Kayla Langmaid/Winonan
The Calvin Fremling Floating Interpretive Center and Classroom is a boat that is currently being built for hands-on educational and interpretive purposes on the Mississippi River.
Gary Evans, interim vice persident of university advancement, said, “I’m pleased to report that the boat is on schedule. It’ll be here no later than June 1, 2014, and we expect to hold a celebration when it arrives.”
The boat will be 17×60 feet and will hold up to 49 passengers, according to WSU Foundation website.
The boat will be used for thousands of students in the Winona school district to enhance their understanding of the environment by taking water samples and identifying certain river species.
Winona State University will also be partnering with Visit Winona to offer opportunities for community organizations and businesses to rent the boat.
The boat will cost between $60,000 and $65,000 to cover operation, staff and insurance, mooring and seasonal storage.
The funds for the boat itself are still being raised, but the WSU Foundation agreed to pay the difference needed to get the project started, Evans said.
The boat’s name is in honor of professor emeritus Calvin Fremling.
Fremling, who taught biology at Winona State, is known for his research of mayflies and was regarded as a prime knowledgeable source.
Evans said knowing about the insect is one thing, but knowing how that insect provides an indicator of the health of the river is another thing.
Fremling taught for 32 years at Winona State and died in 2010 at age 80.
The boat will dock at the Winona Levee, but Evans said there is an agreement being worked on with the city of Winona to use the dock at the foot of Johnson Street.
This isn’t the first vessel to be used in the Winona community. The River Explorer was a boat used previously but was sold in 2009.
When the River Explorer was being used, more than 15 academic programs and departments at Winona State benefited from it, according to university advancement.
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