SORA Serenade

This blog is moving...

2011-09-28T16:09:00.003-05:00

Hi!
I'm attempting to get all my blogs, websites under one format type.
This blog is moving to sora.areavoices.com

Join us there - and I will be connecting to our new website also.

SORA Website changing homes

2011-09-02T19:32:00.001-05:00

Hi all of you looking for the 'saveourrice.org' website. I am in the process of moving the site to a new server and it takes a day or two to make all the transitions (I guess, at least that is what they told me!). So hang in there, and hey, you should be out harvesting wild rice anyway!
Let me know how you did!

What's up with SORA?

2011-07-29T08:31:00.002-05:00

So, SORA is still operating, however we are in a bit of a lull as I look for balance between a new job and prior committments. We will not be holding an annual meeting this year (2011), in hopes that we can come out with a fresh and invigorated program next year. I am however, developing a google site that will hold links, resources, information and photos on all things wild rice, and water education. "Nibi and manoomin" [water and wild rice, in Ojibwe]. That's all for now. Wild rice season will be upon us soon - and I should start thinking about getting in shape!

Harvesting Season Coming to a Close?

2010-09-21T14:11:00.003-05:00

The past few days of windy, rainy weather in northern Minnesota may be the end of this year's wild rice. Batch sizes coming off the lakes were not nearly as large as last year, and intermittent rain and wind throughout the season kept most of us guessing!

The great thing about wild rice is, there's always next year! Memories of last year's bountiful harvest make this years slim pickings a bit easier to swallow. I know that I will be out there again next year, hoping to double or triple what I brought in this year (60 pounds green/ before splitting!). It took 3 years but my husband (who has yet to set foot in a canoe to harvest) finally recognizes the ups and downs of the rice, and the economics of gathering with a spouse (don't need to share the bounty!). Maybe next year, he says.

What's ahead for SORA? We continue to look for opportunities to educate others about natural lake and river wild rice. Currently we have both t-shirts and one pound bags of wild rice for sale, $15 and $10, respectively - plus shipping. Contact Annette at info@saveourrice.org if interested.

Ricing Reports from around the Region

2010-08-31T08:35:00.002-05:00

SORA asked for updates on harvesting from those in the wild rice community. Below are the comments that I have received to date. Note - your area may be different, so use these resources as starting points but nothing beats going out and checking an area yourself.

Ricing is just getting started in the Tower Area (N St Louis County, 8/30/10 ). Heavy wind and rain have negatively impacted our rice crop. The rice crop looked pretty good on a number of lakes but weather has changed that. Ricers will need to get out and field check stands. Best place to start is the 1854 web site. - Tom

Aug 21 at Big Sandy Flowage north of McGregor. Poling was easy due to high water, but our take was small. Heavy rain and wind had stripped off most of the ripe grains, leaving slim pickings. The thicker patches had some green rice still left, but we haven't had a chance to get back. The beds there have much less rice than they did last year.- Jeff

We flew some MN waters last wednesday (8/25/10) - and now have about 5-6 pictures on our website. GLIFWC
I don't know what they were getting, but lots of boats - maybe 15+, on Mallard that day, and quite a few on the Big Sandy Complex of waters - which look pretty good in areas from the air. Lower Dean had one canoe out, but it looks like a crop failure due to brown spot - lake is full of rice, but it is not healthy at all, and seed production probably very poor.
Also looked at Kettle Lake near Cloquet, and though it looked good from the landing a few weeks ago, it looked quite poor from the air.
Although access is not available to the general public, Rice Lake NWR looked perhaps the best I have seen it, though some brown spot present. Wisconsin poor over all; lots of disease, and some sites never had much of a stand to begin with.- Peter, GLIFWC

Things in the northeast part of the state are looking O.K. for the most part. I think most places are getting pretty close to ripe. I was on the water early last week in a few places, and was guessing this past weekend or this week for harvesting. I flew some areas last Wednesday and saw some harvesters out.- Darren, 1854 Treaty Authority

