Schaeffer to present at Michigan Wild Rice Summit

GLSC Coastal Ecosystems Acting Branch Chief Jeff Schaeffer (Ann Arbor, Michigan) will present summaries of tribal-identified research needs for wild rice (Manoomin) at the Michigan Wild Rice Summit near Traverse City, Michigan from March 26-29, 2019. The presentations will cover twelve topics ranging from landscape studies to outreach that were co-developed with the State of Michigan's Wild Rice Initiative, a partnership between the state and twelve federally recognized tribes. The presentations are part of a vetting process that involves presenting the potential research ideas to sequentially larger audiences of stakeholders concerned with Manoomin conservation, and continues a consensus-building process that hopes to culminate in funded research that has been co-developed with tribes from inception. The two presentations given during the Summit will focus on key research topics, potential funding mechanisms, and developing the interdisciplinary collaborations that will be needed to increase knowledge for effective Manoomin conservation.