Wolves

This is wolf mating season. A pack of wolves is usually around eight and their is a strict hierarchy in the pack. Only the dominant male and the dominant female will have puppies during the mating season.

What is happening in the woods now

Phenology is a word that I really didn't learn until I moved to the lodge in Minnesota. It is the study of periodic plant and animal life cycle events and how these are influenced by seasonal and interannual variations in climate.

To me this translates into 'what is happening in the woods now'.

I try to listen to WTIP from Grand Marais streaming on PC and they have been giving phenology reports regularly. These are the changes we see every day in the woods but probably a little more interesting when someone else explains them to you and the reasons that they happen.

Tree Wells: Tree wells are when the snow melts at the bottom of the trees. Any woody growth above ground absorbs heat from the sun, uses some of that heat and emits some of that heat. The well of water that forms at the bottom a tree is from the heat of given off by the tree melting the snow at the bottom.

Update on Clearwater lake

One of our Wilderness Rangers were out on Seagull, Sag and Clearwater this past weekend. From mid-trail and beyond there is very little snow on the ground and none on the lakes. The lakes do have 2 feet of ice as of Sunday March 13th. The lakes melt and get sloppy during the day but then they drain and dry up at night.

Tofte Road and Entry Point Update

From one of the Wilderness Rangers: Yesterday (Monday) I did a run of the Tofte Entry Points. I was able to drive all the way to Homer and Brule, though the road was soft in a few places. No snow on either of the lakes but the ice still looked good. Sawbill looked the same. Also got in to Kawishiwi and Hog Creek. Again, the road was soft but the ice looked good.