North Shore Morning

Hi.  I’m Inga Roen, National Forest Interpretive Naturalist, with this week’s edition of the Superior National Forest Update  -  information on conditions affecting travel and recreation on the Tofte and Gunflint Districts of the Forest.
For the week of August 15th, here’s what’s going on around the Forest.
Roads are clear and dry and great for travel right now.  Some washboarding is showing up on some roads, so be prepared for it.  Going too fast on washboards not only rattles your teeth, it makes your tires lose contact with the road and makes steering very difficult.  Still, if you’re coming into the Forest from the south on Highway 61, the worst road conditions are probably going to be the construction zones on Highway 61.  There is a detour through Finland via Highway 1 and County 6, and another section with single lane traffic a little farther north.  You can expect half hour delays or more on the road between Silver Bay and Tofte.  People on the Cramer Road might see some more vehicles than usual as frustrated travelers use back roads to avoid the waiting. 
There are still several timber operations on the Gunflint that will have logging trucks on the roads.  Bally Creek, Devil Track, Ball Club, Shoe Lake, Greenwood, Pine Mountain, The Grade, the Caribou Trail, and the Gunflint Trail itself all will have timber being hauled on them.  On the Tofte end, there are no active timber harvests right now.  You still might see a few trucks on the 4 Mile Grade, Sawbill Trail, and the 600 Road, but not many.
Many of our fire crews are supporting work being done on the multitude of fires in the West.  We wish them our best.  Crews here on the Superior though have been working as well.  There have been two small fires in the past week on the Gunflint District, and they’ve also been working on removing understory plants to reduce fuel on sites in the Mid Trail area. 
Speaking of fire, Smokey Bear would like to thank everyone that stopped by to show their support at his 70th birthday parties last weekend and he apologizes for accidently pouring that bucket of water on the candles on the cake.  It was a lot of flames, after all!  He says that he’s ready for another 70 years of protecting the forest, and hopes you continue to prevent wild fires with him!
These are some of the best days of summer for outdoor recreation.  Take advantage of it and get out there!  It can get busy though, so be aware that you aren’t alone.  Respect other people’s need for space and quiet so everyone can enjoy the Forest.  One reason to get out is that August can be a great time for wildlife viewing.  Many young animals are venturing farther away from their moms by this time of year, which sometimes makes them easy to see.  Unfortunately, it also means they sometimes end up in the road, so watch out for wandering wildlife.  Also, watch out for people stopped to watch the wandering wildlife.  If you stop, make sure you are off the roadway in a safe location and have your hazards on.
For up to the minute information on topics such as fire restrictions, be sure to check our website or at a Ranger Station.
Hope you enjoy another week in the Forest and on the water.  Until next week, this has been Inga Roen with the National Forest Update.

Every year, the Gitchi-Gami Trail Association hosts a bike ride on the Gitchi-Gami Trail along Lake Superior. Race director Bill Blank spoke to WTIP about the event, which will take place Saturday, August 16.

More information is available at the GGTA's website.
 

The North Shore Music Association will be sponsoring a concert with rockabilly singer and guitarist Rosie Flores on Saturday, August 16, starting at 7:30 p.m, at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts. NSMA director Kate Fitzgerald spoke to WTIP about the concert and Flores' background.

Deane Morrison is a science writer at the University of Minnesota, where she authors the Minnesota Starwatch column.

A perigee moon, or super moon, on Aug 10th; Venus & Jupiter on th 17th and 18th; and the continuing story of the summer triangle, star #3 - Altair.

Hi.  I’m Nancy Larson, Gunflint District Ranger, with this week’s edition of the Superior National Forest Update  -  information on conditions affecting travel and recreation on the Tofte and Gunflint Districts of the Forest. 
 
For the week of August 8th, here’s what’s going on around the Forest.
 
