On the Rebound?: The Chamber of Marine Commerce out of Ottawa this week released a statement about Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway shipping and the affects of the pandemic. “According to the latest numbers from the St. Lawrence Seaway,” the chamber reported, “tonnage through the bi-national transportation corridor totaled 3.9 million metric tons in July to bring the year-to-date total (from April 1 to July 31) to nearly 15.6 million metric tons, or just less than 8 percent below a year ago. Year-to-date shipments of iron ore (down 13 percent), coal (down 16 percent), dry bulk (down 12 percent) and liquid bulk (down 20 percent) were offset in part by a strong showing in bi-national grain (up 6.7 percent) and general cargo like wind turbines (up 4 percent).” The press release went on to note: “Climbing from COVID-induced lows in May, the port of Duluth-Superior tonnage totals continued a summer rebound in July. Three of the port’s four major bulk cargoes registered month-over-month gains in July, with grain jumping 54 percent from June, coal increasing 49 percent and iron ore up as well. Despite those gains, total tonnage for the Port of Duluth-Superior’s season remains 29 percent behind last year’s pace and the five-season average.”
Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, said of the year-so-far totals, “It’s an old adage, but lost time can’t be made up on the Great Lakes, and we’re seeing that reflected in the port’s 2020 tonnage totals. With that said, it’s good to see the month-over-month improvements, and hopefully the initial indications of a production rebound.” Bruce Burrows, president and CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce, added, “It’s good to see overall grain shipments up, thanks mainly to strong Canadian grain exports. We are optimistic that grain shipments, both Canadian and U.S., will have a significant impact in the coming months as the 2020 crops come in, but the Great Lakes-Seaway shipping industry has lost a lot of ground due to the pandemic and continued decreases in areas like dry bulk and iron ore are a reflection of the economy not yet being back up to speed. The recent uptick in the auto industry could help in the months ahead.” The first saltie (ocean-going vessel) into Duluth-Superior for the 2020 shipping season happened to be here for grain. Federal Churchill, (seen here) arrived April 8 to load grain, bound for Italy, at the Riverland Ag terminal.
Split in the Heavens: Split Rock Lighthouse hosted a number of our great local photographers this week as the night sky opened up in glorious fashion. John Gregor of Cold Snap Photography, who teaches photo workshops around the country, posted this image of the Milky Way with a light in the tower. He was working with Split Rock site manager and keeper Hayes Scriven. But it wasn't the Fresnel turned on, as he explains: "The night was crystal clear and Hayes was very helpful to get the shot I envisioned. To make sure the light beam from the lighthouse did not overpower the Milky Way, I asked Hayes to climb into the lens room and using his headlamp illuminate the Fresnel lens from the back side. He did this for 5 seconds. The overall exposure for the Milky Way was 25 seconds. Fujifilm X-T3 with Zeiss Touit 12mm lens, f2.8 @ 25 seconds ISO 4000." Dennis O'Hara, master of the harbor cams in Duluth, Superior and Two Harbors, posted this time-lapse video. A batch of others also joined and you can see some of those images on the Split Rock Lighthouse page.
Virtual & Real?: Aren't all movies "virtual" when you think about it? They certainly transport you to a virtual reality. Around the Big Lake, film lovers are finding new ways, and returning to modified old ways, of enjoying a flick. Today, Zeitgeist Zinema 2 in Duluth launches Zinema 2.0 experience. Each week the site will feature films in five categories: new releases, social justice, arts, retro and international. The cost of a rental is $4.99 and after renting it, you have 14 days to view it. Once you start the film, you have 72 hours to finish it. This week's offerings include documentaries on John Lewis ("Good Trouble") and Gordon Lightfoot ("If You Could Read My Mind") as well as fiction films. The actual downtown theatre space (in photo) can be booked for private rentals for your own movie parities on Friday and Saturday evenings for groups of up to 16 or 24, though it is BYOF (bring your own film). Duluth's West Theater has showings of classics (next Wednesday are "Sing," "Wizard of Oz" and "Slap Shot") plus a sneak peek of Christopher Nolan's newest film, "Tenet," from Aug. 31-Sept. 2. Also today, the downtown Duluth Cinema, part of the Marcus Theater group, in Duluth begins limit showings; its Hermantown Lakes 10 theater remains closed. In Thunder Bay, the folks who bring you The Walleye have started a pop-up drive-in theatre called Interstellar Outdoor Cinema on Saturdays in the parking lot at the corner of the corner of Highway 61 and Cloud Lake Road. This week's kid-friendly feature is "Wall-E" showing at 9:30 p.m.
