Winter Fun at the Lake Superior Ice Festival

A frozen estuary provided a great gathering space for Twin Ports community members for the 9th Annual Lake Superior Ice Festival, hosted by the City of Superior on Barker’s Island! Ice conditions were perfect due to the “arctic blast” earlier in the week, and attendees were able to participate in numerous activities, including riding the ice carousel, watching ice races, ice skating, and looking for phytoplankton with the Lake Superior Reserve!

That’s right! Among the many wonderful activities of the ice festival, the Lake Superior Reserve gave community members the opportunity to experience the work of the reserve in real time. Staff took participants out onto the ice to collect their own water samples after drilling through the ice with an auger. There were also microscopes set up inside the Estuarium for people to look for microscopic life within the water sample. Additionally, the Friends of the Lake Superior Reserve welcomed attendees to the Estuarium to warm up and learn about the St. Louis River Estuary.

In total, 672 people visited the Estuarium on the Saturday of the Ice Festival. We really enjoyed meeting community members and teaching people about the life of the estuary, both seen and unseen. To learn more about the work of the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve: CLICK HERE

Article by Callie Grones

Photo gallery credit: Luciana Ranelli & Callie Grones

Cover photo credit: Callie Grones