Contents
Recent Flood History
Off the southeastern shores of the City of Duluth, lies a naturally formed peninsula with rich natural and cultural history and tremendous economic importance. Now called Minnesota Point, or the Point, this peninsula, which became an island following the construction of the piers and infrastructure built to accommodate shipping and trade through the Port of Duluth, is connected to the mainland via the iconic Duluth Lift Bridge and has a singular road that provides access to residents, visitors, recreational users and customers of the Point. Minnesota Point separates Lake Superior from the St. Louis Estuary and plays a crucial role in sheltering the Port of Duluth and Superior, Wisconsin, from the rough waters of Lake Superior. As the highest tonnage port on the Great Lakes, this international port is a major driver of the local and regional economies. A neighborhood of Duluth, Minnesota Point is home to a human population of 1,304 (2022). Combined with neighboring Wisconsin Point, Minnesota Point is part of the largest freshwater sandbar in the world, at over seven miles long. It is also the host to several rare and protected species, old growth red and white pine forest, bogs, sedge meadows, wetlands, thickets, lake and bay sand beaches, and a rare coastal dune ecosystem providing habitat for rare and protected species found nowhere else in Minnesota.
These natural features and the built environment of Minnesota Point are at risk of damage due to coastal hazards, such as erosion and flooding. Seasonal, high intensity northeastern winds during autumn and early winter often create seiches and wave action which can inundate the shoreline and cause severe flooding, especially when water levels are higher than average. In late October 2017, during a period of high lake levels, a powerful early winter storm with wind gusts reaching more than 50 miles per hour and 16-foot waves damaged portions of the Duluth shoreline, causing erosion the entire length of Minnesota Point. Following the storm, the governor of Minnesota authorized a disaster declaration making the City eligible for federal and state funding to support recovery. The following two years saw two more coastal storms of similar size, in some cases waves on Lake Superior crested at up to 15 feet high, and access to and from Park Point was cut off, hampering emergency services. Initial damage assessments after all three storms estimated approximately $30M in repairs to City shorelines. The funding for the repairs came from a combination of federal, state and city funding sources, with a large portion of the funding going to help rebuild Duluth’s Canal Park.
Large coastal storms on Lake Superior like these are the primary driver for flooding and erosion on Minnesota Point. The increased risk of coastal flooding and erosion, along with rising surface water temperatures, threatens the community, plants, wildlife, public access, and economy connected with Minnesota Point as well as the entities with which it is linked, from the Port of Duluth to the Indigenous people who have deep connection to the land and water.
The identification of actions to build coastal resilience and protect the community, therefore, are of timely importance.
Vision for the Future
Broad community involvement in any conversation around the future of Minnesota Point is important, as many groups have vested, sometimes divergent interests. Partners of Minnesota Point include its residents, Indigenous people with ties to the Point, the City of Duluth, the Port of Duluth, and the Minnesota’s Coastal Program within the Department of Natural Resources (“Minnesota Coastal Program”), among others, including beneficiaries and users of the land that may not have a voice (i.e., future generations, visitors, etc.). With these many hands, while there are different perspectives on priorities, there is general consensus on some common goals by most partners which help create a vision for the future of Minnesota Point. Participating partners engaged in crafting this vision include Park Point Community Club and Minnesota Point 50 representing the residents of the Point, the City of Duluth, the Minnesota’s Coastal Program, Minnesota Sea Grant, and regional experts from the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
Participating partners agree they want to see Minnesota Point’s sense of place and community character maintained. To this point, in 100 years, they want to see, in no particular order:
- Maintained community character;
- A resident population that understands what it means to live in a Great Lakes shoreline community like Minnesota Point;
- A responsible visitor population that understands the history, geology, and other unique features of Minnesota Point including its climate vulnerabilities;
- Resilient infrastructure;
- Rare and unique natural areas of Minnesota Point thriving;
- Preservation of white and red pine old growth forests;
- Preservation of open space and limited development of at risk areas;
- Protection and restoration of natural dunes;
- Endangered species protections maintained;
- Public access maintained (e.g., parks and beaches still in use by the public);
- Improved water quality in both Lake Superior and the St. Louis Estuary;
- Continuation of the Point as a barrier to protect the Port of Duluth from lake-related hazards, in turn protecting the local economy;
- Improved understanding of the history of the Point;
- Strengthened relations with Indigenous people with ties to the Point;
- Improved understanding of the coastal and environmental processes foundational to the sustainability of the Point; and
- Increased stewardship of the Point.
