REYNOLDS, THANKS VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.
>> EXPERTS SAY SUMMERS IN
WISCONSIN HAVE GOTTEN ABOUT TWO
DEGREES WEST O WARMER SINCE 196H
HAS WREAKED HAVOC ON WILDLIFE,
BUT HOTTER SUMMERS AREN'T THE
ONLY REASON WHY WILD RICE IS
FACING CHALLENGES.
"HERE & NOW" ROTOR, NATHAN REPON
DENZIN, HAS THIS STORY.
>> HOPEFULLY IN MY LIFETIME I'LL
SEE IT COME BACK.
MY GRANDCHILDREN, MY CHILDREN,
THEY'LL HAVE THAT.
>> Reporter: AS SUMMER DRIFTS
INTO FALL AND THE LEAVES CHANGE,
NATIVE PEOPLE IN NORTHERN
WISCONSIN HAVE ONE THING ON
THEIR MIND: WILD RULES.
BUT DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND
OTHER HUMAN CAUSES, WILD RICE IS
BECOMING LESS APUN.
>> WE USED TO HAVE CLOSE TO 75
BODIES OF WATER WITH WILD RICE
ON IT.
NOW WE ONLY HAVE TWO RIVERS.
>> WILD RICE, OR MANOOMIN IN
OJIBWE, GROWS IN SHALLOW STREAMS
AND LAKES ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES
REGION.
MANOOMIN IS EXTREMELY
NUTRITIOUS, DELICIOUS, AND
FUNDAMENTAL TO HOW NATIVE PEOPLE
IN THIS AREA LIVE.
>> THIS IS A MAP FROM 1911.
>> Reporter: RECORDS SHOW OVER
225 ACRES OF WILD RICE IN THE
Lac du FLAMBEAU AREA.
BUT TODAY, THAT NUMBER IS CLOSER
TO 100.
JOE GRAVEEN IS THE WILD RICE
TECHNICIAN FOR THE Lac du
FLAMBEAU TRIBE.
HE SAYS MANOOMIN IS THE REASON
NATIVE PEOPLE MIGRATED T TO THE
REGION.
>> PROPHECIES TOLD US TO GO TO
WHERE THE FOOD GROWS IN THE
WATER, WHICH IS WILD RICE,
MANOOMIN.
>> THAT WAS OVER 2,500 YEARS
AGO, AND NATIVE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
HARVESTING WILD RICE EVER SINCE.
BEFORE RICERS CAN ROAST AND
THRASH THE SEED, ENVIRONMENTAL
FACTORS HAVE TO BE RIGHT FOR THE
SEED TO GROW.
>> IT NEEDS HARSH WINTERS WILL
ICE.
>> Ph.D. STUDENT AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA WORKS
WITH GRAVEEN AND THE TRIBE TO
STUDY WILD RICE AND WHY IT MIGHT
BE DISAPPEARING.
SHE SAYS THAT WINTER IS WHEN MAN
ANYONE FACES ITS -- MANOOMIN
FACES ITS FIRST.
>> WILD RICE NEEDS A
LONG-LASTING FREEZE THAT TURNS
OVER NUTRIENTS ON THE ICE BED.
SHORTER WINTERS MEANS THAT
DOESN'T HAPPEN AS MUCH.
AFTER WINTER, WILD RICE NEEDS
SHALLOW WATER TO GERMINATE.
HOWEVER, DAMS, CULVERTS AND
OTHER INTERVENTIONS OVER THE
LAST TWO CENTURIES HAVE RAISED
WATER LEVELS TOO HIGH FOR THE
PLANT TO GROW.
>> I HAVE DOCUMENTS THAT SHOWS
WHERE THE UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT BROUGHT IN HUNDREDS
AND HUNDREDS OF ACRES OF WILD
RICE.
NOT EVEN 12 MILES FROM HERE.
>> Reporter: BY AUGUST OR
SEPTEMBER, IF THE RICE WAS ABLE
TO SURVIVE, IT'S READY TO BE
HARVESTED.
THAT'S WHEN PEOPLE, LIKE GREG
BISKAKONE JOHNSON AND HIS
PARTNER, ALEXANDRIA SULAINIS GO
OUT.
>> BEING OJIBWE, YOU SHOULD
EITHER USE IT, EAT IT, HARVEST
IT, OR SHARE IT.
>> WHEN IT'S TIME TO HARVEST
MANOOMIN, EVERYTHING STOPS AND
WE GO OUT RACING.
>> CULTURALLY EDUCATOR HAS BEEN
RACING FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE.
SULAINIS IS THE OWNER OF A
DESIGN COLLECTIVE AND ORIGINALLY
FROM A TRIBE IN MICHIGAN WHERE
RICE BEDS HAVE ALL BUT
DISAPPEARED.
HE PUSHES THE PAIR THROUGH
DELICATE RICE BEDS WITH A LARGE
POLE, CAREFUL NOT TO
ACCIDENTALLY DESTROY ANY STALKS.
MAMANOOMIN NEEDS A VERY PARTICUR
ENVIRONMENT TO THRIVE.
WAKES FROM BOATS CAN HURT THE
RICE.
IT RIBBON LARGE ENOUGH TO STOP
THE RICE FROM GROWING IN THE
FIRST PLACE.
>> THAT MEANS LESS FOOD FOR ME
AND MY FAMILY, MY TRIBE.
>> IT'S A SHAME TO SEE THINGS IN
SUCH DECLINE FOR SUCH SELFISH
REASONS.
>> AND THE PLANT FACES DOZENS OF
OTHER THREATS, INCLUDING
INVASIVE SPECIES, WATER
COLLUSION AND SEVERE STORMS.
>> BECAUSE IT'S IMPACTED BY SO
MANY DIFFERENT FACTORS, IT CAN
SHOW US WHAT'S HAPPENING AND BE
A SIGNPOST OF OUR ENVIRONMENT.
>> WHEN YOU MESS WITH THE
NATURAL WAY OF THINGS, THERE'S
ALWAYS GOING TO BE CONSEQUENCES
THAT YOU CAN'T PREDICT.
>> IT'S ONLY GOING TO
PROGRESSIVELY GET WORSE AND
WORSE, AND SO OUR CHILDREN AND
OUR GRANDCHILDREN ARE GOING TO
INHERIT OUR MESS, OUR MESS THAT
WE MADE HERE.
>> GRAVEEN SAYS THAT FOR THE
LAST FEW YEARS, HE HAS BEEN
WORKING WITH THE WISCONSIN DNR
AND THE FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE
TO SECURE PROTECTIONS FOR
MANOOMIN, WHICH WOULD AT LEAST
INSULATE IT FROM BOATS AND DAMS.
>> YOU CAN'T JUST SIT BACK AND
SAY NOTHING, THAT'S HOW
IMPORTANT IT IS.
>> Reporter: UNTIL MEANINGFUL
CLIMATE ACTION OR OTHER
INTERVENTIONS ARE MUTT IN PLACE,
MANOOMIN IS LIKELY TO CONTINUE
ITS KLEIN.
>> WE HAVE TO TELL OUR CHILDREN,
THAT'S NOT HOW IT SHOULD BE IN
THE FUTURE.
YOU GUYS DESERVE BETTER.
>> Reporter: REPORTING FOR