Lauren Johnson is all smiles after accepting her award for winning this year’s essay contest from River Quest committee members Dick Langlee (left) and Tim Velner.

Her winning essay was chosen from 25 entries submitted by students from some of the schools that had participated in the River Quest educational cruises aboard the Vista Star harbor excursion vessel on May 14-16. In addition to another Vista cruise, the winner’s family will be provide a guided tour of the Canadian National (CN) loading dock facility in Duluth.

The Duluth Seaway Port Authority is the lead sponsor of River Quest, a program created in 1993 to increase students’ awareness of environmental stewardship while helping them understand industrial, commercial and recreational activities in the St. Louis River basin. The essay contest was named in memory of one of the program’s founders, longtime Port employee and maritime legend, Ray Skelton.

Ray Skelton joined the Port Authority in 1990 as director of environmental and governmental affairs. He also managed the Port’s foreign trade zone and, after 9/11, was appointed Port security director. He died in 2006. In his memory – and in tribute to his passion for seafaring – his family and friends have established a scholarship in his memory at the Great Lakes Maritime Academy. The Great Lakes Maritime Academy, a division of Northwestern Michigan College and a partner of Ferris State University, prepares men and women to serve as business professionals and as merchant marine officers aboard Great Lakes and ocean ships. Donations may be made online via www.nmc.edu/maritime or

by mail to:

Ray Skelton Scholarship
NMC Foundation
1701 E Front St
Traverse City, MI 49686

My Trip to River Quest
By Lauren Johnson

On May 15, my class attended River Quest 2008. We had such a fun time exploring the St. Louis River by boat. We also had a very educational experience as well, by going to different stations spread out on the boat.

We learned a lot about water, the dangers of it, and the importance of keeping it clean. The stations that taught us about these things were the Coast Guard, WLSSD, the EPA, and the Sea Grant station. All of these stations were all talking about protecting our water, purifying it, and keeping dangers out and away.

At the Coast Guard station, we learned how they clean up an oil spill, why it is important to clean up an oil spill, and what to do if you see an oil spill. To clean up an oil spill, the coast guard blocks off the area that the oil is in to prevent it from spreading, then cleans it up by using these absorbent pads that only soak up oil, not water, then dispose of the pads in a special recycling plant. It is important to clean up an oil spill because oil spreads quickly and easily, and can greatly affect the environment by killing animals, and polluting the water. If you spot an oil spill, tell an adult, call 911, or call the coast guard.

While we were at the WLSSD station, we learned what happens to all of our waste water and who cleans it. It turns out that all of our waste water goes to a water treatment plant to get cleaned and sent back out to us again. The real workers who clean the water turned out to be a surprise to us. It is bacteria that clean our water!

At the EPA station we were taught about pollution and where it often ends up. Pollution on land often runs into rivers which run into lakes and important bodies of water such as Lake Superior. Even when you wash your car the chemicals run down the street and drain into a river, then to another body of water. Pollution is really dangerous to our environment, so don’t cause it because we only have limited resources.

While visiting the Sea Grant station, my class learned about dangerous animals living in the water and why to keep them away. Dangerous animals include zebra mussels, who attach themselves to clams, and then the clams die and it brings the population of clams down. Goldfish can overpopulate too, so don’t release your goldfish into a natural place because they can kill off other species by overpopulating.

My class had a wonderful time and a great adventure on River Quest and learned a lot of lessons about Lake Superior and the St. Louis River area. I learned many new things and now will be more respectful of nature and of my environment from now on.