Parks & Recreation Commission (Meets as needed/quarterly on 4th Thursday of each month at 5:00 p.m.)

PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION July 22, 2021 Room 204 Government Center Members Present In Person: Keith Kern, Nick Ledin, Elizabeth Norén, David Kroll Members Not Present: Jemal Broussard, Gene Rosburg Also Present: Linda Cadotte (Director of Parks, Recreation & Forestry), Russ Behlings (Parks Superintendent), Jodi Saylor (Administrative Assistant, Parks, Recreation & Forestry, Shelley Nelson (Superior Telegram), Dan Blank, Henry Campbell (virtual), Richard Kaufman (virtual), Jenny Van Sickle Councilor Kern called the meeting to order at 5:03 p.m. 1. Introductions and welcome to new member 2. Resignation of Brittany Markgren-Berrens Director Cadotte shared her letter of resignation a. Elect new Vice-Chair MOTION by Kern, second by Norén and carried to hold the Chair election before the Vice-Chair election. Nominations – Ledin nominated Kern MOTION by Ledin, second by Norén and carried to elect Keith Kern as Chair. b. Elect Chair Nominations – Ledin nominated Norén MOTION by Ledin, second by Kern and carried to elect Elizabeth Norén as Vice-Chair. 3. Approve May 27, 2021 Meeting Minutes MOTION by Ledin, second by Norén and carried to approve the minutes from the May 27, 2021 meeting. 4. Bench Sponsorship Program - approval requested The bench sponsorship was updated to address vandalized benches. Benches can remain for up to 10 years, not guaranteed beyond that. Adjusted pricing to cover costs and remain standard across the board. The person/people who purchase a bench would not choose the style. That will be determined by whatever style bench is already in the park/area to keep them uniformed in each area. Director Cadotte asked the Commission 1 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting July 22, 2021  to consider not requiring all benches to go through the City’s full naming process if they stick to the standard template for the benches. All benches would be dedicated if they go through this program. There was discussion regarding the style of benches available and having a placard attached versus have the bench engraved. The placard would be easier to remove if the sponsorship ends and or changes for any reason. Jenny Van Sickle came in at 5:20 MOTION by Kern, second by Norén and carried to approve based off using placards and approve Parks, Recreation and Forestry Director to approve the bench sponsorships without coming to the Commission each time. Director will also provide an annual spring update on what benches were put in. Discussion around length of time of bench – “Benches will remain on site for up to 10 years depending on the longevity of the bench but no length of time is guaranteed beyond one year.” Most of the benches have a 15-20+ life. Kroll mentioned a renewal if people want it and so the wording would be “Benches will remain on site depending on the longevity of the bench but no length of time is guaranteed beyond one year.” Then the benches can remain on site depending on longevity of bench. If looking worn or redo of park give option to purchaser to sponsor a new one if it is beyond its life. The labor cost for install could be factored in. Cadotte would need to run new numbers for that. MOTION by Kroll, second by Ledin and carried to table this item so that new numbers can be run that include more of the labor cost to install and maintain the benches as well as more information on a possible renewal or longer guarantee. 5. Proposed Mission of Parks & Recreation Department – approval requested During her Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) presentation to the Mayor, Director Cadotte shared some statements from the National Parks and Rec Service. He asked if those were Parks and Rec mission statement. The Parks, Recreation & Forestry Department does not have its own mission statement so the Mayor asked that one be created. Director Cadotte created this mission statement for the Parks & Recreation Department – “Through facilities, outdoor settings, and services provided, the City of Superior, Parks and Recreation Department will create a public health and wellness culture for people of all abilities, ages, socio‐economic backgrounds, and ethnicities.” MOTION by Ledin, second by Kroll and carried to approve the new Parks & Recreation Department mission statement as stated above. 