North Shore Weekend

Trail Time

Hi. I’m Marcia Roepke and I live on the Gunflint Trail. Recently, Fred Smith ended his eleven years of reporting from the Trail and I’ll be continuing in his rather large footprints to bring you a little flavor of the Gunflint Trail wherever you might be.

I asked Fred what the biggest change was in his 22 years. He said that with the exception of the Ham Lake Fire of 2007, the biggest change was the creation of the Gunflint Trail Historical Society and the opening of Chik Wauk Museum and Nature Center in 2005. Chik Wauk is dedicated to the preservation of the cultural and natural histories of the Gunflint Trail and has a variety of exhibits and events, as well as volunteer opportunities, throughout the summer.
This summer is shaping up to be one of the lushest and greenest of recent memory. A dry spring gave way to a series of rainfalls that lowered the fire danger to moderate. Earlier this week, however, I saw that the fire danger had been set to high once again. So everyone: residents, visitors and campers need to be extremely careful with fires where and when they are allowed.

Now that we are past midsummer, the anemones and trilliums and other spring flowers have disappeared, but the daisies, fireweed, buttercup and lupines are blooming in abundance with the recent rains. Soon some of our native orchids will be poking their heads above the soil in their secret places. The tiny flowers of the hazelnut shrubs have now yielded a promising future supply of nuts for red squirrels and bears to feast on this fall. Good luck beating the squirrels and chipmunks to the hazelnuts when they are ready to pick! The animals seem to know to the second when harvest time is here and they almost always beat me to it. No hard feelings, though, since the beaked hazelnuts that grow in our area are covered with tiny prickly hairs that burrow into human skin and itch like crazy. They require a lot of work before we humans can eat them.

Chokecherry, pin cherry and raspberry bushes are loaded with early green fruit. I noticed lots of wild strawberries in flower early this summer but I totally missed that harvest. As for blueberries, the word is still out on whether this will be a good blueberry year. A late frost nipped the blossoming plants in some areas. Hopefully there are pockets of good fruit that will yield that prizewinning blueberry in time for The Gunflint Trail’s Biggest Blueberry Contest. See if you can beat the bears to that big one!

We haven’t spotted much moose lately, but we see their signs, especially the young birch trees that they break down to get to the tender tips of the branches.

There are some smaller creatures that have been fascinating me this year: The first is the Hummingbird Clearwing, a sphinx moth, that I watched hover around the blossoms of a wild apple tree earlier this spring. This beautiful insect is easily mistaken for a hummingbird from a distance. It moves a little more slowly and delicately than its little namesake bird. It has a long proboscis that curls under its chin and unfurls to sip the nectar from the blossoms.
The second creature is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. They appear so very early in the year that I wonder what they find to eat besides the nectar available at hummingbird feeders that hang by cabins up and down the Trail.
I’ve been privy to the hummingbird’s mating dance quite often this year. The male flies in a surprisingly large swooping half-circle, buzzing at the tip of the arc, trilling at the low point, over and over again. I’ve even seen the female sometimes sitting demurely on the ground, sometimes perched in a nearby chokecherry bush, during this display. I wonder if the hummingbird is communicating more than “Pick me – I’m the best” for the male’s part or “Convince me” for the female’s? Last week my neighbor Don the Duffer shared the results of a study of prairie dog communication. After biologists had recorded events and chirps, the data was analyzed. The findings indicated that the animals had communicated in far greater detail than was previously thought. Not only were they warning of “predator approaching,” they were also sharing information such as “coyote coming!” or “tall human in yellow shirt approaching from the north!”

So I wondered while observing the hummingbirds, what else could he be saying to his lady love? Is there poetry in a hummingbird’s communication? I certainly see poetry in their movements. I think there’s poetry everywhere in the woods and waters of the northland; poetry and abundance. There’s an abundance of space and solitude as well as plenty of neighborliness here, where time seems to slow down and expand, here on the Gunflint Trail.
You can learn more about Chik Wauk Nature Center at gunflinthistory.org and about the Biggest Blueberry on the Gunflint Trail at visitcookcounty.com.
 
 

Northeast Minnesota experienced extensive "slash and burn" logging during the late 1800s and early 1900s. As a result, streams and rivers became highways for moving the logs, and the "slash" from logging covered the landscape resulting in soil erosion and forest fires. In this two-part series, producer Martha Marnocha talked with Dr. Michael Risku to learn about the impact of the logging industry on the North Shore's whitefish and lake trout populations during the early 20th century.

