Yeah, That's a Lot of Water: October's storm systems caused a 3-inch rise in Lake Superior's water level, or the equivalent of 1,650 billion gallons of water, Jesse Schomberg of Minnesota Sea Grant told KBJR6. “Just to put that into perspective a little bit, that would be 330,000 times more water than the city of Duluth goes through in an entire year," he said, adding, “It would help if we got more snow and less rain, so if we want to pray for snow, that might not be a bad thing to hold the lake levels where they are, and help them start to drop a bit.” This storm image from Black Rocks of Presque Isle park in Marquette, taken by Greg Kretovic, is the November image for the 2018 Lake Superior Calendar.
Continuing Honor: Amy Ignatowski was an outgoing 27-year-old who grew up in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, attended Lake Superior State University and in 2005 became a U.S. Coast Guard AMT helicopter mechanic. She was on her way to earning her wings when she was murdered in her Corpus Christi, Texas, apartment in 2008. The Air Station Corpus Christi Command posthumously awarded her wings and the rank of Petty Officer AMT3. In Amy’s obituary, the family noted, “Most of all she enjoyed helping people and making others happy.” To continue her helping legacy, Amy’s family created the Amy Ignatowski Memorial Award to help Coast Guard members and their families attending LSSU. This week, the ninth of those awards was given to LSSU student Heather Betram, the wife of Sault native and Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Paul Betram, according to a story posted on SaultOnline. “I am very proud to be a Coast Guard spouse and love that our daughter is growing up in a military family,” Heather said in accepting the award. “Beyond our examples and values set as parents, I feel she is blessed to have the U.S. Coast Guard as a model for her as she grows.” In this photo at the award ceremony, from left are Amy¹s maternal grandmother Patricia Julius, her parents Robin and Paul Ignatowski, the 2018 Ignatowski Award recipient Heather Bertram, LSSU President Hanley and Lt. Commander Amalia Boyer.
Giving Health a Shot in the Arm: Essentia Health in Duluth for the second year will require its employees, vendors and others working in its buildings to get a flu shot or to apply for a medical or religious exemption, according to a story by Kelly Gooch for Becker Health. When the health system changed the flu shot from a voluntary practice to mandatory requirement last year, the vaccination rate rose from 82 percent to more than 95 percent. "For this flu season," Kelly reports, "the CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older receive a flu vaccine by the end of October. Nasal spray FluMist is recommended for 2018-19 as an option for flu vaccination of nonpregnant individuals age 2 to 49. It's unclear how severe the 2018-19 flu season will be. Last year's flu season was particularly severe, with about 900,000 people hospitalized and about 80,000 people dead due to the virus." Some places are being proactive in another way against spreading the flu. The notice in the photo greets those entering the Bayshore Residence & Rehabilitation Center on Duluth's Park Point.
Rock Snot - Not Wanted: The cold-water algae didymo, nicknamed "rock snot," was confirmed for the first time in a Minnesota North Shore trout stream, John Myers of the Duluth News Tribune reports. "Under the right conditions, didymo can form dense mats of brown slime that smother stream beds and may affect stream invertebrates that are food for fish, birds and other animals," John writes, noting that the algae has devastated trout populations elsewhere in the United States. "Didymo was confirmed in Lake Superior at very low levels in 2015 but had never before been seen upstream in rivers," according to John. "At first thought to be an invasive species, didymo is now believed to be a native species always present in lower levels."
Training Cyber Sleuths: In his e-newsletter Word on the Street, Brian Cabell notes that Northern Michigan University's recent designation as a cyber security hub will make it a center for secondary and post-secondary training of students for high-paying cyber security jobs. "Good jobs," writes Brian. "Like, starting at $65,000 a year." NMU will offer cyber security certification classes for the many unfilled jobs ("There are 7,000 such jobs in Michigan alone," according to Brian). Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder recently announced NMU and the University of Michigan Flint will be opening the new cyber hubs. In 2017, NMU student Christopher Abbot took third place in a national cyber security competition. “I felt like I was pretty prepared for it,” said Abbott. “Going through the Security+ certification in one of my previous NMU classes really helped me have an idea of what to expect because it taught me the principles on which we were being tested.” Cyber security is just one of NMU's programs, which include Cyber Camps to introduce high school students to computer coding, programming and technology.
Ontario Wolves to Isle Royale: The National Park Service is partnering with the province of Ontario to capture and transport additional wolves to Isle Royale National Park this winter. This fall, four Minnesota wolves were added to the two native wolves remaining on the island, but plans to add two more wolves from Michigan were delayed by deteriorating weather. "The wolves from Ontario will play a critical role in restoring a robust wolf population at Isle Royale that functions as an apex predator," according to the NPS. Plans are to boost the wolf population to around 30. The diversity of captures in Minnesota, Michigan and Ontario will help to alleviate the in-breeding that likely contributed to the decline of the native wolves.
On the If-I-Win-the-Lottery Wish List: Granot Loma, the 26,000-square-foot log "mansion" on the Michigan shore of Lake Superior, dropped its selling price from $40 million to $20.5 million, but remains a tough sell. The lodge, originally built for Louis G. Kaufman from 1919-23, went on the market in 2015. It boasts 50 rooms and a 3,000 gallon hot tub overlooking a private marina and the Lake, as well as an apple orchard and 13 additional buildings on the 415 acres. Plus you get a mile-long beach and an island. Tom Baldwin purchased the building, completely restoring it in 1987. While most of us can't afford it, it's still fun to watch a fall video of the property and dream.
The Mataafa Blow: In November 1905, the most damaging storm on Lake Superior put 30 vessels in peril resulting in more than a dozen deaths, including nine on the ill-fated Mataafa, stranded within sight of the Duluth waterfront where thousands gathered to give watch through the night. The Ira H. Owen and its 14 crew members disappeared completely, and have yet to be discovered. The storm spurred the Congress to authorize the Split Rock Lighthouse and, oddly perhaps, creation of this cigar box cover from a Duluth-based cigar maker. In general, 1905 was a tragic year on the Big Lake, with more than 60 maritime deaths. We link to our past story about that November 27-28 storm in acknowledgement of this weekend's Gales of November program (and it's not to late to pop by this evening for a free reception here at Lake Superior Magazine starting at 5:30 p.m. or to catch the speakers tomorrow at the DECC).
Photo & graphic credits: Greg Kretovic; John Shibley/LSSU; Konnie LeMay/Lake Superior Magazine; NMU; Granot Loma; Lake Superior Magazine