All About Sturgeon: 2026 FOLSR Annual Meeting Recap

Lake Superior Reserve’s Hannah Nicklay talks to FOLSR Annual Meeting attendees about the Reserve’s water quality monitoring program. (photo credit: Will Mowchan)

Celebrating the Friends of the Lake Superior Reserve and learning about lake sturgeon were the main themes of this year's FOLSR Annual Meeting. Over fifty FOLSR members, volunteers, community members, Lake Superior Reserve staff, and members of the FOLSR board of directors gathered together on Tuesday, Feb. 10 at the Lake Superior Estuarium. Attendees were updated on FOLSR successes in the last year, interacted with Reserve staff programs, and learned about one of the Great Lakes prehistoric species, lake sturgeon.

Attendees began the annual meeting with a social hour while interacting with Reserve staff and special guests. Reserve staff shared about their research and programs, while special guest Anne Moser from Wisconsin Sea Grant provided resources, information, and activities about lake sturgeon in Wisconsin. During the membership meeting, FOLSR board chair Sharon Moen provided the FOLSR annual update, facilitated the election of new and returning board members, and made announcements about what 2026 will bring for the organization.

FOLSR’s new board members are Meghan Klasic, Matt Starry, and Katie Williams. We are very grateful for their new ideas and perspectives as we continue into 2026. We also said goodbye to board members Mike Koutnik (founding board member, past board chair), Jim Anklam (past board chair), Rita Farchmin (secretary), and Jim Haasis (board member, volunteer Estuarium docent) who have ended their board service or will be soon. We greatly appreciate everything they have done to make FOLSR better and propel the organization into the future.

Anne Moser (WI Sea Grant) talks to FOLSR members about sturgeon in Wisconsin. (photo credit: Will Mowchan)

The finale of the evening was a keynote panel on lake sturgeon. Among the panelists were Rebecca Hogue Wojahn (author of Saving Our Sturgeon: Protecting Wisconsin's Ancient Fish), Jay Walker (Great Lake Aquarium), and Dan Wilfond (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources). The panel was moderated by Tom Hollenhorst, a FOLSR board member. 

Panelists talked about the cultural and ecological importance of sturgeon, which thrived in the Great Lakes region for thousands of years. Populations were drastically reduced in the late 1800s and early 1900s due to overfishing, both as a resource and their perception as a nuisance species. Now, various governments, agencies, and environmental organizations are working to restore populations of lake sturgeon to places where they once thrived, including in the St. Louis River estuary. You can also read about efforts to restore sturgeon populations across Wisconsin in Saving Our Sturgeon: Protecting Wisconsin’s Ancient Fish.

To learn more about the book Saving Our Sturgeon, visit the Wisconsin Historical Society’s website linked here. Additionally, the Great Lakes Aquarium along with partner organizations will soon begin rearing sturgeon for release into the St. Louis River estuary. To learn more about the project, visit the aquarium’s website here.

Thank you to all of our panelists and special guests for attending the FOLSR Annual Meeting and sharing their knowledge with the audience. Thank you also to Earth Rider Brewery in Superior, WI, who generously donated beverages for the social hour.

Want to become more involved with the Friends of the Lake Superior Reserve? Consider becoming a member! Memberships can be purchased at folsr.org/joinrenew.

Article by Callie Grones

Cover photo: Panelists at the FOLSR Annual Meeting discuss lake sturgeon. (credit: Will Mowchan)