North Shore Morning

There will be a recreation of an 18th century voyageur Rendezvous at Grand Portage National Monument this weekend. WTIP volunteer Mark Abrahamson spoke with Park Ranger Karl Koster on North Shore Morning. 

More information on Rendezvous Days and Powwow is available 475-0123 or on the National Park Service website.

The 15th Annual Gitchi-Gami Trail Association's North Shore Bike Ride will be held Saturday, August 15, starting at Gooseberry Falls State Park at 9 am. WTIP volunteer Mark Abrahamson spoke with Bike Ride director Bill Blank on North Shore Morning.

Ride options are 28, 37, and 55-mile loops. Day-of-ride registrants are welcome. More information and registration are available online at www.ggta.org, and included in ride brochures available at businesses along the shore.

For non-believers in this Global Warming thing, sure hope they’re enjoying the roast! The upper Gunflint has not been spared over the past week, and these lousy hot temps are getting a lot of folks down.

As I prepare this week's commentary, no break is foreseen in the forecast. It’s forcing the moose and me to lay pretty low after mid-morning. Then again, being retired, I quit most work-related chores at noon anyway.

Guess we can consider ourselves fortunate in one aspect as the humidity has been bad enough, but not complicated with additional moisture. Then on the other hand, another week with nary a drop of rain around this neighborhood and the fuel load throughout the forest has grown tinder dry. The agencies charged with monitoring forest conditions are not being too public with concern, but we who live here know it’s dangerously dry on the wilderness floor.

This in mind, it would be a good idea for area residents and businesses to crank up the wildfire sprinkler systems (WFSS). Doing this not only assures their unit is in readiness, but also acts to dampen down property holdings.

I’ve found that an hour or so of WFSS operation in the early evening can do wonders cooling the house down during these miserable warm days. It makes for much more comfortable sleeping conditions if one does not have artificial cooling.

All this being said in regard to our atmosphere, it’s nice to bid this crabby hot July farewell. One positive, while planet earth bids this chapter adieu, if skies are clear we will be blessed with the “blue moon” on her last day.

The “thunder” moon, as it's called by Algonquin tribes, sends us off into August. The hope in these parts is those notorious “dog days” of month eight will be few and far between.

This magnificent million-square-mile wildflower patch continues blooming its fool head off. Early blossoms are fading to seeds while mid-summer varieties have taken over. It’s a time for drifts of Daisies, Black-eyed Susans and Fire Weed to escort one’s trip along the Byway.

A local fishing guide shared a recent experience he had not encountered in over 20 years of hosting fishing excursions. His angling customers were taken out on an area lake in search of big Northern Pike, and I was told they did get their wishes, but nothing extraordinary. Near the end of the day, one of the catch was released. No sooner had it hit the water, than an eagle appeared from high in the sky and swooped in for its catch of the hour.

If that wasn’t enough of a thrill for this fishing party, moments later a bear swam by their craft. It actually came close enough to provide some great photo ops. What a wonderful wild woods and water gift.

Later, as the group trailered the boat to head home, a trifecta of critter observations was completed when a moose met them on the road away from the launching access. One could not have scripted a better north woods encounter. This northern reality show will no doubt be etched in these folks’ memories for a lifetime, and probably will lure them back to this wilderness paradise often.

Fishing fortunes here at Wildersmith are not often met with success. In all likelihood, it’s because we aren’t fanatics about doing such. However, the grandsons were here for a visit last week and angling luck briefly turned around. On a trip up to Saganaga Lake, Tuesday before last, grandson, Lane Smith from Iowa, had the thrill of his young life. He hooked onto one of those Walleye “hawgs.” After an arm wrenching battle of several minutes he netted a 29-inch beauty. Lane says a big thanks to his guide, Adam!

It has been his family’s rule if anyone ever catches a “whopper,” it was going onto the wall. So this green and gold trophy was frozen and headed south for proper preservation and a “wall of fame” induction.

A week from this coming Sunday (August 9), the third annual Gunflint Woods, Winds and Strings chamber music concert will be presented at 4:00 pm in the mid-Trail (Schaap) Community facility. Many accomplished area professionals will be engaged in the collection of performing musicians. A reception will follow where one can meet and greet the players. Time is running out for seating reservations. If you haven’t reserved yours call Susan 388-9494 before it’s sold out.

This is Fred Smith, at Wildersmith, on the Trail. The great Gunflint Territory awaits you!

