Gossip About Our Wild Neighbors
"Where is my mom? Oh, she'll be back tomorrow." That’s how Minnesota State Parks & Trails starts its Facebook post about understanding that critters might view “Home Alone” a little differently than we do. “Parenting looks different for our wild neighbors, and leaving their young unattended is common practice. In general, baby wildlife, such as fawns or kits, can be left alone for hours at a time as parents look for food. Not coming by often also draws lessattention from predators. It may be difficult to see young wildlife alone, but the best thing to do is leave them where you found them. Trust that their parents know what they are doing!” the post adds.
Minnesota DNR Conservation Officer Derek Peterlin out of Brookston, Minn., along the St. Louis River noted in his weekly reports that he received many calls about “abandoned” fawns that had been found, but those who come across a fawn should know that in most cases the fawn is not abandoned or orphaned. "It is common for fawns to be left alone for up to three days, and the mother is usually close by," he reports.
However, if it seems that something truly is amiss, you should contact a local wildlife rehabilitator before moving a wild youngster, unless it is in immediate danger.
Meanwhile … this is the season for babes in the woods, as Minnesota wildlife photographer David Johnson shows us with this amazing moose mom and triplets shot in northern Minnesota. You can view David’s website images here or his Facebook page here
Some Not-So-Good Vibrations
The Hon. James L. Oberstar remains anchored in Hay Lake, Mich., in the St. Marys River system about 10 miles from Sault Ste. Marie after grounding while making the turn at Johnson’s Point on the St. Marys River and then experiencing “vibrations" on Sunday. The U.S. Coast Guard was contacted.
A “unified command” made up of the U.S. Coast Guard, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), Chippewa County and Interlake Steamship Company was formed to streamline the response efforts along with a salvage response team and a third-party oil spill removal organization, though there have been no reports of pollution in the water or surrounding area, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The self-unloading 806-foot bulk carrier was loaded with about 29,700 net tons of stone bound for Marquette. It has a total maximum capacity 108,000 gallons of fuel and a cargo carrying capacity of 31,000 gross tons. Roger LeLievre, publisher of Know Your Ships, noted that a vessel tracking site indicated that fleetmate Kaye E. Barker pulled in beside the Oberstar on Wednesday and speculation is that all or part of the wounded freighters cargo will be loaded onto the Barker.
Interlake Maritime Services, which operates the Oberstar, notes that it is cooperating with the responding authorities and that its own incident response team has also been on-site. “The safety of our crew, the protection of the environment, and the integrity of our operations remain our top priorities. All crew members are safe and no injuries have been reported. The vessel is in stable condition and any potential pollution concerns are ongoing. We appreciate the diligence and professionalism of all agencies involved in this response.”
In these U.S. Coast Guard photos by Petty Officer 2nd Class Omar Faba, boats from different response teams sail around the Hon. James L. Oberstar and a Coast Guardsman stands aboard the USCG cutter Spar, as part of the response.
Meanwhile … Lake Carriers' Association noted that the 5 million tons of iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes were down 7.7% in May from May 2024. Year-to-date, the iron ore trade stands at 6.7 million tons, a decrease of 25.1% compared to a year ago. Limestone shipments were also down in May by 6.8% from May 2024. The year-to-date limestone trade stands at 5.6 million tons, a decrease of 13.2% compared to a year ago.
The Fate of an Obelisk & Other Newsy Notes
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District has launched a 30-day public comment period on its Obelisk Alternatives Analysis Report considering the removal of the 120-year-old structure in Brady Park at the Soo Locks (St. Marys Falls) in Sault Ste. Marie. (This photo of the obelisk is from MightyMac.org.) The obelisk was placed on a burial site to celebrate construction of the locks, which, in turn, mostly destroyed that site. Because the Bay Mills Indian Community and Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Michigan conduct cultural and religious practices at the site, the presence of the structure continues to have an ongoing negative effect on tribal members. They've requested removal of the obelisk. The report offers five alternative options: No action; relocate the obelisk to another part of the Soo Locks area; transfer ownership of the obelisk and have it removed; simply remove the obelisk; or place the obelisk into storage. The Corps news release page links to a comments option.
