North Shore Morning

This “Moments in Time” features former Cook County commissioner Chet Lindskog.  He spoke at the Cook County Historical Society storytelling event "Stories You've Never Heard and Good Ones to Hear Again," held March 9th, 2013 at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts in Grand Marais.

{photo courtesy of the Cook County Historical Society}

The Cook County Visitor's Bureau (CCVB) has hired Linda Jurek Kratt to replace outgoing executive director Sally Nankivell.  Outgoing board chair Mike Prom announced the hiring during an interview on WTIP, Friday, July 5, 2013.  (Click on audio mp3 above to hear the interview.)

Kratt is a native of Grand Marais and a 1978 CCHS graduate.  She was most recently employed by the Duluth Chamber of Commerce as Director of Events and Retention.  

(Photo courtesy the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce.)

[click above to listen to audio]
 
Congratulations to organizers, volunteers and riders in the recent Lutsen 99er mountain bike race.  More than 650 racers participated in the 99- and 39-mile races, along with another 100 or so in the kids’ races. 
 
The first West End finisher in the 99-mile race was Regan Bolduc from Lutsen in 176th place overall.  The fastest West Ender in the 39-mile race was Tom Wahlstrom, who just moved from Tofte to Grand Marais, with an incredible seventh place finish. 
 
There were dozens of local folks in both races - so many that I can't mention them all here.  One of the many benefits of this great event is that it motivates West Enders to get on their bikes and enjoy the wonderful trails that are right outside our doors.
 
Here at Sawbill, we had a number of customers who told us that they came up for the race and were making an extended family vacation out of the trip.  I can only imagine that many more families did the same thing along the north shore.  I also had a campground customer who mentioned that they were here to ride the new single-track mountain bike trails in Grand Marais and Tofte.  They were dedicated and knowledgeable mountain bikers and they were highly complimentary of the new trails, declaring that they were as good as any they had ever ridden.
 
The Lutsen 99er is sponsored by a partnership that includes the Cook County Visitors Bureau.  The bureau was created three years ago to combine the efforts of four different tourism groups and promote Cook County as a whole.  The results are really starting to show now, with many quality events attracting tourists and positive press from all over the country.
 
The bureau is funded by a lodging tax and the spending is directed by representatives from each of the four areas of the county, Grand Portage, Gunflint Trail, Grand Marais, and the Lutsen, Tofte and Schroeder area.  The funds are spent on each area in direct proportion to how much lodging tax is generated.  Although this makes for complicated accounting, it couldn't be more fair to each area.  The proof of success is not only the dramatic increase in tourism, but the fact that Cook County numbers are growing faster than any of our competitors.
 
The Bloodmobile will be in Tofte at Zoar Lutheran Church Tuesday, July 16 from 2:30 until 6 p.m.  If you would like to volunteer to donate a pint of blood, you can call Polly Erickson at 663-7398.  As always, you can contact WTIP for contact information.  Thanks to Polly for her tireless efforts in this important effort.
 
The turtles are out on the roads and at the boat landings right now.  Every year, female turtles seek out sandy soils to dig holes where they deposit their eggs.  The gravel road and parking lot shoulders make ideal nest sites.  Unfortunately, this leads many turtles to cross busy gravel roads during the height of tourism season.  If you see a turtle crossing a road, you can stop and carry them across in the direction that they are already heading.
 
Here at Sawbill, we've had two female snapping turtles that have been laying their eggs at the canoe landing for more than 40 years.  The scars and notches on their shells make them easy to identify as individuals.  They must be very old now, so every year we wonder if we'll see them again.  Last week, they appeared again, right on schedule.  Everyone has fun seeing them close up. I notice that swimmers are a little more tentative about jumping in the lake after they see the powerful beaks on these prehistoric-looking reptiles.
 
For WTIP, this is Bill Hansen with the West End News.

