SF 2329

1st Engrossment - 91st Legislature (2019 - 2020) Posted on 04/03/2019 03:16pm

A bill for an act
relating to environment; establishing Wild Rice Stewardship Council; appropriating
money; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 84.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

new text begin [84.1511] WILD RICE STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL.
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new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Council created. new text end

new text begin (a) The Wild Rice Stewardship Council is established
to foster leadership, collaboration, coordination, and communication among state and tribal
government bodies and wild rice stakeholders. Members of the council must represent a
wide range of interests and perspectives and be able to make interdisciplinary
recommendations on managing, monitoring, providing outreach for, researching, and
regulating wild rice.
new text end

new text begin (b) The governor must appoint council members who represent a wide range of interests
and perspectives and include representatives of state government; tribal government; wild
rice resource users; national pollutant discharge elimination system permittees;
nongovernmental organizations; research scientists and wild rice managers with expertise
in wild rice biology, ecology, and management; and impacted local governments and
communities.
new text end

new text begin (c) The council must review and consider the recommendations of the governor's task
force on wild rice regarding the council's work, including the recommendation to use a
committee structure that includes council members and nonmembers with relevant subject
matter expertise for technical work related to management plans, monitoring, and research.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Council responsibilities. new text end

new text begin (a) The council must provide the governor, chief
executives of Minnesota's 11 Indian tribes, and the legislature a biennial report on the health
of wild rice and policy and funding recommendations to ensure that wild rice thrives in
Minnesota.
new text end

new text begin (b) The council must recommend to the commissioners of natural resources and the
Pollution Control Agency a shared monitoring protocol that includes biological, chemical,
and hydrological factors affecting wild rice to assess the health of wild rice populations
over time. The protocol must draw on existing resources such as the monitoring protocol
for wild rice developed by Minnesota Sea Grant, the lake survey and vegetation mapping
methodologies of the Department of Natural Resources, and the monitoring methodologies
of the 1854 Treaty Authority. The council must include recommendations on implementing
the protocol and must regularly prepare a report on protocol implementation.
new text end

new text begin (c) The council must recommend to the commissioner of natural resources a
comprehensive, statewide management plan for wild rice. The plan must include clear goals
and indicators, activities, time frames, organizational responsibilities, and performance
measures. Indicators of wild rice health must have the ability to be tracked over time to
facilitate a better understanding of the impact of various stressors versus the natural variability
of wild rice. The council must work with tribes to develop an understanding of natural wild
rice variability through traditional ecological knowledge and lake histories. Biological,
chemical, and hydrological factors must be considered.
new text end

new text begin (d) The council must identify and recommend research priorities and required funding
levels. Prioritization should be given to needs identified through the monitoring protocol
and management plans recommended by the council. Topics of research may include:
new text end

new text begin (1) assessment of diverse factors impacting wild rice health and interaction among these
factors;
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new text begin (2) criteria and methodology for restoring wild rice within its historic range;
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new text begin (3) seed development;
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new text begin (4) impact of climate change;
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new text begin (5) effective methods of controlling waterfowl predation; and
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new text begin (6) roles of root plaques, hydrology, landscape context, and other related factors.
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new text begin (e) The council must provide a forum for scientists and managers to convene and explore
research needs, approaches, and outcomes for building a shared understanding of the threats
to and opportunities for fostering wild rice health and to fill data gaps.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Outreach and education. new text end

new text begin (a) The council must advise state agencies and the
legislature on statewide outreach and education on wild rice. Activities may include:
new text end

new text begin (1) developing a statewide education and promotion campaign to raise awareness about
the ecological, nutritional, and cultural value of wild rice;
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new text begin (2) coordinating an annual Wild Rice Week in which tribal chief executives and the
governor declare the first week of September Wild Rice Week; and
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new text begin (3) recommending actions to raise awareness and increase enforcement of natural wild
rice labeling laws, including those that require specified labeling for natural wild rice.
new text end

new text begin (b) The council must develop and recommend to the commissioner of the Pollution
Control Agency a road map for protecting wild rice from harmful levels of pollutants and
other stressors through a holistic approach that addresses the water quality standard for
sulfate in conjunction with enhanced monitoring, management, and education efforts and
that leads to protecting wild rice and strategically using state and community resources.
new text end

new text begin (c) The council must develop and recommend to the commissioner of the Pollution
Control Agency a structured approach to listing wild-rice waters and potential implementation
of a water quality standard for sulfate to maximize protection of wild rice while limiting
the scope and extent of burdens to Minnesota communities caused by the difficulty of
treating sulfate.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin WILD RICE; APPROPRIATIONS.
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new text begin $1,000,000 in fiscal year 2020 and $1,000,000 in fiscal year 2021 are appropriated from
the general fund to the commissioner of natural resources for protecting, restoring, and
enhancing wild rice. Of this amount, up to $100,000 each year may be used to support the
work of the Wild Rice Stewardship Council.
new text end