Thunder Bay Weighs In: The good folks at the Port of Thunder Bay tell us they wrapped up a pretty good 2019 season. The final cargo-laden vessel, the Manitoulin, left on Jan. 12. “The season featured notably higher cargo shipments than the past several years,” the port says in its year-end wrap. “Strong shipments of prairie-grown grain and other dry bulk commodities from Western Canada buoyed the port’s cargo tonnage to 9.3 million metric tonnes, the highest since 2014. Grain volumes increased by 500,000 MT this year as Thunder Bay elevators funneled larger quantities of canola to markets in Europe and South America. Coal tonnage hit a seven-year high, while potash shipments remained above average for a third-straight year.” Three CSL vessels – Niagara, St-Laurent and Welland (in this CLS photo) – will winter at Keefer Terminal in Thunder Bay. Looking to this coming season, the port predicts another strong year for grain plus an increase in wind turbine cargoes for western Canadian wind farms.
Googling: Recently doing some mad-dash searches, our editor Googled something about Lake Superior and noticed also on her screen a box that said “People also ask …” followed by a series of questions about the Big Lake. Some seemed normal – Where is the deepest part of Lake Superior? Can you drink Lake Superior water? – and then there were these: How many bodies are in Lake Superior? (Really, Googlers?) Are there whales in Lake Superior? (Don’t believe so.) Are sharks in Lake Superior? (Nope, eaten by the whales.) If you want to see the answers others come up with, you’ll just have to Google it. Except for the whale question … Minnesota Sea Grant fields that one and posted this photo, too.
Go, Dog, Go: The John Beargrease Dog Sled Marathon from Duluth to Grand Portage finished this week, and musher Ryan Redington of Wasilla, Alaska, won for a second time, followed by Keith Aili of Ray, Minn. Both were competing for Ryan’s Callin’ Trail Kennel. (Ryan and teammates Henry and Ghost are seen here at the finish in Grand Portage.) Erin Schouweiler of Irma, Wis., won the mid-distance John Beargrease 120 for her Otter Run Kennel. There was another celebrity, though, who also garnered attention, although he and his teammates finished fifth in the mid-distance race. That celeb is Indy, a blind sled dog on the team of Hovland, Minn., musher Frank Moe of Moetown Kennels. QRILLPAWS posted a video before the race telling Indy’s story about how he eventually lost sight in both eyes. As everyone who’s been to the start at a dog sled race knows, these dogs live for running and Frank decided that Indy, who has a lot of heart and drive despite his lost vision, could still be part of the team. Then MPR News featured 7-year-old Indy in a story by Cody Nelson. In that story, Frank said of Indy, who was to compete for the first time since losing his sight completely, “As long as he gets some love and attention and some treats at the end, that's all he cares about.” Frank and his wife, Sherri, the team’s handler, decided to run the mid-distance rather than the full marathon after some dog injuries. Emily Haavik did a story about the team’s finish for Kare11. Frank told Emily he’d hoped to do better in the race, but as for Indy, “He wouldn’t lay down during the rest, he was so excited to keep going. … It was like, 'Oh boy, I’m back.'" A fun additional note from Moetown Kennels was a series of podcasts – Sled Dogs, Cold Toes and a Gal From Texas – from WTIP Radio, done by Anastasia, a Houston woman who moved to Hovland to work at the kennel and learn all she can about mushing. Other notables from this year’s Beargrease: a finish line proposal (Upper Peninsula musher Liza Dietzen says “Yes” to 11-year-beau Derek Weaver) and a double moose-musher encounter with musher Colleen Wallin, both stories covered by Baihly Warfield for WDIO.
Cool Coasties: Thor and Loki, Vizsla-Lab mixes rescued from UPAWS in Marquette, seem to be adjusting well to military life at the U.S. Coast Guard station in that U.P. city, according to a story by Emily Bingham of MLive. The brothers’ duties so far seem to be “Exuberantly chasing geese away from the station’s Lake Superior waterfront … getting snuggles from the public at social events, and being undeniably adorable in photos for the station’s Facebook page,” Emily writes. Petty Officer Terry Bailey told Emily the station crew wanted a dog as a morale booster and found the two brothers inseparable. “There was no way we were ever going to separate them, Terry says. "They are the sweetest dogs there are. … The community here in Marquette has grown extremely close with them. We’ve had people come up to tell us (at public events) they’re only here for Thor and Loki, which is perfectly OK.” The whole station crew pitches in to get food for Thor and Loki, who now share Safety Tip Tuesday posts on the station’s Facebook page.
