MADISON, Wis. (WRN) — It will likely be another poor wild rice harvest in Wisconsin.
Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission wild rice coordinator Kathy Smith says a combination of events contributed to the low yield on Wisconsin lakes. Everything from storms to climate change, to too many swans eating the growing rice all add up to an 18% decrease in rice growing across northern Wisconsin.
There have been ongoing efforts by both the Department of Natural Resources and Great Lakes tribes to restore rice habitats over the past decade.
Wild rice, also called manoomin by the Ojibwe, is a native food source unique to the Upper Midwest.