North Shore Morning

Bike safety benefits the whole community.  WTIP volunteer Sherrie Lindskog spoke with Maren Webb of Safe Routes to School about this year’s Bike Safety Rodeo.
 
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The Grand Marais Safe Routes to School group invites all kids and parents to the annual Bike Safety Rodeo on Thursday, May 7^th from 3 to 5 pm at the Cook County Community Center. Join in the fun, with bike checks and helmet fittings, slow bike races, helmet decorating, ride the course, and food. Bring your bike, helmet, and signed permission slip. For more information or to volunteer, call Maren at 387-2330 or email [email protected]. 
 

Hi.  I’m Steve Robertsen, interpretation and education specialist on the Superior National Forest, 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 May 1st, here’s what’s going on around the Forest.
As you’re driving, you’ll find that the county spring load restrictions are still on.  That means that while there are a few timber sales going on on Tofte and Gunflint, there’s no hauling.  It’s not just the roads which have restrictions, some ATV routes are not open due to spring muddy conditions.  Driving your ATV on muddy trails not only risks a few hours digging it out, but it will damage the trail and create a whole lot of work for someone later to rebuild it, so drive with caution even if the route is theoretically open. 
Soft roads aren’t the only thing that could affect your travel.  You also might run into some of our spring prescribed burns.  You might encounter smoke, vehicles, and fire crews on the roadway.  Areas where this is occurring will be clearly marked, so please take it slow as you pass since visibility might be restricted and there could be pedestrians.
Speaking of fire, there will be open houses on fire safety and awareness on May 4^th at the Finland Volunteer Fire Department, May 11^th at the Gunflint Ranger Station, and May 12^th at the Schaap Community Center on the Gunflint Trail.  All those open houses are from 4 to 6 pm.  You will be able to learn what our 2015 fire outlook is, what prescribed burns are planned, and more about wildfire and fire preparedness.  They are open houses, so you’ll have plenty of time to ask questions and talk to our fire personnel. 
Some of the prescribed burns happening now are to maintain wildlife openings in the forest.  Many kinds of animals from butterflies to moose benefit from these opening.  The shrubs that grow up in openings are also great for our migrating birds, more of which are arriving daily.  The dawn chorus of bird song seems louder all the time.  One voice in that chorus, the one that has the bass line, isn’t a migrant, it is the ruffed grouse doing a drum solo.  Our wildlife people have been conducting grouse drumming surveys, and the preliminary results seem to indicate that this has been a pretty good year for grouse, climbing toward a peak in their cycle. 
In addition to burning, planting begins this week.  White pine and some red oak are being planted along the North Shore in an effort cooperatively funded by a Conservation Partner’s Legacy grant and partnerships with the Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.  Additional partners include the Sugarloaf Stewardship Association, The State of Minnesota, The Nature Conservancy and the North Shore Forest Collaborative.  To minimize deer browsing, these trees will be fenced, so this planting will take a lot of effort.
Opening fishing weekend is coming up.  Ice is out of most area lakes, though some of the lakes up the Gunflint Trail and to the northeast are still ice covered.  Most of that ice is pretty rotten though, and should go soon.  As the lakes open, docks are being put in, and campground water supplies are being turned on and serviced.  The fee season for campgrounds should start in the next week or so with the turning on of the water.  Check our website or at a ranger station to find out the current status of our campgrounds when planning on a trip. 
If it is a Boundary Waters trip you are planning, today, May 1^st, marks the start of the quota season.  You will need a permit issued at a ranger station or cooperating business for overnight travel in the Boundary Waters.  Self-issued permits are still available at entry points for day use. 
As you can tell, there is a lot happening on the Forest in the spring.  Check our website and ranger stations for current conditions and updates, and then get out there and enjoy the spring!  Until next week, this has been Steve Robertsen for National Forest Update.
 

There will be several workshops on our region’s invasive species that will be offered by the Cook and Lake County Invasive Team. WTIP volunteer Marnie McMillan spoke with Laurel Wilson, Cook and Lake County Invasive Species Coordinator, on North Shore Morning. 

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The Cook County Invastive Team (CCIT) will host an aquatic invasive species workshop from 5 to 6 pm on Tuesday, May 5, at the Cook County Community Center, with Marte Kitson of the Minnesota Sea Grant. Attendees will learn how to identify and prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species that are threatening Minnesota water resources. More information is available from Laurel Wilson, CCIT coordinator, at 387-3772.

(Photo by D. Jude, Unversity of Michigan)
 

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 a bright evening star in the west; Saturn in the morning; Lyrid meteor shower, April 22nd and 23rd; and Walpurgisnacht April 30th.

Rose Arrowsmith Decoux and Jackson Nickolay share the details of their upcoming class with North Shore Morning host Matthew Brown.  
More information and registration with Sue at 387-1284, extension 2 on online.

