Can wild rice rebound in the Keweenaw?
Manoomin, wild rice in the Ojibwa language, is not a crop, but a living being with a deep spiritual, historical and cultural meaning to the people who first settled in the Great Lakes region.
For a living being to grow and thrive, it must have the right conditions. This sounds basic, but at times it is hard to achieve in our modern world. Manoomin, wild rice in the Ojibwa language, is not a crop, but a living being with a deep spiritual, historical and cultural meaning to the people who first settled in the Great Lakes region.
Wild rice growing in a lake. Photo courtesy Roz Hawley, Getty Images.
Starting in the early to mid-1900s, Mamoonin (“the food that grows on the water”) became increasingly scarce due to the impact of conventional farming, mining extraction, and deforestation. Wild rice needs clean, shallow, slow-moving water, most of which were lost to the new industrial demands. Wild rice is also a food source that is not harvested once; the entire crop doesn’t mature at one time but rather must be harvested multiple times throughout the harvest season. It’s popular to talk of “slow food” currently.
Watching Manoomin being traditionally harvested by canoe—slowly moving through the tall grass, hearing the rhythmic “clack,” “clack” of the harvest sticks and the murmured “miigwech,” “miigwech” (“thank you,” “thank you”) from the harvester as the seed heads that are ripe fall into the boat—reconnects us to the sacred nature of land and food.
Cassandra Reed-VanDam, who was interviewed for this article, completed her master’s thesis on working with KBIC (Keweenaw Bay Indian Community) on their wild rice restoration guidance document.
Processing wild rice at the 2023 KBIC Manoomin Camp. Photo courtesy Cassandra Reed-Van Dam.
“The focus is not just planting seeds, but most importantly, the cultural practices,” VanDam explained. Not a tribal member herself, she described her experiences working alongside tribal members on behalf of the rice as “humbling, and inspiring, and welcoming.” A reminder that when we meet each other with respect, an open mind, and a willingness to learn, more than rice seeds are planted. In fact, every Fall, KBIC holds Mamoonin Camp, and all are welcome to attend. There are a great many resources available online for a deeper dive into wild rice and other indigenous foods, including KBIC’s website.
For everyone who loves the U.P. there are also small ways we can participate in helping Manoomin as we go about our days. Here are just a few:
Think about the water surrounding you as a living being worthy of protection. The People of the Heart Water Walk is a powerful way to reconnect with the water as a sacred source of life and not a natural resource.
If you enjoy boating on Lake Superior or any inland lakes, be aware that what might just look like grass could be a bed of wild rice struggling to gain hold. Avoid disrupting such stands of grass and slowly pass to avoid large waves in your wake.
If you are someone with waterfront property that you think could sustain wild rice, be sure to check with the KBIC Natural Resources Department to ensure the seed you obtain is the right type for our area. Some wild rice on the market is commercially developed and GMO modified and could do more harm than good to the local strains.
If you want an in-depth look at the long-term plan for remediation you can download the Keweenaw Bay Hazard Remediation Plan here. While some challenges to reviving wild rice in the Keweenaw are caused by global climate changes that we cannot control from a local vantage point, how we choose to live on and with the land and water surrounding us is vital to all of our well-being.
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Michigan Tech steps in to meet need for nurses
MTU is taking over the 4-year nursing program that Finlandia used to host. But is it really a good fit?
Finlandia University is closing, and with it goes its nursing program. Michigan Technological University has stepped in to take over the program to meet the local need.
Graduates of Finlandia’s baccalaureate nursing program (BSN) have regularly staffed our local hospitals and medical providers. With Finlandia closing, the nearest BSN is at Northern Michigan University, 100 miles away.
Overall, there are currently 37 baccalaureate nursing programs approved by Michigan’s Board of Nursing in the state, including the Finlandia program.
Gogebic Community College offers a two-year nursing program in both Houghton and Ironwood, as does the Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College. After one year, students can earn an LPN (licensed practical nurse). After two years, they earn an associate in nursing degree and can become RNs (registered nurse). Some then go on to complete their BSN at partner universities.
