Video still from WJMN-TV
Waterspout in Marquette
Wacky weather in the U.P.
Several waterspouts – which are essentially tornadoes on water – formed on Lake Superior on Thursday between Marquette and Munising. The ’spout near Marquette, as seen in this WJMN-TV video and this one by Greg Kretovic, lasted for about 25 minutes. Another waterspout formed in Au Train Bay, captured on video by Penny Bradstreet Fort.
Earlier in the week, gale warnings were issued. The high winds kicked up huge waves, which drew surfers to the water like Yoopers to a pasty (sorry, seemed a natural analogy). Jerry Tudor from WLUC-TV has the story.
And no “wild weather” week in the U.P. would be complete without snow. Less than a week after residents enjoyed temperatures in the 80s, the National Weather Service’s Marquette office reported the season’s first flakes on Friday morning. Forecasters expect 1 to 3 inches of snow tonight. So it begins.
Kelley Linehan
Bilingual signs on Madeline Island
Bilingual English-Ojibwe signage was unveiled on Madeline Island in June.
Madeline Island could be eligible for National Register
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has partnered with several Ojibwe tribes to see if Madeline Island could be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
Jim Pete, Red Cliff Ojibwe and former director of the Native American and Indigenous Culture Center at Northland College in Ashland, recently completed a draft application for nomination. He spent about a year organizing gatherings and meeting with Ojibwe elders and others for information about the island’s history.
The National Register is maintained through the National Parks Service, but the Army Corps is helping with the application process because it often reviews island development projects since most potentially could impact Lake Superior.
“We want to get it nominated, but nothing has been submitted yet,” says Vanessa Hamer with the Corps office in St. Paul. The nomination would be for Madeline Island as a “traditional cultural property.” The island, called Mooningwanekaaning or the Place of the Golden-Breasted Flicker Woodpecker, has deep and continued significance in the migration and spiritual history of the Ojibwe people.
Kelley Linehan
Bilingual signs on Madeline Island
Before the Corps proceeds with filing the application, Vanessa says, it will make contact with the La Pointe Town Board and others living on the island, which has a full-time population near 300. The Ojibwe history of the island has increasingly been acknowledged with gatherings and, this summer, with bilingual English-Ojibwe signage approved earlier by the board. The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe also own about 200 acres currently being leased by seasonal residents. Those leases expire in 2017.
If the island proves eligible for the National Register, that does not necessarily mean it will alter the process for construction applications, though Corps engineer Brad Johnson, also of the St. Paul office, told Wisconsin Public Radio that “It means Madeline Island would receive additional consideration as an historic property during our permit evaluations.”
In an essay for Lake Superior Magazine, Winona LaDuke explained some of the cultural and traditional significance of the island.
– Konnie LeMay
Haunted U.P. hot spots: ABC10’s Sarah Mac toured the Upper Peninsula with a team of paranormal investigators. Watch the first and second parts of the spooky series.
A fall color flyover: The short video, posted on Monday by Roam, shows off the colors of Munising, Michigan.
Flying off the shelves: Stores in Thunder Bay can’t keep Toronto Blue Jays gear in stock as Canada’s only MLB team continues its playoff run, reports TBNewsWatch.
Rescued boater meets 911 dispatcher who helped save him: Duluthian Bryce Tanski was duck hunting with friends when his boat capsized. In the Duluth News Tribune, Lisa Kaczke reports on the incident’s happy ending. (The story is a good opportunity for this reminder: Always wear a life jacket while you’re on the water!)
Sault airport renovations progressing: The $2 million renovation of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario’s airport is about one-third complete, reports Darren Taylor for SooToday. The work should be completed in February 2016.
Floating on cardboard: Silver Bay, Minnesota, physics students paddled around the marina in boats made of cardboard, glue and paint. The Lake County News Chronicle has photos and a story.
Bad River Watershed advocates honored: “Multiple Ashland-area individuals and organizations are being honored by a statewide wetlands nonprofit organization known as the Wisconsin Wetlands Association,” writes Sara M. Chase for the Ashland Daily Press. The Bad River Watershed Association won our Achievement Award in 2012.
Newlyweds Afloat: Felicia Schneiderhan, whose name you might recognize from the pages of Lake Superior Magazine, wrote a memoir about living on a boat with her new husband and sailing the Great Lakes. She’ll read from the book and sign copies at 7 p.m. tonight at Lafayette Square in Duluth. (P.S. Look for Felicia’s articles in our next issue, out in mid-November.)