Fractured Fresnel: The only original Fresnel lens remaining among the Apostle Islands lighthouses appears to have been damaged in a late October storm. The National Park Service staff discovered a two-foot diameter section of the third-order Fresnel lens shattered on the floor when they visited Devils Island on the outer rim of the archipelago on Oct. 25. The section is thought to have become dislodged from its mounting and fell onto the deck of the tower lantern during the Oct. 21 storm. "With the extreme weather conditions on Lake Superior, we must check on the condition of all park shoreline resources following big storms," park Superintendent Lynn Dominy said in a press release. "Heavy winds, big waves and ice constantly damage our docks, buildings and shorelines. Having this type of damage to our only Fresnel lens is heartbreaking and we are working on ways to address this damage." The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore staff installed temporary supports and padding (in photo) to prevent additional damage to the lens over winter and “are working with museum experts to determine the next steps in stabilizing and repairing the historic lens, while preventing additional damage,” the release noted. “A response plan will be developed this winter in consultation with glass conservation experts and the local historic preservation community.” David Cooper, a cultural resource specialist at the park, said that there are places that repair Fresnel lenses, either with glass or acrylic sections. Exactly what will be the next step with the lens is still being determined, he said. The famed multi-faceted Fresnel lens, created in six orders with a first being the largest and most powerful, were developed by Augustin-Jean Fresnel (pronounced fray-nel), who adapted the concentric-ring construction in 1841 for lighthouses. Cadenas PARTsolutions has a nice “Lighthouse Science” story with links about the lens and its revolutionary affect. Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior is one of the few lights with its 2.5-ton, third-order Fresnel lens still floating on seven quarts of mercury (closely monitored, of course). We wrote about that lens as part of our story on Split Rock Lighthouse.
Trusted Land: The nonprofit Landmark Conservancy in Wisconsin recently acquired 600 acres of land beside Copper Falls State Park in Ashland County. “This acquisition will conserve ecologically unique lands and provide protections to one of the top ten state parks and its 200,000 annual visitors,” the conservancy announced in its press release. Plans for the land include nonmotorized recreation – hiking, hunting, fishing, trapping, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and wildlife viewing – addressing a Wisconsin DNR survey in which more than 80% of respondents indicated a need for more recreational opportunities, especially fishing and trails, in the northwest. “Landmark was fortunate to have broad support from the community for protection of this property, including Ashland County, Town of Morse, Trout Unlimited’s state council and local Wild Rivers chapter, Northland College, trails and hunting clubs and Cozy Valley residents,” Erika Lang, conservation manager, said in the release. The purchase was made with federal and state grants. “Environmentally, this project will help protect water quality in the Bad River watershed and Lake Superior,” the land trust’s Executive Director Lindsey Ketchel said. “By completing this land purchase, we are protecting a biologically rich forest and riverine environments that provide critical year-round habitat for various plants and animals, including neo-tropical migratory birds. Keeping the property in its forested condition and managing it sustainably will provide multiple benefits including flood mitigation and increased resiliency of the landscape to changes in climate.” Northland College will benefit from work on the land, according to Tom Fitz, a college geology professor and member of the Landmark Conservancy board. “Hiking through the kettles, valleys and ridges in the landscape will make for some fun adventures,” he said. “The landscape and forest will be excellent outdoor laboratories for geology, soils, and forest ecology research – some of which is already underway.” In this photo, Northland students and study geology and hydrology at the Tyler Forks River.
Pilotage Employee Strike: The 13 dispatchers and office staff of the Great Lakes Pilotage Authority (GLPA) in Canada went out on strike this week in Cornwall, according to the Canadian Press. The authority, like its U.S. counterparts, helps foreign ships navigate the waterways of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. The foreign ships must employ a Great Lakes pilot while navigating those waters. The striking workers are part of the Union of Canadian Transportation Employees; they have been without a contract since June 2016, according to Todd Hambleton of the Cornwall Standard-Freeholder, who noted that the 62 pilots employed by the GLPA are not on strike. The GLPA announced the Nov. 18 beginning of the strike in a press release. The release, signed by CEO Michèle Bergevin, stated: “The GLPA is committed to providing safe and secure pilotage services to all its customers and will proceed with the following contingency plan in the event of a strike: Pilotage services will continue to be provided; GLPA management will undertake all dispatching and financial responsibilities; and we will endeavour to minimize the impact on commercial navigation.”
