The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced that it is expecting a larger wild rice harvest this season compared to past years. Heavy rainfall in early spring followed by a pattern of drought gave way for favorable conditions for the staple food.
For decades, wild rice has seen a trend of shrinking harvests due to climate change, poor use of land and water, and poor water quality.
Austen Hilding stood in the parking lot of the Island Lake boat launch before walking down to see the wild rice and the groups of harvesters eager to get in the water.
"The harvest is looking quite promising this year out on the water." says Hilding, a wetland ecologist for the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) .
Since beginning in his role in January, he has been immersed in the role of wild rice and its cultural importance.
Wild rice, also known as manoomin, has been a staple food for indigenous communities around the Great Lakes for centuries and has been the focus of several conservation efforts through the years.
Hilding says a lot of the manoomin are benefiting from the low water levels this year, especially in river systems.
“We're seeing some really good rice production in certain waters across the region because of the low water levels," said Hilding. "That's kind of one difference where certain of the high-producing waters seem to be really productive this year relative to the last few years.”
While the annual harvest is expected to be larger, some areas may not be as fruitful as others.
“Even in a single year within a rice bed, there can be variability about how ripe the ripe the rice is, as well as the density and distribution and abundance of rice across that across a bed, you see differences from lake to lake within a year, and you see differences on a single water body across years," says Hilding.
It is advised that if you notice wild rice not falling well, empty hulls, or milky seeds to stop harvesting from that area to give the bed time to mature.
To keep track of the wild rice best it can, GLIFWC employs several methods to collect data on the health of wild rice in Wisconsin and in the region.
The organization will take more than 200 aerial photos of water bodies that support wild rice across Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.
Year to year comparisons of photos gives GLIFWC acreage estimates.
GLIFWC also sends out voluntary surveys to harvesters after the season ends to get an idea of what waters are most harvested and how much was collected.
Climate change, among other varying factors, have caused the decline of wild rice in northern Wisconsin. Increasingly intense precipitation events, longer dry periods, invasive species, and predators are challenges being navigated by manoomin stewards.
“Another thing that we're seeing a lot this year is herbivory concerns, particularly from geese and swans browsing the rice, and that can create kind of a lower overall rice crop production as the plants need to try to rebound from being browsed at early stages of development," says Hilding.
When announcing the expectations of this year's harvest, the Wisconsin DNR released a statement in a press release saying that although they may see a larger harvest this year, they should not expect the same kinds of harvests they may have seen in the past.
For Hilding, this was an important and necessary reminder.
“I think that disclaimer is kind of getting at the idea that even if a certain water body has a high abundance and high productivity of rice one year. That doesn't mean that we should say that that rice bed is fully healed, for example, and because it could, you know, it could be back down again over the coming years.” said Hilding.
This year, Wisconsin has 24 date-regulated lakes where ricing is permitted on designated days they are open. While this year we may be seeing larger harvests, manoomin stewards across the region are still working to ensure a future for this staple species
Maria Peralta-Arellano is a reporter covering water quality and the environment for WXPR and a Report for America corps member. Report for America recruits, places and supports talented journalists in local newsrooms across the United States. Make a tax-deductible donation to support her work and Report for America will match it dollar for dollar. Donate here.
