North Shore Morning

Through the cooperation of Cook County Schools and Grand Portage Education, Cook County Middle School is now offering Ojibwe language classes to all 8^th grade students.  In this edition of Cook County Middle School News, Ojibwe instructor Tom Jack tells us about the new classes.

“Biboon” (winter) is official in these parts, as defined by my Wildersmith criteria. Last weekend spelled the beginning as the daytime temp actually stayed below the freezing mark here on our shores of Gunflint Lake.
 
The Ojibwe have rightly named this month as that of the “Freezing over moon” (Gash Kadino-Giizis). This is exactly what was going on around here as ice was being made on small ponds, swamps and anything else that would hold quiet water.
 
Taking things farther, the Mile O Pine was covered in thin layer of white on both Saturday and Sunday mornings. Although the coating was not thick enough to endure until next spring, it was nevertheless energizing for those of us who have been waiting for the first real coming.
 
The adventure of first accumulating snow always captures me. On this occasion, I was the first to make tracks on our scarcely used roadway last Saturday morning, even beating the four-legged critters as best I could determine.
 
The initial trek on a pure smooth covering harkens me back to pioneer times when life was simpler and there were far fewer beings around. Each step taken by mankind back then meant something about survival. I can’t escape the charm of making a primal mark on a path that has not been tread following a fresh dose of winter wonder. It’s not exactly like taking the first step on the moon, but still intriguing for yours truly in an un-explainable way.
 
As fall gives way to winter, it has been pleasing to see the return of our wilderness “welcome wagon.” Snow buntings are gathering all along the Trail. With the approach of one’s vehicle they are erupting in clouds of fluttering white underbodies to lead us through this paradise arbor. It sure is delightful to watch their swooping aerial acrobatics.
 
Another return engagement happened last week on our deck rail cafeteria. Out of nowhere that wily old pine marten stopped by after having been MIA for several months. It too confirmed that the season of cold is official. The coat it was sporting was rich and lush as if it was January, not late October.
 
Speaking of lush apparel, I spotted a snowshoe hare a day or two ago that has also completed transition to winter wear. So my early winter declaration comes with credible validation from several in the wild neighborhood.
 
The firearms venison stalking gets under way throughout the area this weekend.  Here’s hoping that those orange clad beings sitting out in the woods pretending to be a tree or a bush have a safe hunt. Further, this time of year means that the non-hunting public out in the forest should be all about sporting their glowing outer gear too. For all hunters, give a hoot; don’t shoot, unless you’re sure!
 
Not only is the excitement of the deer season upon us, this is the big week of the final 2012 membership drive in support of community radio throughout the northland. Once again, I’m encouraging everyone to step up and get “Tuned In” with those who want this WTIP magic of the airwaves to continue.
 
Pledging is so easy, and oh so important! Your membership contribution will ensure that top-drawer WTIP programming extends on and on into the future! Call us now at 218-387-1070, 800-473-9847 or click and pledge at www.wtip.org.
 
Keep on hangin, on and savor the crystal coming.

Airdate: November 2, 2012

The late Senator Paul Wellstone was in the news last week as his family, friends, the state and the nation marked the 10th anniversary of the tragic plane crash that took the lives of eight people. I was a friend of the Wellstones, albeit one of several thousand other people. Although they were very, very busy people, they had an amazing capacity for caring and friendship and I treasured the time I was able to spend with them.
 
What many people don’t know is that Paul and Sheila Wellstone were honorary West Enders.  During the 12 years that he served in the Senate, they vacationed regularly in Tofte at the home of a family friend.  Sheila’s idea for their time in Tofte was to have it be a real disconnect from their otherwise hectic schedules – a time for reading, reflection, deep relaxation and taking time to be a couple. Paul was on board with the plan, but his natural tendency to seek out contact with people couldn’t be completely denied. 
 
His routine was to grab a borrowed overcoat that was several sizes too big for him and hike the half mile to the North Shore Market. There he read the daily newspapers, visited with store patrons and enjoyed the company of Henry and Florence Wehseler, who owned the store at the time. Paul led discussions with the customers on the issues of the day, often failing to mention that he was a U. S. Senator. He told me that he particularly enjoyed debating with Henry.  Although they were both life-long Democrats, they didn’t agree on every issue, but Paul told me more than once that he respected Henry’s insight and principles.
 
