Bear Oh Bear: It's that time of year when our regional Facebook friends start posting all those bear in the bird feeder shots. We do love nature in our backyards, but the Minnesota DNR warns us not to love bears to death by creating conflicts with the bruins that might require them to be euthanized. "A shortage of natural foods is causing more bear-human conflicts in northeastern and north-central Minnesota as bears gravitate toward food sources at homes, cabins and campsites," the DNR said in a recent press release with tips on avoiding conflicts. Andrew Tri, a bear biologist for the DNR, added, “We’re asking people to remove food sources that could attract bears from their properties or campsites. It’s important that folks be extra vigilant in keeping trash and birdseed away from bears to ensure they don’t get an easy meal from what people leave out.” Dry conditions are blamed for causing shortages of natural food sources, making bird feeders and garbage cans look tastier than ever. There's even been an uptick of bear sightings in the Twin Cities, reports Bill Hudson for WCCO. Bearwise.org also has good tips about feeders, outdoor pet food and who to call for bear troubles.
Meanwhile, David Johnson, one of our avid and knowledgeable wildlife photographers on Minnesota's North Shore, shared a tragic bit of cautionary news about an orphaned baby bear he had photographed (from a respectful distance) that turned up in downtown Grand Marais earlier in the month. "People would not leave the little female bear cub alone," he wrote. Brian Larson of the Cook County News Herald also reported on the incident, saying as many as 300 people crowded around as Sheriff's deputies tried to capture the cub. It later swam into the Lake, returning several times only to be inadvertently chased into the water again. "We would have caught the cub if not for tourists getting in the way," Brian quoted deputy Julie Collman. "I had my hands on it several times but it slipped away. We were telling people to stay away but they wouldn’t. The cub was getting more anxious and more exhausted. He must have been up and down a dozen trees. At one time I was on one side of a tree, and he was on the other. We were playing peek-a-boo and he was smelling my gloves, but I couldn’t get a blanket on him. It broke my heart when I learned that the little cub had drowned.” No one, of course, wanted that ending. "Please share," David posted about the cub's tale, "and remind people to leave wild animals alone."
Historic Collapse: The Vista Theater in Negaunee, Mich., a building on the National Register of Historic Places, lost a portion of its roof in a collapse Wednesday morning, reports TV6 News. The pressure of the collapse blew out a door and scattered debris on the street. No one was injured. A later report on that news channel by Maci Cosmore quotes the president of the Peninsula Arts Appreciation Council board, Nate Heffron, speculating that the potential cause was a buildup in the gutters that prevented water drainage and added weight to the roof. PAAC is the keeper of the 94-year-old structure and posted this photo on its Historic Vista Theater Facebook page. "Preliminary speculation looks like the building can be saved, and that is our intent," the PAAC posted before an emergency board meeting Wednesday night. A release about the next steps for the building is expected sometime today.
Sailing the Dream: Huron Jewel, the 78-foot, gaff-rigged schooner designed, built and sailed by Capt. Hugh Covert, co-owner with his wife Julie Covert of Drummond Island Tall Ship Company, is back in its home port of De Tour Village, Mich., after a whirlwind two-week journey across Lake Superior and back. Julie also edits the Drummond Island Digest, and the September issue features a lengthy story about their summer trips, including the Big Lake. Perhaps it's natural, given that the company motto is "Sailing the Dream on the Great Lakes," that one of Julie's favorite moments of the trip was watching a young man walk around the schooner in amazement, saying to himself, “Oh man, this is it! I gotta do this!” Says Julie, "It was as if I was watching him walk into his life’s calling. I encouraged him to get a winter maintenance job with a tall ship to gain experience and get a foot in the door. I hope he follows his new dream!" She also noted the Big Lake favs of Capt. Hugh ("sailing along the beautiful Pictured Rocks shoreline") and deckhand Mae Humiston ("seeing areas like Pictured Rocks, the Apostle Islands and Lake Superior in general, with no preconceived idea about them as she’d never been to that part of Michigan and never to Lake Superior. … It was all new to her."). Mae is in this photo setting the Canadian courtesy flag before entering the Canadian Locks in Sault Ste. Marie.The found great receptions everywhere, but especially at the newly reopened Saxon Harbor Marina and Campground. In her Digest story, Julie writes, "Two local newspapers sent reporters to do stories and folks came from near and far. Liz Emmer and her three sons, Gabriel, Martial, and Alloys, traveled over an hour to come see the schooner and even brought us farm fresh eggs and fresh picked cucumbers to say thank you. Another woman delivered pizza and fresh baked quick bread and pizelles." Also at Saxon Harbor, AirFox Photography on its YouTube channel shot a spectacular 16-minute video from a drone showing the schooner leaving the marina (seen here) and soon unfurling its sails. There are other videos showing the schooner at Madeline Island and Washburn. All across the Lake, the schooner crew got invitations to return. It seems likely we'll be seeing this Jewel again in the future.
