North Shore Morning

Polly Erickson, the West End’s favorite blood collector, is once again asking for volunteer donations when the bloodmobile is in town on Tuesday, July 21.
 
Donating blood is a very important community service, saving and improving the lives of our loved ones, friends and neighbors. It is also a lot of fun to visit with the staff and the other donors in the bloodmobile.
 
One of the less pleasant, but necessary, parts of the blood giving experience is the lengthy interview that determines if you are eligible to be a donor. Now days, you can go to the Memorial Blood Center website and complete the questionnaire online. It speeds things up on donation day, both for you and for the staff.
 
The large, colorful, converted RV will be at Zoar Lutheran Church in Tofte from 2 pm until 6 pm on Tuesday, July 21. Call Polly at 663-7398 to make an appointment.
 
North Shore Area Partners, the excellent program based in Silver Bay that provides in-home services for seniors and disabled folks in eastern Lake County, is holding a public event during the Bay Days Celebration next week. They’ll be at Reunion Hall from 9 am until 4 pm on Saturday, July 11. Stop by, learn about the program, buy some food, make a silent auction bid - and please thank the many volunteers for their valuable community service.
 
Camp Menogyn, the famous YMCA camp on West Bearskin Lake on the Gunflint Trail, is offering some open spots in their canoeing, backpacking and rock climbing trips to local kids at a reduced price. The trips start next week, so you need to act fast if you want to take advantage of this huge opportunity.
 
If you are entering grade 7 through 12, get in touch with Fred at the camp right away. A Camp Menogyn experience can literally change your life. Menogyn is Ojibway for “together” and is spelled m-e-n-o-g-y-n.  If you can’t find it online, call WTIP for contact information.
 
Steve Gendron, from Minneapolis, has been volunteering to count loons on a selection of West End lakes for more than 20 years. He reports his careful counting to the DNR where they are combined with the efforts of hundreds of other volunteers to track the loon population in Minnesota over the long term.
 
This year, Steve brought along his new dog, Bode, along on the trip. Bode is a husky mix and came to Steve through a rescue organization just a couple of weeks ago. On Monday, as he was crossing the portage between Smoke and Burnt Lakes in the BWCA Wilderness, Bode was spooked by some thunder and ran off into the woods. Despite two days of searching, Steve and his family could not find him.
 
On Wednesday, the Gendrons had to return to Minneapolis with heavy hearts. Signs and pictures at the Sawbill entry point are alerting people traveling in that direction to keep their eyes peeled, and by Wednesday evening we had several reports of Bode sightings.
 
We would be more despairing for Bode’s fate if it weren’t for an almost identical situation two summers ago. That dog, also spooked by a storm, was missing for more than two weeks before it showed up at a campsite and was enticed into captivity with an offer of food. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for the same outcome for Bode.
 
Back in 1958, my parents hired a lovely high school girl from Duluth named Dee Sampson. That same summer Sawbill Lodge, our next-door neighbor, hired an awkward boy of the same age named Steve Hedman. I was only five years old, but I distinctly remember that whenever he wasn’t working, Steve would come over and stand in the corner of our store and look miserable. I tried to talk to him, but he could barely string a sentence together in his painful shyness.
 
As the summers rolled by, Dee continued to work for us and became a treasured family friend. Steve continued to hang around and act weird, but slowly worked up his nerve and started talking to Dee.
 
One day, I rounded a corner unexpectedly and caught Steve and Dee kissing. I was shocked by this wild behavior, but apparently I was the last to know that the two had grown quite sweet on each other.
 
In 1966 they were married and, of course, took a BWCA Wilderness canoe trip for their honeymoon. We decorated their canoe with “Just Married” signs and tied tin cans to the stern.
 
On July 2, Steve and Dee celebrate their 49^th anniversary. They have three children and more grandchildren than I can keep track of. They are visiting Sawbill to relive the wonderful memories that they created so long ago.
 
By the way, Steve overcame his shyness, got a degree in genetics, and had an illustrious career as a professor at UMD. Dee is well loved in Duluth for a lifetime of community involvement and acts of kindness.
 
While other people looking at them may see an older couple when they look at Steve and Dee, after all these years, I still see the awkward boy and beautiful girl slowly falling in love.
 

Grand Portage Band member Butch Deschampe comes from a long line of fishermen, including his Grandfather Joe and his father Sam Deschampe. In this segment he tells the story of fishing for herring in the frigid winter weather on Lake Superior, the time he swamped his fishing boat, and how his son, Joe, is carrying on the family fishing tradition. The interview with Butch was recorded by Bob Pratt and Carrie McHugh from the Cook County Historical Society.

