West End News

Patty Nordahl, the wonderful and effective Director of the Birch Grove Foundation is organizing a community meeting to explore the idea of building a greenhouse at the Birch Grove Community Center in Tofte.  The mmeting will be on Wednesday, July 24^th starting at 5:45 pm and there will be pizza served from the Birch Grove hearth oven. Dough, sauce and cheese will be provided for a nominal fee.  You should bring your own toppings and beverage.
 
Diane Booth, will be there, along with the Birch Grove Greenhouse Advisory Committee, to brainstorm on what a greenhouse could do for our community.  Diane wears many  hats, but she is basically the agriculture guru for Cook County. 
 
I hope the committee will take a hard look at the combination fish farm and greenhouse that has been so successful in Silver Bay.
 
Everyone is welcome to attend and share ideas. Let Patty know at 663-7977 or email [email protected] if you plan to come.    You can always call WTIP for contact information.
 
Birch Grove will be hosting a very exciting event on Sunday August 18^th starting at 3:00 p.m.  The Grammy Award winning “Okee Dokee Brothers” will be appearing.  The event starts with a children’s concert at 3:00, and trust me, kids love these guys. 
 
After the show, there will be a “West End Outdoor Recreation and Cultural Break” where people can explore the local hiking and biking trails, parks and museums.
 
Then, at 6 pm there will be another concert geared toward and all ages audience.  This fabulous event is co-sponsored by the Birch Grove Foundation and the North Shore Music Association.  The foundation will be selling hearth oven pizza and the music association will be selling beverages.
 
As you can plainly see, the wood fired hearth oven at Birch Grove is being kept busy.  Patty tells me that the regularly scheduled pizza bakes on Wednesday evenings have been a big success.  It works in the same way that I mentioned earlier, with dough, sauce and cheese being provided for a small fee and you bring the toppings that you like. It starts at 5:30 and continues until no one is hungry.
 
As a side benefit, the oven is still hot on Thursday morning, so anyone that wants to bake bread is welcome.
 
As you drive through Tofte, you can’t miss the Grindbygg timber framed boat shelter that has sprung up at the Commercial Fishing Museum. Although the building is designed to protect the historic fishing vessel, “Viking,” it is a work of art in itself and very appropriate to it’s purpose. 
 
Don Hammer, Director of the North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum, told me that if the Tofte brothers could time travel to today, they would immediately recognize the building from their childhoods in 19^th century Norway.
 
Greg Tofte and his construction crew will be roofing the new structure soon and the “Viking” will arrive as soon as they’re done.  A grand opening celebration is being planned for the latter half of August.  Keep an eye open for details here on WTIP and all the other local news providers.
 
Meanwhile, I highly recommend that you stop and look for yourself.  It is well worth the effort.
 
Nashville songwriter, Jerry Vandiver, has been hanging around Cook County for much of the summer.  Jerry has written hit songs for country stars Tim McGraw, Gene Watson, Phil Vassar, Lonestar, The Oak Ridge Boys, Lee Greenwood among others.  His songs, "It Doesn't Get Any Countrier Than This" and “For a Little While" are among the gold and platinum records on display at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.
 
In addition to being a hit songwriter, Jerry is an avid canoeist.  While he’s around this summer, he’ll be playing house concerts on the Gunflint Trail and in Ely.  He’ll be bringing his band to Fisherman’s Picnic where they will be headlining the Harbor Park stage on Saturday night. 
 
Along with his well known hits, he’ll be singing a couple of locally inspired songs, “My Sawbill Journey” and a brand new song called “In Grand Marais.”
 
Last week, Jerry hosted his second annual songwriter’s campfire here at Sawbill.  He invites local songwriters to share there songs in a circle format, where each writer presents one of their songs and then the next writer takes a turn.  Jerry is highly complimentary about the songwriting skills of local musicians.  I must say, folks that were camped in the Sawbill Lake campground and stumbled across the campfire, were surprised indeed to hear big hits being performed by the author, way out here in the West End of good old Cook County.

One thing we haven’t had to worry about in the West End this year, at least so far, is forest fires.  The late spring and the wet summer have kept fire danger very low. 
 
In spite of that, fire has played a large role in the news this summer.  Early in the season, massive fires out in Colorado and California destroyed hundreds of homes.  Then, Bluefin Bay Resort in Tofte experienced their fire, which was destructive, but thankfully without human injury.
 
