Celebrating Superior: Show the Big Lake some love this weekend. The third Sunday in July each year has been designated (loosely) since the 1990s as Lake Superior Day. The tradition was started by a group in Thunder Bay and revived by late Bob Browne of Superior when he was on the Lake Superior Binational Forum. We don't know why other residents don't give other Great Lakes their own special day, but we plan ways to remember, celebrate and savor our Lake on this weekend. Today, Saturday and Sunday down at the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center, join editor Konnie LeMay and representatives of the Lake Superior Marine Museum Association, the Minnesota Lake Superior Coastal Program and the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission to learn more about the Lake. There will be fun displays, including a mega map of the Great Lakes, a chance to "load a freighter" in an outside water table and other activities and information. On Sunday from 1-3 p.m., author Kathy Groth will read from and sign her new book SUNKEN Shipwrecks of Lake Superior. Read the next story to see what's happening in Superior at Barker's Island! (This lovely view of Lake Superior's Minnesota shore is from the July image in the current Lake Superior calendar and was taken by John Alexander Kay. What an amazing package holding 10% of the world's fresh surface water!)
Lake Superior Day Bash: Join in family fun activities, listen to live music and learn how to standup paddleboard all along the shores of the Big Lake on Lake Superior Day at Barker's Island in Superior. The Lake Superior Estuarium, which you can visit for free on Barker’s Island in Superior is the focal point for all the action from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Prior to the main event, North Shore Stand Up Paddleboarding hosts the 4th annual Paddle for the People 4K recreational paddle race around Barker’s Island. The race is free and begins at 10:00 am with mandatory check in from 8:30-9:30 a.m. Music performances start at 11 a.m. with Hodag and Hooch, a local band sharing harmonies from the back seat of a car rolling down the fast lane of the 70’s with plenty of detours to the sweet songs before and beyond. Woodblind, an acoustic ska duo will perform at 1 p.m. Plus there will be food vendors and multiple organizations with information tables. A free raffle features prizes from local businesses, including Northwest Outlet and donations from Bluetick Design LLC, North Shore SUP, the Friends of the Lake Superior Reserve, SuperOne Foods, Mac Sport & Marine, and more.
On Fire: While news of fires out West continue to make national headlines, within the Big Lake extended neighborhood, we continue to contend with tinderbox conditions and the flames they spark. Leith Dunick of TBNewswatch.com this week reported that with 29 new fires spotted, Northwestern Ontario had 97 active wildfires mid-week. Meanwhile, Maija Hoggett of SooToday reported on the evacuations because of those fires, including 150 people from Pikangikum First Nation evacuated to Timmins. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency posted air quality alerts for the northern half of the state through today because of fires along the U.S.-Canada border. Smoke in the air created red sun images this week, including this one captured by Richard Hoeg of an osprey north of Duluth. Rich, a book author and photographer, operates 365daysofbirds.com. The U.S. Forest Service-Superior National Forest seven-day closures in the the Iron Lake and Crooked Lake areas due to fires. Notes the Forest Service: "The Forest has enacted this closure order given the time required to locate and move BWCAW visitors out of the area if the wildfire spreads into the US and creates hazardous conditions. Quetico Provincial Park has already enacted a closure area for the fires. Travel times to these areas in the BWCAW are measured in days, not hours, and this would not allow for rapid evacuation of the area."
This Just In!! Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may open the U.S.-Canada border to fully vaccinated U.S. citizens as early as mid-August, The Canadian Press reported on CBC Thursday night. CNN's Amanda Watts and Ray Sanchez also had a story this morning reporting that Justin, in a call Thursday with Canada's provincial and territorial premiers, also said Canada could potentially open to fully vaccinated travelers in all countries by early September if the current vaccination trend continues. This morning, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who has been working to open the U.S.-Canada border, released this statement: “Since the pandemic began, border restrictions have resulted in serious disruptions for so many close to the border. I have been working with both Canadian and U.S. officials about the need to safely reduce border restrictions as soon as possible, and Prime Minister Trudeau’s comments make clear that cross-border travel between our two countries will soon be back to normal. Opening the border will increase tourism, make it easier to see family and friends, and allow businesses to get goods to market. While we see the light at the end of the tunnel, I will continue to push for the lifting of border restrictions until it’s done.”
100 Years of Memories: Chippewa Park on the shores of Lake Superior in Thunder Bay celebrates its 100 anniversary this week and friends have posted dozens of delightful shots from the past and present on its Chippewa Park 100th Anniversary page on Facebook. The park's carousel is an integral part of the park's past and present, since its opening as a family gathering place in 1921. That connection is reflected in the park's logo. Thunder Bay's Mayor Bill Mauro declared Thursday (July 15) Chippewa Park Day in honor of the park's actual birth date. The name of the park reflects its origins. , according to a history of the park on the Thunder Bay city website. On Dec. 29, 1917, the Fort William First
Nation signed a deed "giving 270.1 acres of land to the Crown, who in turn sold it to the City of Fort William" for the sum of $25,000. (Fort William and Port Arthur would later be joined to form Thunder Bay.) The people of Fort William First Nation are Anishinaabeg, also known by Ojibwe or Chippewa. Read more about the park's history and view photos, maps and brochures online.
Thanks, GLIFWC: For those who know it well, we call it "glif-wic" or GLIFWC. The Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission is based in Odanah, Wis., on the lands of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. It formed in 1984 and represents 11 Ojibwe tribes in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan who reserved hunting, fishing and gathering rights in the 1837, 1842, and 1854 Treaties with the U.S. government. The commission represents a treasured resource for gathering and distributing information about the flora, fauna and waters along Lake Superior and also about the culture of the Ojibwe people. The commission posts weekly phrases in Ojibwemowin, updates on its research and other cool information on its Facebook page. Its quarterly newsletter, Mazina'igan, is filled with reporting of the Big Lake region from the Anishinabe perspective as well as cultural tidbits and games. The latest edition, 2021 Niibin (Summer), can be viewed online. A free, downloadable copy of A Guide to Understanding Ojibwe Treaty Rights and other historic information is available on the site. information on We give a shout out to our friends at GLIFWC today because this weekend they travel to the Twin Ports to help celebrate Lake Superior Day on Saturday at the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center in Duluth and on Sunday at Barker's Island in Superior. Miigwetch to them!
Photo & graphic credits: John Alexander Kay; Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve; Richard Hoeg; U.S. Canadian Embassy; Chippewa Park; Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission