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