Around the Circle This Week: July 5, 2019

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Off to the Races: Five days, 40 boats and 3 quadrillion gallons of water – those are the elements of this Bayfield Race Week that sails into the history books for another year this evening. The annual sailboat regatta event draws competitors from as far as Canada and Florida to the Apostle Islands in Wisconsin. Races, sponsored by the Wayzata Yacht Club, challenge the teams in buoy, mid-distance, sport boat, turbo, small boat, JAM and multi-hull fleets. The club calls the race week “the centerpiece of the AIS season” – meaning sailing with Automatic Identification System. Depending on the weather – and it’s been pretty darned nice – up to three races with multiple fleets are done each day, starting at 11 a.m. Race results are posted online. Post race entertainment starts with a social at the Bayfield Waterfront Pavilion each night, which happens this evening on the last day, too.

Fifth of July Fireworks: Threatening stormy weather turned Marquette's Fourth of July

waterfront fireworks into a Fifth of July display. Weather permitting – and it looks like scattered showers might be gone by then – the fireworks will go off tonight at dusk, and there will be a live-streamed broadcast of the fireworks posted on MQT Today's Facebook page. If you RSVP to MQT Today's site, you'll be sent an alert when the fireworks start. Men's Journal, by the by, named Marquette one of the 13 awesome places this year to watch fireworks in the country and showed off this photo by Justin Carlson of the past waterfront event, so it will be worth the wait. The Marquette Area Fourth of July Celebration Committee recruited more than 80 individual and business donors to contribute to this year's celebratory display and listed those donors on its Facebook page. Nearby Ishpeming also had to cancel its fireworks display because of the weather, but does not plan a later version.

Now that the Party's (Mostly) Over: Cecilia Brown of the Mining Journal in Marquette did a story about how folks can help lessen the impact of Fourth of July on the environment by helping to clean up after the fireworks and parties. “Cans. Glass and plastic bottles. Cigarette butts. Boxes. Plastic bags. Remnants of fireworks,” Cecilia begins. “These are just a few examples of items found littering local parks and streets after last year’s Fourth of July festivities, with a significant concentration of these items found at McCarty’s Cove beach along Lake Superior in Marquette.” The story goes on to suggest tips from local environmental advocates, from avoiding the litter in the first place to staying on the path or the beach so as not to trample fragile flora. Especially obnoxious – and dangerous – for the Big Lake environment anytime of year are discarded cigarette filters, which last for years and easily wash along with storm water into the streams and ultimately Lake Superior.

Bridging the Bird Gap: Peregrine falcon pairs have successfully produced chicks this year on two Upper Peninsula bridges where nesting boxes have been placed, according to the Michigan DOT. On the International Bridge between the two Sault Ste. Maries, the raptors are rearing three chicks while on the Portage Lake Lift Bridge (in these photos) between Houghton and Hancock, a mated pair has hatched four chicks. In the Sault, the female chicks have been

nicknamed Bones and Zoey and the male chick dubbed JC for John Collins, the first president of the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Chamber of Commerce, which is celebrating its 130th year. At the Portage bridge, the chicks got, appropriately for the twin cities, Finnish names: Vesi (water) and Lumi (snow) for the males and Silta (bridge) and Kesa (summer) for the two females. Peregrines have been delisted from the federal endangered species list but continue on Michigan’s list. According to MDOT’s release, “Michigan lost its peregrine falcons in the 1960s and 1970s due to the use of DDT and other environmental contaminants. Since conservation efforts started in the mid-1980s, the number of peregrines has fluctuated, but has generally increased since the 1990s, according to DNR wildlife biologist Karen Cleveland.” The bridge boxes, placed in 2010 at the International Bridge and 2012 at the Portage Lift Bridge, benefit the falcons and reduce pigeon populations around the structures. “Keeping pigeons away is seen as potentially saving MDOT and the IBA maintenance money down the line, as pigeon droppings can damage paint on metal bridge surfaces,” MDOT points out. You can see the success for yourself by logging onto the International Bridge FalCam or a Pasty.com webcam for the Portage Lift Bridge.

Circular Achievement: This is high season for the Lake Superior Circle Tour, with lots of folks choosing their own special way to circle the Big Lake. Most of us take to the road in a vehicle, but a few choose pedal power. Mark Looney not only committed to make a circle tour on his bike, he decided one Great Lake was not enough for his check list. Since 2015, Mark has pedaled around one of the Great Lakes each year. Lake Huron was last on his list and he

finished it at the end of May. Looking back on all those great Great Lakes and asked which was his favorite, he tactfully (and truthfully) acknowledge “each has its own personality that is characterized by the people, wildlife and the history that prospers in the region. That being said,” he adds in his press release announcing his circular accomplishment, “I am particularly fond of the natural splendor of Lake Superior. A rugged terrain where practical peoples and descendants of ancient civilizations have dated back some 10,000 years, still prosper and happily embrace visitors to their culture.” Laura Johnston of Cleveland.com did a Q&A with Mark after his trip. In his release, Mark points out that cycling brings a different experience to travel, something he first noted at an early age. “I continued to question that which I could not see, hear and feel without the steady cadence and sensory inputs that cycling provides.” Mark has completed many long journeys and in 2016 published A Path through Ohio chronicling a five-day trek through the state. He plans a similar treatment for the Great Lakes adventure with text and images, like this one from Minnesota’s North Shore.

