Makak Aabajitoon Ganawendang Manoomin: Guiding wild rice conservation with Anishinaabe worldview

Wisconsin Wetlands Association Wetland Coffee Break livestream talk, on Zoom. RSVP for link.

media release: Manoomin (wild rice) occurs throughout the western Great Lakes basin. It played a central role in the Anishinaabe migration story and has long been sacred in sustaining the Anishinaabe lifeway. Abundance of manoomin has declined in recent decades on lakes once supporting major beds in Wisconsin. Manoomin has garnered significant research interest in recent years due to its importance to the identity of Ojibwe and other Indigenous peoples inhabiting the Great Lakes region. Historically, research efforts excluded Traditional Ecological Knowledge; however, with clear alignment of goals, collaborative research can complement tribal interests, strengthen partnerships, and lead to higher impact. Using a co-design approach, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Northwestern University collaborated with Ojibwe nations and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission to develop a low-cost remote sensor to monitor environmental factors affecting manoomin.

Brandon Byrne is an inland fisheries biologist for the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC). His work focuses on assessing inland fish populations in northern Wisconsin and Michigan and assisting GLIFWC member Tribes with the protection of Ceded Territory fish populations and habitat. Brandon previously co-managed GLIFWC’s Manoomin Program as a Wetland Ecologist.

Blaine Rothrock is a computer science PhD candidate at Northwestern University. He earned his master’s degree in artificial intelligence from Northwestern University and his bachelor’s degree in informatics from Indiana University. Blaine’s work focuses on novel applications of health wearables and environmental sensors, with the ultimate goal of democratizing access to the development of ubiquitous embedded devices to promote research, creativity, and education.