SORA is a non-profit organization formed to integrate science, community and education for the conservation and sustainability of native wild rice ecosystems. In February 2008 SORA received Community Assistance Program (CAP) funding through the National Forest Foundation.

SORA holds an annual gathering for harvesters, researchers, managers and wild rice enthusiasts.

What’s in a name?  Save Our Rice Alliance came from playing with the acronym SORA.  A Sora (Porzana carolina) is a small, secretive marsh bird or rail that is common in North America and often found in natural stands of wild rice. Also referred to as “rice hens” by harvesters, sora rails have a distinctive, downward spiraling call – making them often heard, but not seen. These birds are soras at Mallard Lake, Minnesota.