North Shore News Hour

The Cook County Commissioners met Tuesday, March 26, and as usual the meeting started with a public comment, with several people speaking.
 
Arvis Thompson and Donna Lunke of Grand Marais both questioned the manner in which the county board responds to citizen comments and inquiries.
 
At the end of the comment period, County Board Chair Ginny Storlie did give a brief reply, stating that commissioners do take notes during the public comment period and sometimes address those matters later in the meeting.
 
Storlie also encouraged citizens to contact their commissioners outside the meeting as well.
 
At the end of the meeting, during the agenda item “Commissioner Concerns,” the county board did talk about its responsibility to respond to citizens.
 
Here’s some of that conversation.
 

Each week the Cook County Sheriff’s Office provides a brief report of calls made to the Cook County Law Enforcement Center in the past week. This week’s report provides details logged by law enforcement dispatchers from March 19 to March 25, 2019. WTIP asked for more information on a number of those calls and details follow.

On March 21, there was a probable cause domestic abuse arrest in Grand Marais.

There were nine medical calls, one for a man on County Road 7 on March 24 who died at home of natural causes.

A theft was reported on March 24. A party reported that a phone had been taken by an ex-boyfriend. The phone was returned.

There was a report of shoplifting in Grand Portage on March 22. The suspects were confronted and agreed to pay for the items in exchange for no charges.

At 2 a.m. on March 23, a person ran from a deputy on foot on Wisconsin Street in Grand Marais. The individual was detained and released.

At 3 a.m. on March 23, the Sheriff’s Office received a call of loud parties at Aspen Lodge in Grand Marais. Deputies informed the group that they needed to quiet down.

There were numerous calls related to animals. Law enforcement dispatchers received an unusual animal call on March 25. A caller on West Highway 61 reported a deer tangled in a fence. The call was referred to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

The fire department was called to rescue an adventurous cat from a tree on Schoolhouse Road in Grand Marais on March 20. Two days later, there was another call to check the welfare of a cat in a tree on Schoolhouse Road.

There was a report of an injured fox on 11th Avenue in Grand Marais on March 22.

There were two reports of dead deer, one on East Highway 61 and one on West Highway 61. There were calls of loose dogs – two calls from the Gunflint Trail; one in Grand Marais and one on West Highway 61.

A caller complained of a barking dog in Grand Marais on March 23.

A motorist backed into another vehicle on West Highway 61 in the morning of March 23. The owners exchanged insurance information. At 3 p.m. in the afternoon, the Sheriff’s Office received a report of a hit and run to a vehicle on Onion River Road in Tofte. There are no suspects.

There was a car/deer crash on West Highway 61 at 7:22 p.m. on March 23 and at 4:44 on March 24.

A reckless driver was reported on West Highway 61. The incident was referred to Minnesota State Patrol.
The Sheriff’s Office received notification off a missing person from St. Paul.

On March 24 a caller reported smoke on Devil Track Road. It was determined to be smoke from an old fire.

Sheriff deputies responded to a number of “public assist” calls—two civil matters and one report of keys locked in a car. On March 23, there was a call reporting a person walking on the highway.

Two parties made reports of telephone scams and another person reported an internet scam.

There was a security system false alarm on West Highway 61 on March 20 and at the Grand Portage National Monument on March 24.

There was a report of lost keys on the Gunflint Trail on March 20. A party found a handgun on Chicago Bay Road in Hovland on March 23. The owner was located and the gun returned to them.

A suspicious activity call from a party in Grand Marais reported that they had found dish soap and other cleaning supplies thrown around the kitchen. There are no suspects in the incident.

Another suspicious activity call on West Highway 61 reported a person inside a building. It was determined that they had permission to be there. Another call reported a light on at the Coast Guard building in Grand Marais. The Coast Guard was informed.

Cook County Public Health requested that the sheriff’s office check the welfare of one of its clients on March 20. The person was fine.

The Grand Portage Convenience Store reported a gas drive off.

Law enforcement received a report of a stop sign down. The matter was referred to the Cook County Highway Department. There was also a report of water on the road on Pike Lake Road on March 22.

There were 25 traffic stops, with 15 reprimands and 10 citations. There were 21 business and residence checks.
Dispatchers handled five crank or misdialed 9-1-1 calls.