Exactly how this vision is achieved requires extensive and committed partner coordination and collaboration.
Creating the Action Plan
To help identify appropriate resilience strategies and actions for Minnesota Point, Duluth, Minnesota, a team from the area joined the Strengthening Coastal Communities Resilience in the Great Lakes Region Challenge program. Led by the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM), in partnership with the American Planning Association (APA), the Coastal States Organization (CSO) and the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network via Wisconsin Sea Grant (“Project Partners”), this program worked to help coastal communities identify opportunities to better manage their dynamic coastlines and prepare for flood hazards. The goal of the challenge was to assess and model community flood vulnerability to identify strategies, ideally natural and nature-based solutions, that can alleviate the specific coastal problems found in the participating communities. This work was made possible through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation National Coastal Resilience Fund Grant (2021).
Technical assistance led by the Project Partners from Winter 2023 to Fall 2024 included:
- Support toward completion and analysis of a coastal hazard self-assessment,
- Review of community plans and policy recommendations by American Planning Association,
- Confirmation of the community’s vision for the future,
- Creation of three climate futures inundation scenario maps,
- Completion of a vulnerability assessment,
- Development of a collaborative five-year action plan, and a
- List of funding opportunities tied to identified project strategies.
The action plan created in this project provides a framework for ongoing collaboration and community action. The actions included here address major issue areas where coastal resilience efforts would produce the most social, economic, and environmental benefits, both as identified by the community and as identified in the assessment. Actions include plans, projects, programs, and regulations. This list is not exhaustive or comprehensive but has been prioritized for action within the next five years, based on capacity. For each action identified, the community has confirmed support of the action, identified an entity responsible for implementation, and estimated when the activity would occur along a five-year timeline. MP50 will hold regular meetings, frequency to be determined, to check in with partners on the pursuit of these actions.
Action Plan
Note, primary numbers listed below refer to community goals, whereas sub-numbers refer to actions.
1. Ensure Minnesota Point goals and projects are incorporated into appropriate plans, especially ones that provide access to restricted funding opportunities
| A.1.1 | MP50 will continue to convene partners engaged in the action planning process, including the Park Point Community Club, the City of Duluth, the Minnesota Coastal Program, Minnesota Sea Grant, and regional experts from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, among others. (Ongoing) |
| A.1.2 | City Planning will connect with city’s representative to St Louis County Hazard Mitigation Plan update team to ensure Minnesota Point actions in the next update. (Year 1) |
| A.1.3 | City Public Works will create a stormwater management plan for City of Duluth with a background section related to water management along the coast and Minnesota Point. (Year 5) |
| A.1.4 | MP50 will develop a long-term plan for Minnesota Point that includes adaptation pathways for potential long-term coastal hazards such as erosion. (Year 3) |
2. Maintain community character through the management of appropriate new development and the preservation of mixed-use development on the Point
| A.2.1 | MP50 and City to research what areas should not be developed and potential programs and regulations that are best practices to limit this development. (Ongoing) |
3. Increase resilience of public infrastructure (e.g., access roads intact)
| A.3.1 | City Sustainability Office’s Community Energy Resiliency Project Coordinator to explore the feasibility of installing power lines underground for new developments on Minnesota Point to reduce risks of power outages during storms. (Year 1) |
| A.3.2 | City Public Works to assess how infrastructure on the Point can be cost‐effectively protected from harm in its current location, eliminated altogether, or relocated to a less vulnerable location. (Ongoing) |
4. Preserve, protect, and restore open space
1. Improve local understanding of environmental and coastal processes, risks (e.g., vulnerable coastal infrastructure), hazards and their impacts, and resilience on and around Minnesota Point, including No Adverse Impact mitigation options.