{photo courtesy of Lutsen 99er}

June is fast fading into the record books, and the halfway point of our year in border country is peeking over the horizon.  While time has quietly slipped away, we are already a week into summer with the sun having made its solstice stopover before heading back south.
           
Skies were mostly gloomy leading up to the full “super strawberry moon,” which was at its pinnacle in the wee hours last Sunday morning. Thus, this area was denied the glory of celebrating the close proximity of his “lunar highness” until the next evening when clear skies gave us a break.
           
In spite of the many gray days, Mother Nature failed once again to deliver on much needed moisture for this part of the territory. The minute 16/100ths found in the Wildersmith rain gauge since we last met has barely settled the dust. Further, the lake level on our Gunflint Gal has dropped another few inches, as our moisture subsidy keeps missing us in favor of all areas south.

Meanwhile the lake water temps here have improved into the low 60s. I even observed some brave souls swimming off the dock at Gunflint Lodge last Sunday.
           
The dry soils, however, do not seem to be having an adverse effect on flora development in areas along the byway and our back country roads. Flowering plants are beginning to bloom their fool heads off.

Wild roses are the headliners right now while those non-native invasive lupines are coming on fast with their rainbow spires. And if a picture is worth a thousand words, a portrait of the forget-me-nots and columbine in our yard at Wildersmith is sharing a beautiful story.

I’m told that there is a great blueberry bloom. So if the black flies are doing anything (like pollinating) besides tormenting us humans, folks had better be lining up their buckets and baskets. It would appear that there will also be a fine crop of wild strawberries if all patches are anything like the unusually big bloom of the tiny plants here along the Mile O Pine and in our yard. Pickin’ will make for a “jammin’ good” pie time!
           
Meanwhile, munching is good in several ponds and swamps along the Trail as a number of moose sightings have been noted. There is one pond along the Trail above the Laurentian Divide where both a cow and yearling bull have been hanging out on each of our last few trips to town.  A number of lucky visitors have been afforded photo ops. Thanks Mr. & Ms. Moose!
           
The 16th annual North Shore Health Care Foundation fundraising barbeque was the social feature of the week up this way. Nearly 70 people turned out to enjoy the fare at Gunflint Lodge last Sunday evening. Proceeds from the event go into the foundation endowment, from which many county health care projects are granted funding assistance. Thanks are extended to organizers, the staff at Gunflint Lodge, musician extraordinaire Gerald Thilmany and those who attended this fun gathering!
           
July is but days away, and along with the great American birthday celebration of the Fourth, a couple more Trail happenings are rapidly approaching for area residents and visitors. I’ve already mentioned the annual canoes races on the 17^th, while a second happening is the historic Clearwater Lake cabin tour on the 21^st.  Mark your calendar!
           
The tour of these historic places on Clearwater is being sponsored and organized by the Gunflint Trail Historical Society for members only. The 60-ticket allotment for the marvelous Hungry Jack Lake cabin tour was sold out quickly last year.

Those wishing to attend should get at making those reservations ASAP for what will be another fabulous trip through Gunflint history. Event planners have expanded the allotment to 75.  Tickets can be purchased by calling Lee Zopff at  (218) 388-4465.
             
Keep on hangin’ on, and savor a Gunflint holiday!

Congratulations to Eileen Netland, of Tofte, on the occasion of her 90th birthday.  A gathering of the large Netland clan was held last week to celebrate the event.  Eileen is one of Tofte's most-loved residents. She's smart, funny and easy to get along with, not to mention being the mother, grandmother and great-grandmother to many of our region's most respected citizens.  Happy birthday Eileen, and many happy returns.
 