The Wellstones were scheduled to be in Tofte for a week beginning the day after the 2002 election. They invited Cindy and me to dinner on the second day after the election and when he made the invitation, Paul said that we would spend the entire evening at Bluefin, enjoy hours of conversation and would not mention politics even once. I agreed, but thought to myself, “Fat chance of that!”
 
West End residents Dave and Amy Freeman are on the home stretch of their epic multi-year journey by kayak, dog sled and canoe around most of North America.  Last year, they had a huge forest fire burn right past them in northern Canada. This week they were paddling down the east coast in New Jersey, just in time for Hurricane Sandy. Fortunately, they had plenty of warning and were able to take themselves to safety in the home of a friend about five miles inland. The day after the storm, they reported that they were kayaking over to the friend’s place of business to assess storm damage. They are scheduled to end their trip at Key West in a couple of months although, knowing them, I don’t expect they’ll let the grass grow under their feet for long.
 
The Memorial Blood Center bloodmobile is scheduled to be a Zoar Lutheran Church in Tofte Monday, Nov. 12 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. The recent accident at the Taconite Harbor Energy Center and the disaster on the East Coast are just the most recent reminders that having an adequate supply of blood on hand is important.  If you are in good health, give Polly Erickson a call at 663-7398 for an appointment.  You can find more information and fill out the health questionnaire online at MBC.org.
 
Here is the rundown of upcoming activities at Birch Grove:
 
As always, Senior Lunch is on Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. On Nov. 7, Ginny Danfelt will be there to give a brief presentation about the Residential Energy Efficiency Project.  If you are not a regular, please call ahead so they know how many to expect. You can just leave a message at 663-7977 or drop an email to [email protected].
 
There is a lot of interest in a senior exercise class this winter, but a teacher is needed, so contact Patty at Birch Grove if you are interested. The seniors are also planning a lunch at Bluefin in December and possibly a trip to Gunflint Lodge in the spring to try out their new zip line nature tour.
 
Did you know that you can swim in the AmericInn – Tofte swimming pool for a small fee and the money is donated back to Birch Grove School?  Well, it’s true.
 
The weekly open gym for pre-schoolers, their parents and/or caregivers starts next week on Friday, Nov. 9 from 9:30 until 10:30 a.m.  This is a little later than advertised in the Birchbarker newsletter, so be advised.
 
Two dates have been chosen for the ever-popular boot hockey tournaments at the new Birch Grove skating rink and warming house facility this winter: Jan. 25 and Feb. 9. Get your team together and sign up by calling Patty at 66-37977 or email at [email protected].
 
Sawtooth Mountain Clinic at Birch Grove will be open Nov. 5 and Nov. 28.  Contact the clinic in Grand Marais for appointments.
 
My friend and customer from Hayward, Wisconsin, Tom Heinrich, is a frequent visitor to the West End.  Tom is a teacher and a fanatic wilderness canoeist, spending several weeks each year in canoe country.  He was on Brule Lake in the BWCA Wilderness last week and sent me some interesting observations when he got home:
 
“.....noticed these things happening along the North Shore in the last two months....
more businesses seem more friendly to canoers...not only the owners, but the help...lots more questions about we're I/we've been, what's it like, and please stop again....one attendant at a Holiday Gas Station explained the dynamics of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and how warm air will get pulled into the area next weekend, in time to canoe...genuine discussion and this happens at a lot of places that I stop in. It wasn't always that way. I have gained some much needed winter weight snapping down those good sandwiches now created at the Tofte General Store....

Second, WTIP is probably the best station right now in the world...lots of things that focus on being in northern Minnesota without the glitz...WOJB in Reserve, Wisconsin rates a close second...

Third, despite all the traffic that the BWCA gets, the campsites are amazingly clean. Granted I don't paddle here in the summer, but hanging out surfing the waves on Brule, which gets some good fall use, I find little if any debris in the camps...opposite of camps in the busier spots in the Woodland Caribou which usually have a fire ring with lots of tin foil and instant soup 
packages half burnt....

