Manoomin (wild rice; Zizania spp.) restoration is both an ecological and cultural imperative throughout the Great Lakes. Wild rice beds provide essential habitat for fish, waterfowl, and invertebrates while stabilizing sediments, improving water quality, and strengthening economic and food sovereignty for Indigenous peoples. However, Manoomin populations in the Georgian Bay region of Lake Huron declined precipitously over the past century due to water level fluctuations, increased wave action, development pressures, pollution, and climate change impacts. Successful restoration requires understanding the complex interplay of ecological and biogeochemical factors that underlie Manoomin viability, but little is known about such factors as they relate to successful restoration outcomes, particularly in Georgian Bay. This talk will provide an overview of a collaborative project currently underway that is laying the groundwork for a comprehensive environmental monitoring network in partnership between the University of Michigan, Loyola University Chicago and First Nation communities to support their potential Manoomin (wild rice) restoration efforts in Georgian Bay. As its initial field season comes to an end, the project’s highlights will include the results of preliminary survey efforts and its focus on the co-development of scientific and conservation objectives done collaboratively across social and geographic boundaries.
