Sailing Season on Lake Superior is busy. Approximately 4,500 ships travel through the Soo Locks. One boat, the Blue Heron, docked in Duluth, Minnesota, spends the summer season as a Research Vessel for the University of Minnesota’s Large Lakes Observatory. Captain Rual Lee has been at the helm of the 87’ vessel since 2014. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with him about what it takes to operate a floating science lab on the Greatest of the Great Lakes.

Quotes:

1. “We're still working on the boat, trying to make it a better tool for science.”
2. “The lake is humbling. It really doesn't matter what boat you're on. It will put you in your place as it were.”
3. “One of the great parts of my job is that the crew and I get to hang around with some really smart people doing some really clever research, looking at different parts of the lake.”
4. “The science comes and goes according to the individual projects. So we're the platform. We're a useful tool to get the science done.”
5. “Out in the middle of Lake Superior, you can see the results of a policy change that showed up in the mid-70s. And that's really a great thing I think.”

Helpful links:

• Learn more about the R/V Blue Heron:
  https://scse.d.umn.edu/large-lakes-observatory/vessels/blue-heron
• Learn more about the Large Lakes Observatory:
  https://scse.d.umn.edu/large-lakes-observatory
• Learn more about Science on Deck events:
  https://scse.d.umn.edu/large-lakes-observatory/news-events/science-deck
• Track Great Lakes vessels with BoatNerd AIS:
  https://ais.boatnerd.com/
• Learn more about “The Freshwater Everest” / Superior Shoal livestream:
  https://inspiredplanet.ca/live/

Connect With Us:

• Lake Superior Podcast Page – https://nplsf.org/podcast
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NationalParksOfLakeSuperiorFoundation

Sponsors:

• Cafe Imports – Minneapolis-based importers of specialty green coffees since 1993, focused on sustainability. Learn more: cafeimports.com
• National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation – Donate to protect Lake Superior’s five national parks: nplsf.org/donate

There’s nothing like sitting around a camp fire telling Lake Superior stories. Imagine the tales you could collect spending almost three decades gathering the news, features and photographs for the region’s most popular magazine. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Konnie LeMay, long time editor of Lake Superior Magazine, published in her home town of Duluth, MInnesota, to find out more about her career-long favorites.

5 Episode Quotes

“Lake Superior has always been part of my horizon.”

“It has given me one of my frequently noted phrases, which is big lake, small world.”

“There isn't one place that I've been around the lake that I wouldn't want to visit again.”

“Our bodies are more than 50% water, and my body happens to be probably about all Lake Superior water, so I carry Lake Superior with me wherever I go.”

“It is a resource not just of the moment, but a resource of the future.”

Helpful links:

• Learn more about Lake Superior Magazine:
  https://lakesuperior.com/
• Learn more about Lake Superior Writers:
  https://lakesuperiorwriters.org/

Connect With Us:

• Lake Superior Podcast Page – https://nplsf.org/podcast
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NationalParksOfLakeSuperiorFoundation

Sponsors:

• Cafe Imports – Minneapolis-based importers of specialty green coffees since 1993, focused on sustainability. Learn more: cafeimports.com
• National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation – Donate to protect Lake Superior’s five national parks: nplsf.org/donate

No mammal represents Minnesota’s north shore better than the moose. The winter of 2026 has been busy and significant for these majestic animals. Through the Northern Moose Alliance (www.moosealliance.org), a joint effort between Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 1854 Treaty Authority, Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation, 60 juvenile moose were collared to launch a study on why the moose population has seen a 60% decline in recent years. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Michelle Carstensen, Wildlife Health Group Leader for the Minnesota’s DNR about the project and the partnerships that have come together to better learn about the region’s moose.

We’d love to keep you updated as this work evolves and share ways you can help protect moose as opportunities arise.

Join the Northern Moose Alliance’s quarterly newsletter for exclusive updates, expert moose insights, and actions you can take: https://moosealliance.org/subscribe/

Quotes

“It's been a very moose-filled winter for us, which, if you ask me, is a great way to spend the winter.”

“What we want to know is how many can survive over winter and at what age they become reproductively contributing to the population.”

“We were missing that middle cohort of animals, which is a huge driver if you want to have a population that’s going to grow.”

“We’re trying to understand why the moose population has been kind of stagnant.”

“It’s our role as stewards to try to help this population thrive.”

Connect With Us:

• Northern Moose Alliance Website – https://moosealliance.org
• Lake Superior Podcast Page – https://nplsf.org/podcast
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NationalParksOfLakeSuperiorFoundation

Sponsors:

• Cafe Imports – Minneapolis-based importers of specialty green coffees since 1993, focused on sustainability. Learn more: cafeimports.com
• National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation – Donate to protect Lake Superior’s five national parks: nplsf.org/donate