- Description
- Map of Rice Waters
Wild rice is a culturally significant food source to Native Americans in Minnesota, and its importance has been passed down through the generations. Minnesota claims it as the ‘state grain’ so it obviously has held its reputation over time. It is not only a valuable food source to people but wild rice is also likely the single most important food source to migrating waterfowl. The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) developed a brochure that describes its significance not only to waterfowl but also ecologically and culturally (see Wild Rice Brochure).
We attempted to grow rice in some of the SMSC’s more high quality wetlands in the hopes to lightly harvest some grain in the future for educational opportunities. We chose three wetland basins as candidates and contracted to buy seed from a harvester in northern Minnesota so we had base crop to work with. Current literature suggests that a wetland basin should be seeded at 40 pounds per acre for three consecutive years in order to establish a sustainable reproducing plant population. This is critical because wild rice is an annual plant, and its survival depends on how much seed it produces each year. The ‘base rice bed’ will dwindle if the plant does not drop enough seed each year, and this is affected by environmental conditions that affect germination, distribution, and seed generation. Below is a results summary of the wild rice seeding. Also, check out the map to see the locations of the wild rice wetlands and photos of the rice beds (see [Map of Rice Waters] tab and [Photos] tab).
Wetland S-5:
In 2006, we seeded approximately 500 pounds of wild rice and covered as much of the basin as was feasible. We had relatively good germination that year but we decided not to broadcast anymore rice in consecutive years because of construction projects that were occurring immediately upslope of the basin.
Wetland C-7:
Workers broadcasted 100, 180, 250, and 200 pounds of wild rice in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 respectively. We decided to seed rice an additional year because we did not have a good crop in 2007 due to low water levels. We have had problems with the water control structure in this basin, and therefore fluctuating water levels which likely negatively impacted wild rice. It remains to be seen how much viable seed is in the basin once we stabilize the water level.
Wetland C-18:
This wetland is a natural shallow basin with good water quality. It has two outlets so the basin drains if it gets too full but it is deep enough to have water in it in throughout the growing season in normal precipitation years. We broadcast roughly 200 pounds of rice in the basin for three consecutive years, and every year we have had a good crop. Another positive aspect to this basin is that it is naturally diverse. There are a number of ‘water plants’ in the basin and adding wild rice only adds to the diversity.
