August 2022: SLR Area of Concern Updates
AUGUST ST. LOUIS RIVER AREA OF CONCERN UPDATES
The St. Louis River (SLR) was designated as one of the 31 Areas of Concern (AOC) on the Great Lakes. It was designated as an AOC under the U.S. – Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in 1987 because of significant impacts that occurred before modern environmental laws were in place. Following the SLRAOC Remedial Action Plan, state and federal agencies have been implementing management actions to address the legacy impairments. If you look, you can now see the work in progress throughout the SLRAOC: contractors are busy each construction season, plant and animal populations are rebounding, water is cleaner, and lost habitat is being restored.
Here are some current project updates, continue reading for further details:
Interstate Island | Prairie Restorations is working this month to control invasive vegetation and plant dune grass and other dune-appropriate species
Lake Superior Pocket Gallery™ | Explore the new Lake Superior Pocket Gallery™ smartphone app and see if you can find the St. Louis River Area of Concern content.
Interstate Island
Current Update
Now that it’s been expanded, the plant habitat on Interstate Island is getting a boost. Prairie Restorations is working this month to control invasive vegetation and plant dune grass and other dune-appropriate species. (photo to left)
About the Interstate Island Project (from Minnesota Department of Natural Resources)
Formed in 1934 when the St. Louis River navigation channel was dredged, the Interstate Island Wildlife Management Area rests on the Minnesota-Wisconsin border and is co-managed by both states. The island is federally listed as critical habitat for piping plover and is a nest site for common tern.
As the St. Louis River estuary was developed into a shipping harbor, habitat needed to support Common Terns was lost. Ironically, material dredged to form the shipping channels was stockpiled to create Interstate Island, which became one of only two remaining Common Tern nesting sites in Lake Superior and is a designated state Wildlife Management Area. In recent years, the water level in Lake Superior has been rising causing inundation of the island, loss of nesting area, and more predation of terns by gulls. Common Terns are listed as Threatened in Minnesota and Endangered in Wisconsin. Restoring habitat for this important species is being done under the St. Louis River Area of Concern program to address legacy impacts to wildlife populations.
In 2015, MNDNR completed Phase 1 restoration to protect the Common Tern nesting area from rising waters. MNDNR worked in partnership with the Minnesota Land Trust, Wisconsin DNR, the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Natural Resources Research Institute, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to further restore, protect, and enhance this critical habitat. Phase 2 kicked off in spring of 2020, and was completed in spring of 2021. During Phase 2, we increased the island’s elevation to eliminate flooding and enhanced the Common Tern nesting area with rock, sand, cobbles, driftwood, and new fencing. Clean harbor dredge materials were placed to expand the island’s footprint, creating additional habitat for gulls and migratory shore birds. Lastly, we created a long-term management plan to maintain the island as suitable Common Tern nesting habitat into the future. Though the project is considered substantially complete, plantings of native dune vegetation may occur in 2021 and 2022.
Lake Superior Pocket Gallery™
Folks at Hamline University’s Center for Global Environmental Education have developed a North Shore Multimedia Gallery™ that includes information about the St. Louis River Area of Concern program.
You can explore the new Lake Superior Pocket Gallery smartphone app (download here) or view the kiosks at Thomson Hill Visitors Center, the USACE Maritime Visitors Center, and in Fitgers hotel lobby.
Revitalization Video Series
Many Great Lakes communities have carried the burden of legacy pollution for decades. But as local waterways are cleaned up, they now have an opportunity for a new lease on life. A new video series features five cities along waterways deemed Areas of Concern (AOCs) that are in various stages of the cleanup process and are experiencing revitalization. Staff from Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant developed these videos and the St. Louis River Area of Concern video focused on the resurgence of tourism in Duluth. Links to all five videos are contained below. Area of Concern cities highlighted in the series are Duluth, Minnesota, Muskegon, Michigan, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Ashtabula, Ohio, and Buffalo, New York.
Read more: https://iiseagrant.org/new-video-series-highlights-five-revitalized-great-lakes-areas-of-concern/
Video playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9g5HBosOKtqCd8HfFqFht3RDCnnOgR7u
