Courtesy Chippewa National Forest
Capitol Christmas Tree
U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, Harvested in Minnesota, Reaches Washington, D.C.
Courtesy Chippewa National Forest
Capitol Christmas Tree
The text reads: "A gift from Minnesota! For 50 years, the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, or the "People's Tree," has represented an annual gift to America. This year's tree comes from the Chippewa National Forest and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. It is a symbol of our National Forest System and a source of great pride for the people of Minnesota."
The Christmas tree from Minnesota made it to the U.S. Capitol in time for the December 2 lighting ceremony, and 135 kids (ages 7-18) along with 35 elders and 40 chaperones from the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe were there to see the event. The day afterward, students from Leech Lake performed dances and drummed and elder veterans started ceremonies with an honor guard at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian.
The tree was harvested last month in Chippewa National Forest on Leech Lake Band lands and visited 30 communities (including Duluth) on its way to D.C.
– Konnie LeMay
+ The Smithsonian’s photos of the Leech Lake Band’s traditional dance performance at the National Museum of the American Indian.
+ Bayfield’s Old Rittenhouse Inn, which each year hosts famed Wassail Dinners, decked out its tree this week.
Lake trout quotas to be cut
Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio:
Lake trout numbers have been declining in Lake Superior in the last decade, meaning that limited takes are in store for commercial, tribal and sport fishermen in the upcoming season.
Another icy year? Not necessarily.
Early ice formation on Lake Superior does not necessarily mean another record ice year is in the forecast, says a scientist who studies ice cover and thickness on the Great Lakes.
In fact, according to the Canadian Ice Service, the Great Lakes are expected to have a near-normal ice season.
+ A snowy start to winter in the U.P.: Some Michigan cities broke November snowfall records, reports the Detroit Free Press.
+ Amber Mullen, Ashland Daily Press: High school student fosters recreation opportunities for students in Rwanda.
+ Cameron Vredeveld, Great Lakes Echo: “Great Lakes breweries look to conserve region’s water.”
+ Dan Giroux, WLUC: “A new grant has been awarded to NMU to establish a coastal hazard observing system on a portion of Lake Superior.”