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In: Euan Reavie, harmful algal blooms, Natural Resources Research Institute, River Talks, St. Louis River

Euan Reavie presents at River Talks. Image credit: Michael Anderson

Harmful algal blooms are becoming more of a concern in the St. Louis River Estuary and Lake Superior. The reasons behind this were described during the November River Talk by Euan Reavie, senior research associate at the University of Minnesota’s Natural Resources Research Institute.

Harmful algal blooms, also known as HABs, appear as mats of bright green algae that float on the surface of the water or sometimes lay on the bottoms of large rivers or lakes. Not all algal blooms are toxic, but some are, and scientists are looking into what triggers the release of toxins in the blooms.

“Based on anecdotal and real observations, it does seem to be something that’s getting worse in Western Lake Superior,” Reavie said. “Whoever thought we’d be getting algal blooms out in the nutrient-poor waters of Lake Superior, making their way all the way up to the Apostle Islands?”

Water quality in the St. Louis River has improved over the years thanks to sanitary sewer districts coming online in Duluth and Superior in the 1970s, environmental regulations, and cleanup efforts. However, excess nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen are still of concern and are a focus of attention from management agencies.

Reavie’s research team came into the picture in the early 2010s when they were asked to research nutrient levels in hopes of confirming that they were decreasing. They collected sediment samples (cores) to reconstruct the history of nutrients in the estuary. The scientists analyzed the samples for different types of fossil algae, which offer signals about what types of nutrients were available in the past because different algae species prefer different levels of nutrients.

Diatoms are the most abundant type of algae in the Western Lake Superior system. Reavie showed how the assemblages of these species changed after European settlement and after water cleanup efforts in the 1970s.

Over the past several years, algae blooms have been noted along the shore of Lake Superior near Cornucopia, Wisconsin, and in the estuary at Barker’s Island and Allouez Bay. Reavie said that sediment samples from the present day in sheltered bays like Allouez Bay show diatom species that like high levels of nutrients. He said the data show a “fairly consistent” increase in phosphorus in the system. “Not good news for the bays in the estuary,” he said.

The team also found cyanopigments in the samples, which indicate recent increases in algae. “There appear to be some new problems in these nearshore areas despite the fact that we’ve reduced the flux of nutrients into the system. Something new is going on here,” Reavie said.

One culprit could be more intense storms due to climate change. Storms wash a lot of nutrients from the land into the water and then the currents carry them through the estuary and harbor, and out into Lake Superior along its South Shore.

“Just knowing that the blooms tend to follow storms is not enough. There’s probably a seasonal aspect to all this, as well,” he said. Warmth is one factor, but Reavie said there have also been algae blooms under the ice. Low dissolved oxygen levels in water could be another factor, resulting in a chemical reaction that releases stored nutrients in sediments.

His team has begun developing an early warning system to sort out what is going on. It involves incorporating weather data, water quality data and algae data from eight stations in the estuary. They hope to offer initial findings at the March 2024 St. Louis River Summit.

For more information, visit the team’s website.

The next River Talk is scheduled for March 13, 2024. Brandon Krumwide with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will present, “What Lies Below? Underwater Mapping of the Great Lakes,” at 6:30 p.m. in the Lake Superior Estuarium (3 Marina Drive, Superior, Wisconsin).

The post Understanding harmful algal blooms in the St. Louis River Estuary presents challenges first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

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Marie Zhuikov

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In: Euan Reavie, harmful algal blooms, Natural Resources Research Institute, River Talks

The next River Talk will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8, with “Making Sense of Algal Blooms in the St. Louis River Estuary,” an in-person presentation by Euan Reavie with the Natural Resources Research Institute. His talk will be held at the Lake Superior Estuarium (3 Marina Dr., Superior, Wis.). Refreshments will be provided.

Euan Reavie. Image credit: Natural Resources Research Institute

Reavie will present what’s known so far about the evolving situation with algae and algal blooms in the river and harbor. He’ll also describe plans for a collaborative monitoring strategy with the Lake Superior Reserve to address current and future problems.

For accessibility accommodations related to sound, language and translation, mobility or anything else to make engagement possible, please contact Luciana at 715-399-4085 or Luciana.Ranelli@wisc.edu, as soon as possible.

In an abbreviation of the season, other River Talks will be held in 2024 on March 13 and April 10. For more information, visit the River Talks page: go.wisc.edu/4uz720.

The River Talks are sponsored by the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Wisconsin Sea Grant Program.

