Through the Sky Darkly: With lots more hours of night, we have many more opportunities to wonder at the night sky. Dark Sky projects and celebrations have cropped up around the world, calling attention to the lights that inhibit those views but also to the locations where deep, dark skies can be found. Among the Lake Superior neighborhood locations with various "dark sky" designations are Minnesota's Voyageurs National Park and Ontario's Quetico Provincial Park along the boundary waters and Lake Superior Provincial Park on the eastern Lakeshore. The first two got their designations from the International Dark-Sky Association, which takes applications under five categories of sites: Communities, Parks, Reserves, Sanctuaries and Urban Night Sky Places. Lake Superior Provincial Park was designated as a Dark Sky Preserve through the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, which also has a variety of categories. NASA released this satellite image of the lights in 2012. (Interestingly, Caitlyn Buongiomo published a story on Astronomy.com about satellites' own contributions to light pollution.) You can likely find somewhere with good stargazing not far from your Big Lake locale. Recently, several good nights of northern lights have thrilled sky watchers and photographers. Next week would be a good time to look up in the evening with the Leonids meteor shower on Nov. 17-18 and a partial lunar eclipse on Nov. 18-19. Some Big Lake regions are encouraging night sky tourism and have developed webpages, such as through Visit Cook County in Minnesota. In Michigan, Keweenaw Mountain Lodge near the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, has applied to be an International Dark Sky Park. "The advantage we have on the Keweenaw is we can look north to Lake Superior’s horizon," lodge owner John Mueller says. "You don’t have to go to Finland or Alaska to be awed."
All They've Achieved: Co-publisher Beth Bily and Editor Konnie LeMay got to take a gorgeous road trip from Duluth to Bayfield for a special presentation on a particularly glorious November day. On Tuesday, the two delivered the 2021 Lake Superior Magazine Achievement Award, given to the Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Several of the Friends members showed up for the presentation, done on the Washington Avenue Beach. Speaking, along with Konnie, were Erica Peterson, chair of the Friends’ board of directors; Jeff Rennicke, who is co-executive director for the Friends along with his wife, Jill; and Lynne Dominy, superintendent for the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Lake Superior Magazine has given out its annual Achievement Award since 1994 to individuals and groups who have contributed significantly to the well being of Lake Superior and its peoples. That made the Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore an easy choice for the honor, according to Konnie. "It is an honor to be able to celebrate the Friends milestones, to acknowledge its accomplishments and to anticipate its future successes by giving it Lake Superior Magazine’s 2021 Achievement Award. Thank you for the work that you have done and will do." A video (and these photos) were taken by Jeff of the presentation, and though its a blustery day for speechifying, it's beautiful to see the sunny shore.
Remember & Learn: This week saw many commemorations and stories linked to the Nov. 10, 1975, sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. SooToday did an interview with Chuck Parker, a third-generation sailor who counts that night as one of his first memories of being on the water as a youngster with his dad. “My first memory was of a storm in November 1975,” he told Donna Schell. “I was on the ship the HC Heimbecker with my dad (Bill Parker). We were in Godrich, Ont. And we had to stop unloading as the water in the harbour was too rough. We pulled the ladders as it was unsafe to board or debark the ship and waited out the storm in safe haven of the port. That was the night the Edmund Fitzgerald went down. Seems everyone you talk to remembers that night very well.” In Minnesota, Split Rock Lighthouse once again lit its beacon in remembrance. A YouTube video records the ceremony honoring the 29 crewmembers who died that night and shows the lit beacon in operation. On the other side of the Lake near where the Fitz sank and still remains, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum had a closed ceremony for the crew's family survivors and select others in the museum. The full ceremony was recorded by WFQX and posted on Vuit. The ceremony was hosted by Bruce Lynn, executive director of the museum. Bruce will also be speaking Saturday at 5:30 p.m. CT in a virtual presentation that is part of the 34th annual Gales of November program. There is a presentation this evening at 7 p.m. CT by Dan Rau, a Lake Superior Marine Museum board member who's had a career on the Lake in various forms, and Saturday after Bruce's presentation, Roger LeLievre, publisher of Know Your Ships, will speak. All the presentations are free, but donations to LSMMA.com are most appreciated.
