The Lake Superior Headwaters Sustainability Partnership (Headwaters Partnership), a consortium of federal, tribal, state, county, municipal, and community partners led by the Minnesota Land Trust, has received a $350,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office for Coastal Management (NOAA OCM). The funded project will develop actionable habitat restoration visions for geographic regions within the St. Louis River Estuary (chi-gami ziibi in Ojibwe) between Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin.

The grant is part of $77 million directed towards coastal restoration and conservation made available in 2023 to coastal zone management programs and National Estuarine Research Reserves through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, with additional funding leveraged through the Inflation Reduction Act. The funding will be received by the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve in Superior, Wisconsin.

The Headwaters Partnership began in 2022 in an effort to broadly address long-range restoration and conservation issues facing the region. The partnership is establishing an inclusive and intentional framework to achieve a thriving estuary landscape and community. The principles of sustainability, resiliency, and equity guide the collaborative approach to restoring lands and waters in the estuary, including economic development, community health and well-being considerations.

Diverse partners from 26 local and regional organizations have participated in identifying restoration needs so far. Funding from the NOAA OCM award will enable the group to create detailed restoration visions that address long term river and community health and can be used to apply for additional restoration and conservation funds.

Core partners of the Headwaters Partnership include City of Duluth, Minnesota; City of Superior, Wisconsin; Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa; Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve; Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; Minnesota Land Trust; Minnesota Pollution Control Agency; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

The Minnesota Land Trust is a non-profit organization whose mission is to protect and restore Minnesota’s most vital natural lands to provide wildlife habitat, clean water, outdoor experiences, and scenic beauty for generations to come. To date, the organization has protected more than 76,000 acres of natural and scenic land and more than 465 miles of fragile shoreline.  

The Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve is one of 30 Reserves that conduct research, education, outreach, and stewardship on estuaries in the United States. The program is operated by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension with leadership from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and based on the UW-Superior campus. The Reserve encompasses over 16,600 acres of public lands along the St. Louis River freshwater estuary.