....and there is an advantage to global warming, which is being able to canoe longer. Never dreamed of paddling in November in the BWCA like I have the last few years and hopefully will this year also with the mild warm up...”
 
While it may be true that climate change is extending the canoeing season, I worry that phenomena like the July 4^th blow down, the Ham Lake and Pagami Creek fires, hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, and other extreme weather will cause larger problems that will affect the economy in the West End.  Time will tell, I guess.

(Photo by Bill Hansen)

Sawtooth Elementary kindergarten teacher Dena Schliep has a busy job.  Luckily, Cook County senior Adrianna Berglund is there to help.  In this edition of Sawtooth Elementary School News, Adrianna shares her thoughts about being a kindergarten aide.

As the 10th segment of 2012 is fading fast, the Gunflint wilderness is becoming a place of ‘almost’ happenings. Snowshoe hares are almost white, the white tails are almost into the rut, the tamaracks are almost undressed of their needles, the “falling leaves” moon is almost full and it’s almost November.
 
Atmospheric conditions through the territory were rather uneventful since we last met on the radio. However, we were finally blessed with a decent episode of rain. Although it was far from enough, the inch or so recorded in various places along the byway did at least ease the wildfire danger temporarily. Temperatures in the meantime have remained a bit on the mild side, which again reinvigorated the biting bugs.
 
Yours truly made what is hoped to be a final venture into the lake a few days ago. It was not for a refreshing dip, but to bring in wildfire sprinkler system lines. Clad in my waders, the cold was not too intense until my unprotected hands entered into the removal process. Believe me, the water is already icy cold, probably not real close to the freezing point just yet, but dangerously cold if one were to go in accidentally. Late season canoe and boating folks should be extra cautious!
 
During this past weekend, as the area celebrated “moose madness,” the Smiths took pleasure in actually spotting a big ungulate while returning from our weekly supply run to Grand Marais. This hefty cow was spotted munching in the swamp waters just above the Laurentian Divide. So at least one real moose was observed during the days that have been promoted to honor their presence among us, hurrah!
 
With the autumnal defoliation of leaf bearers, it is heartening to be able to look deep into the forest and get a good look at what this past growing season did toward re-generation of the coniferous forest. It is simply amazing to see how quickly uncountable patches of young conifers have taken hold in the wasteland created by the Ham Lake fire of five years ago. Many of the aspiring jack pines are already three to four feet high.
 
Even more astonishing is how anything could grow up here with so much granite and so little soil. These two components, coupled with the fact that the area has been starved for abundant moisture over the past decade or so, surely authenticate that miracles of nature cannot be stifled. Guess we could equate the toughness of these baby trees with the good folks who call this area home year round. It’s a hardy combination to say the least: tough trees, tough people.
 
Wondrous natural things unfold daily in these parts, many of which go unseen by the human eye. I was fortunate to witness one such happening last week during my final stint of the season as a volunteer at the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center.
 
The day was cloudy, cool and gloomy as I looked out over the Saganaga Lake Bay just east of the parking area. Relatively calm waters prevailed as I noticed the usual mother mallard and her now-grown family had been joined by a “sort” of ducks.
 
A sprinkle of showers suddenly rang down on the feathered bunch and for some reason unbeknownst to me, the rain set off a frenzy of aquatic activity that was quite raucous. It appeared there might have been something of nutritional interest below the surface that stimulated an almost synchronized diving event.
 
In unison, it was comically, a bottoms up, as their little white rumps flashed skyward like an ice fisherman’s tip-up. The event went on and on for several minutes as the once calm surface was ravished!
 
The amusing episode could not have been better choreographed if it were an Olympic presentation. Then again, maybe that’s what it was, Nature’s Olympics, north woods style!
 
The waters eventually became still and reflective once more as the quackers took refuge for a little R & R on a mini island of rocks. Surprising how easily one can be entertained out here in border country!
 
Keep on hangin’ on and savor the next wilderness entertainment package!

Airdate: October 26, 2012

In 7^th grade science, students are learning the scientific model through the study of plants.  This week on Cook County Middle School News, science teacher April Walstrom and students explain more about the experiment.