(Photo of Butch with lake trout, courtesy of Butch Deschampe and the Cook County Historical Society; mural of Butch and his son, Joe D., in their fishing boat by David Gilsvik, courtesy of Beth Drost, NPS)
 

“There’s No Place Like Home” is a series of summer nature explorations offered through Sugarloaf Cove Nature Center. WTIP volunteer Mary Manning spoke with Sugarloaf Cove naturalist Margie Menzies on North Shore Morning.

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There's No Place Like Home: Explore Cook County
1 pm, June 26- August 7, and August 21

Featuring an opportunity to have a more in-depth exploration of Cook County's special places with your neighbors. Each week will feature a new unique habitat or location which participants will explore with Sugarloaf's naturalist.

June 26 - The Bog/Black Spruce Tamarack forest

July 3 - The Boreal Forest/Spruce Fir forest

July 10 - The Maple Hardwood forest

July 17 - The Aspen/Birch North Shore forest

July 24 - The Pine forest

July 31 - Rock and Cliff Environment

August 7 - Inland Lakes

August 21 - Lake Superior

Rain or shine, there will be a musical celebration of July’s Full Moon this Wednesday at Drury Lane Books in Grand Marais. WTIP volunteer Mark Abrahamson spoke with cellist Yvonne Caruthers on North Shore Morning. 
 
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Cellist Yvonne Caruthers will perform Wednesday, July 1, at 8pm on the lakeshore at Drury Lane Books for a Full Moon Music Celebration.  More information at 387-3370.
 

This weekend in Hovland there’ll be two days of art, music and food. WTIP volunteer Yvonne Mills spoke with artist Hella Buchheim about the Hovland Arts Festival on North Shore Morning. 

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Friday, July 3rd & Saturday, July 4th
10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Hovland Town Hall

Photography, Wood Work, Ojibwe Beadwork, Jewelry, Wood Burning / Pyrography, Oil on Canvas

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.

Venus and Jupiter at their closest to each other on June 30; a full moon travelling a low trajectory on July 1; Sagitarius, Scorpius and Saturn.

Hi.  I’m Myra Theimer, Forest Service silviculturist, with this week’s edition of the National Forest Update - information on conditions affecting travel and recreation on the Tofte and Gunflint Districts of the Forest. For the week of June 26th, here’s what’s going on in the Forest.
First, if you don’t know what a silviculturist is, you aren’t alone.  We are the people who look after the trees on the forest by controlling regeneration, composition, growth, and quality to meet diverse needs. The silviculture department is in charge of inventorying the forest stands, and managing plantations of young trees after harvest.  This spring a quarter of a million trees were planted on the Tofte and Gunflint Districts.  We also help take care of the forest in other ways to make sure that it is strong and healthy, so people can enjoy it and also make use of the timber growing on the Forest. 
Along those lines, if you are out enjoying the forest, be aware that there are two logging operations as well on this end of the Superior.  As in previous weeks, there will be log hauling on the Shoe Lake Road, Greenwood Road, and Gunflint Trail on the Gunflint District, and on the Four Mile Grade south of Wilson Lake, Lake County 7 south of Harriet Lake, and on FR 369, the Trappers Lake Road.  Over all, the road system is in great shape right now, and driving to your favorite lake or campground should be a breeze.
This Saturday (June 27), many people will be biking, not driving, the roads.  The Lutsen 99er mountain bike race will take place on the Tofte and Gunflint Ranger Districts. There may be heavier traffic at times, so please be cautious and respect bikers and spectators. Notable portions of the route include: Honeymoon Trail, Devil Track Road, Bally Creek Road, Mark Lake Road, and Caribou Trail.
If you were lucky enough to be out at night this past week, like I was, you may have seen one of the best displays of the Aurora Borealis in a long time.  They were visible as far south as Arkansas, and here in the north they filled the entire sky.  The lights appear in many forms from patches or scattered clouds of light to streamers, rippling curtains or shooting rays that light up the sky with an eerie glow.  Auroral displays appear in many colors although pale green and pink are the most common. Aurora Borealis is caused by charged particles emitted from the sun in solar storms, and can be somewhat predicted by monitoring the sun’s activity.  This information was once, only easily available to astronomers, but now there are several websites with graphic maps that help you decide whether you really need to set an alarm for three in the morning.  The people in the Boundary Waters, far from any artificial light, were really treated to a wonderful display.
Our biologists would like to remind people that this is the time when all sorts of baby animals are appearing.  Deer fawns and moose calves have been reported, but the most common sighting is of young birds.  Many species of birds have a stage of growth where the chicks are too big for the nest, but can’t fly well.  Parent birds feed them on the ground or in bushes.  You can help these little birds by not picking them up to rescue them.  They usually are just fine, and the parents are waiting for you to leave so they can feed their young.  Keeping cats indoors during this time of year when the chicks are most vulnerable to predators is also a good idea.
We gave an incorrect time last week for the naturalist program at Chik Wauk on Tuesdays during the summer. The correct time is 2 pm, and the program runs until 3:30.  This week, we will be talking butterflies… and some other ugly bugs as well.
Have a great weekend, and enjoy the Forest.  Until next week, this has been Myra Theimer with the Superior National Forest Update. 
 

