Superior National Forest Update: May 5

Hi. I’m Renee Frahm, visitor information specialist at Gunflint and Tofte, with the National Forest Update for May 5 - information on conditions affecting travel and recreation on the Tofte and Gunflint Districts of the Forest. For the start of May, here’s what’s going on in the Forest.

May Day marks the beginning of high season on the Superior. The students at Birch Grove Elementary helped to get us in the mood at Tofte by bringing everyone a May Day basket, complete with seeds to plant. Thanks, kids! We loved our May Day baskets! Our team of silviculturalists is taking planting one step further and getting ready to plant thousands of trees as soon as the soil dries out a little. Right now they are setting up fencing to protect trees from deer, so you may see some activity and piles of fencing in the areas where planting is planned.

Road conditions are still fairly poor on back roads due to the roadways being waterlogged. Keep an eye out for soft shoulders and washouts, and try to avoid creating ruts on wet muddy roads. Spring weight restrictions are still in force, so there won’t be large truck traffic in the Forest again this week.

With snow off the ground, burning permits are now required for anyone planning on doing some spring clean-up. Stop by an office for details on burning before you light a match.

It’s also the start of the quota permit season for the Boundary Waters. People entering the wilderness will need a permit from one of our offices or one of our cooperators. You can find a list of cooperators on our website. If you are looking to reserve an entry permit through the website www.recreation.gov, you should be aware that the reservation fee has increased this year from six dollars to ten. The permit itself has not changed in price. The permit fee goes directly into a fund used for the Boundary Waters, and helps us take care of the wilderness.

Campgrounds outside of the Boundary Waters are moving towards being fully opened. You can camp in any of our rustic or fee campgrounds now, but as of May 4, water systems at fee campgrounds are still shut off and there is no camping fee. That should be changing in the next week, and we anticipate that the campgrounds will be fully open by fishing opener.

Mother's Day is coming up too. It’s an appropriate time of year for that celebration as many birds and animals are starting to raise this year’s young. It’s also the time of the year that the hummingbirds usually return. Flowers are few and far between this time of year, so the hummers would appreciate you putting out that hummingbird feeder. Before you do, take the time to really clean it out. Moldy feeders can be very bad for hummingbirds, so make sure you are starting with a clean feeder. It is easy to make your own nectar with four parts water to one part white refined sugar. Avoid commercial nectars with dyes in them, the birds don’t need the extra chemicals, and there is no reason that the sugar solution has to be red. Honey and unrefined raw sugars are not recommended, they both contain amounts of iron that can be harmful to hummers. Sugar water can go bad in the sun, so it is best to not fill the feeder full, and refill more often. Extra nectar can be stored in the fridge.

Have a great weekend, and until next week, this has been Renee Frahm with the National Forest Update.