Mallard Lake has only about a third othe rice of last year. Probably done for the year by Thurs. or Fri.(9/2/10) if the weather is good. Other local lakes are even worse. Very disapointing year! Too much rain!!! Every secret spot counts this year and so far they aren't very good either. I only have two left to try!- Lane

Wild Rice Camps

2010-08-25T15:28:00.005-05:00

If you have the traveling bug, and some time on your hands - head over to Michigan for a 4 day camp on learning to harvest wild rice! Information on camps is available through the Native Wild Rice Coalition. Check them out at
Native Wild Rice Coalition

They are hosting a Rice camp Sept.3-6 at Tubbs Lake in Mecosta County Michigan. Instruction on making your own equipment provided!

Reports are coming in that the rice in Minnesota is not as early as originally thought -still have yet to see my first canoe...but I know they are out there somewhere harvesting ripe rice already. Good luck, may your canoes fill up with ripe wild rice. - Annette

SORA Wild Rice Gathering and Free Event

2010-08-09T10:03:00.003-05:00

Wow - it's almost time to get the ricing equipment out, clean the canoe and prepare for some hard work! Ricing season is nearly upon us, but a reminder that ricing season now has an opening date of Aug. 15th for state lakes. That is the date for the season opener, however remember that it is illegal to harvest wild rice before it is ripe - so check it out first!

To kick off the season SORA and the Bemidji State University Biology Department are hosting a series of events for wild rice enthusiasts. Friday, Aug. 13th in Bemidji at Diamond Point Park, on the shores of Lake Bemidji, there is a free education event running from 2:00 to 5:30 p.m. for anyone interested. Come on down and talk to harvesters, check out resources, take a pontoon ride to look at rice, and learn about the equipment needed to harvest wild rice.

On Saturday, Aug. 14th from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at the American Indian Resource Center on the BSU campus is the 2nd Annual SORA Gathering and Conference. Cost is $15, lunch is provided if pre-registered by Aug. 10th. Come hear about the latest research, talk to harvesters from across the region and share in the development of outreach materials for SORA. We hope you can join us for these events - check out the flier by clicking on the link from the home page of SORA. Hope to see you there!

Wild rice coming up early?

2010-06-15T09:40:00.003-05:00

Greetings! Plans for the upcoming Wild Rice Meeting in Bemidji, Minnesota on Aug. 13 and 14th are coming together. Stay tuned.

Checking in with harvesters across the state the wild rice appears to be standing up a little earlier than normal in some areas. How's it looking in your part of the state? A lot of this rain came through when much of the rice was either in the floating leaf stage or just beginning to pop up. So far I haven't seen or heard about any loss of rice.

Another question popping up around rice country is in regards to processors. Are the number of processors declining? Are quality processors harder to come by? I'm hearing from those who harvest large quantities (1,000 lbs and up) that they are not, while the smaller harvester seems to be having a more difficult time getting their batches processed. Interestingly enough, over on the White Earth Reservation the bumper crop last year seemed to bring more processors out - out of retirement and was an opportunity for some of the younger generation to try their hand at processing.

Are there harvesters out there interested in learning how to process? Let me hear from you!

SORA is an official 501c3 non-profit!

2010-04-28T16:42:00.002-05:00

Last December SORA applied for non-profit status (501c3) with the federal government. A couple of weeks ago we had to explain what a "harvester" was, as the thought for those unfamiliar with wild rice was "farmers". We've clarified that, and as of 4/26 we have our non-profit status. YEAH!

Wild Rice - a naturally growing resource

2010-04-14T13:05:00.004-05:00

Speaking to those who live and recreate in northern Minnesota, understanding the wild nature of "wild rice" is easy. This native grass grows in our many shallow lakes and slow moving streams throughout the north country. Mention "wild rice" in most other parts of the country and people envision cultivated paddies and an agricultural crop of approximately 20 million pounds (2009 data) grown primarily in California and Minnesota.

