Doug Thompson

Doug Thompson
Professional Title
Assistant Professor

About Doug Thompson

Douglas Thompson joined the American Indian Studies Department in the fall of 2020. He teaches courses for the Master of Tribal Administration and Governance (MTAG) program, the Tribal Resource and Environmental Stewardship (MTRES) program, and the Tribal Administration and Governance (TAG) program. He is from the Redbone community of southwestern Louisiana.

Prior to joining the American Indian Studies team at UMD, he served in various roles as an environmental attorney, Tribal advocate, and freelance writer on Tribal sovereignty and Treaty Rights. Mr. Thompson also teaches the law of Sovereignty and Treaty Rights at the Leech Lake Tribal College and natural resources law at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Previously, he taught administrative and natural resources law at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

He received his B.S. in Wildlife Conservation from Louisiana Tech University in 1989, M.A. in Natural Resource Economics from Auburn University in 1991, J.D. from Syracuse University in 1994, and L.L.M. in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy from the University of Arizona in 2011. His research interests include Tribal natural resources management and restoration of Tribal lands.

Douglas is passionate about supporting usufructuary rights, and advocating for environmental and social justice.

Education

  • 2011 LLM, Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy, University of Arizona College of Law
  • 1994 Doctor of Jurisprudence, Syracuse University College of Law
  • 1991 M.Ag. in Agricultural Economics/Rural Sociology, Auburn University
  • 1989 BS in Wildlife Conservation, Louisiana Tech University
    • Summa Cum Laude
    • President, Louisiana Tech Chapter of The Wildlife Society

Publications

  • Thompson, Douglas P.; Decker, Jason; Fodder, Torivio A.; Ratcliffe, Gavin M.; Dockry, Michael J.; Benoit, Ben; and Murray, Christopher (2024) "Opportunities for Reconciliation: The Legal History of the Leech Lake Indian Reservation and the Chippewa National Forest," Mitchell Hamline Law Review: Vol. 50: Iss. 4, Article 2. Available at: https://open.mitchellhamline.edu/mhlr/vol50/iss4/2.
  • Gifford, Tyler; Dockry, Michael; Thompson, Douglas; Zobel, John, Management History of the Aspen Forest Type on the Leech Lake Reservation in Minnesota, USA - A Unique Case Study. Trees, Forests and People. Volume 18, December 2024, 100679 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666719324001869?via%3Dihub.
  • A safer playground with the help of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Indian Country Today. March 14, 2020.
  • The Right to Hunt and Fish Therein:  Understanding Chippewa Treaty Rights in Minnesota’s 1854 Ceded Territory. Technical Guidebook, 2017.
  • Partnership Develops Cultural Resources Center within the Leech Lake Reservation, Indian Country News, Brainerd Dispatch.  December 31, 2016.
  • Treaty Rights Battle Links Hunting and Oil Pipelines in Minnesota, Indian Country Today Media Network, July 22, 2016.
  • Minnesota Funds Elk Restoration Study for Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Indian Country Today Media Network, June 3, 2016.
  • Leech Lake Ojibwe Members Fight for Treaty Rights After Arrest for Harvesting Deer, Indian Country Today Media Network, March 16, 2016.
  • Carbon Credits Help Tribes Preserve Culture, Climate and Bottom Line, Indian Country Today Media Network, February 16, 2016.
  • Homecoming:  Elk Step onto Ho-Chunk Lands for First Time in 100 Years, Indian Country Today Media Network, September 9, 2015.
  • Minnesota Governor Halts Study of Moose Deaths Because Moose Are Dying, Indian Country Today Media Network, July 31, 2015.
  • Elk Returning to Ho-Chunk Lands a Century After Being Driven Out, Indian Country Today Media Network, May 14, 2015.
  • Minnesota Tweaks Sulfate Limits for Wild Rice Waters, Indian Country Today Media Network, March 26, 2015.
  • Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Explores Elk Restoration, Indian Country Today Media Network, March 11, 2015.
  • Minnesota Tribes Collaborate to Save State’s Disappearing Moose Population, Indian Country Today Media Network, February 11, 2015.

Presentations

  • The Trust Duty and Effective Collaboration with Tribes, Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 Leadership Team, Cass Lake, Minnesota. November 2022.
  • Federal Indian Law 101, Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team, University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth, Minnesota. November 2022.
  • Treaty Rights and the Ottawa National Forest, Webinar to the Ottawa National Forest Forest Leadership Team, Ironwood, Michigan. May 2022.
  • Criminal Jurisdiction in Indian Country, Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation Tribal Council and state and federal law enforcement agencies. Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota. November 2021.
  • Impacts of Land Loss on Tribal Health, Panel Presentation to the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth, Minnesota. November 2020.
  • Treaty Rights and the Chippewa National Forest, Webinar to University of Minnesota Sustainable Forests Education Cooperative. Cloquet, Minnesota. June 2019.
  • History and the Legal Relationship of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and the Chippewa National Forest. Leech Lake Tribal College Lunch and Learn. Cass Lake, Minnesota. October 18, 2018.
  • Tribal Rights and the Chippewa National Forest, Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce. Grand Rapids, Minnesota. October 15, 2018.
  • Understanding Treaty Rights in Northern Minnesota, W.J. McCabe Chapter of the Izaak Walton League. Lake Superior College. Duluth, Minnesota. October 3, 2018.
  • History and the Legal Relationship of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and the Chippewa National Forest. Minnesota Forest Resources Council Annual Meeting. Walker, Minnesota. September 2018.
  • Minnesota Tribal – State Relations Training, Government to Government. Minnesota Department of Transportation training. Prairie Island Indian Community, Minnesota. October 2017.
  • Historic and Cultural Perspectives – Ojibwe Treaty Rights. University of Minnesota Gathering Partners in Natural Resources Conference. Grand Rapids, Minnesota. May 2015.
  • Coordinating Acquisition of Tribal Lands with Non-profits and Non-tribal Governments. Women and Water Coming Together Symposium, Lac Courte Oreilles Indian Reservation, Wisconsin. November 2014.
  • Conservation Collaboration Opportunities with American Indian Tribes, Nature Conservancy International Indigenous Business Plan Review. Loveland, Colorado. July 2011.
  • Developing Partnerships with Conservation Non-Profits, National Inter-Tribal Timber Council Symposium. Cloquet, Minnesota. July 2011.