Northern Wilds

Seeing the Forest for the Trees

This is the first time we’ve put a portrait of a tree on the cover of Northern Wilds. Manido Gheeganze, the Spirit Little Cedar of Grand Portage has been a North Shore icon for at least 400 years. The protected Spirit Little Cedar is a fitting emblem for this issue, which celebrates the forest that surrounds us. Lake Superior may be the tie that binds our North Shore communities, but we live among the trees on its shores.

The forest is ever growing and changing. Sometimes the changes are the works of man, such as timber harvesting and other times they are the works of Nature, such as windstorms and wildfires. Joe Friedrichs examines how wildfires in the past decade have affected the canoe country. In another story, he tells us how the Brandt family on the Gunflint Trail plants trees as their contribution to the future forest.

We also use the trees that surround us in our day to day lives. Erin Altemus shares the stories of two canoe builders, one who uses wood and canvas and one who uses birch bark. Their works can be seen this month at the North House Folk School’s annual Wooden Boat Show. Deke Burnham tells us about another man who uses natural materials—rocks and driftwood—to fashion sculptures in his yard along Hwy. 61. Kelsey Roseth explains how local restaurants are using wood-fired ovens to deliver flavorful foods to their customers.

Gord Ellis shares what he calls the strangest story of his writing career, the crazy tale of a lynx vs. a goat—in the living room. A couple of animal-lovers on our staff said readers should be forewarned that the story doesn’t end well for the lynx. The goat, on the other hand, is something of a national celebrity in Canada.

On the home front, our subscribers received their May issue more timely than the month before. We will continue using the same mailing system. Our seasonal publications are now out on the stands. Be sure to look for the Cook County Map with loons on the cover and the North

PUBLISHERS

Shawn Perich & Amber Pratt

EDITORIAL

Shawn Perich, Editor editor@northernwilds.com

Richard “Deke” Burnham, Assistant Editor deke@northernwilds.com

Breana Roy, Editorial Assistant breana@northernwilds.com

ADVERTISING

Sue O’Quinn, Sales Representative sue@northernwilds.com

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Katie Viren • katie@northernwilds.com

Drew Johnson • drew@northernwilds.com

OFFICE

Roseanne Cooley • billing@northernwilds.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Erin Altemus, Brian Knutson, Dick Dorr, Elle Andra-Warner, Gary Fiedler, Gord Ellis, Javier Serna, Joseph Friedrichs, Kelsey Roseth, Michael Marquart, Paul Sundberg, Travis Novitsky

Copyright 2015 by Northern Wilds Media, Inc. Published 12 times per year. Subscription rate is $28 per year or $52 for 2 years U.S. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part requires written permission from the publishers. Northern Wilds Media, Inc. P.O. Box 26, Grand Marais, MN 55604 (218) 387-9475 (phone/fax)

Shore Menu Guide. Also, we welcome back Breana Roy, who was part of our team when she was going to college and is now our editorial assistant. As always, our print shop in Grand Marais is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.—Shawn Perich and Amber Pratt

FEATURES GUIDES DEPARTMENTS

This collecting senator literally rocks

COLVILL—When motorists speed past Minn. State Senator Chuck Wiger’s Hwy. 61 property at 55 mph, it’s nearly impossible to see or appreciate what he’s done and continues to do on his land.

“I enjoy collecting rocks and creating designs with them,” says Wiger. “I also love animals. The landscape I’ve created on my land reflects my deep appreciation for rocks and wildlife. The beautiful cliffs, Lake Superior, native critters and birds inspire me to do what I do,” he says.

Located on Hwy. 61 in Colvill just over eight miles east of Grand Marais, Wiger regularly roams his land as he has done for the past six years. He collects and displays driftwood, found art, and innumerable other objects including metal sculptures (one being a near-life-size moose), chainsaw-carved and hand-carved wildlife, crafted seagulls, cast sculptures, tree-climbing bears, old signs, miniature lighthouses, birch bark, and rocks. Lots of rocks – balanced rocks, teeter-tottered rocks, a rock cairn over12 feet tall, smooth rocks, rough rocks, shiny rocks, dull rocks, basalt rocks and granite rocks.

There’s also Woody, the resident, rock-caretaking woodchuck who lives

among the rocks and oversees Wiger’s work, sometimes adjusting or rearranging the rocks as he clambers over them.

Most of the sculptures Wiger displays were purchased from local artists. He says, “Each animal carving or sculpture I have is of critters that I’ve seen up here, even the mountain lion.”

“It’s my hobby, a work in progress,” says Wiger, who since 1997 has represented parts of Ramsey and Washington counties that encompass a large portion of the Twin Cities metro area.

Wiger’s hobby produces a landscape that’s meant to be looked at, studied, and appreciated slowly – section by section. He notes that the colorful seasonal flowers, especially the roses he has throughout his landscape, are among his favorites, providing beautiful contrasts to the gray rocks and sun-bleached driftwood.

“It’s fun to assemble the rocks, especially the rock cairn, into their configurations,” says Wiger. “I’m just an amateur from the Cities who comes up and thoroughly enjoys the North Shore area.”

—Deke Burnham

Chuck regularly rearranges each rock by hand, creating many balanced-rock formations that topple when real wildlife comes by for a look.

| DEKE BURNHAM

With Lake Superior a stone’s throw away, this nearly life-size metal moose appears to scan Hwy. 61 in Colvill. | DEKE BURNHAM

Ride a submarine

RED ROCK—The new Red Rock Marina Interpretive Centre opened on May 16. The centre hosts nine interactive exhibits that focus on the historical, biological and geological aspects unique to Red Rock and the area. The largest permanent exhibit, sponsored by Parks Canada, showcases the proposed Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area through a fourseat, animated submarine ride.

The centre tells the story of Red Rock from the beginning of the community to today, including the significance of the mill, the prisoner of war camp and the evolution of the community. Red Rock was built as a mill town and has seen many changes as it transitions to a destination with amazing scenery and outdoor activities on the shores of Lake Superior. The marina centre and the adjacent park provide a natural meeting place for visi -

Thunder Bay’s famous Sleeping Giant as viewed from the marina docks at Prince Arthur’s Landing. The newly renovated waterfront area has become the city’s focal point for recreation, arts and activities. | SHAWN PERICH

Ok, it’s not a real submarine, but kids enjoy the ride. | SUBMITTED

tors coming by land or lake. You can also have fun at the splash pad, explore the boardwalk with its many viewing scopes and enjoy the abundance of nature.

The building is open seven days a week from 8:30 a.m.–8 p.m. For more information, visit the Township of Red Rock’s website at www.redrocktownship.com and click on the Marina tab.

Sponsored by Mark D. Consulting, LLC Serving Businesses and Residential Customers. 218-663-7149 Mark@MarkDConsulting.com

ROBERT J. DAVIS, AIA, ARCHITECT Design 1 of Eden Prairie, LLC 9973 Valley View Rd., Eden Prairie, MN 55344 612-723-8590 www.Design1ep.com

National Geographic embraces the North Shore

ATIKOKAN—With the backing of one of the most recognized organizations throughout the world – the National Geographic Society – geotourism has arrived to the North Shore. The National Geographic Society (NGS) and the Heart of the Continent Partnership (HOCP) joined forces to bring geotourism to an area encompassing 5.5 million acres (2.2 hectares) within an approximate geographic triangle, having Duluth, Thunder Bay and International Falls as the corner points. This massive region is the largest expanse of public greenspace in the heart of North America, hence the name Heart of the Continent.

Geotourism is tourism that sustains or enhances the geographic character of a place, its environment, businesses, cultures, aesthetics and heritage. The teaming of HOCP with NGS as a geotourism destination places the region into very selective company–only about 20 geotourism destinations in the world are designated as such. The designation highlights the unique and authentic travel experiences the region has to offer. It helps enhance and promote the area to targeted travel markets, such as international tourists who want to experience a sense of place, cultural heritage and natural beauty.

The HOCP and the NGS asked people from all over the multi-million acre Minnesota-Ontario region to tell their stories and provide information on the places most respected and recommended by local residents. These voices and recommendations are now available to the world via websites, online interactive maps and a mobile app.

Linda Kratt of Visit Cook County in Grand Marais says, “It’s another opportunity to promote our area whether it be dining, lodging, stores, or the natural beauty here. We submitted some of our highest falls, highest mountain in the state, and other notable sites.”

The prestige of having the NGS promote this region is not to be taken lightly. The NGS’s high-quality maps, magazines, writing, photography, film projects and websites are respected around the world. Now the North Shore’s equally high-quality geography is available to the world as a way to increase tourism and facilitate wise stewardship.

The interactive map, website and app will be an ongoing collaborative management program between the NGS and the HOCP. Viewers are presented with photographs and information that have been provided by local businesses, organizations, residents, tourists and many others who have an interest in supplying info.

HOCP Coordinator Chris Stromberg, who is based in Atikokan, Ontario, says, “There are tourism campaigns out there that have come and gone, but the Heart of the Continent Partnership continues to move forward by stakeholders and local people who love to live here.”

Linda Kratt says “It’s not only about bricks and mortar, it’s also about the special amenities we have here in nature. People can submit information about their businesses to National Geographic through the Heart of the Continent website.”

Additional information is available at www.traveltheheart.org and www. heartofthecontinent.org— Deke Burnham

The Minnesota-Ontario Heart of the Continent region covers 5.5 million acres. | HOCP

[LEFT] HOCP participants enjoy a group paddling session. [RIGHT] Mining is a cornerstone of the Heart of the Continent’s economy. | HOCP

Fish Project seeks females age 16 to 50

GRAND MARAIS—Women and teen girls can make a positive health impact on themselves and others by participating in the North Shore Fish Project that ends this month. In exchange for a free and confidential visit lasting around 45 minutes and a blood draw of about one teaspoon, participants receive a $50 VISA card. A follow-up visit might be requested in six months.

Joyce Klees is the Fish Project coordinator and a registered nurse at Sawtooth Mountain Clinic in Grand Marais. She says, “The Fish Project ends the last day of June or once we have 500 participants.”

Turn-out has been good, but approximately 50 more females are needed. It’s okay if participants are pregnant.

“We’re looking for women along the North Shore from Two Harbors to Thunder Bay,” says Klees. Although the project prefers females who eat fish, it’s not a requirement. “The Fish Project is focusing on looking at the blood-mercury level in women and their fish consumption,” she says.

Mercury is a contaminant. It’s commonly found in fish, and this is a concern for many. The project will send confidential mercury-level reports to each participant and also report back to the community with a public presentation this fall.

Pat McCann is a research scientist at the Minn. Dept. of Health and the driving force behind the entire Fish Project. Minnesota wants to provide accurate information about which fish have the lowest amount of contaminants.

“Women of child-bearing age are a group that we want to reach because they’re the ones who could possibly transfer the mercury to a baby,” McCann said. “It’s mercury exposure we’re most concerned about.”

Eating fish is a nutritious way to help almost everyone be healthy. Those are facts that are already known. But some types of fish are better than others, for women and men alike. One objective of the Fish Project is to inform and educate people on which fish are better to eat. For example, Lake Superior’s whitefish, herring,

Whitefish, herring, smelt, coho salmon, and rainbow trout have lower levels of mercury. Shele Toftey of Dockside Fish Market in Grand Marais displays a Lake Superior smoked whitefish. | DEKE BURNHAM

smelt, Coho salmon, and rainbow trout are better because they have lower levels of mercury.

Fish with high mercury levels include Chinook salmon and lake trout. This is because they eat other fish and accumulate the mercury from them.

“These fish live longer, thereby attaining higher mercury levels because they consume a greater number of fish throughout their longer life spans,” McCann said.

Fish are a good source of nutrition with many health benefits. The Health Dept. doesn’t want to discourage people from eating fish.

“We want everyone to eat fish, but to choose those with lower contaminant levels,” McCann said.

The Sawtooth Mountain Clinic website has an excellent 11-minute video that interviews local participants, and further explains the Fish Project. See it at www.sawtoothmountainclinic.org. Women are urged to take part in the Fish Project by contacting the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic at (218) 387-2330 or the Grand Portage Health Service at (218) 475-2235. —Deke Burnham

Wolves increase in lower 48 State parks install bike stations

ST. PAUL—The Minnesota DNR has installed 31 new bicycle tune-up stations in state parks and on state trails. The stations are equipped with basic bike maintenance tools, including air pumps.

“These stations are a convenient new amenity on our trails,” says Andrew Korsberg, DNR state trail program coordinator. “They make it easy to pump up tires or do some light maintenance on your bike while out on a ride.”

In the Northern Wilds, tune-up stations are now available at Jay Cooke, Gooseberry and Split Rock Lighthouse state parks. The stations were purchased as part of the Pedal Minnesota (www.pedalmn.com) initiative, which strives to make Minnesota the “Bike Friendly State.” Funding for most of the stations was made possible through a grant from the Federal Recreational Trails Program and matching state funds. To access a map with locations of the new tune-up stations, visit www.mndnr.gov/biking.

ELY—A minimum of 5,600 gray wolves now live in the U.S. outside of Alaska, according to the International Wolf Center. Recent state counts of gray wolves everywhere from the Upper Midwest through the West and Southwest show that populations are faring well in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Arizona and New Mexico and increasing in several of these states. The Upper Midwest hosts some 3,700 wolves while a minimum of 1,800 inhabit the West. After years of effort, even the numbers of Mexican wolves, a local race of the gray wolf, have increased to over 100 in the past year.

The only exception to the growing wolf population trend is in North Carolina, where the critically endangered population of red wolves has dropped by more than 10 percent over the past two years. Recent estimates reflect that fewer than 90 red wolves are known to exist in the wild.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists gray wolves as endangered except in Minnesota, where they are classed as threatened. In Idaho and Montana they are state-managed and subject to public hunting and trapping. Researchers point out, though, that wolf populations in these states are holding their own or increasing.

Early in the 20th century, wolves were extirpated (nearly completely annihilated) by government efforts to poison them throughout most of the 48 states. In 1967 they were placed on the federal Endangered Species List when only about 750 remained in northeastern Minnesota and Isle Royale National Park. They were then protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, reintroduced in the West in 1995 and 1996 and have increased ever since, both in numbers and geographic range.

Butch and Amy Kuronen’s updated kitchen sets the stage for new memories in their 100-year-old home. Thanks to our certified award-winning designers, creating a space that draws the family together is as easy as pie. Discover the stories, products and process giving families across the region a better sense of place.

Cyclists can tune up their bicycles at state parks. | MN DNR

New Superior Hiking Trail section to open

TWO HARBORS—A new section of the Superior Hiking Trail opens in June. Work continues at a steady pace to have the upcoming trail section ready for the projected June 6 opening, which is National Trails Day. This 5.9mile section goes from the Jay Cooke State Park Visitor Center, southwest of Duluth, to Wild Valley Road. This is one of the last two sections of the Superior Hiking Trail to be built in order to link the Superior Hiking Trail with the North Country National Scenic Trail in Wisconsin.

From the Visitor Center, the trail will cross the famous Swinging Bridge. From the bridge, there are amazing views of the rapids of the St. Louis River. The route then shares several state park trails for about three miles, with river and forest views. After that, the route becomes the narrow SHT footpath for several more miles through the park with views of the St. Louis River Valley.

The new section won’t be added to the Guide to the Superior Hiking Trail until a new edition is issued, likely in 2016, but a trail section document will be available with

complete information on trailhead parking and the trail route. There are no SHT backcountry campsites in this section, but there are four state park fee backcountry campsites close to the SHT that can be used with advance registration.

Outdoor company REI gave SHTA $4,000 toward constructing this trail section.

“The segment is an amazing section of Jay Cook State Park that has a lot of interesting ascents and descents in high, clay-banked areas,” says SHTA executive director Gayle Coyer.

Constructing the final section to the Wisconsin border may offer some challenges.

“We’ll be going across Minnesota state forest land, crossing a little-known stream called the Red River, which was severely impacted by the June 2012 flood. We have to figure out a good crossing of that river.”

—Deke Burnham

Beginning at the Jay Cooke State Park Visitor Center, the new hiking trail crosses the St. Louis River via the iconic Swinging Bridge. | SUPERIOR HIKING TRAIL ASSOCIATION

Frustrated landowner closes Superior Hiking Trail segment

TWO HARBORS—Infrequent but increasing numbers of bad-mannered Superior Hiking Trail users traversing a popular section of private property the past few years have caused an immediate closing, detour and eventual reroute through public land west of the now-closed private land.

Property owner Randy Bowe, a Duluth taxidermist who on May 1 closed off 1.6 miles of his private land to further SHT use said, “It’s a privilege, not a right, to be using private property. My family and I spent a lot of sleepless nights contemplating what to do about this. It got to the point where the cons outweighed the pros.”

According to Bowe, the cons included too many deserted, smoldering campfires, some hostile hikers and criticism of his ATV use on his own land. “It’s a case of the few ruining it for the many,” said Bowe. Problems with hikers have increased as the trail has grown in popularity. This is the first time since SHT’s inception that a private landowner has shut down private-property access previously granted to the hiking group.

SHT Executive Director Gayle Coyer said, “We had what’s called a simple permit with Randy. He decided it wasn’t working out to have the trail on his property and he asked us to close that portion.”

The now-closed segment interrupts the trail from the northern boundary of Gooseberry Falls State Park to Split Rock River Wayside. It was a popular section in the heart of the trail. Coyle said, “We’ll be working to reroute the trail on public land to the west of the private land. Ideally

the new section will be ready to go by the late fall this year.”

Although the SHT passes chiefly through public land, it crosses approximately 50 sections of private land. The hiking trail had been on Bowe’s property for over 30 years.

Bowe said, “The hiking trail association has been great. They’ve gone out of their way, both in the past and now, to add signage on my land and to educate the people on their website. On both ends of the trail on my property, signs are in place, along with brush and deadfall put over the trail to indicate that it’s now closed,” he said.

“People who use the SHT are very supportive and very apologetic that a few others have treated my property and family so poorly and caused this issue,” said Bowe.

Now the SHT’s top priority is to help hikers get around the closed section. “With a temporary detour now in place, there’s a larger effort we need to undertake to do a reroute around the closed section. We have permission to scout and flag public areas, but then an entire approval process is required before we can construct the new trail segment,” said Coyer.

The Superior Hiking Trail Association is a private nonprofit group that maintains and manages the 296mile trail and its 93 campsites. It runs from Jay Cooke State Park, south of Duluth, to the Canadian border. —Deke Burnham

Cook County solar survey

GRAND MARAIS—Cook County Local Energy Project, CCLEP, is compiling a list of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems installed in Cook County. PV owners who use grid, grid with battery back up or non-grid tied systems, are encouraged to fill out the survey and send it to CCLEP. The data will be used to describe the general picture of how PV systems are being used in Cook County. Personal information is not for public use.

This survey is part of a larger CCLEP endeavor, the Solar Initiative Project. This is to raise awareness of the benefits of PV systems and to assist Cook County residents in evaluating options that work best for them. A main component is to create a solar toolbox of information that compiles solar information into one place and to promote its use in Cook County. The toolbox is currently being written and organized and will be made public this

Solar Installation Survey

summer. The project is supported by a grant from the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation.

Surveys can be found on the CCLEP website, www. cookcountylocalenergy.org. To receive an electronic copy, email localenergy@boreal.org. There are also printed surveys at Grand Portage ENP, Hovland Post Office, Grand Marais Public Library, Cook County Community Center and Arrowhead Cooperative’s office.

Solar Installation Survey

CCLEP is compiling a list of solar PV systems in Cook County. If you own one, please find the survey on our website: www.cookcountylocalenergy.org or email localenergy@boreal.org for an electronic form

CCLEP is compiling a list of solar PV systems in Cook County. If you own one, please find the survey on our website: www.cookcountylocalenergy.org or email localenergy@boreal.org for an electronic form

1st Place People Category 2014, Rock on with Kids by Lauri Hohman, Silver Bay

Greeley persuaded four clients, including two juveniles, to buy tags for the wrong zone when they weren’t drawn for the zone Greeley guides in. Another client without a bear license videotaped himself shooting a bear and bragging about it. That bear was tagged by the hunter’s father. Officers obtained a search warrant and seized a bear rug.

will be awarded by category and include: First Place: $250 in class credits at the North House Folk School in Grand Marais. Second Place: $50. Third Place: $25 Deadline Sept. 30

GRAND MARAIS—A Minnesota bear guide faces significant fines and restitution after recently pleading guilty in Cook and Faribault county district courts to illegally hunting bear, deer and other animals. This follows a multi-year Minnesota DNR poaching investigation.

Brandon R. Greeley, 28, a resident of Blue Earth and a licensed bear guide in Tofte, is well known to DNR conservation officers in northern and southern Minnesota as a chronic poacher with previous fishing, trapping and hunting violations.

After the latest investigation wrapped up, Greeley was convicted of several gross misdemeanor and misdemeanor charges, fined nearly $4,000, and had his hunting privileges revoked for three years.

Conservation officers began investigating Greeley in 2012, and it became apparent that he violated game laws involving bear, deer, furbearing animals and fish.

Greeley’s illegal activities with clients included reports of not having the proper zone license to hunt bear in a given area, illegally transferring a bear tag, failure to register a bear, and lending a bear license. Multiple other bear violations, committed by other hunters, were also detected during the extensive investigation.