What is the difference? There's the way it is grown. One form of wild rice is planted on privately held land, sometimes treated with pesticides, and harvested to supply the Uncle Ben's of the world, providing a uniform crop. Naturally occuring wild rice, found primarily in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada grows according to the weather conditions: high water tends to reduce how much wild rice grows in a location, low waters may increase the abundance. Winds, water and temperatures dictate whether we have a poor year of wild rice, or a boom year - as happened in much of the rice region last year. Perfect conditions, little rain, no wind and ideal temperatures had many wild rice enthusiasts enjoying some of the largest harvests in years.

Natural wild rice is a resource like blueberries, deer and ducks that require time, committment and knowledge to partake in the harvest. Those who venture into the wild rice beds, naturally occurring on shallow lakes and slow moving streams, join a tradition nearly 2000 years old. Ensuring that we have wild rice to harvest for the future is the purpose of SORA. Join us - spread the word, support conservation of these remaining wild rice regions.

SORA update

2010-03-30T09:15:00.002-05:00

Greetings!

March is almost over and the SORA Serenade has been quiet too long. The SORA Board met on Saturday, March 6 at Brewed Awakenings in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Here are the highlights from that meeting:

- Planning is beginning for the annual gathering Aug. 13 and 14, 2010 in Bemidji
> Aug. 13 is an Education Event at Diamond Point Park followed by a harvester Social
> Aug. 14 is the annual gathering, co-hosted by the Bemidji State University Biology Department and SORA

- Our National Forest Foundation grant has expired and we are hoping to get a continuation grant

- Change in mission statement to clarify our purpose for grant applications. New: The mission of SORA is to integrate science, community and education for the conservation and sustainability of native wild rice ecosystems.

- Much discussion on potential activities and projects. Look for the complete minutes on the website in the near future.

SORA is still waiting to hear about its 501c3 non-profit status application. Soon, we hope. That will allow us to start accepting donations and to move forward with grant applications. We are working on an LCCMR grant right now involving the development of a citizen/harvester monitoring program and a harvester recruitment and retention program. Stay tuned! We are currently grantless - but looking and working toward several other funding opportunities.

As I mentioned in my very first post, way back in October, this blog is an attempt to hold myself accountable to those who have committed time and interest to the development of a wild rice conservation organization (SORA). Here you will find weekly updates(attempted) and thoughts on the journey of webbing together people and resources for the conservation of natural wild rice (Zizania palustris). Follow along, offer suggestions or suggest connections that help us to strengthen our ability to expand understanding of this declining natural resource of the Upper Great Lakes Region (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ontario [CA] and Michigan). Contact me at adrewes@saveourrice.org with news from your region, information and event items.

Manoomin (wild rice) Restoration

2010-02-09T10:44:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow, February 10th from 10:45 to noon central time join the Stewardship Network for a live webcast on Manoomin Restoration. Below is an excerpt from the website regarding the webcast:

Although we may not readily think of rice when thinking about Great Lakes ecosystems, manoomin, the Ojibwe name for wild rice, is an important aspect of Great Lakes tribal culture, history, and local conservation efforts. Join Roger LaBine of the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in discussing the cultural importance of Manoomin, difficulties in local conservation efforts, and growing concerns, such as corporations seeking to patent manoomin’s unique genetic make-up.

Ojibwe are working to restore wild rice to their native lands across the Great Lakes Region. Restoration efforts vary, depending on the changes that have taken place. Higher water levels due to water control structures on some lakes have limited wild rice growth; stabilized water levels and changing flow patterns may have also contributed to increased growth of pickerel weed and cattails, species which are native to the area but compete with wild rice in shallow areas. More information is needed to understand the relationships between water levels, native vegetation growth and competition with wild rice.

Mining and wild rice

2010-02-02T13:21:00.002-06:00

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area is in the news these days due to a proposed Sulfide Mine Development near the border of this vast wilderness. Friends of the Boundary Water Wilderness, a non-profit organized to protect, preserve and restore the wilderness character of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Quetico-Superior Ecosystem, has put together information and links to various articles on a website at www.preciouswaters.org. Wild rice, dependent on healthy waters, grows in that region and should be considered when developing any industry, particularly one with the impacts of mining.