Most recently, Zion Lutheran Church in Finland was destroyed by fire after apparently being struck by lightning.  Although it is tempting to laugh about a church being destroyed by an act of God, in reality it is a terribly wrenching experience for any community, but especially a community with only one church building.  I’m sure I speak for the entire West End when I offer heartfelt condolences to the Zion congregation and the whole Finland community.
 
In many ways, the fire that hit home the hardest was the tragic fire in Arizona that killed 19 members of a hotshot crew.  In a community like ours, where many people are wild land firefighters who travel around the country, a story like this one sends cold chills down the spine.  And, after the big, dangerous fires we’ve had here in the last 10 years, the Arizona disaster leads one to think, “There but for the grace of God.” 
 
It is now self-evident that larger and more dangerous fires are the result of climate change and long-term forest management policies.  These are very complex and politically sensitive issues that will be debated for a long time. 
 
In my opinion, one thing is abundantly clear: If you choose to live in a community that is located in a fire ecosystem, you have the responsibility to protect your property from wildfire.  The FireWise system that combines choosing fire-resistant building materials, smart management of vegetation and sprinkler systems is now a well-proven way to prevent property loss from wildfires.  If government and insurance companies required that home and business owners protect their own properties, we would not only save a lot of money, but we wouldn’t have to put our fire fighters in harm’s way to protect buildings.
 
Back in the ‘90s, two fires started here on the Superior National Forest on the same day.  Both were lightning strikes and both were within the BWCA Wilderness.  One was allowed to burn until a rainstorm put it out.  The other, which was here in the West End, was fought in the usual manner.  It eventually cost more than $5 million and was ultimately put out by the same rainstorm that stopped the fire that cost almost nothing.
 
I asked the fire boss at the time why one fire was aggressively fought while the other was not.  Her answer was that the cabins at Gust Lake were threatened by the West End fire while no cabins were threatened by the sister fire.  I asked her why they didn’t just defend the cabins rather than fight the fire in the traditional manner.  She paused and then said, “We don’t do that.”  It might be time to re-examine how we think about wild fires in forests that are fire-based ecosystems.
 
Meanwhile, back in Finland, the Finland Co-op just celebrated their 100th year.  I heard once that the Finland Co-op is the oldest continuously running co-op in Minnesota.  Whether that is true or not, 100 years is a huge milestone.  Congratulations to the Finland community for supporting this fine local business for so long.
 
Birch Grove Community Center in Tofte is hosting a handmade card party on July 21 starting at 3 p.m.  You can bring your own card making supplies, or buy supplies at the event for a reasonable cost.  Instruction, ideas and inspiration will be freely shared.  Just think, you can make all your wedding, anniversary and birthday cards for the next year at the same time.  And, nothing says thoughtfulness like a handmade card.  Contact the Birch Grove Foundation, Lavona Czaplicki, or WTIP for more details and contact information.
 
On the deck in front of our sauna, we have a small wrought iron tree that is covered with LED Christmas lights.  We use it to give the deck a nice soft ambient light when a sauna is happening after dark.  A few days ago, the crew accidently left the lights on overnight after a sauna.  The next day I looked out at the deck from my house and realized that half a dozen beautiful green Luna moths were festooning the stark metal tree.  Attracted by the lights overnight, they looked for all the world like large green leaves sprouting from the metal tree.  Closer inspection revealed a dozen other moths that were a less conspicuous brown and orange color. 
 
It was just another pleasant and beautiful surprise from the rich natural world here in the West End.

[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}

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…
 

Planning is in full swing for the famous Tofte Fourth of July celebration.  The big news this year is that the fireworks will be on Friday, July 5, rather than on the Fourth.  This will allow fireworks fans to catch the fireworks in Grand Marais on the Fourth and then Tofte’s spectacular show on the fifth. 
 
The rest of the celebration will be on Thursday, July 4, around the Tofte Park and firehall, starting at 11 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m.  The parade, which is always a highlight, will start at 2 p.m.  There will be a dunk tank again this year with the proceeds going to the dunkee’s charity of choice.  If you’d like to be dunked and raise some money for your favorite cause, call Dorrie at 370-0518 for a time slot.
 
Another change in this year’s Tofte Fourth of July, is that all the children’s activities will be at the Birch Grove Community Center.  The balloon toss and bouncy house will be set up there.  The Birch Grove Foundation will be serving wood-fired breakfast pizza starting at 8 a.m. until all the pizza is eaten.
 