6. Carl Gullo Park Survey Idea Concept – approval requested Director Cadotte shared the Councilor Van Sickle let her know that she has been doing some fundraising for a new sign for Carl Gullo Park to match the other park signs. Pretty confident that the money will be raised the new sign could be put in next spring. This became a potential opportunity to also do other improvements to the park. The easy, 2 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting July 22, 2021  straight forward that fits within the Comprehensive Outdoor Rec Plan (CORP) would be to consolidate the current courts to be combined like the new courts in Central Park. This brought up other improvements that could be made. Director Cadotte came up with the idea to survey the neighborhood homes in this area and get feedback as to what they would like to see in their neighborhood park. One of two ways, we could move forward with consolidated court but if we want to restructuring and doing something different that might be helpful to get more targeted feedback. Have run into this with a few other parks, would be nice to get more input. If we are replacing something with something else, not changing the design or layout, we do not necessarily need feedback. In this park, since we could potentially change the layout and design it would be good to have the feedback. If the Commission likes this survey idea, there is a draft design that they can consider. Councilor Van Sickle brought up the playground that is split by East 5th Street with the playground tucked behind the fire station with a separate ice rink that is separated from the courts and the sledding hill. There are three big lots essentially. Carl Gullo was a United States Army Veteran and so she has been working with different organizations doing some quiet fundraising. In 1988, the park was dedicated by Rotary as Carl Gullo Memorial Park. The name was never actually changed, she requested the new sign reflect that name. Prior to that, the neighborhood has been wanting to see new equipment at the playground so she is trying to get an idea of what might be the best idea to utilize the space in the best way. Through this process, found that the park had not been adopted so the Parks staff worked on that and it was recently adopted by the fire station in that area. Director Cadotte mentioned that the sand volleyball came about because the Fire Station mentioned it so if that is what the neighborhood would want as well, it could potentially be an option. If they are desiring more green space or they like what is there and just need to consolidate and update the courts we can do that as well. With just over 700 residents, the options are well within the parameters of what people said we needed. None of the options including something we are already saturated with. Kern would like to do the survey and create a better layout. Currently there are no crosswalks between the lots that are separated by road. There are sidewalks but the pathway through the park is in bad shape. The sidewalk plow will be picking this up in its route according to Behlings. The data from the survey can be consolidated and then the Commission can make recommendations based on that. There was some discussion about the ideas and how the park could be reconfigured. The Commission would like to move forward with the survey so Director Cadotte will work with Councilor Van Sickle to come up with a final draft and get them mailed out. MOTION by Kern, second by Norén and carried to approve sending out the survey to the Carl Gullo neighborhood. 7. Summer Playground Program Update Director Cadotte shared an update from Caitlin Knoll. The numbers for attendance are higher than last year overall. Staffing continues to be a big challenge this year. There have been a decent amount of staff needing time off for things like vacations. There have only been 5 days where all staff have been present. Director Cadotte presented in her CIP to try to offer more incentive for the monitors to come back the following year, including 3 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting July 22, 2021  looking at the rate of pay which has not been updated in quite a while. There is a $ .25 per hour raise the second year and then no raise after that. Overall, they are working hard for the money that they make. This year, there was more flexibility from the school district, who provided the food, with feeding times. This allows more kids to be fed and the staff can also send food home with participants. We advertise the Playground Monitor jobs on the University campus as well as other places. We have had a handful of college students, but they tend to go home during the summer. Kroll, who works at UWS mentioned a possible internship and can work with us on recruiting for next summer. We have attended recruitment days there in the past. Councilor Kern asked about partnerships with organizations that received grants from us this year. During the grant process we ask that those who receive a grant work with the Playground Program on activities for the kids. Knoll has not scheduled a lot with them at this point, but that can be included in the final report at the end of the summer. Bayside Sounds has had a slightly higher than average attendance. Knoll was worried about sound from the highway for the new location of the Bear Creek Park Concert, and while it was not as bad as it could have been, she will be making a recommendation to look at a different park in the Allouez area for next summer. American Legion, who is a sponsor, has been selling snacks at some of the concerts. The Anti-Tobacco Coalition is providing signs so we can do a perimeter 