Quetico Visitor Numbers Down Again
Despite 100th anniversary activities, the number of people visiting Quetico Provincial Park is down some 10% this year. It’s the second straight year that Quetico visitor numbers have declined.
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Forest Service Taking Comments on South Fowl Trail
The Forest Service is accepting public comments on the development of a new snowmobile trail from McFarland Lake to South Fowl Lake in far northeastern Minnesota. The new trail was necessitated by the closure of the Tilbury Trail which crossed land included in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
DNR Extends Comment Period for Forest Resources Management Plan
The Minnesota DNR has allowed for an additional thirty days of public comment on a resources management plan intended to promote forest health in four northern Minnesota ecological subsections.
No Impacts Yet from Spiny Water Flea
Invasive spiny water fleas have been present in northern Minnesota waters since 2006, but scientists have yet to see negative impacts from the plankton of European origin.
McGuffins Release Quetico: Into the Wild
The celebration of Quetico Provincial Park’s 100th Anniversary continues … in book form! Renowned nature photographers Gary and Joanie McGuffin have produced Quetico: Into the Wild after nearly three years of photographic and paddle-and-portage effort.
July Adds Up to Cold, Dry
Temperatures in the Quetico Superior region were colder than normal in July, with International Falls breaking a record for lowest average temperature for the month. July was also a dry month across the region.
Grand Portage Rendezvous This Weekend
In a comemoration of the great mid-summer rendezvous of the fur trade era, Grand Portage National Monument will host the 2009 Rendezvous Days and Pow Wow starting this Friday.
Fire Danger Low, but Area Firefighters Active
Forest fire danger in northern Minnesota and western Ontario is low, but that doesn’t mean area firefighters are keeping busy. Wild-land fire fighters from the Quetico-Superior region are helping fight fires currently burning in British Columbia.
Sturgeon the Subject of Voyageurs Talk
Lake sturgeon, a fish species that has lived in its present form for some 100 million years, will be the topic of tomorrow evening’s program at Voyageurs National Park.
Friends of the Quetico Celebrates 25 Years
It’s the 100th aniversary of Quetico Provincial Park this year, but 2009 is also the 25th birthday for the Friends of Quetico Park, an organization whose objective is “the preservation of Quetico Provincial Park as a unique wilderness area.”
Hummel Named New Deputy Supervisor
Mark Hummel has been named the Superior National Forest’s new Deputy Forest Supervisor. Hummel comes to the Superior National Forest after working in Alaska and Nevada.
Wildflowers of the Boundary Waters Reviewed
Betty vos Hemstad’s new book “Wildflowers of the Boundary Waters: Hking Through the Seasons” is more than just a lovely coffee table book, according to one reviewer who found the book to be “an invaluable resource.”
More Spraying for Gypsy Moths
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is continuing it’s aerial spraying efforts to stop the spread of invasive gypsy moths in northeastern Minnesota.
Dorothy Molter Museum Remodeled
Ely’s Dorothy Molter Museum got a $16,000 facelift recently, thanks to an $8000 grant from Minnesota Iron Range Resources, the and matching private donations. The museum that recognizes the last person to live in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area now has a remodeled interpretive center.
Mayflies Inundate Lake Vermillion
This year’s mayfly hatch on Lake Vermillion was one of epic proportions. Hatches of the short-lived native species are normal in mid-summer, but this year’s hatch of the insects called for extra measures to remove the piles of dead creatures.
New Book Celebrates 100 Years of Quetico
Thunder Bay author Jon Nelson has published a new book celebrating the people and history of Quetico Provincial Park.
Remembering the Blowdown of 1999
Tomorrow marks the 10th anniversary of the famed Boundary Waters Blowdown. On July 4, 1999 a huge storm packing 90-mile-per-hour winds ripped through the BWCA, uprooting trees, blocking portages, and stranding campers. In all 370,000 acres in the BWCA were affected by the storm.
Paddlers Celebrate 100th for Quetico, Superior
A paddling expedition that pushed off yesterday is celebrating the 100th birthdays of the Superior National Forest and Quetico Provincial Park. Representatives of the Heart of the Continent Partnership will paddle a 24-foot voyageur canoe across the region.
National Forests Tighten Firewood Restrictions
In an effort to slow the spread of emerald ash borers in the state, National Forest officials on Friday announced tightened restrictions on firewood use and transportation in Minnesota’s Superior and Chippewa National Forests.
Cross-Border Study Examines Cormorants
An on-going study of cormorants on Rainy Lake will include increased attention on birds dwelling on the Canadian side of the international water-body this summer. Cormorants have been a lightening-rod species among some anglers who fear the birds are impacting game-fish populations