"When the Anishinaabeg discuss land return, as with other Native people, lines are often drawn between those environmentalists who can support Indigenous rights to self-determination and those who fundamentally cannot. Some call it "environmental colonialism," others call it plain racism and privilege. The underlying problem is often quite basic, revolving around historic views of who should control the land, perceptions of Native peoples, and ideas about how now-endangered ecosystems should be managed.

"Most disturbing is the widespread absence of any historic knowledge of traditional Native tenure on these lands and the demise of Native ecological and economic systems."