River Walks

Ishkode (Ojibwe for fire) is not only an important part of Anishaabe history and culture, but also a valuable land management tool for our northern pine forests. Join the Lake Superior Reserve, the City of Superior, and Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (Ojibwe) as they introduce a collaborative project to return good fire to Wisconsin Point.

Come to Lot #5 of Wisconsin Point to learn about some of the habitat’s fire-dependent red pines and pyrogenic blueberries, the history of fire on Wisconsin Point, and the benefit of using fire as a tool in Superior, WI. We will walk (~1 mile) to some other sites on Wisconsin Point that will see some of the first good fires in over 100 years.

We’ll gather in light-rain or shine, and will post a notification day-of for a severe weather cancellation. Please meet at Wisconsin Point Lot #5 (restrooms are available). We will be walking, stopping and standing over the course of the walk. Our walk will be about 1 mile long round-trip, will consist of a fairly level dirt path through the forest, some walking along the roadway, and there is a relatively steep ditch near our destination site, where we will be off-trail. There is poison ivy in the area, so long pants and close-toed shoes are recommended.

No registration is required and all events are FREE. Come dressed for the weather and prepared to move around outdoors. Please reach out to Melissa Burke at melissa.burke@wisc.edu or call 715-399-4138 if you have questions about participating in this event. You may request an interpreter, materials in an alternative language or format, or other services to make this event more accessible, by contacting Melissa as soon as possible, ideally by August 1, 2025. There’s no added cost to you for these services.

The Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve and Friends of the Lake Superior Reserve are hosting a volunteer event focused on removing Spotted Knapweed from the Lot #5 section of Wisconsin Point. We will be hand-pulling Spotted Knapweed to help local plants thrive.

Spotted Knapweed is a prolific non-local plant that, when widespread, can prevent native plants from growing and decrease the biodiversity of the habitat.

On July 19th, community members of all ages are invited to the point to support healthy ecosystems for local, native plants. No prior experience with Spotted Knapweed is required. This event will involve physical activity like walking, crouching, kneeling, and pulling.

Let us know you are joining us for this event by signing up at the link below! This event is free, and by registering we can make sure we have enough supplies for everyone.

The first River Walk of the year will be an introduction to the incredible world of Wetland Bird Monitoring! Join researchers from NRRI’s Avian Ecology Lab to hear about the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program, and how birds help us understand the impacts of invasive species, resource management, restoration, and climate on ecosystems in a rapidly changing world.

Learn about some of the research projects led by NRRI and see an example of how bird data is collected using point-count surveys for Coastal Wetland Monitoring. You will get to see a special device that captures bird sounds set up at Allouez Bay as part of the post-restoration evaluation of the site, and learn about how monitoring helped to guide the restoration design at Allouez Bay.

Meet at Wisconsin Point Lot #1 at 4:30. See below for more details about the walk area and to see a map.