The Town of Lutsen is hosting an open house at their spanking new Town Hall and Fire Hall on Monday, June 24 from 5:30 until 8 p.m.  Fireman’s chili and tours will be offered, along with the chance to meet the dedicated volunteers from the Lutsen Fire Department and Rescue Squad.
 
The community of Finland was surprised to receive a state grant recently that paid off the remaining quarter of a million dollar debt owed on the Clair Nelson Community Center in Finland.  Representative David Dill was able to obtain the grant from excess taconite tax money that came available due to better than anticipated taconite production last year. 
 
The Clair Nelson Community Center, named after the late Lake County Commissioner Clair Nelson, is a wonderful new facility that is paying big dividends to the Finland community.  Thanks are due to Rep. Dill, along with congratulations to all the volunteers who have worked so hard to make it a reality.
 
Andie Peterson, author, award winning teacher, former mayor and all around renaissance woman, just completed a 10-year term as the president of the Schroeder Area Historical Society.  She was acknowledged at the recent annual meeting, where more than 70 members enjoyed a delicious ham dinner.  Andie will be staying on the board, so her wisdom won’t be lost to the organization.  Congratulations to Linda Lamb, who was elected to be the new president.
 
The next upcoming event at the Cross River Heritage Center is a Vintage Tea on Saturday, June 29 at 1 p.m.  Everyone is welcome and is being asked to bring a vintage or historic item to share with everyone.  I can guarantee that many great stories will be told.  For more information about the Schroeder Historical Society and the Cross River Heritage Center, call Susan at 663-7706.
 
I recently caught wind that the Human Development Center in Grand Marais is offering new mental health services for young children.  Cecilia Bloomquist is currently being trained to offer therapy for children from 2 to 6 years to help with disruptive behavior.  The therapy is evidence based and includes training for the parents.  Appointments can be made now and she will start providing the service when her training is complete in a couple of weeks.
 
This is a great new service being offered to our community, because research clearly shows that young children with mental health problems can often be treated very effectively.  Early treatment can prevent serious problems later in life.
 
Cecilia, who is a clinical social worker, also is offering in-home mental health diagnostic assessments for children ages 0 to 5.  You can reach her at the Human Development Center by calling 387-9444.
 
In my humble opinion, the day that the dragonflies emerge should be a county-wide holiday.  The dragonflies emerged in force this week and the black flies were gone within a day or two. 
 
Back in the ‘60s, my dad actually researched the possiblity of raising dragonflies in tanks and adjusting their environment to get them to hatch early. This was right after local resorts were forced to stop spraying their properties with DDT fog.  It turns out that the dragonfly life cycle is complicated and probably impossible to manupulate.  It was a good thought, but as we seem to learn over and over again, it’s not wise to mess with nature.
 
For WTIP, this is Bill Hansen with the West End News.

{photo by Molly Breslin}

Several months ago, I mentioned my friend Art Wright, who was about to turn 100 years old.  Art did turn 100 four months ago, but unfortunately he passed away last week. 
 
Art was born in Duluth.  His father was the purser on the steamship America before any roads were built up the north shore.  Art’s mother was the teacher at the Maple Hill School in Grand Marais and met Art’s father on the America while traveling to her new teaching post at the ripe old age of 17. 
 
The Wright family lived in Grand Marais for a couple of years when Art was a young boy.  Of course, all of his playmates from that era are gone now.
 
Art took many canoe trips starting from Sawbill. He could remember every detail from his first Sawbill canoe trip in 1938. 
 
A lot of history died with Art, but fortunately, the Cook County Historical Society has many of Art’s best memories on videotape for future generations to enjoy and learn from.
 
Art had many friends from Duluth to Grand Portage.  He was always good company and will be missed.
 
I was sad to read of the death of my friend, Roger Maxfield, who grew up in Taconite Harbor and graduated from Birch Grove School and Cook County High School.  Roger was a gentle and genial soul with many friends. 
 
He and I are the same age and were the last group of young men to participate in the Selective Service lottery at the end of the Vietnam War.  I was lucky enough to get a high number, so I knew I wouldn’t be drafted.  Roger had a very low number, so he was essentially sure to be drafted.  He waited on pins and needles for at least a year, but the war wound down and he never got the call.  I know it was hard on him though, to live with the uncertainty for so long. 
 
Roger worked at Erie Mining for a few years before moving to Honeywell, where he followed his father Floyd’s footsteps by making his living as an electrician.  We’ll miss you buddy.
 
