A $159,000 Bargain?: A bidder from San Francisco purchased the Superior Entry lighthouse in Superior on a government auction of the property. Steven Broudy, a 34-year old tech industry executive and a veteran of tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, will pay $159,000 for the 106-year-old light, which he's never visited it. "My inspiration is Henry David Thoreau,” Steven told Dan Kraker in a story for MPR News. “I'm a huge fan of Walden and just the idea of finding a place to live in isolation, and just be very deliberate, has always been really inspiring to me.” He also found the setting on Lake Superior and the relatively easy flights from San Francisco to Duluth a draw. Broudy plans to spend some time in summers at the light and to perhaps rent it out on AirBnB for a writer's retreat. Steven told Dan, “What's really important to me is being able to create a place where I can go and visit, or others can come and visit, that really just feels like a unique snapshot in history.” Access to this lighthouse will be interesting, as you can see from a photo by Pete Markham's Flickr page; the crossing is made over a rabble of rocks. Steven says he understands the daunting nature of care and upkeep for the lighthouse, including the likely red tape with modifications on a lighthouse that still harbors a navigation light maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard and that is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Trending Storm Warnings: No, this photo is not from this week (it's actually spring 2007, believe it or not), but continued high waters in Lake Superior and other Great Lakes are causing some need for cautionary words from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps announced this week that after relatively dry weather and high outflows in August, Lake Superior's water level dropped by 1.6 in. for the month, when it usually rises at least 0.04 inches. That said, the 603.20 ft. monthly mean water level for August ties the Lake's 1952 record high, the Corps announced this week. Starting September, the Lake is just 0.8 in. below its record high level set for this time in 1950. The level is 12 in. above its 100-year average (1918-2018) and 7 in. above its level last year. Traditionally, the Lake level declines in September. Based on preliminary August data, Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie established new record high monthly mean water levels for August; Lakes Michigan, Huron and Ontario were slightly below record highs levels, but still very high compared to average.
The trending of high waters on the Great Lakes into fall caused the Corps to send out a press release warning about what may come with typical autumnal and winter storms. “The fall and early winter often bring significant storm systems to the Great Lakes,” said Keith Kompoltowicz, chief of watershed hydrology for the Detroit district. “These systems have the potential to bring tremendous impacts to the coastlines including more erosion and coastal flooding, even with the declining lake levels. Those with interests along the shoreline should be prepared for these events.” The release reminds property owners that "On the Great Lakes and other navigable waterways, many shore protection projects, including riprap, revetments, seawalls and backfill, and bioengineered shore protection, commonly require permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Coastal shoreline property owners may want to consider applying for proposed shore protection permits now. Many tend to put turning in such applications until an emergency situation arises; however, regulatory staff advise property owners to plan their projects and apply for permits in advance." The release also offers aid for communities affected by flooding or that expertise in fighting against floods.
Irvin Update: New corrosion damage has been found on the hull of the SS William A. Irvin, but Duluth's museum ship will be back at its berth in Minnesota Slip on Oct. 1 as scheduled, so its keepers said this week. “It’s not uncommon but we didn’t anticipate it,” says Chelly Townsend, executive director of the DECC, which manages the tourist attraction. “It was a surprise, but we’re working on a solution.” A Tuesday
news release from the DECC said restoration work exposed concentrated areas of corrosion to the vessel’s hull plates and the rivets that connect them. Corrosion has been a problem on steel structures in the Duluth-Superior Harbor, and the subject of studies showing a micro-organism is a likely contributor to the unusual corrosion level in a freshwater harbor, according to a longer story about this week's Irvin update in BusinessNorth. “Docked in the Minnesota Slip for more than 30 years, officials attribute the damage to a combination of various factors," the DECC release noted. "The rivets will be assessed by experts this week; a complete plan including scope of work and cost for repairs will be derived thereafter. There are thousands of rivets on the hull, and fewer than half are damaged, according to Chase Dewhirst of AMI Consulting Engineers, who has inspected the Irvin. “Additional damage to the Irvin includes corrosion of its hull in the form of pitting. Pitting is a common form of corrosion, which has been documented in the Duluth-Superior Harbor. This was the primary motive for the ship’s restoration.” Because the ship will be in a static display and doesn’t have to withstand wind and wave forces on Lake Superior, its repairs will not have to be as intensive as a working vessel. It must be fit enough, however, to be towed from Fraser Shipyards back to Minnesota Slip. “This will be in a protected slip. There’s a possibility we won’t do anything with the rivets,” Chase says. Fraser has staff qualified to install new rivets, if they are needed. The Irvin was squeezed through the Minnesota Slip pedestrian bridge last October with the expectation that it would return to its space in the slip across from the DECC in time for the tourist season this spring. That did not materialize, nor did later estimations of when it might return. It missed the Festival of Sail and will not be in place in time to transform into the Haunted Ship in October, which nets about half of its annual income. It should be ready for visitors by spring 2020, though.