The post Making Sense of Algal Blooms first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

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https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/making-sense-of-algal-blooms/

Marie Zhuikov

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In: American bitterns, American white pelicans, birding, Bonaparte's gulls, common terns, Natural Resources Research Institute, nighthawks, Parasitic jaegers, River Talks, River Walks, rusty blackbirds, Steve Kolbe, trumpeter swans

Steve Kolbe on Hawk Ridge in Duluth, Minnesota. Image Credit: Natural Resources Research Institute

The final talk of the 2022-23 River Talk season took place in early May. Steve Kolbe, an avian ecologist with the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Natural Resources Research Institute, gave a presentation about where to find birds in the St. Louis River Estuary and led attendees on a short bird walk on Barker’s Island in Superior near the Lake Superior Estuarium.

“The reason I live in this area is because of birds, specifically because of bird migration,” Kolbe said. “This is an amazing part of the world, both in the fall and in the spring. Birding isn’t just a hobby for me. It’s not just a job. It’s sort of like an obsession.”

Spring

Kolbe began his talk with the snowy owl. They’re often seen in winter on Barker’s Island and the Superior Airport and surrounding area. Their preferred habitat is the Arctic tundra, so they like the open spaces that the airport provides.

An American white pelican files over the St. Louis River at Chambers Grove. Image credit: Marie Zhuikov

Trumpeter swans are some of the first birds to migrate through in the spring after ice-out. Kolbe often finds them in Rask Bay on the St. Louis River.

American white pelicans stage in groups in the spring in Chambers Grove along the river. “For whatever reason, they like the little island in the middle of the river. They hang out there for almost a month before heading farther north,” Kolbe said.

Bonaparte’s gulls can be found in Lake Superior off Lafayette Square on Park Point en masse. “This is one of my all-time favorite birds and an area specialty. The first week in May, these beautiful, vocal and awesome-looking small gulls with a black head and a silver back with red legs stage on Lake Superior. They hang out for a day or two and then leave in a huge flock,” he said.

Summer

American bitterns breed in Mud Lake and Allouez Bay in wetlands.

Common terns breed on Interstate Island – the sandy island that can be seen off the Blatnik Bridge. Kolbe said they winter in Peru, so they “put on a lot of miles.” The island is protected, so people can’t visit it without a permit. The best place to see them from the mainland is at Rice’s Point boat launch in Duluth with binoculars or a spotting scope.

Fall

For work, Kolbe studies rusty blackbirds. He said this wetland species likes to spend time in North Bay on the river and on many of the islands below the Fond du Lac Dam. Unlike most fall migrants, these blackbirds stay in the area for an extend time – two or three weeks. He suspects they may be using that time to molt their feathers. “Whatever they’re doing, it’s obviously a really important spot,” Kolbe said.

River Talk participants view birds on Barker’s Island. Image credit: Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant

Parasitic jaegers migrate along Wisconsin Point in September. These birds are known for their feeding style, which involves stealing food from gulls. “They look like a gull mixed with a peregrine falcon,” Kolbe said. “It’s certainly not a bird that you see many places. They nest in the high Arctic and winter at sea. So, it’s cool to be able to see them in Duluth and Superior.”

Flocks of sanderlings and a few piping plovers can be found on area beaches in fall and spring.

Kolbe studied the common nighthawk for his master’s degree. They are another species that migrates en masse along the shore of Lake Superior during fall. “In the second half of August, if you get a really warm day with light winds, go outside in the evening and look up. If you’re lucky, you’ll see something on the order of 15,000 of these birds,” Kolbe said.  He’s been counting the birds during their migration for the past 15 years. He uses the information to develop population trend information for the species. “They seem to be doing OK,” he said.

Hawk Ridge in Duluth is a great place to see hawks and other birds in the spring and fall. Bald eagles are a common species of interest who are here year-round. “It’s really a success story that we’re able to enjoy them so readily and easily around here,” said Kolbe.

During a walk around Barker’s Island, the group saw a mix of birds: buffleheads, a horned grebe, red-winged blackbirds, mallards, a rock pigeon, a common merganser, a song sparrow, ruddy ducks and herring gulls.

River Talks will begin again for its 11th season next fall. In the meantime, there’s a new spinoff series that the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve has begun for summer, called River Walks. Find more info about it here.

 

The post Where to find birds in the St. Louis River Estuary first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

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Marie Zhuikov

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In: birding in the St. Louis River Estuary, Natural Resources Research Institute, River Talks, Steve Kolbe

Birding is the topic of the final River Talk of this season. The series will resume in fall. Image credit: Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant

The River Talks will be held from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, May 10 with “How and Where to Find Birds in the St. Louis River Estuary,” an in-person presentation at the Lake Superior Estuarium Confluence Room (3 Marina Drive, Barker’s Island in Superior) given by Steve Kolbe with the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI).