The Lutsen 99er mountain bike race is just around the corner.  The fast growing, 99-mile, main event is scheduled for June 29 and starts at Lutsen Mountains.  If you aren’t already signed up for that race, you better take a pass on it for this year, unless you happen to be a well-trained mountain bike rider.
 
However, there is a 39-mile race that starts at the same time.  If you have put in a reasonable number of miles this spring, there is still plenty of time to register for the shorter distance.
 
If you are not a trained cyclist, or a kid, there are some fun opportunities for you.  On Sunday, June 30, starting at 9:30, there are three kids’ races.   The Micro Niner is for ages 5 to 7 and is a half-mile race.  The Mini Niner is for ages 8 to 10 and is nine-tenths of a mile.  The Junior Niner is for kids from 11 to 13 and runs over a 1.9-mile course.  All the kids’ races are free and will be a ton of fun.  Pre-registration is requested, but no kid will be turned away.
 
If nothing I’ve talked about so far is your cup of tea, there is an open house fun ride Sunday, June 30, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., sponsored by the Superior Cycling Association, at the Pincushion Trails on the hill right above Grand Marais.
 
There are plenty of opportunities for watching the race or becoming a volunteer.  You can find full details for all things 99er at Lutsen99er.com.  Or, you can contact WTIP and they will give you full contact information.
 
The Lutsen 99er is growing fast and is a wonderful event in itself, but it is really just a part of a fast growing bicycle scene in the West End.  Single track mountain bike trails are still being built and improved at the Sugarbush Trail system in Tofte.  Last week, another section of the Gitchee-Gami state trail was opened in Silver Bay.  The new section is a 2.3-mile section of paved trail between Rukavina Arena in Silver Bay to the West Road in Beaver Bay.  It provides a connection, via a short stretch of gravel, to the longest completed section of the trail between Beaver Bay and Gooseberry State Park.
 
Another 1.1 miles of trail will be completed this summer between the Onion River Road and the Ski Hill Road in Lutsen.
 
When the Gitchee-Gami state trail is completed, it will extend 86 miles from Two Harbors to Grand Marais and will be a major contributor to the economic and physical health of the West End.
 
Every West Ender experienced a feeling of dread last week when word spread that there was a serious fire at Bluefin Bay Resort in Tofte.  Although five condo units ended up being heavily damaged, no one was hurt in either the fire or the firefighting effort.
 
It was indeed a bad incident, but it would have been a whole lot worse but for the efforts of Tofte Fire Chief Rich Nelson, the entire Tofte Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad, and every other volunteer fire fighter in Cook County who turned out in support. 
 
These dedicated folks put in untold hours of training and routine maintenance, but it is all worth it when they can efficiently and effectively save a major community asset like Bluefin Bay and keep everyone safe in the process.  I know that the whole community joins me in saying thank you, thank you, thank you for all you do.

(Photo courtesy Bluefin Bay Resort)

It's time for the West End to play another round of Jerk the Merc!  For many years now, North Shore Mining in Silver Bay has offered to collect and properly dispose of mercury-containing devices and waste electronics.  This year you can drop off your devices, bulbs and electronics at John's Sanitary Service, 15 Golf Course Road in Silver Bay on Tuesday, June 11 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
 
Mercury-containing devices include fluorescent bulbs, tilt switches, mercury thermometers, gas appliance safety shutoffs and, of course, any elemental mercury that you might have laying around from an old-fashioned chemistry set.
 
Waste electronics include circuit boards, computers, printers, stereos (but no speakers please), cell phones, computer monitors, TVs and microwaves.  The service is free and is open to individuals, households, small businesses and non-profits.  However, TVs, monitors and microwaves are limited to just two of each per household or business.
 
My hat is off to North Shore Mining Company for their annual commitment to keeping our environment free of toxic chemicals.  Once again, the drop-off is at John's Sanitary Service, in Silver Bay, on Tuesday, June 11 between 9 and 2.  You can call Jenny at 226-6231 for more information, or, as always, you can contact WTIP for full information.
 
I'm glad to hear the Cook County Board of Commissioners is moving toward hiring a county administrator.  The joke that I've been making is that the county already has a county administrator… and it's a combination of Janet Simonen and Auditor Brady Powers.  As with all good jokes, there is an element of truth in it, as Janet and Brady often go above and beyond the call of duty to help the county run more efficiently.  Janet's pending retirement is the perfect time to bring on a professional administrator.
 
