Wild Rice Curriculum Resource (Dwight &Younkyeong)

Driving Questions

Science i. What is wild rice (plant itself and characteristics, living conditions)?

ii. What are the important conditions to be the wild rice lakes?iii. How does climate change affect wild rice plant growth and lake conditioniv. How does the change of natural wild rice production affect lake ecosystem

and waterfowl? History and Social Study

i. What does wild rice mean for Ojibwe’ s culture and their community?ii. How does climate change affect economically Ojibwe community in

Minnesota ?

Climate Literacy

3.a. Individual organisms survive within specific ranges of temperature, precipitation, humidity, and sunlight. Organisms exposed to climate conditions outside their normal range must adapt or migrate, or they will perish.7.b. Climate plays an important role in the global distribution of freshwater resources. Changing precipitation patterns and temperature conditionswill alter the distribution and availability of freshwater resources, reducing reliable access to water for many people and their crops. Winter snowpack and mountain glaciers that provide water for human use are declining as a result of global warming.7.c. Incidents of extreme weather are projected to increase as a result of climate change. Many locations will see a substantial increase in the number of heat waves they experience per year and a likely decrease in episodes of severe cold.Precipitation events are expected to become less frequent but more intense in many areas, and droughts will be more frequent and severe in areas where average precipitation is projected to decrease.7.e. Ecosystems on land and in the ocean have been and will continue to be disturbed by climate change. Animals, plants, bacteria, and viruses will migrateto new areas with favorable climate conditions. Infectious diseases and certain species will be able to invade areas that they did not previously inhabit.

Ecological Significance

“Wild rice is important in the ecology of many lakes and streams. Its nutritious seeds have long been recognized as a valuable waterfowl food. Within its core range in Minnesota and northern Wisconsin there may be no food more important to waterfowl, being readily and heavily consumed by mallards, blue-winged teal, ring-necked ducks, Ecology • Harvest • Management wood ducks and other species. Wild rice also benefits breeding waterfowl, providing roosting and loafing areas to adults, and essential brood cover for the young. Wild rice’s other ecological contributions are often less appreciated. From the muskrat that feeds on a tender spring shoot, to the invertebrate that lives on the fall’s dying straw, wild rice benefits a wide range of species because of the food, cover, or physical structure it adds to the environment. The habitat it provides species ranging from moths to moose and snails to rails adds to the biological diversity of the wetlands where it is found. Wild rice can also help maintain water quality by binding loose soils, tying-up nutrients and slowing winds across shallow wetlands. These factors can increase water clarity and reduce algae blooms. Wild rice is an ecological treasure.” (http://glifwc.org/publications/pdf/Wildrice_Brochure.pdf)

You can find information about animal eating wild rice, using it as shelter, and relationships with other plants from this website (http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/wild_rice.htm)

Cultural Significance: Preserving rice beds is central to Ojibwe identity

To the Anishinaabe (Chippewa or Ojibwa) it is manoomin, a term derived from “Manitou,” meaning Great Spirit and “meenum,” meaning delicacy. It is the “food that grows on water,” whose presence fullfilled the prophecies foretold in the story of the Anishinaabe’s migration from the east. Considered a special gift from the Manitou, this “spirit food” has been a central component of Native American culture in the rice region for hundreds of years, featuring in the lives of the Dakota and the Menominee (who took their name from this plant) as well as the Ojibwa. The August, or Rice Making Moon, signaled the harvest season, which was a time for celebrations of thanksgiving. Its distribution influenced inter-tribal battles and the placement of Indian reservations. Manoomin had great importance to early European explorers as well. Their journals contain many references to the plant they found growing on the lakes and riverways they traversed. As a staple food of the voyageurs, it helped the regional fur trade flourish. Because of its significance, wild rice’s presence in Wisconsin and Minnesota is well documented. Current maps of the historic rice range are dotted with names originating from this plant. Numerous lakes, rivers or towns are named Rice or Manoomin, or bear related names

such as “Poygan,” derived from the Menominee word for gathering rice. It is believed that no other plant has contributed to more geographic names in all of North America!

