This presentation is part of the Landscape Conservation Planning and Prioritization Organized Session.
The Lake Superior Headwaters Sustainability Partnership (Partnership) is a collaborative of over 30 bi-state and tribal partners working together on landscape level conservation. The Partnership is centered around the St. Louis River estuary, the largest freshwater estuary in North America and tributary to Lake Superior, the most pristine of the Great Lakes. The planning region is 1,081 square miles in area, spanning the Minnesota and Wisconsin state lines and including a portion of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation. Situated between the urban areas of Duluth, MN, and Superior, WI the estuary itself is home to the country’s busiest and largest bulk inland port. Boasting unique wetland and wildlife habitats, the setting is often described as a wilderness in the heart of an urban area.
The principles of sustainability, climate resiliency, and equity guide the Partnership’s approach to managing natural resources by including economic development and community health and well-being considerations. Since a large portion of the Partnership region is urbanized, considering natural resources conservation within the context of community health and economic development is imperative.
A diverse group of partners in the region have established goals and objectives for 12 Priority Concerns for the region identified through a thorough stakeholder engagement process. These landscape level goals and objectives will guide prioritization of projects undertaken by partners such that landscape scale sustainability, climate resiliency, and equity are advanced. The Partnership is currently working to develop detailed, actionable landscape stewardship visions for large planning areas to guide conservation efforts in the Partnership region. Benefits of this process include: furthering landscape level conservation priorities established by the bi-state and Tribal Nations planning framework of the Partnership; supporting coastal climate resilience and sustainability for local communities with an intentional, inclusive approach; and broadening participation by underserved communities in the region through implementation of environmental justice principles and values and sustained meaningful community engagement. Over time, this approach will result in implementation of community-supported habitat conservation and restoration projects that are climate resilient and aligned with a broadly accepted regional vision. Further, the approach aims to deepen and diversify involvement of communities benefiting from the work.
