May 8, 2009        

MEDIA ALERT:  RIVER QUEST Educational Cruises May 12-14
Area reporters and photojournalists are invited to join us aboard the Vista Star for our 17th annual RIVER QUEST program next week. You may board at 8:05 a.m. or 11:05 a.m. to interview presenters at any of the ten learning stations. The students and teachers will board 15 minutes later. The Vista Star will remain docked for the first learning module, after which you may choose to disembark; otherwise, you are invited to remain on board for the full two-and-a-half hour cruise and continue shooting/doing interviews.

River Quest educational cruises are scheduled for Tues., Wed. and Thurs., May 12-14, from 8:30 to 11 a.m. and again from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. each day.

A total of 874 sixth grade students from seven area schools will participate this year - bringing to over 13,000 the total number of students that have benefited from the River Quest program since its inception in 1993.

The program was designed to instill in these students a strong sense of environmental stewardship, while helping them to better understand industrial, commercial and recreational activities in the St. Louis River estuary. The two-hour boat trips offer 10 different hands-on learning stations, which foster an awareness of river ecosystems and a student's connection to the river and harbor environment.

Nearly 30 companies help sponsor the program each year, including more than a dozen organizations that provide volunteers to conduct the "learning stations" onboard the Vista Star for all three days – covering topics on water quality, pollution prevention, surface water runoff, dredge material use, boating safety and shipping. Learning station hosts include: US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), US Coast Guard, WLSSD, Duluth Power Squadron, City of Duluth, Murphy Oil USA, Inc., Great Lakes Aquarium, Superior National Forest, EPA, MPCA, Minnesota Sea Grant, Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute and Duluth Seaway Port Authority. Sponsorships provided (to date) for River Quest 2009 include: Allouez Marine, Bernick’s Pepsi, Gavilon Grain, Grandma’s, Great Lakes Aquarium, Hallett Dock Co., ISD 709, W.P. & R.S. Mars Co., USACE, Vista Fleet, WLSSD and the Port Authority.

Students will be encouraged to submit essays about their River Quest experience as part of the “Captain Ray Skelton River Quest Essay Contest.” The winner’s name will be added to a traveling school plaque to recognize both the student’s writing abilities and the school’s participation in River Quest. The winner will also receive an award plus family passes to area sightseeing attractions.

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 NOTE:  Students will be watching demonstrations and learning answers to the following questions. You may choose to pose some of these questions to your readers/viewers/ listeners ahead of time, but please don't give away any of the answers!  Thank you.

River Quest 2009:  LEARNING STATION QUESTIONS & ANSWERS  

#1  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Q: How cold does the water have to be to cause hypothermia? 
A:  Any temperature under 8- degrees. But under the right conditions, any temperature lower than body temperature can led to hypothermia.

#2  U.S. Coast Guard
Q: How does the Coast Guard clean up an oil spill?
A:  Containment boom, sorbent pads, vac truck and skimmers.

#3  Western Lake Superior Sanitary District
Q:  Who are the real workers at WLSSD?
A:  The Microorganisms!  (Bacteria, etc.)

#4  Power Squadron 
Pow
Q:  Why wear life jackets?
A: Wearing life jackets can be LIFE-saving. “They float…you don’t!”
 
#5  City of Duluth
Q:  What is the difference between Storm Sewers and Sanitary Sewers?
A:  Sanitary sewers lead to the treatment plant; storm sewers drain directly to creeks & Lake Superior.

#5  Murphy Oil USA, Inc., Duluth Marine Terminal
Q:  What is most important to a vessel while it is fueling?
A:  Fill both bunkers at the same rate.

#6  Great Lakes Aquarium + Superior National Forest
Q:  Which fish is the biggest fish in Lake Superior?
A:   Sturgeon.

#7  Duluth Seaway Port Authority
Q:  How can you tell when a vessel is in “trim”?
A:  When it’s riding “level” in the water.

#8  EPA + MPCA + Superior National Forest 
Q:  What is a watershed?
A:  A region in which all land drains to a particular body or water or a common point.

#9  Minnesota Sea Grant
Q:  What can you do to prevent the release or spread of unwanted aquarium fish, plants, snails or crayfish into the environment?
A:  Get Habitattitude!

#10  Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute (GLMRI)
Q:  What cargo did your ship load or unload?
A:  Coal, grain, iron ore, limestone or wind turbine parts.  [answer will vary w/each group] 

Learning Station Schedule – River Quest 2009            

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For more information, contact: 
Adele Yorde, PR Manager,
Duluth Seaway Port Authority, 
218-727-8525 or
218-390-6973 (cell) 

Duluth Seaway Port Authority
1200 Port Terminal Drive
Duluth, MN 55802-2609 U.S.A.

Duluth Seaway Port Authority
1200 Port Terminal Drive
Duluth, MN 55802
Tel: (218) 727-8525     Tel: (800) 232-0703     Fax: (218) 727-6888
©2009 Duluth Seaway Port Authority