Tribes, experts work to restore Michigan’s manoomin

Michigan tribes, state officials, and researchers have developed a plan to restore manoomin, also known as wild rice, which has declined due to colonization, pollution, and climate change. The Michigan Wild Rice Initiative’s 122-page stewardship plan aims to protect the aquatic grain, integrating Indigenous knowledge with conservation strategies. The effort follows Michigan’s 2023 recognition of manoomin as the state’s native grain.