The sixteenth annual St. Louis River-River Watch Congress will be held at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 15, 2018. The River Watch Congress is a forum for people to share information, celebrate accomplishments, and learn more about the St. Louis River. Over 150 students from area schools, teachers, environmental professionals, and other interested people will participate in the event on the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College campus.
This year the River Watch Congress is partnering with the regional City Nature Challenge to get students and teachers out to record the animals and plants that they see in their school yard or backyard during April. In a morning session at the River Watch Congress, Wolf Ridge Naturalist Joe Walewski will teach a session on how to use iNaturalist for observations and science. The afternoon schedule of activities includes hands-on demonstrations and presentations by local professionals.
Representatives from the Minnesota Sea Grant, Boulder Lake Environmental Learning Center, Swiftwater Adventures, Lake Superior Estuarine Research Reserve, Thirteen Moons, and Fond du Lac Resources Management will join local environmental educators in presenting information related to the habitat, water quality, and fauna of the St. Louis River watershed region.
The focus of this year’s River Watch Congress is “What is Around Us” and will stress the importance of observing natural surroundings, and what citizens can do to be good stewards of northeastern Minnesota’s natural resources.
The event is open to the public and admission to the presentations and exhibits is free. For more information, contact Courtney Kowalczak, River Watch Director, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, 218-879-0862.