Learn about bats, make a dream-catcher, or go on a birding hike – these are just a few of the naturalist programs being offered during the summer by the forest service. WTIP volunteer Joey Detrick spoke with forest interpreter Steve Robertsen on North Shore Morning. 
 

I had two stark reminders of my own mortality this week. 
 
The first was the onset of a mundane summer cold that, if it didn’t make me feel like I was dying, it made me feel like I wanted to die, for about three days.
 
The second was an invitation to contribute an oral history to the Schroeder Area Historical Society.  Their main exhibit this summer is “Lost Resorts” presenting the history of the many resorts that flourished during the 20th century and were gone by the start of the 21st.
 
I was surprised that they wanted an oral history from a young person like me, until I thought about it for a minute. When I discuss oral history with friends it usually includes some talk about “getting the history before it’s gone.” Hopefully, this is just the first of several oral histories I can contribute before I’m gone.
 
Brian Tofte, local historian extraordinaire, sent me an oral history that my dad, Frank Hansen, gave to historian Bill Raff back in the ‘90s.  It was transcribed from a recording, so it was fun to hear my dad’s voice in my head as I read through it. It was taped at Bill’s cabin on the Gunflint Trail and I could tell from the conversation that it was a relaxed and congenial atmosphere. Both men are gone now, so I don’t feel bad about revealing that the interview grew noticeably livelier and more colorful as it went on, most likely reflecting the number of martinis that were consumed.
 
My interview with the Schroeder Area Historical Society is scheduled for 2:30 pm at the museum, so I seriously doubt that martinis will be involved.
 
Sugarloaf Nature Center in Schroeder is offering unique opportunities to explore the West End with a master naturalist every week throughout the summer.
 
If you want to participate, meet at the Sugarloaf parking lot at 1 pm on any Friday between now and August 21st. Wear sturdy shoes, a hat and bring a little bug dope. July 3rd’s topic will be boreal forest ecology and on July 10th the maple hardwood forest will be explored. You can email [email protected] for more information.
 
The first Farmers Market of the season at the Clair Nelson Community Center in Finland was this week and was a smashing success. For many people in the West End, this is the closest Farmers Market available. It is every Thursday evening from 5 to 7 pm from now until the end of September. The Clair Nelson Center is on the Cramer Road just east of downtown Finland.
 
Also at the Finland Community Center on Thursdays is LOTS, which stands for Learning Opportunities Through Stories. Bring your toddlers in between 3 and 4:30 pm for a great story time – and then stay for the Farmers Market.
 
Somewhere I read an interview with Bob Dylan where he mentioned his memories of attending story time at the old Carnegie Library in Duluth when he was a toddler. I have many fond memories of story time at that same library, but I’m too young to have sat next to Bob Dylan. Taking your toddler to hear good stories doesn’t guarantee that they will become a world-renowned poet like Bob Dylan, but it does increase the odds that they will become a life long reader and learner.
 
Many canoeists returning from the BWCA Wilderness are complaining about muddy portages this year. We’ve received more than 5” of rain so far in June here at Sawbill. It’s been a little damp for sure, but it’s nice to have a season when wild fire isn’t constantly on our minds.
 
It’s also encouraging to hear of many moose sightings in the wilderness. Five moose seems to be the average for most groups last week. Most have been cows with calves, which is normal at this time of year, but raises some hope that the decline in the moose population is possibly slowing down. We’ll keep our fingers crossed, as the West End without moose would be a sad future indeed.
 
 

They’re among our earliest butterflies in spring. WTIP’s Jay Andersen talks with naturalist Chel Anderson about tiger swallowtails.

(Photo by Savannah Sam Photography)