Few people remember that Cook County briefly had a county administrator back in the '80s and it was an overall positive experience.  Since then, running a county has become exponentially more complex, and the days when the commissioners could act as their own administrator are past.  I hope the commissioners will hire a well-qualified and experienced administrator, because a good county administrator will save and earn far more money than the cost of their salary.
 
As a side benefit, it will make the job of being a county commissioner slightly less impossible and may cause a larger pool of candidates to consider running for office.  This is always a good thing in a representative democratic system.
 
One of my favorite news organizations is an online magazine called MinnPost.  Published by former Star Tribune publisher Joel Kramer, it employs some of Minnesota's best journalists writing about state politics, arts and culture, education, health care and more. 
 
Right now, I recommend a very interesting piece headlined "The Next New Economy," by Jessica Conrad, who is described in her bio as a "content manager" for another web publication called OnTheCommons.org.  Conrad paints a compelling picture of a future that she refers to as the "sharing economy."
 
She supports her prediction by describing a handful of businesses that are already successful in helping people share resources, like the popular NiceRide bike sharing program in Minneapolis.  She also mentions ZipCar, which is a fast-growing car sharing company, and Netflix, which started as a DVD sharing service but now is a streaming movie and TV service. There is a long list of sharing based companies that entrepreneurs are starting using the relatively new tools of smart phones and social networks. One that caught my eye is Sophia, which is an education sharing service.
 
I find this interesting in light of the soon-to-arrive broadband service here in Cook County.  If I were a young entrepreneur who wanted to live in the most beautiful part of the state, I'd be thinking about what sorts of services might spring up here once broadband and 4G phone service are widely available. 
 
I'd love to think up the next big thing myself, but I can never think of a great business idea until right after some else tells me about it.  As soon as the idea is out of their mouth, I say to myself, "I could have thought of that!"  I have thought about having a fleet of canoes that people could rent for BWCA Wilderness canoe trips, but it turns out someone else had thought of that one a long time ago.
 
All joking aside, Jessica Conrad points out in her MinnPost article that Forbes Magazine estimates that people will earn $3.5 billion in the sharing economy this year, with a growth rate over last year of 25 percent.  She goes on to note that in a world where the population is expected to reach 9 billion by mid-century, with the supply of natural resources dwindling, it seems obvious that we'll all have to own less, share more and find ways to cut the huge amount of waste that we now produce.
 
As recently as a few years ago, it was no news to see a moose on the Sawbill Trail.  Now, it has become a rare treat.  I saw a two-year-old bull on my way to town this week, right by the Honeymoon Trail intersection.  Not only was he a cute guy with tiny nubs of antler smaller than his ears, but he also had the classic woebegone look of an adolescent who has recently been rejected by his previously loving mother.  His expression said, as plainly as if he was talking, "I'm lonely, my feelings are hurt and now there is a big pickup truck looking at me and I don't know what to do!"  He finally ambled off down the Honeymoon Trail, where I'm sure that the school of hard knocks will soon turn him into a confident and sturdy adult moose.

It was a slow Memorial Day weekend here at Sawbill.  BWCA Wilderness travelers seemed to be here in good numbers, but the drive-in Forest Service campgrounds were half empty all weekend.  My guess is the combination of a late spring, high gas prices and a rainy forecast for most of the state was responsible for the slow traffic.  Here in the Sawbill Lake campground, four sites that were reserved for the whole weekend ended up as no-shows. 
 
The people who did show up for the holiday weekend were treated to great weather with almost no bugs.  Fishing was generally slow, although everyone seemed to catch enough for a good meal. 
 
I’m always happy to welcome a new business to the West End.  Jay Hanson and Dan Goyen have announced the establishment of North Shore Scenic Cruises based at the marina in Silver Bay. They will be sailing the historic motor vessel Wenonah on tours of the North Shore Mining Harbor and the beautiful geological formations in the Palisade Head area, and visiting the sites of historic ship wrecks. 
 
The first cruise will be June 14 and continue through the summer and fall.  North Shore Scenic Cruises has a website, which you can find by googling Lake Superior cruising, or contact WTIP for the link.  It’s great to have cruising back in the West End since the Grampa Woo stopped service several years ago.  Best of luck to Jay and Dan in their new endeavor.
 
