From Area of Concern to Area of Celebration: MPCA Vista Star tour

Photos courtesy of Josh Kowaleski (Pointed North Photography)

A Vista Star tour through the Duluth-Superior Harbor on Tuesday, September 1 was more than a fun boat ride - it was a chance to celebrate just how far the St. Louis River has come.

Hosted by the St. Louis River Alliance in partnership with St. Louis River Area of Concern representatives from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the cruise welcomed 194 attendees aboard the Vista Star for a free evening on the water. Along the way, participants learned about cleanup projects completed or underway throughout the St. Louis River.

These projects are part of a larger decades-long effort to restore and eventually delist the St. Louis River Area of Concern (AOC), a process facilitated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Areas of Concern are places around the Great Lakes that have experienced significant degradation and require extensive cleanup and restoration.

Since the St. Louis River’s designation as one of 31 sites in the U.S. under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, partners in Wisconsin and Minnesota have been working together to clean up contaminated sites, restore habitat, and improve the health of the estuary.. The St. Louis River AOC is only a few years away from delistment as most of the management actions have been completed. The hard work, planning, and collaboration between many organizations, agencies, and community members to clean up the St. Louis River is cause for celebration.

Aboard the Vista Star, three of the AOC Coordinators shared stories about several projects that have been completed or are in process in the harbor, giving attendees a chance to see some of this work firsthand. Stops highlighted the cleanup of several slips (water in between the docks) in both Duluth and Superior. Other projects discussed include Interstate Island, where habitat has been improved for nesting common terns;, Barker’s Island Beach and Pickle Pond, where restoration has improved habitat and opportunities for recreation.

Kris Eilers, St. Louis River Alliance Executive Director, also shared about the project using dredge material to construct shoreline habitat for the critically endangered Piping Plover, which was completed in 2020 along the Allouez Bay side of Wisconsin Point. This summer, for the first time in 49 years, a pair of Piping Plovers were found nesting on the shorelines of Wisconsin Point (more information linked here). This is a huge milestone for the Alliance and all partners working in the Area of Concern.

This event was made possible through funding from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and event coordination from the St. Louis River Alliance. You can learn more about the St. Louis River Alliance’s involvement with the Area of Concern by visiting our website page: https://www.stlouisriver.org/area-of-concern