You may have noticed the pile of wood in front of the Commercial Fishing Museum in Tofte.  That is the timber-frame, built at North House Folk School, that will soon be erected to protect Walter Sve's historic fishing boat, Viking, in front of the museum. This is the frame that stood in the North House plaza most of the winter and is built in the ancient "grindbygg" style.  Although the pile of timbers seems small, it will make an impressive structure when it's completed, which will happen yet this summer.  The "grindbygg" style utilizes timbers that are cut from naturally curving tree parts, and uses round timbers for the roof joists.  This produces a strikingly beautiful frame that is durable enough to stand for centuries.  Everyone should keep an eye on the museum to enjoy the frame raising and the subsequent arrival of the Viking.
 
Sugarloaf Cove in Schroeder, the facility owned by the North Shore Stewardship Association, is holding a really interesting workshop next week.  It's a master class with Peter Juhl, who is an acknowledged expert in the balancing of rocks.  That may sound silly until you see pictures of his rock-balancing masterpieces.  They are jaw-droppingly amazing, and taking the class will give you the skills to impress your friends and family.  The class runs over two days, with an introductory session Saturday, July 6 from 1 to 4 p.m. and then a hands-on master class Sunday, July 7 from 9 a.m. until noon.  There is a charge for the class, unless you are a Sugarloaf member, and registration is required.  You can register online at sugarloafnorthshore.org, by emailing [email protected] or by calling 218-525-0001.  As always, you can call WTIP to get full contact information.  I look forward to seeing balanced rock sculptures all over the West End once the class is complete!
 
I attended an interesting lecture last week by Dr. Thomas M. Power, the retired chair of the economics department at the University of Montana, who spent most of his career studying the economies of communities located near mines.  Dr. Power is neither pro- nor anti-mining, but he does encourage communities that are near a proposed mine, especially the mining of ore from sulfide-bearing rock, to proceed with extreme caution.
 
His main points were that, almost without exception, communities near large mines struggle with lagging economies, persistent poverty and high unemployment.  He pointed out that every prospective mining project starts with high hopes for tremendous wealth and promises of high-paying jobs.  The reality, though, is usually pretty grim, because the mining companies, and often the political leadership, only tout the benefits of the mine and rarely consider the costs, both economic and social. 
 
Dr. Power recommends that a full accounting of the costs be publicly explored before a new mine is permitted. Those costs include that fact that mines drive away amenity-based businesses and population gains, create a boom-and-bust economic cycle, leave no sustainable jobs after closing and, in 100 percent of past mining that involves sulfide-bearing rock, leave a legacy of really bad pollution. He also points out that automation is drastically reducing the number of workers that are needed to operate mines, something we've seen firsthand over the last 30 years on the Iron Range.
 
Dr. Power's studies show that before every mine in the country has opened, the company and politicians have promised that "this time it will be different" and no pollution will result from the mining activity.  He advises communities to be very skeptical of these claims and only accept absolute proof that no lasting harm will be done.
 
I wonder if Minnesota isn't giving away its minerals too cheaply. In my opinion, out-of-date mining laws and policies, on both the state and national levels, tend to let the vast majority of the wealth from mining leave the region.  While mining does create some short-term local job opportunities, the vast majority of the wealth goes out of the country to further enrich already-wealthy investors.  These investors, who are really driving the push to open new mines, don't live here and don't care what happens to our communities.
 
In any case, it is all food for thought…
 

[click above for audio]

Cook County Higher Education is now a PC's For People Computer Depot.  Applications are being accepted for reduced cost computers through Higher Ed.   WTIP volunteer Tracy Benson learns more in this interview with director Paul Sundet Wolf.

{image via Wikimedia, in the public domain}

The Flute Reed River is located on the North Shore of Lake Superior in Hovland, Minnesota. Once a week, Rick Schubert, who owns a cabin in Hovland, walks from his home down to the river, where he takes a reading on how much sediment is in the water. He's been doing this for the past few years, since helping start the Flute Reed River Partnership, an organization dedicated to educating themselves about the river and helping make it healthier. In this edition of the Lake Superior Project, we speak with Rick about his volunteer work on the Flute Reed, and why it is important to the health of Lake Superior.