Superior National Forest Update: June 24

Hi.  I’m Debi Lamusga, information aide, with the Superior National Forest Update - information on conditions affecting travel and recreation on the Tofte and Gunflint Districts of the Forest. For the week of June 24th, here’s what’s going on in the Forest.
Travel in the Forest may be a little tricky in some spots over the next week.  If you haven’t already discovered it, road crews are working on paving the Sawbill Trail from Hwy 61 to the Honeymoon Trail.  There can be slowdowns anywhere along this stretch, and people need to follow the posted construction speed limits.  While this is normally an easy road to travel, it is possible to come over a rise and find the road restricted to one lane.  Additionally, there is heavy truck traffic associated with the construction which extends beyond the construction site itself.  These large trucks can create a dust cloud behind them that is worse than a thick fog.  Turn on your lights, just as you would in a fog, and drive slowly.  In the same area, the Grade from the Sawbill Trail to Crescent Lake is having gravel spread on it.  Expect loose gravel, as well as slow moving graders.  Grading is taking place in other areas of the Forest as well.
Construction trucks aren’t the only heavy trucks out there.  You can expect logging truck traffic in pretty much the same places as last week.  On the Tofte District, there will be logging trucks on the Trappers Lake Road from operations near Sawbill Landing.  There will also be traffic on the Wanless Road, the Cramer Road, the Sawbill Trail, and The Grade.  On Gunflint, harvest is taking place off of Greenwood Road, Shoe Lake Road, Firebox Road, and Trestle Pine Road. 
You can expect bicycles, not trucks, in the area around Lutsen on Saturday.  The annual 99-er mountain bike race is taking place this weekend, along with other shorter races.  While the races are taking place on specific routes, participants may be doing recreational cycling on roads throughout the Forest, as well as throughout the weekend.  For specific information on routes, as well as spectator locations if you would like to watch the races, visit the race website at Lutsen99er.com.
A powerful thunderstorm swept through northern Minnesota this past Sunday which included high winds and large amounts of rain across the eastern half of the Superior National Forest.  Wilderness and Recreation personnel are currently working to assess the impacts of that storm, but visitors should expect to see storm damaged vegetation across the Superior National Forest.  Early assessments have shown that the area most impacted by the storm is north of the Gunflint Trail near the Canadian border.  This storm resulted in many large trees blowing over or snapping off around campsites and portages.  We have not been able to visit every area that was impacted by storms, so visitors should take extra time to ensure that there are no overhead hazards in their campsites and be especially mindful of trees that were damaged during the storm.  Visitors should plan to look for campsites early in the day as these storms have resulted in several closed campsites.
Plan Ahead and Prepare is the first principle of Leave No Trace camping, so visitors should be sure to include preparation for summer storms as they plan their trip into the Boundary Waters, or any camping trip. 
If you are interested in wildlife, plants, or any form of biology, make sure to mark July 7^th on your calendar.  Superior National Forest, Sugarloaf Cove, Tettegouche State Park, and Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center are cooperating on a one day Bioblitz, an event to identify as many species as possible in a specific location within a short time.  Contact the Tofte District Office, or any of the participating organizations for more information. 
Enjoy the weekend and the next week, good luck to the cyclists, and until next week, this has been Debi Lamusga with the National Forest Update.