Where the River

Meets the Lake

FOLSR Newsletter | Summer 2024

Hello Michael,

On June 21, FOLSR had a bit of polka going on outside of the Estuarium, thanks to Make Music Day in Superior, Wisconsin, and the feisty accordion/guitar duo known as Dance Attic. The peppy tunes and jokes helped ease the segue of spring into summer for about 25 people who stopped to enjoy at least a song or two.

There are many songs that could populate FOLSR's summer playlist. For instance, how about this one for Lake Superior Day (July 21):

On an island in the sun

We'll be playing and having fun

(from Island in the Sun, sung by Weezer)

Or this one, to accompany our birding events:

Well, I like

Birds

(from I Like Birds, sung by Eels)

You'll see in this newsletter, in addition to polka bands and birding events, FOLSR has been busy picking up trash and ensuring the Estuarium is open so that curious kids and adults can explore aspects of the St. Louis River Estuary. Please consider joining us in all or some of FOLSR's activities ... or supporting these activities by becoming a FOLSR member.

Your Friend,

Sharon

Sharon Moen, FOLSR Board Chair

Join

Renew

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Another Successful Wisconsin Point Beach Cleanup

The first Wisconsin Point cleanup of 2024 commenced on Saturday, May 25, as 15 volunteers banded together to better our local environment just before Memorial Day.

It was a beautiful, sunny (and windy) day out on the Point, and participants gathered a grand total of 106 lbs of trash! Most of this was drink bottles or cans, food wrappers, or plastic scraps, but we had a surprising amount of weird finds too.

In addition to improving the Point, participants got to compete for prizes for the most trash collected and the strangest item found. Honorable mentions include a flower-shaped sprinkler head, a large metal fan, a burned dollar bill, and a whole banana. How'd they get there? We have no idea!

Thank you to everyone who came out to the cleanup, and we hope to see you at the next one.

See Fox21 for a special report on the day and interviews with some participants.

Birding, and More Birding

On June 19, the Friends took a relaxing stroll on a newly finished trail - Makwa Ziibiins Miikana, or Bear Creek Trail. In defense of their territories, male songbirds are desperate to be heard this time of year so it's far easier to identify them by sound than by sight.

Those that participated in Birds with Friends heard the Ovenbird's emphatic "teacher, Teacher, TEACHER", the Veery's flutey "veer, veer, VEE", Common Yellowthroat's "witchety, witchety, witchety" and learned how to differentiate some warbler species based on habitat. Thanks to our awesome bird guides for taking us out and showing us the ropes!

FOLSR partnered with other organizations on the May 5 Everyone Can Bird! event in Chambers Grove Park. Notably, participants enjoyed watching a pod of American White Pelicans (also known in birding circles as a "brief, "squadron, or "scoop" of pelicans). There were also woodpeckers and many more birds to discover in this woodland-water habitat.

The Everyone Can Bird free and accessible birding series continues this summer. Join us on August 14 at Millennium Trail in the Superior Municipal Forest. Sign up on Eventbrite here to let us know you're interested and reserve a spot on the shuttle bus picking up participants from the Superior Public Library.

What's New at the Reserve?

As we enter the beautiful summer months here in the St. Louis River Estuary, Reserve staff have been hard at work on projects to improve habitat, conduct research, and connect people to the water in countless ways. The office has been fuller than ever before as summer staff join us to provide some extra helping hands.

In June, a crew from Wisconsin Conservation Corps along with Reserve staff were able to plant 7,500 tree seedlings in the St. Louis River Estuary’s ash wetlands over the course of two weeks. The crew dodged wind and storms, evaded ticks, and had fun while doing it.

Summer event series like River Walks and River Rovers are already underway, and as per usual, Reserve staff are going above and beyond in everything they do. Check out the full length article here for more tidbits and news reports about recent happenings!

Lake Superior Day 2024 and Spotted Knapweed Pull

Lake Superior Day 2024 is coming in hot, with all sorts of fun happening the weekend of July 20 and 21!

Spotted Knapweed Pull

Saturday, July 20, 9 - 11 am

Lot 1, Wiscsonin Point, Superior, Wis.

It's time to get rid of this invasive plant from the shores of gichi-gami. Register here. (Suggested but not required)

River Walk

Sunday, July 21, 9:30 - 11 am

Barkers Island Festival Park Bandshell, Superior, Wis.

A Walking Tour of Our Connections with Water: Waterway Benefits Survey Results with Molly Wick

Lake Superior Day Celebration

Sunday, July 21, 11 am - 3 pm

Barker's Island, Superior, Wis.

Join us for activities, games, raffles, and learning opportunities for all ages! The Estuarium will also be open.

Lake Superior Day is celebrated annually on third Sunday in July. It's a chance to highlight the special connections we have to the water and enjoy the community we share here on the greatest of the Great Lakes.

Estuarium summer hours now in effect!

Thanks to our awesome volunteers and summer staff, the Estuarium is ready for visitors every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 10am to 5pm until the fall!

Come enjoy the exhibits and take a stroll around Barker's Island, or even better, join us for a special FREE family friendly activity on the first Saturday of every month. You might learn how to nature journal, listen to a freshwater story or two, or explore the environment under a macro lens.

Come by this weekend, Saturday, July 6 at 2pm to see a featured family movie in the Estuarium - Ponyo (2008). This animated fantasy film follows the adventures of a magical fish girl from an ocean kingdom, Ponyo, who turns into a human and saves a town from an unnatural disaster!

Keep up-to-date on special events and First Saturday at the Estuarium activities on folsr.org/events.

One of Your Friends

Meet Jim Anklam!

Jim is a retired environmental scientist with over 35 years of experience working for natural resource agencies, consulting firms, and industry in northern Wisconsin and northeast Minnesota. Jim is a member of FOLSR's Board of Directors, a “trail adopter” responsible for maintaining a segment of the North Country trail system in Douglas County, and is active supporting youth groups. Jim and his wife Jane have lived on the St. Louis River estuary since 2003. Jim enjoys paddling, fishing, hiking, and skiing in the estuary.

Next time you see Jim, say "Hi, Friend!"

FOR YOUR CALENDAR

July - August 2024

July 6, 2:00 pm

First Saturday Activity - Movie Showing in the Estuarium

Lake Superior Estuarium

3 Marina Drive, Superior

July 20, 9:00 am

Spotted Knapweed Pull

Wisconsin Point Lot 1, Superior

July 21, 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Lake Superior Day