Following the Dream: As the Huron Jewel made its way back and forth across the Lake, stopping in several ports along the route, they also met with a video and audio storyteller (and
our friend) Bick Smith of CyBick Productions in the Twin Cities. Bick, who's doing a series of stories for us along the Big Lake, says he loved getting the “straight off the deck” experience they shared and "hearing an experienced captain like Hugh describe how delighted he was with the Apostle Islands, which he’d never seen." Then Bick jokes, "Julie used about 25 nautical terms I’d never heard before. Afterward, I spent a week with a dictionary." His audio podcast and slideshow features interviews with Capt. Hugh and Julie Covert. They talk about the work of a schooner business and the rewards of that enterprise as well as their observations on this Lake Superior tour. Bick snapped a shot, too, during the tours in Duluth with a masked-up Capt. Hugh on the left. Stay tuned here to see the other podcasts Bick posts from our shores.
Let the Series Begin: We introduced you a few weeks ago to our friend Andy Kaknevicius, who has done a documentary series of videos about the Lake Superior Circle Tour. This week he released Episode 1 of the series, focused around the Bawating and Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., region. He starts with some Ojibwe stories along Lake Superior or "Otchipwe-Kitchi-Gami," the sea of the Ojibwe people. We were delighted and humbled, too, to see Andy place this little notice about Lake Superior Magazine inspiring his storytelling around the Lake. He inspires us with how he's making the most of his retirement to tell the stories of rural places and people on the Big Lake. The Toronto resident hasn't yet been able to make a trip back up to Lake Superior this year, but as he produces and releases more episodes, he can relive his shoreside wandering and we can enjoy his fresh perspectives.
Bye-Bye Bessie: The owner of The Burger Barn in Ashland, Wis., delivered sad news this week for fans of the popular joint known for squeaky fresh cheese curds, burgers made with locally grown beef and its mascot Bessie the cow. Owner Jackson Kysar announced The Burger Barn would officially close as of Saturday as he pursues another career. Next week, the restaurant intends to be open to finish off the its food stock with the final day’s profits dedicated to be divided among the staff. In October, there will be an opportunity to cash in any left over gift cards. “It’s a bittersweet day for us,” Jackson says in the Wednesday video. “I have accepted a full-time job offer from a local construction company … and after much discussion with my wife and with our kids in mind we have chosen that we are going to shut down The Burger Barn. I know this comes as a shock to many of you, and it’s a hard place to be in, but I hope you will all understand that this decision comes because it is the best for my family.” Jackson has owned the Ashland operation for about two years. He started the business in 2016 as Jack’s Burger Barn in the Jack’s Store complex in Marengo, Wis., and moved it to Ashland in 2018. “It’s super exciting, but also super sad,” he concluded in his announcement. “We love you guys, we love our customers, we love our staff.” Kysar suggested that some of The Burger Barn staff might be able to find work at the Jack’s Store or with the construction company where he will work.
Thru the Wolf's Voice: You might say a wolf, an elder, chose Thomas Peacock to tell his story. This came as no surprise to Tom, who has cultivated conversations with elders since his early adult years and who finds the voices of fictional characters with truths to tell will sometimes gnaw at the edge of his creative thoughts. “The way it comes to me,” Tom describes his fiction writing, “I’m not a person who goes in and does this amazing outline. I write one or two sentences, and then, I hear voices … That’s sort of the process for me. I start clicking my Mac. I become the recorder of their story. I may have sort of a general ending in mind, but the charters, they keep talking and introducing other characters.” His latest work, done with Duluth non-profit publishing house Holy Cow! Press, is titled The Wolf’s Trail: An Ojibwe Story, Told by Wolves and follows the storytelling of Zhi shay’, Uncle, an elder wolf relaying the oral history of the Wolf People and the Anishinaabe People to a group of young wolf pups.
To date, Tom has written or co-authored nearly a dozen books, both fiction and non-fiction. His stories and his histories circle around his Anishinaabe culture and have earned the retired professor of education and University of Minnesota Duluth administrator a lengthening list of national and state book awards. From the Fond du Lac Reservation and now residing in Duluth, he and his wife, Elizabeth Albert Peacock, spend part of the year in Red Cliff, Wis. Together they own Black Bears and Blueberries Publishing, which specializes on Native children's books by Native authors and illustrators. In his current book, each chapter presents a single story told by Zhi Shay’, often a retelling of Ojibwe traditional narratives, a remembrance of historic events or the delivery of one or more of the seven grandfather teachings of Nibwaakaawin (Wisdom); Zaagi'idiwin (Love); Minaadendamowin (Respect); Aakode’ewin (Bravery); Gwayakwaadiziwin (Honesty); Dabaadendiziwin (Humility) and Debwewin (Truth). In the stories, as Tom says, “Love – over all the other values – that’s emphasized.” Read more about Tom and the new book in our story "Through the Voice of the Wolf" on our website. Order the book through Holy Cow! Press, AICHO Galleries, the Zenith Bookstore, The Bookstore at Fitger's in Duluth or national online outlets.
Photo & graphic credits: David Johnson; Peninsula Arts Appreciation Council; AirFox Photography; Drummond Island Tall Ship Company; Bick Smith; Andy Kaknevicius; The Burger Barn; Holy Cow Press