Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe will digitize the collections of its Leech Lake Herbarium, make it available online through a searchable database, and increase public awareness of the herbarium and its uses within the community. Project staff will purchase a camera, lighting equipment, external hard drive, and computer necessary to collect high quality specimen images and enter records for the approximately 2,000 specimens. A student intern will verify plant nomenclature, digitize specimens, enter label data, and upload images and data to the online database. In the second year of the grant, outreach activities will acquaint local educators and students with the collection and how they can use it effectively in teaching and research. A workshop will be presented at Leech Lake Community College for faculty, students, and interested community members to explore the online collection, view selected plants, and practice collecting and pressing specimens. The project will contribute to the global effort to digitally document biodiversity.