CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON ODAWA CONTEMPORARY USE PLANTS AND CULTURE AT SLEEPING BEAR DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE (original) (raw)

The MWRO and SLBE collaborated with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, and the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, to plan a study of the contemporary plant use, cultural needs, and possible environmental effects of Native American plant collecting for plant species found at SLBE. The project pursued multiple objectives. First, the documentation of contemporary Odawa plant use, cultural knowledge regarding plant use, and possible future cultural plant resource needs. The second goal of project sought to document the presence of culturally significant Odawa plant species at SLBE and the specifics of cultural use (e.g., quantity needed, seasonality, cultural use restrictions). The third goal of the project was to evaluate the ecological effects of culturally significant plant gathering on collected species and the habitats in which they are found. Study results provide a firmer empirical foundation to evaluate long-term ecological effects of traditional plant collection practices sufficient to withstand legal scrutiny if necessary.