Greeley was also accused of shooting two bears in 2012 without a license and using a client’s bear tag. DNR records indicate that the client’s tag had been used to register four bears from 2007-2011, but the client had only taken two bears and couldn’t account for the registration of the additional bears.

Three search warrants executed at properties owned by Greeley and his parents in Blue Earth, Winnebago and Tofte uncovered a bevy of illegal game. It provided investigative leads from the Iowa border area to northern Minnesota to Mississippi, involving multiple emails and pictures of unlawful natural resources activities.

Investigators seized more than 100 items during the searches, including over 150 traps, six black bear hides, multiple deer quarters, furbearing animals and fish. Over the next several months after the search warrants, conservation officers spent a considerable amount of time combing through evidence, detecting violation after violation. Officers then worked closely with prosecutors in both Cook and Faribault counties to have Greeley charged.

During recent sentencing in Cook County, Greeley was convicted of a gross misdemeanor involving the unlawful transportation of wild animals and ordered to pay fines and restitution of $2,420. Greeley was also convicted of a misdemeanor involving the illegal taking of deer without a hunting license. In both instances Greeley was ordered by Cook County District Court Judge Michael Cuzzo not to be present in any hunting camp; not be in the field or accompany or assist any other hunters, including but not limited to, guiding, transporting, baiting, scouting, or possession of big game; and not to engage in any hunting, guiding, or outfitting activities. Greeley will also lose hunting privileges for three years.

In Faribault County, Greeley was convicted of misdemeanor illegal taking, buying, selling, transporting, or possessing of protected wild animals and faces $1,495 in fines and restitution.

Demmer honored with arts award

DULUTH—The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council named Amy Demmer, executive director of the Grand Marais Art Colony, as the recipient for this year’s Maddie Simons Advocate Award. Demmer transformed the Colony by involving the Board and whole community in the process of its growth.

Moving to Grand Marais in 2006 after working in several Minnesota communities, as well as in Spain, Cuba, and Chile, Demmer believes good work begins on a small scale and creates lasting impact by engaging the community. Her enthusiasm for the arts, ability to hear and value ideas from others, and skill at focusing ideas into useable programs, have had a major impact on the arts in the Grand Marais community.

In the last five years, Demmer led the Art Colony through a time of struggle and confusion to where it is today: a true center of art-making for all ages. She built on the organization’s strengths while expanding

programming into new areas beyond anything previously envisioned. She dramatically increased the variety of mediums being taught and geared the classes to community members.

Demmer expanded the class offerings to include instruction in sculpture, book arts, print¬making, pottery, glass, and encaustic and sumi-e painting. She opens the pottery studio to artists and community members every fall for Empty Bowls, a fundraising event for the local food shelf. She also encourages students of all ages to work in the Art Colony’s well-equipped glass and print studios.

Demmer initiated after-school programs for children during the school year and through the summer. She also initiated a new month-long artist-in-residence program featuring artists such as painter Hazel Belvo and sculptors/printmakers Lee and Dan Ross. The community is welcome to visit and watch their progress.

Amy Demmer’s leadership invigorates the Grand Marais Art Colony. | SUBMITTED

The Maddie Simons Arts Advocate Award is named for Madeline Simons, the first volunteer Chair of the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council Board. A long-time resident of Grand Marais, she owned a dance studio, helped start the Grand Marais Playhouse, the Lutsen Art Fair, and Minnesota Citizens for the Arts.

Three adult leaders who have made significant contributions to the Boy Scouts of America’s Voyageurs Area Council in the Northland received one of Scouting’s highest volunteer awards. Chief Scout Executive Wayne Brock presented the Silver Beaver Award to Elaine Hansen of Duluth and to brothers Patrick Baumann of Virginia and Dan Baumann of Grand Marais during the Scouter Recognition Dinner for the Voyageurs Area Council at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. | SUBMITTED

Segway Tours opens in Grand Marais

GRAND MARAIS— James Linden and his wife, Dianne, are opening a new small business on May 29 called Grand Marais Segway Tours. More than merely transportation to see the town, the owners describe it as an experience unlike anything you’ve likely tried before.

“Riders become gliding pedestrians going from place to place in a truly invigorating manner,” says Jim Linden. “Individuals unable to walk long distances can travel in a fun and unique way while sight-seeing.”

They assure newbies that their Segway PTs are easy to balance, move forward, backward, turn and stop. Every Segway tour begins with personal hands-on training. Then a trained guide takes groups on bike paths to view nearby sites. Daily tours are scheduled to traverse at least two different areas, depending on the time of day, and are an hour and a half long. Because tours are expected to fill quickly, the owners suggest that reservations be made in advance.

Tours cost $45 per person. A 10 for 10 program is also available: $10 gets you a 10-minute ride, and the $10 can be applied to any available tour booked at the time of your training.

Segway Tours is located in downtown Grand Marais, across from Birchbark Gifts on 1st Ave. West.

Visit their website at www.grandmaraissegwaytours. com or call (612) 708-5177 to book your tour.

They promise it’s a “Moose-Do Event.”—Deke Burnham

Segway Tours are a “Moose-Do!” | SUBMITTED

Crafting the Wooden Canoe Two Who Teach the Tradition

BY ERIN ALTEMUS

Bark Canoes

Before there was Kevlar, aluminum, plastic or even canvas, there was birch bark—and that is what attracts Erik Simula to the oldest form of canoe.

Simula, born in Duluth, has lived in northern Minnesota all of his life, and now resides near Finland. He grew up paddling cedar strip and wood canvas canoes. He also worked for the Voyageur Outward Bound School in Ely for a time and, like Bourquin, nourished his love of canoeing and teaching outdoor skills at the school.

Simula said he was 20 years old when he first took great interest in birch bark canoes in museums and hung on the walls at resorts. He started doing research and realized that the bark canoes were really the original canoes (with the exception of dugout canoes, which were carved out of wood as opposed to constructed). He was intrigued.

At the same time he started learning more about Native American culture and married a native woman. They lived on the Leech Lake Reservation for a while and he began seeking out knowledge about building birch bark canoes, but often the knowledge wasn’t easily found.

Some of the advice was subtle. An elder would say, “I watched my grandfather and this is what I remember...”

Over time, the knowledge of birch bark canoes among Native Americans was becoming lost.

Simula said that the birch bark canoe is really an endangered cultural artifact. The traditions are not being passed on like they used to be. And, because of climate change, the birch trees are diminishing as well.

All northern tribes used these canoes, Simula said. There were differences between tribal forms because the canoes were built to the waterways that they were paddled on, and expanded on local material availability and technique preference.

It is all this history that makes Simula passionate for the birch bark canoe.

“There is a distinct beauty to the well-made birch bark canoe,” he said. “There’s something to be said about a canoe used for thousands of years.”

Simula built bark canoes for 15 years at Grand Portage National Monument, and in talking with visitors about the canoes, he said he found a number of common misconceptions. One is that many people think the white bark is on the outside. The reality is that the inside of the bark, which initially is yellow, then fades in sunlight to orange or red and eventually to white, found on the outside of the canoe. Also, people tend to think a birch bark canoe is easily made and quickly put together. Really, a functional canoe relies on good design, craftsmanship and select, durable materials. People have crossed Lake Superior in these canoes—they have to be made well.

In the last 20 years, Simula said there has been a resurgence of interest in birch bark canoes and this reflects the greater interest in retaining other aspects of traditional native culture, including native languages.

In 2009, Simula and his dog, Kitigan, paddled 1,000 miles in four months in his bark canoe.

“I wanted to paddle the Arrowhead Region where I grew up. It was a way of living for me, to visit friends and family and take side routes.”

Halfway through the trip, he had to replace a two-foot section of bark on the hull of the canoe. But this is another thing Simula likes about the birch bark canoe. If you need to repair it, you can.

Though it’s not easy to maintain. You have to learn about pitching and keeping the bark supple. Yet, Simula said, if you’re in a bark canoe, and you hit a rock, you might get a scratch, but the hull is really durable.

For Simula, the love of paddling a birch bark canoe is encompassed by the history and tradition of the material. But more than that he said, “it is a spiritual experience. Think about the natural materials—cedar, bark, root, pitch. If you’re in tune with nature, it’s a powerful connection.”

Eric Simula will be teaching a four-day course in the fundamentals of birch bark canoe construction prior to the Wooden Boat Show at North House Folk School June 19-21. He will also have some of his canoes on display.

[TOP] Erik Simula and his dog Kitigan paddled for four months in a canoe Simula built. [BOTTOM] Erik Simula’s bark canoes are pretty to look at and to paddle. | ERIK SIMULA

It’s a rare sight in 2015 to see a wood canoe gliding down a lake or river, even in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. More often, these wooden boats are hanging on a wall— too pretty to paddle, their owners might say.

There are builders still building wood canoes, however, and there are paddlers still wanting to paddle these boats, which compared to the modern day Kevlar canoe are heavier, more expensive and more work to maintain.

Bourquin Boats

Ask canoe builder Jeanne Bourquin why she has continued to build and paddle wood canvas canoes for several decades and she says most folks don’t realize how nice they are to paddle.

“It’s kind of alarming how few people paddle these canoes,” Bourquin said. “People think they are too archaic to use—they might fall apart or are too pretty.”

Bourquin, 62, grew up in Roseville and attended YMCA Camp Widjiwagan in Ely as a young woman. It was there that she paddled her first wood canvas canoe. Later Bourquin took a course at the Voyageur Outward Bound School (VOBS) in Ely in 1969 and later started guiding at the school.

At VOBS, a group of female guides decided to paddle the South Nahanni River together, a remote river known for its scenic beauty and large rapids. Bourquin wanted to paddle a wood canvas canoe on the Nahanni, so the group ended up with one wood canoe and two plastic canoes. Bourquin and a friend loaded up the brand new canoe and decided to practice lining rapids near Ely. They stuffed two Duluth packs with cast iron pans for weight. Practice was going well, Bourquin said, but then lining upstream, the canoe swung out into the river and was damaged—some broken ribs and a stem band needed replacement.

This was how Bourquin met Joe Seliga.

She and her friend brought the canoe over to Seliga’s place in Ely and he showed them how to make the repairs. She paddled the South Nahanni in this canoe without any more damage to the boat, but Bourquin joked, “I could have written a hiker’s guide to the South Nahanni.” They lined their boat around a lot of rapids.

Unfortunately, that boat, her first wood canvas canoe, burnt in the shed where it was stored that winter. Bourquin was 23 at the time.

Over a decade later, Bourquin found another wood canvas canoe to repair and she spent time at Widjiwagan working on Widji’s (as it’s often called) canoes and her own. She asked Jerry Stelmok to come teach a course in building wood canvas ca -

noes at Widji. Bourquin was able to keep the form from the class, and built a canoe for Widji from it. This, she said, launched her career.

In the 30 or so years since then, Bourquin has built about 60 canoes, including ones that people have built with her in classes at the North House Folk School in Grand Marais. She’s also had people travel to her shop in Ely to help build the canoe that they are buying.

“I’ve profited from being a woman [in this business],” Bourquin said. “It’s unusual to be a woman doing this.”

Ely was also home to canoe builder Joe Seliga, who passed away in 2005. Seliga and his wife, Nora, built hundreds of boats together, many of which were sold to Camp Widjiwagan and Sommers Wilderness Canoe Base. Today Widjiwagan maintains one of the largest fleets of wood canvas canoes in the world with 100 boats. Seliga gave Widjiwagan his canoe forms before he passed, so the camp can continue to build his canoe designs. YMCA Camp Menogyn on the Gunflint Trail also maintains a fleet of 27 wood canvas canoes.

Bourquin said she learned from Stelmok, Seliga, and other builders and eventually designed her own boat called the Otter, which is her signature canoe.

“It’s a small, tandem, wilderness tripping canoe,” she said.

Bourquin and her husband own a handful of canoes—and she still finds time to paddle.

“It’s really meditative. I didn’t realize that until I started learning about meditation. You aren’t being distracted. I think that’s why people feel so healthy on canoe trips. It’s hard to multi-task—you’re just in the present, paddling to the next portage and walking across.”

In the past, Bourquin has taught a full course on building your own wood canvas canoe at North House. This year, before the Wooden Boat Show, she will teach a class on building a square back wood canoe using Joe Seliga’s Fisherman form that he built in 1943.

[TOP RIGHT] Jeanne Bourquin teaches wood canvas canoe construction and repair. | NHFS [BOTTOM RIGHT] A selection of Bourquin canoes graces a shoreline. | JEANNE BOURQUIN

Plein Air Needn’t be a Stuffy Affair

Folks throughout Cook County this summer and fall might wonder why all types of people are painting outside five days a week at small easels. The answer is likely to be Joi Electa—a tall and energetic plein air painter who breathes her artistic and enthusiastic teaching powers into beginning and experienced painters alike.

There’s plenty of room to paint in the open air—and Electa is no stuffed shirt when it comes to who can do plein air painting. Plein air is French for open air.

Electa began painting at the age of seven at her grandmother’s side. She later attended the University of South Dakota and Studio Academy School of Advertising, Art & Design. “But to be honest,” she says, “that’s not my true art education, although they look good on paper.” Electa says her real education began when Grand Marais hosted its very first plein air event.

She says, “Scott Lloyd Anderson and other top painters were here. I wanted to attend so deeply that I hauled my huge studio easel out onto the rocks. Anderson walked up to me and said, ‘You must really, really want to do this.’” She sure did.

“I painted for two years at the sides of top-echelon artists when they came to Grand Marais, “ Electa recounts, “and learned more by painting with other artists than I ever learned from formal schooling.”

Beginners can reserve a spot at her Painting Adventures class by visiting www.joielecta.com. She supplies everything. “You’ll be amazed at what you paint!” she says.—Deke Burnham Photos courtesy Joi Electa.

This piece from a plein air competition depicts the falls in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and an old, abandoned mill. “Plein air paintings display images, not precise representations, of what a place looks like. It should give you a feeling of what it felt like to stand there and look at it,” Electa says. “One thing I teach that was taught to me is that when you look at a scene, look at it through your eye lashes. Squint. You want to take out the detail that doesn’t matter.”

“This is an old sauna near Finland that’s still in use, I believe. It’s gorgeous in the fall because of the orange hawk weed and the white daisies.” Electa says, “An 11 by 14 like this usually takes me about three hours to paint—plus 30 years of trial and error. Also, for every one I paint, there’s 10 that I don’t show.”

“Six of us painted on this stormy day beneath my big umbrella and the lift gate at the back of my van. It’s the Baptism River near Finland,” says Electa. Avid plein air painters don’t always encounter dry and sunny days. Undeterred, Electa told this class it was time to have fun. She says, “Because the scenery was so dark, I pulled out canvases I had already painted black. Undercoats of varying colors set proper moods depending on what’s being painted.”

Joi Electa holds supportive critic Thelma Louise Wigglebottom. | DEKE BURNHAM

Jewelers who Connect with Nature

The Grand Marais Art Colony is presenting the works of several nature-inspired jewelers at a group trunk show on Saturday, June 13 at 6:30 p.m. The show is part of a four-day event titled Findings: A Jewelry Symposium that runs June 11-14 at the Art Colony.

The four jewelers featured on this page, like most, define “findings” in two related ways: as found objects discovered or uncovered while exploring nature; and as items they make and use to connect jewelry components into finished pieces.—Deke Burnham

Tova Lund’s skill as a jewelry artist and her curiosity about our relationship with the environment come together in this mixed-media necklace. Her eye integrates found objects into meticulously fabricated sculptural adornment. She currently resides in northern California and teaches at the College of the Redwoods. Lund earned her MFA at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and her BFA at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, where she has taught metalsmithing and 3D design classes. Her work has been featured in AmericanCraftMagazine and included in ArtJewelry Magazine. | TOVA LUND

Tedd McDonah creates works that speak of his love for the outdoors and his rural upbringing. He is a part-time studio artist, educator and tool-maker/ repairman who spends his summers as an avid angler. This decorative fishing lure demonstrates his many skills. McDonah’s techniques bridge the disciplines of blacksmithing, non-ferrous metalsmithing and jewelry making. He earned his MFA from Arizona State University and his BA in art from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. He lives in Millersville, Penn.

| TEDD MCDONAH

Saathoff is both a jewelry designer and an interactive, kinetic sculptor. He thinks of his jewelry as small-scale sculpture and his kinetic sculpture as large-scale jewelry. He teaches metalsmithing at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn. During the summer, he and his family explore Lake Superior on their 35-foot sailboat. | DANNY SAATHOFF

Becky McDonah has had her work published in Humor in Craft; Mixed Metal; JewelryWorkshop; 500MetalVessels; and Metalsmithmagazine. This piece is her Cootie Wall Mount. She heads up the Fine Art Metals Area at Millersville University in Penn. and currently serves on the Society of North American Goldsmiths Board of Directors. She received her MFA from Arizona State University and BA from the University of WisconsinLaCrosse. McDonah has participated in numerous national and international exhibitions and has lectured and presented workshops across the country.

| BECKY MCDONAH

Danny

Towering Pines Canopy Tour

Towering Pines Canopy Tour at Gunflint Lodge is the most exciting new way to experience the wilderness get a bird’s eye view plus a thrilling ride through the treetops! It’s a two-and-a-half hour nature adventure led by two sky guides.

Open Daily $89.00 per person Call 218-388-2296 for reservations.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner available at Red Paddle Bistro.

Gunflint Lodge is 43 miles up the Gunflint Trail from Grand Marais.

Minimum age is 10; maxiumum weight/person is 240 lbs.

• Boat tours on the mighty Nipigon River

• Hiking and kayak adventures

• Pro angling workshops for all ages

• Live entertainment

• Inflatables, family games and races

• See Dr. Cook’s historic rod and reel

• Visit the new brook trout display at the Nipigon Historical Museum

• Experience the Red Rock Indian Band Annual Pow Wow (at Lake Helen)

Emerald Ash Borer Workshop

May 28

Help reduce the impact of the emerald ash borer on North Shore communities by learning to identify ash tree symptoms. This workshop also provides information about management of urban and forest ash trees and the effects of quarantines. Activities include a field trip to inspect local ash trees. Cook County Community Center, Grand Marais 10 a.m. – noon. www.arrowheadinvasives.org

Northern Landscapes Festival

May 29-31

Eleven courses at the North House Folk School in Grand Marais offer featured speakers Bob Janssen, birder and author; Chel Anderson, naturalist and author; and a free family program. Discover the birds, wildflowers, geology and more of the dynamic and rich Northern Wilds landscape. The Northern Landscapes Festival features a series of interrelated, field-focused courses complemented by presentations and programs. In addition to featured speakers are ecology, geology, and birding courses plus self-guided birding at Chik-Wauk and a community pizza bake. www.northhouse.org

Artwork from the Janna Brown Exhibit at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery. | SUBMITTED

Art and Ambiance Art Auction

June 5

The Thunder Bay Art Gallery has rescheduled the 2015 Art and Ambiance Art Auction to take place on Friday, June 5. This popular event includes appetizers, a cash bar, raffle prizes, live music by local musicians Robin Ranger with Damon Dowbak, and a live and silent auction to support the gallery’s exhibition and education programs. Tickets are $45 and are available for purchase at the art gallery. Also featured at the TB Art Gallery this summer are numerous exhibits, including Janna Brown: Still Echoes Resound from June 12 - Sept. 6. www.theag.ca

Grand Marais Classic Car Show

June 6

Vote for your favorite car, truck or motorcycle at Harbor Park in Grand Marais during the annual Classic Car Show. The show is free and will take place from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., rain or shine. The SplinterTones will provide live music from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Awards will be given out to participates at the Voyageur Brewery at 3:15 p.m. www.visitcookcounty.com

Thunder Bay Mining Day

June 6

The 3rd annual Thunder Bay Mining Day will be held at the Marina Park on Lake Superior, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Activities include gold panning with real gold, a treasure hunt, numerous exhibits and presentations, Geologist Peter Vanstone, mining equipment simulators, a helicopter, and more. www.thunderbayminingday.ca

If it is made of wood and floats, you’ll likely see it on display at the Wooden Boat Show in Grand Marais June 19-21. | NHFS

Try your hand panning for gold at Thunder Bay Mining Day. | SUBMITTED

GUNFLINT TRAIL HOSTS first-ever Boundary Waters Expo

June 12-14

The Gunflint Trail community is hosting a brandnew event June 12-14: the Boundary Waters Expo. You might call it an outdoor sport show, set against the backdrop of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The Expo will be held at the Sea Gull Lake Public Landing, just off the Gunflint Trail.

“We thought it would be a nice place to have a canoe show,” says Quinn McCloughan of Bearskin Lodge.

An impressive line-up of exhibitors will be on hand to display products and provide hands-on demonstrations. Just in case it rains, the vendors will be housed in a large tent. But the demonstrations will be outside and on the water.

“Folks will be able to try and compare various canoes from several manufacturers,” McCloughan says.

Canoe manufacturers include Souris River Canoes, Sanborn Canoe Company, Stewart River Boatworks, Nova Craft Canoes, Northstar Canoes and St. Croix Canoes. Other exhibitors include Camp Chow, Cooke Custom Sewing, Duluth Pack, Eagles Nest Outfitters, Enlightened Equipment, Exped, Frost River, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, Nemo Equipment, Outdoor Research and Sealskinz.

“The manufacturers are excited to get up on the Gunflint Trail,” McCloughan says. “For instance, a company like Duluth Pack can show off its packs in the place where its reputation was built.”