I would encourage people to educate themselves on both the industry and the potential impacts of this type of mining in an area of precious water. Many environmental organizations are looking at this - and you can too. A link to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement is on the above mentioned website - time to respond as a citizen is short. Comments will only be taken until tomorrow, Feb. 3 at 4:30 p.m. Stay tuned for future developments.

Wild Rice in Minnesota

2010-01-26T08:16:00.007-06:00

Good snowy morning to all!
So just how many lakes are there with wild rice in Minnesota? We're not discounting Wisconsin and Canada here....I just happen to have more information on Minnesota lakes than anything else.

In February of 2008 the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources released a wild rice study report requested by the Minnesota Legislature. The report includes current location and estimated acreage of natural wild rice stands; potential threats to those stands; and recommendations for protecting and increasing natural wild rice stands in the state. Link to report:

According to the report wild rice was once found across most of the state, but is now restricted primarily to central and north-central Minnesota. Wild rice is sometimes hard to pin down as it is an annual plant and dependent on water levels and growing conditions. Some years you will find it completely covering a lake, and other years - nothing. The best estimates to date are that wild rice is found on rougly 1286 lakes and river/stream segments across Minnesota. The largest concentration of lakes supporting natural wild rice are found in the following counties: Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing, Itasca and St. Louis. Over 70% of all reported wild rice gathering trips occur in these counties.

Where has wild rice been lost? Do you know of natural stands that once existed, but are now gone? Do you want to help in monitoring the natural stands we have left? SORA hopes to put together some form of a citizen watch program for natural wild rice stands in Minnesota (Wisconsin is welcome to join us). Monitoring natural stands of wild rice is limited by funding, time and the complexities of wild rice management boundaries. What is needed is continuous interest and input by harvesters and wild rice enthusiasts to keep an eye on trends in natural wild rice growth and abundance. Inventories every 10-15 years will simply serve to monitor it's decline. Join us if you can by becoming involved, asking questions and supporting SORA.

Thanks for your interest in wild rice! Let's keep it around for a few hundred years more...

Miigwech,

Wild rice journaling?

2010-01-19T09:40:00.003-06:00

Hello fellow wild rice enthusiasts! (Those of us crazy enough to LOVE going out in all sorts of weather with the bugs, sun, muck and more bugs!) One of the goals of SORA is to increase our understanding of natural wild rice, how it grows, ripens, etc. and to understand our human role as we interact with it. While conducting my research several years back, many of the wild rice harvesters/gatherers I interviewed mentioned keeping a journal about their ricing experience every year. In these journals amounts of rice harvested, dates and times, conditions of rice and even weather patterns were often noted. What might these journal entries provide us in regards to understanding wild rice ripening patterns and abundance?

SORA is looking to apply for grants to answer this question. Very little scientific study of natural wild rice ecology (growth, abundance, distribution) has been published. Would harvester journals be able to provide a data set going back 30-50 years? How would this information be collected? Who would have access to this information? Would harvesters be willing to share their journals with SORA? How many journals are out there that go back 30-50 years? What is the range of information available?

You can help with this project. In fact, you, as a wild rice gatherer and journal keeper, ARE the project. Please consider offering your opinion and expertise to SORA as we move forward to make this project a reality. We will be sending out inquiries to harvesters to look at interest and involvement, and I'm sure we'll be holding some meetings. My thoughts are that we will initiate this as a pilot project to check interest and data availability (ie. how many journals are there and what kind of data is in them?)

As always, please feel free to contact Annette at adrewes@saveourrice.org with any comments or ideas. Until next week, stay warm!

Annette

Looking to the New Year....

2010-01-11T23:17:00.003-06:00

Okay, so it looks as though I should engage in a New Year's resolution to blog once a week. We'll see if I can be better at this in 2010 than I was in 2009. First off - a couple of new things happening with SORA! We have sent off our 501c3 application and are waiting to hear back from the feds on this. Keep your fingers crossed! What that does is allow us to go out on our own for grants and funding, without having to go through a fiscal agent. We are continuing to look for grants and funding that will allow us to both grow as an organization and to begin some of the research that is so badly needed with wild rice.