Christmas Ship: The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw will once again deliver trees for the 20th anniversary of the Chicago Christmas Ship program in early December. “During their annual fall run to remove seasonal aids to navigation on Lake Michigan, the Mackinaw crew will deliver 1,200 Christmas trees to brighten the holiday season for families in the nation’s third largest city,” Walter T. Ham IV writes for the Coast Guard Compass blog. The Christmas Ship tradition began more than 100 years ago when August and Herman Schuenemann brought trees by ship to sell and give away on the Chicago waterfront. Then in November 1898, writes Walter, August and his crew
were lost on Lake Michigan during a storm. His brother Herman continued the tree tradition, earning him the title of “Captain Santa.” In November 1912, when Herman and his crew set sail with 5,500 spruces, the ship succumbed to a winter gale. “Remnants of Christmas trees washed ashore in Wisconsin for weeks after the storm. It would be days before Chicago residents would learn the fate of their beloved Christmas Ship,” Walter writes. The Mighty Mac’s captain since 2017, Cmdr. John M. Stone, told Walter that the Christmas Ship run is a highlight for the crew (seen here posing beneath the cutter’s special Azipod podded propulsion system during a dry dock visit). “For a couple days each year, we step back from the rigors of the Fall Haul (seasonal buoy retrieval) and follow in the footsteps of Captain Schuenemann and act like Santa. The Christmas tree is an enduring symbol of hope, love and good will that brings people together. It is truly our honor and privilege to continue Captain Schuenemann’s family legacy of faith, hope and good will to all.”
Another Kind of Holiday Delivery: This lefse truck has been making the rounds on the Facebook pages of our Up North residents recently. Not sure where it originated (if you know, let us know!), but hoping that the delivery makes it by Christmas … lefse being one of our favorite Scandinavian holiday traditions. We're not quite as anxious for that lutefisk truck to show up.
Ponying Up for Restoration: A Nipigon, Ontario, horse-lover who ran away from home to join the Calgary Stampede earned the right to name a carousel horse in the Name the Horse fundraising contest mounted by the Friends of Chippewa Park Carousel Restoration Project, reports Leith Dunick for TBNewsWatch. Ava Walter chose “Brunner” after her grandmother, Maria Brunner, for the carousel horse’s name. Ava told Leith when she got the call about her win, she was traveling. “I started to cry, and I had to pull off the road. I’ve always been a lover of horses, and when I paid my $20 for the 10 tickets that I put in, I thought I’m not going to win, but that money is going to go to restore something on the carousel.” It costs about $20,000 per horse for the restoration of the carousel at Chippewa Park in Thunder Bay, reports Leith, who also took this photo of Ava at the ceremony in the Thunder Bay Museum announcing her win.
Red Moon, Big Lake: Astro Bob King, photographer/sky watcher, posted this image in his Nov. 13 blog The Night The Moon Almost Got Stuck In Lake Superior, noting, "The full moon seems glued to the horizon as it rises over Lake Superior last night. The weird distortions result from an inferior mirage. … Refraction flattened the rising moon into a cookie, but as it continued to rise, I watched in disbelief as the fluttering apparition morphed into a gumdrop and ultimately a water tower as if glued to the horizon and struggling to break free. When the final strands of light connecting the upper and lower images snapped, the moon hovered over what looks like its reflection in the water." He goes on to give a great explanation of that mirage affect, all cool sky geek stuff. It reminded us, though, of the Three Sillies fairy tale, this online version by Joseph Jacobs, that includes an episode beside a pond where the villagers are trying to "rescue" the moon from the water.
All Decked Out: Looking for good ideas on holiday gifts? Need office furniture or a great book deal? Then you should make a point of coming to our Lake Superior Gift Shop at 310 E. Superior St. on Saturday, Nov. 30 next week. We're having the usual Small Business Saturday deals and refreshments to showcase our new products, PLUS we're adding an office rummage sale and a sell-off of books from our library shelves. It's the early winter equivalent of spring cleaning, and you're going to want to browse this stuff.
Photo & graphic credits: R. Ball/NPS; D. Cooper/NPS; K. Cullen/NPS; Landmark Conservancy; Cmdr. John M. Stone/USCG; U.S. Coast Guard image; Petty Officer 2nd Class Joseph D. Coach/ USCG; Unknown, but Much Appreciated; Leith Dunick/TBNewsWatch; Bob King; Amy Larsen