St. Croix Youth Summit 2026

Tuesday, April 21st:

9:30-10:20 am

Junior Ranger Angler

Recommended age range: Elementary – Middle School

Join Ranger Mike to become a Junior Ranger Angler!  Together, we will explore underwater ecosystems to meet the fish that call St. Croix National Scenic Riverway home while learning safe fishing practices.

Presented by:

Mike Raymonds, Park Ranger

St. Croix National Scenic Riverway

Mike was born and raised in Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. It was in college that he received the opportunity to intern with the National Park Service through the Student Conservation Association in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. This internship sparked a career with the NPS, eventually helping him move to new parks like Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park in CA, Cape Cod National Seashore in MA, and finally back to his home state of WI working at St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. When not working, you can find Mike fishing, canoeing, or hiking around while accompanied by his husky, Nevada.

10:30-11:20 am

Turning Your Passion into a Business & Career

Recommended age range: Middle – High School

Presented by:

Ray Ruiz, Founder Baztec Inc

Learn how hunting and fishing as a kid impacted Ray’s journey. Through fishing competitions, a master’s degree, and becoming a professional angler, Ray was able to take all of his experiences to create Minnesota’s first bilingual fishing education platform. 

Ray Ruiz Jr. grew up in a working-class barrio in the windy city of Chicago. His parents, immigrants from Mexico, raised Ray and his two brothers and sister in a neighborhood that was ridden with gangs, drugs, and violence. Ray senior routinely took his four children fishing and hunting, where he would share the lessons, he learned growing up in Mexico where he had to hunt and fish to put food on the family table. Ray used these early opportunities to hone and develop his outdoors skills under his father’s tutelage. These fishing lessons evolved into a pastime that eventually became an obsession that motivated Ray to compete in his first amateur angling tournament at the tender age of 15. As he grew, Ray continued following his passion for fishing and competed in bass tournaments all through college. Ray attended the University of Minnesota where he double majored in Sociology and Chicano Studies. Following his undergraduate education, Ray remained at the University of Minnesota and received his master’s degree in Latin American Studies.

After university, Ray lived out his dream and competed all over the Midwest and other parts of the United Stated as a professional Bass Angler. He also had a successful career in the beverage industry where he worked in sales & marketing for a large distribution company. In 2017 Ray started his fishing company Baztec, Inc. Minnesota’s first bilingual fishing educational platform dedicated to serving folks from the Latino community. In 2018, Ray was recruited by the MN DNR to help support and facilitate the “I Can Fish” program. Shortly after, he was asked to join the agency on a short-term contract. In 2021, Ray left the MN DNR to continue to grow and expand Baztec full-time. Since then, Ray and his team have hosted and facilitated over 200 community outreach fishing events with a distinct focus on delivering programming to underrepresented communities and people of color. In 2023, in conjunction to his business, Ray founded Baztec Fishing & Outdoors, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that aims to enhance Baztec, Inc mission by providing fishing, hunting, camping, biking, birding and other outdoor activities to kids of color, as well as scholarship opportunities for BIPOC youth that want to get into Natural Resources and STEM fields. 

When Ray isn’t serving others in our community, you can find him fishing on a local metro lake or river, practicing Jiu Jitsu, reading, or writing in his home in North Minneapolis.

Wednesday, April 22nd:

9:30-10:20 am

Life on the Surface

Recommended age range: Middle School, High School

“Life on the Surface” is a 50-minute educational presentation that shares real-life stories from time spent on the water while exploring the hidden world beneath it. Students learn why aquatic ecosystems are essential to life on Earth and how fish behavior—like migration and adaptation—can be surprisingly similar to human movement and survival. The presentation helps students see how closely connected people are to the water and why understanding life below the surface matters to our future.

Presented by:

Patterson Leeth, VP of Marketing

Megabass of America

Patterson Leeth is a marketing strategist and photographer with a deep passion for fishing and the outdoors. Currently serving as VP of Marketing for Megabass of America, he leads the North American brand strategy for the renowned Japanese tackle company. Previously, the Director of Brand at Simms Fishing Products, where he helped drive growth and engagement across the outdoor industry.

Blending strategic insight with creative passion, he continues to bridge the worlds of branding and outdoor culture.

10:30-11:20 am

The Secret Life of the St. Croix’s Freshwater Mussels

Recommended age range: Elementary – High School

The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway is home to over 40 species of freshwater mussels, five species of which are listed as federally endangered. These fascinating creatures play a critical role in maintaining the water quality of our riverway by filtering water and cycling aquatic nutrients. Not to mention, many have fun names like winged mapleleaf, spectacle case, and fatmucket!

 

Presented by:

Daniel Peterson, Park Ranger, and Marian Shaffer, Aquatic Biologist

St. Croix National Scenic Riverway

 

 

Thursday, April 23rd:

9:30-10:20 am

Lead and Loons: A Toxic Relationship

Recommended age range: Middle School, High School

Common loons, Minnesota’s State bird, love to eat fish, but sometimes they not only swallow the fish but also our fishing tackle. Lead fishing tackle is especially dangerous to loons. During this presentation students will learn about the amazing adaptations of loons; the danger of lead tackle and other threats to the survival of loons; and ways we can all work together to protect loons, other birds, and water while still enjoying fishing!