Sheriff deputies also participated in Operation Stonegarden, a joint patrol effort with the U.S. Border Patrol on March 20.

If you need help from the Cook County Sberiff's Office, dial 9-1-1.
 

The University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine and the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa have partnered to conduct an interesting study of the moose populations in our region.
 
The purpose of the study is to compare mainland and island moose populations—the moose here on the North Shore of Minnesota and on Isle Royale, about 15 miles away on Lake Superior.  
 
Following the reintroduction of several collared wolves from Grand Portage to Isle Royale National Park last fall, and an additional six from Canada in the last month, a team of researchers have collared a number of moose on the island.
 
Click below to find interviews with two of the scientists involved in this study, Dr. Tiffany Wolf of the University’s Veterinary Medicine College and Dr. Seth Moore, Director of Biology and Environment for the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Join Rhonda Silence as she learns more.

Photos courtesy of Dr. Seth Moore, Director of Biology and Environment for the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

Support for this series comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. 

 
Additional background is provided in this news release from the partner agencies:
 
ISLE ROYALE NATIONAL PARK, MICHIGAN --- Following the reintroduction of several collared wolves from the Grand Portage Indian Reservation to Isle Royale National Park last fall, a team of researchers have now collared moose at the park for the first time since 1984. A unique collaboration between the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), National Park Service, Michigan Technological University, and Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa aims to help the National Park Service assess the impacts of predator restoration to the ecosystem at the park.
 
This effort marks the beginning of a novel effort to compare the predator-prey dynamics and health of the population of moose on Isle Royale National Park to a neighboring population of collared moose on the mainland on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation. It also represents an opportunity to evaluate the impact of restoring predation to the ecosystem.
 
Between February 13-17, 2019, a helicopter anesthesia darting team, a wildlife veterinarian, and wildlife research biologists fitted 20 cow moose with GPS collars on the west and east sides of the island. The team collected biological samples from the anesthetized moose, assessing individual moose health, and fitting them each with a collar. Afterward, each moose was administered a reversal drug—they all awoke and walked away in under two minutes. Since then, movement activity has been continuously monitored by GPS.
The team plans to conduct various studies with the data they have collected. They are looking to understand what impacts health of moose populations on both the mainland and Isle Royale, how predator dynamics play a role in moose populations, how differing forest management affects the ecosystem, and how climate may play a role in ecosystem health.

Contrasting ecosystems
Isle Royale hosts a simple ecosystem with one predator species, wolves, and one primary prey species, moose. This makes it an ideal system for comparative research with mainland populations of moose, such as those found on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation, which hosts a more complex ecosystem with multiple predators and multiple prey species. Mainland populations of moose are in decline due to predation from bears and wolves on moose calves in early spring, as well as compounded effects of climate change, which includes parasitism from brainworm (transmitted by the invasion of whitetail deer into moose range), and high winter tick loads due to early snow melt.
 
By contrast, the moose population on Isle Royale has increased rapidly in recent years. Although moose in Isle Royale also suffer from high winter tick loads, the Isle Royale population of moose does not have deer to transmit brainworm. Another crucial difference is that wolf numbers are high on the mainland (due to high deer densities), whereas the island only has a few remaining wolves predating on the moose population.
 
Over the last two decades, the island’s wolf population suffered from inbreeding depression that drove the population to the brink of extinction. That circumstance is an indirect consequence of climate change, which led to fewer ice bridges forming between island and mainland, preventing wolves from moving to and from the island. The impact of the growing moose population on forest vegetation is increasingly apparent and experts are concerned that such high levels of browsing damage are impacting forest regeneration and may eventually lead to nutritional stress for moose.
 
The contradictory population trajectories between Isle Royale’s wolves and moose and those on the mainland create an ideal opportunity to better understand by comparison what ecological factors are impacting each population. “This is a unique opportunity to explore the health of a species through the comparison of two populations under a different set of pressures alongside experts from different scientific disciplines and with their own distinctive skillsets,” says Tiffany Wolf, DVM, PhD, assistant professor in the Veterinary Population Medicine Department at the CVM. Wolf is one of many collaborators on the project. “That kind of collaboration brings research to the next level and affords the opportunity to attain new insights into population health that might otherwise not be realized.”

