Environmental

Click the image above to be taken to the IRMP survey.

The Tribe has received numerous recognition in efforts to protect the environment, such as:

2022 Kakagon and Bad River Sloughs identified as an Aquatic Resource of National Importance
Read the ARNI Fact Sheet here (PDF)
2017 Bad River Band’s Natural Resource Department received the Geospatial Information System (GIS) Program of the Year Award
2015 Wisconsin Wetlands Association Wetlands Award for the outstanding efforts to promote the protection, restoration, and enjoyment of wetlands in Wisconsin
2012 Kakagon and Bad River Sloughs designated as a Wetland of International Importance under the Convention on Wetlands (also known as a Ramsar site).
Read more about Ramsar Sites here (PDF)
2012 Kakagon and Bad River Sloughs receiving the Blue Globe Award from the World Wetland Network in January, 2012.
2009 Bad River Tribe received the authority of treatment in a manner similar to a state (TAS) for the Clean Water Act Sections 303 (c)/401 for a Water Quality Standards Program
2009 Kakagon and Bad River Sloughs named a Wetland GEM® by the Wisconsin Wetland Association in recognition of the Bad River Tribe’s efforts for conservation & stewardship of this coastal wetland ecosystem.
Read the GEM Fact Sheet here (PDF)
2005 The Bad River Tribe was the first tribe in Wisconsin to be granted authority under the Clean Air Act to protect our Nations’ vital air resources as a sovereign partner with the US Environmental Protection Agency
1998 Wisconsin Coastal Management Program Coastal Stewardship Award
1997 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Walter B Jones Memorial NOAA Excellence Award for Coastal and Ocean Resource Management
1996 Wisconsin Nature Conservancy Conservation Partnership Award
1973 Kakagon Sloughs designated as a National Natural Landmark (NNL) (link)


For the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Northern Wisconsin, water is life. Protecting water means protecting the watersheds that provide water for their Reservation and people from top to bottom, including uplands, floodplains, and globally important coastal wetlands along Lake Superior. It also means carefully monitoring their land and water resources and developing programs and policies to protect these resources for future generations. As a result of these efforts, the Tribe is protecting water quality, alleviating flooding, protecting habitat for fish and wildlife, and providing natural resources for their people’s sustenance and cultural practices.