St. Louis River Summit 2023

The Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve’s 13th annual St. Louis River Summit runs March 8-10. The event kicks off with a half-day online program on March 8 and moves into two full days of in-person sessions March 9 and 10.

The summit is a place where people meet and mix discussing a diversity of solutions and strategies for a healthy St. Louis River watershed. The theme for 2023 is “River Reciprocity,” which celebrates the mutual dependence between the river and local communities. The goal of the summit is to bring together people who care about and work on the St. Louis River and to encourage coordination of activities and funding proposals.

Michael Waasegiizhig Price, traditional ecological knowledge specialist with the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, is the keynote speaker. His role involves integrating Anishinaabe language and cultural perspectives into research methods and resource management to make science more culturally relevant.

Annie Dugan, independent curator and art history instructor at UW-Superior and the College of St. Scholastica will moderate the panel “Ways of Seeing: How Artists Relate to the River.” This panel will feature artists who offer diverse perspectives on the connection between art and the waters of the region.

In-person events include informational presentations, a poster and art session, an evening River Talk on Wednesday, and field trips. The poster and art session takes place at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 9, in the UW-Superior Yellowjacket Union. It will feature light refreshments and live music by Cory Coffman, who blends a bohemian-punk ethos with an indie folk sound.

The River Talk, entitled “History of the Upper Estuary and Fond du Lac Neighborhood: River History and Winter Stories,” will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8, in the Lake Superior Estuarium Confluence Room (3 Marina Drive, Barker’s Island in Superior). It will feature Christine Carlson, historian, and Mark McConnell, an Elder with the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. It will be in-person only, held indoors at the Estuarium. Light refreshments will be provided. Summit registration is not required to attend and the public is welcome.

During the morning of March 8, small-group, socially distanced field trips will be held. Options include exploring science at the Montreal Pier in Superior, visiting the Wisconsin Point Bird Sanctuary and enjoying winter with snow snakes — a traditional Ojibwe winter game.

• General Admission $60. Attend all three days of the Summit (virtual and in-person).
• Virtual Session Admission $25. Attend the virtual half-day program on Mar. 8. Free field trip registration is also available for Virtual Session admission.
• Students of any grade level or status may attend all three days of the Summit program at no charge.

A full schedule of events and registration can be found at lakesuperiornerr.org.