Field Trip Descriptions
Saturday, May 18th is field trip day.
Registrants will choose one field trip that is either a full day or two half-day excursions. Attendance in the field trips is limited so registrants will rank their top choices and be signed up on a first come, first served basis.
Field Trip 1
Canoe a National Estuary - Visit the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve and canoe along the beautiful Pokegama River. Along the river, look for signs of emerald ash borer infestation and monitoring trees planted underneath them. On the way back, we'll stop by the new Lake Superior Estuarium, the largest estuary in the Great Lakes. Full-day excursion with Deanna Marie Erickson of the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve.
Field Trip 3
Aquarium Experience - Make your way to the Great Lakes Aquarium’s Discovery Center and participate in a program about Lake Superior Ecology. Explore the Aquarium exhibits and end it at the Discovery Center for a final program about Lake Superior Limnology. Half-day excursion with Emily Wartman of the Great Lakes Aquarium.
The Art of Water Testing - Blending science and art, this excursion is all about water as we’ll learn about how to conduct water testing at Brewery Creek on the Marshall School campus as well as how to communicate our love of water through an art project. Half-day excursion with Dave Johnson, Lucas Anderson and Milly Timm of Marshall School.
Field Trip 4
Boat & Beach Tour - Board the RV Blue Heron to learn about Great Lakes research and the life of scientists on the water. Look at plankton recovered from the lake and handle sediments collected from the bottom of Lake Superior. After the boat tour, we’ll head to Minnesota Point’s sandy shore for a game of beach clean up Bingo! Half-day excursion with Doug Ricketts of the Large Lakes Observatory.
Bike Ride - Enjoy a scenic bike trip in Duluth and learn a few things along the way. Half-day excursion with Ben Weaver.
Field Trip 5
Bike Ride - Enjoy a scenic bike trip in Duluth and learn a few things along the way. Half-day excursion with Ben Weaver.
Boat & Beach Tour - Board the RV Blue Heron to learn about Great Lakes research and the life of scientists on the water. Look at plankton recovered from the lake and handle sediments collected from the bottom of Lake Superior. After the boat tour, we’ll head to Minnesota Point’s sandy shore for a game of beach clean up Bingo! Half-day excursion with Doug Ricketts of the Large Lakes Observatory.
Field Trip 6
Probing Gooseberry Falls - Explore the waters of Gooseberry by seeing examples of poor quality water, measure the ion content of water collected at high falls and the reservoir and then discuss how to manage the release of these ions from their natural or man-made sources. Half-day excursion with Heather Brown of the College of St. Scholastica.
Enjoy the Park - Experience all that Gooseberry Falls has to offer by checking out the Visitor Center, exploring the falls and learning more about this area’s flora and fauna. Half-day excursion with educator Karen Bacula.
Field Trip 7
Enjoy the Park - Experience all that Gooseberry Falls State Park has to offer by checking out the Visitor Center, exploring the falls and learning more about this area’s flora and fauna. Half-day excursion with educator Karen Bacula.
Probing Gooseberry Falls - Explore the waters of Gooseberry by seeing examples of poor quality water, measure the ion content of water collected at high falls and the reservoir and then discuss how to manage the release of these ions from their natural or man-made sources. Half-day excursion with Heather Brown of the College of St. Scholastica.
Field Trip 10
Hawk Ridge Encounter - Join us for a hands on, real-time look at the research efforts of counting and banding birds, take a look at what's migrating, learn field identification skills, and enjoy an incredible view of the Duluth Harbor Area and this amazing migration phenomenon. Half-day excursion with Margie Menzies of the Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory.
Hit the Trail - The Superior Hiking Trail provides hard-core hikers with a 310 mile trek but we’ll just hike a small scenic section in Duluth. Take this chance to unwind, enjoy the outdoors and learn something about natural history and cultural impact of your surroundings. Half-day excursion on the Superior Hiking Trail with lifelong environmental educator Judy Gibbs.
Field Trip 12
Stream Mapping, from Sketching to Lasers - Visit a local Duluth stream to enjoy the scenery and learn about efforts to monitor, protect, and restore them. We’ll learn how to collect data on the complexities of streams from stream sketching to mapping with GPS and lasers. Half-day excursion with Emma Burgeson, Hannah Behar, and Karen Gran of UMD Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences.
Fishing for Fun - Learn about Lake Superior fish and natural resource management and follow it up with a visit to a local trout stream to try your hand at fly fishing. Half-day excursion with Alyssa Nelson.