MWRI Goals
& Objectives
From We All Live Together in a Good Way with Manoomin — the complete goals and objectives guiding MWRI's work across Stewardship, Education & Outreach, Policy & Protection, and Monitoring & Restoration.
Goals That Grow With the Community
Guide 2 presents the full goals and objectives developed collaboratively by MWRI's working groups — covering Stewardship, Education & Outreach, Policy & Protection, and Monitoring & Restoration. These are not fixed targets handed down by an institution; they were developed through community process and are designed to evolve as work progresses.
The goals are organized by work area and include both high-level aspirations and specific, actionable objectives. Together they form the operational roadmap for MWRI's work over the coming years.
By Work Area
Select a work area to view its goals. Full objectives for each goal are included in the downloadable PDF.
Shared Research Agenda
Tribal departments of natural resources and culture, traditional ricing communities, state and federal research agencies, and universities maintain a common research agenda initially related to Manoomin protection and restoration, later investigating the effectiveness of education and public engagement approaches.
Shared Best Practices
A suite of shared best practices for supporting Manoomin protection and restoration — including restoration practices such as site selection, seed sourcing, and methods for sowing; approaches to monitoring; and social practices such as cultural teachings, ceremonies, and community consent to integrate local communities genuinely.
Clarified Jurisdiction & Responsibilities
Facilitated discussions among Tribal departments, traditional ricing communities, and local, state and federal agencies to clarify jurisdiction, responsibilities and expectations for Manoomin protection and restoration — which will vary seasonally and regionally.
Harvest Best Practices
A suite of best practices for Manoomin harvest, including a process for determining harvest season and allowable equipment — developed collaboratively by Tribal departments, traditional ricing communities, and state management agencies.
Restoration Goals & Tracking
Working with Tribal, state, federal and private partners to identify restoration goals for Manoomin and appropriate ways to track them across the landscape over time.
See Stewardship page for more context on these goals.
Public Awareness
Increase public awareness of the cultural and ecological significance of Manoomin across Michigan — particularly among non-Native communities who share watersheds with Manoomin beds but may have little knowledge of them.
Curriculum Integration
Support the integration of culturally grounded Manoomin education into K–12 curricula across Michigan, developed in partnership with Tribal education departments and guided by Anishinaabe educators.
Community Engagement
Develop and sustain community engagement programs — including rice camps, story walks, and community gatherings — that create direct relationships between people and Manoomin across cultural backgrounds.
Practitioner Capacity
Build the capacity of Tribal natural resource staff, educators, agency employees, and other practitioners to speak knowledgeably and respectfully about Manoomin's cultural and ecological significance.
Shared Future Narrative
Develop and disseminate a shared narrative about Manoomin's role in a thriving, restored Michigan — one that invites non-Native communities into a relationship of stewardship and responsibility rather than one of guilt or distance.
See Education & Outreach page for more context on these goals.
Coordinated Policy Response
Establish a coordinated policy response capacity across Tribal nations and state agency partners, allowing MWRI to respond rapidly and collectively to regulatory threats, permit applications, and legislative proposals affecting Manoomin.
Treaty Rights Recognition
Ensure that state and federal regulatory decisions affecting Manoomin are made with full recognition of Anishinaabe treaty rights — as a legal mandate, not an afterthought — and that Tribal nations are meaningfully consulted before decisions are made.
Water Quality Standards
Advocate for water quality standards that protect the conditions Manoomin depend on across their range — including nutrient limits, turbidity standards, and hydrology protections — in coordination with EGLE, EPA, and Tribal environmental programs.
Invasive Species Prevention
Coordinate with state and federal agencies on invasive species prevention measures — particularly for invasive carp, Phragmites, and aquatic invasives spread by watercraft — that are enforced in and near Manoomin waters.
Legal Personhood & Rights of Nature
Explore and advance legal frameworks that recognize Manoomin's inherent rights — including rights of nature or legal personhood frameworks — as a complement to regulatory protections that treat Manoomin as a resource rather than a rights-holder.
See Policy & Protection page for more context on these goals.
Landscape-Scale Mapping
Develop and maintain a comprehensive, regularly updated map of Manoomin bed locations across Michigan — integrating Tribal monitoring data, state agency surveys, and community observations.
Shared Monitoring Protocols
Establish shared monitoring protocols and data standards across Tribal, state, federal, and university partners so that independently collected data can be meaningfully aggregated and analyzed.
Traditional Ecological Knowledge Integration
Create formal structures for incorporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge into monitoring and restoration planning, governed by tribal data sovereignty principles.
Restoration Site Identification
Identify and prioritize potential restoration sites based on biophysical suitability, cultural significance, community interest, and likelihood of long-term success — with site selection guided by Tribal nations and ricing communities.
Restoration Effectiveness Tracking
Develop measurable restoration goals and tracking frameworks that allow MWRI and partners to evaluate the effectiveness of restoration investments over multi-year timeframes.
See Monitoring & Restoration page for more context on these goals.
Goals That Change Over Time
The goals and objectives in this guide are not permanent. They were developed at a particular moment in MWRI's history and will be revised as goals are achieved, as new priorities emerge, and as the community's understanding deepens.
Readers are encouraged to check for updated editions of this guide. When an objective is met, it will be noted as completed in future editions — creating a record of progress alongside an evolving vision for what remains to be done.
MWRI also welcomes input on these goals from Tribal community members, partner organizations, and others with a stake in Manoomin's future. This guide is not a closed document.
Get the Full Guide
Guide 2 includes the complete goals and all associated objectives for each subcommittee. The downloadable PDF is the authoritative version.
Download will open in a new tab.