acknowledgmentS
Preparation of this Habitat Plan has involved many hours of work on the part of many talented people, all of whom are dedicated to better understanding and protecting the ecological diversity of the St. Louis River Area of Concern. The members of the St. Louis River Citizens Action Committee (CAC) extend their thanks to everyone who has contributed to this Plan. It is the cooperation and hard work of all these people that has made the Habitat Plan a reality.
Very special thanks go to Pat Collins, Lake Superior Habitat Coordinator with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Chair of the St. Louis River CAC Habitat Committee; Eric Epstein, Ecological Specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; CAC Executive Director Lynelle Hanson (current); Mary Harkness, Ecoregional Ecologist with The Nature Conservancy; Tony Kroska, Director of Community GIS Services; John Lindgren, Fisheries Biologist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; Technical Writer Nancy Nelson; CAC Executive Director Karen Plass (former); Dennis Pratt, Fisheries Biologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; and Carol Reschke, Plant Ecologist with the County Biological Survey of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Carol Reschke and Eric Epstein spent many hours carefully mapping the plant communities of the estuary in great detail. John Lindgren and Dennis Pratt combined the knowledge gained from their many years of sampling and fishing within the estuary to describe the aquatic habitats. The quality of the Habitat Plan was greatly enhanced by the expertise of these four scientists.
In addition to sharing his extensive knowledge of the habitats
of the
Karen Plass, CAC Executive Director from 1997-2000, secured the funding to create the Habitat Plan and coordinated the early stages of the planning effort. Lynelle Hanson, current CAC Executive Director, stepped in at a critical time and brought together the information and the people necessary to successfully complete the Plan.
Tony Kroska developed the GIS layers and produced the maps of the project area. Mary Harkness spent untold hours compiling and synthesizing information from many sources as well as writing and rewriting the bulk of the document. Nancy Nelson, in addition to writing portions of the document, acted as the chief wordsmith and copyeditor throughout the project.
Funding for the Lower St. Louis River Habitat Plan was provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Coastal Environmental Management Program, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Conservation Partners Program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and The Nature Conservancy of Minnesota. Liz LaPlante, Lake Superior Team Leader USEPA Region 5, served as the point of contact and provided valuable input for the project.
Please see Appendix 1 for a list of the many people who participated in the meetings and strategy sessions that were held to gather input for this Habitat Plan, and who patiently and carefully reviewed early drafts of the Plan.
Members of the St. Louis River CAC Habitat Committee
Pat Collins, Chair
Lake Superior Habitat Coordinator, MN Department of Natural Resources
Carl Richards, Vice Chair
Director, MN Sea Grant, University of Minnesota, Duluth
Lynelle Hanson
Director, St. Louis River CAC
Meredith Cornett
Conservation Ecologist, The Nature Conservancy
Tom Duffus
Program Manager, The Nature Conservancy
Eric Epstein
Ecological Specialist, WI Department of Natural Resources
Richard Gitar
Wetland Specialist, Fond du Lac Reservation
Mary Harkness
Ecological Services, The Nature Conservancy
John Lindgren
Fisheries Biologist, MN Department of Natural Resources
Howard McCormick
Fisheries Biologist (Retired), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
John Powers
Environmental Consultant, KPA Consulting
Dennis Pratt
Fisheries Biologist, WI Department of Natural Resources
Carol Reschke
Plant Ecologist, MN Department of Natural Resources
Rich Staffon
Wildlife Manager, MN Department of Natural Resources
Fred Strand
Wildlife Manager, WI Department of Natural Resources
Dave Warburton
Environmental Contaminants Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Other CAC Members Who Contributed to the Habitat Plan
Tom Fait
Environmental Consultant, Soil & Water Environmental Consulting
Jan Green
Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee
Jeff Gunderson
Minnesota Sea Grant, University of Minnesota, Duluth
Cindy Hagley
Minnesota Sea Grant, University of Minnesota, Duluth
Robert Hildebrand
Environmental Specialist, U.S. Coast Guard
Keith Hanson
Manager, Minnesota Power
Stephen Hopkins
Lake Superior Team Leader, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Doug Jensen
Exotic Species Specialist, Minnesota Sea Grant, University of Minnesota, Duluth
Dan Kellner
Invertebrate Specialist, MN Department of Natural Resources
Nancy Larson
Binational Program Coordinator, WI Department of Natural Resources
William Majewski
City Planner (Retired), City of Duluth
Martha Minchak
Wildlife Biologist, MN Department of Natural Resources
Dick Moore
Forester, Douglas County Forestry
Ted Smith
Lake Superior Basin Coordinator (Retired), WI Department of Natural Resources
John Spurrier
Fisheries Manager (Retired), MN Department of Natural Resources
Technical Assistance
Mary Harkness
Ecological Services, The Nature Conservancy
Nancy Nelson
Technical Writer, North Shore Technical Communications
Tony Kroska
Director, Community GIS Services
Heather Potter
Facilitator, The Nature Conservancy
Rob Sutter
Facilitator, The Nature Conservancy