Backwater Plant Identification Canoe Paddle with Sam Thayer

Sunday Canoe Trip: We plan to carpool across the Mississippi River at Lansing (the new bridge is under construction, so there is a free car ferry to get people across the River) to load into canoes at Winneshiek Slough at 9:00 am. People from the Wisconsin side can meet us there. Canoes (and permit to group tour within the Upper Mississippi Wildlife and Fish Refuge) will be provided by Steve Lawless of Merry Green Marvel tours. Samuel Thayer will provide plant/ecosystem interpretation. We will not be foraging; we will be learning about wetland plants. Life jackets will be provided. We plan to paddle in the backwaters from 9:00-noon, with stops to look at and discuss the vegetation and ecosystems we are viewing. We may get out of the canoes on some of the islands. We will try to avoid spending much time on the main channel and larger waters where motorboat traffic is common. We advise that you come prepared for wet feet and biting insects during this excursion. For agility, we are trying to minimize the number of canoes; we plan to have 2 or 3 people in each canoe. Maximum participation of 18. This is in conjunction with a Saturday workshop, participants in the workshop had first opportunity to register; these are the remaining slots.