Wisconsin portion of St. Louis River OK’d as federal estuary

Duluth News Tribune

Public lands along Wisconsin’s portion of the St. Louis River estuary will get special designation under a federal environmental program, Gov. Jim Doyle announced Wednesday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has approved the state’s nomination of the lower St. Louis River as a National Estuarine Research Center.

Estuaries, usually widenings in rivers where they meet a great lake or ocean, are considered critical ecological areas for fish and wildlife habitat, especially spawning fish. They often include wetlands, and in the case of Lake Superior, biologists say the St. Louis River estuary is among the most important shoreland habitats for the entire lake’s food chain.

“We are taking another step towards the long-term protection of our Great Lakes,” Doyle said Wednesday in a statement. The designation “will help the state, local governments, organizations and citizens better protect our Great Lakes and their natural and recreational resources.”

Supporters say the designation will help attract federally funded research efforts to the region and funds to promote public education on the importance the estuary plays in the Lake Superior ecosystem.

The federal designation also is expected to include the development of a research center on Lake Superior’s South Shore dedicated to making the area a regional leader in research and educational outreach related to freshwater estuaries.

The 35-year-old federal National Estuarine Research Reserve System has protected 27 sites, mostly on the Gulf and East coasts. Only one other — Old Woman Creek Research Reserve in Huron, Ohio, on the shore of Lake Erie — is in fresh water. more