The Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) is located on the St. Louis River Freshwater Estuary in the City of Superior.  The Lake Superior NERR is a research and education center of national importance focused on improving water quality, aquatic, wetland and coastal habitats, and quality of life for residents of Lake Superior and the Great Lakes.

The Lake Superior NERR is part of the Univeristy of Wisconsin-Extension Wisconsin Freshwater Estuary Initiative.  The WCMP provided funding to support the development of a Needs Assessment for Research, Management, and Education for Freshwater Estuaries.  Please visit Wisconsin's Freshwater Estuary Intiative at freshwaterestuary.uwex.edu for more information.

Status of the Lake Superior NERR:

• The Lake Superior NERR was designated in October 2010.  A Designation Ceremony was held October 26, 2010 at UW-Superior.
• Governor Jim Doyle nominated the St. Louis River for NERR designation on May 30, 2008. 
• NOAA has accepted Governor Doyle's nomination.
• A public scoping meeting for the environmental impact statement and management planning process was held on December 1, 2008. 
• A draft Environmental Impact Statement and Management Plan was published May 28, 2010. 
• The public comment period for the Draft EIS ended July 12, 2010.  A public hearing was held in Superior on July 8, 2010. 
• The final Environmental Impact Statement and Management Plan (62 MB pdf - Exit DOA) was published in August 2010.
• Visit http://nerrs.noaa.gov/ for more information about the NERR System.

Background Documents and Publications
(all .pdf files)

NERRS FAQ (37 kb)
Map of Lake Superior Estuaries (1 Mb)
Article about Chequamegon Bay Estuaries (112 kb)
Article about the background of the Lake Superior NERR initiative (170 kb)
Article about the St. Louis River Freshwater Estuary (144 kb)
Article about the Lake Superior NERR 2009 (129 kb)
Descriptions of Lake Superior Estuaries (1.6 MB)
Designation Process Outline (31 kb)
Designation Process Guidelines (238 kb)
Federal Regulations - NERRS (165 kb)
Maps and photos of Lake Superior Estuaries (11 MB, FTP)
Nomination Document (20 MB, FTP)
Nomination Document Appendices (15 MB, FTP)
Environmental Impact Statement/Management Plan outline (245 kb)
Map of proposed St. Louis River NERR (349 kb)
Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Management Plan (24 MB, Exit DOA)

Site Selection Process Information
Documents from meetings of the Site Selection Technical Team and Public Involvement Team are posted here.