to support
after-school and summer programming and will allow YEA
to enhance and, where necessary,
expand services.
Higher Education
Sault Tribe Higher Education
provides post-secondary education services and other financial
support to Sault Tribe members. Services include, but are
not limited to, assistance with
Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver
and FAFSA applications, the
Sault Tribe Scholarship Program,
Self-Sufficiency Incentive Award
Program, and the Need-Based
Grant Program.
The tribe’s Scholarship
Program is announced every summer with scholarships released
in early Fall. Those interested in
applying are required to submit
a complete application packet
including essays. Scholarships
are competitive. Students enrolled
in trade school or college full or
part-time in the upcoming academic year at any accredited U.S.
school are encouraged to apply.
In 2025, the Sault Tribe Higher
Education Program provided
scholarships to 13 graduate students, 50 undergraduate students,
and three trade/vocational students.
The Need-Based Grant
Program is a BIA funded program
available to eligible Sault Tribe
members enrolled as full-time
undergraduate students. The student must be attending a Michigan
state-supported public college and
be a resident of Michigan. These
grants award students who have
an unmet need as determined by
their college’s financial aid office.
They are available for the Fall and
Winter semesters each academic
year. In 2025, the fall and winter
programs helped 144 students
totaling $139,778 in funding.
Self-sufficiency incentive
awards are available for the
Fall semester only. Students are
required to submit their completed
application and other required
documents including their transcript, prior to the deadline.
Available funding is divided by
the number of eligible credit hours
per student who applies. This is
not a need-based program. The
program awards funding only for
grades earned of C or better and
does not pay for repeat courses.
The Self-Sufficiency Incentive
Award Program helped 354 students with $78,288 in funding.
Adult Education
Sault Tribe, in partnership
with Consolidated Community
School Services (CCSS), provides
alternative high school and adult
education programs to residents
in Chippewa, Luce and Mackinac
Sault Tribe’s college interns took a guided kayak tour through the Soo
Locks.
counties. Regardless of a student’s
prior education experience, these
programs offer welcoming learning environments with individualized instruction, caring instructors
and support staff and collaboration with the Intermediate School
District and outside agencies. In
2025, 18 Sault Tribe members
enrolled in the GED program,
with 11 earning a GED credential.
Earning a high school diploma,
11 Sault Tribe members enrolled
in alternative education. In 2025,
Adult Education worked with
CCSS to develop an online GED
program, available to students
residing in Chippewa, Luce, and
Mackinac County.
Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (WIOA)
WIOA is a federally funded
program designed to help Native
American job seekers access
employment, education, and
training services to assist them in
obtaining and keeping productive
employment. Training Services
provided through WIOA include:
On-the-Job Training (OJT)
provides opportunities for both
employer and adult participants by
reimbursing 50% of the trainee’s
wages during a specified training
period.
Work Experience is short-term,
temporary employment for youth,
often referred to as after-school
employment.
Summer Youth Employment
provides up to 10 weeks of summer employment to eligible applicants.
Classroom training provides
short-term skills training to adults
in an institutional setting to
obtain a license or certificate (i.e.
Nurse’s aide training, CDL, heavy
equipment, etc.).
Elder Employment provides
part-time employment to Sault
Tribe elders 60 or over residing in
the seven-county service area.
In 2025, WIOA provided
employment and training services
to 94 participants.