100’ from the pavilion, playground perimeter saying “Welcome to our Smoke/Vape free zone”. Those will be put up at all of the concerts once they are in. Director Cadotte was contacted by the Health Department to have mobile COVID vaccine clinics in the parks during the concerts and that will be starting next week. The Fairlawn Mansion concert had slightly lower numbers than in past years with around 250 or so people. Normally that concert draws in around 350-400 people. We are currently working with UWS to plan the bonus concert on September 8th. 8. Volunteer – Adopt-A-Program Update Denise McDonald has been working hard on adoptions. The list was shared with the group. An additional adoption is the Arrowhead Boat Launch that was adopted by Northwest Outlet. There have been lots of new adoptions and cleanups this year and that program is going well. 9. Trail Loops off of the Millennium Trail Update Zoom issue – had to restart Zoom. Henry Campbell and Richard Kaufmann joined the meeting virtually at 5:53pm. Henry Campbell has been working on this trail. It started as his Senior Project with a proposal to add new mountain biking trails and he has continued working on it for the last two summers. He has been working with several people to plan the trail and work on getting it mapped out, dug out and ready to ride on. He brought the idea to Director Cadotte in the spring of 2019. The original plan was modified to be a shorter segments off of the Millennium Trail that we be a more manageable goal for a senior project. In 4 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting July 22, 2021 May of 2019, Campbell proposed 3 segments to the Parks and Rec Commission. In June of 2019 he was given concept approval and a $5K budget for tools, lumber, and gravel. In July or August of 2019 he did a wetland walkthrough of orange segment with Director Cadotte and Darienne McNamara from the City. That area would require quite a bit of boardwalk to go over the wetlands so that segment was put on hold. Director Cadotte and Behlings suggested starting with the green segment as that has less of a wetland impact. In May of 2020 there was another wetland walk through and in June of 2020, they did a final flagging of that trail segment and were approved for construction. The volunteers have had weekly 2 hour volunteer trail building sessions, logging, so far, 197 hours. They are working with local people that have experience such as local trail stewards that are familiar with the area and with trail building. Campbell explained the process for building the trails which consist of first clearing corridor, raking to prepare for digging. And then digging. In the summer of 2020, they finished digging close to 1/3 of the entire riding surface. During the summer 2021 they have been working on brush/leaf cleanup from the winter, completion of the surface, building the bridge structures, and then corridor clearing of the next segment. On June 21, 2021 they did a wetland walkthrough of this next segment and it was found that there were no wetland impacts on that segment. One spot will require a small crossing. There are 3 bridges on the first segment of the trail that the Parks Trail Crew is building. They have got the framing out but are waiting on lumber for the decking. Once that is done, the volunteers will fill the ends and then this segment can be opened for riding! Dan Blank, one of the volunteers commended Campbell for his work and leadership on this project, which is a big project with lots of manual labor. From an efficiency standpoint, this trail will be a tremendous asset for City of Superior. He was part of the CORP planning committee and at that time, mountain biking was fairly high on the list of things residents would like to see. Blank believes biking is a great way to exercise and to get around. He feels that biking on City streets is not always a safe adventure. Bike lanes are great, but sometimes riders don’t get a feeling of security. He proposes that we continue to connect natural green trails. He also believes that if we want citizens to have access to our assets, the City will need to invest more time, energy, money in the project. He spoke about having a mixture of volunteer workers and City equipment that could make the process go more quickly and easily. He would like the City to invest in more mountain bike trails. His final proposal was that a section of the trail be named for Henry Campbell who has led this work. Van Sickle left the meeting at 6:20. Campbell finished up his presentation with ideas for mechanized trail building. He also shared some statistics on the cost of trail building with a professional crew versus a volunteer crew. Professional trail building rates range from $6-8 per foot or $32-42K per mile. A crew of four can build 400 or more feet of trail per day. It would take volunteers quite a while to complete that. The volunteers can do about 10 miles in a summer and that is condition dependent. He shared some future goals such as signage, finishing bridges, getting some social media recognition, and letting the public know about the new trail segments. 