Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribe

Economy

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lake Traverse Reservation recorded an economic downturn at Dakota Magic Casino in Hankinson, ND, which had traditionally generated the most revenue of the three casinos on tribal lands. This loss of revenue had the positive effect of promoting new thinking among Tribal Council and various departments regarding the importance of economic diversification.

Throughout the pandemic, SWO continued to make progress towards new economic development goals and infrastructure enhancement, recognizing the need to establish multiple revenue streams to maintain overall economic solvency. Tourism has been identified as the currently untapped opportunity best positioned to quickly generate large returns with little initial investment. Importantly, SWO has already initiated the pursuit of establishing a thriving tourism trade on the Lake Traverse Reservation leveraging EDA funding to conduct initial Feasibility Studies and create a Master Plan for the construction of an Arts and Cultural Facility.

A focus on tourism will enable participation on multiple levels

  • Enhancing existing jobs

    Visitors will utilize the grocery store, gas stations, and casinos, increasing revenue.

  • Leveraging existing resources

    Visitors will spend dollars at local events such as the Powwow and purchase local fishing and hunting licenses.

  • Entrepreneurship opportunities

    Supported by workshops and mentoring support, Tribal members could start businesses leading hunting trips, fishing trips, or cultural tours. Other opportunities could include renting gear, fishing tackle, boats, or ATVs to tourists, cooking traditional meals for visitors, or any number of culturally showcasing tours.

  • Creating new jobs

    Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate could establish an Glamorous Camping Facility with Infrastructure and Access to Amenities, or a travel center, creating new positions. The construction of an Arts and Cultural Facility will also create high-paying new jobs.

Much work has already been undertaken to prevent or mitigate the downturn in tribal casino revenues through economic development projects. SWO completed construction of a 25,000 square foot tribal grocery store, Dakota Crossing. The full-service store includes a deli, meat department, produce department, and dry goods found in grocery stores nationwide. Dakota Crossing provides jobs for 50 employees, maintaining a $1 million annual payroll, creating a steady revenue stream for the tribe. The grocery store brought diversity to available occupations on the Lake Traverse Reservation and continues to increase the sales tax base captured by the Tribe for the General Fund. Importantly, Dakota Crossing creates infrastructure critical for establishing a tourism sector, as visitors must have opportunities to purchase food if they are to spend time on the Lake Traverse Reservation.

Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate have integrated both steady-state and responsive economic resilience initiatives into this strategy.

Steady State Economic Resilience Initiatives

The SWO community has been actively engaged in developing this CEDS plan and will continue to play an important role in identifying future opportunities and prioritizing action steps that are responsive to the collective vision of increasing the amount of spending on tribal lands and decreasing the amount of dollars flowing out of the reservation to other communities.

Undertaking efforts to broaden the economic base through diversification – SWO is focusing on developing tourism, a sector that does not currently impact the economy of the Lake Traverse Reservation in a measurable way but holds tremendous potential.

Building a resilient workforce

SWO will continue to deliver the Developing Productive Employees program to all Tribal employees and will further enhance this embedded learning opportunity with Know Your History, a new curriculum that will be offered to Tribal employees and Tribal members alike, building cultural connections, pride, and resilience. Both programs focus on soft skills that are readily transferable among jobs and build the employability of participants.

Responsive Economic Resilience Initiatives 

A full mitigation plan is in place to address major ice and windstorms, which negatively impact tribally owned businesses. Winter weather prevents visitors from arriving and from leaving. Tribal casinos lose millions of dollars during this time, because although connected hotels may be full, consumers often stop gambling. Priority is placed on clearing roadways to get people moving.

Measuring Resilience

Overall, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Reservation Planning Commission expects to document the following measurable objective: 

By 2026, increase the percentage of tribal funds recirculated directly into the tribal economy by at least 3% compared to the 2021 baseline.

Tribal economic statistics will be closely monitored at multiple levels. Tribal members' economic well-being will be investigated, monitoring average income levels as well as any new or expanded income levels reported by those participating in workshops and training for job stability or entrepreneurship. The impact of outside dollars on the tribal economy will also be investigated, including tourism impact on hunting and fishing licenses, annual Powwow revenue, and sales at tribal stores / gas stations / casinos. The number of jobs created will be tracked, as well as dollars secured to support economic growth, including private, local, state, and federal monies. Whenever possible, local statistics will be measured against regional, state, and national levels to determine differences in trajectory. 

As described, evaluation will be ongoing, creating actionable data to drive a continuous improvement performance feedback loop. Qualitative and quantitative data will be submitted quarterly to the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Reservation Planning Commission from programs and departments across the Lake Traverse Reservation. Once gathered, this data will be shared with an External Evaluation Team prepared to create quarterly reports tracking progress and highlighting any gaps or weaknesses. This actionable data will identify challenges in real time and allow the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Reservation Planning Commission to respond nimbly.

Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate EDA Planning Department | William Fish, EDA Planner | Contact

This Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Comprehensive Economic Strategies Plan
was produced by Santicola & Company.