Decades in the making
Grand Portage Band has more than 250 years of stewardship of Isle Royale. UMN has conducted research on wolf-moose interaction on the island for 45 years. UMN and Grand Portage have been collaborating to study moose health and habitat use since 2009.
 
The decade-long partnership has since expanded to explore other aspects of health related to species important to the Grand Portage Band of Chippewa.
 

WTIP North Shore Morning host, Mark Abrahamson spoke with Robert Schultz, Executive Director of the International Wolf Center in Ely, MN about the weekends successful transfer of wolves from Michipicoten Island to Isle Royale.

Listen to the interview below...

An urgent effort to relocate seven gray wolves from Michipicoten Island and Canada’s mainland to Isle Royale has ended with success. The effort, which ran from Friday through Sunday, successfully and efficiently moved seven gray wolves at risk of death because of a shortage of prey.

The operation was funded with $45,000 from the International Wolf Center and $30,000 from the Lake Superior National Parks Foundation. Through a GoFundMe account online, another $11,500 was raised.

“We are honored to have played a role in this important operation,” said Rob Schultz, the executive director of the International Wolf Center. “We have been relaying updates of the capture and transfer progress to media and the public throughout the weekend.”

Isle Royale National Park superintendent Phyllis Green said the project on Michipicoten this weekend to save those hungry wolves would not have happened if countless donors didn’t step forward.

“I just want to thank everyone who donated,” she said. “On Saturday, we were watching the money aspects of this. It really helped to have all the donations that came in. We were pretty much right on the mark for what the estimate was and what came in from donors. We couldn’t have done it without them.”

Three wolves were captured and moved Friday by teams of professionals. On Saturday, another four were moved. Of the seven, three were female. Six came from Michipicoten Island and one came from Canada’s mainland.

“They were long days, but we had a really wonderful result,” Green said. “We were coordinating five aircraft and seven wolves, arriving independently. It was very intense.”

It is believed that a 2-year-old female that was moved from Michipicoten to Isle Royale may be pregnant. If she were to give birth on Isle Royale this spring, those would be the first pups born on the island since 2014, according to Rolf Peterson, the lead researcher studying wolves and moose on the island.

“Any reproduction on the island this year would be pretty remarkable,” Peterson said. Peterson followed the weekend’s events closely.

“I was just glad it was successfully concluded,” he said. “There are so many ways it can go wrong. You’re nervous until it’s over.”

Peterson and the researchers now will wait to see how the island’s new inhabitants form their packs

“We just have to wait now until the wolves organize their personal lives and get on with things,” he said. “It’s been seven years out there since wolf predation had any impact on moose out there. It will be good to see that going again.”

The males captured on Michipicoten were close to healthy weights, but the females weighed between 50 and 60 pounds, far below what is considered healthy. The low female weights are due to the fact that the wolves on Michipicoten had run out of prey. Meanwhile, Isle Royale is populated by more than 1,600 moose, which is far above what biologists think is viable for the island to sustain. Too many moose on Isle Royale will lead to the overconsumption of vegetation, eventually causing severe damage to the the island’s ecosystem and raising concerns that the moose population may collapse.

By reintroducing wolves to the island, the moose will again have a natural predator to keep their population at sustainable levels. Scientists expect the two populations to again manage themselves as they had done on the island for decades. These seven new wolves join eight that were already on the island, including six that have been reintroduced since September through other efforts.

“Now our focus will turn to following the researchers as they study the impact of these new wolves on Isle Royale,” Schultz said. “As we move into the summer months, we look forward to working closely with the National Park Service and the Lake Superior National Parks Foundation to begin planning the next phase of wolf reintroduction efforts that are expected to occur this fall.”

About 20 to 30 new gray wolves are expected to be introduced to Isle Royale National Park over the next three to five years.

The International Wolf Center, founded in 1985, is known worldwide as the premier source for wolf information and education. The mission of the Center is to advance the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future. The Center educates through its website, its ambassador wolves, museum exhibits, educational outreach programs, International Wolf magazine, and a beautiful interpretive center in Ely, Minnesota.

