The first River Talk of the 2024-2025 season will take place Wednesday, November 13, at 6:30 p.m. Tom Prestby, Wisconsin Conservation manager with Audubon Great Lakes, will share, “Secretive Marshbirds and their use of Allouez Bay.” The talk can be attended in person at the Lake Superior Estuarium (3 Marina Dr., Superior, Wisconsin) or virtually by pre-registering.

A group of fascinating difficult-to-detect birds called secretive marshbirds including rails, bitterns, grebes and others rely on high-quality wetlands and have been experiencing population decreases due to loss and degradation of habitat. Learn about these birds, the threats they face, their use of Allouez Bay and other wetlands in the St. Louis River Estuary, and a restoration project in Allouez Bay that is restoring the habitat they rely on.

The event will last an hour and will include time for comments and questions. Light refreshments will be provided. Participants can register to join the event on Zoom at this link. Watch the Reserve’s or Wisconsin Sea Grant’s Facebook pages for further information.

The River Talk schedule for the season includes three additional talks also hosted at the Lake Superior Estuarium:

• Wednesday December 11: Restored Connection to a River in Recovery.  Kris Eilers, Executive Director of the St. Louis River Alliance
• Wednesday, January 8: Chigami-Ziibing: Ojibwe Placenames and Perspectives along the St. Louis River Estuary. Naawakwe William Howes III, Gegaanzikiged, Gegaanzongejig Ji-Aabadak Ojibwemowin, Fond du Lac Language & Culture Program
• Wednesday, February 12: Returning Good Fire to Superior Forests. Panelists from the City of Superior and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa wildland fire program

For more information, visit the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve’s Facebook page or its website.