Tech will offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing starting in the fall of 2023, a four-year degree that will prepare students to work in nursing management or go on to graduate programs in nursing, as well as doing direct patient care.
Good Idea, Bad Idea?
Some people think it’s a good thing that Michigan Tech is taking over Finlandia’s program. Area hospitals and other healthcare facilities say they need more nurses. Others question whether we require more nursing programs in the Keweenaw and whether a vocational program like nursing is appropriate for Michigan Tech.
It's completely appropriate, says Andrew Storer, Michigan Tech provost.
“It is a logical fit for Michigan Tech, as a STEM-focused institution and a technological institution,” he said. “It will prepare students to be leaders in the nursing field.
“Nurses are using a lot of new technology, and research at Michigan Tech is developing new technologies, I would argue that this is a professional program in the STEM field that fits perfectly with Michigan Tech.”
David Hemmer, dean of Michigan Tech’s College of Sciences and Arts, agrees. He calls the nursing program absolutely appropriate.
“An important part of our mission is to educate students to meet the needs of the employers of Michigan, and there is a critical need for nurses, especially in the Upper Peninsula,” he said.
And Rick Koubek, Michigan Tech president, said, “Pairing a science-focused degree with industry needs, that’s what Michigan Tech does best.”
Hemmer goes on to say, “We pride ourselves in the College of Sciences and Arts on providing great degree programs and dedicated advising for students who are interested in a variety of careers in the health professions, including medical school, veterinary school, physical therapy, physician assistants, medical laboratory scientists and more. Nursing is a natural fit for us.”
Claire Danielson, advisor to Michigan Tech’s laboratory sciences program, points out: “This program may also help to shed light on our programs like medical laboratory science, kinesiology and other pre-health options that students may not know exist.”
The American Association of Critical-care Nurses has stated that baccalaureate education is the minimum level required for entry into professional nursing practice in today’s complex healthcare environment.
Nursing Shortage
Storer said health care providers were concerned over the loss of Finlandia’s program.
“Finlandia worked with 20 area health care providers, including hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities, and they all told us of the need to maintain a local BSN program to support the local healthcare system,” he said.
The United States and the global market are experiencing a nursing shortage that is expected to intensify as the demand for more and different nursing services grows. Peter Buerhaus, Douglas Staiger, and David Auerbach reported in the journal Health Affairs that the U.S. may experience a shortage of more than 500,000 registered nurses by the year 2025.
Casey Huckins, interim chair of Biological Sciences at Michigan Tech, said, “According to Michigan Labor and Economic Opportunity documents, there is a strong need for healthcare workers, including many types of nurses, in rural Michigan as well as across the nation.”
The new nursing program will be housed in the Department of Biological Sciences.
Finlandia and Michigan Tech are working collaboratively with the Finlandia nursing program accrediting agency, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, and the Higher Learning Commission to arrange program accreditation.
What They’ll Study
Huckins said, “Biological Sciences has a long history of educating and preparing students to enter fields related to human health. Nurses are applied biologists, so having them join us makes sense, and we are happy to welcome them.”
The nursing program at Michigan Tech will integrate courses in the humanities, social, biological and natural sciences with the theory and practice of nursing. The curriculum will remain essentially the same as it was at Finlandia, with some minor adjustments to incorporate Michigan Tech’s non-nursing courses and general education program.
Projected enrollment is 16 per year, with an estimated total program size of 54 without the need for more faculty. The Michigan Board of Nursing limits the size of a clinical group to eight students per instructor, impacting the need for clinical instructors.
The BSN program is designed to provide the stimulus and foundation for progression to the graduate level of academic preparation, in addition to producing RNs to do direct patient care.
Costs
Presenting the nursing program to the Michigan Tech University Senate, Storer said that the cost of the program is expected to be $550,000 for the first year, including fringe benefits and supplies, services and equipment for six full time faculty and one full-time staff member. There will also be a one-time $2,500 accreditation new applicant fee and an annual accreditation fee of $2,777.
Financial analysis suggests that tuition generated by this program is sufficient to cover the faculty and staff costs in its first year and would generate net income for the university by fiscal year 2027, Storer went on to say.