| B.1.1 | MP50 with support from Partner City Departments, Minnesota Coastal Program, Minnesota Sea Grant, and University, among others, to create two property owners’ guides to living on Minnesota Point, one for lakeside and one for bayside. Items for potential inclusion: best practices for living on shoreline; impact of hardened shorelines on the environment; risks of inundation; importance of performing routine inspection and maintenance of shore protection structures; encourage private pipe improvements; create a brochure on Minnesota Point; information and best practices for coastal dune ecosystem; protection and promotion of native plant species; education around terrestrial invasive species; preservation of birding and bird species. (Year 1, MP50, folder creation; Ongoing, MP50, folder dissemination and webinar) |
| B.1.2 | Minnesota Sea Grant, in partnership with Minnesota Coastal Program and City of Duluth (especially Public Works around water utilities on the Point — e.g., sump pumps, laterals, lead water, etc.), to create a one-stop-shop resource for real estate agents and property buyers to increase awareness of the reality of living in a shoreline community on the Great Lakes. (Year 1, in progress; Year 2, deployment) |
| B.1.3 | MP50 to capture knowledge on coastal hazard information such as maps and guidance on shoreline management practices. (Ongoing, in progress) |
| B.1.4 | MP50 in partnership with Minnesota Sea Grant to create a walking or mobile tour on the coastal processes, risks, hazards, etc. that impact Minnesota Point visiting three or four properties on the Point so participants can see effects firsthand and meet residents. (Year 1, creation of materials; Year 2, develop walking tour and start to implement) |
| B.1.5 | All team members to identify conversations (planning, development, etc.) where awareness can be raised around coastal hazards and associated vulnerabilities within the whole community to increase resilience on Minnesota Point. (Ongoing) |
| B.1.6 | City Properties, Parks, and Libraries to engage the Lake Superior Headwaters Sustainability Partnership to study the bayside of Minnesota Point to support comprehensive planning on Bayside. (Year 1+, engage partner; TBD, identify funding/complete study) |
| B.1.7 | City Properties, Parks, and Libraries to engage in or identify opportunities for future educational efforts during City planning processes on Minnesota Point around the Park Point Community Recreation Area and the undeveloped bayside waterfront at 13th Street (boat club) (e.g., education signage). (Year 1, educational efforts during planning; Year 5, future education begins) |
| B.1.8 | MP50, the City, and the Minnesota Coastal Program to jointly develop an annual coastal resilience communications plan, taking advantage of current outreach and education methods including: MP50’s Park Point Breeze monthly newsletter, presentations at monthly Park Point Community Club or other community meetings, webinars, community of practice peer-to-peer conversations, Summer Research Summit, and website; City public meetings and press releases for projects and planning efforts; and events such as the harvest festival and downtown sidewalk days. (Ongoing) |
| B.1.9 | MP50 and Minnesota Coastal Program in partnership with City of Duluth Sustainability Office and Minnesota Sea Grant, to develop an educational series, a la the City of Duluth’s Sustainability Series, for Minnesota Point. (Year 2, secure funding; Year 3+, develop and implement series) |
2. Improve public access (i.e., no gatekeeping) and visibility of public access means
| B.2.1 | MP50 to partner with City Parks and Recreation (handles parks, trails, and interpretative signage) and/or Engineering (handles ROW signage) to promote responsible use and management of the beach on Minnesota Point. (Year 1) |
3. Improve stewardship
| B.3.1 | MP50 to partner with NOAA around the development of a data management plan to support future efforts related to the action plan. (Year 1) |
| B.3.2 | MP50 in partnership with City Parks and Recreation, assuming this idea gains traction during upcoming planning efforts, to create a learning lab on Park Point where residents and researchers can explore water science, waves and geology, ecology, dunes, SNA, history, culture, etc. and host learning activities (e.g., “up river” role playing game, geocaching, or peer to peer learning / citizen science opportunities). (Year 2+) |
