PARENT SESSION
Oral Session # 43: A. Insect Ecology I; B. Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
Presiding: E Borer and SP Yanoviak
Wednesday, August 6. 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM, SITCC Meeting Room 105.

The basketry plant: Hierochloe odorata; Sustainable managment through indigenous harvesting practices.

Galluzzi, Laurie^*,1, Kimmerer, Robin^*,1, ¹ SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY

ABSTRACT- The reintroduction of Native American management practices may be necessary to maintain existing wild and restored sweetgrass ( Hierochloe odorata) populations in the Northeast. Viable inland sweetgrass populations are essential to preserve the art of traditional basketry, as practiced by the Haudenosaunee people of New York State. Yet, the supply of this important cultural resource is threatened by various forces, including successional change. In this study, hypotheses regarding the effect of different indigenous harvesting regimes on sweetgrass populatiob growth were tested using a controlled field experiment comparing three different harvesting methods. The results of this experiment suggest that sweetgrass, a disturbance adapted species, may show and increase in population density as a result of indigenous harvesting practices. These harvesting practices may help to maintain ecological conditions favorable for reproduction, thus preserving community integrity. Traditional harvesting regimes, as well as other indigenous management practices, are a part of a larger body of Traditional Ecological Knowledge that can offer valuable insight to those involved in the field of native plant restoration.

Key words: Restoration Ecology, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Disturbance Ecology