• Two backcountry campers on Isle Royale were found dead on Monday by park rangers who trekked overnight on 11 miles of trails to their location. The cause of death and the identities of the campers have not yet been released, although today the National Park Service said the two had been identified, their next of kin notified and that "There is no known threat to the public at this time.". According to the NPS, reports of two dead people came in about 4 p.m. on Sunday and rangers were dispatched overland to respond. Additional ground and aviation resources responded starting Monday, and the FBI's Detroit office confirmed to the Detroit Free Press that it has agents assisting in the investigation. "Due to the remote location of the campground near Greenstone Ridge trail, a fixed-wing aircraft and a helicopter were used to assist with transportation for the investigation," Liz Valencia, supervisory park ranger at Isle Royale National Park, wrote in a statement today. "This remains an ongoing investigation, and we have no further information to provide."
• A fire has closed Hog Wild BBQ & Smokehouse in Solon Springs for the near future, the owners posed on Wednesday. "We are saddened to share that a fire occurred at our establishment last night," they posted. "Thankfully, no one was injured. However, there were extensive damages that will take time to fix. Our establishment will be closed until further notice. We appreciate the community reaching out to us, however with how overwhelming everything is, we just need some time to process and evaluate. We do not have answers as to what is next. Thank you for supporting local businesses. We would like to extend a huge thank you to the local and surrounding volunteer fire departments and firefighters. Without your quick response things could have been much worse." Local firefighters also battled a home fire in Solon Springs at the same time.
• Superior Mayor Jim Paine introduced his Facebook followers to the new city worker this morning. "Meet Bill," writes the mayor, "our newest contract employee. We’ve hired him and his team of goats to remove a stubborn patch of invasive buckthorn in Billings Park and make room for native plants. I don't like using herbicides near water or playgrounds, and this patch is too steep for manual removal. But goats love hills and buckthorn. Feel free to swing by and say hello, but remember, they have a job to do, so please give them the space they need to make our park healthier."
• Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., kids with a hankering to be mayor have a chance to win the annual Mayor for a Day contest. Until June 19, the city of Sault Ste. Marie will accept students' submissions as a letter, video or any other creative piece that answers these questions: Why would you like to be the Mayor for a day? If you were the Mayor, what would you do? What are the things you like most about Sault Ste. Marie? The winner will be announced June 20 by Mayor Matthew Shoemaker and will open the June 23 City Council Meeting. The winner will take a tour of the Civic Centre, meet the Mayor for a selfie, and have a pizza party for his or her school class. Find an entry form online.
• Michael Koppy is on the move again! The ultra-marathoner and Hermantown, Minn., resident will tackle in the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run, hoping to finish within the official 30-hour cutoff. "The event takes place June 28–30, 2025, in California and is considered one of the most prestigious and grueling ultra-marathons in the world," notes the Duluth Area Family YMCA, for which Michael is hoping to raise funds with his historic run. "At age 74, Michael is training with intensity and determination, supported by an experienced coach and a year’s worth of preparation. His journey to Western States has included several major milestones – most notably the Arrowhead 135 in February, a brutal mid-winter Minnesota race where he pulled a 50-pound sled for 129 miles before being forced to drop out just six miles from the finish." This year’s Western States race features an unusual number of "veteran runners," with six men over the age of 70 registered, including one who is 80 years old. Historically, only three men and one woman over 70 have successfully completed the race. If you'd like to encourage Michael and donate to the local Y online.
25 Years of Practical Partnering
Sure Spark, the Superior Watershed Partnership's rowing skiff, is smiling.