A Good Sign: Officials from the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation joined the unveiling of a new road sign that acknowledges the traditional Ojibwemowin name, “Gaa-Miskwaabikaang” or “the place where there are red rock cliffs" for the Red Cliff Reservation. It's the first official dual-language WisDOT road sign. "The unveiling kicks off an initiative around the state to include dual-language signage for all tribal communities," according to a press release on the Red Cliff website. "This sign informs motorists that not only are they in the Red Cliff community, but they’re also entering a sovereign territory with a rich history, culture, and ancestry." Red Cliff Chairman Christopher Boyd says of the unveiling, “This is an historic day within our community, and to be recognized with Wisconsin’s first dual-language Tribal boundary sign is a tremendous honor. It’s important to recognize former Red Cliff Chairmen Bryan Bainbridge and Richard Peterson as this endeavor has been in the making for several years. Howah.”
Ship Shape: "Increased diversity in cargo shipments handled at the Port of Thunder Bay is helping to offset the decrease in overall shipments resulting from lower volumes of prairie grain this season," the Port announced in a press release this week. "While overall shipments are 6% lower than the 5-year average and 17% lower than last year, the outlook is strong for several emerging commodities and for the remainder of the shipping season. The Port’s general cargo facility, Keefer Terminal, is experiencing a 25-year high in cargo shipments." In October, nearly 8,000 metric tonnes of European steel pipe were discharged at Keefer, where it can be stored before being trucked to Alberta. (In this photo, the MV Solina is unloading steel pipe at Keefer Terminal in late October.) Import steel and phosphate fertilizer, of which Keefer will receive a third shipment later this season, are growing opportunities for the port. Export shipments of Canadian-mined potash are also on the rise. October was the strongest month so far this year for potash shipments, which sit at 67% above last year’s tally and 34% above the 5-year average. Most of the potash is directly exported via saltie to Europe. As to grain, all three operating Western Canadian grain ports have had reductions in shipments. The Port quoted the Quorum Corporation Grain Monitor, which notes the year-over-year decrease of grain railcar unloads in Thunder Bay is 29%, compared with decreases of 28% in Vancouver and 64% in Prince Rupert. Grain shipments are expected to be closer to average in Thunder Bay for the remainder of the shipping season.
Fish Pod: Wisconsin Sea Grant has launched a new podcast, "The Fish Dish," co-hosted by coworkers and friends Sharon Moen (with fry pan) and Marie Zhuikov (without pan). The podcast will introduce you to the people behind Wisconsin’s fishing and aquaculture industries. Each episode includes a “Fish-o-licious” section where Sharon and Marie cook a new fish recipe. Music by the Twin Ports ska band, Woodblind, brings it home. The first episode features Craig Hoopman and a Greek-style lake whitefish recipe. The October/November issue of Lake Superior Magazine featured a Recipe Box by Beth Dooley that introduced Sharon in her new role as the "Eat Wisconsin Fish Outreach Specialist."
Fare Thee Well, Cap't Tom: It is with the deepest regret and shock that we note the passing of Cap't Tom Mackay, 77, retired Vista Fleet captain, U.S. Navy Vietnam War veteran and God & Country Award-winning Sea Explorer Scout. Cap't Tom, as he signed his correspondence, died unexpected on Nov. 4 at home on his beloved Park Point in Duluth. He lived most of his life on the Point and touted "Park Point's Affluent Poor" on his pickup truck. He was married for 38 years to Liz Mackay. A two-term president of International Ship Masters Association-Duluth Superior Lodge 12, he was also vice president and volunteer for the Park Point Community Club, a member of Duluth-Superior Harbor Club, the Maritime Club and the R.O.M.E.O’s (Retired Old Men Eating Out), as well as a past board member of the Lake Superior Marine Museum Association. Cap't Tom, with an ever-sunny personality, also was a good friend to the magazine and a writer for us. He wrote about his time in Sea Explorer Scouts in "Setting Life’s Course on the Ship Corsair" and is seen here on the left when he received the the Episcopal Church award (like earning a merit badge, he said) at St. Andrews By-the-Lake Episcopal Church on Park Point. Next to him is Dick Braun, his brother Jim and Skipper Jack Marrion and the Rev. James Fenwick. He also wrote about his successful campaign to have a memorial plaque placed on the Duluth Ship Canal pier in memory of Edgar Culbertson, the U.S. Coast Guardsman who died trying to recover three teenagers lost off the pier during a spring storm. In "Remembering Coast Guard Hero Edgar Culbertson." Tom was honored by the Coast Guard (see photo) for his efforts on behalf of his friend Edgar when the plaque was placed. Each April 30, the date of the tragedy, Tom placed four flowers at the site – one for each boy and one for Edgar. We will miss Cap't Tom's smile, his loyalty to friends and family, his sea stories and even his wacky puns. Fair seas on this next journey, Cap't Tom.
Photo & graphic credits: NASA; Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum; Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa; Port of Thunder Bay; Wisconsin Sea Grant; Tom Mackay