Come learn about where good locations are to see birds in the estuary. Participants will have the chance to view birds on Barker’s Island. Binoculars will be available for those who don’t have some to bring. 

This will be the final River Talks of the season until the series begins again in fall. For more information, visit the River Talks page: go.wisc.edu/4uz720.

The River Talks are sponsored by the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Wisconsin Sea Grant Program.

 

The post How and where to find birds in the Estuary first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

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Marie Zhuikov

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In: Alexis Grinde, black ash trees, Cole Wilson, emerald ash borer, Natural Resources Research Institute, River Talks, St. Louis River Estuary

An ovenbird rests on a branch in the St. Louis River Estuary. Image credit: National Lake Superior Estuarine Research Reserve

On April 13, River Talks featured Alexis Grinde from the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Natural Resources Research Institute and Cole Wilson from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Together, they presented “Black Ash and Birds: Conserving Critical Habitat in the St. Louis River Estuary.” This River Talk gave an in-depth look into the duo’s research and conservation efforts.

Grinde spoke first, highlighting her particular interest in black ash, a tree species abundant in Minnesota, and the organisms that interact with black ash. “At a global scale, we are in the midst of massive losses of biodiversity,” said Grinde. She explained that as we lose biodiversity in different ecosystems, those ecosystems begin to function differently, which in turn causes their resilience to decrease.

This decrease in biodiversity can be attributed to factors like habitat degradation and invasive species. A specific invasive species Grinde mentioned is the emerald ash borer, a wood-boring beetle that attacks native black ash trees. “Because this is an invasive species, all of our ash trees in North America have no defense against this emerald ash borer,” said Grinde, “If an emerald ash borer gets into a tree here in North America, it’s basically a 100% mortality rate.”

 Grinde warned of a bleak future for black ash trees. She noted that since 2002, the emerald ash borer has spread across North America and wiped out the majority of black ash trees. A method of minimizing this issue is to enact quarantines that prohibit the movement of trees or firewood into an area that is home to these trees. This would hopefully reduce the spread of invasive species like the emerald ash borer but has not been very successful thus far.

In Minnesota, where there are nearly 1 million acres of black ash forests, this issue is especially relevant. While emerald ash borers were first found in southern Minnesota, they are migrating north where the majority of the black ash forests are located. This could result in extreme consequences since black ash is a foundational species. This means it regulates ecosystem processes and isn’t easily replaced.

While the black ash population has a multitude of effects on neighboring species in its ecosystem, Wilson decided to delve into the impacts on breeding birds in the St. Louis River Estuary. Wilson focused on both species richness and abundance of birds in black ash forests, planning to use his data to determine the best mode of land management for the future.

“What we know is that the black ash are inevitably going to die off,” Wilson said, “What can we take from these studies to apply to future management and restoration efforts?”

Wilson used 10-minute point counts to characterize breeding bird communities. This means that he and his team occupied a certain space for 10 minutes at a time and recorded everything they observed and heard. In addition, they also recorded vegetation, black ash dominance, and canopy cover. The sites Wilson researched ranged from 50% black ash dominance to over 90% black ash dominance.

The results from the study asserted there is a positive correlation between the abundance of black ash trees in a given area and the total number of bird species observed. “Black ash are these really important species ecologically and they provide habitat for a wide range of birds,” said Wilson.

Looking forward, Wilson emphasized the importance of recognizing invasive species as a threat to black ash, as well as finding a new species suitable to replace them when they inevitably die out. However, black ash trees are not just important to ecosystem function, but also to Indigenous culture.

“It’s important that we include Indigenous knowledge into choosing a replacement species,” Wilson said. He mentioned that black ash trees have been a part of Ojibwe culture for many years.

All in all, supporting black ash communities and conductivity are essential for proper ecosystem function. Determining a viable replacement species for black ash is imperative for a variety of people and wildlife, and both Alexis Grinde and Cole Wilson’s work will help achieve these goals.

To watch a video of this presentation, visit the Lake Superior Estuarine Research Reserve’s YouTube site. The final River Talk of the season will feature a celebration of Wisconsin Sea Grant’s 50th anniversary and will be held May 11. For more information, visit the River Talks page: go.wisc.edu/4uz720.

 

The post A comprehensive look into the future of black ash and birds from a conservation perspective first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

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Eva Ryan