The West End community was shocked and saddened by the explosion at Minnesota Power’s Taconite Harbor power plant this week.  Just a week ago, plant manager Dave Rannetsberger had reported nearly three years of operation without a lost-time accident.  Safety has long been the number one priority for Minnesota Power in all their operations, so it’s particularly disheartening for that great record to be broken with such a serious accident.  In our small community, a disaster in any family touches almost everyone.  We all send the sincerest best wishes to the entire Fredrickson family.
 
There are several interesting things happening at Birch Grove School and Community Center, as usual.  The annual PTO Halloween Carnival is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 28, from 2 until 4 p.m. The carnival is fun for all ages and is a significant source of funds for Birch Grove School. If you’d like to donate a cake for the cakewalk, drop it off on Friday before 6 p.m., or just bring it to the event. 
 
I have many happy memories from the carnival, but one of my favorites is from the cakewalk many, many years ago. Greg Tofte was running it that year and Kathy Horak had donated one of her famous apple pies that was still warm from the oven.  I won the pie, which was great, but I always suspected that Greg might have rigged the result so I couldn’t lose. He denied it at the time, but my suspicion lingers. 
 
The Birch Grove Foundation is thinking about offering Early Childhood Family Education in the West End again after a long absence. I attended ECFE with each of my children and I can’t say enough about what a wonderful and productive program it is.  The benefits are many, but I know my kids enjoyed the experience and I learned a lot from the other parents.  Raising children, like many other things in life, is harder than it looks. Being able share tips and techniques sure made my life easier at home, and my kids have turned into wonderful adults.  Birch Grove Director Patty Nordahl would like to hear from you if you are interested.  You can email her at [email protected], leave a message at the Birch Grove Foundation Facebook page, or talk to her when you see her at the carnival.
 
A presentation titled: “The Cook County Economy: It’s not in great shape and why that matters,” is scheduled for Wed., Oct. 31 starting at 11:30 am at Cook County Higher Education’s North Shore Campus in Grand Marais.  Randy Lasky, from the Northspan Group, and Josh Bergstad from the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission, will share the research they’ve conducted on Cook County’s economy. They’ve been working at the request of the Cook County GO Team, which is an ad hoc committee of 22 community leaders that are exploring ways to strengthen Cook County’s economy.  Their stated goal is “creating sustainable development for all.”
 
The event is part of a monthly series of business networking luncheons sponsored by Cook County Higher Education.  Lunch will be catered by Cascade Lodge Restaurant and there is a reasonable charge. It would be a good idea to RSVP to Higher Ed at 387-3411 or email [email protected].
 
All the signs of impending winter are here. The tamaracks are a deep gold and are painting the ground beneath them the same color.  The deer have become suicidal along every road in the West End, flinging themselves in front of cars with reckless abandon.  The weather has thankfully provided the late fall moisture that we count on, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of the smaller lakes freeze up in the first week of November.  Here at Sawbill, our last canoeing party has returned from their trip and I suspect there will be no others this season.
 
Everyone in Cook County should have received their election ballot in the mail by now. If you haven’t, contact the Cook County Auditor.  You can also vote in person on election day at the courthouse in Grand Marais.  Exercising our right to vote is our most important act of citizenship and is the bedrock of what makes civil society function.  In my opinion, there is way too much secret money and special interest influence in American politics these days.  But, at the end of the day, it’s your vote that determines the future.  As the late Paul Wellstone used to say, “We’re all better off, when we’re all better off.”

Dr. Seth Moore is Director of Biology and Environment with the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. 

The band engages in fisheries and wildlife research projects throughout the year, working with moose, wolves, fish, deer, grouse, and environmental issues. Dr. Moore appears regularly on WTIP North Shore Community Radio, talking about the band's current and ongoing natural resource projects, as well as other environmental and health related issues of concern to the Grand Portage Band.

In this segment, Dr. Moore talks about mercury in fish, a 2011 study showing elevated blood mercury levels in newborns in the Arrowhead, and a recent $1.4 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) grant to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to reduce mercury exposure risk for women and children who live along Lake Superior’s North Shore.   Produced by Carah Thomas.

(Photo via Wikimedia Commons, and is the work of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee, taken or made during the course of an employee's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.)