Speaking of tours, it’s time to get your reservations made for this year’s Lundie Vacation Home Tour sponsored by the Schoeder Area Historical Society. 
The tour is scheduled for Saturday, July 13 and goes to homes and cabins designed by the famous archetict Edwin Lundie. This year the emphasis will be in the Hovland area and will end up at historic Naniboujou Lodge for a light dinner.  Information and reservations can be made by calling 218-663-7706, or by visiting the Schoeder Area Historical Society’s website.  Or, you can contact WTIP for full contact information.
 
If you can’t make it for the Lundie Tour, you can certainly stop by the Cross River Heritage Center in Schroeder to see the new exhibit, “Up From the Ashes: Forest Fires on the North Shore.”  It covers a history that has real resonance today, as large fires are a continuing presence in our lives.
 
The Cross River Heritage Center is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every Tuesday through Saturday and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sundays. The Center is closed on Mondays.  This schedule is in place until October 19; the Center is located right in the heart of downtown Schoeder.
 
A memorial service is scheduled for Tofte native Ellis “Bud” Tormondsen Saturday, June 8 at Zoar Lutheran Church in Tofte.  Bud passed away on Feb. 15 after living in Tofte for more than 90 years.  All are welcome to come and celebrate Bud’s rich and long life.
 
A belated congratulations to Forest Service Tofte District Ranger John Wytanis, who retired at the beginning of May.  John was in charge of the Tofte District and the Isabella Work Station for a number of years.  John had many accomplishments in the Forest Service, but may be best remembered locally for his hard work and great communication skills during the Pagami Creek Fire in 2011.  That fire will certainly be a memorable career moment for him. John and his wife Marge will continue to live in Tofte, at least for a while.
 
One of the many interesting things about being in the tourism business is observing a large number of people’s behavior in what is basically in the same situation.  It provides a study of human nature to see how different people react to indentical circumstances.  One result of my lifetime in the tourism business is to remind myself, when I’m traveling as a tourist, that every clever joke I can think of has probably been told by thousands of tourists who came before me. 
 
This year, we have experienced a unique change in tourist behavior here at Sawbill.  Since the public Forest Service parking lot was built in 1962, everyone has parked their cars in neat lines facing north/south.  There are no lines on the gravel parking lot, so it just seemed like an unspoken consensus to park north/south.
 
This year, for the first time in more than 50 years, people are parking in lines facing east/west.  How is it possible that this has never happened before in the previous half century?  Why did it happen this year?  Is it somehow related to the late spring?  Have the magnetic poles shifted polarity? Ahh, the mysteries of human behavior.  They never cease to amaze.
 

The Gala for the Grove, Birch Grove School's biggest annual fundraiser, was a smashing success once again this year.  School Director, Diane Blanchette, reported that this year's Gala more than met the goal of raising $10,000.  She asked me to thank Dennis Rysdahl, who donates the facilities and staff, along with the many other sponsors, who donated cash, raffle prizes and auction items.  The great local band, D'Merritt, provided live music for dancing.  Everyone had a great time and it's not too early to pencil in next year's Gala on your May calendar.
 
West End parents, remember the Campsite Kids and Summer Sapling programs this summer at Birch Grove.  Campsite Kids is qualified day care for kindergarten through fifth grade children three days a week, all summer long.  There will be weekly "campy" themes with field trips, creative projects, campfires, access to the school library and many other fun activities based in the Birch Grove outdoor classroom.
 
Summer Saplings is a similar program that is geared to the 3 to 5-year-old set.  It also runs three days a week, all day.  The number of participants is limited, so for more information or to register, call Diane at 663-0170 or contact WTIP for full contact information.
 
We can't let the kids have all the fun, so adults can plan on attending the popular North Shore Landowners Workshop at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center in Finland. This workshop is sponsored by the North Shore Stewardship Association at Sugarloaf Cove and has generated rave reviews from those attending in the past.  It's always nice to meet your land-owning neighbors, but you can also learn why all the birches are dying, how to control invasive species on your property, which trees to plant and how to ensure their survival and many other useful things.  The event is Friday, June 7th from 12:30 to 4 p.m.  It is free and open to public, but pre-registration is encouraged.  You can register at the Sugarloaf Cove website, or by calling 218-525-0001.  As always, you can contact WTIP for full contact information.
 
The entire West End Community was saddened by the news of the death of John Fredrickson from Silver Bay.  John died May 18 at home in Silver Bay.  John was a well-known and well-liked member of the community.  He was an entrepreneur who owned the Standard station in Silver Bay and John's Sanitary Removal, which he built into a thriving business over the last 28 years.
 
