Wild Rice Reintroduction Suitability Study
Status: Ongoing
Location: Menominee Indian Reservation
Description: The ecology of wild rice is not well understood and not widely studied. The distribution of wild rice has been greatly reduced from its historical range within the Great Lakes region and specifically within the Menominee Indian Reservation. The Reservation was created in 1854 for the Menominee Indian People after an earlier treaty attempted to move the tribe to Minnesota. Many historic accounts attribute the presence of available beds of wild rice as the reason for the location of the current reservation. During the late 1800s and through the early 1900s the tribe harvested abundant amounts of wild rice that was used to help sustain the people through the harsh winter months on the reservation. In the 1960s and by 1970 the wild rice had dwindled very significantly due to some unknown reasons, but also due to a large development in the southeastern portion of the reservation that destroyed eight lakes. The development came about during a period when the Menominee were terminated through a congressional act and were not restored as a tribe until 1973 when the newly enacted Restoration Act was passed. The impacts of termination were severe economically, socially, culturally and environmentally. Today the tribe is still feeling those impacts as much of the cultural, traditional and historic meanings to the people are being recovered. Included in those recoveries are the importance of wild rice and the ability of the tribe to again harvest it in abundance in order to provide sustenance to the Menominee People, something that has been absent on the reservation for nearly 50 years.
This project includes a study of 15-20 lakes that have either some remnants of wild rice or were known to have had rice on them. The study objectives will use methods developed by Dr. Robert Pillsbury, Department of Biology and Microbiology, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, et al., assessing reseeding efforts and general decline of wild rice wetlands to construct monitoring and management criteria. The study will focus on possible impacts from man-induced activities as well as natural occurring impacts. Past studies have found that heavy metals and acidic conditions have attributed to loss of wild rice; additionally there has been loss attributed to phosphorous and sediment nitrogen levels. Other combined factors include competition from macrophytes, water level fluctuations, wave action from recreational water craft and increased turbidity. The project goal is to determine suitable habitat that can support initiation of wild rice reintroduction efforts to benefit the Menominee Tribe and its surrounding ecosystem (see Benefits).
Benefits: Wild rice production on the reservation, waterfowl production
to the area and benefits to other wildlife associated with the habitat (i.e., otter,
beaver, mink, song birds, eagles and hawks).
Restoration Goal(s): Aquatic and Near-Shore Habitat Quality Improvement
Timeline: Field Season 2003-2004
Project Contact:Douglas Cox
Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin
Photos:
Before
Last Revised: Tuesday March 01 2005
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