Education Division Contacts
Stephanie Sprecker, Education
Director – (906) 632-6798 or
ssprecker3@saulttribe.net
Ashlee Mielke, Assistant
Education Director – (906) 4303079 or amielke4@saulttribe.net
Breanna Sliger, Executive
Assistant – (906) 632-6797 or
bsliger@saulttribe.net
Youth Development Fund
– youthdevelopmentfund@saulttribe.net or (906) 632-6797
Summer Internship Program
– internships@saulttribe.net or
(906) 632-6797
Shondra Gervais, Early
Childhood Programs Manager
– (906) 635-7722 or sgervais@
saulttribe.net
Rachel McKechnie, TED
Project Specialist – (906) 6357465 or rmckechnie6@saulttribe.
net
Lisa Burnside, YEA Manager
– (906) 635-4944 or lburnside@
saulttribe.net
Diane McLeod-Maleport,
Higher Education Specialist –
(906) 635-7784 or highereducation@saulttribe.net
Tanya Pages, Adult and
Alternative Education Coordinator
– (906) 495-5343 or tpages@eupschools.org
Brenda Cadreau, WIOA
Program Manager – (906) 6354767 or bcadreau@saulttribe.net
YEA Escanaba
YEA Hessel
YEA Munising
YEA Rudyard
YEA St. Ignace
Page 18
Special Section
RECREATION DIVISION 2025 HIGHLIGHTS
The Recreation Division provides recreational opportunities for
tribal members in the seven-county service area and for community
members in Sault Ste. Marie and
surrounding area through recreation agreements and tribally
owned facilities.
Recreation Agreements
To supplement tribal facilities
and programming, the tribe has
established recreation agreements
in the following areas at minimal
or no charge to tribal members:
Escanaba - YMCA and
Sullivan’s Health and Fitness
Kinross / Kincheloe Recreation Fitness Center
Manistique - Yooper Fitness,
High School Pool and Little Bear
West Ice Arena
Marquette - Northern
Michigan University (NMU)
Munising - Alger Parks &
Recreation Center
Negaunee - YMCA of
Marquette County
Newberry and Curtis Helen Newberry Joy Hospital &
Healthcare Center
Sault Ste. Marie - Lake
Superior State University (LSSU)
St. Ignace - Little Bear East
Arena
Most recreation agreements
include access to full fitness
centers, with some facilities also
offering swimming pool and
ice-skating access. In addition to
the fitness center at Lake Superior
State University, tribal youth may
participate in a variety of athletic camps at no cost and receive
complimentary tickets to LSSU
hockey, basketball, and volleyball
games. Detailed information about
recreation agreements throughout
the seven-county service areas can
be found on www.bigbeararena.
com, or by emailing tgraham@
saulttribe.net.
Tribally-Operated Facility
The Sault Tribe owns and operates the Big Bear Arena in Sault
Ste. Marie. This 150,000 squarefoot facility includes two ice surfaces, a 6,000 square-foot fitness
center, small and large gymnasiums, an aerobic room, meeting
rooms, a dance room, an indoor
track, playground, arcade, nature
trail, concessions, and vending services.
The facility is home of the
Sault High Blue Devils Hockey
Club, Soo Indians AAA Midget
Hockey Club, Soo Michigan
Hockey Association, Superior
Storm Volleyball Club, Soo Coed
Volleyball League, Sault Women’s
Volleyball League, and the All
Styles, All Occasions Dance
Program. Its gymnasiums and
ice rinks also serve as a training center for the Soo Eagles
Hockey Club, Lake Superior State
University, and various Canadian
youth hockey teams.
Purpose Statement
The Recreation Division is
dedicated to promoting wellness,
athletic excellence, high principles
and values and to creating bonds
of mutual respect between individuals and communities.
Division Departments
The Events Management
department develops and coordinates facility events and activities
for tribal and community families,
and manages customer ice and
space rentals. Works collaboratively with tribal and community programs to support joint programming and community engagement.
The Youth Program department
develops and coordinates the
Summer Recreation Program for
tribal and community youth ages
7–11. The group-based program
offers a variety of recreational and
educational activities, including
sports, arts and crafts, organized
games, field trips, guest speakers,
water fun days, and nutritional and
cultural programming.
The Concessions department
provides over-the-counter food
and beverage services for facility
activities and events, as well as
small catering needs for trainings
and seminars. Vending machines
are available throughout the facility. In addition, limited hockey
accessories, including tape, laces,
pucks, and mouthguards, along
with skate sharpening services are
available in the Reception retail
area.