(Photo by Kenny Murray on Flickr)

Hi, this is Mary Ann Atwood, Gunflint Ranger District Administrative Support Assistant, with this week’s edition of the Superior National Forest Update. For the week of July 31^st, here’s what’s going on in the Forest.
FIRE
Due to sporadic rain over the last few weeks, the Superior National Forest is beginning to transition from moderate fire danger to high fire danger.  Keep this in mind while recreating in the forest. 
District Offices
Before, or after, your superior recreation - stop by the Gunflint or Tofte District Offices.  Not only will you encounter a plethora of information but you’ll discover a variety of wilderness books, games, animals (that don’t need feeding) and maps in the Interpretative stores.
Let those truckers Roll 
Timber trucks continue to roll down many of the roads on the Gunflint and Tofte districts.  Drive cautiously and keep in mind; the gravel roads are very dry. A dusty cloud may indicate a vehicle is coming your way. Also, the washboard affect abounds on our gravel roads. 
Forest Facts
Did you know that the Superior National Forest: contains more than 2,000 lakes which total 440,000 acres of lake and 3,400 miles of stream?
With those facts in mind, it’s no wonder water plays such a vital role in Cook County.   This weekend is the 86th Annual Fisherman’s Picnic. The Grand Marais Fish Pic began in the days when the area's economy was based on logging and commercial fishing and the community would gather for a shoreline fish fry of fresh Lake Superior herring.  Which reminds me…How can you tell if a fisherman is going deaf?                                            * Give him a herring test.
Keep an eye out for Smokey Bear and his friend Murray the Moose over the weekend; they are bound to make an appearance in the parade Sunday, August 2^nd at 1:00 in downtown Grand Marais.
2015 has been a busy year on the Superior.  Here’s just a sampling of accomplishments:
      ¼ million trees were planted;
      Wilderness rangers on the Gunflint Ranger District partnered up with a Conservation Corps of Minnesota & Iowa (CCMI) crew spending 3 ½ muddy days replacing a failing boardwalk on the Meeds to Swallow portage.   This project began last February when wilderness staff used snowmobiles to freight over 40 tamarack planks up to the Wilderness line on the Poplar to Meeds portage. 
Our Faces of Tomorrow crews are having an exceptional summer.  By the way, Faces of Tomorrow is an initiative to increase the diversity of our seasonal workforce.  Some of their achievements include:
      Building a new 360 foot boardwalk on the South Lake Trail.
      Rerouting Bower Trail Portage which includes a new boardwalk
      Constructing stairs on the Northern Lights Trail
Summer brings countless visitors to the Superior’s trails and campgrounds.  When recreating keep in mind:
               Your behavior has an impact on others.
               Store food carefully, bears are starting to get active. 
               Don’t leave campsites unattended for more than 24 hours.  Leaving your gear on a site as a way of “reserving” it - is not allowed.

Carve out some time to spend in the Superior National Forest - you won’t be disappointed - after all, the Superior has been listed as one of the 50 greatest places to visit in a lifetime!  
Keep hydrated throughout these warm summer days.  Until next week, this has been Mary Ann Atwood with the Superior National Forest Update. 
 
 
 

The closing of Minnesota Power’s Taconite Harbor power plant continues to be on the minds of West End residents.  It takes time to absorb such a large blow to the community.
 
I was intrigued by Cook County News Herald editor Rhonda Silence’s suggestion that the railroad between Schroeder and Hoyt Lakes be reactivated as a scenic railroad.  I’ve hiked quite a few sections of that rail line and it is beautiful.  The tunnel is particularly spectacular, not just for its capacity to scare the young Rhonda Silence, but for breathtaking views from both ends. 
 
The kind of thinking that Rhonda is doing is exactly what we need to turn the end of the power plant era into a new era of prosperity for Schroeder and Taconite Harbor.  It seems to me that any place where a rail line meets a Great Lakes shipping line is bound to be useful to someone.
 
The 15th annual Gitch-Gami Trail Association North Shore Bike Ride is coming up on Saturday, August 15.  The ride takes place on the Gitchi-Gami State Trail along with some connecting roads and offers a 28-mile, 37-mile, and 55-mile option.  The ride starts and ends at Gooseberry State Park.  Riders should gather there around 9:00 am in order to start riding before 10:30.  You must wear a helmet and be willing to sign a liability waiver.  There is a small charge for participation.
 