Presented by:

Kelly Amoth, Program Coordinator

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Kelly has been working on the Get the Lead Out program, which encourages anglers to make the switch to lead-free fishing tackle to protect loons, since the fall of 2020. With her experience as an educator, she created the school outreach program for Get the Lead Out and has taught hundreds of students across the state in all grades. She has also taught over 2000 summer campers about the danger of lead to loons and encouraged them to use lead-free alternatives. Prior to joining the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to work on the Get the Lead Out program, Kelly was a naturalist for 15 years, including 10 years at Lee and Rose Nature Center in Marine on St. Croix. 

10:30-11:20 am

Helping Sturgeon Return Home: how the Aquarium is working with tribes and scientists to bring lake sturgeon back to the headwaters of Lake Superior. 

Recommended age range: Middle School, High School

Learn fascinating science about Lake Sturgeon, and why the Lake Superior rearing project is being relocated to the Great Lakes Aquarium. We will discuss the long history of Lake Sturgeon in our area, including their long relationship with indigenous tribes, the damages colonization had on sturgeon populations, and what tribes and scientists are doing to help sturgeon numbers recover. 

Presented by:

Dr. Shawna Weaver, Director of Learning and Engagement

Great Lakes Aquarium

Dr. Weaver is a researcher and educator focused on climate resilience in the Great Lakes region. As the director of Learning and Engagement, she works with a team of educators who teach camps and classes at the Aquarium and at area schools. She has a PhD in sustainability education and is the author of a book about climate grief.

 

Friday, April 24th:

9:30-10:20 am

Rough Fish are Smooth: The true story of native fish in the St. Croix

Recommended age range: Middle School – High School

Did you know buffalo are type of fish? Or, that the St. Croix is home to three species of buffalo? These incredible fish can live over 100 years and grow to 50lbs! This program will review the unique history and biology of the St. Croix’s native (rough) fish. We’ll cover everything from the living fossils gar and bowfin to the zebra mussel crunching freshwater drum. Students will gain a new perspective on the river’s diversity and a few fishing tips. 

 

Presented by:

Tyler Winter, Co-founder

Native Fish for Tomorrow

Tyler Winter is a conservationist, angler, and environmental scientist. He is a co-founder of Native Fish for Tomorrow, the only conservation organization devoted to native rough fish. He is a board member of the Minnesota Wildlife Federation and an active member of three additional conservation groups. However, his conservation work is only tangentially related to his occupation.

Tyler was always passionate about Minnesota’s native fish but was unsure what could be done to conserve them. Then, through a series of apparently random opportunities, he became the champion of Minnesota’s Native Fish Bill, the first law in the nation to provide comprehensive “rough fish” reform. He hopes his non-traditional journey to conservation inspires others to take action and collaborate, not only across disciplines, but across communities.   

When Tyler is not actively working on native fish conservation, he is outside with his two children. Probably fishing the Mississippi River.

 

10:30-11:20 am

They Said I Wouldn’t Make a Good Scientist, So I Became A Mermaid

Recommended age range: Elementary – High School

When Echo was in school, she struggled with math and didn’t think she was “a science kid.” In fact, some teachers suggested she might want to steer clear of a career in STEM. She loved art, storytelling, theater, and creativity. So for a long time, she believed that meant she didn’t belong in STEM at all.

But she couldn’t shake the feeling that she wanted to help the environment. The problem was she thought becoming an environmental scientist always meant having to solve complicated math problems she wasn’t sure she could handle.

In this story-driven talk, Echo shares how she found her way into freshwater science through creativity, perseverance, curiosity, and a deep love for freshwater ecosystems.

Students will discover that there are many different kinds of scientists; field biologists, educators, artists, communicators, and advocates – and that protecting water and wildlife takes more than just one kind of brain. This inspirational session encourages young people to see their own strengths as powerful tools, especially if they’ve ever felt like they don’t quite “fit” in STEM.

Echo wants folks to know that there isn’t one correct way to enter a STEM field. And that being in STEM doesn’t mean you can’t be creative. Sometimes, believing in yourself (and maybe even a shimmery purple mermaid tail) is enough to change your current.

 

Presented by:

Echo, Sea-EO

Mermaid Echo Entertainment LLC

Mermaid Echo isn’t just a storybook character, she’s a real professional mermaid scientist (yes, that’s a thing) and freshwater conservation educator based in Wisconsin.

Through storytelling, live demos, and interactive science activities, Echo teaches students about freshwater ecology, and how young people can protect watersheds from the St. Croix to the Great Lakes. From invasive species to watershed pollution to sturgeon conservation, her programs mix creativity, artistry, theatre, and science to make big environmental ideas feel exciting and understandable for kids and adults alike. 

Echo is an international award-winning educator and a certified PADI Mermaid Instructor Trainer, Open Water Diver, Emergency Oxygen Administrator, First Aid Instructor, and Red Cross Lifeguard. Safety and professionalism are at the center of every performance, swim, and training she leads.

With over nine years of experience in youth development through the YMCA and a decade running Mermaid Echo Entertainment LLC, Echo also trains mermaid performers around the world on how to build safe and responsible businesses.

You might find her performing at aquariums, festivals, libraries, schools, conservation events, underwater productions, or even inside a giant traveling mermaid tank called “The Great Barloni!” 

Mermaid Echo Entertainment is where extraordinary entertainment meets education.