Overall, it appears that Michigan Tech’s move to take over the Finlandia nursing program is a win-win for Tech, the nursing students and faculty at Finlandia and the community.
If you’re interested in republishing this story, please email us at editor@copperbeacon.org.
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Librarians protect our right to choose what we read
“My neighbor shouldn’t be making decisions about what I can read.”
Remember the magical rhymes of Dr. Suess, and the enchantment of Charlotte’s Web? The Chicago Public Library recently removed six Dr. Suess books from its shelves, citing racism. Charlotte’s Web has been banned elsewhere because it features talking animals. And in lower Michigan, a small public library is closing after residents twice voted to defund it because the library refused to remove LGBTQ books from its collection.
Librarians are facing a crisis few of them dreamed of when they chose their career: calls for book banning from a small but vocal minority that is gaining political power across the country.
Intellectual Freedom vs. Censorship
“There is a coordinated national attack on the ideals we hold most dear, which is access for all, to all,” says Kristin Fontichiaro, who teaches library science at the University of Michigan’s School of Information. “It’s important to realize that loud voices are not always majority voices. Surveys have shown that the majority of Americans do not want books banned.”
Director of the Portage Lake District Library, Katrina Linde-Moriarty, amid the books at the library, reading to children. Photo by Jennifer Donovan.
Katrina Linde-Moriarty, director of the Portage Lake District Library in Houghton, agrees.
“At the heart of librarianship has always been equitable, free and confidential access to information,” Linde-Moriarty, who prefers they/them pronouns, said. “Librarians stand up against censorship or efforts by others to control what books and other materials can be in the library. A librarian’s role is defending intellectual freedom and providing equitable access to information and resources.”
A challenge has already arisen locally, where a group of parents protested the Hancock School Library’s posting of a display of LGBTQ books during Pride Month. The Hancock library is operated under a contract between the Portage Lake District Library and the Hancock Public Schools.
Linde-Moriarty believes that library patrons can choose for themselves what books and other materials they want to engage with. So does Fontichiaro.
“Libraries have always been pro-family,” she said. “We let families decide what’s right for them. We don’t determine what every family reads, and we don’t want a vocal minority to determine that either.”
The book-banning movement has also created a new threat to librarians themselves.
“It’s heartbreaking to me to say to an LGBTQ student or a student of color, ‘You may not be safe working in a library,’” says Fontichiaro. “Nobody became a librarian because they like death threats. We just want to help people.”
“My neighbor shouldn’t be making decisions about what I can read.”
Debbie Mikula, director of the Michigan Library Association, has even heard about a prosecutor who is considering bringing criminal charges against a librarian who has refused to remove certain books.
“A library’s responsibility is to provide free access to all expressions of opinion,” she says. “No one should take that choice away from readers. We’re witnessing something that is unprecedented. My neighbor shouldn’t be making decisions about what I can read.”
The American Library Association (ALA) states: “The foundation of modern librarianship rests on an essential set of core values that define, inform, and guide our professional practice.” These values include access and intellectual freedom.
MI Right to Read is a grassroots coalition of concerned Michigan residents organized by the Michigan Library Association to fight censorship in libraries. The coalition opposes any attempts to ban books from Michigan libraries based on content subjectively deemed inappropriate. Its purpose is to educate the public and oppose any legislation that infringes upon First Amendment rights and intellectual freedom.
“Selecting materials for a public library using a professional process involving objective criteria is very different from removing material because the remover dislikes or is made uncomfortable by the content,” the organization says. “One is collection development; the other is censorship.”
MI Right to Read offers toolkits on its website to help fight censorship.
Community Resources
Librarians work in a wide variety of settings. There are public libraries like Portage Lake District Library, school libraries, university libraries, archival libraries and specialty libraries for law, medicine and various businesses.
In addition to providing books, videos, music and online resources, public libraries serve three vital community functions. They preserve the history and cultural heritage of their area, act as community centers for residents, and provide resources one would not normally expect from a library.
For example, Linde-Moriarty says that people have come to the library seeking help when their water has been turned off, they have lost a job or are facing homelessness. The library staff help them connect with community resources to address their problems.
