Habitat Restoration Project Planned for Interstate Island

We know that living in the Northland is great because it's a fun melting pot of communities covering two states. Now, Minnesota and Wisconsin are working together in a cool way for a habitat restoration project.

The Minnesota Department Of Natural Resources announced in a press release that this spring, Interstate Island in the St. Louis River estuary between the cities of Duluth and Superior, Wisconsin, will be the site of the aforementioned project to benefit Great Lakes Piping Plover and Common Terns.

Formed in 1934 when the St. Louis River navigation channel was dredged, Interstate Island rests on the border and is co-owned and managed by the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin, according to the Minnesota DNR. The island is federally listed as critical habitat for piping plover, and is one of only two nesting sites in the Lake Superior watershed used by the common tern which is listed as endangered in Wisconsin and threatened in Minnesota.

Apparently, mother nature has caused a lot of damage to the small island in the large estuary, and high water levels have caused seasonal flooding of preferred bird nesting areas. The project aims to restore the height of the island with high quality sandy material and anchoring stone and coble to restore the sandy, wind-swept habitat needed by both birds. Fencing and string grids already located on a small portion of the island will be repositioned so they can continue to provide protection from gulls and other avian predators.

These are the type of projects that often go unnoticed, but they are so important to keep the Northland the unique and beautiful place to live that it is.