Lake Effects: An unusual bank of storms this week spawned Minnesota's first-ever December tornadoes to the south of us and generated gale-force gusts on Lake Superior, broke high-temperature records for Dec. 15 in Duluth (49° F) and Ashland, Wis. (55° F) among others and sent thunder storms with rains turned to snow (though in the Duluth Heights, the rain and the heavy fog took out most of the snow we had). In Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., the strong winds caused power outages, according to Christian D'Avino of CTV News. "Winds reaching upwards of 90 km/h gave Sault area hydro workers and shippers out on Lake Superior a tough day," Christian reported. The weather forecast caused many freighters to hold up in safe harbors for Wednesday evening and winds continued into Thursday. Waves likely topped more than 25 feet. At Stannard Rock Lighthouse 42 miles north of Marquette, a gust of 77 mph – a hurricane-force speed – was recorded around 5:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service Marquette. Jeff Rennicke, co-director of the Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, found beauty in the bluster. He recorded images of the storm at Little Sand Bay, Wis., along the Lake and among the trees and posted it on his blog under "Dance of the Birch Trees." It's brings the sights and sounds of the storm … and reinforces why Lake Superior can be so compelling.
New in the New Year: The National Park Service announced this week that starting March 1, 2022, it will begin to charge entry fees for Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and will increase current camping and lighthouse tour fees as of Jan. 1, 2022. “The new fee will provide much-needed funding for park improvements,” National Lakeshore Superintendent David Horne said in the announcement. “We were very thankful for the support we received during the public comment period.” According to the press release, "While basic park operations are funded by direct appropriations from Congress, the recreation use fees collected by the park are used to support ongoing maintenance of park facilities and new projects that directly enhance the visitor experience including maintaining and improving trails, campground facilities, visitor centers, monitoring park resources, and developing the area for future public use, as well as funding seasonal work positions. … The park maintains 63 front-country campsites, 14 backcountry camping areas, more than a dozen historic structures, 100 miles of trails, as well as roads, parking lots, restrooms, water systems, bridges, and 86 park buildings." The fees will be phased in over the next three years, starting with a $5 fee, good for seven continuous days, for people walking, biking or boating in the park. The annual pass will cost $20. That increases to $10 for a seven-day pass in 2023 or $30 for an annual pass and to $15 and $45 in 2024. Other fees also are found on the post.
Stopping the Invaders: Researchers from Lake Superior State University’s Center for Freshwater Research and Education today discussed the history and the battles against invasive species during a virtual symposium. "Invading Classrooms and Communities" examined invasive species research and issues affecting Great Lakes ecosystems and economies. Since the early 1800s, aquatic invasive species have entered the Great Lakes watershed and 180 are now established. Two recent finds in the St. Marys River – the European frog-bit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae) and Didymo (Didymosphenia geminata) aka "rock snot" – have caused concern. It is unclear if Rock snot (seen in these DNR photos) is a native species in parts of Lake Superior, but like recent unusual algal blooms, it is behaving badly and out of the norm for the area, says Center Director Dr. Ashley Moerke. "What’s different, is what we call blooms or massive stalk production – first reported in the '90s in Lake Superior. We’re starting to see it bloom or produce these stalks. It is invasive when it comes in, producing these stalks quickly and will spread quickly." The thick, fibrous Didymo may be difficult to pull apart or remove from rocks, according to the Michigan DNR. Didymo mats can grow to a foot deep with stalks reaching 3 feet in length. The Invading Classrooms and Communities symposium introduces state, federal, provincial, tribal and private organizations involved in stopping the introduction and spread of invasive species. “As a leader in protecting the environment in the Eastern Upper Peninsula and beyond, LSSU makes many efforts like this virtual symposium to inform the public about the part it can play in advancing eco-friendliness,” said LSSU President Dr. Rodney S. Hanley in announcing the free symposium. “Activities like this one from CFRE reinforce part of our mission to enhance the quality of life of the Great Lakes region and part of our strategic plan to promote sustainability.” Presenters included Ashley; Dr. Kevin Kapuscinski, LSSU CFRE assistant director of research; Jesse Wesolek, LSSU CFRE research technician; Michael Hindy, Three Shores Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area program coordinator; Paige Filice, Reduce Invasive Pet and Plant Escapes coordinator; and Dakota VanFleet, LSSU undergraduate student. The seminar will be recorded; watch the center's Facebook page for an upload.
