Minnesota Gets Coaster Signs
While NFC has no presence in the state, in August of 2020, NFC Executive Director Bob Mallard entered into discussions with folks from The Greater Lake Superior Foundation in Minnesota about informational signage in regard to coaster brook trout in Lake Superior. He provided folks with a link to NFC sign projects, as well as a rough draft of what a coaster sign could look like.
Coasters are a unique life history strategy of migratory brook trout. These move between their natal streams and Lake Superior where they grow large on the ample forage base in the lake. With two federal governments, and several provincial and state governments involved, coasters are the most studied brook trout in the world.
In late April 2021, Bob received an email from his Minnesota contact with a couple of pictures of new coaster signs in the field. In fact, the signs went a bit further and noted that the only salmonids that are native to Lake Superior are brook trout, lake trout, and lake whitefish. While our role was small, it was none the less rewarding to see the project come to fruition.
Like most informational sign projects, it took a bit of time to come up with a message, design, and logo sponsorships, that everyone could agree to. But they got it done, and the signs are going up as we speak.
As we have said countless times, NFC feels strongly that informational signage is critical in regard to educating the masses and gaining support for wild native fish.
“I thought you might be interested to see our first signs going up. We started the process last August after your phone calls, and most of the winter was spent in approval process with MN DNR and our partners. There will be 25 in our initial pilot installations, at river mouths, Lake Superior boat launches, barrier falls, etc. We decided not to reference regulations at all, as most signs will be placed immediately adjacent to regulatory signage. We also crafted the language toward non-anglers and casual (tourist) anglers. Experienced steelhead anglers here know all about coasters. Thanks for your help and prodding.”