See also, ( http://www.nativewildricecoalition.com/cultural-importance.html )

Resource for HistoryA six-part historical documentary series for public television featuring the history and culture of Anishinaabe - Ojibwe people of the Great LakesClassroom resource and teacher guide is included.http://www.ojibwe.org/

Resource for Language From the following site, you can hear pronunciation of native words by topic and stories in Native language http://www.anishinaabemdaa.com/

Akii-mazina'igan (Map) Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) Asema (Tobacco) Bawa'am (He knocks rice) Bawa'am bawa'am (Knocking rice) Bawa'iganaakoog (Rice knockers) Biindaakoojige (Offer tobacco)

“Why would anyone fight over wild rice? To the Sioux, the rice beds that filled the area lakes and rivers meant plenty of food for them to eat and trade. However, the Chippewa had another important reason to fight for the rice. According to legend, their creator Gichi-Manidoo had guided them to Mole Lake, the place where they would find the “food that grows on water.” They couldn’t let the Sioux take away what had been handed to them by the spirits.”

“The Chippewa Nation is the second largest ethnic group of Indians in the U.S. Their ancestors resided in the Great Lakes region since about 800 A.D. In 1622, Etienne Brule met with the Chippewa at Sault Ste. Marie. He found a hunter-gatherer culture that fished and hunted. In spring, families collected maple sap, which was boiled down into sugar; and in autumn, families collected wild rice. Deep family and tribal affiliations developed through such communal activities. (Hoene, 2010)

Dagwaagin (Fall) Gaandakii'ige (Paddle canoe) Gichigami (Sea, Lake Superior, great water) Gidasige (Parching rice) Jiimaan (Canoe) Manoomin (Wild rice) Manoominike (Ricing) Manoominikeshii (Rice bird (duck)) Mimigoshkam, mimigoshkam (Dancing on rice) Nooshkaachige, nooshkaachige (Fanning the rice) Ozhiibwaadenidiwin (Respect) Wiigwaasi-makak(oon) (Birchbark container) Wiigwassi makakoon (Birch bark basket) Wiikonge (Feast) ? (Push pole)

Cultural practice: Harvesting & Processing

Traditional methods used by the Ojibwe people to harvest manoomin are still used today. The same is true for finishing the harvested rice, although some have mechaniized aspects of finishing and will even finish rice for others for a charge.

The description of the traditional Ojibwe harvest of wild rice that is in the following website is based on an account written by Lac du Flambeau high school students, Jeff Allen, Raelle Allen, Gabrielle Poupart, and Bill Eckerstorfer, regarding the gathering of manoomin.

http://www.manoomin.com/Harvesting.html

Traditional Harvesting of Wild Rice (from US Fish and Wild life Service - “Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge”)

http://www.fws.gov/midwest/ricelake/traditionalharvesting_wild_rice.htm

Historical Decline and Management

Although many of the larger wild rice beds are protected and actively managed, there is a perception that rice abundance and distribution has declined over time, especially many of the smaller beds along the margins of lakes and streams. Unfortunately, many historic rice beds have been lost. Rice can be hurt by pollution, large boat wakes, exotic species, and other factors. Especially damaging are changes in water levels. Thelakes and rivers which support rice have frequently been dammed, and even small increases in depth can destroy the habitat for this species. Although it is impossible to measure exactly how many acres of rice have disappeared, it is clear the loss has been substantial.

An example of human impact on rice lake water level: Fond du Lac Resources Management is trying to moderate some changes through management strategies. For example, when land was taken from the tribe in the early 1900s, settlers built ditches everywhere to drain the land and make it useful for agriculture. That didn't work, but the ditches remained. Now, there's a massive impact on the watershed due to the ditches. As a management strategy, they have built dams at flow points of the ditches to keep water levels stable and prevent extreme changes. They do this because wild rice cannot withstand extreme water level changes.

Farming: “Farmers started planting wild rice about 50 years ago. Researchers are looking for ways to make wild rice more productive. That means more profit for farmers. But the research angers many American Indians who say wild rice is a sacred plant” See the different point of view about faming and research on wild rice (Wild rice at the center of a cultural dispute. By Dan Gunderson & Chris Julin Minnesota Public Radio September 24, 2002: http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200209/22_gundersond_wildrice-m/)

Geography

Natural wild rice inventory (MNDNR) results note that stands of natural wild rice were present or occurred in recent history on 1,292 lakes or river/stream segments in Minnesota. Of these 1,286 locations, 777 have information on natural wild rice coverage, which totals approximately 64,328 acres. The remaining 509 locations that currently do not have coverage information are primarily small lakes/wetlands on the edge of the current natural wild rice range (southern and

western Minnesota) or river/stream segments. On a county basis, the greatest concentration of natural wild rice locations is in St. Louis (8,939 acres), Itasca (8,448 acres), Cass (8,323 acres), Aitkin (4,859 acres), and Crow Wing (3,751 acres). These five counties contain over 60% of the inventoried natural wild rice acreage in Minnesota.