John was also then longtime chief of the Silver Bay Fire Department, which is known as one of the finest small town fire departments in the state of Minnesota.  Last year, he was honored by the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs’ Association as Fire Officer of the Year. 
 
He was a famous hard worker, but was also a dedicated family man.  He will be missed by the whole community.  Our condolences to the all of John's family and friends.
 
Molly Rider, of Lutsen, will be departing this week to paddle the entire length of the Mississippi River.  The trip is sponsored by outdoor club at Bowdoin College in Maine where Molly is a student.  She'll be joined by her best friend from school, and two friends from Two Harbors.  Watch the WTIP website for updates as the trip progresses.  Molly plans to arrive at the Gulf of Mexico sometime in early August.
 
It seems like all the lakes in the BWCA Wilderness are finally clear of ice. Brule Lake had significant ice until the 20th of May. Here at Sawbill, it is starting to green up, but the snow bank in front of the store, which I call "The Glacier," is still three feet tall.  It may last until the first of June this year.  Having "The Glacier" on site is bad for ice sales, because people can just throw a shovel full of snow into their coolers.  Its presence is good for sweatshirt sales though, so I guess it all works out in the end.

Every year, here at Sawbill Outfitters, we outfit a group of college freshmen from Nebraska Wesleyan University.  It’s a summer seminar on wilderness and we’ve really enjoyed working with such nice kids and their competent instructors.
 
Last year, the group brought along psychology professor Frank Ferraro.  On the canoe trip, he conducted an interesting psychological demonstration, with the help of nine of the students, that confirms what many of us feel about how spending time in wilderness affects us.
 
It’s no secret that college age kids live pretty hectic lives.  It’s also obvious that young people’s attention has been more divided since the widespread adoption of smart phones and tablets.  Texting, videos, Facebook, Instagram and many other distractions make significant demands on attention spans.

Just before the students got on the bus in Nebraska, Ferraro gave the students a simple word game that tests focused attention and creativity.  At the end of the canoe trip he gave the test again, with a different set of words.  The students improved their ability to focus their attention and think creatively by 40 percent.  The students also reported that their thinking had been changed by their week in the wilderness.  They noticed how their attention spans and focus had increased.
 
Even though the test was more of a demonstration and not actual research, the results would not surprise anyone who spends time in wilderness.  Everyone feels the slowing down, sense of renewal and return of focus when they travel in wilderness. 
 
It seems obvious to me that we are all able to adapt to the fast pace of modern life, but it causes a constant and significant strain on our brains.  When we go somewhere where our actions are dictated by sunlight, wind, weather and other purely natural forces, our brains relax back into the mode that millions of years of evolutionary biology designed them for.  Or, in simpler language, our brains go “Ahhhhh…”
 
Whatever your feelings are about same-sex marriage, anyone who is interested in Minnesota politics must stand amazed at the remarkable political turnaround on this issue in less than a year.
 
At this time last year, not only was gay marriage illegal in Minnesota, but it seemed almost certain that a permanent ban would be voted into the state constitution.  Polls on the pending referendum for the constitutional ban showed pretty solid support.  Thirty other states had placed a gay marriage ban in their constitutions and not a single state had rejected an attempt to do so.  The political groups supporting the ban seemed well-funded, well-organized and confident.
 
As we know, the constitutional amendment did not pass in Minnesota.  The “Vote No” campaign was successful by being very personal. They asked the question over and over, “Don’t you have a gay couple among your family, friends or co-workers and don’t you want them to have the right to marry?”  The combination of the personal message, traditional campaign shoe-leather, and shifting age demographics carried the day – and may have contributed to the election of Democratic majorities in the legislature.
 
Almost incredibly, last week Minnesota became the 12th state to legalize same-sex marriage.  It will be interesting to see if there is a political backlash, causing the pendulum to swing back to the right in the next election.  My political instincts, such as they are, say that the new law will quickly be accepted by the majority of Minnesotans when they see that it causes no problems.  I must say, everybody I know who is under the age of 35 seems puzzled that gay marriage is an issue at all.  They have grown up in classrooms where friends have two moms or two dads, many of their classmates are openly gay and they see gay role models in the media almost every day.  Their attitude is “What’s the big deal?”
 
The biggest impact on my family will be the uptick in the number of wedding invitations that we’ll be receiving this year.
 
 Photo licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.