Wild rice harvest opens Sept. 4 on Upper Rice Lake

Upper Rice Lake in Clearwater County opens for wild rice harvest at 9 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 4.

“Harvesters must carefully check wild rice stands for ripeness prior to attempting harvest,” said Ray Norrgard, who oversees wild rice management for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

It is illegal to harvest wild rice that is not ripe.

Upper Rice Lake is one of nine popular wild rice harvesting waters that were closed until posted open.

Additional information about these waters and when wild rice harvest is allowed is available from the DNR Information Center at (651)296-6157.