A number of speakers will give hands-on presentations throughout the three-day event. Topping the list is author Cliff Jacobson, who has penned numerous books about wilderness canoeing and camping.

Legendary paddler Bob O’Hara, who has made the first descents of many Arctic rivers, will be on hand, too. Local presenters include fishing guide Cory Christianson, emergency medical responders Kelly and Paul Dahl and former Quetico park ranger Jon

Nelson. A highlight of the event will be a Saturday evening bonfire, where Jacobson, O’Hara and others will tell stories.

Since this is the first year of the expo, no one knows what to expect in terms of turnout. McCloughan says mid-June generally brings good numbers of visitors to the Gunflint Trail and North Shore. He hopes some BWCAW paddlers will go to the expo as a prelude to their canoe trip. While some folks may come to the area specifically to attend the expo, others may check it out once they hear about it. Visit Cook County is promoting the event through vari -

ous outlets. The Gunflint Trail Association and Visit Cook County will have booths to promote the BWCAW and local businesses at the show.

The expo will begin on Friday afternoon, but will go on all day Saturday and Sunday. Food will be provided throughout the event by Double D’s BBQ. A raffle featuring gear from exhibitors and other prizes will take place as well.

After the expo on Sunday, the Gunflint Trail Historical Society will sponsor a Shrimp Boil and Bake Sale in the adjacent Gunflint Trail Fire Dept. Community Center. All profits will benefit the historical society and the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center. That event begins at 4 p.m., capping off what will be a fun weekend for anyone who enjoys the canoe country.

“We want to get people more excited about the Boundary Waters and the Gunflint Trail,” says Quinn McCloughan. –Shawn Perich

NSMA features

Guy Davis

June 6

Guy Davis is a man of many talents. He’s a musician, composer, actor, director and writer, but he’s best known as a bluesman. He has been nominated for nine W.C. Handy Awards, including “Best Traditional Blues Album,” “Best Blues Song,” and “Best Acoustic Blues Artist.” He’s also appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion, Larry Groce’s Mountain Stage and David Dye’s World Café. Guy Davis will be performing at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts in Grand Marais. Tickets are $15 adults, $5 youth. Purchase tickets at the door, or online at www.tix.com. Show begins at 7:30 p.m. www.northshoremusicassociation.com

Duluth Superior Sailing Association Open House

June 6 & 13

Come learn what it takes to sail on Lake Superior at the Duluth Superior Sailing Association Open House on Saturday, June 6 and 13. It takes place from noon-3 p.m. and will provide free rides. The open house will be located at the Superior boat launch, past the Park Point recreation pier. www.sailingforall.org

Findings: A Jewelry Symposium

June 11-14

The Grand Marais Art Colony and Minnesota Jewelry Arts Guild are hosting a brand new event for beginner and professional artists, as well as art lovers. This fourday event will feature courses, demonstrations, and lectures on the art of jewelry making. Classes include Metal Piercing, Titanium Constructed Jewelry, Forming with the Hydraulic Press, Saltwater Etching, Wax Working, and more. www.grandmaraisartcolony.org

Split Rock Lighthouse Open House

June 13

Enjoy the beauty and history of Minnesota’s North Shore during an open house at Split Rock Lighthouse and State Park from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Admission is free to both the Lighthouse and the State Park on this day only. Tour the light station, keeper’s house and fog-signal building. Stop by the Visitor Center to see exhibits on the North Shore’s tourism and commercial fishing industries, and view a film about the early shipping industry on Lake Superior.

We are open during construction!

Seasonal Exhibit:

The Paper Trail of the Guntflint Trail

Diaries, letters and brochures collected from resorts and residents from years past.

Shrimp Boil & Bake Sale

June 14, 4 p.m

Seagull Lake Community Center $15/plate

Boundary Waters Archeology Presentation

June 21, 2 p.m

Seagull Lake Community Center Grand Portage National Monument archeologist Bill Clayton presents on Northwoods Archeology projects

Gunflint Trail Explorers

Tuesdays: June 30th - August 18th

An all-day program for kids including crafts, letterboxing and nature activities.

Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center

28 Moose Pond Drive,Grand Marais, MN 55604

55 miles up the Gunflint Trail. Open daily from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m through mid-October.

218-388-9915

info@chikwauk.com · www.chikwauk.com

Seagull Lake Community Center is located at 7 Seagull Lake Access Road off the Gunflint Trail

Split Rock Lighthouse offers spectacular views of Lake superior. | SUBMITTED

Saturday, June 6, 2015 11am - 3pm

12 Classes • Cars, Trucks, Bikes • 25 Awards • $10 Pre-registration – $15 Day of Event

Classic cars on display on Wisconsin Street Viewing is free to the public

Spend the night in Grand Marais! Check out our website for accommodations!

VisitCookCounty.com 1-888-922-5000 • info@visitcookcounty.com

Featuring Minnesota-made artwork, paintings, photography and unique, handcrafted items such as fine silver jewelry, beautiful beeswax and soy candles, turned wood, glass art, gorgeous pottery and more.

*Join our free book exchange, just bring a book and take a book*

Now open 7 days a week

Stop in and say hello; we’d love to meet you and show you all of the wonderful changes we’ve made!

Our new website is now live! Check it out at www.kahneetah.com

Fort William Relay for Life

June 19

Join the fight to end cancer at the Relay for Life event, sponsored by the Canadian Cancer Society. Event will take place at Fort William Historical Park in Thunder Bay, Ontario from 6 p.m.-12 a.m. www. visitnorthwestontario.com

Wooden Boat Show & Summer Solstice Festival

June 19-21

Join the North House Folk School in Grand Marais for one of its biggest celebrations of the year. Inspired by boat builders, sailors and travelers, this family friendly educational event offers numerous courses, demonstrations and activities. Highlights include a wooden boat display, wood carving for kids, a boat parade, silent and live auctions, live music, food, and more. www.northhouse.org

Tuesday... Gooseberry State Park, 3 pm meet in front of park offices

Wednesday... Temperance River State Park, 3 pm meet in parking lot on lake side

Thursday... Grand Marais, 3 pm meet at

Bay Marina Sat, July 18 & Sun, July 19

[ABOVE AND BELOW] Spectators at the Wooden Boat Show. | NHFS

July 3 & 4

Art & Music

JUNE EVENTS

Grandma’s Marathon

June 20

Test your speed and endurance with the annual Grandma’s Marathon race, totaling 26.2 grueling miles. The race will start at 7:45 a.m. in Two Harbors and end in Canal Park, Duluth. The Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon (13.1 miles) will also be taking place, as well as the William A. Irvin 5K, held on June 19, totaling 3.1 miles. Grandma’s Marathon will also be featuring live music Friday and Saturday night with Rock the Big Top Celebration, featuring Gloriana, Hitchville, Pop Rocks and Coyote Wild. Concerts will be held in Canal Park, Duluth. www.grandmasmarathon. com

SATURDAYS IN JUNE • 11 A.M. e Mu n Man Stories for young children.

TUESDAY JUNE 2 • 5 P.M. Full Moon Reading featuring Erin Altemus outside on the lakeshore

SATURDAY JUNE 6 • 5 P.M. Writer’s Salon with poet Sharon Chmielarz from Visibility: Ten Miles, a Prairie Memoir in Photography and Poetry

SATURDAY JUNE 20 • 5 P.M. Writer’s Salon with children’s author Lauren Stringer reading from When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky

WEDNESDAY JULY 1 8-9:15 P.M. Full Moon Musical Celebration featuring cellist Yvonne Caruthers, formerly of the NSO of Washinton D.C. Moonrise is at 8:27 p.m.

Racers rejoice after a long run. | SUBMITTED

Northwoods Fiber Guild Show

June 26-July 19

The Northwoods Fiber Guild show, “Through our Hands IV,” will feature a variety of fiber art including weaving, knitting, felting, jewelry, sculpture, gifts and more. The show opens with a reception from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, June 26, at the Johnson Heritage Post in Grand Marais. www.johnsonheritagepost.org

Kakabeka Falls Bluegrass Festival

June 26-28

The Thunder Bay Bluegrass & Old Tyme Music Association is a non-profit group of volunteers promoting Bluegrass and Old Tyme music in Northwest Ontario. They will hold the 7th annual Bluegrass Festival, located at the Kakabeka Falls Bible Camp. This year’s lineup includes The High 48s, Roe Family Singers, Porcupine Creek, Gibson Martin & I, Shades of Grey, Flipper Flannigan’s Flat Footed Four, and many more. www.kakabekafallsbluegrassfestival.weebly.com

Lutsen 99er

June 27-28

This intense 99-mile bike race is not for the faint of heart. It starts and ends at Lutsen Mountains, and weaves through the rugged terrain of the Sawtooth Mountains and boreal forest on Lake Superior. There is also a 19-mile and 39mile bike race. Spectators and volunteers are welcomed and encouraged. Post-race weekend events include a BBQ, live music, kid’s races, an awards ceremony and more. www. lutsen99er.com

Park Point Art Fair

June 27-28

The 45th annual art fair will include roughly 120 artists from the Midwest region selling uniquely hand-crafted items. There will also be art-making opportunities and demos, food vendors, live music and displays. The fair will take place on Lake Superior’s sandy Park Point neighborhood in Duluth. www.parkpointartfair.org

Racers embrace while crossing the finish line of the Lutsen 99er. | SUBMITTED

Annual North Shore Health Care Foundation BBQ

June 28

Support health care in Cook County with the annual NSHCF BBQ at the Gunflint Lodge up the Gunflint Trail. The Red Paddle cash bar will open at 4 p.m. and the BBQ buffet will begin at 5 p.m. Buffet will include ribs, chicken, salmon, cheesy potatoes, salad, vegetables and dessert. Gerald Thilmany will be providing live music with his accordion. www.northshorehealthcarefoundation.org

Cook County Historical Society’s Annual Fish Cake Dinner

June 19

Show support for the CC Historical Society with the annual fish cake dinner on Friday, June 19, located at St. John’s Catholic Church in Grand Marais at 5:30 p.m. Also featured at the Historical Society this summer is a new exhibit, titled Music from the Tip o’ the Arrowhead. Be sure to check it out. www.cookcountyhistory.org

Split Rock Lighthouse Children’s Day

June 27

Tours geared for children highlight this popular annual event. Families can learn about the children who lived at the light station, join in special games and participate in a scavenger hunt. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free admission for ages 17 and under. (218) 226-6372 $9 adults, $7 seniors and college students; free for MNHS members.

Thunder Bay Blues Fest

July 3-5

The 14th annual Thunder Bay Blues Festival will entertain, with performances by Johnny Reid, the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, Paul Rodgers, Alan Frew and many more. The festival will be held outside at Marina Park on Lake Superior. Tickets available online or at the gate. Visit www.tbayblues.ca for tickets and more info.

Lundie Vacation Home Tour

July 11

Schroeder Area Historical Society and Cross River Heritage Center present the 11th annual Lundie Vacation Home Tour, featuring six unique architecture sites by Edwin Lundie, located in Schroeder and Tofte. Also featured

is a free discussion with carpenter, woodworker and author of A Splintered History of Wood and Cabin Lessons, Spike Carlsen, and architect and author of Back to the Cabin, The Cabin, and Architecture of Edwin Lundie, Dale Mulfinger. Speakers will be held at the Schroeder Town Hall at 10 a.m. (218) 663-7706

25th Annual Grand Marais Arts Festival

July 11-12

This year’s festival will feature over 70 local and regional artists showcasing their unique handcrafted work, ranging from jewelry, fiber, photography, ceramics, glass, sculptures and more. The festival will be held in downtown Grand Marais, near the shores of Lake Superior. New this year is the Clothesline Art Sale Fundraiser; a 5x7 sale of artwork donated by talented artists. Each piece of art is $35 and proceeds will help support the Grand Marais Art Colony. For more info, visit www.grandmaraisartcolony.org

Fort Fest Music Festival

July 17-18

Enjoy two nights of family friendly live music at the Fort William Historical Park amphitheater in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Performers include big name bands Bret Michaels, Loverboy, Blue Oyster Cult, The Romantics, Tommy Tutone, Great White, Harlequin, and a variety of local artists. Tickets are $20 for Friday, $30 for Saturday, or $45 for a weekend pass. www.fwhp.ca

JUNE

Northern Wilds Calendar of Events

Through June 15

Secondary School Art Exhibit Thunder Bay Art Gallery Ontario www.theag.ca

May 28, Thursday

Emerald Ash Borer Workshop 10 a.m. Cook County Community Center, Grand Marais www.arrowheadinvasives.org

May 29-30

Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank

8 p.m. Voyageur Brewing Grand Marais www.voyageurbrewing.com

May 29-31

Northern Landscapes Festival Grand Marais North House Folk School www.northhouse.org

May 29-June 21

Frozen Photographers Group: Fire & Ice, No Ordinary Landscape Johnson Heritage Post Grand Marais www.johnsonheritagepost.org

Minnesota’s Superior Coast book signing with authors Chel Anderson & Heidi Fischer 7 p.m. Hartley Nature Center Duluth www.upress.umn.edu

June 1, Monday

Visual Artist Gatherings 5:30 p.m.

A Taste of Ely Restaurant

Eric Frost & Bill Hansen 9 p.m. Bluefin Grille Tofte www.bluefinbay.com

June 2, Tuesday

Northwoods Band

6 p.m. Lighthouse at Emily’s Two Harbors www.lighthouseatemilys.com

Full Moon Reading with Erin Altemus

5 p.m. Drury Lane Books Grand Marais www.drurylanebooks.com

June 4, Thursday

Emerald Ash Borer Workshop 9 a.m. Two Harbors Law Enforcement Center www.arrowheadinvasives.org

Your Camera in Action (Buttons & Knobs

II) – Digital Photography Workshop

5:30 p.m. Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park, Ontario www.superiorvisits.com

Pete Kavanaugh 8 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern Grand Marais www.gunflinttavern.com

June 5, Friday

Art & Ambiance: Live & Silent Auction

Thunder Bay Art Gallery www.theag.ca

First Fridays Participating shops downtown Grand Marais www.visitcookcounty.com

Reina Del Cid 7 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern Grand Marais www.gunflinttavern.com

Pete Kavanaugh 9 p.m. Bluefin Grille Tofte www.bluefinbay.com

June 5-6

Childbirth Education Classes Lower Level of Grand Marais Sawtooth Mountain Clinic www.sawtoothmountainclinic.org

June 6, Saturday

Thunder Bay Mining Day

10 a.m. Marina Park Thunder Bay, Ontario www.thunderbayminingday.ca

Bird Banding Demonstration

7 a.m. Sugarloaf Cove Schroeder www.sugarloafnorthshore.org

Rummage Sale 10 a.m. Grand Marais Art Colony www.grandmaraisartcolony.org

Grand Marais Classic Car Show 11 a.m. Harbor Park www.visitcookcounty.com

Fish Prints Demo 1 p.m. Grand Marais Art Colony www.grandmaraisartcolony.org

Writer’s Salon with Sharon Chmielarz

5 p.m. Drury Lane Books Grand Marais www.drurylanebooks.com

Wild Berry Jam 9:30 p.m.

Gun Flint Tavern Grand Marais www.gunflinttavern.com

Guy Davis 7:30 p.m. Grand Marais Arrowhead Center for the Arts www.northshoremusicassociation.com

Jody & Lynn 6 p.m. Lighthouse at Emily’s Two Harbors www.lighthouseatemilys.com

Gordon Thorne 7 p.m. Lutsen Resort www.lutsenresort.com

James Moors 7:30 p.m. Cascade Lodge Pub Lutsen www.cascadelodgemn.com

Walleye Whamma Fishing Contest Birch Lake Babbitt www.ely.org

June 6 & 13

Duluth Superior Sailing Association

Open House 12 p.m. Boat Launch, past the Park Point Recreation pier www.sailingforall.org

June 7, Sunday

Jim & Michele Miller 6:30 p.m.

Gun Flint Tavern Grand Marais www.gunflinttavern.com

June 8, Monday

Jim & Michele Miller 9 p.m. Bluefin Grille Tofte www.bluefinbay.com

June 9, Tuesday

Erik Berry from Trampled by Turtles 6 p.m. Lighthouse at Emily’s Two Harbors www.lighthouseatemilys.com

June 11-14

Findings: A Jewelry Symposium Grand Marais Art Colony www.grandmaraisartcolony.org

Northern Enlightened Retreats www.northernenlightenedadventures.com

June 12, Friday

Summer Beer Tastings Kickoff Yarn Harbor Duluth www.yarnharborduluth.com



Timmy Haus 8 p.m. Voyageur Brewing Grand Marais www.voyageurbrewing.com

Pushing Chain 8 p.m. Bluefin Grille Tofte www.bluefinbay.com

June 12-13

Portage Band 6 p.m. American Legion Grand Marais (218) 387-2974

Pete K Group 9 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern Grand Marais www.gunflinttavern.com

June 12-14

Boundary Waters Expo

Sea Gull Lake public landing Gunflint Trail www.visitcookcounty.com

June 12-Sept. 6

Sonny Assu: Interventions on the Imaginary Thunder Bay Art Gallery www.theag.ca

Jenna Brown: Still Echoes Resound Thunder Bay Art Gallery www.theag.ca

June 13, Saturday

Wildlife of the North Shore

10 a.m. Sugarloaf Cove Schroeder www.sugarloafnorthshore.org

PlayCleanGo Day Educational materials on terrestrial invasive species located at nine state parks www.playcleango.org

Free Admission Split Rock Lighthouse and State Park Two Harbors www.sites. mnhs.org

Maria Nickolay 7:30 p.m. Cascade Lodge Pub Lutsen www.cascadelodgemn.com

Pushing Chain 8 p.m. Voyageur Brewing Grand Marais www.voyageurbrewing.com

June 14, Sunday

Shrimp Boil & Bake Sale

4 p.m. Sea Gull Lake Community Center Gunflint Trail (218) 388-9915

June 15, Monday

Briand Morrison 9 p.m. Bluefin Grille Tofte www.bluefinbay.com

June 15-17

Ely Greenstone’s Children’s Art Camp

9 a.m. Pioneer Mine Site, Dry Building Ely www.elygreenstone.org

June 16, Tuesday

Beth & Les 6 p.m. Lighthouse at Emily’s Two Harbors www.lighthouseatemilys.com

June 17, Wednesday

Culinary Tasting Menu

6 p.m. Waves of Superior Café Tofte www.wavesofsuperiorspa.com

Technology Open House

6 p.m. Grand Marais Public Library sharsin@arrowhead.lib.mn.us

June 18, Thursday

Gordon Thorne

6:30 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern Grand Marais www.gunflinttavern.com

June 19, Friday

William A. Irvin 5K 6 p.m. Duluth www.grandmasmarathon.com

Fort William Relay for Life Fort William Historical Park 6 p.m. Thunder Bay www.visitnorthwestontario.com

Bird Banding Demonstration

7 a.m. Sugarloaf Cove Schroeder www.sugarloafnorthshore.org

Cook County Historical Society’s Annual Fish Cake Dinner 5:30 p.m. St. John’s Catholic Church Grand Marais www.cookcountyhistory.org

Willie Waldman Gypsy Jazz

8 p.m. Voyageur Brewing Grand Marais www.voyageurbrewing.com

Michael Monroe 9 p.m. Bluefin Grille Tofte www.bluefinbay.com

June 19-20

Rich Mattson and the Northstars 8:30 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern Grand Marais www.gunflinttavern.com

Rock the Big Top: Grandma’s Marathon Celebration Canal Park Duluth www.grandmasmarathon.com

Earth, Wind and Todd 8:30 p.m. American Legion Grand Marais (218) 387-2974

June 19-21

Wooden Boat Show & Summer Solstice Festival North House Folk School Grand Marais www.northhouse.org

June 19-Sept. 6

Christian Chapman & Bev Koski Exhibit Thunder Bay Art Gallery www.theag.ca

Interwoven: Baskets from the Permanent Collection Thunder Bay Art Gallery www.theag.ca

June 20, Saturday

Grandma’s Marathon & Half Marathon Duluth www.grandmasmarathon.com

125th Birthday Celebration for the Canadian Lakehead Exhibition Noon to Midnight, on the CLE Grounds Thunder Bay www.cle.on.ca

Glass Demo Grand Marais Art Colony 1 p.m. www.grandmaraisartcolony.org

Writer’s Salon with Lauren Stringer 5 p.m. Drury Lane Books Grand Marais www.drurylanebooks.com

Boostrom Classic Canoe Marathon Clearwater Historic Lodge Gunflint Trail www.clearwaterhistoriclodge.com

Solstice Celebration 5 p.m. Sivertson Gallery Grand Marais www.sivertson.com

Jim & Michele Miller 6 p.m. Poplar River Pub Lutsen www.lutsenresort.com

Michael Monroe 7 p.m. Grand Marais Log Cabin www.michaelmonroemusic.com

Bug Lite! 7:30 p.m. Cascade Lodge Pub Lutsen www.cascadelodgemn.com

Eric Frost & Friends 8 p.m. Voyageur Brewing Grand Marais www.voyageurbrewing.com

June 21, Sunday

National Aboriginal Day

Father’s Day

Row by Row Demo Crystal’s Log Cabin Quilts Grand Marais (218) 387-3177

Schroeder Area Annual Meeting featuring guest speaker Tim Cochrane on Fur Companies 1 p.m. Cross River Heritage Center Schroeder www.crossriverheritage.org

