River Connection Summary Report
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
From January 2023 to March 2023, the St. Louis River Alliance, in partnership with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, hosted six in-person neighborhood input events within the 18 communities adjacent to the St. Louis River. The goal of these events were to identify what activities community members wanted to experience on and near the river, in addition to any barriers that kept them from those activities.
Approximately 300 people attended the six events, in addition to online feedback received via a google form. We had a total of 180 people submit forms (both physical and online). From this information, the St. Louis River Alliance created a River Connection Summary Report, which is available HERE for viewing.
The feedback received will help guide the 16 engagement events the Alliance will host from 2023-2027 for the 18 Minnesota neighborhoods 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. These events are intended to connect river neighbors and community members to the river and to learn about the Area of Concern remediation and restoration work that has made the river cleaner.
Our first event, Beginner Paddling + Water Safety, was extremely successful (highlighted above) with an at capacity registration! Keep your eyes open for future events; the St. Louis River Alliance will be hosting a Beginner Birding Event September 26th and an Exploring Wild Foods & Mushroom Event on October 5th. We will share updates on our Facebook, Instagram, Website, and email newsletter.
Thank you to all of the participants who shared their feedback, and to our grant funders at the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) for making this work possible!