Speaking of Last-Minute Shopping: "With just two weeks left of the season, U.S. Great Lakes ports and the St. Lawrence Seaway are reporting a rush of activity as manufacturers stockpile raw materials and businesses take advantage of the congestion-free waterway to export overseas," notes the Chamber of Marine Commerce in a press release this week. Bruce Burrows, president and CEO of the chamber, said in the release: “U.S. Great Lakes ports have roared back this year – recovering from major 2020 declines in traditional cargoes like iron ore and steel but also developing new business and seizing on opportunities for infrastructure investment. This story of recovery and renewal is mirrored in the latest St. Lawrence Seaway cargo numbers. Throughout the pandemic and amidst global supply chain disruptions, Great Lakes-Seaway shipping has once again proven it’s a reliable, ‘safe harbor’ in a storm.” The end-of-season rush might be challenged by the early closure of the MacArthur Lock at Sault Ste. Marie on Wednesday for repairs and maintenance. Crews set seven "stop logs" (in photo) to dewater the lock. That leaves only the Poe Lock for commercial traffic, though the Poe already handles 70% of freighter traffic. The latest St. Lawrence Seaway figures show general cargo shipments – steel, aluminum and oversized machinery, etc. – were up 71% from March 22 to Nov. 30 over the same time in 2020. Iron ore shipments are up 17%, and dry bulk shipments – construction materials like stone, cement and gypsum – have increased by 6% from same period last year. Overall cargo shipments via the Seaway from March 22 to Nov. 30 totaled 33.3 million metric tons, a rise of 1.7% from 2020. Grain exports, slowed because of smaller harvests than in 2020, continue to offset the growth in other sectors. Without grain factored in, overall tonnage numbers would be up 13%. In the Twin Ports of Duluth-Superior, nearly 3 million short tons of cargo transited the port in November, topping the November 2020 total by more than 10%. Limestone ranked among the monthly highlights, with more than 407,000 short tons transiting Duluth-Superior through Nov. 30 – the highest November limestone tonnage total since 2010. Salt deliveries also surged, with more than 82,000 short tons arriving in the port. For the season, iron ore continues to reign as the port’s tonnage king, closing in on 18 million short tons through Nov. 30. That total ranks 21.7% ahead of the five-season average and 37.1% above last year’s pace. Tracking second behind iron ore, coal and petcoke enjoyed a strong November with more than 860,000 short tons transiting the Twin Ports. Season-to-date, more than 6.8 million short tons of coal and petcoke have moved through Duluth-Superior, a total exceeding last year’s pace by more than 2 million short tons. General cargo closed out the November highlights with nearly 7,000 short tons moving through the port. This pushed the seasonal total over 42,000 short tons, which is more than double the five-season average. The "blue hour" photo here, taken just this morning by David Schauer, is of the Duluth-Superior harbor, where the Mesabi Miner remained docked at CN 6 and the Maria G at CHS in Superior.
Thanks for the Memories: The St. Louis County Historical Society posted this historic photo from 1904 of an ice covered south pier in Duluth. "It is described as the view from Lake toward aerial bridge incomplete with ice covered south pier; west hillside in background." The image is from the Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections, which is housed in the Kathryn A. Martin Library and is on permanent loan from the St. Louis County Historical Society.
An Open Book for Christmas: In the December/January issue of Lake Superior Magazine, it is our tradition to feature children's books by regional authors or with regional themes that might make great gifts for the young ones. We had a grand crop of books (and you can read the reviews here), but we also wanted to do a special shout out to first-time author Kirstin Dias of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Kirstin owns Bow + Bear Co., where she packages her new book into some wondrous gift boxes and other camp-related items. C is for Camp: An Alphabet Adventure moves sweetly through the woods, waters and cabin where the bears (who own the cottage) stay and play. This is a just-right camp – or cabin or cottage – picture book for reading along to little listeners at the end of a full day of fun at the Lake. Kirstin told James Hopkin of SooToday that she wanted her two little ones, Blair and Beau, to see their own backyard in a book. “You don’t see our world a lot in children’s books, so it was important for me to write a book that was for kids in northern Ontario,” she told James. Rebecca Thompson's illustrations also are delightful and deliver plenty of extra northwoods critters and landscape items to point out. The full package makes for a sunny read while sharing the joys of cottage life – whether on a summer day by the shore or a cozy winter's night dreaming of the summer to come. We corresponded with Kirstin about the publishing experience. "Since it's been a lifelong dream of mine to write a book, it's been such a cool experience being known as an 'author,'" Kirstin tells us. "I felt the most like a real author when I did a park reading for some kids back in the summer. They were mouthing the words along with me and saying them out loud. It was pretty neat to see that they knew the book so well! The most fun comment I have gotten about the book is that it makes people feel like home. And that people who are from the North and have moved away can get it for their kids and teach them about all of our fun ways of life up here. It's so heartwarming to hear those comments." C is for Camp – perhaps along with the companion colouring book – would make a great gift anytime for lovers of the North Woods.
LAKE SUPERIOR GIFT SHOP: Our Lake Superior Gift Shop (109 E. Superior St., second floor!) will be closed Dec. 24 and Dec. 31. We are open all other weekdays during the holidays, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Or, of course, you can always browse online.
Photo & graphic credits: Jeff Rennike/Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore; David Schauer/Lake Superior Ports & Shipping; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District; Michigan DNR; Kirstin Dias