EGLE director, staff visit Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe’s wild rice restoration project at Tawas Lake

As a part of Michigan Indian Day, at this time’s MI Surroundings story recounts a current go to by EGLE’s director to Tawas Lake, the place the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe is endeavor a wild rice restoration undertaking. Michigan Indian Day is noticed on the fourth Friday in September to honor the numerous contributions that Native American tribes have made in American historical past — notably within the state of Michigan.

Liesl Clark, director of the Michigan Division of Surroundings, Nice Lakes, and Power (EGLE) and several other different EGLE staffers just lately joined the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe’s Environmental Group and Tribal Council Sergeant-at-Arms Dave Merrill, Jr. on a go to to the wild rice restoration undertaking at Tawas Lake.

Katie Hager, environmental outreach specialist for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, explains the wild rice restoration undertaking at Lake Tawas to EGLE Director Liesl Clark and others.

An essential a part of the wild rice restoration undertaking is the management of invasive species. That has concerned hand-removing particular person Eurasian Watermilfoil vegetation from the lakebed in Tawas to guard the wild rice — square-foot by square-foot by square-foot.

The Tribe now has accessible tools on a specially-rigged pontoon that options large suction hoses that convey weeds onto the boat for automated bagging and booms that stop fragmented weeds from escaping the world to seed and unfold elsewhere. That technique helps protect the wild rice in a method that doesn’t use dangerous chemical compounds to manage the invasive species.

“I’m so appreciative of the Saginaw Chippewa tribal leaders and environmental employees who hosted my EGLE colleagues and me for on a gorgeous day on Tawas Lake,” mentioned Director Clark. “Witnessing the biggest wild rice mattress within the state, studying in regards to the central place wild rice performs within the tradition and historical past of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe, and spending time with good individuals who share a robust dedication to the surroundings was very enriching and rewarding. We look ahead to our continued work with Tribal Nations and the Michigan Wild Rice Initiative to assist shield and restore manoomin in Michigan.”

Wild rice, additionally known as manoomin, has ecological, social, cultural and financial worth within the state, particularly and most notably for the Native People within the area. The tribes think about themselves caretakers with accountability for shielding wild rice.

Sadly, there are numerous threats to manoomin, similar to local weather change, growth, and invasive species. Sustaining Michigan’s Water Heritage: A Technique for the Subsequent Era (Water Technique) acknowledged the significance of manoomin in 2016, when it really helpful that the state work with federally acknowledged tribes and different stakeholders with an curiosity in preserving and enhancing manoomin sources throughout the state “to raise the popularity, safety and restoration of native wild rice stands all through the state.” (Suggestion #11). In 2018, these teams got here collectively to type the Michigan Wild Rice Initiative which brings collectively specialist and managers from all 12 federally-recognized tribes, a number of state departments and federal businesses, and others to share info, coordinate approaches, and elevate consciousness about wild rice conservation and restoration.