August River Revival: Cattail Weaving and Discussion recap

What a great evening for another River Revival event at the Superior Public Library. Thank you so much to the 29 attendees who spent their evening on Thursday, August 20 with us learning all about cattails and their role in local wetlands, like Allouez Bay.

Thank you also to the thoughtful, informative presenters. To begin the program, Matt Steiger, Area of Concern (AOC) Coordinator from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), talked about the DNR-led project with Audubon Great Lakes in Allouez Bay to restore hemi-marsh (mix of vegetation and open water) habitat for marsh birds.

Then, Kelly Beaster (plant ecologist with Tsuga Environmental Consulting) gave a presentation on cattails in the estuary, identifying features of the native Broadleaf Cattail (Typha latifolia), non-native Narrowleaf Cattail (Typha angustifolia), as well as the hybrid of both. She talked about how wetlands in Allouez Bay are changing, how non-local cattails can produce large, thick mats that crowd out native vegetation, and what is being done in Allouez Bay to restore and manage this wetland ecosystem.

The night concluded with a cattail weaving activity led by Katie Schmitz, a local hobbyist, where participants could learn the basics of making a cattail mat. She also talked about how humans and wildlife alike have used cattails throughout history.

Interested in attending a River Revival event like this one? This event series concludes for the season on September 17th from 5-7pm on Wisconsin Point. The theme of the event is about Ishkode (Ojibwemowin: fire) and its role in the Point’s past, present, and future. You can learn more about this event by visiting the SLRA website linked here. We hope to see you there!

cover photo: Attendees of the August River Revival event weave cattails with presenter Katie Schmitz (credit: Callie Grones)

gallery photo credit: Karen Sunderman & Callie Grones