“Emergency rooms triage for medical emergencies,” Linde-Moriarty said. “We triage for everything else. We have to have a robust skill set and knowledge across all staff members. The library is a hub of humanity. A librarian’s role is to help people make connections. We have our foot in a lot of different doors, work with a lot of partners. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes in a library.”
Preserving History and Cultural Heritage
Preserving cultural heritage is an important if little-known activity of librarians, Linde-Moriarty says.
“We are working to capture local history and personal narrative through recordings, videos, and podcasts. That’s very exciting. Capturing more than written narratives creates vibrant archives.”
The American Library Association notes that libraries help ensure an authentic record of knowledge created and accumulated by past generations.
“Libraries are rich repositories of historically and culturally significant collections, many of which are not available anywhere else in the world,” the ALA says on its website. “In a world without libraries, it would be difficult to advance research and human knowledge or preserve the world’s cumulative knowledge and heritage for future generations.”
Diversity is another issue facing librarians today.
“Diversity has fractured communities,” Linde-Moriarty observes. “The library is a community hub, welcoming and inclusive, a central gathering place for the community.”
But librarians are predominantly white women, Linde-Moriarty noted. So is most of the library staff.
“Who’s missing from the equation?,” Linde-Moriarty says. “We need to be broadening our perspective, not only in our stacks, but on our staff.”
Despite all the challenges, Linde-Moriarty would not have chosen any other career. Their dedication to battling censorship, to preserving our cultural heritage and to making the library an accessible, attractive, welcoming center of the community holds them right where they are, and they love it that way.
Superior Maker Fest empowers youth to create
Makers, vendors, and attendees filled Houghton High School on March 18 to work with wood, plastic, metal, circuits, and fabric. People of all ages were encouraged to interact with creation stations that ranged from assembling a computer to sculpting clay on a pottery wheel.
Despite heavy snow, Fab Lab’s inaugural Superior Maker Fest opened to overwhelming support.
Makers, vendors, and attendees filled Houghton High School on March 18 to work with wood, plastic, metal, circuits, and fabric. People of all ages were encouraged to interact with creation stations that ranged from assembling a computer to sculpting clay on a pottery wheel.
High school volunteer Yamato Tajiri watched over the First Robotics station, where children controlled the cup-grabbing-creations used in a previous robotics competition.
“I like this event because lots of people come together to do something they couldn’t do themselves,” said Tajiri.
Throughout the event, makers of all types gave words of wisdom to those beginning a hobby.
Ben Keppers, event volunteer, helps two interested kids assemble a computer. Photo by Henry Snapp
Ben Keppers, Ben Boelnes, and Brandon Finley ran a station that helped attendees disassemble and reassemble working computers.
“Putting computers together is just like putting Legos together,” Keppers explained.
“Don’t get intimidated, it’s way easier than it looks,” Boelnes added.
Kris Southerland, event team manager and owner of the Copper Island Forge, sold a variety of hooks, horseshoes, and hangars at his booth. He gave this advice on beginning blacksmithing.
“Be patient. Don’t expect perfect results. There are no mistakes in blacksmithing, just roll the metal out and try again,” he said.
Kirstin Hensley, event team manager and artist, sold laser cut wood works at her booth. She said beginning woodworking isn’t about being perfect.
“Prepare to make lots of mistakes. Mistakes are good.”
Shane Oberloier, event team manager, attributes the success of the event to early advertising, clear communication, and an ounce of charisma.
“63 people signed up for competitions, the vendors sold out, and it’s full,” Oberloier said.
Oberloier says to look forward to more Maker Fests in the future, possibly in a new location to accommodate larger crowds.
If you are interested in connecting with makers in the Copper Country area, Jason Mack, event team manager, suggests joining the Superior Fab Lab Discord server, where makers in the area can help you find the materials, tools, and knowledge needed to start making.
Teaching STEM by osmosis
Students and parents alike had a chance to experience the fun side of STEM at a special event at Michigan Technological University.
