Icy Palaces: Michael DeWitt took a snowmobile ride and then a long hike to get to this beautiful place at Cat Island, one of the Apostle Islands in Wisconsin. Before we share his story about that adventure, we asked Michael, an experienced photographer and Apostles adventurer, about safety first and foremost. (Currently the mainland icy sea caves in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore remain closed because of open-water sightings.) Michael talked about drilling test holes along his route to verify ice thickness and also told us this: “While I can't speak about the ice at the mainland caves (except the National Park Service hasn’t opened them), the ice beyond the inner ring of islands varies wildly. Of course we were geared up with all our safety equipment, but once we got 'out there,' we drilled our way across channels and up the coastlines of each island we visited. The ice varied from over 12 inches to less than 2 inches. I don’t mention any of that to discourage people, but for goodness sake, they would need to be prepared!”
Now for Michael’s adventure tale: "While the rest of Wisconsin hunkered down during the Polar Vortex this winter and waited for warmer weather, Andy Matheus and I were scarcely able to contain our excitement for what we suspected was happening in the Apostle Islands. Yesterday (Feb. 23) we removed any question and all doubt, with an excursion that touched the outer reaches of the islands. One of the most remarkable things about visiting the Apostles repeatedly in all seasons is how even familiar landmarks can change to become nearly unrecognizable. Indeed, we trekked past one of our favorite sea caves on Stockton Island yesterday twice before realizing we had missed it. In our defense, the entrance to the cave is buried in a pile of pack ice the size of a small house this winter. Later, we found ourselves in awe at the sheer beauty of the rugged ice formations on the north end of Cat Island. Here the winter wrath of Lake Superior hit hardest – the freezing spray built towering, gnarled sheets of ice against the sandstone cliffs, in some places 50 feet high. And yet among the fury, we also found some of the most delicate, whimsical ice fingers either of us has seen before. It was a good day to be alive."
You Know It’s a Long Winter When … Somebody takes the time to figure out how long it would take to resurface a fully frozen, 31,000-square-mile Lake Superior with a single Zamboni. That’s what the folks at U.P. Supply Co. in Marquette figured out and made quite the splash this week on Facebook. Using charts and icy mathematics (plus throwing in a few ads for some of the products the company sells when its not doing Zamboni math), the website determines that a single Zamboni machine, which takes about 7 minutes to resurface a
standard 200 x 85 feet ice rink, would take 364,143,591 minutes (that’s 252,877 days or 693 years) to resurface Lake Superior, which equals 52,020,513 ice rinks. Citing NOAA, the company website notes that the peak of ice cover on Lake Superior usually comes on March 3, and as of midnight CST today, the Lake appears to be about 85 percent ice covered, with the mean thickness about 7 inches. When Lake Superior does freeze “completely,” that is a condition that lasts only a few hours. The last 100% freeze was listed in 1996, though the peak ice cover has reached above 90% several times since 1973, as this NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory chart shows. However, the annual ice cover peak amount generally has been dropping.
Lingering Levels: Levels of chemicals found in Superior’s Newton Creek from firefighting foam and the spill of petroleum compounds has diminished considerably, but continues to linger in measurable traces nearly one year after the Husky Energy refinery explosion in April 2018. Citing, Wisconsin DNR, Danielle Kaeding reports for Wisconsin Public Radio. “Water sampling at the mouth of Newton Creek, which spills into an inlet of a Lake Superior bay, found levels of PFOS at 220 parts per trillion and PFOA at 230 parts per trillion several days after the refinery explosion. However, most recent sampling results show less than 10 parts per trillion of both chemicals.” DNR field integration leader Connie Antonuk told Danielle that although the DNR continues to monitor the chemicals in the creek, the recent levels are not cause for concern. “In 2016, the EPA established health advisory levels of 70 parts per trillion for lifetime exposure of the two chemicals in drinking water,” Danielle reports. “Newton Creek isn't a source of drinking water as the city of Superior gets its drinking water from Lake Superior. The water is sourced from an intake structure that is about 300 feet off of Minnesota Point and 10 to 12 feet beneath the lake floor, according to Superior Water, Light & Power. In 2014, the city of Superior tested the surface water intake for PFOA and PFOS, according to the DNR. The two compounds weren't detected at that time.”
