Monday, December 28, 2009

Ice Fishing....

In case you are going to enjoy ice fishing on the Gunflint...

Minnesota conservation officers want to remind ice anglers and others that all shelters placed on the ice of Minnesota waters must have either the complete name and address, driver’s license number, or the nine-digit DNR number on the license of the owner plainly and legibly displayed on the outside in letters, and figures at least two inches in height.

This includes ice-skating warming houses and other traditional structures placed on the ice, either temporarily or overnight.
Other noteworthy shelter regulations include: Any shelter (fish houses, dark houses, warming houses, etc.) left on the ice at any time between midnight and one hour prior to sunrise must have a shelter license; the Department of Public Safety now requires trailers used to haul fish houses or dark houses and enclosed trailers or recreational trailers used for fishing to be registered. See your local Deputy
Registrar for trailer registration; a tag, furnished with a license, must be attached to the exterior in a readily visible location; shelters left on the ice overnight need to have at least two square inches of reflective material on each side of the house.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Guard Rails on the Gunflint?

On the Gunflint Trail, we have remarkable stand old growth white pines called 'The Pines'. Because they grow so near the trail, they were threatened by the road work done on the Gunflint Trail this fall. For safty sake, the pines had to come down or guard rails had to go up in that area. So the next time you drive up the trail, you will see a short span of guard rails along the way.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Get your Christmas Tree in the Superior National Forest

This sounds like a good get-a-way for the family tree search! Make some memories in the snow.

Superior National Forest Holiday Greenery

Christmas Trees
Cutting your own Christmas tree can be a festive outing to begin the holiday season. The ritual of hiking through the woods with your family and choosing your personal tree from among the millions of spruce, fir, and pine can greatly enrich a holiday season. A permit to cut one Christmas tree on Forest Service land may be purchased for $5.00 at any Forest Service office. Please follow the rules below while choosing your Christmas tree. There is a limit of two permits per family per year.

· Make sure you are on National Forest land, but not within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Maps can be viewed or purchased at Forest Service offices.
· Choose cutting areas away from plantations, developed recreation or administration sites, and Research Natural Areas.
· Walk well off the road side to select your tree.
· Select a tree the correct size for your home. Do not cut the top off of a taller tree. The maximum stump height is 12 inches.
· There is a two permit limit for each household per year.

Balsam Boughs
Gathering balsam boughs to make wreaths is becoming more popular each year. To protect the balsam fir trees on the Superior National Forest, bough gathering permits that specify where and how to cut boughs are issued by the various Forest Service offices in Aurora, Cook, Ely, Grand Marais and Tofte. Permits are required for personal or commercial use.
All bough cutting parties must have a permit. Parties can have up to 5 pickers listed. If you are cutting boughs for personal (non-commercial) use, you may purchase a permit for $20 and cut enough boughs for 5 wreaths. If you are picking commercially to supply commercial manufacturers, there is a minimum permit fee of $50 for two tons. Additional tons may be harvested at $25.00 per ton. Please follow the rules below while harvesting balsam boughs. Note additional rules on your permit.
· Make sure you are on National Forest land, but not within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Maps can be purchased at Forest Service offices.
· Walk at least 50 feet off the roadside, trail, lake, or recreation area before selecting the trees from which to harvest.
· Harvest boughs from trees that are greater than 7 feet high.
· Never fell trees to harvest boughs. You may only harvest branches from the lower half of the tree. Leave a portion of each pruned branch for regeneration.
· Harvested branches should have ends no larger in diameter than a pencil. As you harvest along the branch, leave part of the branch for growth and regeneration. Cutting at a fork will leave one side of the fork for regeneration.
· Keep your permit with you while harvesting boughs.
· Harvesting of Princess Pine is not allowed on the Superior National Forest.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Summer Staff 2010

Another milestone this month is we start our search for summer staff. Every year we hire 5 or 6 college students to spend the summer with us and work at the lodge. At a resort, everyone shoare tasks and we cook, prepare food for outfitting, pack gear, transport to entry points, manage canoes and boats, helps guests, maintenance and lawn care.

If you know of any students interested in such an adventure, have them contact us for more information and an application! We provide the housing.

Saturday, December 05, 2009

Sixteen Reasons......



I got an email from Karen Geneau several weeks ago called 'Sixteen Reasons why the Johnson Clan loves Clearwater'. In it, she included 16 wonderful pictures of the visits the family has made over the past several years. The 'Johnson Clan' is composed of multiple families....Geneau, Julius, Green, Conroy, and Summer. It may include a few more as I see more of the family come each summer. Years ago, the family had a cabin on McFarland lake built by Charlie Boostrom.

You probably know, I am in Indiana again for the winter. One of the things I really miss about not being at the lodge during the winter is not having the opportunity for pictures to keep posting on the blog during the season. I also miss the extreme beauty of the winter landscape and the deep quiet when out in the snow. But if I am honest, I do like not having to plug in my car at 20 below so it starts the next morning, wondering if I will get 2 or 20 inches of snow and how long it will take me to get out and the cautious driving on the roads. I could go in with the pro's and con's but you get the general idea.

So, I really love it when I get these pictures from our guests from the past summers. I never get tired of seeing the wildlife, scenery and family shots. It always brings back the summer and I can just smell the lodge and campfires. I start looking forward all over again to returning to the spring and getting the resort open and running.

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

BWCA Permit Lottery Begins Today


It is that time again, the BWCA Permit Lottery for 2010 permits begins today! From today through January 15, 2010 you can enter for the date and entry point. The lottery runs January 15th and permits are awarded. Following the lottery, permits are available based upon remaining availability.

For a BWCA canoe trip, we can help you decide the best route for your group. We can also arrange to order your permit and have it delivered to our location to issue upon your arrival. If you want to order your own permit or just check things out, the website is www.recreation.gov and BWCA permits are under 'Wilderness Permits'.

To enter into the lottery, you need the date that you want to start paddling and the entry point you wish, trip leader and alternate trip leaders. Starting this year, non-profit groups require the Tax Excempt number to order a permit.

Give us a call, we would be more than happy to help you arrange for your permit. You can reach us at 800.527.0554 or info@canoebwca.com.

This photo was sent in by the "Johnson Clan".