Ann (left) and Amanda proudly displaying their project results. They tested what change soaking gummy bears in different liquids would cause on their size. Photo by Joshua Vissers
Students and parents alike had a chance to experience the fun side of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) at a special event on Thursday afternoon. Older students from local high schools and Michigan Technological University gathered to demonstrate projects and STEM concepts to students from kindergarten up to 8th grade at a STEM Festival on the ground floor of MTU’s Memorial Union Building.
In turn, local 4th-8th graders showed off their STEM chops with science and engineering projects in the upstairs ballroom.
“We thought of this because we really like gummy bears,” said 4th grader Amanda. “And so we wondered, can we make them larger? And do they taste good?”
Amanda and her project partner, Ann, are both 4th graders from Houghton Elementary School. The pair tested soaking gummy bears for 72 hours in sugar water, salt water and pure water against their control group, an unsoaked gummy bear.
The growth results were quite clear and measurable, with pure water causing the gummy bear to roughly double in size. The taste results were more subjective.
“They did not taste good,” Ann said.
“The water one is fine,” replied Amanda.
The pair said they had a lot of fun, and already plan on participating again next year.
Even though it can be fun, the Western U.P. STEM Fair & Festival has high educational value, too.
“These are students that have been preparing their project for weeks now,” said Emily Gochis, Western UP MiSTEM director. “This is hard work for these students.”
The Houghton High School Robotics teams had several of their robots there for demonstrations and even test drives. Video by Joshua Vissers
From doing initial research and forming a hypothesis, designing and conducting an experiment, and finally analyzing and presenting results, the projects give the students a chance to work through the entire scientific process. Rather than a short daily school assignment, the activity models a long-term, in-depth project.
“Which is what we do in the real world,” Gochis said.
A panel of judges made of professors and industry leaders scored each of the projects. Any project that got at least 80 of 100 points has been placed in a bronze, silver, or gold ribbon category.
Click here to check out the 2023 results.
Kinley Lyons is a 4th-year chemical engineering student at MTU now, but she participated in the STEM Fair years ago as a grade schooler. Lyons and her partner constructed a hovercraft as their project, using an old street sign, a tarp, and a leaf blower.
“It didn’t work that well, but it did work,” she said with a laugh. “It is one of the things that got me into engineering, and here I am now.”
It was also the first time Lyons remembers coming to a university campus.
“It really gave me a perspective on Michigan Tech’s campus,” Lyons said.
The STEM Fair and Festival, a partnership between MTU and the Copper Country Intermediate School District’s MiSTEM program, returned to an in-person event this year after COVID-19 forced them to shift to an online format.
Laura Rowe, a 5th-grade teacher at Lake Linden for the last 28 years, said because of the COVID-19 break, this was the first time at the STEM festival for many of the students.
“The kids were so excited to come here,” Rowe said.
The attendance was down a little from previous years, but Rowe thinks it will grow more as people learn what it is again after the pandemic break.
“I think the kids’ favorite part of it is actually doing the experiment itself,” Rowe said.
The Festival was host to several fun demonstrations. The bananas on the table are touch-sensitive and play musical notes through the laptop. Photo by Joshua Vissers
The festival featured demonstrations of a variety of STEM subjects. A thermal camera was available to play with the concept of seeing heat instead of light. A group explained basic circuits using LEDs, 9v batteries, and different colored Play-Doh, which is conductive largely due to the high salt content. The Copper Country Recycling Initiative was explaining the mechanical sorting process and the different makeup of recyclable products. All the demonstrations had an interactive element and invited students to get involved with the concepts being presented.
Gochis said the event was started about 25 years ago as a science fair, but over that time has grown into a STEM fair and festival. This year they added an engineering category to the fair for the first time.
“The age groups of grades 4-8, students tend to be really, really interested in these areas, and that’s not just boys,” Tom Oliver, director of the Michigan Tech Center for Science and Environmental Outreach, said.
After 8th grade, interest in STEM fields drops off among young women, which has led to these fields being dominated by men.
“We’re trying to open up opportunities that will provide those young women the opportunity to stay interested and find things that are engaging,” Oliver said.
Oliver encourages anyone interested in forming a partnership with MTU’s Center for Science and Environmental Outreach to contact him.