Fire at Lafarge: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, firefighters responded to a conveyor belt fire at Lafarge Canada, a ready-mix concrete plant Thursday morning, reports SooToday. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire, which is not considered suspicious, according to the Sault Fire Department, is being investigated.
No Marijuana Biz in Marquette for Now: The Marquette City Commission voted 4-3 to opt out of the recently passed Michigan marijuana legalization law, joining some 300 other Michigan communities that have done the same, according to a story by Brian Cabell of Word on the Street. That means no recreational marijuana businesses in the city, but personal possession of marijuana as outlined in the new law will still be legal within city limits, Brian notes. Apparently the commissioners who voted for the opt-out were not opposed to such businesses in the city, but prefer to wait for statewide regulations on those businesses, which will come by December. Northern Michigan University already has established a Medicinal Plant Chemistry undergraduate major to accommodate, according to NMU, “demand for qualified technical personnel and great opportunity for the skilled entrepreneur in the cannabis, herbal extract, and natural product industries.” The first fully licensed medical marijuana dispensary in the Upper Peninsula, Northern Specialty Health, opened in November in Houghton. A five-point primer by Michigan Radio explains what is legal now and will be allowed in the future under the new Michigan law.
The Spirit Goes On: Marcia Hales announced that the beloved walk-through light display dubbed “Spirit in the Lights” at her Park Point home in Duluth would end this past Christmas season, but the director at Glensheen Mansion saw an opportunity to replace its aptly named “Tacky Christmas” display for a classy upgrade. Marcia’s lights, penguins and other magical machinations will move to Glensheen for Christmas 2019, reports Frank Haataja for The Minnesota Skinny. (Frank also did a delightful story about an interview with Marcia.) Dan Hartman, Glensheen’s director, says the “tacky” outdoor display will be happily retired and extra displays likely will be added to supplement Marcia’s lighting and figures to fill out the larger space at Glensheen. This past Christmas at Marcia’s home proved to be one of her most visited ever, and included a wedding. Marcia likely will show up, weather permitting, to at least a few evenings of Spirit lights at Glensheen. “I’ve told people always, this has become my Christmas,” Marcia told Frank. “I’ve seen people over the years, I couldn’t tell you how many people I’ve met. I’m not sure that it will be very easy to be here without [the lights].”
Two Sad Losses: We learned this week of the passing of two staunch advocates for different critical pieces of our Great Lakes heritage. Both are great losses to our Lake Superior and Great Lakes communities.
Thunder Bay resident Josephine Mandamin is the Ojibwe grandmother from the Wikwemikong First Nation who co-founded the Mother Earth Water Walk by walking around Lake Superior in 2003 to call attention to water issues and to the truth of Nibi Bimadiziwin, “Water is Life.” In a story about her passing, Rhiannon Johnson of the CBC notes that Josephine eventually walked 17,000 kilometres (about 10,560 miles) around all of the Great Lakes. She inspired many similar walks, such as the Nibi Walk, which will host seven different walks this year. A gentle and humble woman in our interviews with her, Josephine was given many honors, including the Lake Superior Magazine Achievement Award in 2011 for her work giving a voice to Lake Superior, the Great Lakes and all water. (Full Circle Superior authors Mike Link and Kate Crowley also were honored with the award that year for their work calling attention to water issues.) A children’s book, The Water Walker by Joanne Robertson, was also written about her. Josephine Mandamin died Friday (Feb. 22) at the age of 77.
Terry Pepper also had his focus toward the water, but it was on the lonesome sentinels standing by the shores. Terry became one of the foremost experts on Great Lakes lighthouses, first through his own “amateur” passion and later for 10 years as executive director of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association. On his own, Terry created one of the most comprehensive websites, Seeing the Light, about Great Lakes lighthouses, filled with photos, maps and history. One section details 53 of the Lake Superior U.S. lights. Terry was often our go-to resource for images of lighthouses and he was generous in his sharing of his collection. His obituary on the Gaylord Community Funeral Home & Cremation Service page notes that Terry was 70 at the time of his death on Saturday (Feb. 23) and was born in West Bridgeford, England. He and wife, Mary, had their wedding at the Cheboygan River Front Range Light in 2007, where they met the year before.
Photo & graphic credits: Michael DeWitt; U.P. Supply Co.; NOAA GLERL; David Schauer; Dennis O'Hara / Lake Superior Magazine; Richard Morphet / Mother Earth Water Walk; Gaylord Funeral Home