First Of Many, Water Safety Taught To St. Louis River Communities

GARY-NEW DULUTH, Minn.–The hot summer days are tempting to take a break to the lakes and rivers, but not everyone is aware of the safety concerns that come with waters.

The St. Louis River Alliance is taking an effort to educate the communities that live near the St. Louis River. Today’s event covered canoeing, from putting on the life jacket to learning how to steer. People who attended had a chance to canoe the St. Louis River, some for the first time.

“Some of the things that we learned from people are they didn’t feel safe on the water,” said Kris Eilers, the executive director of St. Louis River Alliance. “They didn’t know how to canoe, they had never been canoeing and they wanted to try, some people have had access to boats.”

Staying out on the lake is typically peaceful, but those who aren’t cautious can find themselves afloat if not careful on the bigger open water of Lake Superior or St. Louis River.

“People think, well this is a river here, but there’s also really big water here. So some people are used to smaller rivers,” said Eilers. “There’s a lot of space for the wind to sweep across the water and create waves.”

This was the first event of water safety courses presented by the St. Louis River Alliance. Upcoming they will offer bird watching, wild foraging, and ice safety events with more to be announced on their website at a later time.