Superior National Forest Update: September 16

Hi.  This is Becky Bartol, environmental coordinator, with this week’s Superior National Forest Update -  information on conditions affecting travel and recreation on the east end of the Forest. For the week of September 16th, here’s what’s going on in the Forest.
Fall color is starting up, and with it comes people driving the roads looking at the leaves.  It may be a little early and a little green to see fall at its peak, but it’s a great time of year to get out and go for a drive.  It is also a great time of year for both ‘leaf peepers’ and other drivers to remind themselves of some good driving habits.  First and foremost, respect and be considerate of other drivers.  If you are driving slowly to enjoy the scenery, remember others may want to drive faster because they are on their normal daily commute.  And, if you are one of the faster drivers, remember that you’re likely to run into slow moving traffic this time of year and you need to be patient.  Slow drivers need to pull over in safe areas to let faster drivers pass.  Don’t try to wave someone to pass you on a hill or blind corner.  You may need to speed up for a while until you get to a good spot to pull aside.  Faster drivers need to avoid tailgating, and not be tempted to pass in those dangerous areas.  If you’ve stopped to take pictures, or just to get out and walk in the fall air, make sure your vehicle is off the road far enough to let others pass by.  Close the doors, use your four way flashers, and don’t stop where there is no visibility.  You may not be able to stop next to that perfect tree you want to photograph; you may end up walking back to the tree after finding a good place to pull off.  It all boils down to being aware of others, and being respectful of the rights of other people to use the roads, even if they are using them in different ways than you.
September 12 marked the 5th anniversary of the Pagami Creek Fire.  This was a very large fire which swept through the wilderness north of Isabella Lake, covering many acres in just one day.  The young jack pine growing in the wake of the fire are now three to five feet tall in areas, and it is great to see the forest in natural recovery.  The drive up to the Forest Center site at Lake Isabella is good way to visit the Pagami area and see for yourself what a forest looks like five years after a fire.  Be aware though that the trail down to the lake enters the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and you’ll need to fill out a day use permit if you want to take this hike.  You can also visit this area through the pictures on our website taken every year on the fire’s anniversary to document the forest’s regrowth.
There is still culvert work being done on The Grade between the Sawbill Trail and Crescent Lake Campground.  There won’t be any closures over the weekend though, and the closures for the remainder of the project will be shorter than one day.  The work that had closed the Richey Lake Road is now completed, and that road is fully open again.
Logging traffic is in similar areas as the last few weeks.  On the Tofte District, expect trucks on the Grade between the Sawbill Trail and Baker Lake, on the Sawbill Landing road near Silver Island and Sawbill Landing area, and on the Dumbell River Road and Wanless Road.  On Gunflint, harvest is taking place off of Greenwood Road, Firebox Road, and Powers Lake Road.  Log hauling will be taking place on these roads, so please use caution when driving or recreating in these areas.
Keep an eye out this weekend for migrating hawks.  While Hawk Ridge in Duluth is famous for large numbers of raptors during the fall migration, there are plenty along all of the shore.  The birds follow updrafts along the hills, and end up creating a highway in the air parallel to Highway 61 on the ground.  Other birds are migrating as well.  If you go out at night and are very quiet, you’ll hear chirps from migrating flocks of songbirds as they pass by. 
Whether you are quietly listening for songbirds, driving in search of those early fall colors, or just out in the Forest for some other reason, enjoy the weekend!  Until next week, this has been Becky Bartol with the Superior National Forest Update.