Saving the Caribou: Last week Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry helicoptered out nine caribou from one of the last surviving herds around Lake Superior. Video of one of the releases was posted with a story by Gary Rinne on SooToday. In just a few short years, wolves crossing ice bridges to Slate and Michipicoten islands decimated the herds established there. The wolves appear to have evacuated the Slate Islands, so eight cows and one bull caribou were removed from Michipicoten and landed 130 kilometres to the northwest on the Slates. The Michipicoten caribou descended from ones removed years earlier from the Slates and the ministry hopes they can be re-established on both islands again eventually, according to a Canadian Press story on TBNewswatch.com. First Nations members have been vocal in calling for the caribou relocation. Michipicoten First Nation Chief Patricia Tangie has argued that the government waited too long to take action, the story reported, but she and others performed ceremonies to aid the removal. “We request assistance from the spirit world for the protection of the caribou and the longevity of those relatives so that future generations can see them,” she was quoted, adding she and other residents performed a pipe ceremony the day before the move to seek the animals' permission for the relocation.
That’s All We Gott: The Great Lakes Fleet’s Edwin H. Gott came to winter in the Twin Ports as the last laker through the Soo Locks and the last into Duluth for the season, reported Brady Slater of the Duluth News Tribune. According to Brady, “The American Century had been scheduled to come to Duluth for winter layup, too, but was not moving fast enough to reach the Soo Locks before their closure, and instead was rerouted to Toledo, Ohio, said Adele Yorde, spokeswoman for the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. There are six vessels wintering in Duluth-Superior this season – all of them being worked on by crews from Fraser Shipyards in Superior.” You can see the YouTube video of the Gott’s entry in the darkness of early Wednesday morning. In the photo above by David C. Schauer, Heritage Marine tugs Helen H and Edward H assist the Gott on its arrival.
Great Lakes Fleet, based in Duluth, is wintering two of its vessels in the Twin Ports – the Gott, along with the Arthur M. Anderson, which was kept in reserve status and did not sail this season. The Roger Blough was dry-docked in December for a new paint job in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, which will also be winter berth for the fleet’s Cason J. Callaway and John G. Munson. The fleet’s Edgar B. Speer, Philip R. Clarke and Great Republic are wintering in Toledo, Ohio, while the Presque Isle will be in Erie, Pennsylvania. The Soo Locks closed this Monday (Jan. 15) and will remain closed until March 25.
Harbor Help: Superior and Washburn will benefit from $8 million earmarked to five communities for harbor and port improvements through the Wisconsin Harbor Assistance Program, reports Danielle Kaeding for WPR. Cenex Harvest States, which employs about 57 people at its Superior grain facility, will get about $1.7 million to replace 600 feet of dock wall while the city of Washburn will receive $1.3 million for construction on the northern wall of the its coal dock, which has had considerable damage from Lake Superior storms.
Arrgh! Prepare to Take the Plunge: After one year off, organizers are bringing back the Thunder Bay Polar Bear Plunge with three local beneficiaries: Thunder Bay Special Olympics, the 2020 Special Olympics Winter Games and Roots to Harvest. The plunge raised $82,000 in 2016 and organizers are hoping to surpass that at the April 7 event. Donations are given to individuals or teams who take the plunge. Plungers are encouraged to wear costumes (there’s a prize for the best one). The plunge takes place at the marina’s boat launch. Plungers show up for fundraisers all around the Lake, so even if you’re not in T-Bay, you can commit to take a dive. The Polar Plunge for Duluth will be Feb. 16 in Canal Park; Marquette’s Polar Plunge will be March 18 at Marquette Mountain Ski Hill; Bayfield residents will take the Polar Plunge as part of the Bayfield Winter Festival March 2-4; and the Two Saults Polar Plunge in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, will be March 10.
Have Talent, Will Tweet: A group called Evolve Marquette is offering a three-month Marquette Creative Residency to three lucky out-of-town creative types from March 1-May 31. The three will share the three-bedroom Urban Beachcomber rental retreat (in photo) near McCarty’s Cove and the goal is to get some online buzz for the city: “We’re seeking talented creatives who could span from analog to digital technologies in advertising, architecture, art education, technology, culture, design, fashion, film, literature, music, performance, or visual arts. We won’t place limits on the scope of projects conducted during the residency, but we WILL provide you with your own bicycle and ask that you share your experience widely on social media. We see that as a fair trade.” Deadline looming: before midnight, Feb. 2.
More Better Bus Service: Ontario Northland bus system announced expanded motor coach service that will cover the Lake Superior shore to White River, according to a press release in SooToday. The new year’s move will add 750 kilometres and 20 communities and is part of the provincial government’s push to better connect the northern tier.
Adopt an Object: The St. Louis County Historical Society invites you to adopt an Ojibwe birchbark canoe or cradleboard, a painting or a doll to help restore those objects. The five objects that are the focus of this first Adopt an Ojbect fundraising campaign need specialized restoration. Donors receive “perks” depending on the objects they choose to adopt and will be part of a future reception to celebrate once preservation is completed. The top image shows (with digital help) how the painting “Hunter and Hounds at Rest" by Peter Lund might be restored with cleaning and scratch repair (the smaller side image shows the painting now).
Who Is a Cool Contestant?: The answer is Amanda Griggs, an Iron Mountain, Michigan, librarian who got a “once in a lifetime” experience being a contestant on the TV game show Jeopardy. The episode with Amanda aired Wednesday. She didn’t best the $22,400 winnings of the day’s champion, but she told Betsy Bloom of Marquette’s Mining Journal before the show aired that the Jeopardy staff and star host Alex Trebek were “incredibly lovely and kind.” Amanda flew with her mom to Los Angeles for the show after first doing an online quiz that qualified her for a mock competition in Minneapolis, from which she was chosen for the real show. Answering quiz questions wasn’t new to Amanda, who competed in High School Quiz Bowl while a student at Iron Mountain High School.
Brett Groehler
Enger Tower in Purple
Enger Tower in Duluth is lit in purple to honor music legend Prince.
Pretty in Purple: Duluth Mayor Emily Larson has tweeted that Enger Tower will be bathed in purple light this weekend to support the Minnesota Vikings' efforts to make it to the Super Bowl. The tower was lit in purple in memory of Minnesota musical legend Prince in 2016, when Brett Groehler, a photographer at the University of Minnesota Duluth, captured the tower's purple glow.
Photo & graphic credits: Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry; David Schauer; Thunder Bay Polar Bear Plunge; Urban Beachcomber; St. Louis County Historical Society; Jeopardy.com; Brett Groehler/UMD.