5 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting July 22, 2021  Norén and Councilor Kern both commended Campbell on work that has been done. Kern would like to utilize the Superior Municipal Forest to its full potential. These trails are a great addition to what is going in the Superior Municipal Forest. Behlings shared an update on the timing of lumber. It is currently milled but needs to go for treatment so the actual timeline is up in the air right now. All lumber the Parks Crew has on hand is 5’ pre-cut so they are working on getting 10’ foot sections that can be cut down. He is hopeful that it won’t be long before it is ready. There was discussion about signage and the naming process for the City. It is a long process but Director Cadotte said it could be put on the agenda for the next meeting and then put out for public comment. There was also discussion around having a ribbon cutting as this work needs to be celebrated as well as to spark more interest. Once we have signage for the segment to specify what type of trail use is acceptable, the trail can then open up. The Commission indicated to avoid user conflicts, the preference would be for this trail to be specifically for mountain biking. We would not need to wait for the trail naming process before it can be opened. MOTION by Kern, second by Norén and carried to make this trail a mountain biking only trail and have all signage reflect that. The volunteers will start digging on the second segment yet this summer, but they probably won’t be done this summer. There was more discussion on using equipment for some of the work. Director Cadotte share that the City’s mini excavator is not the right equipment to mechanically go in. Also, as far as liability goes, the trail volunteers are limited in what they can do. Our operators would have to go in if City equipment was used. Director Cadotte will talk to Frog Prell to see if the volunteers themselves rented a different piece of equipment and did it on their own, would that be acceptable. Blank said that the supreme goal is to finish the first segment this summer, have an opening ceremony and have it in use this summer. There is no expectation for the City to do work this summer, but hopefully in long term plans. MOTION by Ledin, second by Norén and carried to receive and file this report. Dan Blank, Henry Campbell and Richard Kaufman left at 6:37pm. 10. Director’s Report a. The Parks Department has received some positive feedback on the yellow trail – citizen appreciate the year round multi-use access, mowing, upkeep, and etc. b. Disc Golf update - 36 t pads have been concreted and stamped with a number. We are working with that organization on signage, including directional signage. They have requested benches, some garbage and recycling bins. They would like to do an opening ceremony this August. 6 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting July 22, 2021  c. Geese round up update – There were 187 geese removed from the St. Louis river in Allouez Bay. There were 22 from Arrowhead, 51 from the Power Squadron and 47 from the plover site with the rest being from the Oliver landing. They have already noticed impact on wild rice in certain areas. The zoo took all 187 to feed their wild animals. Overall, preliminary research is showing had a positive impact for wild rice. d. Sensory Garden update – the pathways have been poured, looking to be a monumental garden, this will be an awesome addition. We are working on signage and looking to plant the trees and shrubs this fall. The remaining plants will be put in next spring. e. Barkers Island center median in the parking lot - wetland area is being replanted. f. Working on wrapping up the Hammond restrooms. The signage is complete but waiting on the blue insert. g. Pokegama vault toilet is in. Next week they will be starting the pavers and the dock. Supply chain delays with dock connector. h. The Makwa Ziibiins Miikana - Bear Creek Trail extension has kicked off. The mulching will be done and it will be ready for gravel install next week. They will work on the floating segments and boardwalk from there. 11. The next regular meeting of the Parks & Recreation Commission will be August 26, 2021 at 5:00p.m. in Room 204 of the Government Center. The thought was to keep it indoors instead of at a park so people can still attend remotely. Councilor Kern announced the meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m. Minutes submitted to the Council Meeting of August 3, 2021. 7 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting July 22, 2021 012ÿ14567ÿ895 ÿ 0123453 0123ÿ56ÿ781 9 ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ  012234ÿ6767 8 9 ÿ ÿÿÿ ÿÿ  ÿ 8  ÿ ÿÿÿÿÿ  8  !ÿ"8ÿ ÿ# ÿ  8 $ ÿ  8 %ÿ ÿ ÿ 012234ÿ6767 012234ÿ6767 012234ÿ6768 9 ÿÿÿ  9 ÿÿÿÿ  9   ÿÿÿ   9  ÿÿÿÿÿÿ  0123ÿ56ÿ781 9 ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ  012234ÿ6768 012234ÿ6768 012234ÿ6768 012345667ÿ9137ÿ 5 012345667ÿ9137ÿ 5 0123456718ÿ466865  ÿÿÿÿ  !