What's a "River Watcher"?

River Watchers are of all ages and backgrounds. They are students, teachers, concerned citizens…anyone who joins in this fun and worthwhile effort to monitor and protect the waters of the St. Louis River watershed and surrounding area. While participating to meet the goals of observing, documenting, and appreciating the natural beauty of this valued water resource, these St. Louis River sentinels develop valuable scientific skills while serving their communities as river basin stewards.

The St. Louis River - River Watch project is an important environmental learning activity for area secondary school students and their teachers. Presently, 25 area schools participate in the monitoring project. More than 800 students will be actively involved in this year's monitoring! In most participating schools, these River Watch activities are integrated into the secondary science curriculum.

Monitoring sites extend from near the river's source at Seven Beaver Lake to the Duluth/Superior harbor. Students, teachers, and college student assistants collect and analyze river samples at designated monitoring sites. These data are compiled and made accessible to all the schools. Participants can then draw conclusions about the water quality of the entire St. Louis River.