Chel Anderson is a botanist and plant ecologist and she joins us periodically to report on what she’s seeing in our woods and waters right now.

In this edition of North Woods Naturalist, Chel describes her recent observations as we enter into the summer season.

This project is supported in part by funding from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Northern Sky by Deane Morrison
June 19 – July 2, 2021

Summer is officially settling in. The summer solstice arrives at 10:52 p.m. on Sunday, June 20. At that moment the sun reaches a point over the Tropic of Cancer, and ends its annual journey north. Then it reverses and starts heading south again. Slowly. When the sun is near a solstice, it moves at glacial speed. It seems as though the sun is at its maximum height, and the days are about as long as they get, for two months centered on the summer solstice. In fact, the word “solstice” comes from the Latin for “sun standing still.” On that day the Earth will be lighted from the Antarctic Circle up to the North Pole and beyond to the Arctic Circle on the night side of Earth.

On June 24th, we get the last of this year’s three supermoons. This moon rises at 9:33 p.m., about eight hours after the moment of fullness. It may not look perfectly round, but it’ll be close to Earth and quite bright. It travels the night sky in Sagittarius, sitting right at the juncture of the lid and the handle of the Teapot of Sagittarius. 
 
On July 2nd, Earth reaches aphelion, its farthest distance from the sun. Earth orbits more slowly when it’s farther from the sun, which means that as I speak, we’re slowing down.  

This time of year, the stars and planets get barely six hours to strut their stuff. Venus gets much less; it shines through the sun’s afterglow, very low in the west-northwest, for barely an hour before setting. In the east, Saturn, and then Jupiter, rise around midnight. Saturn is in Capricornus, the sea goat, and Jupiter has moved into Aquarius, the water bearer.  
At nightfall, you’ll see a brilliant star high in the south to southwest. This is Arcturus, the brightest star in the kite-shaped constellation Bootes, the herdsman. Below Arcturus we have Spica, the only reasonably bright star in Virgo, the maiden. Low in the south is the S-shaped body of Scorpius. Its most salient feature is Antares, a gigantic red star at the scorpion’s heart. Just east of Scorpius is the Teapot of Sagittarius. 

Finally, a recent article in Astronomy magazine reminded me of a story I heard a long time ago. A reporter was covering a meeting of astronomers—where, I don’t recall—but there was, as usual, a room where lots of graduate students were standing by poster displays of their research. The reporter saw one who had a small table by him, and on it was a jar of dill pickles. So the reporter asked, what have dill pickles got to do with astronomy? And the grad student explained that the vinegar in the pickle brine was based on acetic acid, and his group had detected acetic acid in space. Well, now lots of organic molecules have been detected in space, including amino acids, the building blocks of protein, and precursors of DNA. And Astronomy magazine just reported that scientists have found another one. 

Ethanolamine, an essential component of the membranes that enclose our cells, has been found in a cloud of gas and dust just 390 light-years from the center of the Milky Way.

This gets at the question of how life arose on Earth and perhaps elsewhere. Was life seeded from space? Seeded in the form of essential molecules that were synthesized in space, including ones like ethanolamine, which could have assembled themselves into membranes that encapsulated and protected the other essential molecules by forming little protocells? I’m going to stick my neck out and say this question won’t be resolved any time soon.

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The University of Minnesota’s public viewings of the night sky at its Duluth and Twin Cities campuses have been curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, see:

Duluth, Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium: www.d.umn.edu/planet

Twin Cities, Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics: www.astro.umn.edu/outreach/pubnight

Check out astronomy programs, free telescope events, and planetarium shows at the

University of Minnesota's Bell Museum: www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/astronomy

Find U of M astronomers and links to the world of astronomy at: http://www.astro.umn.edu

Steve Robertsen, education and interpretation specialist with the Superior National Forest, gives us the latest news from the SNF.

Chel Anderson is a botanist and plant ecologist and she joins us periodically to report on what she’s seeing in our woods and waters right now.

This project is supported in part by funding from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Chel Anderson is a botanist and plant ecologist and she joins us periodically to report on what she’s seeing in our woods and waters right now.

This project is supported in part by funding from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Superior National Forest Update is a weekly feature on WTIP's North Shore Morning.
Joanna Gilkeson is a Public Affairs Specialist with the Superior National Forest.

Chel Anderson is a botanist and plant ecologist and she joins us periodically to report on what she’s seeing in our woods and waters right now.

