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Great Lakes Conservation

 

St. Louis River

St. Louis River, Minnesota. © TNC

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Minnesota - The St. Louis Estuary

International shipping vessels frequent Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin—the Great Lakes’ largest harbor and international port. Amid this bustling traffic and commerce, examples of significant coastal wetlands, forests and aquatic habitats persist, providing habitat for a rich array of wildlife.

The port lies at the intersection of the St. Louis River, which drains northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin, and Lake Superior, the largest and deepest of the Great Lakes. The lower stretch of the river includes a 12,000-acre freshwater estuary, which serves as the primary nursery for the fish found in western Lake Superior. The estuary is home to more than 45 native fish species, including walleye, lake sturgeon, muskellunge, northern pike and smallmouth bass. It also is a migratory stopover and breeding area for songbirds, shorebirds, raptors and waterfowl.

In collaboration with partners, the Conservancy is working to preserve and restore the area’s unusual array of coastal wetlands, old growth forests, fisheries, critical mid-continent bird flyway and nesting grounds, streams, baymouth bars and sand dunes.