Restoration of Kingsbury Bay and Grassy Point celebration

Minnesota’s DNR, US Fish and Wildlife, and the US Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes Restoration Initiative held a ribbon cutting for a new fishing pier.

The new fishing pier was built at Indian Park Campground, to celebrate Minnesota’s largest Aquatic habitat restoration project.

The three year project, of restoring Kingsbury Bay and Grassy Point, from wood waste in the St. Louis River began in 2019 to help restore 230 acres of coastal wetland habitats. The restoration project costed $19 million. The site restoration included creating new islands to shelter the restored wetland from wave action.

Kingsbury Bay and Grassy Point are two of seventeen sites that are in need of habitat restoration within St. Louis River Area of concern.

Currently, Minnesota’s DNR and partner agencies have completed nine habitat restoration projects.

One of the projects underway are a sediment reduction project at Kingsbury Creek to help restore Wild Rice in Kingsbury Bay. The sediment moved to Grassy Point to help new lake plant life flourish.

The new Indian Point fishing pier is in Western Duluth, off the end of North 75th Avenue West.

“This pier was actually something fully funded by other partners.” said Mayor Emily Larson. The partners have collaborated with the DNR, US Fish and Wildlife, and the US Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

US Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region 3 Director Charles Wooley, explained how rewarding the newly constructed pier, by fishing.

“That fishing pier that we are on here right now, is an example of that. Now I can’t endorse a product that I haven’t tested myself. So i came down here earlier today and fished off this pier. I didn’t catch anything, but the lady that is sitting there in the corner, caught a beautiful walleye pike.” said Charles Wooley.