The Office of the Governor of the State of Wisconsin
09/01/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/01/2026 14:39
ICYMI: Gov. Evers Joins Wild Rice Stewardship Council to Celebrate First-Ever “Wild Rice Week” in Wisconsin
Press Release: ICYMI: Gov. Evers Joins Wild Rice Stewardship Council to Celebrate First-Ever "Wild Rice Week" in Wisconsin
State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 09/01/2026 07:00 AM CDT| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 1, 2026 |
| Contact: [email protected] |
| ICYMI: Gov. Evers Joins Wild Rice Stewardship Council to Celebrate First-Ever "Wild Rice Week" in Wisconsin |
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BAD RIVER RESERVATION - Gov. Tony Evers, together with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Secretary Karen Hyun and Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa Chairwoman Liz Arbuckle, yesterday joined members of the Wild Rice Stewardship Council and stewardship advocates on the Bad River Reservation to celebrate Wisconsin's first-ever "Wild Rice Week" to raise awareness of and appreciation for the value of wild rice in the state. Wild Rice Week was established by Executive Order #277, which was signed by Gov. Evers last year as part of the Evers Administration's Indigenous Peoples' Day celebrations to build upon previous efforts of the Administration to reaffirm the state's commitment to respecting Tribal sovereignty and fostering strong government-to-government relationships by bolstering the education and awareness of Tribal Treaty Rights and sovereignty and promoting stewardship to protect cultural wild rice resources. "Wild rice is a critical part of food security and culture for many Native Nations, and preserving and celebrating the long-established practice of wild rice stewardship in our state is essential to strengthening our government-to-government relationships and our efforts to protect our natural resources," said Gov. Evers. "My administration and I are committed to ensuring the state is a strong partner in supporting and respecting Tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, cultural practices, and food resources. This week, and every week, we recognize the importance of this resource as well as the hard work of our Tribal partners, advocates, and those who have been hunting and gathering from these lands and waters for centuries to protect wild rice in Wisconsin and ensure its presence for future generations." "Wild rice is an important natural resource in Wisconsin, supporting healthy wetlands as a food source and habitat for wildlife and serving a vital role in the culture, identity and spirituality for many Tribal Nations in Wisconsin," said DNR Secretary Hyun. "Protecting wild rice benefits both the health of our waters and the strong traditions tied to it." |
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Gov. Evers tours wild rice with Tribal leader in Kakagon Sloughs, poses for a photo with Tribal leaders. |
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Wild rice, or manoomin, is a culturally significant crop and important food source to the Native Nations of Wisconsin, serving as a central feature in Tribal agricultural practices, as well as community and culturally based traditions. However, habitat requirements for wild rice are fairly specific, and changing ecological conditions are putting Tribes' ability to grow, cultivate, and harvest the crop on ceded Tribal lands and waters at risk. Executive Order #277 advances on a number of issues around Tribal Treaty Rights and stewardship, including preserving cultural resources and languages and ensuring sustainable food production like wild rice. Executive Order #277 also built on the LCO v. Voigt decision, made by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in 1983, which upheld the rights of the Ojibwe Nations of Wisconsin to hunt, fish, and gather in the ceded territory. Preserving Native Nations' long-established practice of wild rice stewardship in these fixed territories is critical to honoring this agreement. ADDITIONAL EVERS ADMINISTRATION EFFORTS TO HELP PRESERVE NATIVE TRADITIONS, HERITAGE, AND LANGUAGE STATEWIDE Wisconsin is home to 11 federally recognized Tribes, including the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Forest County Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk Nation, Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, Oneida Nation, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Sokaogon Chippewa Community, Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin, Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians. In 2019, Gov. Evers signed Executive Order #50 to annually designate the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples' Day, and Oct. 12, 2026, marks the eighth consecutive year that the state of Wisconsin will formally celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day. In addition to recognizing the annual observance of Indigenous Peoples' Day in Wisconsin, in 2021, Gov. Evers signed Executive Order #136, issuing a formal acknowledgment and apology for Wisconsin's historical role in Indian boarding schools. The Evers Administration, through the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), has also worked to support Tribal Sovereignty and Indigenous language and cultural preservation through WisDOT's Dual-Language Sign Program, which launched in 2021 to collaborate with Native Nations in Wisconsin to install road signs on Tribal lands in both English and Indigenous languages. In June, the Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians became the 11th and final federally recognized Tribe in Wisconsin to install dual-language signs under the Evers Administration initiative. Last year, Gov. Evers also signed the 2025-27 Biennial Budget, in which he used his broad constitutional veto authority to ensure that all 11 federally recognized Tribes will receive $1 million each year for the next two years to help support Tribal programs and language revitalization efforts. |
| An online version of this release is available here. |
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| Office of the Governor • 115 East Capitol, Madison, WI 53702 | |
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The Office of the Governor of the State of Wisconsin published this content on September 01, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 01, 2026 at 20:39 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]