Study Money: Lakehead University researchers netted $2.25 million in federal grants for 33 research projects that likely will generate additional support monies. The university announced earlier this month that the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada approved the federal grants, which include $1.56 million for 12 Discovery grants, 72 percent more funding than last year’s grants. The Discovery grants promote research with long-term goals rather than short-term outcomes, recognizing creativity and innovation needed for such research. In announcing the grants, the university noted two researchers, Dr. Muntasir Billah (on left), assistant professor in civil engineering, and Dr. Han Chen (on right), professor in natural resources management. Muntasir is receiving $155,000 toward a five-year project to develop a bridge system that can endure multiple hazards simultaneously, such as an earthquake, tsunami and flood. “Successful completion of this research will not only create guidelines for practitioners to design and analyze bridges against multiple hazards, but also develop innovative smart structural components that will enhance bridge safety,” he said in the release. Han’s five-year research project examining how various tree species can mitigate the negative impacts of reduced water availability in boreal forests received $275,000 in funding. “Our findings will help develop strategies to cope with climate change in Canada’s boreal forests,” Han says. Find the full list of 33 funded projects, from faculty research to master’s program scholarships, online.

A New July High: Wet conditions in June pushed the Lake Michigan-Huron basin to record-high water levels by the end of the month, and though Lake Superior had a relative drier month, it, too, hit record-high levels for the time of year, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the International Lake Superior Board of Control. In June, Lake Superior usually rises by about 3 inches and last month it only increased 1.2 inches. However, because of already historically high water levels, it enters July at 1.6 inches above the old record high for this time set in 1943. That puts Lake Superior at 14 inches above the average established between 1918 and 2018 and 10 inches above this time last year. The usual seasonal rises are expected for both Lake Superior and Lakes Michigan and Huron. The board of control plans higher than usual water releases out of Lake Superior through the St. Marys River, in part to compensate the hydropower needs caused by maintenance of the plant there. Because of that, it warns anglers and other users of the St. Marys Rapids to be cautious of the high flows and water levels that will continue to be experienced in the rapids in July.

Clean Options: Matt Prokopchuk of the CBC reports that two new options are under consideration to clean up historical industrial pollution in a portion of Thunder Bay’s north harbour. Most of the options involve dredging and then safely disposing of the contaminated sediment in one of various locations or creating an stone berm to contain the material. Public open houses to gather feedback on the options should come in late fall or early winter, Roger Santiago, head of Environment and Climate Change Canada, told Matt.

Weed on the Way?: As soon as October this year, there could be cannabis stores in Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie, according to a Sudbury.com story posted on SooToday. The Ontario government announced the coming of 50 new cannabis sales outlets. Currently in the Lake Superior region, sales of cannabis, which are legal in Canada, can only be done by mail order. For those considering adding a cannabis purchase to their tours of those cities, it’s good to read the informative webpage set up by Tourism Thunder Bay to answer questions and avoid inadvertently exposing yourself to legal repercussions – especially if you are from the United States and try to bring the cannabis back into the country.

Grand Plans: The Grand Marais Art Colony had big news this week – about 5,000 square feet and $500,000 worth of it. GMAC announced its expansion into the North Shore Pharmacy Building, which will increase its public space by more than 5,000 square feet. It will also keep its current studio and classroom spaces. The half-a-million-dollar development project begins this summer. “We have worked over the past decade to grow our programs, our infrastructure, and our staff,” Ruth Pszwaro, GMAC artistic director, says in the announcement, “and we’ve found that our artistic community has responded with increased interest and engagement. This includes both our local community, as well as non-local members who consider us their creative home, many who have been coming here annually for 30 or more years.” Already a dozen donors have pledged nearly $85,000 toward the project, along with a commitment from the colony’s board of director. Additional grant funds are pending. The Grand Marais Art Colony is the oldest art colony in the state, having begun in 1947, and sponsoring artistic endeavors like the fall plein air gathering shown here. Back in 2011, Ada Igoe wrote “Nuturing Creative Spirits” for us about the colony and its inception.

Arrival in Old Town: Old Town Antiques and Books at the corner of First Avenue East and Superior Street in downtown Duluth is crammed with fancy, funky, fun and frivolous used and antique items that make browsing a pleasant pastime. The various booths offer eclectic selections and occasionally special focuses, such as books. With two floors of fascinating odds-and-ends, Old Town is worthy of a visit. Nik Wilson takes us on a tour there for this week's installment to showcase businesses within the Superior Street construction zone.

Photo & graphic credits: Wayzata Yacht Club; Justin Carlson; Michigan DOT; Mark Looney; International Lake Superior Board of Control; Grand Marais Art Colony; Nik Wilson

Around the Circle This Week editor: Konnie LeMay, Nik Wilson