To the Rescue: Thirty-seven adults, teens, younger children and a dog stranded on Little Presque Island near Marquette on Tuesday evening were rescued by the Marquette County Sheriff's Office. The people had hiked onto the island across a sandbar when the Lake was calm, but it soon kicked up waves of 3-5 feet, too high to return to the mainland some 300 yards off shore, according to an MLive story by Tanda Gmiter. The sheriff's office used multiple trips in its 24-foot Boston Whaler to transport them and praised the people for seeking aid rather than risking a crossing in choppy waters. The U.S. Coast Guard, Marquette County Rescue 131, Chocolay Township Fire and Marquette Township Fire departments also responded.
A Wolf Man: Long, long, longtime Isle Royale wolf/moose researcher Rolf Peterson was the focus of a story by Lexi Krupp for Science Line. In the story, Rolf, who has studied the predator/prey relationship on the island for nearly 50 years in a 60-year-old study through Houghton’s Michigan Technological University, talks about what secrets moose bones reveal (part of the large Isle Royale collection is seen here), what should be the next step for the dwindling wolf population and how the wolf decline was brought on, in part, by inbreeding, climate change and an 1980s introduction of canine parvovirus from a sick dog brought to the island (dogs, even in private boats, are now forbidden on the island park).
Keweenaw Mountain Lodge Sold: The historic Keweenaw Mountain Lodge just outside of Copper Harbor, Michigan, was sold at auction Thursday to John Lamb of 4Lambs Property LLC for $1,292,500, WLUC TV6 reported. He has two days to pay 20 percent of the purchase price, and the balance would be due at closing on Sept. 10. He will then take full ownership of the property in 45 days. The Keweenaw County-owned lodge has been open for guests this summer, and the sale would not affect reservations through the end of the season, according to Harvey Desnick, who oversees the property for the county. The 177-acre resort and golf course opened 83 years ago after being built as a public works project during the Great Depression. It includes a 9-hole golf course with mature pines and hardwood trees, a disc golf course, tennis court and trails. There’s a 120-person restaurant and bar, 24 cabins (36 rentable units) and eight motel rooms, as well as a 6,000-square-foot conference center added more than a decade ago. The new owner intends to continue operating it as a lodge, he told Mariah Powell of WLUC. "My plans are to hopefully keep it open year-round. So there are going to need to be some changes and upgrades made so that we can keep it open year-round. I would like to look at expanding over the next couple of years. Do a lot more advertising. My background is in marketing."
Lucky Ducks: If having a photo go viral is your intention as a photographer, then Brent Cizek recently hit the jackpot with his photo of a common merganser hen followed by perhaps as many as 76 ducklings on Lake Bemidji (about 150 miles from Duluth in northern Minnesota). His image made stories in the New York Times and the National Audubon Society, KARE 11, CBC radio and a host of others. (Rumor has it the photo might appear on the "Tonight Show tonight.") Brent even did a brief video with the ducklings. No, they aren’t all her brood, but these ducks are one of the critters that offer day-care services, named a crèche after the French word for “crib,” used by the British to mean a nursery or the Christmas manger scene. Anyway, it seems this nanny merganser is simply taking the local crèche out for a swim, all the while giving a northern Minnesota photographer quite the ride.
Making More News: The Today Show’s posting about family vacations in Duluth got a shout out this week from one of the places named – the Great Lakes Aquarium with its “otters, turtles, tree frogs and many species of fish” (not to mention the sturgeon touch tank!). The story put the GLA folks “over the moon,” but still, of course, highly accessible on Duluth’s waterfront!
Beauty & the Bag: When Kwin Morris, co-founder of Stand Up for Great Lakes, and his two compatriots, recently traversed Lake Superior on standup paddleboards to raise awareness for water issues and money for the Great Lake, they admired the beauty of the Big Lake, but they also were alarmed by the amount of trash in the water and on the beaches … especially of the plastic and microplastic variety. When they landed, this created a new mission for them, according to Ashley VanOchten and Catherine Brettschneider, reporting for 9&10 News in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. “When we were crossing Lake Superior on our paddleboards, it was mind-blowing how much trash and plastic we actually stopped and picked up,” Kwin told them. “We could only get the big pieces but we would see thousands of little pieces of micro plastics. … I never in a million years thought that I would find huge pieces of plastic in Lake Superior.” Their mission is to encourage everyone to get to the beach and pick up any trash you find on it or in the water. Or better still, join a beach cleanup organized by Stand Up for Great Lakes, which posted a photo of some trash gathered on their Lake Superior journey.
Today we celebrate Konnie LeMay’s 20th anniversary at Lake Superior Magazine. For those of you who recognize her, she’s the Lady with the Hat who has been Editor of the magazine since mid-2001. We give a Tip of our Hats to you, Konnie. Thank you for all that you do.
Motorcycle Haven: With both of its owners avid motorcyclists, it's probably no wonder that Thunder Bay's newest traveler lodging - The Haven Hostel - did a little boasting on Facebook this week about its Ride Lake Superior designation as approved accommodation for motorcycle adventure riders; its special bike garage, available for a $5 fee and accessible from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., was brimming this week. As the hostel's Facebook page noted: “Tools, wash buckets, secure garage, good banter, hot showers, bbq; nailed it!” Others appreciate it, too, according to a thumbs-up biker's review of the hostel on Ontario Tourism. The reviewer also made mention of the owners: “Newly opened this spring, it is run by Holly Watson a motorcycle enthusiast and world traveler that rides a BMW F650GS and her business partner Paul Pepe who has a Ducati and a KLR.” See, these folks do know what bikers need. The Haven Hostel was part of a special Lake Superior Magazine story on recently opened hostels called “Welcoming the World.”
What the Hail: It is rare to see hail-making waves on Lake Superior, but that’s exactly what Alicia Joki witnesses east of Grand Marais, Michigan, and records in this video from last month. Sensitive ear alert – Alicia is very, very surprised and a few expletives escape her lips. You can turn down the sound, but then you miss the noise of hail popping into the Lake.
Photo & graphic credits: Marquette County Sheriff's Office; Joe Ross on Flickr; Michigan Tech; Bob Berg; Brent Cizek; Stand Up for Great Lakes; Lake Superior Magazine; The Haven Hostel; Alicia Joki.