| B.3.3 | City Parks and Recreation to conduct two planning processes on Minnesota Point (one around the Park Point Community Recreation Area and one for the as-yet-undeveloped bayside waterfront at 13th Street), either or both of which could include an educational component. (Year 1) |
1. Protect, preserve, and restore natural features and systems on and surrounding Minnesota Point, including Lake Superior, the estuary, dunes, white and red pine old growth forest, and other open space
| C.1.1 | City Natural Resources Management Program to include the exploration of Minnesota Point as a priority for focus as an agenda item at the annual meeting of the Natural Resources Commission in order to protect natural features and systems on Minnesota Point, including protection or enhancement of public realm natural systems such as the urban forest and dunes. (Year 1) |
| C.1.2 | City Properties, Parks, and Libraries to develop and implement plans to protect and restore each of the following areas: the Pontliana Woods, 13th Street Beach, Southworth Marsh, Minnesota Point Scientific and Natural Area, Park Point Community Recreation Area, and the entire Minnesota Point lakefront. (Year 1: identify which areas to develop plans for in the next five years) |
2. Build relationships with Tribal nations with connections to Minnesota Point to increase incorporation of indigenous practices on Minnesota Point
| C.2.1 | Partners to fully participate in the NOAA Climate Resilience Regional Challenge Grant, awarded to St. Louis County in 2024, entitled “Advancing Regional Climate Resilience for Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Region.” The grant adds local capacity to help build relationships and cultivate collaborative leadership to advance resiliency in Northeastern MN. (Years 1–5) |
| C.2.2 | MP50, in partnership with its Community of Practice, to identify a team to build relationships and processes for working with Tribal Nations to preserve open space sites, districts, and structures of historic and cultural significance on Minnesota Point. (Year 1) |
1. Preserve beaches and parks on Minnesota Point
| D.1.1 | City Property, Park & Libraries Division to upgrade aging infrastructure (e.g., flooded/eroded boat launch/parking lot and roads, or beyond) in Park Point Recreation Area, depending on results of upcoming planning process. (Year 3) |
2. Install additional signs on Minnesota Point and/or develop beach house or other structures on Minnesota Point into a museum or other educational facility
| D.2.1 | MP50 to check in with City Property, Park & Libraries Division following their upcoming planning processes to see if further actions might be developed towards this goal. (Year 4) |
1. Protect and improve water quality of Lake Superior
| E.1.1 | MP50 to develop communications around how pollutants (e.g., pesticides, litter, etc.) affect the water quality of Lake Superior. (Year 1) |
| E.1.2 | MP50 to identify organizations working on or around the water quality of Lake Superior. (Year 1) |
2. Preserve Minnesota Point as a barrier to keep pollutants out of the lake and protect harbor/port from lake-related hazards
| E.2.1 | Minnesota Coastal Program and MP50 to identify funding and seek partners to develop and implement a dune assessment and stewardship project. (Year 1: seek funding; Year 2/3: secure funding; Year 4/5: report) |
| E.2.2 | City Planning to evaluate the results of the above dune assessment (Action E.2.1) — in particular any definitions or maps — to determine if an update to zoning on Minnesota Point is appropriate. (Year 5) |
| E.2.3 | MP50 to support the work of its Community of Practice to ensure continued resilience of Park Point. (Ongoing) |
Parking Lot for Potential Future Resilience Actions
This section contains ideas that the participants: wanted to pursue but acknowledged they would not have the capacity or resources to do so within the five years of the Action Plan timeline; wanted to discuss further before potentially pursuing as actions; and/or could not make decisions around until existing projects are complete as they would have an impact on the decision making process.