Hi.  I’m Brie Schueller, fire management specialist on the Superior National Forest, 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 April 17, here’s what’s going on around the Forest.
Currently, roads are fairly clear of snow and ice, but they are still pretty soggy from the meltwater.  County road restrictions due to the soft roads have stopped most timber hauling operations on the Forest.  Some cutting of timber is still going on, but the work is mostly within the units and doesn’t involve hauling on the roads.  That means that these spring days are nice for exploring the Forest without having to be too concerned with large truck traffic.  You do have to be concerned with the same road conditions that have kept the trucks off the roads.  Soft shoulders and mud are the obvious problems, but a recent drive showed just how alert you need to be while driving.  On that short drive, in two spots, trees whose roots had loosened in the soft soil had blown over across the road.  In other spots, the road had sunk sufficiently to create an area that was less a bump and more of a jump ramp.  Drive with care, road conditions vary greatly and hazards appear with very little forewarning this time of year.
If you are looking for early camping, you need to know that while snow is off most major roadways, many smaller camping areas still have snow over campsites and access roads.  Camping is possible, but in the spring before our fee season begins, campers will not have water or garbage pick-up in campgrounds, and outhouses may not be accessible.  The fee season begins when the water systems can be turned on, usually around mid-May.
Spring migrant birds are coming through in larger numbers each day.  Juncos, vultures, robins, and grackles are just a few of the birds that have arrived over the past two weeks.  Red winged blackbirds are calling in the Twin Cities, but I have yet to hear one up here.  Bears are awake and walking about.  People who are feeding the migrating birds need to make sure to bring in bird feeders and store bird food securely so they don’t end up feeding the bears.  The best way to deal with bear encounters is to avoid them in the first place by making sure food, garbage, and other attractants are not where bears can get them.
It is the mud season, and the spring bird season, but it is also the spring fire season.  Conditions remain dry throughout Minnesota and multiple red flag warnings have been issued this week in our area.  A red flag warning is issued when there are weather conditions that can cause extreme fire behavior.  These conditions include a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures.  On these red flag days, people need to be extremely careful with fire.  Most people are not aware of it, but there have already been multiple small fires on the Superior this spring, and most of these were somehow ignited by human activity.  You may not think of fire danger because you can still see some patches of snow in the woods, but open areas with brown dry grass will readily carry fire.  There are many of these areas along the Lake Superior shoreline.  During spring, as the last of the snow melts and before the trees green up, is a prime time for fire, particularly in the absence of rain.  Our fire personnel, along with state DNR and local firefighters, will be monitoring conditions closely, but it is up to you to help by reporting any possible fires to 911, and by preventing any accidental ignitions.  Right now, the Superior National Forest has firefighters and engines assisting the Chippewa National Forest to the west in their firefighting efforts but we also have crews on standby locally, just in case. 
Enjoy our spring weather, and until next week, this has been Brie Schueller with the National Forest Update.
 

Family and friends of Molly Thomas are hosting a special event; it’s a fundraiser to help Molly travel to Australia for the Down Under Sports Tournament.  All are invited to the Grand Marais Art Colony Saturday April 18^th for music, treats, a silent auction and more.  WTIP volunteer Yvonne Mills spoke with Molly and Leah Thomas on North Shore Morning. 
 

­­­­­­­­­ The current Syrian military conflict is a perfect storm for the suffering of civilians caught in the cross-fire.  North Shore Morning host Mark Abrahamson learns more about this month’s Great Decisions meeting and topic from this month's discussion leader Henry Berman.
 
Henry Berman is a business retiree from Ecolab in St Paul.  He has a passionate interest in International Relations, especially the Middle East.  He has family who lives in the Region and he has traveled there seven times since 2008.  He is a frequent Great Decisions Speaker, presenting in recent years on the US-Israeli Relationship and Egypt and the Arab Spring.  His topic of interest this year is the Syrian Refugee Crisis.

Great Decisions meets the 3rd Thursday of the month at the Cook County Community Center from noon to 1:30pm.  More information from Diane at 387-3015.

Gina Dixon is Licensed Psychologist and Grief Therapist with Essentia Health.  She spoke recently about 'the wisdom of dark emotions' with WTIP's Veronica Weadock.

St. Mary’s Grief Support Services has resources for living with and through grief and loss.

St. Mary’s Grief Support Services
407 East Third Street
Duluth, MN 55805 
218-786-4402

Deadlines are approaching for this year’s grant cycle of the Cook County Community Fund.  WTIP volunteer Julie Carlson spoke with Kaitlyn Bohlin of the Cook County Community Fund on North Shore Morning.

Letters of intent (due April 15) and applications (due May 1) are now submitted online.