A sacred Minnesota food is in decline

Summary

Episode Overview

Episode Title: A sacred Minnesota food is in decline
Podcast: Climate Connections
Host: Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz
Date: March 9, 2026

This episode explores how climate change is endangering wild rice (manoomin) in Minnesota—a crop deeply sacred to the Anishinaabe people. Through the voice of Leanna Goose from the Leech Lake band of Ojibwe, the episode highlights the cultural, ecological, and legislative challenges facing this traditional food source.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Cultural Significance of Wild Rice

• Generational Tradition: Leanna Goose describes the annual harvesting of wild rice by canoe as a foundational part of Anishinaabe identity.
  • Quote (Leanna Goose, 00:18): "It's something that we have been doing for generations, and it's really central to who we are as Anishinaabe here in Minnesota."
• Childhood Memories: Goose reminisces about the abundance of the rice beds in her youth, highlighting the stark contrast with today.
  • Quote (Leanna Goose, 00:33): "I remember that rice bed being so abundant and expensive that, like, I lost my parents on it, like, you couldn't even see across it."

Decline of Manoomin (Wild Rice)

• Shrinking Rice Beds: Once-vast beds are now less than half their original size, illustrating rapid environmental decline.
  • Fact (Dr. Leiserowitz, 00:43): "Now, she says, it's less than half the size it once was."
• Multiple Threats Identified: The episode points to invasive species, disease, development, and especially climate change as key threats to wild rice.
  • Climate research links sparser rice beds with less winter ice and increased spring rainfall.

Regional Impact

• Beyond Minnesota: The loss of manoomin is not an isolated issue but affects the broader region's indigenous communities.
  • Quote (Leanna Goose, 00:59): "We're seeing loss of manoomin, or wild rice, not only here in Minnesota, but across the region."

Advocacy and Protection Efforts

• Legislative Action: Goose and others are advocating for laws that recognize the cultural significance of wild rice and protect its habitat through stricter regulation of boating and water pollution.
  • Fact (Dr. Leiserowitz, 01:06): "She and others are pushing for legislation that recognizes manoomin's cultural significance and puts stricter regulations on boating and water pollution in areas where they harm wild rice to help protect this sacred food."

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Leanna Goose on Tradition:
  "It's something that we have been doing for generations, and it's really central to who we are as Anishinaabe here in Minnesota." (00:18)
• Recollections of Abundance:
  "I remember that rice bed being so abundant and expensive that, like, I lost my parents on it, like, you couldn't even see across it." (00:33)
• On Regional Decline:
  "We're seeing loss of manoomin, or wild rice, not only here in Minnesota, but across the region." (00:59)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:01 – Introduction to Leanna Goose and the annual wild rice harvest
• 00:18 – Goose describes the cultural significance of wild rice
• 00:27–00:43 – Personal memories contrasting past and present abundance
• 00:43–00:59 – Discussion of threats: shrinkage of rice beds, climate change, invasive species
• 00:59 – Regional scope of the problem
• 01:06 – Advocacy for legislative protection and stricter regulations

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Episode Tone and Closing

The tone is attentive and respectful, blending personal storytelling with factual reporting. Through Leanna Goose’s voice, listeners feel both the emotional and cultural gravity of environmental loss, paired with a note of hope in the ongoing advocacy efforts.

Transcript

[A]

I'm Dr. Anthony Lisewitz, and this is Climate Connections. Every year, Leanna Goose canoes into the shallow bays near her Minnesota home to harvest wild rice, or manoomin, as the region's indigenous Anishinaabe people call it.

[B]

It's something that we have been doing for generations, and it's really central to who we are as Anishinaabe here in Minnesota.

[A]

Goose is a member of the Leech Lake band of Ojibwe. She recalls the rice bed where her parents took her as a child.

[B]

I remember that rice bed being so abundant and expensive that, like, I lost my parents on it, like, you couldn't even see across it.

[A]

Now, she says, it's less than half the size it once was. Manoomin is threatened by invasive species, disease development, and climate change. Research shows that rice beds tend to be sparser in years with less winter ice and more spring rain.

[B]

We're seeing loss of manoomin, or wild rice, not only here in Minnesota, but across the region.

[A]

So she and others are pushing for legislation that recognizes manoomin's cultural significance and puts stricter regulations on boating and water pollution in areas where they harm wild rice to help protect this sacred food. Climate Connections is produced by the Yale center for Environmental Communication. To learn more about climate change, visit climateconnections.org.