Bad Year for Wild Rice

ODANAH,WI – It has been a significantly bad year for wild rice. That’s what the bad river band says it’s dealing with on their reservation this year and tribal leaders say it’s having a big effect on their economy. Tribal leaders say some of those reasons are because of abnormal water conditions and non-native species growing in the area. Wild rice is very delicate and requires specific conditions in order to thrive. Those with the Bad River Reservation near Odanah say the conditions there haven’t been ideal lately. They’re partially blaming it on storms we’ve seen in the past months. Dylan Jennings, who is a tribal council member with the Bad River Tribe also says there have been several non-native plants.. such as purple loosestrife growing in the river taking up space for the rice to grow. Tribe leaders say they are working on conservation efforts to keep the area safe for the rice to grow. Tribe members say the poor conditions do affect the community’s economy.