Amy Moe, a 1994 graduate of Cook County High School, is now a professor at Mississippi State University. She not only teaches but oversees the Dunn-Seiler Geology Museum.

She recently received the University’s  Arts and Sciences Teaching Excellence Award.

WTIP Community Radio caught up with Amy between classes to learn more about her work.

If you know of someone with ties to our North Shore community that could be featured, please let us know! Contact Rhonda by calling 218-387-1070 or email [email protected]. 
 

There will be a primary to fill two vacancies on the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribal Council on April 29. Candidates have applied to run for the Tribal Council Chair and a committeeperson seat.

The Grand Portage community lost its long-time leader when Chair Norman Deschampe died on February 9, 2019. A special election was announced to fill that vacancy.

Tribal Council Vice-Chair Marie Spry stepped in to serve as Interim Tribal Chair and she has applied to run for the chair position. To do so, she resigned from her committeeperson seat, creating another vacancy.

That means two Tribal Council positions on the ballot in an April 29 primary.

Running for Chair is Marie Spry, Beth Drost, Tony Swader and Donavan Dahmen.

Running for Committeperson is Rick Anderson, Jason Burnett, Vallen Cook and Rob Hull.

The primary will reduce the candidates to two for each position to be on the special election ballot on July 1.

The Grand Portage Tribal Council is the governing body of the reservation and is a member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. The primary is being held in accordance with the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe constitution, which calls for a primary if there are multiple candidates for the same seat.

The Grand Portage Tribal Council consists of a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary/Treasurer, and two Committee members. All positions are four-year terms.
 
 
 

At 7:50 p.m., on Monday, March 25, a neighbor reported smoke coming out of the top of the garage at 165 Skou Rd in Schroeder, to Cook County’s 911 dispatch.
 
Schroeder, Tofte and Lutsen Fire Departments and First Responders along with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and North Shore Health Ambulance responded.
 
Upon arrival, responders noted heavy smoke and crackling fire on the south side of the structure. By 10:32 p.m., flame had spread to the garage ceiling.
 
At 9:28 p.m., Firefighters had the fire knocked down and were putting out hot spots; however, at 9:40 pm, flames re-ignited on the roof. Firefighters were able to totally suppress the fire and were in mop-up mode by 10:43 pm.
 
No one was home at the time of the fire and no injuries were sustained. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time and is under investigation.
 
WTIP’s Rhonda Silence spoke with one of the firefighters, Craig Horak of Tofte, about the challenges for the three departments in extinguishing the blaze and saving the home.  
 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a rare visit to Thunder Bay, Ontario on Friday, March 22, speaking at a town hall before about 900 people at the CJ Sanders Fieldhouse at Lakehead University.

Citizens lined up outside the arena hours before Prime Minister Trudeau’s 7 p.m. appearance. The majority of people in attendance seemed to be Trudeau supporters, members of his Liberal party. WTIP talked to many of those patiently waiting and to John Ongaro, of 99.9 The Bay radio.

Ongaro, who had the exclusive Thunder Bay one-on-one interview with Trudeau said it is not surprising that the Prime Minister choose Thunder Bay for the town hall. He said generally Thunder Bay is a Liberal party stronghold.   

After a blessing by a First Nations elder, Patty Hajdu, Member of Parliament and Minister of Employment, Workforce and Labour, who is also a Thunder Bay resident, introduced Prime Minister Trudeau.

Trudeau greeting the crowd warmly, repeating his greeting in French and the question and answer session got under way with Lakehead University students serving as microphone runners.

The audience did not shy away from tough questions, including several questions on the scandal that Trudeau’s administration is facing. The controversy led to the resignation of former Canadian Attorney General and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, who says she faced inappropriate political pressure related to the prosecution of the major Canadian engineering firm SNC-Lavalin.

Four other prominent resignations followed, including that of Jane Philpott, president of the Treasury Board, who cited a loss of confidence in the Trudeau government.

The Prime Minister thanked the audience members for asking those tough questions and shared his thoughts on the matter.

Other audience members asked questions ranging from concerns about the condition of the TransCanada Highway to the need for carbon reduction; from mental health, education and housing, in particular for Indigenous peoples, to attempts to solve hunger issues and about Canada’s military defense.