Roads are clear and dry and great for travel right now.  In fact, the caution this week is to watch your speed.  Nice flat gravel roads invite you to slowly edge upwards in speed, but then can surprise you with a corner that has loose gravel, or a grader, logging truck, or deer hiding behind a hill.  Most Forest roads were designed for a maximum speed of 35 under perfect conditions, but many of our roads were not designed at all.  They were developed from trails or old railroad corridors.  This creates twisty roads that call for slower speeds, or flat straight roads that tempt people to travel faster than is safe.  Remember that even if your vehicle has four wheel drive, it does not have eight wheel brakes, and sudden braking on gravel is lot harder than speeding up. 
 
You won’t be making much speed on Highway 61 coming to the Forest from Duluth.  There will be a major detour through Finland starting on August 11^th, and additional roadwork with flaggers just north of that.  Expect half hour delays.
 
There are several timber operations on the Gunflint that will have logging trucks on the roads.  Bally Creek, Devil Track, Ball Club, Shoe Lake, Greenwood, Pine Mountain, The Grade, the Caribou Trail, and the Gunflint Trail itself all will have timber being hauled on them.  On the Tofte end, some timber operations are winding down, but there is still truck traffic on Four Mile Grade. 
 
Fire crews are still doing fuel reduction work in the Baker Lake Campground.  As August has started drier than July and June, we now have moderate fire danger in the woods.  A lightning strike kindled a small fire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness near Partridge Lake, and a crew is dealing with it using minimum impact suppression techniques.  Of course, you can’t think about wild fire without thinking about Smokey Bear, and it is Smokey Bear’s 70^th birthday this year.  There will be celebrations to honor Smokey at both Gunflint and Tofte.  On Saturday August 9^th, celebrate with the bear at Gunflint from 10 to 2, and on Sunday August 10^th, you can catch him at Tofte from 11 to 1.  There will be cake, ice cream, and of course, bear hugs.
 
This is a busy time of year in the Boundary Waters.  The water is warm and inviting, the bug population is down, and the Perseid meteor shower lights up the night.  When canoeing, make sure to start looking for a campsite early and make back up plans in case someone else has already claimed your perfect site.  Be ready to paddle off your course to find those seldom visited campsites.  Your reward might be a lake to yourself.
 
Wildlife biologists on the Forest have been helping with bat monitoring to keep track of Minnesota’s bats.  Special audio sensors which detect the bat’s sonar are used, recording audio ‘sightings’ on a computer.  If you’re interested in finding out more about bats, our regular Tuesday program at Chik-Wauk Nature Center at the end of the Gunflint Trail will be about bats this week.  That happens at 3 o’clock on Tuesday.
 
For up to minute information on topics such as fire restrictions, be sure to check our website or at a Ranger Station. 
 
Hope you enjoy another week in the Forest and on the water.  Until next week, this has been Nancy Larson with the National Forest Update.
 

There is a new study taking place in Cook County about foreign workers in the area. Brittany Edwards and Rick Anderson, both involved in the study, spoke to WTIP about why the study is important and how community members can get involved.

Not only are renovations under way on the Bally Blacksmith Shop in Grand Marais, but the renovations and history are being documented.  WTIP volunteer Randy Eastlund spoke with Leah Thomas and Michael McHugh of the Cook County Historical Society.

The Cook County Historical Society hosts the Bally Blacksmith Tent most Saturdays from 10am to 2pm.  Everyone is welcome to learn about the renovation of the old blacksmith shop, identify mystery artifacts, share stories and enjoy coffee and cider.  The tent is behind the Bally Blacksmith Shop on the corner of Broadway and 1^st St.  More information from the Historical Society at 387-2883.
 

‘Geotourism’ is the idea of sustainable tourism — that destinations should remain unspoiled for future generations — while allowing for ways to protect a place’s character.
 
Area organizations and attractions are being considered for inclusion in a National Geographic ‘mapguide’ celebrating the Heart of the Continent.  WTIP’s Audrey Summers spoke with Jim Dion of National Geographic Maps.  For more about the project or to nominate your local favorites, here's the website.

Every year during Fisherman's Picnic, the Library Friends have a large book sale at the Cook County Community Center. WTIP spoke with Library Friends board member, Duane Hasegawa about the event, which starts with a special member-only preview sale on Thursday, July 31, and continues through Saturday.