News of the Islands: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore had several news tidbits to share. For one, the Otter Island dock, roughed up by storms that left it inaccessible over the last couple years, has been repaired. Park maintenance staff used recycled materials from other projects to complete the repair. The other bit of news was a closure for now on the beaches and trails of Oak Island because of bear activity. “A resident bear is following people and ignoring attempts to scare it away,” the park posted. “Yesterday while maintenance staff were clearing storm-damaged and fallen trees off trails, the bear repeatedly approached them and refused to leave. Trained staff are now using deterrence techniques on the bear to discourage future interactions with humans.” Then, on a fun note, the park posted an audio file pronouncing the Ojibwe word “zagime” and gave this hint as to which pest it names: "This word is related to the word 'zagaswaa,' which means to draw something in through a tube. The park offers an Ojibwemowin word a week. Ojibwemowin, the Anishinaabe language, is very complex and considered among the toughest languages in the world to master. Two weeks ago, the park's word of the week was for blueberry pie, “Miinibaashkiminasiganibiitooyingwesijiganibakwezhigan,” which turns out to be almost a recipe and is loosely translated to: miin = blueberry; baashkiminasigan = boiled until they explode; biitooyingwesijigan = placed in between; bakweszhigan = bread.
All Access: The Wisconsin DNR program "Open the Outdoors" tries to provide opportunities for those with disabilities to enjoy the public outdoor spaces. To that end, the DNR provides adaptive equipment at state parks, including kayaks, beach wheelchairs and cross-country sit skis. It also offers 10 accessible cabins, two of which are "rustic". Northeast of Mellen, the Copper Falls State Park (seen here in a photo by the park's Friends group) features one of those "rustic" options. The park itself, as described, offers views of "ancient lava flows, deep gorges and spectacular waterfalls. Log buildings built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s add to the park's charm. The park offers camping, hiking, bicycling, picnicking, fishing and swimming opportunities in Loon Lake." There are trails, some wheelchair accessible. The accessible cabin has a paved driveway, electrical outlets and lighting and an accessible picnic table and fire ring. An accessible flush toilet and shower building is 200 feet from the campsite. The cabin is wheelchair accessible and can accommodate up to four people. The DNR also posted a cool video talking about the environmental and amenity improvements at Barker's Island in Superior (seen here) for strolling, swimming, paddling and boating. One more bit of good Wisconsin state park news, the Little Manitou and East Beaver trails at Pattison State Park reopened this week after being damaged in 2018 by flooding. Great time to visit a park.
Poster Critters: It might not be the most warm-and-fuzzy of the critters at the U.P. Wildlife Rehabilitation - Keweenaw Group, but this emaciated turkey vulture (on left) was pictured this week to launch a fundraiser for the rehab group, which serves Houghton, Baraga, Keweenaw and Ontonagon counties. According to the post: "It is the time of year we begin to get first year raptors in that are failing to thrive, usually emaciated because they haven’t figured out how to effectively hunt yet, compounded by other health issues. This turkey vulture is one of three raptors we have gotten in within the past 24 hours. He is emaciated and suffering from Trichomoniasis, which is affecting his eyes and mouth. We have also received an emaciated juvenile red-tailed hawk and sharp-shinned hawk. Fingers crossed for these gorgeous birds of prey." Just for a sense of variety, this gray squirrel baby in their care is a wee bit cuter. In Duluth, another group of wildlife helpers, Wildwoods, also has started a fundraiser this week. The center was closed for a time, but since its reopening May 13, the volunteers and staff have helped more than 600 animals and respond to 750 callers. Wildwoods chose this baby robin (on right) as one of its fundraising images.
Copper Creative: The Keweenaw Convention & Visitors Bureau unveiled this grand poster of Copper Harbor designed by Pete Sandvik, owner of Perfect Circle Creative in Minneapolis. "He has many of the Keweenaw Peninsula's iconic destinations as you head up the winding hill … can you name them all?" the Keweenaw CVB challenges us. Well, can you?
Unicorn in Distress: "It’s not every day that you get a call to respond to a floating unicorn … but yesterday was that day," posted the U.S. Coast Guard Station Marquette on Thursday. The crew found this unicorn water toy unmoored from its family and floating on the Lake. "Please be sure to always have your gear properly stored and secured if not in use!" the crew added. Many tongue-in-cheek responses praised the station's quick rescue abilities for a mythical creature not known for its water skills. The U.S. Coast Guard motto, Semper Paratus, of course means "always ready," and, as the Marquette crew responded about this unicorn dilemma, "When we say that we train for any situation … we mean it!"
Photo & graphic credits: Chamber of Marine Commerce; John Gregor; Zeitgeist Zinema 2; Apostle Islands National Lakeshore; Wisconsin DNR; U.P. Wildlife Rehabilitation; Wildwoods; Pete Sandvik; U.S. Coast Guard Marquette Station