The Administration department
oversees business operations,
marketing, and customer service
Participants enjoyed an evening of Halloween fun, including candy,
games, dinner, and other activities during the Sault Tribe Advocacy
Resource Center’s Halloween Party held at Big Bear Arena on October
18. There were 322 participants.
The Summer Recreation Program enjoyed fun water activities washing
Officer Thorne’s patrol car.
strategies, as well as the safety and
security of staff and patrons.
The Building Operations
department ensures facility equipment is operational and maintains
ice and dry floor surfaces, cleanliness, and a safe and secure environment for all users.
The All-In-One Fitness Club,
owned and operated by the Sault
Tribe Health Center, is located
inside the Big Bear Arena and
offers free access to tribal members. The expanded fitness center
features state-of-the-art weight and
cardio equipment, locker rooms,
saunas, an indoor walking track,
and fitness classes. Detailed club
information is available by emailing myoung3@saulttribe.net.
Additionally, the facility houses
the Education Department, Youth
Education and Activities (YEA)
Department, Higher Education
Department, Workforce Innovation
and Opportunity Act (WIOA)
program, Community Health’s
Medical Fitness Program and
Community Kitchen, Physical
Therapy, and the Language and
Culture Division, and is connected to the Anne Suggitt Early
Childhood Center.
Big Bear Services and
Programs
— Public Skating
— Learn To Skate
— Stick N Puck
— Drop-In Figure Skating
— Drop-In Basketball and
Volleyball
— Summer Recreation
Program
— Pickleball
— Cardio Drumming
— Totzones
— Family Fun Days
— Baby and Bridal Showers
— Birthday Parties
— Team Meals
— School Fun Days
— Meetings and Trainings
— Adult Volleyball Leagues
— Hockey Tournaments
— Hockey Leagues, Clinics
and Tryouts
— Special Events
— Private Ice and Space
Rentals
2025 Accomplishments
The following recreation
accomplishments were achieved
within the 7-county service area:
— 102 tribal memberships to
NMU in Marquette
— 4,012 tribal member visits to
the YMCA in Escanaba
— 106 tribal member visits
to the pool at the high school in
Manistique
— 352 tribal member visits to
the ice rink at Little Bear West
Arena
— 4,932 tribal member visits to
the Little Bear East in St. Ignace
— 4,283 tribal member visits to
the LSSU SAC and pool
— 2,229 LSSU athletic tickets
distributed
— 82 Sault Tribe youth
enrolled in LSSU athletic camps
— Updated and distributed the
7-County Wellness and Recreation
Guide
Additionally, the following
events and activities occurred at
the Big Bear Arena with other
Sault Tribe departments:
— 21 meetings, trainings, gym
and skating sessions with the YEA
Department
— 33 meetings, trainings, gym
and skating sessions with the
Language and Culture Department
— 107 meetings, trainings
and gym sessions with the Early
September 23, 2026 • Win Awenen Nisitotung
Childhood Education Programs
— 250 participants at the
Behavioral Health Recovery Walk
— 515 attendees at the ACFS
Family Fun Day
— 301 participants at the
Health Division’s Harvest Your
Health Fair
— 191 attendees at the
Advocacy Resource Center’s
Skating Weekend
— 322 attendees at the
Advocacy Resource Center’s
Halloween Party
— 357 registered youth at the
Children’s Christmas Party
— 250 attendees at the New
Year’s Eve Sobriety Powwow
Furthermore, the following recreation events and activities served
the community:
— 4,999 people provided food
at the Feeding America Mobile
Food Distributions
— 4,372 patrons participated in
Public Skating
— 2,692 rented skates
— 601 rented skate aids
— 986 patrons participated in
Stick N Puck
— 512 patrons participated in
Totzones
— 573 patrons participated in
dr
This text is long and has been trimmed here. Open the source document for the complete record.
This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.