Boundary Waters Archeology Presentation 2 p.m. Sea Gull Lake Community Center www.chikwauk.com

Father’s Day Festival Moguls Grille & Tap Room Lutsen www.caribouhighlands.com

String Town Ambassadors 6:30 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern Grand Marais www.gunflinttavern.com

Eric Frost & Bill Hansen 9 p.m. Bluefin Grille Tofte www.bluefinbay.com

June 22 & 29

Free Paddling at Bearskin Lodge, Nor’Wester Lodge and Voyageur Canoe Outfitters Gunflint Trail www.visitcookcounty.com

June 23, Tuesday

Robi Meyerson 6 p.m. Lighthouse at Emily’s Two Harbors www.lighthouseatemilys.com

June 23-28

Woodland Chamber Music Workshop Surfside Resort Tofte www.woodlandchambermusic.org

June 24-28

Annual Peter Mitchell Days Babbitt www.ely.org

June 25, Thursday

Bird Banding Demonstration

7 a.m. Sugarloaf Cove Schroeder www.sugarloafnorthshore.org

June 25-27

Eleemosynary Play

Grand Marais Arrowhead Center for the Arts www.arrowheadcenterforthearts.org

June 26, Friday

Hedstrom Sawmill Tours 10 a.m. Hedstrom Lumber Gunflint Trail (218) 387-2995

Northwoods Fiber Guild Show Reception

5 p.m. Johnson Heritage Post Grand Marais www.johnsonheritagepost.org

Evergreen Grass Band

8:30 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern Grand Marais www.gunflinttavern.com

Rod Dockan 8 p.m. Voyageur Brewing Grand Marais www.voyageurbrewing.com

Portage Band 6 p.m. American Legion Grand Marais (218) 387-2974

Joe Paulik 9 p.m. Bluefin Grille Tofte www.bluefinbay.com

June 26-28

Kakabeka Falls Bluegrass Festival at Kakabeka Falls Bible Camp, Ontario www. kakabekafallsbluegrassfestival.weebly.com

June 27, Saturday

Nature Photography; Wildlife & Macros— Photography Workshop 10 a.m. Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, Ontario www.superiorvisits.com

Children’s Day Kid-aimed tours and free admission ages 17 and under. Split Rock Lighthouse and State Park Two Harbors www.mnhs.org/releases

Clay Demo 1 p.m. Grand Marais Art Colony www.grandmaraisartcolony.org

Gordon Thorne 4 p.m. Superior National Golf Course Lutsen www.superiornational.com

Eric Frost 7 p.m. Lutsen Resort www.lutsenresort.com

Jim McGowan 7:30 p.m. Cascade Lodge Pub Lutsen www.cascadelodgemn.com

Jim & Michelle Miller

8 p.m. Voyageur Brewing Grand Marais www.voyageurbrewing.com

Evergreen Grass Band 8 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern Grand Marais www.gunflinttavern.com

The 4onthefloor 9:30 p.m. Papa Charlie’s Lutsen www.lutsen.com

June 27-28

Lutsen 99er Lutsen Mountains www.lutsen99er.com

Park Point Art Fair Duluth www.parkpointartfair.org

June 28, Sunday

North Shore Health Care Foundation

Annual BBQ 4 p.m. Gunflint Lodge on the Gunflint Trail (218) 387-9076

Joe Paulik Band 5 p.m. Moguls Grille & Tap Room Lutsen www.caribouhighlands.com

Jim Miller Band 6:30 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern Grand Marais www.gunflinttavern.com

June 29, Monday

Summer Art Camp: Ages 5-7 & 8-10 Thunder Bay, Ontario www.theag.ca

Joe Paulik 9 p.m. Bluefin Grille Tofte www.bluefinbay.com

June 30, Tuesday

Hedstrom Sawmill Tours 12:30 p.m.

Hedstrom Lumber Gunflint Trail (218) 387-2995

Fish Heads 6 p.m. Lighthouse at Emily’s Two Harbors www.lighthouseatemilys.com

July 1, Wednesday

Full Moon Musical featuring Cellist

Yvonne Caruthers 8 p.m. Drury Lane Books Grand Marais www.drurylanebooks.com

July 3-5

Blues Fest Marina Park Thunder Bay, Ontario www.tbayblues.ca

July 5, Sunday

Chik-Wauk Museum & Nature Center 5th

Anniversary 5 p.m. Sea Gull Lake Community Center, Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department www.chikwauk.com

July 11, Saturday

Lundie Vacation Home Tour Cross River Heritage Center Schroeder (218) 663-7706

July 11-12

25th Annual Grand Marais Arts Festival www.grandmaraisartcolony.org

July 17-18

Fort Fest Music Festival Fort William Historical Park amphitheatre Thunder Bay, Ontario www.fwhp.ca

Through July

Peregrine Watch Wed. & Sat. 11 a.m., Thurs., Fri. & Sun. 10 a.m. Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory Duluth www.hawkridge.org

Mondays

Live Music 9 p.m. Bluefin Grille Tofte www.bluefinbay.com

Tuesdays

Painting Adventures with Joi Electa 3 p.m. Gooseberry State Park Two Harbors www.joielecta.com

Trivia Night 7 p.m. American Legion Grand Marais (218) 387-2974

Tuesday Nite Live 4 p.m. Ely Starting June 16

Wednesdays

Painting Adventures with Joi Electa 3 p.m. Temperance River State Park Schroeder www.joielecta.com

JUNE

Sunday, 1:00 p.m. The Schroeder Area Annual Meeting Featuring Grand Portage Monument Superintendent Tim Cochrane speaking on the American Fur Company

Weekly Events

Open Mic 5 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern Grand Marais www.gunflinttavern.com

West End Pizza Party 5 p.m. Birch Grove Community Center Tofte bgf@boreal.org

Gordon Thorne & Bob Bingham 9 p.m. Bluefin Grille Tofte www.bluefinbay.com

Thursdays

Painting Adventures with Joi Electa 3 p.m. The Garage Grand Marais www.joielecta.com

Joe Paulik Campfire Music 6 p.m. Lutsen Resort www.lutsenresort.com

Fridays

There’s No Place Like Home 1 p.m. Sugarloaf Cove Schroeder www.sugarloafnorthshore.org

Painting Adventures with Joi Electa 3 p.m. Cascade State Park Lutsen www.joielecta.com

Live Music 9 p.m. Bluefin Grille Tofte www.bluefinbay.com

Saturdays

Story Hour with the Muffin Man 11 a.m. Drury Lane Books Grand Marais www.drurylanebooks.com

Painting Adventures with Joi Electa 9 a.m. Trail Center Lodge Gunflint Trail www.joielecta.com

Starting June 13-27

Joe Paulik Campfire Music 7 p.m. Bluefin Bay Resort Tofte www.bluefinbay.com

Sundays

Geology Walks 10 a.m. Sugarloaf Cove Schroeder www.sugarloafnorthshore.org

Following the Fires

From blackened earth a forest grows

By Joseph Friedrichs

Technically, it’s just an imaginary line.

However, the border separating the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from surrounding national forests and private and state land does more than restrict motor use on lakes and limit what canoeists can legally carry in their Duluth packs. It also determines how resource managers react to a forest fire and likewise how the area recovers after the fire is extinguished.

Essentially, there is a difference in how a forest recovers from a fire based on how crews fight the blaze and also how the land is managed before and after the fire. Differing wildfire-suppression techniques are applied inside and outside of wilderness boundary, according to Kristina Reichenbach, a Superior National Forest public affairs officer. For example, outside the wilderness, fire crews can use a bulldozer to create a fuel break and work with a fire-engine pumper to protect someone’s property. Inside the wilderness, fire crews can paddle in, use hand tools to create fuel breaks and backpack water pumps to reinforce natural fuel breaks.

“The [BWCAW] is managed to allow natural processes to occur with minimal human impact,” she said. “That means, after a wildfire, we do not take actions like replanting areas inside the wilderness.”

Take the Pagami Creek Fire in 2011 for example. Areas burned by the largest fire in BWCAW history are recovering differently inside and outside of the wilderness boundary. This is a direct result of the various suppression tech -

niques used during the fire. It also stems from replanting outside of the wilderness area after the fire. In addition, logging outside of the wilderness before the fire started affected how certain areas burned, at what temperatures and for how long.

“Outside areas had salvage logging after the 1999 blowdown,” said Lee Frelich, director of the University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology, “and are also more likely to be second growth, which has more birch and aspen.”

Regardless of where they burn, it’s important to remember that fires actually keep forests in the Northern Wilds diverse and robust.

“Basically, fires in the Boundary Waters area keep the forest from becoming a stagnant, half-dead mass of stunted spruce and fir on a thick acidic blanket of moss,” Frelich said. “And over centuries and millennia, keep the lakes at a pH high enough that allows a variety of fish to survive.”

Though merely mentioning the word “fire” can strike fear into the hearts and minds of landowners throughout the region – primarily due to what can happen to their property from a fire – it’s the most important natural factor shaping the ecology of the wilderness, according to Forest Service officials.

“There is an understandable negative, sad, or even shocked reaction by many people to forest fires,” Reichenbach said. “The event itself may create fear and anxiety. A fire can dramatically change an area from what people are used to, and most people are unsettled by big changes.”

During the past decade there have been numerous forest fires throughout the BWCAW and Superior National Forest, including two major burns: the Ham Lake Fire in 2007 and the Pagami Creek Fire. Both fires were massive and burned thousands of acres. Although both were historically large, one major difference between the two fires is the enormous amount of property and man-made structures the Ham Lake Fire destroyed.

Fire crews numbering in the hundreds battled each blaze, and while the fires raged, tension among people was high throughout the area. However, years later, those burn areas are thriving ecosystems.

“All areas burned over during a fire eventually recover in some fashion,” Reichenbach said, “but to a range of conditions and different rates which are determined by the intensity of the burn, season, and types of vegetation present at the time of the fire or introduced after the fire. Most parts of the Ham Lake and Pagami Creek wildfires have healthy regeneration.”

Jack pine, aspen and birch seedlings are presently thriving in areas burned by the Pagami Creek Fire, according to Frelich. In addition, blueberries, raspberries, fireweed and large-leaved aster are doing well. There are some spots in the Pagami Creek burn area where red and white pine are recovering after the fire. However, the blowdown followed by the fire seems to have almost obliterated red and white pines over large swaths of the landscape, according to Frelich.

A recently burned area in the BWCA. | BRIAN KNUDSON

And while there have been signs of a healthy recovery in many of the areas burned by large fires in the region, what will the forest here look like in 50 years?

“It’s hard to say because of climate change. In absence of climate change it would return to a mixture of pine, aspen, birch and fir like it was before the fire,” Frelich said. “With the warming climate, red maple and oak could infiltrate the forest and boreal trees like black spruce and fir could be under stress.”

If one desires to see what a fire-recovery area might look like in 50 years, they could visit, for example, the Roy Lake Fire area which burned nearly 4,400 acres near the end of the Gunflint Trail in 1976, Reichenbach said.

In northeastern Minnesota, most of the forest is fire dependent and needs fire to regenerate. The plant and animal species that depend on trees are therefore also indirectly dependent on fire, Frelich said.

The only non-fire dependent vegetation in the BWCAW are lichen communities on cliffs and swampy areas like black spruce-cranberry bogs, cedar swamps, tamarack swamps and ash swamps, according to Frelich. However, the chemistry of lakes depends on periodic fluxes of calcium and other minerals released during fires, as well as what types of forest grow in their watershed, which influences the chemistry of soil-water that eventually reaches lakes. So indirectly, even aquatic vegetation is fire dependent, Frelich noted.

When it comes to animals and how they cope with forest fires, the short-term risk of a burning fire far outweighs the many positives a fire generates.

“Moose do well starting two or three years after a fire because they eat the young aspen and birch saplings,” Frelich said. “Black-backed woodpeckers also like all the standing dead trees left after a fire in older spruce and pine forests.”

Not only do certain plant and animal species thrive following a forest fire, but the blaze itself can actually control or shape how a forest looks.

“There is a successional sequence after fire,” Frelich said. The first few years there are species that only appear after a fire on open sites, he continued, then birch and aspen or jack pine and black spruce come in and establish a new forest, which will eventually (after 150-200 years) succeed to spruce, fir, birch and cedar in the absence of fire. In the Pagami Creek recovery area, there are extensive birch and aspen forests growing.

“Fire maintains the diversity of plants and animals at the landscape scale by creating a balance among successional stages, so that all are present at a given time,” he said. “It also maintains ecosystem function and productivity of forests and lakes by preventing accumulation of organic acids.”

When it comes to monitoring fire recovery, the Forest Service approaches it through several stages. First, Reichenbach said, crews evaluate an area immediately after the fire to determine what, if any, recovery activities are needed. This includes restoring campsites or portages and potentially redirecting use of the land. In the case of a large wildfire, a Burned Area Evaluation Team of various resource specialists is assembled to prepare a formal report with recommended actions.

Forest Service staff continue to annually monitor areas burned by fire, Reichenbach said. During these observations, crews conduct vegetation surveys, evaluate soil conditions, analyze water quality, watch for non-native invasive plants and observe visitor use.

In the years following a large forest fire, it is extremely important people pay attention to directions from forest managers and officials, Reichenbach stated. This includes staying out of areas that are posted closed to allow fragile sites to heal, not picking plants or cutting green vegetation, staying on the designated portage trails and within the designated campsite foot print, she added.

And while being proactive is sometimes a good thing— in the case of the Ham Lake fire many people volunteered

to help replant areas along the Gunflint Trail—in most instances nature is at its best when left alone.

“The best thing that people can do is allow natural processes in the wilderness to do their job in recovery,” Reichenbach said. “Even though it may take more time than our impatient, human nature desires.”

Ben Baker portages a burn area in the BWCAW. | BRIAN KNUDSON

A trail passes through an area burned by the Pagami Creek Fire near the Isabella River. | MICHAEL MARQUART

The North Shore Dish

Wood-fired cooking—a sizzling experience

By Kelsey Roseth

Bruce and Pam Block never set out to become wood-fired pizza pros. The pair moved from the northern suburbs of Chicago to Minnesota in the early nineties, and about a decade later, the couple opened Sydney’s Frozen Custard in downtown Grand Marais. The restaurant is an ode to the couple’s younger years, when their dates would consist of driving into rural Illinois and visiting ice cream shops.

At the time, frozen custard was new to town and the treat was, and still is, a huge hit. The family-run business develops a custom-blended custard flavor for each customer. The desserts are made fast and fresh, and there are an infinite number of palate-proven combinations available like a blueberry Oreo blend or an espresso Heath mix.

A few years back, the Blocks decided to expand their current menu and start serving dinner at Sydney’s, so they began exploring meal options that would pay homage to their Chicago roots.

“It’s funny. We were going to do our Chicago-style thin-crust pizza, but a competitor beat us to the punch,” laughs Bruce. Seeking something unique to serve their customers, the pair thought that baking wood-fired pizzas would give them an edge without overlapping on the offerings from other local restaurants.

The Blocks studied up on how to make superb Neapolitan pizzas - the quintessential wood-fired fare. Traditionally, those Italian pizza pies are small (about 12 inches in diameter), topped with minimal ingredients (often just sauce and cheese) and are slightly charred on the bottom. Neapolitan pizzas typically bake for two minutes in a super-hot, wood-fired oven and end up being somewhat soft and doughy in the middle where the toppings melt together.

Sydney’s wood-fired pizzas are made similar to a traditional Neapolitan pizza, but the Blocks gave their recipes an American twist. Their cooks pile the pizzas high with simple, fresh ingredients. Some of those are tried-and-true Italian toppings, but often, the cooks incorporate unexpected flavors into the pizza by adding honey-crisp apples, gorgonzola cheese, fresh arugula and more.

Perhaps most importantly, Sydney’s puts an emphasis on making dinner a dining ex-

[TOP] Learn to make your own wood-fired pizza at the North House Folk School. | NHFS [FAR LEFT] Pizza toppings add great flavor to wood-fired pizza.

| CALEB MATTISON [ABOVE] Sydney’s is open 11 a.m.8 p.m. Wednesdays-Mondays.

| SUBMITTED

[BOTTOM LEFT] Sydney’s owner Bruce Block shows his 2013 Hwy. 61 Reader’s Choice Restaurant Award for Best Pizza. | SUBMITTED

Cran-walnut sourdough bread. | NHFS

Other restaurants serving wood-fired fare

Grizzly’s Wood-Fired Grill in Duluth

Clyde Iron Works in Duluth

Vitta Pizza in Duluth

Ledge Rock Grille at Larsmont Cottages in Knife River

Harbor House Grille in Grand Marais

Heston’s Lodge on the Gunflint Trail

Both Hands Wood-Fired Pizzeria & Bakery in Thunder Bay

Pizzeria Primavera 61 (between the border and Thunder Bay)

Papa Piccolino’s Pizza in Port Arthur

WOOD-FIRED cont. from page 37

perience. “People watch us bake it, and it’s kind of a show,” said Bruce. “It’s a novelty because we put our pizza in the oven and you can actually watch it go through its metamorphic transformation.”

The transformation starts with a domeshaped oven that’s about four feet in diameter, twenty inches tall, and is piping hot (between 760 and 900 degrees). The pizza slides into the oven and the intense heat causes the moisture in the crust to flash to steam. The steam quickly expands the crust. Fifteen seconds in, the cheese begins to bubble and the ingredients sauté in the scalding sauce. Less than two minutes later, you have a sizzling pizza pie that’s ready to eat.

“What’s neat about wood-fired pizza is that it allows you to serve real simple ingredients and brings out their flavors to the fullest,” said Block, who attributes the tantalizing taste primarily to the oven’s heat. He said the intense heat of the oven carmelizes the sugars in the crust, which keeps the crust moist and creates what Bruce calls a “completely different kind of bread experience.” The vivid flavor profile is also boosted by Sydney’s high-quality ingredients. Their flour is imported from Italy, their olive oil is from California, and the couple is committed to avoiding canned tomatoes.

A restaurant selling wood-fired pizzas may be relatively new to Grand Marais, but North House Folk School has been offering wood-fired classes since it opened in the late nineties. Allen Scott, one of the godfather’s of the wood-fired bread bak-

ing experience in the Americas, taught at North House for years.

“The community that forms around a modern oven is nothing like the community that forms around a brick oven,” said Greg Wright, the executive director of North House, when explaining the draw to wood-fired foods.

Currently, the school features a wide variety of wood-fired classes. If you just want a taste of this rustic cooking technique, there are artisan bread-baking courses. Or, if you’re truly ambitious and want to learn about everything wood-fired, you can be part of a class that builds a brick

oven (weighing in at one and a half tons) over the course of four-and-a-half days.

“It’s not just enjoying the pizza by getting the sauce on your chin,” said Wright, “but by getting the flour all over your hands, the sauce on your chin, and for that matter, the brick dust on your clothes.”

Wright says wood-fired cooking brings us back to our roots. “Cooking with fire is real. It’s present tense...The fire is here and now, the birch logs are here and now, the dough you create with your own hands is here and now.”

Visit northhouse.org to get started.

Bread baking instructor Amy James helps a student during an Artisan Breads class. | CALEB MATTISON

Best Dining in the Northern Wilds

OFFICIAL BALLOT Winners

Northern Wilds monthly magazine readers know where to satisfy their appetites for food, drinks, music and scenery within our coverage area. This year’s record number of votes in the 2015 Reader’s Choice Restaurant Awards have been tallied, revealing the results below. Thank you to all our readers who participated and the restaurants who promoted the contest to their customers.

Baked Goods

PIE PLACE

2nd Crooked Spoon Cafe 3rd Trail Center at Poplar Lake Burger BLUE WATER CAFE

2nd My Sister’s Place

3rd (Tie) Cascade Restaurant & Pub /Trail Center Fish

2nd Fika Coffee House at the Grand

2nd World’s Best Donuts 3rd Naniboujou

Ethnic Fare

GUN FLINT TAVERN

2nd Hughie’s Tacos

3rd Masala Grille

Use of Regional Ingredients

ANGRY TROUT

2nd Duluth Grill

3rd Naniboujou

Sweets

GUNFLINT

MERCANTILE

2nd Pie Place

3rd World’s Best Donuts

Beer Selection

GUN FLINT TAVERN

2nd Poplar River Pub at Lutsen Resort

3rd Voyageur Brewing Co.

Northwoods Character

TRAIL CENTER

2nd Naniboujou

3rd My Sister’s Place

Kid-Friendly Menu

BLUE WATER CAFE

2nd My Sister’s Place

3rd Naniboujou

Greens & Beans (Vegetarian Friendly)

COOK COUNTY

WHOLE FOODS CO-OP

2nd Cascade Restaurant & Pub

3rd Angry Trout

Artistic Flare from the Chef

CROOKED SPOON

2nd Lutsen Resort

3rd Harbor House Grille

Server

MELODEE

AT BLUE WATER

2nd Melanie at Naniboujou

3rd Sara at Blue Water

Take-Out

SVEN & OLE’S

2nd My Sister’s Place

3rd Sydney’s

Worth the Drive

TRAIL CENTER

2nd Naniboujou

3rd Crooked Spoon

Watch for the 2016 Voting Ballots in the February & March issues of Northern Wilds Magazine.

