Beginner Paddling + Water Safety River Connection Event
Thank you to everyone who joined us at our Beginner Paddling + Water Safety Event this past Wednesday, July 24. We had a Perfect Duluth Day and couldn't have asked for better weather!
We want to give a big thank you to UMD Recreation Sports Outdoor Program (RSOP) for providing all of the gear and expertise, to our friends at Team River Runner Duluth for being additional safety boat volunteers, and to Barb Huberty with Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for sharing about the Area of Concern Projects that have helped clean-up this portion of the estuary and the improvements that have been made at Munger Landing.
During the event, we learned about cold water safety, how to properly fit a life jacket, the difference of various water vessels (canoes, sea kayaks, river kayaks, etc.), basic paddle strokes like the forward, draw, pry, and j-stroke, how to get in and out of the canoe, plus had some extra time to play a game and explore the St. Louis River Estuary National Water Trail.
We will be having two more River Connection events in 2024, so be sure to watch for our newsletters. If you want to get out on the water, UMD RSOP has rental gear. If transporting gear is a barrier, Spirit Lake Marina is one of the only access points on the river that has gear available for rent on site. Below are a few additional resources to help you start exploring the estuary.
Additional Resources:
Paddle Safe Twin Ports - Safety Information, Float Plans, Weather Conditions, Access Points
St. Louis River Estuary National Water Trail Map - digital versions
This event was made possible through generous funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and is apart of our River Connection series to help (re)connect the river neighborhoods and communities back to this incredible resource! Therefore, priority was given to those living in one of the 18 communities adjacent to the St Louis River including: Carlton/Thomson, Cloquet/Scanlon, Cody, Denfeld, Fairmont, Fond du Lac Reservation, Fond du Lac Neighborhood, Gary-New Duluth, Irving, Lincoln Park, Morgan Park, Norton Park, Oneota, Riverside, Smithville, and Spirit Valley.