Taking the High Road: Developer Bob Davidson had a plan for his 104-acre property high on Fire Tower Road among Bayfield's orchards. The property's steep terrain, stunning views and beautiful forests seemed just the place for another low-impact development like the Brickyard Creek community he'd created near Red Cliff, Wis. But the Town of Bayfield's planning commission balked at turning one of the highest points in the county into a subdivision, no matter how modest. The commission and some neighbors preferred to keep it natural. Disappointed, but open to another plan, Bob agreed to work with the Landmark Conservancy to consider the property for public recreation. The fruition of those plans was announced this week. Bayfield County acquired the property for $171,840 thanks to funds from the Wisconsin Knowles-Nelson Stewardship and Wisconsin Coastal Management programs. Saving the property for public recreation has been popular with all the parties involved. “The Board does not oppose all development," Tom Gordon, chairman of the Bayfield town board notes, "but just felt the property was better suited for public use, especially in the middle of apple country." Even Bob agreed. “Kind of in the twilight of my life, I thought it would be the right thing,” says the 86-year-old. “It’s such a beautiful piece of land. In the end, I’m really pleased with the whole thing.” Read the full story, written by author Dennis McCann for the Landmark Conservancy, on our Lake Superior website.
Saving Space: Harbour View Development Corporation and the Superior Watershed Partnership Land Conservancy recently struck an arrangement to preserve 25 acres of natural areas within the city of Marquette. The new Harlow Farms nature preserve features "a combination of forest types, open meadow, wetlands, brook and several historic sites," according to the release announcing the preserved space. It also offers important land and water habitats. The acreage includes a portion of the Noquemenon Trail Network. "Given the outstanding job the Superior Watershed Partnership has been providing the Upper Peninsula for 20 years now, we felt they were the best organization to entrust the care and protection of these conservation lands to for perpetuity" LR Swadley, president of Harbour View Development, is quoted in the release. Carl Lindquist, director of the watershed partnership, added, "The SWP Land Conservancy is proud to take ownership of the Harlow Farms natural area. Protecting urban green spaces such as this is increasingly important in protecting local water quality and Lake Superior."
Just to Be Fair: Thought we’d better do a cat note to balance all those earlier canine news briefs, so here is a photo of Taj, a newly arrived Amur tiger at the Lake Superior Zoo. According to a blog by the zoo’s veterinarian, Dr. Louise Beyea, the 6-year-old had to be separated from her sisters at a zoo in Indiana where some sibling rivalry was causing issues. The four were born in an Ohio zoo. The Species Survival Program at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums matched Taj to the Lake Superior Zoo after the local zoo had to euthanize its popular Amur tiger Lana. The blog talks about the tribulations of getting Taj into her new space. “Over time, we will learn about Taj and her habits,” Louise writes. “Already we’ve been impressed with how quickly her travel stress has dissipated. She drank water shortly after coming out of the crate. She ate her supper during her first night in her new home. And the next day when she was allowed outside into her new exhibit, she thoroughly explored the space. The keepers noticed her rolling in the snow, and even resting on her back in a snow bank, all four feet in the air. That’s a relaxed tiger, or maybe a tiger that’s grateful to live in an area that has the climate of her native Siberia!” We can certainly do Siberia up here by the Big Lake; welcome to your new home, Taj. It looks like you already can do snow tiger angels, according to the zoo.
A Fine Trail-er: The past few e-newsletters you may have noticed an ad for Ashland, Wis. (thank you, Ashland Chamber!), but until now we haven't called attention to both a new winter video by the Ashland Chamber of Commerce and, more importantly, a chance to win $250 in Chamber Dollars. The video – you might call it a visitation film trailer – focuses on the hiking, skiing and snowmobiling trail options, plus the Book Across the Bay and other indoor and outdoor fun. If you stay overnight at any of the participating Ashland-area lodgings before the drawing dates, you can register for the Feb. 29 and March 31 drawings. Chamber Dollars are redeemable at more than 200 local businesses. But really, even if you don't win the drawings, you're a winner if you visit by the Big Lake in any season. Winter just happens to be the best one we're in now.
Photo & graphic credits: CSL Group; Port of Thunder Bay; Minnesota Sea Grant; QRILLPAWS; Root River Photography; Landmark Conservancy; Superior Watershed Partnership; USCG Station-Marquette; Lake Superior Zoo; Ashland Chamber of Commerce