Guard Against Summer Injuries

By Deke Burnham Sunburn

Visitors often travel several hours or days to reach our North Shore. The sun’s potentially burning rays, however, get here at the speed of light.

Nearly every medical professional consulted in the Northern Wilds area ranks sunburn as the number one summer injury. Children are the most vulnerable because outdoor events are usually not their typical activity–especially swimming. And even though conscientious parents may apply sunscreen to young exposed skin, they often don’t realize that water and horseplay can quickly rinse off even water-resistant, protective sun barriers.

Bob Sample, pharmacist and owner of Grand Marais Pharmacy, says, “If they’re in the water all day, kids can get severely sunburned. You really need to reapply sunscreen repeatedly.” Sample recommends using a sunscreen of SPF 50 or higher.

Sun protection factor (SPF) is a measure of how well a sunscreen protects skin from UVB rays, the radiation type that causes sunburn, damages skin, and can contribute to skin cancer. An SPF 50 sunscreen blocks an estimated 98 percent of the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Sample acknowledges that varying skin types can react differently to the sun’s rays.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Sunwise Program, sunburn can occur in less than 15 minutes on some skin types. Sample says, “We now know that if you get sunburned early in life, your chances of getting skin cancer later in life

Tips to safely enjoy the sun:

• Aim for shade

• Wear clothing that covers arms and legs

• Put on a broadbrimmed hat

• Wear wrap-around sunglasses

• Apply SPF 30+ water-resistant sunscreen every 2 hours

• Sunscreen shouldn’t be used to extend your time in the sun

are much greater. It’s important for a parent to know that.”

Adults also need sun protection–even when they don’t enter the water. (And no, simply wearing a baseball cap isn’t enough.) As with children, adults often aren’t accustomed to prolonged sun exposure. Being in a boat or on a dock can deliver a double sunburn whammy. When the sun is overhead, potentially burning rays reflecting off the water’s surface negate any protection a hat may offer.

“People aren’t using sunscreen,” says Joyce Klees, a registered nurse at Sawtooth Mountain Clinic in Grand Marais. “They’re inside so much, they don’t protect their skin.”

Tick and bug bites

Although Klees agrees that sunburns top the list of summer injuries along the North Shore, she’s quick to add what comes in at a close second. “Bug bites are huge among kids,” she says. “Bug bites and trying to figure out tick bites.”

While most tick bites are harmless and don’t require medical treatment, some ticks can carry harmful germs and cause diseases. Pharmacist Bob Sample says, “We see a lot of people now who are getting treated for tick diseases with antibiotics. People should be careful in the woods. Lyme disease is a hard disease to treat and takes a long time.”

Ticks do not fly or jump. Instead, they hang out on shrubs, bushes, and tall grass – waiting for people and animals to brush against vegetation so the tick can hitch a ride. Wooded areas are often dense with ticks. Your risk of being bitten by an infected tick is highest in the spring and summer.

“There are a lot of tick diseases,” says Sample.

Although many people cringe at the thought of ticks, as with protecting your-

Here’s how to stay free of tick bites:

• Stay in the center of trails

• Wear long pants and sleeves

• Tuck pants into socks

• Frequently check clothing

• Once inside, carefully check skin

self from sunburn, tick protection simply requires thoughtful, preventative measures. When spending time outdoors where ticks might be present, wear long pants and long sleeves. Tuck pant cuffs into your socks to prevent ticks from getting inside clothing. Wear light-colored clothing to help spot ticks more easily. Frequently check yourself and your children when outside. Immediately remove any ticks you find.

Checking for ticks is the most important thing you can do during and after spending time in brushy or wooded areas. Once you’re inside, make sure to thoroughly examine underarms, ears, waist, behind knees, between legs, neck, scalp and hair.

South of the Border C·a·f· e

Breakfast Ser ved All Day Lunch • Homemade Soups

We’re Open Before t he Fish Bite!

Open 5 am - 2 pm Ever yday!

Sprains, fractures or worse

This is Northern Wilds territory. It’s not unusual while you’re focused on stunning panoramas to catch a toe and lose your footing, leaving you face-to-face with granite boulders or thick tree roots. The results can hurt, especially if the consequence is a sprain, broken bone, or head injury.

“Many people have injuries out in the wild,” says Sample. He should know. When he employed eight pharmacists at three stores in Iowa, it gave him the freedom to be a BWCAW guide for 35 summers. He urges that “you have to think about what might happen in the woods. Even when you’re careful and safe, things happen,” he says

Injuries and accidents can unfortunately occur in any situation, whether you’re out for a stroll or mountain biking down steep slopes.

Be prepared for emergencies:

• Drink and carry water

• Carry a well-supplied first aid kit

• Keep portable ice packs handy

• Be prepped for allergic reactions to bites/ stings

• Don’t rely on cell service, tell others where you’ll be

Dr. Milan Schmidt, a physician at Sawtooth Mountain Clinic in Grand Marais clearly advises, “Whether an injury is from a trip over a root or a branch to the head, it is not the tree’s fault. It’s up to us to behave appropriately.”

Cellars Wine Tasting

4 Wines paired with 4 Plates Wed. June 17th, 6 pm Seating Reservations 218-663-6877

Breakfast, Lunch, Afternoon Tea Weekend Brunch June Hours Daily 8 am – 3 pm

Available at these area outlets:

Duluth/Superior

Marine

Gander Mountain

Great Lakes Fly Co.

Northwest Outlet

Superior Fly Angler

Two Harbors

North

Holiday

Buck’s

Twin Cities

Gander Mountain

Holiday Station Stores

Betty’s Pies

Bob

The first Certified Humane® dog food. Our fish is ocean-caught, sustainably-sourced, and in-season.

Open Farm is grain-free, 80%+ fresh meat, mostly locallysourced vegetables.

Northern Trails

Lynx vs. Goat

It Doesn’t Get Any Weirder Than This

Editor’s Note: The following story contains violence. I’ve had a few weeks to digest this story, as it took place back in March of this year. But in my nearly 30 years of covering the outdoors beat, I’ve never covered a story like the one you are about to read. I believe it to be the strangest of my career. The story involves a lynx, a goat, a house owner named John Cox and his 15-yearold daughter Kelsay. It’s one of those stories that could only be true, as you can’t make this stuff up.

The incident occurred on March 3, at about 10 a.m. John Cox had been out ice fishing, but came home and was in the basement. Cox said he saw that his daughter was phoning on his cell from the house he was in, and that was strange.

“Dad,” she said to Cox, “there is a cat attached to the goat.”

The chain of events that followed is like something out of a B-movie horror flick. It turned out that a lynx had attacked one of three pet goats that Cox owns. The lynx entered his yard in Dinorwic, east of Dryden, and then jumped on top of his largest nanny goat, Stella. The cat then started clawing and biting its neck. Cox, watching from inside his house, quickly went to get a rifle out of the cabinet. However, he was understandably shaken.

By Gord Ellis

“I have a spinning lock and I’m trying to remember the combination during all this chaos,” he said. “But I was able to grab one of the rifles out.”

When Cox opened his front door and tried to shoot the lynx with his old .303 British, the goat ran inside the house with the lynx still clinging to its bleeding back. Cox was unable to shoot and suddenly had a serious problem on his hands.

“And now they are both inside my living room with the cat attached to her and she is kicking over furniture and spilling blood, and screaming,” Cox said. “And I’m like, ‘What does a guy do now?’”

During the brawl Cox said he was able to knock the lynx off the goat by hitting it with the butt end of his rifle. But the cat was not anxious to lose its hold. “It took

me three times before it finally let go,” he said.

Cox said the cat then ran towards a window, and past his 15-year-old daughter Kelsay, to try and escape. More bedlam ensued.

“In two bounds it leaps towards the corner and wipes out everything on the windowsill, smashing glass and it’s bleeding and falls to the ground,” said Cox.

When the lynx realized it was not free, it turned and started coming towards Cox. He told his daughter to run to her room, then—with the lynx two feet away – he swung his rifle like a bat, and hit the cat in the head.

“I saw its eyes roll back in its head,” Cox said.

Just when it seemed like that might be it for lynx vs. goat, there was another twist. Stella the goat returned, and was not a happy camper. Stella pushed Cox out of the way and then used her horns to flip the cat into the TV stand.

“I just thought, ‘Is this ever gonna end?’” Cox said.

Cox had to pull Stella off the lynx, as she was stomping and “horning” the cat, and then he dragged the badly bleeding goat outside. Finally, with Stella safely out-

side, Cox was able to make a clear shot, to kill the lynx and “end the chaos.”

“When you see a cat out in the bush, you look at it and say, ‘Gee, that’s a big cat,’” Cox said. “But when you see that cat in your living room and you’re comparing it to a couch and a chair, it is a very big cat. Its head came to above my hip.”

Cox said Stella has now fully recovered from the injuries around her neck where the lynx dug in. It likely helps he is a trained paramedic who could dress the wounds and assess the injuries. Cox says feisty Stella the goat took a while to regain her composure and strength, but is pretty much back to normal now.

Thanks in part to an interview I did with Cox on CBC radio, Stella became something of a national celebrity in Canada. A Dryden shop called Tattoo4U has come up with a lynx vs. goat T-shirt, and they are selling like hot cakes. Stella is also making an appearance later this summer (Aug. 27-29) at the Dryden Fall Fair. Stella will be appearing alongside the lynx, although this time, the cat will be in pelt form. Cox had the cat pelt tanned by a taxidermist as a memento.

“We are going to hang the lynx pelt in the living room,” said Cox recently. ‘It will be a permanent reminder of the craziness.

PADDLER’S PATH will Connect Canada

By Shawn Perich

Named for iconic canoeist Bill Mason, the Path of the Paddle traverses northwest Ontario from Thunder bay to the Manitoba border. | PATH OF THE PADDLE

Sometime soon, certainly by Canada’s 150th birthday on July 1 2017, you’ll be able to start hiking in St. John’s Newfoundland and be able to traverse a nearly 15,000-mile path called the Trans Canada Trail across the entire country to the Pacific and Arctic oceans.

Of course, you’ll have to take the ferry to make the passage from The Rock to the mainland, and then you can hike all the way to northern Ontario. There you must again take to the water, paddling first around the northern shore of Lake Superior. Once you reach Grand Portage, just across the border in Minnesota, you’ll leave the big lake and head inland, following the Path of the Paddle.

“This 650-mile water trail is our piece of the Trans Canada trail from Thunder Bay to Manitoba,” says Carrie Nolan, general manager of the not-for-profit Path of the Paddle Association.

The Path of the Paddle Trail was named for iconic Canadian canoeist Bill Mason, who died in 1988. He left a legacy of books, artwork and films about many canoe journeys through the wilderness areas of Canada and the United States.

From the trailhead at Fort William Historical Park in Thunder Bay, paddlers will head down Kaministiqua River to Lake Superior, following the shoreline to Grand Portage. After traversing the nine-mile portage, paddlers will canoe the Pigeon River and other waterways to Gunflint Lake, where the route turns north into Quetico Provincial Park. Leaving Quetico at Atikokan via a portage down main street, paddlers will head north to White Otter Provincial Park and the historic White Otter Castle, a three-story log cabin. From there the water trail runs west to Dryden, then to Lake of the Woods and Kenora, finally heading down the Winnipeg River to the Manitoba border, where it links with an overland trail.

While the Path of the Paddle is new, the water trails it traverses have been used as wilderness highways for thousands of years, as evidenced by the ancient pictographs paddlers may encounter along the way. Parts of the trail were included in the fur trade routes from hundreds of

years ago. The trail has 120 portages and 200 campsites and links five provincial parks, as well as remote northern communities.

“The Path of the Paddle weaves wilderness and communities together,” Nolan says.

Currently, about 50 percent of the trail is complete. Volunteers are clearing seldom-used portages and building new campsites. Four regional trail committees will use volunteers to maintain campsites and portages, similar to the system used to maintain the Superior Hiking Trail in Minnesota.

No one has paddled the entire route, but that will soon change. Two students were hired to make the trip this summer, talking about the trail with people they meet and sharing their experiences on social media. Nolan and her husband will canoe the whole route, as well, planning to complete it by next fall. She also will blog about the trip.

Presently, Nolan has two tasks: coordinating the completion of the trail and publicizing the new route. Eventually she hopes to provide potential paddlers with the tools they need to access and follow the Path of the Paddle, such as a map series and a guidebook. Until then, you can learn more about it at www.pathofthepaddle.com and on Facebook.

100-SITE RV CAMPGROUND

15-amps, water hookup, firepit, picnic table, internet, laundry, shower houses, dump station, fish-cleaning house, dock and beach. Pets welcome. Not a camper? We have 5-star cabin rentals.

Walleye, Perch, Small-Mouth Bass. Canoe, boat & motor rentals.

The route contains over 120 portages and 200 campsites. | PATH OF THE PADDLE

Map showing the Path of the Paddle across Northwest Ontario. | PATH OF THE PADDLE

northern sky

JUNE 2015

By Deane Morrison— MINNESOTA STARWATCH

In June, the dance between Venus and Jupiter reaches its climax, as the two brightest planets finally meet over the western horizon.

They begin the month 20 degrees apart in the west, with Jupiter closing in on Venus from the northeast. On the 1st and 2nd, Venus makes a nearly straight line with the Gemini twins Pollux and Castor, which twinkle just west of the planet. But the line breaks up as the stars, left behind by Earth’s orbital motion, head toward the sunset.

On the 2nd through 4th, we have a great chance to find the lovely but elusive Beehive star cluster, when it will be midway between Jupiter and Venus. Look an hour and 45 minutes after sunset, and use binoculars to see the cluster, whose Latin name is Praesepe, or manger. Just east of it you’ll see two stars; these are the Aselli, or asses, feeding at the manger. On the 12th and 13th, the Beehive passes about a degree to the southeast and south of Venus. This pair will be beautiful; again, look an hour and 45 minutes after sunset.

On the 30th, the great approach ends as Jupiter sweeps within 0.3 degrees, or just over half a full moon width, from Venus. The view will be terrific through binoculars or a small telescope.

In the east, Saturn comes out after nightfall, next to the claws of Scorpius. Compare its color to that of Antares, the giant red scorpion heart southeast of the ringed planet, and also to Jupiter and Venus.

June’s full moon arrives at 11:19 a.m. on the 2nd, hours after setting. Look for it in the west about an hour before sunrise that morning, or in the east around sunset that night.

The University of Minnesota offers public viewings of the night sky at its Duluth campus. For more information and viewing schedules, see the Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium at www.d.umn. edu/planet.

Lutsen 99er Riders!

The Dorr Report

Former Deputy Sheriff Recounts Early Incidents

By Dick Dorr

My law enforcement career covered a period from 1969 to 1997, with all those years except 1973-77 working in Cook County. Here I relate more about my first experiences as a sheriff’s deputy.

Times they are a-changin’

It’s late April in 1970 and I’ve returned to work in Grand Marais after completing police training. The sheriff I worked for was a good woodsman, a pilot and a better-than-average cabin builder. As a lawman, however, he hadn’t advanced with the changing times. He didn’t wear a sidearm and his wife dispatched for the sheriff’s department out of their home. The local police were kept out of the loop regarding the sheriff’s activity, unless the sheriff shared information. That, and the fact the sheriff’s department went home at 4 p.m. each day, created tension with the police and the state patrol. These thoughts were on my mind.

I was curious how the investigation of the homicide that occurred in March was progressing. The crime had involved a married couple and their family, who had moved to Cook County a few months prior. The husband was a logger and they had settled in the Tofte area. The couple got into a domestic dispute that escalated into a physical confrontation. The woman stabbed her husband in the chest and he stumbled outside and down the driveway. A neighbor spotted him and rushed him to town, but he died.

It’s one thing to go into law enforcement thinking you’re going to enforce law and investigate criminal activity, but nobody said anything to me about search-andrescue or body-recovery in our large, rural wilderness area. That was an eye opener.

The sheriff’s department had hired a private investigator out of Duluth to prepare the case. This man had done most of the leg work before I came home, so my participation in the case involved mostly court bailiff duties. Sitting through this trial and talking with the investigator was my initiation into serious criminal investigations. The woman was acquitted and I resumed patrol duties.

Increasingly vibrant era

Looking back, it’s almost comical how far behind Cook County was when it came to law enforcement. The Gunflint Trail was bustling with activity. Many lodges were open and the forest had numerous logging operations going on. The west end of the county had the Taconite Harbor plant and community. This development brought many families to the county and resulted in the building of a new elementary school. The east end of the county was still getting used to the fact that Hwy. 61 had been built up along the lakeshore, and as a result, made the Grand Portage community more open to the public. Tourism was always a major ingredient of the activity in the county, and Hedstrom Lumber, with their mill and retail store operation, was a major employer. It was a vibrant period in the county.

Eye openers

Two part-time deputies primarily worked the west end of Cook County. Other enforcement officers in the county included four U.S. Border Patrol officers,

two highway patrol officers, two game wardens and some state and federal foresters. In addition, the U.S. Coast Guard station was still an active facility that housed several coastguardsmen. The locals always thought there was too much enforcement.

It was the late 1960s, and signs of the times were all around. Every day I would see several young men hitchhiking to Canada. (My guess was they were trying to avoid the Vietnam draft). It wasn’t long before some of our young people were introduced to the drug culture. Drugs that started showing up in Cook County included marijuana, hash, LSD, hallucinogenic mushrooms, and amphetamines.

It’s one thing to go into law enforcement thinking you’re going to enforce law and investigate criminal activity, but nobody said anything to me about search-and-rescue or body-recovery in our large, rural wilderness area. That was an eye opener.

Bad things can happen to people in the forests and lakes, such as blueberry pickers who were never found, and a young lad who hitchhiked and walked up the Gunflint Trail in 1966 and disappeared forever. Two brothers allegedly drowned in Saganaga Lake during the summer of 1970. We found gear washed up on shore and dragged the portion of the lake we suspected they were in with grappling hooks. I recall thinking there must be a better way. We made no recovery.

Another water incident occurred in Rose Lake. We had to portage our gear in and

drag grappling hooks out of a canoe in the deepest part of that lake. Again we made no recovery.

Hurt feelings, high tensions

Another learning experience was the 1970 sheriff election. I had the impression most of the officers wanted a change in the office of sheriff. I wasn’t particularly impressed with the candidate running against my boss. Although I was still young and very inexperienced, I judged the character of my boss against the other candidate and committed to my boss. The opponent worked as a part-time police officer in Grand Marais. That added to the stress. The community was evenly divided and my boss won by only 10 votes. Feelings get hurt in those events–and they stay hurt for some time.

These experiences were difficult but couldn’t match the frustration I felt on New Year’s Eve of 1971. While gassing up my squad at the start of my shift, I learned of a shooting in Grand Portage the night before. The victim was a popular young male in the community and tensions were running high.

Once again, the private investigator from Duluth came up to work the case. This time, though, I went with him on his trips to Grand Portage and observed his techniques as he questioned people and built the case. I also had an opportunity to meet many of the local Grand Portage residents, which was helpful to me. I discovered that incidents such as these can really divide small communities and create scars that, in some instances, never go away. The shooter was convicted and sent to prison. While this case had been resolved, I felt uneasy about my role in our small department and wondered if there wasn’t something better suited for me. Should I leave and pursue work elsewhere or not?

Minnesota Weather Almanac Second Edition, Completely Updated for the New Normals

By Mark W. Seeley Minnesota Historical Society Press, $24.95

Organized by season, this thorough yet fun handbook showcases an astonishing variety of data and lore on weather systems past. Narratives on the character of our seasons and holidays, stories of climate stations from oldest to coldest, and bios of passionate weather people are accompanied by quick quizzes and colorful weather jargon. This fully revised edition includes new 30-year normals (1981-2010), updating records for cold, heat, and precipitation. It’s packed with tables and maps. Now you can talk about the weather and back it up with fun facts.

—Deke Burnham

North Shore

A Natural History of Minnesota’s Superior Coast

By Chel Anderson and Adelheid Fischer University

of Minnesota Press, $39.95

Propelled by wings, fins, legs and wind, life has found a way to Minnesota’s North Shore for more than 12,000 years. In this compelling, comprehensive, science-based – yet fully accessible – environmental history, readers learn how the area connects historical and contemporary actions of people. The authors remind us that the natural history of this extraordinary region is still being created and that all of us are the authors of this ongoing narrative. It examines five ecologically distinct areas: Headwaters, North Shore Highlands, Nearshore, Lake Superior, and Islands.

—Deke Burnham

WHY GO: Elbow is a good numbers lake for both walleye and northern pike, and it’s one of the few lakes in the area with a fishable bluegill population.

ACCESS: There’s a boat landing in the southeast corner of the northeast basin of the lake. The road to the landing is about 10 miles up the Gunflint Trail from Grand Marais. There’s parking for about 20 vehicles.

VITALS: Minnesota DNR’s Lakefinder App lists 16 lakes named Elbow and two in Cook County. This Elbow Lake is not to be confused with the one on the Timber-Frear Canoe Route near Sawbill Landing. This Elbow Lake is about 408 acres, and is fairly shallow, with a maximum depth of 9 feet. “And you’ll be hard pressed to find that much water out there,” said Steve Persons, Minnesota DNR’s Grand Marais area fisheries supervisor.

GAME SPECIES PRESENT: Walleye, northern pike, bluegill and yellow perch.