- Work on planning & project efforts that reduce future coastal erosion damages to Minnesota Point from Lake Superior storms and addresses current coastal erosion issues that threaten infrastructure on Minnesota Point
- Evaluate the use of the Adaptation Pathways in the Great Lakes and/or the effectiveness of Adaptation Pathways in the long-term using Minnesota Point as a focus area
- Review local zoning regulations but also push to see if State DNR would update their shoreline regulations to have a Great Lakes specific section
- Increase outreach to local private sector engineers to increase their awareness of nature-based solutions (vs. rip rap and hardened shorelines) as they are the ones providing plans because the city has no coastal engineers on staff
- Quantify costs related to past and future storm and flood events on Minnesota Point and environmental effects in order to better explain the importance of pragmatically addressing water issues through tools such as green infrastructure
- Retain in City/State ownership or preserve through conservation easement those tax forfeit lands on Minnesota Point
- Increase funds generated by the existing Park Fund levy so that the additional funds can improve parks capital maintenance
- Create a dedicated “enterprise fund” for other heavily reserved areas, similar to the Bayfront Festival Park model, where user and rental fees are put back into maintenance and capital investments
- Create a Friends of the Parks organization for City of Duluth
Implementation Table
See also the associated filterable spreadsheet titled, “Minnesota Point Action Plan Spreadsheet.”
| Action # | Action | Year | Primary Lead | Secondary Partner | Tertiary Partner | Quaternary Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.1.1 | MP50 will continue to convene partners engaged in the action planning process, including the Park Point Community Club, the City of Duluth, the Minnesota Coastal Program, Minnesota Sea Grant, and regional experts from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, among others. | Ongoing | MP50 | ALL | ||
| A.1.2 | City Planning will connect with city’s representative to St Louis County Hazard Mitigation Plan update team to ensure Minnesota Point actions in the next update. | 1 | City Planning | St. Louis County Emergency Management | ||
| A.1.3 | City Public Works will create a stormwater management plan for City of Duluth with a background section related to water management along the coast and Minnesota Point. | 5 | City Public Works | |||
| A.1.4 | MP50 will develop a long-term plan for Minnesota Point that includes adaptation pathways for potential long-term coastal hazards such as erosion. | 3 | MP50 | |||
| A.2.1 | MP50 and City to research what areas should not be developed and potential programs and regulations that are best practices to limit this development. | Ongoing | MP50 | City (multiple partner departments) | ||
| A.3.1 | City Sustainability Office’s Community Energy Resiliency Project Coordinator to explore the feasibility of installing power lines underground for new developments on Minnesota Point to reduce risks of power outages during storms. | 1 | City Sustainability Office | |||
| A.3.2 | City Public Works to assess how infrastructure on the Point can be cost‐effectively protected from harm in its current location, eliminated altogether, or relocated to a less vulnerable location. | Ongoing | City Public Works | |||
| B.1.1 | MP50 with support from Partner City Departments, Minnesota Coastal Program, Minnesota Sea Grant, and University, among others, to create two property owners’ guides to living on Minnesota Point, one for lakeside and one for bayside. | 1 | MP50 | ALL | ||
| B.1.2 | Minnesota Sea Grant, in partnership with Minnesota Coastal Program and City of Duluth (especially Public Works around water utilities on the Point), to create a one-stop-shop resource for real estate agents and property buyers. | 1 | MN Sea Grant | MN Coastal Program | City (multiple partner departments) | |
| B.1.3 | MP50 to capture knowledge on coastal hazard information such as maps and guidance on shoreline management practices. | Ongoing | MP50 | |||
| B.1.4 | MP50 in partnership with Minnesota Sea Grant to create a walking or mobile tour on the coastal processes, risks, hazards, etc. that impact Minnesota Point. | 1 | MP50 | MN Sea Grant | ||
| B.1.5 | All team members to identify conversations where awareness can be raised around coastal hazards and associated vulnerabilities within the whole community. | Ongoing | ALL | |||
