Climate Connections A sacred Minnesota food is in decline
Mar 9, 2026
Leanna Goose, a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe who harvests manoomin, shares how wild rice is woven into Anishinaabe life. She recalls once-vast rice beds now diminished. The conversation covers harvesting traditions, threats from invasive species and pollution, and efforts to pass protections and restrict harmful activities.
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Childhood Rice Beds So Abundant She Lost Her Parents
- Leanna Goose recounts canoeing into shallow bays each year to harvest wild rice, or manoomin, a central Anishinaabe practice.
- She remembers a childhood rice bed so abundant she lost sight of her parents, illustrating past abundance now diminished.
Wild Rice Shrinking With Changing Winters And Springs
- Wild rice beds around Leanna Goose's home are now less than half their former size due to multiple stressors, showing dramatic local decline.
- Researchers link sparser rice beds to winters with less ice and springs with more rain, connecting climate shifts to harvest loss.
Multiple Threats Converge On Manoomin
- Manoomin faces converging threats: invasive species, disease, development, pollution, and climate change, making recovery complex.
- This combination means protections must address multiple pathways, not a single cause, to be effective.