Researchers believe wolf pups were born on Isle Royale this spring, heartening news for a population that had dwindled to just eight animals over the winter.
Rebecca Williams, for Michigan Radio:
Michigan Tech researcher Rolf Peterson heard two or three wolf pups in July. ... Peterson doesn’t have phone access on the island. But by email, he told me he thinks the pups were born this spring, and they were probably born to a pack called the West End Trio. Here's an excerpt from his email:
"The pups born this year mean that the wolves have not completely lost all genetic viability, but it doesn't mean they're about to recover, and it doesn't mean that they have somehow escaped from genetic problems.”
Emerald ash borer discovered in Superior
The emerald ash borer has been discovered in Superior, Wisconsin, the first infestation on the western side of Lake Superior. The wood-boring beetles, native to East Asia, have killed tens of millions of ash trees in North America since being inadvertently introduced near Detroit in 2002. We’ll have more on the news, and the battle ahead, on Monday.
Minnesota delays new ballast rules
From the Duluth News Tribune’s John Myers:
Minnesota will give the owners of Great Lakes vessels an extra two years to install ballast treatment technology, but the state remains the only government moving to regulate the freshwater boats.
+ This week in Houghton, Michigan’s SmartZone program celebrated its 10th anniversary, reports the Mining Gazette. The incubators have generated 350 jobs, according to officials.
+ The June fire that damaged six units at Bluefin Bay Resort has been ruled accidental, the Duluth News Tribune reports. The resort expects repairs to be completed by October 1.
+ Tickets are now on sale for the Lake Superior Fish Classic, October 4 in Duluth. The competition will feature chefs from Minnesota and Wisconsin, who must create an entrée with Lake Superior cisco or whitefish. LSM is one of the sponsors, and Recipe Box writer Juli Kellner will help judge.
+ Kathy Rice, author of “The Pie Place Café Cookbook,” was on WDIO’s Good Morning Northland to talk Grand Marais, the restaurant and the new book (published by LSM!).
+ The St. Lawrence Seaway has a new chief, reports North Country Public Radio.
+ A second Angolan Colobus monkey was born at the Lake Superior Zoo.
Upcoming Events
Saturday, August 17 – Sunday, August 18: Art in Bayfront Park, in Duluth, Minnesota.
Saturday, August 17 – Sunday, August 18: Art in the Park, in Copper Harbor, Michigan.
Thursday, August 22: “The Pie Place Café Cookbook” book signing with author Kathy Rice, at Duluth’s Miller Hill Mall.