The Winona State Univeristy environmental club hosted a free event for students to journey down to Perrot State Park and explore Trempealeau Bay via Kayaks and Canoes. Flyers were seen around campus before the event, inviting people to sign up. After meeting at the gazebo on Sep. 9th, 2025 students were given maps and safety information before heading out of Winona together to Perrot State Park.
Winona State environmental biology major and sustainability minor student, Maddy Palmer, has been in the environmental club since last April and wishes she had learned about the club sooner.
“I joined because I wanted to get more involved on campus and I am very passionate about the environment, so it felt like this was a good fit,” Palmer said. “[The goal of the Environmental Club is] to build community by bringing students together to deepen awareness of our environmental impact, share that knowledge with others, and create opportunities to connect and learn more about the environment.”
Palmer is also the social media director for the environmental club and holds a position as a laborer at Perrot State Park. She helps facilitate transactions, give trail/park recommendations, help solve any issues that arise at their park headquarters, and more.
“We were brainstorming ideas for activities and outings to do this semester. While working at Perrot State Park, I have seen many school groups come in to use the canoes and kayaks. I thought it would be a unique experience for a lot of students and could run smoothly since I work there,” Palmer said. “I needed to speak to the park staff and make sure it would be feasible to use the boats. Our executive committee worked together to advertise, email and work out the driving situation so that anyone who wanted to join could.”
While it was some students’ first-time canoeing, eventually they learned through some scared screams, coordination, and teamwork. The group kayaked and canoed together, first going against the current to the end of the trail to see a beautiful view of the mountains. Palmer also shares information about the park that some visitors don’t always notice on their first time visiting.
“On the back side of the Voyageurs Loop, the technical name for the water trail we were on, there is an electric fish barrier between the Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge and Perrot State Park property. This barrier creates a low voltage that causes fish to turn around; this way we don’t share fish populations with the refuge,” Palmer said. “My favorite hike is the Perrot Ridge- North Brady’s – East Brady’s loop. It’s about 3 miles long and you get to go to the top of both bluffs in the park. You can see Minnesota, the Mississippi, Trempealeau Mountain, and Trempealeau Bay. My non-hiking favorite is the overlook across from the Black Walnut Nature Trail. It has spectacular views of the bay and is really great for watching waterfowl.”
After drifting back to land and putting away boats, paddles, and lifejackets, the group soon returned to Winona State University. After returning, a leaf identification event was held as well.
Whether students want to learn more about the environment or join an active and welcoming community, they can stay up to date with programming on their Instagram @wsu_environmental_club or see flyers around campus. Students can also reach out to co-presidents Lola Ellingson-Shuster and Eli Hovoraka.
