What’s New at the Reserve? Winter 2025

Winter weather doesn't stop the Lake Superior Reserve from taking care of a frozen estuary! From hosting River Talks, to planning the 15th Annual St. Louis River Summit, researching algal blooms in the estuary, and leading school groups on field trips, just to name a few, staff are working incredibly hard this winter season!

How is the Lake Superior Reserve funded?

With headlines in the news about federal funding, you may be curious about how the Reserve is operated. Over 70% of the Reserve's operational budget comes from Congressional appropriations determined each year when a federal budget is passed.  Those funds are distributed by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, divided equally between each of the 30 reserves across the country.  The remaining funds that fuel the Reserve, covering primarily staff salaries, come from the UW-Madison Division of Extension's Natural Resources Institute.  Staff at the Reserve are UW-Madison employees.  The NERRS are awaiting a federal budget to better understand what our funding will look like in the year ahead.

River Talks

photo: Superior pine forests (credit: Lake Superior Reserve)

The River Talks series is a great way to learn about the St. Louis River Estuary when the weather gets cold! The River Talks cover a handful of topics surrounding the St. Louis River Estuary and are free for community members to attend. 

The last River Talk, “Returning Good Fire to Superior Forests,”  is on February 12, 2025 at 6:30 pm at the Lake Superior Estuarium (3 Marina Drive, Superior, WI). The description from the Lake Superior Reserve is below:

In response to research that illuminated the role of ishkode (fire in the Ojibwe language) in shaping the impressive pine forests at Wisconsin and Minnesota Point, the City of Superior and Fond du Lac Band are working together to reignite cultural fire practices while protecting public safety and restoring species that thrive after fire. City of Superior and Fond du Lac staff will share the process and purpose of bringing good fire back to Superior. The event will last an hour and will include time for comments and questions. Light refreshments will be provided.

photo credit: Lake Superior Reserve

St. Louis River Summit

The 15th annual St. Louis River Summit is taking place March 4-6, 2025 at UW-Superior’s Yellowjacket Union. The theme is An Estuary Mosaic: Understanding the Pieces, Appreciating the Whole. This topic will be explored through 26 thoughtful and enlightening talks, a poster and art session, a variety of networking sessions, and fun-filled field trips along the river! For more information and to register, please visit the St. Louis River Summit website: CLICK HERE

Can’t attend the Summit but want to contribute? The Friends of the Lake Superior Reserve collects donations and sponsorships for the summit. If you feel inspired to donate, please email Jim Anklam (past chair) and Mike Koutnik (vice-chair) at summit.sponsorship@folsr.org. Organizational sponsors may be eligible to receive a number of complementary registrations. Funds help the Friends and the Reserve to sustain this event attended by over 300 people each year.

Algal Bloom ID Training

Due to the effects of climate change on the estuary, more harmful algal blooms are occurring and being observed on the St. Louis River. These algal blooms are likely more frequent due to the warming temperatures of the river water for longer periods of time, and the Reserve is working to understand how and why they happen. To inform the public about algal blooms and help our reserve staff find ways to keep the estuary healthy, the Lake Superior Reserve research, stewardship, and coastal training staff are putting together an algal bloom ID training for local public health officials and water managers. This training will help the community be better equipped to identify these harmful blooms as we adapt to a changing climate.

This ID training will take place in the early summer, so more information will be available in the coming months. To learn more about how the Reserve is helping a changing estuary, visit the reserve’s website: CLICK HERE

gallery photos: algal blooms in the St. Louis River Estuary (credit: Addi Knoll), Anabaena flos-aquae, a type of cyanobacteria, under a microscope (credit: Janae Widiker), Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a type of green algae, under a microscope (credit: Janae Widiker)

Article by Callie Grones, edits by Deanna Erickson

Cover photo: Lake Superior Reserve staff members (credit: Deanna Erickson)