Where There's Smoke: Fires continue to sprout and spread in our greater Big Lake neighborhood. As this photo of downtown Duluth by Sara Blanck shows, the smoke from the north definitely affected the city this week, looking more like a usual foggy day than a day obscured by drifting wildfire smoke. Air quality alerts were issued for northeastern Minnesota this week.Several closures along the boundary waters and forest lands have resulted from fires in the Superior National Forest and across the border in Ontario. The U.S. Forest Service on Wednesday closed lands and roads along the upper portion of the Gunflint Trail. On Wednesday, the firefighting crews took advantage of weather conditions and a shift in wind direction to initiate some tactical fires to reduce fuel for the wildfires (like this tactical burn along Highway 1). The Greenwood fire covered nearly 26,000 acres by Thursday and already destroyed at least 12 primary and 57 outbuilding structures near McDougal Lake. All of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness was closed, at least until Saturday, "due to active and increasing fire activity, extreme drought, limited resources," according to the Forest Service, citing "Canadian fires and John Elk Lake, Whelp Lake, and other fires." On the Ontario side of
the BWCAW, the interior of Quetico Provincial Park is closed through Sept. 4. Isle Royale National Park rangers and others also are battling a fire on the island. By Thursday, the 230-acre Horne fire was about 15% contained. All campfires are banned there and several areas of the park are closed. The island fire started in near the Duncan Bay/Tobin Harbor Portage Trail on Aug. 10, likely from lightning. Meanwhile, up north of the Big Lake region, 82 active wildfires continue in Northwestern Ontario, shown on the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry's interactive map.
A Bushplane's BFF: Bob Parr says he's been involved with airplanes and model-airplane building "since before sales tax, some people might remember that." Now the volunteer at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre in Sault Ste. Marie is putting his knowledge and skills to good use on a real aircraft. He's helping to repair and refinish a 1929 Fairchild KR-34, an all purpose bi-plane built in Maryland and used for spotting poachers in Algonquin Provincial Park. SooToday produced a great video conversation with Bob about his passion for planes. "It's just a great hobby, it's something to do and it's interesting," says Bob, whose work will be done in about a year and official unveiled in 2024. The heritage centre is a particularly good topic for these times, since it preserves the history of planes that water bombed wildfires and of the firefighters who battled those blazes.
Are You My Mother?: A team of U.S. and Canadian researchers has assembled a "reference genome" for lake trout, cutting-edge research that was a vital missing link in efforts to restore the fish within the Great Lakes, according to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. "For the first time, a map of the lake trout genome has been assembled and is available publicly. The genome assembly was recently published in the journal Molecular Ecology Resources in a paper titled 'A chromosome-anchored genome assembly for Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush),' the commission posted. "A reference genome is a standardized digital sequence or map of nucleic acids, which code the building blocks of life, assembled into a set of genes. … With this completed genome assembly, scientists will now have the tools to reveal the genetic foundation for traits that have allowed lake trout to take advantage of the myriad habitats and conditions across the species’ North American range. Moreover, the assembly will help scientists understand why different types of lake trout (called “morphotypes”) survive and reproduce in the various ways they do. With this knowledge, fishery managers will be better equipped to take steps that will support lake trout conservation and restoration, in the wild and through the help of hatcheries." Lake Superior has its own examples of "morphotypes," we believe – the siscowet (fatty) and lean versions of the lake trout. Lake trout, the population of which collapsed in the late 1950s, have again been reproducing in the Big Lake for a number of years. Just last week, WKBW in Buffalo, N.Y., did a story about the first documented lake trout reproduction in Lake Erie for more than 60 years.
Downed Dock: A portion of the concrete dock alongside the Lakeshore Center at Michigan Technological University in Houghton crumbled into Portage Canal this week. The deterioration was not unexpected, according to a release from Michigan Tech. "The dock had been under surveillance due to cracking and shifting, and foot traffic on the dock was restricted two weeks ago while its condition was under assessment. Michigan Tech Public Safety and Police Services, as well as UP Engineers and Architects, were on the scene immediately after the dock portion fell. … Initial reports indicate the Lakeshore Center was not damaged and is not at risk. Out of an abundance of caution, access to the building is currently restricted, with only those who are helping assess and repair the damage allowed on-site. Employees have been asked to work remotely for approximately 10-14 days until repairs are complete." The center, located off the main campus, houses some administrative offices and has had commercial tenants.
New Paint on the Walls: Marquette and Manistique in the Upper Peninsula got to celebrate new murals this week. Both public artworks are part of the Power of Words Project, "a mural campaign that brings words to life with transformative works of public art," according to a press release from the city of Marquette. For the Marquette murla, award-winning artist Mia Tavonatti, formerly of Iron Mountain, and professional mural team member Sharon Maldonadol worked with local artists Emmalene Oysti, Sabrina Langdon, Michele Tuccini, Michelle Earle, plus Shannon Taylor and Sari Nomura, both students at Northern Michigan University. The "Natural" mural is at the corner of Ohio and Third streets downtown. It was officially unveiled on Wednesday. In Manistique, Mia also did the "Harmony" mural unveiled on Thursday as the third Power of Words production in the town.
Nice Rice: Wild ricing is under way on the reservation of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe in Minnesota, reports the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission. GLIFWC's manoomin (wild rice) database shows which areas around the broad region are open for harvesting. GLIFWC, based in Odanah on the Bad River Ojibwe reservation in Wisconsin, represents 11 Ojibwe tribes in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin. Peter David, a wildlife biologist with GLIFWC, told Katie Thoresen of WXPR that central Wisconsin appears to have low production of wild rice. "It may be one of the very worst years I’ve seen in 35 years," he said. In Northwestern Wisconsin, the harvest appears to be good and in Minnesota very good, according to aerial images taken. In some places, though, smoke from fire inhibited the view.
Turnkey Paradise: That’s how Private Islands Inc. describes Gitchie Manitou Island on Lake Michigamme about one hour west of Marquette. The island can be reached by a 15-minute boat ride out of Champion and is up for sale by owner/author Jeffrey L. Rodengen, known for dozens of “legend” books from The Legend of Chris-Craft to NRA: An American Legend to one most appropriate for these times perhaps, The Legend of Pfizer. Along with 10 wooded acres and a 30-foot waterfall, a new owner gets a master log cabin and three guest cabins plus Jeffrey has done a lot of upgrades while he’s owned the island, including electricity thanks to an underwater cable and five-bar cell service. “When I came here 30 years ago, there was nothing on the island. It had been untouched since the glacier receded 12,000 years ago,” he told Edward Pevos of MLive. “There’s a lot of things that go with the island. Seven pages of stuff. Furniture, dishes... everything. Someone can literally just show up on the island and not have to do anything but just put food in the refrigerators and freezers.” That seven pages includes – check this out – “a 30-foot customized three-log Lowe Pontoon Boat with custom trailer, 18-foot Chris-Craft Runabout with trailer, 18-foot Hobie Cat with trailer, Aluminum Grumman Canoe with sailing rig, two Yamaha Waverunners with tandem trailer, and a small flotilla of inflatables and a selection of water skis and other watersports inventory.” Asking price: $850,000. Bragging rights: We’re guessing priceless.
Photo & graphic credits: Sara Blanck; Superior National Forest; National Park Service; Great Lakes Fishery Commission; Mia Tavonatti Productions; Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission; Jeffrey L. Rodengen