WALLEYE: Persons said Elbow is more of a numbers lake for walleye, but the 2010 DNR survey of the lake did turn up

The Emancipation of a Buried Man A

Memoir

By Eddy Gilmore Wandering Man Books, $14.95

A child of a hoarder and an outcast growing up amid shocking squalor finds purpose in this vivid memoir. Broken, alone and buried in a house full of junk and shame, the author takes the “normal” route out – institutionalized learning. When college life fails to offer meaning, he abandons social norms and the status quo. A nine-month “gestational” begins with wildlife encounters, a devastating monsoon, a magical Canadian winter and kind strangers. For the first time, he fully experiences the world via adventures, faith and books.

—Deke Burnham

ELBOW LAKE

one walleye that was at least 25 inches long.

“People tend to go there to get fair numbers of walleye, and there aren’t many big ones,” he said.

There’s decent natural reproduction on the lake, though DNR is still monitoring that after discontinuing the stocking program on the lake several years ago.

“We were seeing what looked like good natural reproduction,” he said. “Stocking didn’t seem to be contributing much. If it can support itself, it’s best to let it do that.”

PANFISH POSSIBILITIES: The latest survey of the lake showed there was a large yellow perch population, including some fish that exceeded 8 inches. With perch that big, it might be worth it to spend some time fishing for them.

DNR is also attempting to establish a bluegill population on the lake, which seems like it could be hospitable to bluegill, Persons said.

“The main limiting factor up here for bluegill is water temperature,” Persons said. “With Elbow’s shallow water, it warms up quicker. We thought it might be closer to the preferred temperature, plus there are good areas for them to spawn.”

DNR stocked the lake in 2007 and 2009 with about 30 pounds of the fish each time. While the most recent survey showed their numbers to be low, they did find one bluegill that was at least 9 inches long. That survey also showed signs of natural reproduction.

“It seems to be headed in the right direction,” he said.

NORTHERN PIKE: “So Elbow isn’t the place trophy pike hunters would spend much time, but it does have quite a few of the toothy critters in it,” Persons said.

“You can almost always catch northerns here,” he said.

The shallow water, and lack of deeper water, is the limiting factor.

“It doesn’t have a lot of cool water refuge that you’d want for big pike,” he said.

GO SLOW: Persons warns newcomers to the lake about the shallow rock piles and reefs that have to be crossed to get to the main lake from the boat access. “You have to really proceed with caution,” he said. For that matter, most of the southern basin is quite shallow, and is generally choked with weeds later in the warm-water season. “There are fish in there, but you have to work hard to catch them,” he said.

—Javier Serna

Strange Tales

James Oliver Curwood’s Northern Adventures

By Elle AndraWarner

“Not far from the rugged and stormwhipped north shore of Lake Superior, and south of the Kaministiquia, yet not as far south as the Rainy River waterway, there lay a paradise lost in the heart of the wilderness world.”

James Oliver Curwood, A Country Beyond: A Romance in the Wilderness (1922).

Before his death in 1927 at age 48 from blood poisoning, the American outdoor adventurer, conservationist and best-selling fiction writer of his time, James Oliver Curwood was one of the highest-paid authors in North America. Besides articles, he wrote 33 novels, more than 200 movie adaptations, and a non-fiction book. Most of his stories were based on his experiences as an adventurer in the Northern Wilds, stretching from northern Minnesota, Lake Nipigon and Thunder Bay to Hudson Bay, and later the northwest U.S., Canadian West and the Arctic.

In her book, James Oliver Curwood: God’s Country and the Man, author Judith Eldridge writes that after Curwood and his second wife Ethel Greenwood married on September 27, 1909, in Owosso, Michigan, the couple took off for a long honeymoon at a cabin at the Post near Lake Nipigon (presumably Hudson’s Bay Company’s Red Rock) where Jim taught Ethel about back-country skills like hunting, snowshoeing and trapping. During that time, Jim also worked on his novel Philip Steele of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police. Published in 1911, the Mounties didn’t like it and banned the book and later the movie from Canada.

Also in 1909, Curwood’s non-fiction book, The Great Lakes: The Vessels that Plough Them, Their Owners, Their Sailors and Their Cargoes was published. He had glowing praise for Minnesota’s mining industry, writing “For our iron has made iron men…. In that Northland, along the Mesabi, Gogebic and Vermilion ranges, from Duluth’s back door to the pine barrens of northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, they have practically made themselves rulers of the world’s commerce in steel and iron.”

Curwood was born June 12, 1878, in Owosso, Michigan. Although he was expelled from school at age 16, his childhood dream of becoming an author kept him writing. He later wrote, “While the minds of other school children were learning...I was building worlds, discovering conti -

nents, braving the hardships and perils of fanciful exploration.”

He studied journalism at University of Michigan before joining the Detroit News-Tribune in the early 1900s as a reporter, later becoming its managing editor. All the while, he continued writing stories, mostly about Great Lakes shipping, freighters, mariners, romance, pirates and shipwrecks.

At the time, best-seller books were about the outdoors by authors who had lived the adventures. Curwood needed to find his literary hook and found it in northern Ontario after meeting Detroit-based Malcolm “Mac” MacInness from the Canadian Immigration Department. A jovial man passionate about the Canadian wilderness, he convinced Curwood to take a 1904 trip to the Thunder Bay-Lake Nipigon region to explore and experience for himself the northern wilderness.

He resigned from the newspaper in 1907 to write full time, and a year later, his first two novels were published, The Courage of Captain Plum and The Wolf Hunters (about three explorers in the wilds of Lake Nipigon and Hudson Bay).

Curwood became a regular visitor to northern Ontario, living the adventures

while collecting research material for his writing. He paddled Lake Nipigon, visiting fur-trade posts like Wabinosh House; rode the rails of the Port Arthur, Duluth and Western Railway, giving it the nickname

“Poverty, Agony, Destruction and Want” in his book, A Country Beyond; frequently travelled to Fort William and Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay) as a starting point for his travels; and to visit and to check on the properties he had bought by bartering with local businessmen.

A bonus for Curwood was being hired by the Canadian government for $800 (some reports say $1,800) a year, plus all expenses. His job? To explore Canada and write exciting adventure stories about the country as a way to encourage settlers to the Canadian West and North.

By the 1920s, Curwood was a world-famous, best-selling author, and ranked alongside Zane Grey and Jack London. He was heavily involved in making movies adapted from his books, had shifted to writing historical romances, and had become an outspoken conservation activist. In 1922-23, he built his dream castle: a replica of a medieval Norman chateau on the banks of Shiawassee River, near his home in Owosso, setting up his writing studio in the largest turret. Now a museum, Curwood Castle is on the National Register of Historic Places. And the first weekend each June, Owosso hosts the Curwood Festival in his honor.

Author James Oliver Curwood | PUBLIC DOMAIN

Curwood Castle in Owosso, Mich. built by author James Oliver Curwood as a writing studio and now on the National Register of Historic Places. | WIKIMEDIA/JOANNA POE

New Minneaota fishing regulations aimed at improving fisheries

A handful of new fishing regulations take effect in northeastern Minnesota this year. Anglers should take note of the following new rules, which include typographical errors, from the 2015 Fishing Regulations Handbook.

Muskellunge now have a statewide, minimum 54-inch size limit to ensure the fish reach trophy sizes. The possession limit remains unchanged at one fish.

The angling season for smallmouth and largemouth bass has been extended in length. Anglers north and east of Highway 53 may catch and keep bass starting on the May 9 walleye opener through Feb. 28, 2016. Anglers south and west of Highway 53 may catch-and-release bass during the two weeks from May 9, until the regular bass season opener on May 23, and then may keep bass through Feb. 28, 2016.

Lake-specific regulation changes

Saganaga, Sea Gull and Gull lakes (Cook County) and connected waters –walleye will have a 17-inch minimum size limit, possession limit of three fish, and only one fish over 20 inches. The regulation is intended to protect small walleye. The effects of this regulation will be studied for the next 10 years, and will be reviewed with the public in 2024.

Mukooda Lake (St. Louis County) – the temporary catch-and-release regulation for

Home Finishing

lake trout will continue as a special regulation to conserve the genetically unique fish population for further study.

Little Trout Lake (St. Louis County) – a new catch-and-release regulation for lake trout is being implemented to conserve the genetically unique fish population for further study.

Minnesota waters on the Canadian border

Walleye or sauger: The bag limit for walleye or sauger is six fish, with one over 20 inches allowed in possession. Previously there was no size restriction. This rule does not apply to Lake of the Woods and some other border waters. Be sure to check the Fishing Regulations handbook.

Smallmouth and largemouth bass: The bass fishing season is continuous on Minnesota waters on the Canadian border.

Northern pike (for Basswood Lake, including Jackfish, Pipestone, Hoist and Black bays): The pike season dates were omitted from the 2015 regulations handbook and should read, May 9, 2015 to Feb. 28, 2015. The season is not continuous in these waters.

Lake trout : The season dates for lake trout are May 9, 2015 to September 30, 2015. A misprint in the fishing regulations handbook states 2016.

Muskellunge: When the muskellunge season opens on June 20, there will be a new 50-inch minimum size requirement. The rest of the state has a new 54-inch minimum size requirement.

Inland waters including Lake Superior and the St. Louis River

Sturgeon (lake sturgeon and shovelnose sturgeon): A new catch-and-release sturgeon season is in effect this year for inland waters, as well as the Minnesota portions of Lake Superior and the St. Louis River. Dates are March 1 to April 14, 2015, and June 16, 2015 to April 14, 2016.

How to find more information

Anglers should always check for special regulations on the waters they are fishing. Special regulations are listed by body of water in the 2015 Minnesota Fishing Regulations booklet, available at any license agent. To check online, they can go to www.mndnr.gov/fishmn and type the name of the water they plan to fish in the LakeFinder search box.

Be careful, because there are separate listings for lakes and rivers. Applicable regulations may be listed elsewhere in the handbook as well. If you are unfamiliar with the rules and regulations of the waters you intend to fish, be advised to do some homework with the regulations handbook.

Planting a forest for the future

Story and photos

by Joseph Friedrichs

Luana Brandt carefully sorted through a collection of red-pine seedlings, paying close attention to their delicate branches. After choosing a young tree, she scoured the nearby forest for a perfect spot to plant it. After all, these trees, while tiny in the present, are extremely important.

“There’s a chance these can be the future forest here,” Brandt said. “We have to remember that.”

In an astonishing and perhaps noble tradition, four generations of the Brandt family have planted trees along the Gunflint Trail. Most of the trees have been planted on property the Brandts own, primarily along the Middle Gunflint. Luana, along with her husband, Carl, have owned and operated Nor’Wester Lodge since 1966, when they took over the family business from Carl’s parents.

To say the Brandt family is among the most well-known and well-respected families on the Trail is an understatement. Carl, a wiry fellow in his mid-70s, can commonly be seen standing on high rooftops cleaning gutters or removing snow, hauling brush across the Gunflint or lugging a limit of walleyes from his favorite fishing holes. Luana, a teacher in the Grand Marais Public School system for many years, still makes dinners for groups of 20 or more at Nor’Wester. Both Carl and Luana embrace the tough way of life along the Gunflint. And when it comes to the enormous forest they call a backyard, few people understand the value of healthy trees better than the Brandts.

“You don’t plant trees for yourself,” Luana said, when asked why she makes a point to enter tiny tree roots into the ground each spring. “We’ll probably never see any shade from these trees. You do it for the next generation. Or the one after that.”

For the past several decades, the Brandts,

along with numerous other property owners throughout Cook County, have been greatly assisted by the Hedstrom Lumber Company and a program it offers each year, focused on planting new trees. In short, staff at the lumber company buy trees and give them away for free. The goal is to help maintain a sustaining ecosystem in the Superior National Forest and the

surrounding area. The program started in the mid-90s and gives away approximately 25,000 trees annually, according to Howard Hedstrom, president of Hedstrom Lumber. And while the average number of trees given away each year is 25,000, on certain years that number has doubled.

“The idea was to get people feeling good about growing trees,” Hedstrom said.

Most of the trees given away in the program are red pine, though some white pine and white spruce are also available. Property owners throughout the county email or call representatives at Hedstrom and essentially put in an order for what trees they want. Think of it as a much healthier

A Loan in the Woods A Loan in the Woods

Luana Brandt of Nor’Wester Lodge stands beside a white pine she planted as a seedling.

Skandia House

Solbakken Resort on Superior 218-663-7566 800-435-3950

4874 W Highway 61, Lutsen www.solbakkenonsuperior.com

UPPER SCOTCH LAKE 6 LAKE SUPERIOR ISLANDS

2 to 95 acres. Starting at $90,000 USD

OLIVER LAKE

New Levels of Service

FOREST cont. from page 51

[ABOVE AND LEFT]

Planting trees is an annual ritual for the Brandt family, who take advantage of the free seedling program offered by Hedstrom Lumber Company of Grand Marais.

2 well built log homes. Each with log sauna buildings, sand beaches, sheltered mooring area, more building sites and southern views of Scotch Lake. Surrounded by crown land and largest of only a few private parcels on this huge lake. Very secluded and private. Great fishing/hunting retreat. $965,000 USD

North shore. 215.5 acre parcel with 3900 feet of lake frontage. Rugged property-water access. Southern exposure, ultimate privacy. $169,000 CDN

at $55,000 CDN

UPPER PASS LAKE

North of hwy 587 and the hamlet of Pass Lake. 229 acres of property and 7000 feet of shoreline. South end of the lake-north part is crown cnr right of way landlocks the property.$129,000 CDN

BLACK BAY Lake Superior. 98 acre piece with 4700 feet of shoreline facing south. Beautiful property between Superior shores and Pearl Harbour developments. Seclusion, privacywater access. $189,000 CDN

LOT 18 KAM RIVER Almost 400 feet on the north side of the Kam River with southern exposure. total of 12.36 acres - all high ground. Right in the city of Thunder Bay. $248,000 CDN

version of calling for takeout pizza, with the bonus of a long-lasting payout.

“Most of the trees usually get reserved out each year,” Hedstrom said. “It’s been a great project for us.”

The trees, which are tiny seedlings at the time of pickup, typically come in orders of 25, though participants are allowed up to 200 annually. Most of the trees come from a PRT company nursery in Canada, near the Dryden area, Hedstrom said. The program got its roots when an attorney for Hedstrom Lumber had an idea on how to improve the business’s public image.

“We were thinking of some ideas and the (attorney) leans back and says ‘Plant a tree,’” Hedstrom said. “We turned that thought into the tree giveaway.”

believable rate. Other years, depending on weather, rainfall and how well each tree was planted, the trees have a harder time surviving. Overall though, Luana said, most of the trees take root and have helped maintain a thriving forest on their property.

After the epic blowdown storm of 1999 ravaged many swaths of land in northeastern Minnesota, Luana said Hedstrom’s tree giveaway was more important than ever.

“We all just felt sick looking at parts of the forest after the blowdown,” she said. “But some of the trees we planted after the storm are really coming into their own now. It’s incredible to see, really.”

NORTHERN LIGHTS LAKE ISLAND

Exceptional log home on over 2 acres with over 500 ft of shoreline. Cathedral ceilings, beautiful stone fireplace, guest camp, boathouse, large deck and more. Great views! $279,000 CDN

The Brandts have participated in the tree-seedling giveaway every year since its inception, Luana proudly stated. During that time, she has planted “too many trees to remember.” In addition, Luana and Carl’s daughters and several grandchildren have planted trees that came from Hedstrom’s giveaway. Some years the planted trees take root and grow at an almost un -

Some of the trees the Brandts have planted via the giveaway now stand an impressive 15 feet tall, including a healthy white pine near the main lodge at Nor’Wester.

“This is an incredibly generous program and something the folks at Hedstrom don’t have to do,” Luana said. “It’s not cheap buying all these trees every year, and without this we probably wouldn’t be planting so many trees up here. So I’m proud to live in a community where trees are important.”

LOG CHARM, SUPERIOR SECLUSION. Lake Superior charm and seclusion awaits on this private retreat property. With over 28 acres & 866 feet of shore privacy is assured. Two classic North Shore log cabins have historic warmth and attention to detail, with outstanding lake views along the dramatic, unspoiled shoreline. Each cabin sits secluded from the other. Trails, bridges and scenic overlooks make the whole property accessible. It's a rare large property that's so unique on Lake Superior. Main cabin has 2 bedrooms, 1 bath and spectacular views. Guest cabin has a main room and porch. MLS#6003618 $1,250,000

NEW! STUNNING ARCHITECT DESIGNED HOME - LAKE SUPE-

RIOR Beautiful timber framed, Mulfinger designed home. Ideal layout is suitable for a couple or a sizable crew. Tasteful, well thought out & comfortable details make it an impressive place. Top notch appliances, custom cherry cabinetry, black iron custom forged hardware, central air, custom front door w/ stained glass and more. Open main level offers views of the 2-story Montana stone fireplace. Hear the crackle of the fire & the roar of the waves at the same time! The screen porch is a favorite place to spend time. The over-sized heated 2 car garage has a 3 bed bunkroom/guest room above with a 1/4 bath. MLS# 6003860 $945,000

NEW! EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY, STUNNING SHORELINE

Elegant and comfortable contemporary home, architecturally designed and built to fit into the ledge rock hillside of Chimney Rock. Beautifully wooded, exceptionally private, with lichen-covered dramatic rocks and panoramic lake views on 223 feet of Lake Superior shore. Easy access to water's edge. The great room is shared with the gourmet kitchen, formal dining, and living area centered around the Finnish fireplace. The master suite is lovely, open space for rest, private office plus quiet reading corner. The master bath suite is exceptional. Upgrades throughout, beautiful maple flooring, fabulous storage on all three levels. MLS# 6003965 $750,000

ONE OF A KIND LAKE SUPERIOR PARCEL

This Lake Superior lot has ledge rock, coves, creeks and a spectacular view of the lighthouse in Grand Marais and the Sawtooth Mountains. Septic installed and built to accommodate 5+ bedrooms. End of the road privacy, private bridge over a bubbling creek to access the site. MLS#6003042 $729,000

LAKE SUPERIOR, FINISH TO TASTE. This new lake shore home sits on 110 feet of North Shore ledge rock with great views. The 2 bedroom, 2 bath home is quality constructed and partially completed inside. It's ready for you to use now and finish to your own taste and time frame. Kitchen, floor coverings, and master suite are waiting for your input. Build sweat-equity while enjoying a usable home, or complete the

NEW! SPECTACULAR LAKE SUPERIOR LOT Framed by palisades, the nicely wooded property has two or more perfect sites on which to build your special lake home. Views are classic old North Shore looking over Chicago Bay. Shared septic system is in place. MLS# 6003937 $365,000

views of the lake. Plus private shoreline. MLS# 6002611 $174,900

all the

MLS# 6002467 $989,000 HUGE PARCEL - CASCADE LAKE. This is the only private land on the lake. Enjoy the

and un-

wilderness

with 87 acres and over 3,000’ of shoreline. Includes a well-maintained cabin, sauna, dock and outhouse. Easy year-round access. Unique opportunity to own a private wilderness compound! MLS #31513 $700,000.

WILSON LAKE LOT. Strikingly beautiful 5.4 acre lot, 355’ of shoreline with great

MCFARLAND LAKE

NEW! LARGE LAKE PARCEL –BIRCH LAKE Forty-four acres and 806 feet of shore on desirable Birch Lake up the Gunflint Trail. Property could easily be divided into 3 lake lots. Fantastic view from the high hills. Many recreational trails. Great fishing for Rainbows and Splake. Great location and easy access. MLS# 6003985 $499,000 LAKE SUPERIOR -BEAVER BAY LOT. Elevated site with slope to lake. Rugged shoreline. Towering white pines, spruce, birch and cedar. Must be seen to be appreciated. Views to offshore island. Great building site. MLS #6002594 $379,000

CABIN Beautiful cedar log cabin on McFarland Lake. Cozy hide-away with sauna building, Log guest cabin, storage building. Great shoreline with new dock. Partially furnished. Large deck, nice cedar trees. Great view of palisade. MLS #6002033 $273,900

GUNFLINT TRAIL-

-TUCKER LAKE LOT.

INLAND WATER PROPERTIES

Have tons of privacy on this 3.68-acre lake lot with over 550 feet of shoreline, plus 237 feet more shore across the private road, in a protected bay. Nice trees, great building site. Pristine views, and direct access to the BWCAW. MLS #6003363 $239,900

DEVIL TRACK LAKE - LOT. This Devil Track Lake lot has easy access from county road, power, phone and great building sites. South shore, 200 ft. frontage, great views. Build your home on the lake here. MLS #6001771 $198,900.

NORTH FOWL LAKE. Rare opportunity to own a private wilderness escape. 2 BRs, full kitchen, comfortable living room and large deck. Large open yard, sauna, storage shed and dock. Great privacy, 200’ of shoreline, abutting the BWCAW. Water access. MLS #30184 $199,000.

NEW! GREAT POPLAR

LAKE CABIN. Large 2.11 acre parcel w/charming cabin sitting at water's edge has long view down the lake to west. Redone kitchen; one BDR with huge windows, living room with great view and stone fplc w/ wood stove. Room to build new house overlooking lake, and garage site. Composting outhouse plus shower house. Septic sites located. Great sand bottom and drop off for swimming. MLS #6003945 $194,900

NEW! TOM LAKE CLASSIC.

