Manoomin (Wild Rice) Access Project

A Michigan tribe is requesting competitive proposals from general contractors to construct up to four manoomin (wild rice) access points on USFS federal lands in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, with proposals due July 7, 2026. The four options — access from Sucker Lake Road to Sucker Lake (Option A) and Brush Lake (Option B) in Gogebic County, from Old US 2 to the Middle Branch of the Ontonagon River (Option C) in Gogebic County, and from Forest Road 3340 to Mallard Lake (Option D) in Iron County — are subject to tribe selection of one or multiple sites for development.

Scope includes site preparation, road construction, traffic control, parking lot construction, access trails, canoe launch points, and site restoration per attached plans and specifications. The contractor will be responsible for all labor, equipment, and materials not designated as tribe-furnished items, and must obtain all required permits. USFS inspectors will be involved in construction oversight; contractors must comply with all USFS requirements and forest plan direction applicable to work on federal lands.

The attached Standard Operating Procedure for Bat Discovery establishes mandatory protocols for contractor personnel: immediate notification to the USFS Point of Contact upon discovery of any living or recently dead bat, GPS location and photographic documentation, and coordination with the local forest biologist and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for specimen identification and potential Endangered Species Act consultation. Dead bats must be preserved in resealable plastic bags with collection data, then frozen pending disposition. Project operations cannot resume until the unit biologist, in coordination with USFWS and state offices, determines what additional protections or mitigations are required and clears the work to proceed.

Contractors must demonstrate experience with similar construction projects in remote or environmentally sensitive areas. Detailed plans and specifications are attached. The tribe reserves the right to select one or multiple access points for development.