About the Rivers

The St. Louis River – River Watch project is a youth-based water quality monitoring program for the St. Louis River and its tributaries in northeastern Minnesota. This project aimed at secondary school students promotes and inspires stewardship of the largest U.S. tributary to Lake Superior and other nearby waterways. Currently, students and teachers in 25 public, private, tribal, home, and alternative schools enthusiastically gather chemical, physical, and biological data twice per year at river sites located throughout northeastern Minnesota. In most participating schools, these activities are integrated into the secondary science curriculum. An estimated 800 youth per year strengthen scientific skills while working together to serve their communities and their watershed. Since 1997, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet, Minnesota has coordinated this monitoring effort. Since that time, grants from the United States Department of Agriculture have provided funds to support and expand the program.

Program Objectives

provide environmental education opportunities to students and their teachers by offering a hands-on approach to learning about the cultural and natural history of the St. Louis River watershed
to cultivate a life-long sense of stewardship toward the river and the river communities
to collect and interpret baseline water quality data using sound scientific techniques
to share water quality information with state and local communities in a variety of ways such as the media, brochures, and public presentations
to encourage citizen participation in reaching the long-range management goals for the river
to collaborate with agencies and groups on watershed-related studies