Gunflint Green-up May 1 - May 4 2008

I had a little reminder that winter is really just around the corner when I woke up to just a touch of snow on the ground the other morning. But planning ahead to spring, the Gunflint Trail Scenic Byway committee is planning for the Gunflint Green-Up Event scheduled for May 1 - May 4, 2008. The focus of this weekend is tree seedling planting in the areas affected by the Ham Lake Fire. This would be a great time to pack up the family and come to the Gunflint Trail. The trees to be planted are really small so any age can plant a few and we estimate that 7,500 seedlings can be planted over 4 days.

Other events to share with the family are:

• seminars about forest ecology
• hiking trips or day paddles
• Ham Lake Run (shorter run for children)
• Pig roast and party following the Run

Put these dates in your 2008 calendar and come up and enjoy a few days of nature to start off your summer and shake off the winter.

Autumn Migration Birding and Superior Ecology Festival

October 26 - 28, 2007, Grand Marais, Minnesota, hosted by North House Folk School

Openings are available for the field trip/classes with distinguished birding leaders Bob Janssen, Jerry Bonkoski, John Hockema, and Dedrick Benz. Details regarding the 2007 birding trips are available from North House Folk School at www.northhouse.org or 888-387-9762.

Two intriguing topics (Climate Change and the Ham Lake Fire) will be addressed in the evenings by the weekend’s featured speakers. Both programs are included with registration.

Friday FIRE IN THE JACKPINE: Avian Response to the Ham Lake Fire with Lissa Grover, USFS Wildlife biologist
Friday Evening, October 26, 7:00 PM at the USFS Conference Room, Grand Marais
** The return of fire to the Superior National Forest’s jack pine ecosystem has increased bird habitat diversity limited by fire suppression during the last century. Avian responses to habitat change reflect the long association between disturbance and adaptation.

Saturdaym - 10,000 YEARS AND 50 MILES: A Minnesota Odyssey
with John Tester, Department of Ecology, University of Minnesota
October 27, 7:00 PM at North House Folk School
** Tester is a biologist and ecologists with deep roots in Minnesota. His research has taken him across North America. His inspired efforts created the classic book Minnesota's Natural Heritage: An Ecological Perspective, which was published by University of Minnesota Press.
** Climate change and eco-systems are directly connected. A small change in the average annual temperature (3 to 6° F) resulted in the end of glaciation in North America about 10,000 years ago. A similar change can be observed in a 50-mile east-west transect in northwestern Minnesota today.
Details regarding the 2007 event are available from North House Folk School at www.northhouse.org or 888-387-9762.

October in the Northwoods

The thing about October is that you can never predict what the weather will be. You can still have some beautiful fall weather or winter can reach out and touch you. This October it has been rain and more rain and a little snow. I have heard we have had 6 to 7 inches so far and the month is only 1/2 over. The lake levels are nice and Clearwater Lake has come up to it's spring level. We started the summer with the lake level about 12 inches down and it has recovered nicely. That means some of the river canoe routes for next summer will good - more paddle and less portage on the Granite River and Larch Creek might even be a creek again!

American Bald Eagle

When I first moved to Clearwater Lodge 5 years ago, I had never seen an American Bald Eagle other than in picture books and in my history books. It is been wonderful to see so many of them in the Northwoods. Bald Eagles and moose I never get tired of seeing. This picture of an eagle in flight was taken by the Abbott family this summer and sent to us.

The American Bald Eagle has up to a 7 foot wingspan. Both adult male and female have pure white heads and tail contrasted with dark brown to black body and wings. They have a large curved yellow bill and feet. The female is slightly larger than the male. Juveniles are dark brown with white spots or speckles throughout the body and wings with a gray bill. Juveniles attain the white head and tail at about 4 to 5 years old.

Per my Birds of Minnesota field guide by Stan Tekiela, this bird made a comback in MN with one of the largest breeding populations in the lower 48 states. It returns to the same nest each year, adding more sticks, enlarging the nest to massive proportions up to 1,000 lbs.

Border Route Trail Clearing

The past few days a few of Minnesota Rovers were up on the Mountain Lake section of the BRT and doing some trail clearing. It was only a 3 day trip with 2 people this time but they said they made some good progress on getting the overlook cleared of downed wood and brush. In the spring they will take a longer clearing trip with more volunteers.

Since the 1970's the 75 mile BRT has been maintained by the MN Rovers Outing Club. Within the BWCA the Minnesota Wilderness Trails Alliance clears with hand tools only. If you would be interested in going on a trail maintance trip, you can find more inforamtion at the BRT website of www.borderoutetrail.org.

You can also check trail conditions on the BRT website. If you are an avid BRT hiker, the 5th addition of the Trail Guide and Map for the Border Route Trail has been published and you can order one from www.borderoutetrail.org. It is a great book to have even if your primary focus in the BWCA is canoe trips because it points out all the spurs you can hike on and the overlooks.

Winter is around the corner

Our Fall is over. The trees are bare and we had our first snow. The snow didn't accumulate or even stick to the ground, but I marked my calendar for the first snowfall. Looking back at my calendar last year, we had an ice storm right about this time.

I am still working on the final items to close everything down for the winter. I check something off my list every day. A lot of this is outside work and it is nice to enjoy the crisp cool weather before we got socked in the for winter months.

This picture is from Alan and Judie Johnston from their visit in September.

Snow in our forecast

When I was driving down the trail today I was enjoying the last of the fall colors but I kept thinking that winter was just around the corner. Back at the lodge I checked my trusty mid-Trail weather forecast and yup, there is snow in the future - tonight. I frequently feel that we got from summer right into winter some years. I could use a longer fall season.

We are in what I call 'winter mode'. The summer cabins are closed up and cabin 7 and the lodge are now open for winter. Peggy and Mike are back in OH for the next 6 months enjoying the grandson Isaiah. Outfitting is pretty much closed up although we do have a few intrepid paddlers out there coming back in over the next few days.

We have had rain, boy have we had rain. September broke all types of records and I heard from 12' to 20' inches in different places on the trail. It has been raining non-stop for the past 3 days and that is what may turn into snow tonight. The docks on Aspen Lake as I drove by today are underwater. Clearwater Lake is filling up nicely but our docks must be higher because there is no threat of them being under water yet. After the Ham Lake Fire this spring and the Cavity Lake Fire last August, I have told myself I will never complain about rain again - so this is NOT a complaint.

We have certainly broken our drought cycle. It makes me wonder how much snow we will have this winter if this keeps up. You will have to come and see!

Broad Wing Hawk

This picture of a broad-winged hawk was sent to us by Al and Judie Johnston following their stay at Clearwater.

Changes to BWCA Permits in 2008

Beginning in 2008, permit fees for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area
Wilderness will be:

Adult per trip fee: $16.00
Youth per trip fee: $8.00
Adult Seasonal Fee Card: $64.00
Youth Seasonal Fee Card: $32.00

This increase of the cost of the permit, which is still very reasonable, is based upon the Consumer Index. User fees generated through this program come directly back to the Forest and help to fund the wilderness management program, including staffing with wilderness rangers, and funding campsite and portage maintenance, permit issuance, and wilderness education programs.

Another change for 2008 is the permit lottery will begin on December 1st 2007. In the past the lottery has begun on November 1st.