Madeline Island Ferry Line
Madeline Island Ice Road
A piece of the would-be Madeline Island ice road floats away on Wednesday. With little or no ice to impede it, the Madeline Island Ferry is still running.
Warm weather impacting some winter activities
January by the Big Lake has been unusually mild – even reaching a record-breaking 50 degrees in Ironwood, Michigan last week – affecting skiing, ice fishing, snowmobiling and other outdoor activities.
“A prolonged outbreak of unseasonably warm weather for January has begun to impact northwestern Wisconsin’s winter tourism possibilities,” writes Rick Olivo in the Ashland Daily Press. On Thursday, Bayfield County temporarily closed some sections of its snowmobile trails.
Similar headlines popped up in Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay. In Marquette, organizers of the Noquemanon Ski Marathon tweaked the course because of poor conditions on some trail sections, writes the Mining Journal’s Lisa Bowers. Searchmont Resort near the Ontario Sault was closed temporarily, and Thunder Bay ice racing events were canceled last weekend, reports the Chronicle-Journal.
The Madeline Island Ferry Line is still running between Bayfield and the island. It’s possible that the ferry will run all winter, John Myers writes in the Duluth News Tribune: “It would be for only the fourth time in more than 150 years of ferry records but the third time in the past six winters.”
Chunks of the would-be Madeline Island ice road, which in a colder year would allow residents and visitors to safely drive across the channel, floated away on Wednesday. (Pictured above is one of the Christmas trees used to mark the road.)
But the situation is hardly gloomy for winter recreation. Ski hills like Spirit Mountain in Duluth and Lutsen Mountains up the shore, both of which make snow, have remained open. Snowmobile trails in the U.P. snow country are a little hit-or-miss, but there’s still riding to be found. Now that temps have dropped back below freezing, trail groomers are optimistic about the weeks ahead.
The John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, nearly 400 miles long on Minnesota’s North Shore, will continue as planned, Lisa Kaczke of the Duluth News Tribune reports. It starts on Sunday morning in Two Harbors. Organizers say the trails are in pretty good shape, especially considering the thaw and recent rain.
Wisconsin Point restoration moves forward
Plans for restoration on Wisconsin Point are nearing completion. The Superior Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department shared design details of the project with residents tonight.
The restoration focuses on eliminating areas of concern, specifically to the dunes along the peninsula. Some of the planned changes on Wisconsin Point include boardwalks from updated parking lots to the dunes and more paved areas, which will help restore the native vegetation.
Here’s more background from the city on the project.
Abandoned nets found in eastern Lake Superior
Ontario conservation officials believe the nets have been abandoned for more than a month, CBC News reports. Hundreds of dead fish were found caught in the nets. Incidents like these aren’t new in the area. Officers have removed abandoned nets eight times since November 2015. If they’re not recovered, they can eventually break free and become drifting “ghost nets,” hazardous to wildlife and boaters alike, according to Wisconsin Sea Grant.
A new restaurant in Marquette opened in a former theater. The Delft Bistro is a two-story restaurant and bar that also projects movies on the wall. Word on the Street’s Brian Cabell has more.
Grand Portage Lodge & Casino unveils renovations: Near the Minnesota-Ontario border, the casino floor’s remodel is the second phase of a three-part facelift, says Leith Dunick of TBNewsWatch. Next up is a revamp of the restaurant, lounge and event center, slated for completion in the fall.
Improving the grid in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario: How do you stabilize a power grid that uses renewable energy? “Sault Ste. Marie will be home to a new pilot project that will test the viability of storing energy, generated from wind and solar sources, for later usage,” according to Lindsay Kelly of Northern Ontario Business.
It’s about the time of year when the winged pair starring in the Minnesota DNR’s Eagle Cam may lay their eggs. In recent years, eggs have been noted as early as the first week in January (2013) and as late as Valentine’s Day (2014). Last year, the first egg was detected Jan. 25. If you’re the first to spot an egg, report it on the DNR Nongame Wildlife Facebook page.