St. Louis River Discovery Days Celebrate Mayor’s
Vision for West Duluth
[Duluth, MN] - Three days of fun and experiential education activities will celebrate the St. Louis River as a recreational destination and watershed restoration success story with a broad range of statewide partners led by Mayor Don Ness.
St. Louis River Discovery Days starts September 25 and will culminate with a public event on Saturday, September 27, 2014 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at one of Duluth's hidden treasures, Chambers Grove Park in the Fond du Lac neighborhood. Free and open to the public, the Saturday event will include paddling in Wilderness Inquiry’s large voyageur canoes and interactive activity stations showcasing the St. Louis River watershed and 30 years of water quality improvements that have restored important species and habitat.
On Thursday and Friday, Wilderness Inquiry’s Canoemobile will engage Duluth students for two days of paddling and learning about the river – its history, role and restoration. The event offers fun, interactive activities on water ecology, fishing, voyageur history, wildlife, water safety, and paddling on the river.
This fun and exciting event is made possible through a broad collaboration of partners including the City of Duluth, Wilderness Inquiry, Duluth Public Schools ISD 709, Superior National Forest, Lake Superior Zoo, St. Louis River Alliance, Department of Natural Resources, University of Minnesota Duluth and other local partners.
The event introduces Wilderness Inquiry’s Canoemobile program to the Duluth area. Canoemobile delivers experiential education on urban rivers and waterways nationwide. The 24-foot, handmade cedar canoes carry ten people and are captained by trained Wilderness Inquiry guides. Since its inception in 2010, Canoemobile has served more than 10,000 students in more than 18 cities nationwide, addressing nature deficit disorder, summer learning loss, and the achievement gap. Research shows that these experiences help to improve school attendance and facilitate teamwork, communication, and leadership skills. The Canoemobile is a program of Wilderness Inquiry and many federal, state, and local organizations that care about healthy lifestyles for today's youth. This year’s Canoemobile, with various federal and local partners, will travel to 24 cities, including Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, D.C.
Photos are available upon request. Members of the media who wish to be present for the student canoe trips must contact one of the following individuals:
Contacts: Paula Reed, 218-730-5339
Office of Mayor Don Ness
Chad Dayton, 651-605-1827
Wilderness Inquiry
Kristine Reichenbach, 218-626-4393
Superior National Forest
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