Lake Superior Coastal Wetland Exhibit
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Wisconsin Coastal Management
Wisconsin Coastal Management partners for estuary and coastal wetland
education with the NGLVC UW-Extension Office
A
partnership between the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center
and it's UW-Extension office with Wisconsin Coastal Management
(WCM) has created innovative educational tools to help people
understand the importance of Lake Superior's coastal wetlands and freshwater estuaries.
UW-Extension Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center Coastal Wetland educational materials and programs developed in partnership with WCM include:
2007: With the assistance of Wisconsin Coastal Management, a Lake Superior Freshwater Estuary Outreach Coordinator part-time position is added to the UW-Extension Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center staff to serve as the local contact person and member of the Coordination Team helping to move the Site Selection process forward for designation of a National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) along Wisconsin's Lake Superior shore.
2006: NOAA approves Wisconsin Coastal Management, in partnership with UW-Extension, to begin the formal NERR site selection process. The UW-Extension NGLVC Office becomes the local contact point for the project's Site Selection and Public Involvement Teams and a member of the NERR Project Coordination Team. The project to designate a Lake Superior NERR becomes part of a larger Lake Superior Freshwater Estuary Center initiative with the new Wisconsin Freshwater Estuary Program.
2005: "Connecting the Coasts" curriculum and website (connectingthecoasts.uwex.edu) is developed through a WCM grant as an interactive educational tool for high school students to raise their awareness of critical issues affecting Lake Superior and create individualized service learning projects to help solve these and similar issues in their communities.
2004: "A String of Pearls" video is expanded and re-filmed to document stories of all of the major Lake Superior estuary systems along Wisconsin's Coast. The video helps to raise awareness of Lake Superior's unique freshwater estuaries and serves as a tool to expand local stakeholder support for a Wisconsin Lake Superior NERR initiative across the Wisconsin Lake Superior basin.
Also in 2004, a WCM supported feasibility study to develop a curriculum for a Lake Superior was completed resulting in the creation of the Lake Superior Pathfinders Program.
NOAA formally replies to the request to begin the NERR feasibility study by expressing their interest in working with Wisconsin on the site selection process for a new NERR in the Lake Superior Region. The Governor designates the Wisconsin Coastal Management program as the lead state agency in this initiative, working closely with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the University of Wisconsin - Extension, and partners such as The Nature Conservancy and regional stakeholders.
2003: A WCM grant funds a grassroots feasibility study to inform and involve Chequamegon Bay stakeholder groups about opportunities for a designation of a National
Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) and gauge their support. As a result, over 20 stakeholders representing agencies, tribes, municipalities, and citizen groups unanimously supported Wisconsin Governor Doyle's request and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) begin a Lake Superior NERR feasibility study. The Governor's letter requesting federal funding, technical assistance and commitment from NOAA marked the first official step towards receiving a designation.
2002:  "A String of
Pearls ... Estuaries of Chequamegon Bay" Video
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2001: In partnership with WCM, the Fish Creek Estuary Ed-Venture Curriculum is developed and becomes the basis for on-the-water programs for students ages 12 and up using double-seater kayaks and classroom investigations for students grades K-12. A "Adopt-An-Estuary" curriculum is created to provide a template for a statewide educational curriculum for high school students.
2000: A WCM grant funds the first cooperative project with the NGLVC-UWEX Office to develop a Wisconsin Coastal Management Discovery Program. This ambitious project created three educational opportunities to outreach coastal wetland education to the Visitor Center's 150,000 annual visitors and students. An interactive exhibit that interprets the importance of coastal wetland protection was created including two interactive computers and aquarium. Interpretive trail signs along the Center's wetland boardwalk were created to link the exhibit to "hands-on" activities visitors and students could experience. Finally, a curriculum exploring the relationship between coastal wetlands and sustainability of Lake Superior's natural resources, from the fur trade era to today, was created for delivery on-the-water while paddling the Center's unique floating classroom - a 34-foot voyageur canoe.
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