ÿÿ"ÿ#!ÿ ÿ##ÿ!$ÿ"ÿ $  %ÿ$&!'!#(ÿ )*#ÿ*!##*(ÿ#!ÿ +#(ÿ,  -!ÿÿÿ.ÿÿ.(ÿ ÿ/ ÿ!ÿ-01123(ÿ #!#(ÿ, -))#ÿ7!##ÿ8#!ÿ-ÿ#*ÿ$$#ÿ)#!ÿ!ÿ&!'!# 2#4ÿ5*!*ÿ6'#ÿ-$)!. 01234ÿ6734839ÿ 8ÿ22ÿ9243 ÿÿÿÿ!"ÿ#$ÿ%&!"''(  )*ÿ+&!"''ÿ,&(  -./ÿ0'"'(ÿ1ÿ2-33ÿ4''"  56/ÿ0'"'(ÿ'ÿ,&2ÿ76*ÿ4''"ÿ'ÿ,&  /33ÿ+&!"''ÿ,&(ÿ'ÿ0 !' 8&4'((&!ÿ9!#!:ÿ;"'ÿÿ<&("  =/7ÿÿ4&&"ÿ1ÿ=-2>33=*525*3ÿ'ÿ0 !'ÿ?'':ÿ&ÿ@&"&(A  <'Bÿ&4ÿ*ÿ#!(ÿ*33ÿ&ÿ0&'ÿ4''"ÿ'ÿ$ÿ'':ÿ&ÿ@&"&(  3Cÿ0 !'(ÿ&4ÿ"!ÿÿÿ(00' 0123456718ÿ466865ÿ84541  ÿ !  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Once abundant throughout the estuary, wild rice has been reduced to a few remnant stands and areas where restoration efforts have been implemented. Research in the estuary has determined that Canada goose herbivory is the most significant impediment to successful establishment of self-sustaining wild rice beds. A variety of techniques have been used to reduce the impacts of geese that include hazing, egg addling, mylar flashing, swan decoys, and exclosures without a sufficient reduction in herbivory. Wildlife professionals from the WDNR and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) implemented the goose roundup at strategic locations in the estuary in proximity to wild rice restoration sites. A total of 187 geese were removed over the course of the two-day roundup effort. PROJECT BACKGROUND Wild Rice Restoration Goals -- The restoration of wild rice (Zizania palustris) in the St. Louis River Estuary is of cultural and ecological significance. Restoration goals developed in the Wild Rice Restoration Implementation Plan for the St. Louis River Estuary (“Wild Rice Plan”; Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 2014) include the establishment of 275 acres of self-sustaining rice beds. This work was conducted with funding provided by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These efforts will contribute to the removal of beneficial use impairments for the St. Louis River Area of Concern (BUI 9 – Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat). Canada Goose Herbivory -- Wild rice restoration efforts in the St. Louis River Estuary are hampered by Canada goose (Branta canadensis) herbivory (Figure 1). Monitoring data, camera traps and anecdotal observations have documented heavy browse by Canada geese during late spring and summer months when wild rice is in the floating leaf and early emergent stages of its life cycle (Schwartzkopf 1999; Figure 2). This important phase of the wild rice life cycle coincides with an abundance of molt migrant Figure 1. Sign of Canada goose herbivory on wild rice in the St. Louis River and resident nesting geese (and Estuary (Photo Credit: WDNR). their offspring) occupying wild 1 rice sites in the estuary. Efficient foraging by geese inhibits wild rice flowering and seed head production. A variety of techniques have been implemented to reduce the impacts of Canada goose herbivory (e.g., adapting restoration techniques, hazing, egg addling, mylar flashing, swan decoys, and goose exclosures). Despite these efforts, the impact of Canada goose herbivory has not been sufficiently reduced to allow for the establishment of self-sustaining wild rice beds. Figure 2. Canada goose exclosure experiments have identified goose herbivory as the primary impediment to wild rice restoration in the St. Louis River Estuary (Photo Credit: Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve). Canada Goose Roundup -- The WDNR, in partnership with the City of Superior and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) – Wildlife Services, coordinated a Canada goose roundup on the Wisconsin side of the St. Louis River in July 2021. Personnel from WDNR, APHIS – Wildlife Services, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR), 1854 Treaty Authority, Superior Police Department, and the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve (LSNERR) participated in the goose roundup effort at five locations within the estuary (Figures 3 - 6). We deployed motorboats and kayaks to locate and herd geese towards designated capture sites where APHIS – Wildlife Services personnel captured and processed geese following standardized control methods. Geese were euthanized using carbon dioxide, a method of euthanasia approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association. All geese were donated to the Lake Superior Zoological Society in Duluth to be utilized as food for resident carnivores. 2 Figure 3. Wild rice restoration sites near the 2021 Canada goose roundup location at Oliver Landing. 3 Figure 4. 2021 Canada goose roundup locations near the Clough Island wild rice restoration site. 4  Figure 5. 