Secondly, mark the date: Friday and Saturday, August 13 and 14th, 2010! It may seem far away, but it will be here before we know it along with another season of ricing! Aug. 13 SORA will be hosting an education/outreach event around wild rice and wild rice harvesting in Bemidji, Minnesota. On Saturday, the 14th, SORA will hold its 2nd Annual Wild Rice Gathering. The agenda has not been set - but again, we will be in Bemidji this year and please stay tuned for more details as we move into spring.

On a final note - the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is looking to identify 'important' wild rice lakes with a goal of at least documenting the importance of these lakes to the general public and local decision makers. Currently there really is no list, as it were, that developers, county commissioners, etc. can access to know if a particular lake has wild rice growing on it. This would help in reducing some conflicts or at the very least, raise some questions when decisions are being made. Look for the rice list on SORA or check with a member of the DNR Interagency Wild Rice Work Group (SORA is a member).

Until next week, stay warm, close your eyes and remember the sound of ripe rice falling into the canoe!

annette

Website updates

2009-11-06T14:07:00.002-06:00

Take a look around the SORA website next week. Kim Lancaster from Webworks Creative is our web designer/manager and has done a wonderful job with the site. One of the new additions to the website is a 'comments' box where people can leave a comment or ask a question. Check it out and check back often to respond to comments or questions left on SORA.

Some of you may remember that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources initiated some Wild Rice meetings last spring in conjunction with some of the changes in regards to regulations and management. That large group now has smaller subgroups includeing Regulation (made up of tribal and state Conservation Officers and others interested in regs); Management (state, tribal and some national folks); and finally, Education and Outreach. I am chair of the Education and Outreach committee and we will be holding a meeting in a couple of weeks to set up goals and identify our mission as an advisory group (although I'm not sure we have official "advisory" status - unclear). Anyway, please feel free to send ideas or comments in regards to education and outreach that you might like to see developed for the future. LET ME BE CLEAR: I am not aware that we have ANY money available, at this point we may just be looking at what priorities SHOULD be if money becomes available and WHO might be involved (tribal, state, SORA, feds, etc.).

That's all for now, stay safe if you are venturing into the woods this weekend for deer!

Annette

Introduction

2009-10-28T09:47:00.001-05:00

Greetings!

I'm wandering into this blog thing just as I wandered into the wild rice - a goal in mind, but few clues on how to get there! SORA Serenade is an attempt to hold myself accountable to those who have committed time and interest to the development of a wild rice conservation organization (SORA). Here you will find weekly updates and thoughts on the journey of webbing together people and resources for the conservation of natural wild rice (Zizania palustris). Follow along, offer suggestions or suggest connections that help us to strengthen our ability to expand understanding of this declining natural resource of the Upper Great Lakes Region (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ontario [CA] and Michigan).

SORA update 1 - We are coming to the end of our initial two-year grant from the National Forest Foundation. To date we've created a website (www.saveourrice.org), developed a display and facilitated our first official SORA gathering (August 1, 2009). As SORA Director I am also participating in the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Wild Rice Education and Outreach committee. We are in the process of identifying both short and long term goals for this committee, your input is always welcome (adrewes@saveourrice.org). Prior to the SORA gathering we also established our first official Board - check out the SORA website to see who they are and what they do!

Looking ahead - SORA is eligible for a second round grant from the National Forest Foundation. We will be putting together a work plan and budget to be submitted for review by the end of the year. In addition, National Geographic Conservation Trust grants are available and we will be looking at those to potentially fund a research project. Global climate change and changes in harvesting patterns make us question whether or not wild rice lakes are seeing a shift to earlier ripening dates. Partnering with long-time harvesters we hope to develop an historical landscape perspective of wild rice ripening built on lake specific data from individual harvesters. Other grant opportunites are being sought for development of education and outreach materials, particularly involving collaboration with other agencies/organizations.

Until next week...stay warm and if you don't know what a Sora is (hint: its a bird) check it out through Cornell's "All about birds!" website (www.allaboutbirds.org).

annette