The heavy rains and flooding that affected much of Minnesota last spring and summer may seem a lifetime ago. But it’s a weather pattern we are expected to see more of as the state becomes warmer and wetter. These conditions are also hard on wild rice, which needs shallow water, especially early in the growing season.

One way people who are concerned about the future of the plant are working to protect it is through the law. A campaign launching this year asks the state of Minnesota to recognize legal rights for wild rice, as the White Earth Band of Ojibwe and the 1855 Treaty Authority have done.

Leanna Goose is an organizer with the Rise and Repair Alliance, a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and a researcher who is working to reseed wild rice on Leech Lake. She is speaking in a panel discussion Sunday at the Great Northern Festival’s Climate Solutions Series, moderated by MPR News senior reporter Melissa Olson.

Leanna Goose joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the campaign.