Courtesy Bayfield Regional Conservancy
Northern Wisconsin Sasquatch Preserve
The Bayfield Regional Conservancy unveiled the Northern Wisconsin Sasquatch Preserve on April Fools' Day.
April Fools’ Day in the Big Lake neighborhood
There was no shortage of clever April Fools jokes this year. Here are a few of our favorites:
The Bayfield Regional Conservancy protects natural lands throughout northern Wisconsin, more than 4,600 acres in all. Its newest addition? The Northern Wisconsin Sasquatch Preserve.
“We were amazed when a generous landowner came forward with this proposal,” Conservation Director Erika Lang said in a news release. “He’d been seeing Northern Redhaired Sasquatch on his land at night for years and wanted to protect them and his forested land into the future.”
(P.S. You can buy a Sasquatch Preserve T-shirt, no foolin’. All proceeds benefit the conservancy.)
Ely, the Minnesota town that has won marketing awards for its April Fools gags, unveiled the Ely Electric Paddle. “Your paddle does all the work while you relax in your canoe,” the announcement reads. Facebook commenter Mary Rucker Kloos says, “What’s next, air conditioned life vests?? lol.”
Over in Marquette, the Lower Harbor ore dock was “sold” to a United Arab Emirates-based luxury hotel chain. “Plans in Marquette call for a 164-room hotel, along with 16 multi-million dollar condos, and a 19,000-square-foot penthouse for her Highness, the Supreme Deputy Princess of Abu Dhabi,” writes Word on the Street blogger Brian Cabell.
North Shore Scenic Railroad, which operates a train between Duluth and Two Harbors, announced that smiley faces have been banned in Duluth. According to Judge Foyer Self, they must be replaced by Thomas the Tank Engine’s smiling face. The gag is a promotion for Thomas’ visit to Duluth this summer and for a train-related pun contest to win free tickets.
Thunder Bay women run Antarctic marathon in penguin suits
This one from the CBC really isn’t an April Fools story, we promise. With their unusual campaign, the duo raised more than $14,000 for Open Doors, a Nigerian school for kids with disabilities.
Silver Bay’s ban of Bent Paddle beer draws criticism
Jamey Malcomb, reporting for the Lake County News Chronicle:
The Silver Bay City Council Chamber was overflowing with people Monday as representatives from Bent Paddle Brewing Co. and other members of the Downstream Business Coalition attended the meeting to respond to the council's decision to remove Bent Paddle products from the Silver Bay Municipal Liquor Store and Lounge.
Lead paint halts Herbert C. Jackson project in Superior: The 57-year-old vessel is being repowered at Fraser Shipyards. Extra safety precautions will be used when work resumes, reports the Superior Telegram.
Well-known bald eagle nest blows down near Grand Marais: The nest, which was easily seen from Minnesota’s Highway 61, likely had eggs in it, reports WTIP Radio’s Joe Friedrichs. Birdwatchers can only hope the eagles rebuild in such a visible spot.
Thunder Bay women run Antarctic marathon in penguin suits: This one from the CBC isn’t an April Fools story, we promise.
No new aquatic invasive species found in Great Lakes since 2006: “That’s either a string of good luck or some evidence that a U.S. Coast Guard-enforced program requiring ships to flush their ballast at sea is working,” writes John Myers for the Duluth News Tribune.
Two Harbors lighthouse featured on national magazine cover: Photographer Christian Dalbec (whose work we feature in our April/May issue) snapped the cover shot for The Keeper’s Log, a quarterly publication of the U.S. Lighthouse Society. Adelle Whitefoot gives us the backstory in the Lake County News Chronicle.
Michigan DNR collects sturgeon sightings: “Those who have seen a lake sturgeon in the wild can provide details on their sighting via the Lake Sturgeon DNR Reporting Page found at michigan.gov/sturgeon,” writes Wil Hunter from WJMN-TV.