Good Bill for a Breakup: Peter Culver of WKOW-TV reports that the Great Lakes Winter Commerce Act was reintroduced into the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, a bill co-sponsored by Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Todd Young of Indiana and Gary Peters of Michigan. According to a release from Tammy's office, the bill would increase the U.S. Coast Guard's annual icebreaking responsibilities in the Great Lakes area, require mandatory reports to Congress during the icebreaking season, and would allocate $350 million for construction of a new Great Lakes icebreaker vessel. “Inadequate icebreaking capacity in the Great Lakes is costing us thousands of American jobs and millions in business revenue. We must boost our icebreaking capacity in the Great Lakes to keep our maritime commerce moving,” Tammy says. In late February, the USCG ice-breaking tug Mobile Bay, homeported in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., joined the crews from Traverse City (which took this helicopter shot) and Sector Sault Ste. Marie for ice-rescue training on the St. Marys River. That training continued around Lake Superior last week and this week.
March Downward: February brought another anticipated seasonal decline for the water levels in Lake Superior, but the lake levels remain well above average (7.5 inches) and continue to pose high-water impact risks, according to the March release by the International Lake Superior Board of Control. Last month, the Lake declined 1.6 inches, less than its long-term 2-inch average decline for the month. The lake level is down 5.5 inches below the same time last year. Seasonal declines are expected to continue in March.
Is There a Coyote Under There?: The Kenora Bypass got an unusual visitor this week that shut down that leg of Highway 17A. No, it wasn't a Road Runner, but the boulder behind him did crash onto the roadway. According to Ryan Forbes for KenoraOnline on Thursday, "Blasting in the area is taking place about four kilometres west of the Minaki Highway, and traffic control is now in place while crews work to clear the scene." A later posting on KenoraOnline, quotes the Ministry of Transportation that because the rock mass had a volume of 400 cubic metres (equals to 881,849 pounds), it could not be moved even with heavy equipment. It had to be blasted apart and removed in smaller pieces. Brad Sherbs posted this altered version of the scene on NWO Roads on Facebook, and we're hoping there wasn't a Wile E. Coyote beneath that weight. The road is now open, according to Brad.
Renewable Research: More efficient production of direct-reduced iron and broad production ability among mines on Minnesota's Iron Range is the goal of research funded to the tune of $2.1 million from the U.S. Department of Energy. The Natural Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota Duluth will add its own $530,000 matching funds from past support of the Minnesota Legislature, reports BusinessNorth. "Direct reduced iron pellets are needed by the growing electric arc furnace steel industry which now make up 70 percent of the steel market. This DOE funding is intended to advance production of DRI and pig iron from Minnesota resources for this growing steel market," BusinessNorth quotes the NRRI press release. "Specifically, NRRI researchers will seek to enhance iron ore pellet chemistry to increase efficiency of the direct reduced iron (DRI) process and downstream processes to convert into metallic iron. These metallic iron products (nodules, pig iron, etc.) are 97 percent pure iron and low in impurities. By removing the gangue (mostly alumina and silica) before the pellets get to the steel plant, it will save the electric arc furnace operation 33 percent in energy use in comparison to DRI use. This saves money and increases productivity."
Catching Up with Stannard Rock: We mentioned awhile back that the U.S. Coast Guard had to send maintenance staff out to Stannard Rock Lighthouse north of Marquette, considered one of the most remote lights in the United States. Corey Adkins of 9&10 News did a video about USCG crews from the Aids to Navigation Team in Duluth were transported by the helicopter team from Traverse City, Mich., to fix a broken window. The repair crew were lowered onto the lighthouse (since there is no place to land there). It's a great report and a chance to hear about an "awesome" task and place, as the Coasties tell it. Stannard Rock has an incredible history with a service of isolated keepers that ended in tragedy on June 16, 1961. More than 1,000 gallons of gasoline stored in the engine house of the light tower exploded, killing one of the four Coast Guardsmen assigned there and wounding others, according to a story done on the history of the light for Lake Superior Magazine by Fred Stonehouse. The lighthouse currently is owned by the Superior Watershed Partnership, which has connected researchers there from around the Lake to place weather-gathering data.
A Special Lenz: Remember Vasanth Rajkumar of LenzGuy Photography who did that great mash up of a T-Rex behind Split Rock Lighthouse? He posted another "blended" image today to make us all wish for summer days and open waters. Thanks for the bit of fantasia from the shore, Vasanth.
Photo & graphic credits: U.S. Coast Guard Traverse City; International Lake Superior Board of Control; Brad Sherbs/NWO Roads; Natural Resources Research Institute; U.S. Coast Guard Traverse City; Vansanth Rajkumar