Wisconsin is in the middle of its first-ever Wild Rice Week, a statewide observance held during the first week of September that honors manoomin, or wild rice, a plant found across the Upper Midwest and parts of Canada that has served a vital role in Indigenous culture and spirituality for generations. The designation lands as the 2026 harvest season gets underway, with rice pickers expected on northern Wisconsin waters through September.
The week traces back to an executive order that Governor Tony Evers signed on Indigenous Peoples' Day in October 2025, establishing Wild Rice Week. The order directs state cabinet agencies to support tribal treaty rights and wild rice protection, formalizing a government-to-government approach to a plant that has anchored Ojibwe life in the region for centuries. A 24-member Wild Rice Stewardship Council is also listed in connection with the initiative, according to the Office of Governor Tony Evers.
Monday, August 31, Evers and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary Karen Hyun attended an event at the Bad River Reservation, the governor's office said. The gathering took place as Wisconsin began its first Wild Rice Week.
A Better Year on the Water, But a Long-Term Decline
According to Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on Facebook, wild rice was once abundant in northern Wisconsin, but its presence in state waters has declined significantly over the past several decades. That long arc of loss is visible in the numbers: wild rice beds in the Lac du Flambeau reservation area shrank from 225 acres in 1911 to less than 100 acres a century later, according to historical mapping cited by Wisconsin 101, with over-harvesting and water-level alterations both contributing to the loss.
Wild rice production has improved in 2026, while dry summer conditions have affected the season.
Treaty Rights Rooted in a 1983 Court Decision
Ojibwe tribes retained off-reservation hunting, fishing, and gathering rights on lands ceded in the 1837 and 1842 treaties, according to background compiled by the Milwaukee Public Museum. Those rights are part of the legal framework for wild rice harvesting in northern Wisconsin.
Wisconsin DNR estimates suggest between 300 and 1,000 non-tribal residents purchase wild rice harvesting licenses in a given year, operating alongside several hundred Ojibwe tribal harvesters, according to a 2023 report from the Mid-West Farm Report, though the outlet notes those numbers fluctuate year to year with crop yield and weather. Non-tribal state residents ages 18 to 64 must buy an annual $8.25 wild rice harvester license, while people under 18 and over 65 do not need one, with the proceeds going directly toward state wild rice restoration and habitat management.
Strict Rules Govern How and When Rice Can Be Picked
Harvesting isn't a free-for-all. Wisconsin regulations allow wild rice to be gathered only between 10 a.m. and sunset, using non-motorized boats no more than 17 feet long and 38 inches wide, along with smooth wooden ricing sticks no longer than 38 inches, according to the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission. Those limits are designed to prevent plant damage and protect the crop's ability to reseed itself.
The DNR's Facebook post marking the new observance discussed wild rice harvesting and avoiding damage to the plants.
Climate Change Looms Over the Plant's Future
Even with a decent 2026 season, the long-term outlook for manoomin remains uncertain. A Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission assessment examined wild rice's vulnerability to climate change in the Great Lakes region, citing erratic precipitation and warming winters as the core threats. The commission's research also points to severe storms, flooding, and unstable water levels as threats.
The executive order also calls for stronger consumer education. Whether that effort gains real traction in retail markets, and how effective the 24-member Wild Rice Stewardship Council proves as the program gets off the ground, remain open questions.
Wild rice's role in state parks reflects the plant's cultural and ecological significance. The 2026 harvesting season continues through September, giving both tribal and licensed non-tribal harvesters several more weeks on the water before the window closes.