Fish Findings: A revision of 30-year-old rules managing the Lake Superior fisheries for commercial and recreational fisherfolk will be the topic of two public meetings in Wisconsin later this month. The draft of the Lake Superior Fisheries Management Plan was developed by stakeholders and a 26-member advisory panel, according to the Wisconsin DNR, and public comments will be taken on it at meetings 6 p.m. Sept. 16 at the Peter Rich Community Center in Superior and 6 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center in Ashland. "Lake Superior is a shared fishery, and we have endeavored to take all interests into account in the development of this plan," says Bradley Ray, DNR fisheries supervisor. "The plan allows the department to implement existing effective management strategies and to direct future adaptive management strategies for Lake Superior." The plan can be downloaded and comments on the plan can be submitted online, too, through Oct. 20.
A Bridge to Cross: To date, the crossings on the International Bridge between Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, are down 7.44 percent for the year, according to a press release published by SooToday. That figure represents 917,946 crossings from Jan. 1 to Aug. 30. The International Bridge Administration also announced a 3 percent decrease from last year during the month of August, with 151,361 crossings, or 4,893 fewer than August 2018. There has been no speculation about the cause of the decrease on the bridge, which is the only crossing between Michigan and Ontario in a 300 mile radius. A bridge traffic webcam shows the density of traffic in real time and can be helpful especially when work commuters travel between the two Saults.
Kromer Pet-agree: To promote its pet items and just because it's a doggone good idea, Stormy Kromer, maker of that iconic head gear and other northwood's chic clothing in Ironwood, Michigan, has launched its search for Kromer-wearing pets to feature in its 2020 calendar. Any pet sporting a Kromer counts, and it doesn't need to be an actual item from the pet collection. (Several dogs are seen wearing what is likely their owner's own Kromer.) "Since launching our Pet Collection last July," the Kromer folks note, "we’ve seen so many adorable photos of your dogs, cats, bunnies, horses, goats – even a duck!" Details for entering you pretty pet pics are online. Deadline is Sept. 30.
Happy 906 Day: Yes, 906 Day is a thing in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where all the local area codes carry that number. Word is that the Yoopers at UP Supply Company in Marquette picked up on the 9-6 date and its link to their area code, blogged about the wonders of 906 and made a day of it. Now you see 906 popping up on bumper stickers (get one free with UPSupply orders today), on clothing and cups. If you want to note the day on your Facebook page or, say, your e-newsletter, UPSupply has created more than two dozen graphics to share.
New Queen on the Scene, New Marshal in Town: The Bayfield Apple Festival is just around the corner and this week the Bayfield Chamber and Visitor Bureau announced the Grand Marshal and Queen for the festivities. Tom Polaski, long-time owner and operator of Andy’s Groceries, will be the 58th grand marshal and Jamee Hansen, a Bayfield high schooler whose grandfather, Jim Erickson, established the Bayfield Apple Festival in 1961. In naming Tom as Grand Marshal, the Apple Festival Committee praised his kindness and dedication to the community. Unprompted, he's been known to deliver groceries and plow snow for locals in need and helped to develop Bayfield’s non-profit ski and recreation area, Mt. Ashwabay. Jamee, a high school senior, plays basketball and softball and plans to become a flight attendant after graduation with long-term goals to work in law enforcement. At this year's festival (Oct. 4-6) as always, special events will feature the official coronation of the queen, an apple-peeling contest, streetloads of vendors, and a Saturday evening fish fry at the historic Bayfield Lakeside Pavilion. The festival culminates with the Grand Parade, featuring a mass band with 400+ participants playing "On Wisconsin" while marching down historic Rittenhouse Avenue to Lake Superior.
Photo & graphic credits: Pete Markham/Flickr; Minnesota Sea Grant; Derek Montgomery/DECC; Wisconsin DNR; Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge; Stormy Kromer; Bayfield Chamber & Visitor Bureau