The Superior Watershed Partnership in Marquette will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a binational Lake Superior party next Friday (June 20), starting at 6 p.m. with a social hour. The main activity starts at 7 p.m. with an opening ceremony by the Teal Lake Singers Anishinaabe Tribal Drum Circle. Keynote Speaker Dave Ullrich, founding director of the Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Cities Initiative and former administrator of the EPA Great Lakes Program Office will give a presentation on "How U.S. and Canadian Communities Continue Working Together to Protect the Great Lakes." There will be video greetings from Dr. David Suzuki, a respected environmental scientist in Canada, and Bill McKibben, climate educator and author of The End of Nature. The event also includes a live auction, food, drink and live local music. You can purchase tickets here.
The partnership works on many levels to protect the watershed and help residents, including a number of research, restoration and clean-up projects, the Lake Superior Volunteer Corps and helping to get and install sustainable energy in local homes. The group received Lake Superior Magazine's Achievement Award in 2020 and you can read about it here.
Make Plans: Here are a few events coming up soon to put on a fun-do list:
Michigan
Today-Sunday, June 12-15: Pack the weekend with Bridgefest at Houghton and Hancock. This year celebrates the 65th Anniversary of the Portage Lake Lift Bridge. The bridge officially opened for traffic in 1959 and was formally dedicated on June 25, 1960. This year the celebration is back-to-back action with live music, helicopter rides, vendors at the waterfront, a Bridgefest Paddle Tour, a Friday street parade, a Saturday lighted boat parade, tournaments, classic cars and trucks, waterski shows, a hot dog eating contest, and even a puppy party fundraiser at the Hancock Dog Park. If you can't find fun here, you just don't have fun in you.
Starts Friday, June 13-June 28: Pine Mountain Music Festival is underway with its usual series of musical and theater events around the Upper Peninsula. Things kick off on Friday with a Three Sopranos (and a Tenor!) performing at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Marquette, and then on Saturday (June 14) in the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, Houghton. Also performing this summer again will be the UPstarts! with emerging young singers and instrumentalists from the U.P. and the Bergonzi Trio. Performances are in Ontonagon, Iron Mountain, Marquette and Houghton. Find the full summer schedule here.
Friday-Saturday, June 13-14: Pictured Rocks Days in Munising features free live music, food trucks, beer tent, arts and crafts vendors, plus other entertainment, activities and fun. Right by the waterfront.
Minnesota
Friday-Sunday, June 13-15: SheRides: Annual Women's Mountain Bike Clinic offers coaching, skills workshops and lots of camaraderie to help women improve their single-track biking skills. Hosted by Superior Cycling Association at Lutsen.
Friday-Saturday, June 13-14: The community will set up for the annual Park Point Rummage Sale with 4 miles of bargains and treasures.
Saturday, June 14: Free State Parks Day in Minnesota and there are plenty to visit along the North Shore, on the Iron Range, by Ely or International Falls (including Gooseberry State Park in the Spotlight photo above). You can listen to Lovin' Lake County's cool new ditty sung by Brian “GB” Leighton, who is in that photo, here.
Friday & Sunday, June 13 & 15: Lyric Opera of the North (LOON) performs "Die Fledermaus" at the NorShor Theatre in Duluth in celebration of its 20th anniversary. This opera was the first it did two decades ago.
Friday & Sunday, June 13 & 15: Health Equity Northland hosts two Juneteeth events - Elder's Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Friday at the Central Hillside Community Center and a Father's Day Gospel Brunch at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Essentia Health System parking lot. Boreal Waters Community Foundation has a listing of regional Juneteenth celebrations, including the 5th annual Iron Range Juneteenth Community Celebration and the 51st annual Juneteenth Jamboree in Duluth, both on June 19.
Friday, June 13: Join Naturalist Mic to seek out marsh marigolds, bloodroot, anemones, northern bluebells and baneberry among other floral residents on a Wildflower Walk, starting 11 a.m. at Gooseberry Falls State Park.
Saturday, June 14: Take to the streets in Duluth’s Lincoln Park for more than 35 local vendors, live music, dancing, food trucks, activities for kids and adults at the Lincoln Park Summerfest, starting at 11 a.m.
