Big Rice Lake and the challenges of restoring Manoomin (wild rice)

Abstract:

Big Rice lake is an 1,870-acre lake in present-day Minnesota, specifically in the Ojibwe territory ceded under the Treaty of 1854. This lake has been used well before it became part of the United States by Ojibwe people for many purposes, including gathering of manoomin (wild rice). Manoomin is a plant that lies at the center of many Ojibwe cultural ceremonies and ways of life. Since 2006, manoomin has greatly declined at Big Rice Lake. Many efforts have gone into researching why manoomin has declined and restoring these populations in this lake, yet manoomin has not come back. The greatest potential impacts to manoomin at Big Rice Lake include altered seasonal and annual temperatures with climate change as well as competition with other species including pickerelweed. Changes in water levels and flow, human recreation habits, and people’s lack of awareness about the importance of manoomin also may contribute to the decline. These are the greatest impacts identified at Big Rice Lake, but manoomin is threatened in a multitude of ways throughout the lakes of Minnesota. In the face of this decline, manoomin must be preserved for the cultural wellbeing of those who depend most on the plant, and for the health of the overall ecosystem surrounding Big Rice Lake now and in the future. We have researched the next steps to improve restoration efforts and management plans. Involving tribes meaningfully in resource management on ceded lands and raising awareness and respect towards manoomin are some of the first steps in saving these populations. Further research and data collection on the major threats to manoomin at Big Rice Lake are underway as part of the Kawe Gidda-Naanaagadawendaawin Manoomin Project at University of Minnesota.