The original "Grandpa's Cabin" nestled in the woods right at the water's edge. Cute, the perfect getaway from town or work on those lazy days of summer. MLS #6003936 $89,900

SISTER LAKE PARCEL. Nice lake lot with good tree cover, high and level building sites. High point has awesome views. Excellent shoreline, partial driveway already in place. MLS #6003499 $89,600

LOT 1, NINEMILE LAKE

End of the road, large lot adjoins Superior National Forest and Cabin Creek Unit Roadless area. Great trees, views and building site. Power, year-round round access. MLS #6003203 $89,300

CASCADE RIVER PROPERTY.

If you're looking for peace, quiet, and beautiful wilderness views, this could be the location for you. Off the beaten path, yet good access. Good building sites on 25 acres overlooking the beautiful Cascade River. MLS #6002440 $84,900

TROUT HAVEN. Six nicely wooded, west-facing lakelots on Hare Lake. Starting at $59,000.

NEW! GREAT LOT – TOM LAKE End of road privacy on Tom Lake. Lot 16 on Wilderness Shores. There is a long curved driveway to a cleared build site. Beautiful wooded lot that has its own bay/cove. The lake is a great walleye fishery and a wonderful getaway for family with kids. MLS #6003955 $50,000

FLUTE REED RIVER PROPERTY

SOLITUDE ON LOON LAKE.

These lots are located on the south side of Loon Lake and offers great lake views. The main road is in place and power is on the lot line. These lots offer a great shoreline and many nice trees. MLS #6001605, 6002124, 6002128 $192,000

QUALITY DEVIL TRACK LAKE LOT.

Heavily wooded south shore lot with 150’ of shore. Easy shoreline, great views, excellent building sites. Power/phone. More shoreline available. MLS #6001770 $149,900. GREENWOOD LAKE Lovely, wooded lot on desirable Greenwood Lake. High elevation with spectacular views of the whole lake, bays and islands. This lot is surveyed, has a new driveway and turn around. MLS#6002946 $119,000

LOT 8, NINEMILE LAKE

Enjoy expansive views from this parcel that features a spectacular point with 548' of shoreline. Property features 2.3 acres with ledgerock outcroppings, mixed tree cover, and outstanding views. For added privacy, lot adjoins State of MN lands for undeveloped shoreline as your neighbor to the south. MLS #6003205 $97,900

MID-TRAIL SOUTH FACING

LOT In a private development of 11 lots surrounded by US Forest land. Heavy tree coverage of mature of red and white pine and cedar. Minutes from the amenities of the mid Gunflint Trail area. MLS #6003402 $99,000

COASTAL CHARM This gorgeous lower level unit walks right out to Lake Superior and has been updated and refreshed with quality finishes like cork flooring, rainfall shower head and a cool spa bathroom. Open concept floor plan with a seashore cottage vibe and lovely furnishings. MLS #6003574 $81,900

Very nice property for your homestead or retreat. The river meanders through with a perfect build site. Heavily wooded. Electric at the road. Year round access. MLS #6003200 $45,000

SNOWSHOE RUN LOTS

Snowshoe run is set along a high ridge overlooking Hare Lake in a mature northern hardwood forests. Year-round plowed and maintained county roads, power at each property and a clear water, trout lake. These beautiful home sites were planned for generations of enjoyment and are protected by covenants. MLS# 6003206 thru 6003212 Prices start at $24,900

SEA VILLA-LAKE SUPERIOR Walk into this Sea Villa and you'll feel as if you're walking right into Lake Superior it's so close to the water's edge! The entire main floor has been tastefully remodeled inside and out. Over $35,000 worth of improvements make this home stylish, comfortable & inviting while still holding onto the North Shore charm. Successful rental revenue is a big plus, too!! MLS #6003518 $249,900

PANORAMIC VIEWS Unit 11A and 11B at Terrace Point offers buyers an opportunity to enjoy panoramic lake views and Lake Superior experiences. Architectural designs inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright and John Howe. There are numerous built in furnishings built to a high standard. MLS#6002759 $235,000 & MLS#6002760 $215,000

LAKE SUPERIOR CONDO/TOFTE. Great lake views from this 2 bedroom + loft unit with 2 baths, fireplace, balcony looking up the shore. Chateau LeVeaux offers many updated amenities, indoor pool, sauna, game room, and on-site manager. MLS #6003522 $100,000

LOG CABIN CHARM This gorgeous lower level unit walks out to Lake Superior and has been updated with top-notch finishes. Open concept floor plan, bamboo flooring, stainless steel appliances, and stunning log cabin walls in the bedroom. Beautifully decorated--for the right price this unit could come fully-furnished, allowing new owners to begin earning rental revenues immediately. MLS#6003575 $81,900

UNIT 11, CHATEAU LEVEAUX. This lower level unit is priced to sell! Beautiful views of Lake Superior, and walk right out

HOMES & CABINS

COUNTRY HOME WITH HUGE SHOP AND APARTMENT. Quality home on secluded 20 acres in maple forest. Sunny living/kitchen area. Expansive master loft-suite. Huge deck with large yard and open mature woods. 3-car garage. 3100 sq ft. shop/office/apt. perfect for cottage "industry" or other creative use. More land available. MLS# 6002767 $599,000

COUNTRY LIVING. Enjoy peace and calm with true country living. Charming rambler nestled in 26 acres of meadow and woods. Plenty of storage, built ins, and garage space, even a heated studio! MLS #6002460 $242,500

HOMES & CABINS

SUNNY DISPOSITION. Country home on 10 acres in Hovland area. Bright and sunny living room, with beamed cathedral ceilings, open floor plan, new flooring, updated kitchen with new appliances. Master bedroom with bath, 2 lower level bedrooms with family room. Large open and private yard. Large 2-car garage with workshop MLS#6003557 $208,900

CABIN - IRISH CREEK ROAD. Beautiful recreation, hunting, nicely forested land that hasn't been logged since early 1900. Seller is a musher and has trails throughout property and old logging roads on adjoining state lands. MLS#6002992 $67,500

COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES

BRIGHT AND SUNNY HOME – LUTSEN. Large windows bring the southern light into this Lutsen country home. Enjoy the eat-in kitchen plus the formal dining area. This 3 bedroom, 2 bath home has a nice yard on a quiet road in a great location. Seller has made many upgrades and improvements. Now with a new price! Owner/Agent. MLS 6003953 $199,000.

SALE PENDING

SECLUDED RETREATCAMP 15 LOOP. This 2 bdr, home sits on 77 acres and features all the creature comforts with solar power and shower house, There’s a large 2-car garage with workshop plus 2 guest cabins that provide plenty of space for the whole family or group. Trails, solitude and wilderness – a perfect place to live remotely or as basecamp for your adventures. MLS# 6001657 $174,900.

deck off the dining room with a large private back yard. Huge spruce trees give lots of privacy. Commercial zoning if you want to run your business here. MLS# 6003116 $159,500 COUNTRY LIVING ON 2 ACRES. Minutes to Grand Marais. Well built and well maintained rambler. 3 bedrooms, One level living with 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, and a full basement for future expansion.New steel siding, exterior doors and gutters. Very nice deck off the living room. 30 x 40 detached garage for all your storage needs. MLS 6003401 $195,000

NEW! THE GUNFLINT MOTEL IN GRAND MARAIS is a long-established business located just a block from the harbor and downtown shops and restaurants. There are 5 large motel units with kitchens, plus a full lower apartment in the motel structure. All are in great shape. There is also a 4 bedroom, 2 bath owner's home that has had many recent updates and enhancements. It features views of the harbor and provides a comfortable and private residence. This home and business are a great situation for a couple wanting to supplement their income and enjoy living in beautiful Grand Marais. MLS 6003528 $419,000

LAND/BUILDING SITES SOLD

BIG OPPORTUNITY, MANY POSSIBILITIES.

40 ACRES - MONS CREEK FRONTAGE. Easy road access. Good building sites. Mature trees. Deeded access to Lost Lake. MLS #6002120 $74,900

40 AC – LOST LAKE RETREATS. Mons Creek flowage with great views and tons of wildlife. Private and secluded location. Includes deeded access to private lake. MLS #6002121 $74,900.

WOODS, WATER & SECLUSION. Nice ‘40’ with good timber and 1000’ frontage on Mons Creek. Great building site.

MLS#6002960 $49,900 NEW! CABINS IN THE WOODS. Here is a charming spot to spend your weekends on the Gunflint Trail. Only a stones throw to Gunflint Lake with nice views of the lake and Canadian shore, this 9 acres is nicely wooded

LOG CABIN - ROILING RIVER. This log home sits on the scenic Flute Reed River in Hovland, just a short walk to Lake Superior's shore. The seasonal cabin has a great screen porch, modern kitchen and comes furnished with cabin-style furnishings and sportsman's décor. +/- 400' of dramatic river frontage. You can't beat the sound of a North Shore river! MLS #6003153 $129,900.

TUCKED AWAY SECLUSION. This well built, one story, one room cabin is tucked away on 40 acres, and just a stones throw from Magney State Park. There's a small creek with some beaver ponds; Good seasonal road access. MLS#6003580 $127,900

Prime commercial location in Hovland, 1000 feet of Highway 61 frontage. Large commercial space operating as a gift shop, with a small 2 bedroom home and 1 functioning rental cottage. Many new improvements and upgrades. Two more small cabins could be rented, and there's room for many more...or other possibilities. Large 2-car garage plus two sheds, also. This site has been a centrally located historical business location and has many options for your entrepreneurial pursuits. MLS 6003889 $299,900 NEW! GRAND MARAIS PROFESSIONAL BUILDING. The options here are endless and the opportunity is great. The building has most recently been occupied by law offices. Ample parking, grassy, yard-like grounds and a nice sized storage building create a nice setting for a variety of business ventures. Several of the offices walk out to the back yard and the overall feel is one of warmth & professionalism. Own/ occupy the entire building, rent out one side & offset your ownership costs, create "condo offices" & offer space to a variety of entities....so many avenues one could take!! The building is in wonderful condition and is ready for business. MLS 6003947 $269,900

CEDAR GROVE BUSINESS PARK LOTS. Cedar

Grove Business Park is the ideal location for your existing business or new start-up! Conveniently located in Grand Marais, near the start of the iconic Gunflint Trail. Full infrastructure in place including paved streets, municipal sewer and water, electric and telephone. Call us today for a guided tour of this unique and affordable business park opportunity.

COMMERCIAL LOTS IN LUTSEN. Two commercialzoned lots fronting Hwy. 61 in Lutsen across from Lockport Store. Great visibility, nice forest, lake view. Third lot to north is zoned residential. Bring your business idea! MLS# 6003506 $179,000

STUNNING RIVER - PINCUSHION TRAILS. A unique opportunity for skiers and hikers. Trail easement runs through the property. The RC zoning allows for a resort/lodging type business. MLS #6003390 $103,900.

$124,900

INTRIGUING PROSPECT

How often can one buy a build site that has all of the sub-structure in place?

High-quality items already in place include an insulated/heated slab for house/porch, insulated garage slab, electricity, driveway, the well, a time-dosed/heated septic system. Over 18 acres of privacy, beauty and solitude. Priced well below what the seller has put into this property.

MLS# 6003658 $119,900

NEW! READY TO BUILD Sugerloaf Road. Driveway and building pad already in place. A red pine forest climbs up to the highest point with stunning views of high ridges and valleys. Also a mix of birch & gorgeous cedars. Walk to the Superior Hiking Trail or Sugarloaf Cove Nature Center & stroll the shore of Lake Superior. MLS# 6003876 $99,900

208 Fireweed Lane

Great home or vacation home with rental availability. This beautiful sunny 3 BR, 2 BA home has in floor heat on main level with floor to ceiling stone gas fireplace. Pine ceilings throughout adds to the charm of up north living. With 2 secluded patios great for enjoying warm summers. Walk across street to deeded access of 900 ft lakeshore on Devil Track Lake. Only 8 miles to Grand Marais. Sold

18 Crosswind Trail, Tofte MN

CARIBOU LAKE - HOME SITE. New price is well below tax assessed value, and seller is open to offers. Magnificent, old-growth cedar and maple trees frame a corner lot with a great, high build site on Sawmill Bay.185' of lake frontage. MLS# 6002756 $98,000

ACREAGE OVERLOOKING GUNFLINT LAKE. Privacy near the BWCAW with 27 acres and outstanding views of Gunflint Lake and the Canadian shore. Fronting the Mile-O-Pine Road with power, phone and Broadband available. Subdivision potential. MLS 6003421 $95,000

DEVIL TRACK AREA PARCEL. Very nice 10 acre lot with direct access to South Shore Dr. Driveway to a cleared area that could be used as a building site. Slightly rolling terrain with moderately heavy growth that includes every type of Boreal Forest tree! MLS#6003184 $89,000

5 ACRES - WALK TO LAKE. Deep wooded home site – just steps from Devil Track Lake, and DNR access. Enjoy the lake without the high taxes! MLS #6002697 $72,500.

MAPLE HILL - HOME SITE. Heavily wooded parcel with great privacy, county rd frontage, power and phone. Super location for your home or vacation retreat. Walk to golf course, easy access to Gunflint Trail or Devil Track area. MLS# 6002601 $70,500

THIRTY ACRES - PANORAMIC VIEWS. Here is one of those rare mountain tops with a 180 degree view of distant Lake Superior and the ridge to the north. It's spectacular! Trails are in place to walk the whole perimeter. There is a cleared easement in place to get to the property. MLS# 6003353 $68,900

10 ACRES - GRAND MARAIS. Great piece of property located minutes from Grand Marais, on Pike Lake Rd. Seasonal view of Lake Superior. Many nice build sites. MLS #6001078 $64,900

HOME SITE - COUNTY ROAD 6. Beautiful 5-ac lot just minutes from town. Meadow. Shed and pond. Driveway in. Power/phone. MLS #6003084 $59,900.

NEW! BUILDING LOTGRAND MARAIS. A rare find. This lot is located on 8th Ave W in the heart of town with easy walking distance to the harbor and business district. All city services are at the street. There's even good potential for a lake view. Build your home here and enjoy living in the heart of "America's Favorite Small Town". MLS 6003862 $54,900

NEW! REMOTE 40 – POWERS LAKE ROAD. This is the beautiful '40' that you have been waiting for. Easy access off Powers Lake Road. Electricity and broadband scheduled for 2016-a real bonus! This is a fine opportunity for the person seeking a remote retreat with some modern amenities. MLS 6003811 $42,000

WONDERFUL VIEWS OF LAKE SUPERIOR!

3 lots available; wooded and private. Minutes to ski hill, Superior National, Lutsen shops and Oberg Mt. Surveyed, year round access. MLS #6002918, 6002919,06002920 Priced at $42,000.

FORTY ACRE PARADISE. Mixed topography of beautiful rolling land with many great build sites. Old growth cedar, spruce, pine and birch. Mons Creek meanders through the property border where it abuts State land. MLS #6003078 PRICE REDUCTION! $39,900 WOODED 2.4 ACRE Tait Lake backlot with driveway in and cleared building site ready for your cabin get-a-way. Electric is on

BUILD YOUR HIDE AWAY Wooded 20 acres, it's a short walk to Magney State Park. Adjoins listing #6003580 with small cabin on 40 acres. MLS #6003581 $42,000

OFF THE BEATEN PATH. Can't beat this property for remoteness. If it's seclusion you seek, this wilderness 19-acre recreational property is for you. Surrounded by State & USFS lands. Hike in access from Devil Fish Lake. MLS#6002961 $37,000.

RECREATIONAL PARCEL IN HOVLAND. 43+ acres close to the public landing on Tom Lake. Survey complete; may subdivide into two 20+ acre parcels. Road plowed year round in special taxing district. Owner/Agent.

MLS #6001471 PRICE REDUCTION! $30,000

NEW! FIVE SECLUDED ACRES. One of eight secluded and heavily wooded 5-acre parcels bordering on thousands of acres of US and State of Minnesota Forest land. Yet, only 20 minutes from the amenities of the Lutsen area. An additional 5 acres may be available.

MLS 6003981 $28,000

REMOTE PRIVACY Remote is what you're looking for, look no further. Forty beautiful acres abutted by thousands of acres of Federal land. Adjoining property is currently listed (MLS# 6001657). Buy it all and assure maximum privacy.

MLS #6003593 $26,500

NEW! HOME SITE – TOFTE. A nice lot in a residential development near the the business and services hub of Tofte. Surrounded by thousands of acres of US and Minnesota State Forests. Minutes from Temperance River State Park. A great location to build your North Shore getaway.

MLS 6003654 $24,750

BEST

Cutface Creek beach. Water, sewer, ext. maint. covered by Assoc., Just Show up, Relax, and Explore! MLS#6002475 REDUCED! $337,500

NEW! FAMILY FUN ON LUTSEN’S LAKE

SUPERIOR! Level gorgeous shoreline, easily accessible from a beautiful home that has it all…Owner’s Suite, Vaulted Ceilings, Owner’s Lock out space…attached garage! Tons of value at MLS#6003870 $579,900

NEW! SPECTACULAR SUPERIOR LAKESHORE! Rolling terrain, lots of Elbow Room, Accessible & View Worthy! MLS#6003980 $438,900

WOWSER OF A LAKE SUPERIOR HOME IN TOFTE! Wrapped in the history of the North Shore! Accessible and SPECTACULAR 177 ft of Lake Superior in Wilderness Setting! Staggering views of Lake Superior from the kitchen and dining area! You’ll love having your morning coffee on the new deck surrounded by mature spruce and pine! 3+ Bdrms, 3 garages! Sweet location just west of Tofte, walk to Blue Fin, Bike to Lutsen!

MLS#6003473 $475,000

Shining Rocks” The “Rock 1” log cabin was built early 30’s, and it’s been lovingly maintained by only a handful of families since. Cabins Rock 1, 2 & 3 create this incredible family compound!

MLS#6002529 $699,000

NEW! CRAFTED IN TO THE LEDGEROCK! Sprawling ledge rock shoreline captivates you while this CASCADE BEACH RD Lutsen Lake Cottage will cradle you in its history and warmth! Functional space perfect for the family, but it’s all about the Big Lake! Come See the shoreline!

MLS#TBD $399,000

SERENITY ON LAKE SUPERIOR’S CASCADE BEACH RD! Lovely home thoughtfully designed for year round living or Lutsen Vacation Getaway! Vaulted ceilings, Corner Fireplace welcomes you in to the Great Room…Soak in the Big Lake just feet from the floor to ceiling windows! Gourmet kitchen, large island and custom cabinetry! Awesome Owner’s Suite, add’l 2 bedrms. Your guests will LOVE the Mint guest cottage. Attached garage plus Gardner’s garage perfect for boat storage and lawn care. MLS#6003640 $699,900

noble as the Big Lake! Separate Glass Studio with Billiards, Foosball & darts! Rustic guest cabin captures the Old Time North Shore. MLS#6003535 $899,000

PERCHED ON THE EDGE OF LAKE SUPERIOR! Architecturally pleasing home w/ large decks, enjoy Lake Superior breezes, or stay warm in the Sunroom with Captivating Views! Owner’s Suite is the place for naps and boreal dreams! Guests will enjoy the upstairs suite or exterior bunkroom adjacent to garage. Super location, Walk the bike path to Temperance River’s mouth in to Lake Superior! MLS#6003598 $409,000

KARMIC CABIN ON LAKE

SUPERIOR! Great vibes resonate from this home, comfortable in its design, it’s about the nice views from the entire main level, including main level bedroom! Nearby Taconite Harbor, watch the big boats pull in to the harbor!!

MLS#6003759 $349,000

STATELY LAKE SUPERIOR HOME! Over 11 ac and 317 ft of shoreline, big Granite Chunks

WATER AND WILDERNESS ON LAKE SUPERIOR! Fab location on Cty Rd 34 in Lutsen, Classic Northwoods Cabin alongside a rambling creek dropping in to Lake Superior, accessible shoreline! MLS#6003653 $399,000

TAIT LAKE HOME IN LUTSEN!

Enjoy Fall leaf color from the breezy deck overlooking the 260 ft of shoreline! Tons

#620 MOOSE MTN

4-5 bedrm mint townhome! REDUCED! MLS#6002082 $325,000

#605 MOOSE MTN

4 bedrm mint townhome! MLS#6002557 $297,000

#526 MOOSE MTN, Mint Condition! REDUCED! MLS#6002963 $168,900

and you will LOVE them! AT WATERS EDGE K3 VILLA, SUPER BARGAIN AT $177,500 REDUCED!

ELEGANT AND INCOME GENERATING QUARTER SHARE AT SURFSIDE! at Tofte’s upscale Surfside Resort. #7 is a stone’s throw from accessible shoreline you’ll LOVE, this townhome, and it’s affordable with the Quarter Share option! No other end unit compares on price, views or locale to the Big Lake. The interior is right out of the pages of Architectural Digest, total Luxury! $199,000 MLS#6003491

LOVELY BLUEFIN BAY Lake Superior home! Modern and functional space from the kitchen overlooking the lake and Great Room, flowing through a newly remodeled upper level, you’ll fall in love with this Townhome! Nice rental revenues makes this vacation home a keeper!

MLS#6002385 $554,900 #70 BEHIND COHO! Must See!!

MLS#6003372

SILVER BAY TO LITTLE MARAIS TO FINLAND & ISABELLA!

Rocky Wall Overlooking Lake Superior just outside Silver Bay PRICE REDUCED!