Prime Minister Trudeau took his last question just before 9 p.m. and expressed regrets that there wasn’t enough time to call on everyone whose hand was raised. After a rousing round of applause, his security team led him from the auditorium, trying to keep the public away. However, Trudeau stopped many times to shake hands and pose for children in the audience.

Below are two reports from the Prime Minister’s visit. In the first, we hear from Canadian citizens waiting to see their country’s leader. We also speak with radio personality John Ongaro about his chance to interview the Prime Minister.

In the second report, we hear from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the town hall meeting.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The public information meeting regarding the proposed Law Enforcement Center/Jail Facility on Thursday, March 21 was very well attended. There were about 90 people crowded into the commissioner’s room at the courthouse, with about another 15 trying to hear from the lobby.

The meeting started with brief comments by Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen, County Attorney Molly Hicken, County Administrator Jeff Cadwell and John McNamara of Wold, the firm that has been conducting research about the project.
County Attorney Hicken talked about the complicated process of transporting prisoners for court.

She added comments from the probation office, the public defender and the judge, all stating benefits of having a Class 3 jail facility, which would allow inmates to stay at the Cook County jail for more than 72 hours.

Public Information Director Valerie Marasco facilitated the meeting and invited members of the public forward to ask questions, stressing questions only. She asked that people hold their comments until the end of the meeting. More than 20 people came forward with questions, which the presenters answered immediately if they had the information.

People asked about the cost of the study and what has been paid to date; about what really needs to be fixed or remedied to the building now; about the role of other jails and the Northeastern Regional Correction Center (NERC); about the average prisoner county and current cost for transportation vs. future operational costs if a Class 3 facility is built.

Unfortunately, there were not answers to all the questions. Apparently because of the way the inmate population has been counted and logged over the years, there are gaps in the data, which raised more questions.  

There were several questions about future maintenance costs with some citizens expressing frustration that the county has not yet estimated operational costs for a larger, Class 3 jail. In answer to repeated questions about the costs, the Sheriff and Administrator Cadwell said the proposal was not at the point to calculate those expenses.

And while it seemed the majority of the citizens present were opposed to spending up to $5 million for an expanded law enforcement/jail facility, there were a couple who seemed supportive, such as Grand Marais attorney Tyson Smith, who is the assistant public defender.

Citizen Steve Nielsen wondered if this is something that would happen eventually no matter what.

No decisions were made at the meeting, however, there appeared to be an indication of what is ahead for the proposal in a back and forth conversation between Bob Swanson of Hovland and Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen

When pressed as to whether the numbers support an expansion to Class 3 at this time, Sheriff Eliasen answered that at this time it is probably not a viable option.  

There were more questions including an inquiry from Anna Hamilton about who gets to make the ultimate decision. Hamilton asked if public input matters, and Administrator Cadwell said indeed it does.

However, Cadwell also said there are services that the county must provide under mandate by the State of Minnesota and the federal government.

All that was really clear at the end of the informational meeting is that what happens next is not really known.

Although all of the county board members were there, they sat in the audience as members of the public. Meeting facilitator Valerie Marasco invited the commissioners to speak at the end of the meeting. Commissioners Ginny Storlie, Myron Bursheim, Heidi Doo-Kirk and Dave Mills all spoke, thanking citizens for coming. They all said they would consider the public comments before making any decisions.
 

The sixth grade Safety class at Cook County Middle School wrapped up their Snowmobile Safety certification work with their Field Day Testing on Wednesday, March 6.  For this practical exam, students review the key parts of a snowmobile, perform basic maintenance checks, and practice hand signals before driving a course to showcase their ability to safely handle the machines.  
 
Middle School Instructor Emma Spoon said, “We want to thank Steve's Sports for allowing us use of their snowmobiles for this event. 
 
“Special thanks to volunteer instructors Kim Linnell and Eric Nelms, and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officers Darin Fagerman, Mary Manning, and Tom Wahlstrom for leading the Field Day and providing great instruction to our students,” said Wahlstrom.
 
This is the second year that School District 166 has offered the sixth-grade Safety and Technology course. The course includes DNR snowmobile safety training and firearm safety training.
 
All photos courtesy of School District 166