Falling Pictured Rocks: The sad news – Some 200 feet of cliff at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore slid into Lake Superior this past weekend. The good news – No one was injured, though you can hear on Jahn Martin's video of it that the event generated great excitement by those nearby (as one can imagine). TV6 posted the video along with a story by Alissa Pietila. The section of cliff between Miners Beach and Mosquito Beach detached and dropped on June 26 and Jahn and his friends were in a pontoon boat near the site. It generated 10-12 foot waves, they told Alissa. (For delicate ears, the unedited video include some strong, albeit surprised language.)
These Rocks Are Winners: While Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore lost of bit of cliff this week, there's plenty of beauty still to see, as noted by Rudi Jensen, whose photo at the lakeshore won Second Prize in the National Park Foundation's Share the Experience photo contest. Rudi earned $5,000, a 24-litre Soft Cooler Tote and 21-ounce bottle courtesy of Hydro Flask, a two-night stay at the West Baden Springs Hotel courtesy of Historic Hotels of America, and a Federal Recreational Lands Pass. First place was a Milky Way-infused shot of San Juan National Forest, but we think this bright sunny day is equally inviting … not that we're Big Lake biased or anything. Congrats to Rudi and to the lakeshore! (And remember picture takers, keep back from the edges.)
Dry & Still a Little High: With weather and precipitation still dry again in June, Lake Superior rose about 2 inches rather than its usual 3 inches during the month, according to the International Lake Superior Board of Control. At the beginning of July, Lake Superior was still 3.2 inches above its long-term average, but 6.3 inches below the same time last year. It is 11 inches below its record-high level at this time logged in 2019. The Lake typically rises in July. "Depending on the weather and water supply conditions during the next month, Lake Superior may decline slightly or may rise by up to approximately 10 cm (3.9 in) in July," the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in conjunction with the board of control, notes.
If You Find a Fawn: White-tailed deer have a decidedly worrisome (for us, not them) style of baby caregiving, with the doe often leaving her fawns as she forages for food elsewhere. That frequently results in good-intentioned calls to wildlife centers when fawns are seen lying alone in high grasses, or maybe even your yard, for periods of time. Not to fret, reminds the Wisconsin DNR in a press release this week. It's website features a list of critters under the heading "How to tell if a wild animal is truly orphaned." Here's the advice for found fawns: If you find a fawn lying quietly in brush, high grass or even your lawn, the fawn is most likely healthy and safe. If you are concerned, monitor the fawn from a distance. Its mother will return periodically to feed and move it to a new location. • If a fawn is in an unsafe location, such as near a roadway, it’s okay to move the fawn back from the road several yards. Be sure to wear gloves and a facemask to protect the health of the fawn, and be sure to consider your own safety when walking near a road. • If a fawn appears visibly sick or injured, call the DNR or a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for further guidance. Meanwhile, Wildwoods in Duluth did have an orphaned baby porcupine (in the photo) brought in for its care … rescued in the right way from its prickly situation. "This porcupette has been with us several days now and is doing extremely well!" posts Wildwoods. "She was found on her own, and the finders watched her for a day and a half to be sure the mother was gone before they called us."
Name That Boat: USBoat, a national boat owner's group, released its list of the Top 10 most popular boat names of 2021. Heading the list was Andiamo (Italian for "Let's Go"), followed closely (but not too closely) by Social Distancing and then in descending order, Grace, Shenanigans, Cool Change, Island Time, Knot On Call, Mojo, Freedom and Serenity (which was No. 1 last year). While we appreciate those names for recreational boats, we still have a soft spot for names like Paul R. Tregurtha, Edwin H. Gott and Alder. Speaking of that U.S. Coast Guard cutter, the current Alder commander. Lt. Cmdr. Justin Erdman, retired in a ceremony today and next week on July 7 the Alder itself is scheduled to head down lakes, no longer stationed in Duluth or even on the Great Lakes. After maintenance and repair, it sails to San Francisco for its next assignment. In the change of command ceremony today that preceded Justin's retirement, Lt. Cmdr. Joel Wright took over as commander of the Alder. By next year, though Joel and the current Alder crew will be assigned to the Spar (WLB-206), which comes to Duluth in spring 2022. The Spar (in photo), also a 225-foot buoy tender, had served in Alaska and is now in for maintenance and upgrades in Baltimore. The ship is named in honor of the SPARs, the Coast Guard women's reserve created in 1942 to handle the U.S. needs and to allow more men to serve overseas. The SPARs were the first uniformed women to serve in the Coast Guard These days, men and women serve fully in the Coast Guard, but Spar is a boat name with a history we appreciate. Current plans will have the Spar starting up the Great Lakes toward Duluth by March next year.
New Owners for Fraser: BusinessNorth reports that Fraser Shipyards in Superior has been sold to Infrastructure Acquisition Partners LLC, a joint venture between Norwegian firm Cleaves Invest AS and Foundry Mountain Infrastructure Partners based in Chicago. The sale includes the shipyards, which have been in the Twin Ports for 133 years, and Lake Assault Boats and Northern Engineering Company.
(Not) the Real Thing: A Lake Superior art legend, Norval Morriseau of Thunder Bay, inspired the distinctive Indigenous Woodland School of painting. The late artist, who died in 2007, also apparently inspired fraudulent knock-offs of his work. One piece, sold by an art gallery in Toronto, was purchased in 2005 by Kevin Hearn, the keyboardist for Barenaked Ladies. Kevin sued the gallery and eventually, through appeals, won a $60,000 settlement, $10,000 of that as punitive damages. Kevin's attorney, Jonathan Sommer, estimates "a few thousand" rip-offs exist, Gary Rinne of TBNewswatch reports. More lawsuits may be pending connected to the faux Morriseau paintings. The fraudulent painting purchased by Kevin inspired a documentary "There are No Fakes" by Jamie Kastner. The Art Canada Institute website features a biography story written by Carmen Robertson of Norval Morriseau.
Saved Harbor: We have to end with a shout out to Saxon Harbor Marina & Campground, which celebrated its official dedication ceremony in June. It finished rebuilding from the 2016 storm that decimated the marina and campground, killing one person and washing up about 20 boats and washing away about five camping vehicles. You can watch the full dedication ceremony video, which features keynote Grace Hines and Gov. Tony Evers.
Photo & graphic credits: Jahn Martin/TV6; Rudi Jensen/National Park Foundation; Wildwoods; Wisconsin DNR; US Coast Guard; USBoat; There are No Fakes; Saxon Harbor Marina & Campground