Welcome back to Magnetic North, migration central for the past month. Despite the hard freeze, gaggles of Canada geese devoured our lawn. Day after day. Frost after frost. Chowing down on the grass, still green and juicy under their blanket of fallen gold aspen leaves. And frustrating my two young domestic geese, Sophie and Olivia, by taking flight at dusk. 
 
The wild geese were in no hurry to migrate south. Not just yet. Every day at dusk they soared high above the earth, circling the meadow and landing, loudly with trademark honks on our little pond. There to float, sleep and dream the snowbirds dream of summer.
 
Sophie and Olivia, my new three-month old geese, watched all this with the fascination of all youngsters. They are African geese. In my opinion, the prettiest domestic geese I’ve ever seen. Predominantly gray, with brilliant white breasts, soft honey colored beaks and feet, with black toenails and eyeliner. Their wings, when spread are easily three-feet across. 
 
But that is just how they look. How they feel, a soft beyond soft, is their greatest feature in my book.
 
However, until the Canada geese showed up, Sophie and Olilvia didn’t know they were geese. How could they? Since arriving in their bread box-size bassinet in August, the two have seen only me and my yellow Lab, Zoe, plus our cat, chickens and an occasional two-legged and featherless human visitor.
 
And so, barring a mirror or a true biological mother, the two goslings assumed they were one of us. 
 
Paddling on their flattened clown feet next to me and Zoe, Sophie and Olivia make their appointed rounds. 
To the mailbox. 
To the goat corral. 
To the chicken and duck coop. 
And on occasion, when the new storm door sticks open a mite too long, even into our living room. This last destination is their favorite, because it always results in our old brown tabby cat, Basket, attempting to scale the walls and perch atop the ceiling fan. A sensible move for a cat faced with a bird three times its size.
 
But their inner goose emerged when first the goslings saw those handsome black and white honkers. Watched them rise like super sonic jets off the lawn. When that happened, Sophie and Olivia raced on their tippy-toes toward the pond, their beautiful white and gray wings spread wide and flap-flap-flapping, and their twin voices raised in song. Well, maybe song is too strong a word for a sound that resembles an accordion with the croup.
 
Sadly, they succeed only in crashing into the cattail marsh, wings tangled in rotting stems. Their big feet mired in muck. And their song strangled by the bitter pill of man’s interference with evolution. My poor adolescents plodded, utterly crestfallen, uphill to the house. A sight many would find funny. But not I.
 
What, I ask, is harder than seeing ones young first taste failure? Especially when it is repeated daily for weeks.
 
I suffered for them. And so, I let the storm door stay ajar on purpose and sacrificed my poor cat so as to raise the goslings spirits.
 
Does this smack of anthropomorphizing? Attributing human emotions to a bird or non-human? Guilty as charged.  And yet I think I know hope and despair when I see it. So what if Sophie and Olivia won’t do as we do,  tucking this failure away in their cocoa puff size brains, to root and grow into a crippling neurosis? I feel their pain, however fleeting.  And I know what soothes the ache. The sight of another creature having adjustment problems. Ergo, Basket to the rescue.
 
The largest census of honkers on our meadow and pond came to 17 birds. All chomping grass by day. Leaving their mini-cigar-shaped calling cards as they feasted. Then relaxing on the pond by night. But even as their numbers grew slowly throughout the autumn, they thinned suddenly. One day there were a dozen birds. Then six. Then the only two.
 
At last, even these left us. That day, the goslings burst from their straw bed in the garage, flapping out to greet their wild cousins, and finding only an  empty landscape. But they took it better than I expected.
 
No, my fledglings assume the “easy come easy go” attitude we humans envy. Life is good for them, given a bit of grain and grass and drink. It is in part this quality of peace that attracts me. Pulls me outside to tempt them close. To touch and sometimes even hold one of them close for a time. Stroking their soft neck feathers, searching their bright amber eyes for some hint who they are and laughing as they pull gently at wisps of my hair.
 
This is pure joy. In fact, for me, there is no more potent nostrum for bringing about a state of peace and calm. And, at times like these, I have to admit, I am grateful they cannot fly away. And I fanciful imagine that they are as well.