2021 Canada goose roundup locations near the Allouez Bay wild rice restoration sites. PROJECT OUTCOME Canada Goose Roundup -- A total of 187 Canada geese were removed from the St. Louis River (Table 1). Captures in Allouez Bay (n = 98) comprised a significant proportion of geese that inhabit the wetland areas of the bay that are likely to browse planted rice. Upriver sites west of Oliver Landing proved to be more difficult in terms of locating and successfully herding geese to the capture location. Considerable effort was made to roundup geese from areas near Foundation Bay and Oliver-Bear Island sites. Table 1. Canada goose capture results during the July 2021 roundup. Date Location Site Adult Juvenile Total 7/1/2021 Arrowhead Arrowhead Landing & Hendrick's 8 14 22 7/1/2021 Allouez bay Power Squadron 35 16 51 7/1/2021 Upriver Oliver Landing 34 0 34 7/2/2021 Upriver Oliver Landing 13 0 13 7/2/2021 Allouez Bay Plover Site 15 32 47 7/2/2021 Upriver Oliver Landing 20 0 20 5 Although we had some success at these “upriver” sites (n = 67), there is a substantial number of geese that evaded capture. We also captured geese (n = 22) from Arrowhead Landing and a nearby residential site (i.e., “Hendrick’s”), a site that is approximately 2 miles (3.22 km) from the nearest wild rice restoration site on the eastern side of Clough Island (Figure 3). CONCLUSIONS & NEXT STEPS General Conclusions -- This first effort at rounding up Canada geese from the St. Louis River Estuary was a success. Personnel from multiple organizations came together to implement a direct management action that will benefit wild rice restoration. In addition, we verified that this type of management action can be done efficiently and effectively. The roundup was conducted discretely, was met with strong support from members of the public that were encountered and will likely improve the likelihood of successful wild rice seed production. Quantifying the Impact of Removal -- We will not be able to quantify the impact of removing 187 geese on wild rice seed production until monitoring efforts are completed in the fall of 2021. We hope to observe monitoring locations with greater biomass, density and seed production. Similarly, we expect to see fewer monitoring locations with evidence of goose browse when the monitoring results are made available. Heavily browsed vegetation was observed prior to the roundup. It is likely that wild rice restoration sites in closer proximity to roundup location will experience a greater reduction in goose herbivory that sites which are more distant to roundup locations. We intend to examine monitoring data to evaluate this first year’s impact. Expanding to Minnesota -- Many of the prime round up locations in the upriver sections of the project area are located on the Minnesota side of the river. Future capture efforts will be more effective at reducing goose herbivory on upriver restoration sites when capture operations can be conducted in Minnesota as well as Wisconsin. The City of Duluth is currently exploring the development of a city-wide goose management plan that would allow the MNDNR to permit specific management actions to reduce impacts to wild rice and other resources. Until the MN plan is in place, round up efforts will take place exclusively on the Wisconsin side of the river. Continued Management -- Effective goose management that benefits of wild rice restoration relies on cooperation among a diverse group of stakeholders each of whom plays an important role. Opportunities to educate the public on the cultural and ecological importance of wild rice will help garner continued support for goose management. Higher seeding rates (~200lbs/acre) combined with goose exclosures and annual round ups will go a long way towards achieving the wild rice restoration goals established in the “Wild Rice Plan” (MNDNR 2014). We anticipate that goose roundups will be implemented in subsequent years and that management triggers for Canada goose roundups will be incorporated into a future Wild Rice Plan revision. However, we believe that as restoration goals are met, Canada goose roundups in the St. Louis River Estuary will end. Continued monitoring will inform the effectiveness of these tools and the need for future action. 6 Research Opportunities -- There are a few key research questions that have been developed in the process of planning for, and carrying out, this initial round up effort. 1. How much time are geese spending in wild rice restoration sites compared to other locations in the estuary? Is the amount of time spent in a restoration site proportional to the amount of rice present? 2. How far will geese move within the estuary to access wild rice restoration sites? Do restoration sites near capture locations see a greater benefit than sites more distant (e.g., improved biomass seed production, higher density rice stems, etc.)? 3. Is there a wild rice density and/or patch size where rice beds become more resilient to goose herbivory? Can we establish a set of metrics that define a resilient stand of wild rice in the St. Louis River Estuary? REFERENCES Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. 2014. St. Louis River estuary wild rice restoration implementation plan. Division of Ecological and Water Resources. Duluth, Minnesota. Schwarzkopf, L. 1999. St. Louis River – wild rice restoration project. Prepared for Richard Greenwood, Great Lakes National Program Office, U.S. EPA/Region V, Chicago, IL. 7