This project is supported in part by funding from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Wildersmith on the Gunflint     by     Fred Smith
May 28, 2021    
           
The Gunflint Trail is now what residents have been waiting for, a blur of green.  A dose of rain has helped put the final touches on leaf out in upper Trail territory.                                  

This being said, a glance out the window finds it hard to see years of blow down rubble typical of living in the forest, once “Mother Nature” and “old Sol” start stirring Chlorophyll spirit. And the once brown, needle laden earth is being consumed with all things green.            

A couple days ago the Ojibwe, “budding flower” moon cast its’ golden gaze to the spring goings-on, and sure enough, the “Forget me nots” have popped their buds turning the Wildersmith yard sky blue over the past few days. Sprinkled in amongst the petite blue blossoms, I’m seeing wild strawberry flowers as the first fruit of the summer. This place is just magical with the ageless miracles of re-birth. What a creation!                                                      

While the majesty of this northern paradise is awe-inspiring, many folks have been brought back from spring gazing, to the reality there are a few “wild neighborhood” adversaries around, who in order to survive, will make life for us two legged beings very uncomfortable. At this point, I’m talking “Black Flies.” To date they are making the mosquitoes look like choir boys.           

The ornery little nippers have been near un-bearable in the last week. I heard from one gal who counted twenty-one bites on her hands after one outing. And another gal indicated she might be trying a bath in bug dupe. As for yours truly, I have my share of itchy scars after scrounging around in the dirt to repair a water system problem.                                                      
While this nipping nonsense will calm down in favor of the “skeeters”, the presence of our black fly hoards bodes well for blue berry pollination. If rains come in a timely manner, the territory could see a bumper crop of the “blues” come late July and August. You pickers, keep those fingers crossed.                                                                                                                                    
The summer vacation period becomes official with this Memorial Day weekend, and with it, the Gunflint Trail Historical Society is opening its Chik Wauk Museum and Nature Center doors to visitors for the eleventh year tomorrow, Saturday. Hours for the Museum remain 10:00 am to 5:00 pm daily.                                                                                                                   

As COVID-19 restrictions have been eased across the State, visitors are still encouraged to remember cautions necessary when being around others, regardless of vaccination.                  

Chik Wauk is excited to announce two new exhibits in the museum (The Powell family story is the 2021 special collection along with a permanent cultural /wildfire history presentation). The new interpretive cabin, closed in 2020 due to COVID, will now be open for first time viewing, and the Watercraft exhibit is also being enhanced with the addition of another significant historical unit. So make plans to take a trip to end of the trail a 2021 priority!                                                                                                                                         
I’d like to give a big shout out to dozens of folks who have been doing the Trail clean-up over the past few weeks. Thanks a million for your beautification efforts. While their job is now done, this littering problem is on-going. Every user is encouraged to keep their trash in the vehicle and stop whenever possible to pick-up after those who don’t give a hoot.                                           
In closing, I’m announcing this will be my last account of weekly happenings along the Gunflint Trail. As many listeners know, living in the woods can be difficult and challenging. While the Smith’s are presently in good health, the sands of time are sifting away faster than we wish. So we will be moving from this wonderful unorganized territory at the end of June, going back to Iowa where we will be more accessible to our kids.                                                                     

The past twenty-two years of life in the wild land have been an incredible experience. This Gunflint Community has been something to behold, and as an Iowa invasive, we at Wildersmith are so grateful to have been included as a part of so many wonderful happenings.                      

It goes without saying the opportunity to scribe this weekly column for nearly eighteen years has been an unbelievable privilege. I’m indebted to Vicki Biggs-Anderson, then Editor and Jay Anderson, News Director at the Cook County News Herald and Deb Benedict and Matthew Brown at WTIP, and their staffs, for undying support over these years.                                            
All of these people made this very amateur broadcast journalist sound better than I really am. You will never know how much I appreciate your friendly and professional leadership during my news scooping years                                                                                                                   
And speaking more of undying support, the community of readers and listeners has made this chapter of my life rewarding beyond belief.  I cannot thank everyone enough for supportive comments, snippets of life in your Gunflint neighborhood and just being tuned in each week. You are truly amazing!
           
With that I say farewell, and best wishes to all in this precious place.                                   

For WTIP… this is Wildersmith… along the Gunflint Trail… where every day… has been
Great… and will always… be remembered…  

Happy Gunflint Trails… until we meet again!!!