MLS#6003239 $99,000

80 acres for $79,000 Blesner Lake Rd!

MLS#6003110

New! Rock Road in Silver Bay area!

Great build site with creek frontage!

MLS#6003859 $45,000

Rocky Wall land with Driveway in place, HUGE views of Shovel Point!

MLS#6002434 $99,000

Sonju Lake Road in Finland!

Several large parcels from MLS#6001324 $44,900

Huge Lake Superior views, build site surrounded by cliff wall and creek! MLS#6001295 $89,900

160 acre parcel of upland maples and boreal forest. Beautiful forest, absolute quiet, total seclusion. Owned by the same family since 1904! MLS#6002612 REDUCED!

$129,000

SCHROEDER AREA NEAR THE CROSS RIVER!

40 Ac of Maples and boreal forest meandering toward a sweet moose pond and creek, with driveway in place and cleared build site! MLS#6002822 REDUCED! $110,000

Thoreau’s Cabin on Rolling 10 Ac of Maples! Just perfect getaway Deluxe Camp Cabin, newer construction, fire pit, outhouse, All you Need to enjoy the Northwoods!

MLS#6002164 $87,900

Gorgeous Acreage

Overlooking Sawtooth Range! Yr Round, Electric. MLS#6003185 $45,000

DRAMATIC Mountain Top Views, Rolling Hills, Maple Forests fading in to Spruce and Pine and YEAR ROUND

ACCESS…simply said a MAGNIFICENT piece of land…tons of acreage available, or just pick up a 40 for $70,000! MUST SEE, call Emily today! MLS#6001560, multiple#’s call for full map and prices!

FROM $70,000 MLS#6001560-66

10 Ac Parcels of Maples! Scramble across the Rolling Terrain of Mature Maples (Breathtaking in the Fall) to a Sweet Building site Perched Over a Mixed Boreal Forest, Good Levels of Serenity For Sure! Year Round Access and Electric at Road!

MLS#6000676 $56,900

Sugarloaf Retreats on High Ridge Drive, located up the Surgaloaf Road from Sugarloaf Cove Naturalist Area, Enjoy large acreage parcels at rock bottom prices! From $62,000! MLS#25701-4

Sunshine Day Dreams, It’s Summer on the Shore!

TOFTE AREA NEAR BLUEFIN BAY RESORT!

LeVeaux Mountain, Super Views and Wildlife Ponds! FROM $52,500 MLS#6002929 & MLS#6002995

Just Up the Sawbill Trail Grab your little piece of the Northwoods, rolling terrain and small community feel with year round access, great build sites!

MLS#6001347 Prices from $24,900!!

Toftevaag on the Sawbill, Nice Lake Views! Walk to the Coho, great location!

FROM $53,000 MLS#29252

Wowser Lake Superior views on Overlook Tr! MLS#6003716 $82,900

Cool Spot for your Dream Home! Driveway is in place leading to a drop dead gorgeous building site with ledge rock vertical drop water fall! MLS#6002624 REDUCED! $54,900

Mature Spruce and BIG Lake Views! Walk to Blue Fin Bay, drilled well in place! $49,900 MLS#6003482

LUTSEN LAKE VIEWS & WILDERNESS LANDS!

New! 20 acres of Wilderness with Bigsby Lake shoreline! MLS#6003828 $79,000

Over 15 ac of Wilderness on Turnagain Trail in Lutsen! MLS#6002934 $69,500

Prime Build Site(s) just off theCaribou at Jonvick Creek! MLS#6003188 $49,000

Gorgeous 5 acre parcels in the Heart of Lutsen paved Caribou Trail locale bordering USFS lands! MLS#6002383 FROM 54,900-$77,500

Creek Build Site just off the Caribou Trail at Jonvick Creek! Rare and Unique Build site! MLS#6003633 $59,500

What an opportunity!

30 plus acres on Lutsen’s Ski Hill Rd, just down the hill from the Midwest’s best ski area: Lutsen Mountains. Great views of Lake Superior and toward Moose Mountain. MLS#6002951 $269,900

Honeymoon Trail Wildlife Lands!

10 Ac nearby Poplar River in Lutsen, great hunting or hiking land at a SUPER GREAT price! MLS#26729 $39,900

30 acres of Prime Wilderness Land with year round access and electric at street with Views of Lutsen’s famed Clara Lake!

MLS#6001462 $137,500

New! 80 Ac with Poplar River Frontage on the Honeymoon Tr! MLS#6003850 $95,000

Lovely 20 acre parcel located on the outskirts of Lutsen, only minutes to Bigsby and Caribou Lakes! Nice mixed forest with high ground for choice building sites. Great price for your Northwoods getaway!

MLS#31531 $29,900

Gorgeous Views of Williams and Wills Lake in Lutsen! Year Round Access, electric, Mountain Top site bordering USFS land. A Wonderful place to build your Northwoods home!

MLS#6001685 REDUCED! $70,000

Super Building Site on Honeymoon Trail Lutsen locale with electric and all year access! High ground!

MLS#6001796 $28,800

GRAND MARAIS LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION!

60 Acres Minutes to Grand Marais near Devil Track Lake! Easy walking/biking access across Fed land to Monker Lake!

MLS#6002586 $95,900

Birch Drive, West of Grand Marais!

Wilderness Setting with 5 ac HUGE Value $42,000 MLS#6002349 or HUGE Lake Superior views MLS#6003805 FOR $79,000!

A River Runs Through It! 160 Acres of Upland and River Frontage on the Cascade River near Eagle Mountain, a Rare Find with tons of opportunity. Whether Hunting land or Wilderness Retreat, this is a Great Opportunity!

MLS#31732 $140,000

Own your own park in the heart of Grand Marais!

MLS#6002396 $17,000

County Rd 7 Murphy Mountain Lake View lands! Bargain Buys in young Poplar Forest, easy clearing for Sweet Lake Superior Views for as little as $39,900! Or Enjoy Hilltop Build Site with driveway in place, creek bordering site for MLS#25633 $89,900

60 Ac with Lake Views E of Grand Marais! Keep this gem all to yourself and enjoy plenty of elbow room!

MLS#6002841 $124,900

Parten Way on Pike Lake Rd! Panoramic Vistas of the Sawtooths, road rough in, a five minute drive to new Pike Lake Landing! Yr Round access! UP MLS#6003047 $39,900

Wild Plum Drive, East of Grand Marais! Nice level build site, yr round and electric avail. MLS#6003492 $49,900

New! 20 Ac With Lake Superior Views! Awesome locale Cty Rd 56, minutes to Grand Marais, yr round access & Elec at Rd!

MLS#6003835 $79,900

SWEET PARCEL ON SWALLOW LAKE IN ISABELLA AREA! 220 ft of shoreline, 2.5 ac! MLS#6003766 $64,900

Clara Lake!

MLS#6001680 $150,000

LARGE LAKESHORE LOT ON CHRISTINE LAKE in Lutsen, year round access with over 10 acres and 200 feet of shoreline! Hilltop building site with cleared path thru cedar forest to Christine Lake, a super wilderness lake great for paddling your days away!

MLS#28961 $129,000

400 FT WITH 14 AC ON DEVIL TRACK LAKE! What more can we say? Oh yes, there is a nice meandering driveway through mature red pines leading to level access beach shoreline. Quite nice!

MLS#6002721 $375,000

Caribou Highlands Unit #541

MLS#6002145 $159,000

Newer and beautiful 2 BR townhome ski in/ski out at Caribou Highlands Lodge. Modern kitchen with stainless steel appliances. Perfect location for all the activities that Lutsen has to offer!

Grand Marais 241 Mile O Pine Rd

MLS#6003228 $390,500

Gunflint Lake 3 Season Home on 200’ of prime frontage, 3 BR, 1 ¾ baths, big rock fireplace, 11 big picture windows, guest cabin, boat dock, well and approved septic. Living and dining

Lutsen 11 Wild Flower Lane

MLS #6000729 $529,000 Newly constructed large home with both woodland views and wide open Lake Superior views. Located on a large lot with easy access to Highway 61 in a convenient Lutsen location. Top notch interior finish details. Large kitchen with stone countertop. Large decks with amazing views of the lake.

Grand Marais 517 S Gunflint Lake

MLS#6000932 $599,000

Gunflint Lake home on nearly 12 acres of forest land with 619’ of private shoreline on Gunflint Lake. Two stall detached garage, guest cabin, boathouse and woodshed. Priced below taxable market value! Call Bruce today for showing.

GREAT VALUE

Lutsen 261 Caps

Trail Tait Lake

MLS#6001233

$334,500

Tait Lake in Lutsen. Wonderfully appointed and extremely well maintained 2 bedroom, loft and 2 bath south facing home on a 2.9 acre parcel and 190’ of shoreline with dock. Abundance of natural light throughout the home. New addition in 2006 includes second bedroom, bathroom hallway and laundry. Office added in 2011 (could be converted to third bedroom). Excellent value. Call Katterine or Mike today for your private showing.

Grand Marais 185 N Pike Lake Rd

MLS#6003124 $449,900

Enjoy the solitude on nearly 600 feet of meandering shoreline along the north side of Pike Lake. Located at the end of North Pike Lake Road this is literally the last private piece of land on this part of the lake. This home was built in 1993 and is used year round as a prime vacation spot. The property boasts 1 bedroom plus a loft that serves as additional sleeping space. Full kitchen and ¾ bathroom round out the amenities. A woodstove will keep you toasty warm on winter nights. For the summer there is a large lake facing deck. Dock and fire ring round out the amenities along the shore.

GREAT VACANT LAND VALUES

Jonvick Creek Beautiful home sites in mature Maple, Spruce and Birch forest. $29,500-54,900

xxx Sawbill Trail 120 Acres located up the Sawbill Trail. Large Maples

MLS# 27551 $199,900

xxx Mountain Ash Ln Cedar covered hillside overlooking Lake Superior in Lutsen.

MLS#60000147 $649,000

xxx Leveaux Ridge 3.45 acres Birch Forest, pines, Lake Superior View

MLS#6002548 $29,500

Johannes Toftey Homestead Sites

Beautiful hillside lots in Tofte with Lake Superior and Carlton Peak views. $35,750-55,000

PENDING

Tofte Airport Home Sites Located between Lutsen and Tofte. Convenient Location with outstanding values.

$24,750-33,000

Tait Pines Nestled hillside adjacent to Tait Lake in Lutsen, just 13 miles up the Caribou Trail. $37,950-$57,750

Caribou Hillside Outstanding homesites tucked along the hillside of Caribou Lake.

$52,250-$126,500

342 Rd Schroeder 160 acres covered in Maples, Birch, and other mixed forest. Can be sold as parcels.

MLS#6000143 $199,000

Lutsen 46 Jonvick Creek Sites MLS #6003604

Hovland 90 Stonegate Rd

MLS#6002703 $699,000

This home blends pure quality restating an original Lake Superior homestead with a Clarence Kemp addition that seamlessly ties two areas under one roof with masterful eloquence. Kitchen with custom made cabinetry, high-end appliances, gas stove, granite countertops and a custom designed brick-oven. An open living space with the Great Room with vaulted ceilings with Lake Superior view. Kitchen, great room and dining room are all connected.

MLS#6002458

61 West from Grand Marais, located close to town on a private wooded lot. This home has 4 bedrooms and plenty of options for a new owner to add sweat equity. Property may be divisible. Mix of residential and commercial zoning.

Lutsen 5295 W Hwy 61

MLS#6002804 $129,000 Two+ bedroom manufactured home located downtown Lutsen. New septic and deck summer 2011. Newer roof, furnace and dishwasher. Great location with convenient horseshoe driveway and level lot. Solid foundation. Walking distance to “downtown Lutsen” and close proximity to area employers and related businesses. Very nice floor plan with well appointed furnishings included.

Lutsen, MN 44 Lodge Lane

MLS#6003364 $259,000

This 3 bedroom 2 bath Lutsen Log Lodge has been carefully maintained. Main level has 2 bedrooms and a private bathroom. Second level has a private master bedroom and master bathroom with jetted tub. Open kitchen area to main great room with fireplace. Its location on the Ski Hill Road offers the convenience to year round activities in the Lutsen area. Find this opportunity as year round residence, a private vacation home and/or vacation rentals.

Lutsen, MN 5170 W Hwy 61

MLS#6003083 $349,000

Authentic and classic late 1940’s - 1950’s log home located in Lutsen near Caribou Trail. Deep, private and recessed 2 acre lot. Home has been meticulously maintained and well cared for spanning four decades and two generations within the same family. Drilled well providing seasonal water use. Septic functional but non-compliant. Cool cabin, cool piece of real estate, mutli-options present themselves for future use consideration. An all around cool place.

Lutsen Sea Villas The Lutsen Sea Villas have withstood the test of time. Nowhere else

Large

92A Tom Lake Rd - $79,900

Rolling, wooded, lots of potential for recreation or building.

MLS 6002723

110A W Highway 61 - $649,900

110A wooded land, on Hwy 61 corridor. Year round access, many development options, multiple zoning (Far-3, R-1, and Commercial)

MLS 6002185

200A Camp 12 Rd - $159,900 Surrounded by state and federal land. Mature trees, gently rolling topography.

MLS 6002411

40A Camp 12 Rd - $49,900

40A off of Irish Creek Rd. Surrounded on 3 sides by State land. Approx ¼ mile of babbling frontage on Irish Creek.

MLS 6002405

43A County Road 7 - $299,900

Seasonal Lake Superior views, multiple zoning, electric at road.

MLS 6002300

25A Tom Lake Rd - $49,900 25A close to Tom Lake. Enjoy the lake without the high lakeshore taxes.

MLS 6002625

115+A Arrowhead Trail - $84,900

Excellent property priced right. Electric and phone at street. Private access from Co Rd 69.

MLS 6002839

Forest Rd 304 - $164,900

80A of maples, spruce and balsam, Durfee Creek and beaver ponds. Bordered on two sides by public lands

Reason Rd - $109,900 NEW

Acreage Lake Superior Lots

MLS 6003013

120A wooded with trails, wildlife and State land on 2 sides. 1.5 miles from public Tom Lake boat landing

MLS 3003857

Stonegate Road - $219,900$249,900

3 lake lots with 2+ acres and 200’ shore. Private and wooded.

MLS 6003950

57XX East Hwy 61 - $129,900

4.1A, 280’ shore. Driveway, septic mound and electric in place.

MLS 6003726

5788 E Hwy 61 - $225,000

5A, 280’ shore, driveway, underground power, newly drilled well.

MLS 6002980

14 Stonegate Rd - $199,900

1.17A of nicely wooded, 200’ shoreline in an unspoiled location.

MLS 6003950

63 Chessie Trl

1.27A with 200+’ shore close to the Superior Hiking Trail, Judge Magney and Naniboujou Lodge.

Temperance Ldg

Gunflint Trail

beautifully wooded with 3BR, 2BA. Gourmet chef’s kitchen, dou-

Bluefin Bay - Tofte

Squint Lake

5A surrounded on 2 sides by government land. Convenient midtrail location with easy access to many recreational activities.

MLS 6003242 $69,900

116 Overlook Dr 3.33A with Lake Superior view, privacy, and is user friendly for building. Located at the end of Overlook Trail in Tofte, utilities available & year round access.

MLS 6003380 $59,900

Silver Fox Rd

5A of northwoods privacy with all modern conveniences about 8 minutes from town. Gently rolling with some very attractive building sites. Abuts government land.

MLS 6002967 $49,900

Roman’s Rd Close to Devil Track Lake and lots of recreational activities.

1.06A MLS 6002324 $19,900 PENDING

1.72A MLS 6002323 $29,900

Stonegate RD

2A with lots of potential uses. Power, phone, and broadband are a stones throw away.

MLS 6003282 $21,000

Birch Lake Heavily wooded 1.54A, 150’ of frontage on great trout lake. Direct, year round access off the Gunflint Trail.

MLS 6002478 $99,900

Kemo Lake One of only 4 lots on south shore. Private 2.34A with 200’ frontage on excellent trout lake!

MLS 6002735 $159,900

Poplar Lake

Convenient mid-trail location with deeded lakeshore access to Poplar Lake. Building site cleared, driveway is in and all utilities available.

MLS 6002116 $52,500

.94A with 291’ of shore. Healthy mix of huge White Pines, Cedars & Balsams; feels like your own private park. Cleared building site, electricity, phone & broadband is available.

MLS 6003028 $169,900

Leo Lake 169’ shore, on 3.70A, mid trail location, with public access to other lakes nearby.

MLS 6002665 $134,500

Tom Lake Year round, 1.10A, 171’ shore, nicely wooded, driveway and cleared building site.

MLS 6003815 $54,900

34A, 600’ shore, nicely woodedwith maples, pine, cedars and incredible views.

MLS 6002412 $149,900

1.81A of stunning views with great building sites and 298’ shore.

MLS 6002257 $57,900 PENDING

Devil Track Lake Beautiful lake lot on 2A and over 150’ of shore. Nicely wooded, close to town. Tons of recreational activities nearby.

MLS 6003833 $199,900 NEW

Squint Lake Nicely wooded 2.13A with some lovely old White Pine trees! Excellent Mid-Gunflint Trail location, 221’shore, gentle topography AND directly abutting USFS for added privacy

MLS 6003969 $89,900 NEW

Chester Lake The only private parcel on Chester Lake. One of a kind opportunity! 40A, 300’ frontage! Rough cabin sold “as is”

MLS 6004004 $149,900 NEW

Poplar LakeVery quiet 1.8A with over 200’ shore. Driveway in place with garage. Mid trail, with multiple portage routes into BWCAW

MLS 6004001 $179,900 NEW

Land

Rosebush Hill Lane Nicely wooded 5.40A with shared driveway only minutes from town. Identified septic sites and fully surveyed! Approx. 430’ of creek frontage. OWNER will consider a Contract for Deed!

MLS 6003093 $49,900

W Hwy 61 Great location and development opportunities right off Hwy 61! 7.1A Commercial lot (Zoned Commercial and R-1). Additional acreage of R-1 behind. Agent Owned.

MLS 6002301 $149,900

Diagonal Rd 20A, not-so-remote remote parcel. Year round access to within a few yards. Septic sites identified. Great mixture of tree cover as well as highlands and wetlands.

MLS 6003602 $27,500

Raven Feather Rd

6.65A of nicely wooded land just west of Grand Marais. End of road location with federal land to the west PLUS incredible views of Lake Superior.

MLS 6003776 $129,900

Pendant Lake Tr

5A, with year round access. Power on sight, phone close by. Beautifully wooded and privacy but only 12 minutes from town.

MLS 6003893 $48,000 NEW

E Hwy 61

Conveniently located near public access to Lake Superior, Kadunce Wayside, Kadunce River, Superior Hiking Trail and more.

MLS 6003752 $18,000

Pike Lake Rd

Wooded 4+A near Pike Lake! Nicely elevated build sites, survey in place and septic sites identified. Just a short walk to the lake.

MLS 6003854 $42,500 NEW

Solberg Lane

20A close to town but is definitely off-the-grid for a real North Woods getaway. Nicely elevated with the possibility of solar and wind power. Rustic outhouse and bunkhouse cabin on the site.

MLS 6003176 $62,800

2 20A pieces, remote with exceptional privacy close to town.

MLS 6003311 $33,900

Hwy 61 20A, 1/3 mile above Lake Superior with great panoramic views. Many building sites along the ridgeline. Very nice site near town but also quite private

MLS 6004005 $54,900 NEW

Inland Lake Lots

Own a slice of Minnesota’s Favorite Resorts We bring you closer. To the lake, each other and your vacation property dreams.

The Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts is unmatched in its intimate proximity to Lake Superior. We offer three distinct ownership opportunities to achieve what you’ve been dreaming of for years.

• Bluefin Bay on Lake Superior: Award-winning property, Minnesota’s Favorite Resort. One, two and three bedroom condos & townhomes on Lake Superior with access to restaurants, pools, saunas, tennis court, gift shops, & full service spa.

• Surfside on Lake Superior: New, spacious luxury townhomes on Lake Superior. Home to Waves of Superior Spa & Café. Offering shared ownership opportunities.

• Temperance Landing on Lake Superior: Distinctive log home luxury on ledgerock and cobblestone beach near Temperance River. 3 BR, 3BA custom log homes with access to resort amenities at Surfside.

Eric Frost

Sales Agent, Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts

Let Eric, exclusive sales agent for Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts, provide the details about each property and guide you through the process. Contact him today to learn more.

218-663-6886 | eric@bluefinbay.com

CATCHLIGHT CATCHLIGHT

painted turtles

I came upon a bale of painted turtles basking in the sun on Fall Lake on Day 52 of my 221-day solo canoe trip in 2014. It appeared as if one turtle was playing leapfrog and got stuck mid-jump. Upon seeing the antics, I gently stabilized my canoe in nearby vegetation and captured the moment while hand-holding my camera.—Gary Fiedler

Portage Band

Fri. & Sat., June 12 & 13

Fri., June 26

6 - 8 p.m.

Earth, Wind and Todd

Fri. & Sat., June 19 & 20

8 p.m.- Midnight

Form your own team. Gift Card prizes. ? ? ? ? ? ?

7-9 P.M.

Wednesdays BURGER NIGHT

5-8 P.M.

Great burgers at a “Blue Collar” price.

Thursdays

5-8 P.M.

Hard shell beef tacos

Fridays

5-8 P.M. Famous Legion Broasted Chicken