Distribution of wild rice lakes

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/wildlife/shallowlakes/wildrice.html

The Plant: Wild rice is an annual aquatic grass.

Botanical information (from http://www.teenwitch.com/plants/poaceae/wildrice.html#botanical)

Botanical name: Zizania spp. o Zizania aquatica (wild rice), o Zizania latifolia (Machurian wild rice, origin from china), o Zizania palustris (northern wild rice)o Zizania texana (Texas wild rice)

Common name: Canada rice, Indian rice, water oats, wild rice Ojibwa name: manoomin (meaning “good berry”) Family: Poaceae (grasses) Habitat: shallow waters of small lakes and slow-flowing streams Nutrition : Although wild rice resembles rice, wild rice is actually an

aquatic grass seed often referred to as a pseudograin or false grain. But

that doesn’t mean wild rice doesn’t measure up to a true grain like rice. In fact, wild rice boasts higher nutrition than regular rice, with more protein, minerals, and B vitamins per serving. Plus it’s low in fat and, like other pseudograins (such as quinoa and flaxseed), gluten free. http://susieyakowicz.suite101.com/wild-rice-facts-a152223nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) cooked wild rice : (Energy (Calories): 101 kcal or 423 kJ, Water: 73.93 grams, Proteins: 3.99 grams, Fat: 0.34 grams, Cholesterol: 0 milligrams, Carbohydrates: 21.34 grams, Sugars: 0.73 grams, Dietary Fiber: 1.8 grams.

Life Cycle

Wild rice’s life cycle is fairly simple

1) The seed drops off the plant in August or September and usually sinks rapidly into the sediment near the mother plant. The seed remains dormant in the mud until spring when warming water and low oxygen conditions stimulate germination. Although most seed will usually germinate the first spring, some may remain dormant for five or more years. This extended dormancy allows wild rice to survive occasional crop failure.

2) The plant goes through several distinct growth phases. a. By late May and early June the plant is in the submerged leaf stage during which

a cluster of 1-4 underwater basal leafs form. b. By mid-June the plant is in the floating leaf stage, when ribbon-like leaves

lay flat on the water’s surface. This is generally considered the most critical stage; the plant is buoyant and high winds or a rapid increase in water levels can uproot or drown entire beds.

c. By the end of June one or more aerial shoots have begun to develop. These shoots

will continue to grow into August, reaching a height of 2-8 feet above the water. Multiple shoots, up to 10 or more, are most common where the water is shallow and the plant density is low.

d. As early as late July , flowering begins. Both male and female flowers develop on the same stalk, the female above the male. The female flowers open first, followed 3-4 days later by the male flowers. The pollen is wind-borne. This timing difference in flower opening promotes cross pollination.

e. In August and September the seeds develop and mature. Seeds on a single stalk reach maturity over a 10-14 day period, with the highest seeds maturing first.

f. Ripening is also affected by sediment type, water depth, weather, and other factors. Ripe seed drops into the sediment, unless harvested by humans or wildlife. An acre of good rice beds can yield over 500 pounds of seed. This gradual, uneven ripening means rice can be harvested repeatedly during the season, which may extend for up to 3-4 weeks on a particular lake. Different water bodies will also ripen at slightly different times, so the harvest season may last six weeks if fair weather holds. Rice abundance can vary widely from year to year, especially on the most “lake-like” beds. The rule-of-thumb for lake beds: A typical four year period will include a bumper year, two fair years, and a bust.(Information from http://glifwc.org/publications/pdf/Wildrice_Brochure.pdf )

Spring Early Summer

Middle Summer Early Fall

Habitat Requirements

Water Flow: Rice does best in the presence of flowing water, with rivers and flowages being optimal examples. Rice also does well in lakes that have an inlet and outlet. In lakes with relatively little flow, rice may persist, but will typically vary more in abundance from year-to-year.