Saturday, June 14: Enjoy two farm markets in Two Harbors. The Two Harbors Farmers Market is at Seagren’s Home Hardware Outdoors from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. every Saturday with local farmers, bakers, makers and neighbors for fresh food, handmade goods and community connection. Over at Burlington Station/Callie's Sweets at The Market, you'll find fresh produce, handmade goods, baked treats and artwork from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Saturday, June 14: Cook County Pride is a full day of storytelling, dancing, music and a Pride Rally and March in Harbor Park in Grand Marais.
Wisconsin
Tonight, June 12: Award-winning local authors Anthony Bukoski and Carol Dunbar will visit the Superior Public Library at 6 p.m. for a reading and conversation in celebration of Tony's new short story collection, The Thief of Words. The interconnected stories in this new collection are set in Polish American communities in northern Wisconsin and Louisiana and are filled with desperate runaways, the unhappily married, and the displaced.
Thru October: Bayfield Historic Walking Tours occur into fall with the "Strange & Supernatural Tour" added to the usual "Historic Downtown Tour." The new guided tour talks ghosts, pirates, shipwrecks, natural disasters, extraterrestrial visitors and other things that go bump in the day and night. See the full season schedule here.
Saturday, June 14: Join Shelley Beaumont at Rabbit, Bird, Bear: Fine Arts in Bayfield for a reception opening her solo exhibition at the gallery, 3-5 p.m.
Saturday, June 14: It’s Celebrate Your Library day in Hayward with a fundraising rummage sale, a 1/2-mile fun walk/run for kids, a used book sale, carnival games, chair yoga and much more fun at the Sherman & Ruth Weiss Community Library, 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday, June 14: The 2025 Washburn City-Wide Garage Sale starts at 8 a.m. and ends around 2 p.m. Maps will be available on the chamber website.
Saturday, June 14: The Apostle Islands Inline Marathon on Madeline Island runs ... er, rolls ... from 8 a.m.-noon with a marathon, a half marathon and fun skate. Participants and spectators welcome. Music on the Mobile stage starts at 10:30 a.m. at the pavilion.
Wednesday, June 18: The Bayfield Maritime Museum presents Warren Nelson & Friends performing original songs about Bayfield’s maritime history, the Apostle Islands and more local lore, 5-7 p.m.
Save the Date, June 28: The 19th annual Superior Vistas Bike Tour starts in Washburn and is a family-fun ride to enjoy cruising the gently rolling hills with views of Lake Superior and the surrounding forest and countryside. There are seven routes to choose from ranging from 13 to 100 miles. This fully supported ride offers route maps, support vehicles and food/beverage stops enroute and at the finish.
Ontario
Saturday-Sunday, June 14-15: It’s a Fish for Free Weekend in Ontario over the Father’s Day holiday. The next free family fishing week is June 28-July 6 spanning Canada Day.
Saturday, June 14: The 12th annual Festival of Beer is happening in downtown Sault Ste. Marie at the Plaza and along Queen Street from noon-7 p.m. There will be a kids zone for children to enjoy, a VIP Pub Crawl Friday night and 21 breweries participating, plus great food options and the Market will be open late.
Saturday, June 14: Atom Econ Markets Co. is having its For-Paws Vendor Market from 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the CLE Heritage Building in Thunder Bay. The free admission market supports local vendors and offers door prizes, raffles, giveaways, or even a Hot Diggety Dog!
Now through Labour Day: Enjoy carnival-style rides and concession at Chippewa Park in Thunder Bay. Larger rides, such as the carousel bumper cars and Tilt-A-Whirls, will be available, as well as boats, planes, and tanks for smaller children. The fun goes on 1-8 p.m. weekend through June, then Wednesday-Sunday (plus holidays) from July 2-Labour Day.
Photo & graphic credits in order of appearance: David Johnson; Minnesota State Parks & Trails; Petty Officer 2nd Class Omar Faba; MightyMac.org/ Superior Mayor Jim Paine; Superior Watershed Partnership; Spotlight, from left, Bridgefest/Lovin' Lake County/Bayfield Historic Walking Tours/Festival of Beer Sault Ste. Marie