UW-Green Bay and partners prepare for wild rice seeding restoration project on bay of Green Bay, Nov. 5-9

Media members welcome to join boats, or view seeding from an observation point on land, Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018

GREEN BAY – A team of conservation professionals and volunteers from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, along with the UW-Extension, Ducks Unlimited, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and others, will seed 2,000 lbs. of wild rice at various sites in the bay of Green Bay from Monday, Nov. 5, 2018 through Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. This year marks the third year of the seeding effort as part of the restoration project, informed by the UW-Green Bay aquatic vegetation research in lower Green Bay.

Wild rice benefits waterfowl as an important food source during fall migration and contributes to fish nursery habitat and ecological diversity in coastal wetlands. Wild rice also holds important human traditional and cultural value, particularly for some Native American tribes. Historical records suggest the wetland plant occurred widely throughout Green Bay, but has been uncommon to rare in the bay in recent decades. Rice re-establishment is one of a series of restoration projects in lower Green Bay and along the Green Bay west shore to enhance coastal wetland habitat for fish and wildlife and improve the health of the bay.

Participants will hand-seed the rice at six sites in lower Green Bay and along the Green Bay west shore on the following dates:

• Monday, Nov. 5, 2018 – Seagull Bar State Natural Area and Peshtigo River (Marinette Co.)
• Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018 – Longtail Point and Dead Horse Bay
• Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018- Lower Green Bay- Duck Creek and Peters Marsh
• Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018 – Oconto Sportsmen’s Club (Oconto Co.)
• Friday, Nov. 9, 2018 – Point au Sable, UW-Green Bay

Media members are welcome to join on the boats, or view seeding from an observation point on land on Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018. To reserve a space or get more information about the project, contact Green Bay Restoration Project Coordinator Amy Carrozzino-Lyon by email at carrozza@uwgb.edu or by phone at 920-465-5029.

About the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is a comprehensive public institution offering undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs to nearly 8,000 students with campus locations in Green Bay, Marinette, Manitowoc and Sheboygan. Established in 1965 on the border of Green Bay, the University and its campuses are centers of cultural enrichment, innovation and learning. The Green Bay campus is home to one of the Midwest’s most prolific performing arts centers, a nationally recognized 4,000-seat student recreation center, an award-winning nine-hole golf course and a five-mile recreational trail and arboretum, which is free and open to the public. This four-campus University transforms lives and communities through student-focused teaching and research, innovative learning opportunities, powerful connections and a problem-solving approach to education. UW-Green Bay’s main campus is centrally located, close to both the Door County resort area and the dynamic economies of Northeast Wisconsin, the Fox Valley region and the I-43 corridor. UW-Green Bay offers in-demand programs in science, engineering and technology; business; health, education and social welfare; and arts, humanities and social sciences. For more information, visit www.uwgb.edu.

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