Manoomin and the Ottawa
Manoomin translates to "good berry" in Anishinaabemowin and is central to the presence of the Anishinaabe in the Great Lakes region. The Seven Fires Prophecy foretold that the Anishinaabe would migrate West from the banks of the St. Lawrence river basin and settle where "the food grows on the water" and in the Great Lakes they met Manoomin.
Once thriving across the areas of present-day Michigan, Manoomin was pushed to the brink of extirpation by logging and recreation. Rivers were dammed and mechanically straightened to improve timber transportation, and Wild Rice was intentionally removed from inland lakes to improve access for boaters and anglers.
Manoomin is an annual plant, growing entirely from a single seed each year. Wild Rice is also highly sensitive to water quality, severe weather, boat motors, and water levels. Michigan's Northern Lower Peninsula, is an especially important area for Wild Rice as both species, Zizania aquatica and Z. palustris, overlap.
Today, Wild Rice is carefully managed by the LRBOI Natural Resources Department. Each year the NRD monitors remnant populations and restores Wild Rice to areas it was previously removed. The NRD also works closely with the Michigan Department of Environment and Great Lakes (EGLE) to review activities that could impact Wild Rice across the 1836 Ceded Territory, such as pesticide applications. Over the past two decades, the LRBOI NRD has also funded and conducted research on Wild Rice including aerial imagery, water quality analysis, waterfowl herbivory, and rice pests and diseases.