Water Depth: This is perhaps the most critical element. Rice grows in about 0.5-3 feet of water, with 1-2 feet being optimal.

It seems the Manoomin also requires a balance of water level: “water is its environment...if too deep, the weak sun rays of Spring are diverted from the seed, if too shallow, the plant develops a weak stem. Most important, is consistent water depth. When the seed germinates in the Spring, a tiny hair root anchors the seed in place and the stalk starts to grow to the water surface, picking up air to float itself. When the plant reaches the surface, it joins and forms the float leaf, or banner leaf stage. The long leaves form, floating on the surface of the water at 90 degree angles to the stalk. This is a critical stage for the wild rice plant. Should the water level rise, the stalk is pulled up since it is very weakly rooted. Should the water level drop, the weak stalk can collapse. Also, during this stage, high winds can create large waves that will tear up a wild rice stand.”

(http://www.mnwildrice.com/riceinfor.htm)

Water Clarity/Color: Clear water is preferred, as very dark or turbid water limits sunlight penetration and may hinder early plant development. However, rice beds can be supported on moderately stained waters, particularly where water depths are limited to about 2 feet or less.

Water Fluctuations: Generally annual fluctuations should not be too great, and water levels during the growing season should be stable or gradually receding. However, too much stability in water level over many years may be detrimental. The loss of year-to-year fluctuations, as may occur where water levels are artificially controlled, may lead to perennial plants out-competing rice. Some natural fluctuations should be maintained, even if it means an occasional poor year for rice.

Sediment Type: Several inches of soft organic muck is considered optimal. However, rice is fairly tolerant and beds exist on a wide variety of bottom types including sand and gravel. Extremely soft or flocculent bottoms may be unsuitable, but moderately flocculent sites may be a preferred habitat niche.

Curriculum resource

Lake level (Minnesota DNR _Lake finder: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/index.html

Water flow (MN DNR: Stream Hydrology Program Data Products: (http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/surfacewater_section/stream_hydro/products.html) that is including weekly stream flow data as map and table from 1990 – 2011 and Minnesota Cooperative Stream Gaging Program

Temperature, Humidity, and precipitation data : Minnesota Climatology working group: http://climate.umn.edu/

USGS Real-Time Water Data for Minnesota (http://waterdata.usgs.gov/mn/nwis/rt) this site includes information of stream flow, water quality, precipitation)

Competition: Examples of destroyed and recovered wild rice On the Bad River Reservation in northwestern Wisconsin, bordering 17 miles of Lake Superior shoreline, the 2007 water levels were so low it posed serious problems for the manoomin (wild rice) in Bad River’s Kakagon Sloughs, turning them into mud flats. They were closed to ricing. In 2008, water levels rose, but cattails developed in the rice beds, squeezing out the rice. Ed Wiggins, Bad River’s Wetlands Technician, mapped the distribution of the hybrid Narrow Leaf Cattails. By 2009, he took control measures, creating two test plots. At one site, cattails were hand-pulled and uprooted. At the other, cattails were cut beneath the water line, which stresses the plant and discourages rapid growth. In each test site, half of the area treated came back with manoomin. Both control methods were equally effective.

General Resources

The Great Lake Fish and Wildlife Commissionhttp://glifwc.org/

GLIFWC brochures: Wild Rice Ecology-Harvest-Management and Manoomin-Wild Rice: http://glifwc.org/publications/pdf/Wildrice_Brochure.pdf

White Earth Recovering Project (The Onaway Trust)http://www.onaway.org/indig/ojibwe.htm

National Museum of The Native Indianshttp://www.indigenousgeography.si.edu/community.aspx?commID=10&lang=eng

Noongwa e-Anishinaabemjig (People Who Speak Anishnaabemowin Today)http://www.umich.edu/~ojibwe/lessons/

History of Wild rice abundance and distribution in lakes (lake core analysis technic: Yost, 2006) Phytolith evidence for the presence and abundance of wild rice from central Minnesota lake sediments, MS Thesis, St Cloud State University.

Minnesota DNR http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/wildlife/shallowlakes/wildrice.html

Natural Wild Rice in Minnesotahttp://files.dnr.state.mn.us/fish_wildlife/wildlife/shallowlakes/natural-wild-rice-in-minnesota.pdf