| B.1.6 | City Properties, Parks, and Libraries to engage the Lake Superior Headwaters Sustainability Partnership and MP50 to study the bayside of Minnesota Point to support comprehensive planning on Bayside. | 1 | City Properties, Parks, and Libraries | Lake Superior Headwaters Sustainability Partnership | MP50 | |
| B.1.7 | City Properties, Parks, and Libraries to engage in or identify opportunities for future educational efforts during City planning processes on Minnesota Point around the Park Point Community Recreation Area and the undeveloped bayside waterfront at 13th Street. | 1 | City Properties, Parks, and Libraries | MP50 | ||
| B.1.8 | MP50, the City, and the Minnesota Coastal Program to jointly develop an annual coastal resilience communications plan. | Ongoing | MP50 | City (all partner departments) | MN Coastal Program | |
| B.1.9 | MP50 and Minnesota Coastal Program in partnership with City of Duluth Sustainability Office and Minnesota Sea Grant, to develop an educational series for Minnesota Point. | 2 | MP50 | MN Coastal Program | City Sustainability Office | MN Sea Grant |
| B.2.1 | MP50 to partner with City Parks and Recreation and/or Engineering to promote responsible use and management of the beach on Minnesota Point. | 1 | MP50 | City Parks and Recreation | City Engineering | |
| B.3.1 | MP50 to partner with NOAA around the development of a data management plan to support future efforts related to this action plan. | 1 | MP50 | NOAA | ||
| B.3.2 | MP50 in partnership with City Parks and Recreation to create a learning lab on Park Point where residents and researchers can explore water science, waves and geology, ecology, dunes, SNA, history, culture, etc. | 2 | MP50 | City Parks and Recreation | ||
| B.3.3 | City Parks and Recreation to conduct two planning processes on Minnesota Point (one around the Park Point Community Recreation Area and one for the as-yet-undeveloped bayside waterfront at 13th Street). | 1 | City Parks and Recreation | MP50 | ||
| C.1.1 | City Natural Resources Management Program to include the exploration of Minnesota Point as a priority for focus as an agenda item at the annual meeting of the Natural Resources Commission. | 1 | City Natural Resources Management Program | Natural Resources Commission | ||
| C.1.2 | City Properties, Parks, and Libraries to develop and implement plans to protect and restore each of the following areas: the Pontliana Woods, 13th Street Beach, Southworth Marsh, Minnesota Point Scientific and Natural Area, Park Point Community Recreation Area, and the entire Minnesota Point lakefront. | 1 | City Properties, Parks, and Libraries | |||
| C.2.1 | Partners to fully participate in the NOAA Climate Resilience Regional Challenge Grant, awarded to St. Louis County in 2024, entitled “Advancing Regional Climate Resilience for Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Region.” | 1 | ALL | |||
| C.2.2 | MP50, in partnership with its Community of Practice, to identify a team to build relationships and processes for working with Tribal Nations to preserve open space sites, districts, and structures of historic and cultural significance on Minnesota Point. | 1 | MP50 | |||
| D.1.1 | City Property, Park & Libraries Division to upgrade aging infrastructure (e.g., flooded/eroded boat launch/parking lot and roads, or beyond) in Park Point Recreation Area, depending on results of upcoming planning process. | 3 | City Property, Park & Libraries Division | |||
| D.2.1 | MP50 to check in with City Property, Park & Libraries Division following their upcoming planning processes to see if further actions might be developed towards this goal. | 4 | MP50 | City Property, Park & Libraries Division | ||
| E.1.1 | MP50 to develop communications around how pollutants (e.g., pesticides, litter, etc.) affect the water quality of Lake Superior. | 1 | MP50 | |||
| E.1.2 | MP50 to identify organizations working on or around the water quality of Lake Superior. | 1 | MP50 | |||
| E.2.1 | Minnesota Coastal Program and MP50 to conduct a dune assessment and characterization to develop a plan for preservation. | 1 | MN Coastal Program | MP50 | ||
| E.2.2 | City Planning to evaluate the results of the above dune assessment (Action E.2.1) — in particular any definitions or maps — to determine if an update to zoning on Minnesota Point is appropriate. | 5 | City Planning | |||
| E.2.3 | MP50 to support the work of its Community of Practice to ensure continued resilience of Park Point. | Ongoing | MP50 |