The North Shore Bike Ride was the brainchild of the late Congressman Jim Oberstar.  He wanted the event to call attention to the trail each year, especially to highlight the additions to the trail year by year.
 
Jim Oberstar was, among many other accomplishments, the leading advocate for bicycling in the U.S. Congress.  It was his vision that will result, when complete, in an 88-mile bike trail along the shore of Lake Superior from Two Harbors to Grand Marais.  Twenty-nine miles are complete now with some significant new sections coming soon.
 
The Birch Grove Community Center would like to introduce you to Pickleball, if you aren’t already acquainted.  Pickleball is a fun game that combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong.  It can be played indoors or out with a paddle and a plastic ball.  It is a sport that can be enjoyed by people of all abilities.
 
Birch Grove has Pickleball every Thursday and Saturday at 10:00 am.  They are especially encouraging new players at this time and will make sure that you are comfortable and have fun.  Call Elizabeth at 663-7977 to give her a heads-up if you plan to attend.
 
The folks at the Clair Nelson Community Center in Finland are organizing an invasive weed pull on August 6 at 5:00 pm.  That is the same night and time as the popular farmer’s market, so you can stock up on fresh goodies and perform some community service at the same time.  The Lake County Invasive Species Team will be on hand to provide instruction on identification and techniques for removing invasive weeds.  Bring your gloves.
 
Congratulations to a couple of couples from Lutsen who tied the knot last weekend.  Josh Schmidt married Kim Coffman and Steve Bragg was wedded to Teresa Hansen.  Both ceremonies were loaded with locals and family from afar, all of whom enjoyed the most perfect North Shore Saturday of the decade.  It’s good to feel the love in the air in the beautiful West End.
 
 

 The Cook County Local Energy Project (CCLEP) recently hosted a solar workshop and tour. WTIP volunteer Mary Manning talked with Virginia Danfelt of the Cook County Local Energy Project on North Shore Morning.    
 
For more information on CCLEP contact:

Virginia Danfelt
[email protected]
www.cookcountylocalenergy.org
 
 
 

There are eight Minnesota state parks between Gooseberry Falls and Grand Portage. One of those parks, Tettegouche, is located near Finland and features a rugged landscape of inland lakes, the Sawtooth Mountains, and Lake Superior shoreline. In this edition of the Lake Superior Project, park naturalist Kurt Mead talks about what makes Tettegouche State Park a special place.

It’s books, books, books and more at the annual book sale, courtesy of the Library Friends.  WTIP volunteer Yvonne Mills spoke with Nancy Backlund and Karen Kobey of Library Friends on North Shore Morning.
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The Annual used book sale sponsored by the Library Friends of Cook County will be held Thursday, July 30th through Saturday, August 1st at the Community Center in Grand Marais.
Thursday night is for the Library Friends members only between 5:00pm and 7:00pm.  Memberships will be sold at the Community Center one hour prior to the sale on Thursday afternoon. 
Friday the book sale hours are 8:00am to 4:00pm.  Saturday hours are 8:00am to noon.  
The Library Friends of Cook County is an all-volunteer nonprofit service organization that conducts the sale each year to raise funds in support of the library mission for the Grand Marais Public Library and all of the school libraries in Cook County.  

Fish cakes and more this Wednesday evening courtesy of the Grand Marais Lioness Club. WTIP volunteer host Mark Abrahamson spoke with Judy Siegle and Ann Mershon of the Grand Marais Lioness Club on North Shore Morning.

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2015 Grand Marais Lioness Club Annual Fish Cake Buffet Dinner and Silent Auction.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm 
St. Johns Catholic Church
10 East 5th Street
Grand Marais, MN 55604
This annual dinner and silent auction hosted by the Grand Marais Lioness Club is the kick-off event to Fisherman’s Picnic Weekend. 
Buffet & Silent Auction open at 5 pm
Tickets at the door.
All proceeds help fund Lioness Academic & Leadership Awards and Local Community Organizations.

Deane Morrison is a science writer at the University of Minnesota. She authors the Minnesota Starwatch column, and contributes to WTIP bi-weekly on the Monday North Shore Morning program through "Northern Sky," where she shares what's happening with stars, planets and more.

Saturn easy to find on Saturday July 25; a Blue Moon (hear Deane's explanation of the term) on July 31; Draco the Dragon; Sirus the Dog Star 'adding its heat' to the Dog Days of August; plus New Horizons news from Pluto at nasa.gov.