Atikokan Looks Ahead to Gold Mine
Atikokan, the northern gateway community to Quetico Provincial Park, is considering what steps to take to become gold mining town. Osisko Mining expects to have a gold mine in the Atikokan area, perhaps by 2015.
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DNR Seeks Grand Marais Fishing Comments
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is seeking public comments for its review of management plans for a number of Grand Marais-area lakes and streams.
Voyageurs Moose Study Seeks Answers
A GPS-based research study on the moose that inhabit Voyageurs National Park seeks to unravel the knotty question of what exactly is causing the decline in the animal’s population in northeastern Minnesota.
County Aims to Curb Public Land Growth
Northeastern Minnesota’s St. Louis County has commissioned a study to determine how best to keep private land in the county from becoming publicly owned.
Moose Hunters Find Success
Despite warm temperatures during the start of the hunting season and a declining moose population, northeastern Minnesota moose hunters were more successful bagging animals this season than last year.
Petition Filed Over Taconite Plant Emissions
Five environmental advocacy groups including the Voyageurs National Park Association and the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness have filed a petition with the federal Environmental Protection Agency objecting to an air pollution permit granted to the United Taconite processing plant in Forbes, Minnesota.
Ruling Against Sierra Club Upheld
A ruling by a lower court dismissing a lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club against the Forest Service over the Superior National Forest management plan has been upheld.
Heart of the Continent Seeks Communities
The Heart of the Continent Partnership, an association of land managers, researchers, government officials, and local stakeholders, is seeking to add representatives of the region’s communities to its collaborative effort.
Minnesota DNR Awarded Mercury Grant
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has been awarded a $1.6 million federal Environmental Protection Agency grant to study atmospheric mercury emissions from the state’s taconite processing plants.
Quetico Plan Comments Due Friday
The initial public comment period for proposed changes to the Quetico Provincial Park management plan will close on Friday. Park managers are considering designated campsites and defined travel routes in the park as well as commercial dog-sledding operations and the development of a long-distance hiking trail.
Hunters Assisting Moose Research
This fall, Minnesota’s moose hunters are helping researchers understand what’s ailing the state’s moose population.
Superior National Forest Survey Planned
The in-depth survey that National Forests undertake every five years to track visitor numbers and recreation trends is about to commence in the Superior National Forest.
Group Finds Mine Pollution near BWCAW
The advocacy group Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness claims that sulfide mine pollution is occurring at a 36-year-old mine site off of Spruce Road near the South Kawishiwi River just miles from the limits of the BWCAW.
New Boy Scout Headquarters to be Built
The Charles L. Sommers Canoe Base on Moose Lake near Ely is set to begin construction on a new 12,880 square foot headquarters to be called the Sandy Bridges Base Center.
Vermilion Park Comment Period Ending
The initial opportunity for public input for Lake Vermilion State Park’s master plan will end on September 30, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is reminding citizens.
Presentation to Discuss BWCAW Archaeology
A presentation sponsored by the advocacy group Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness will discuss the discovery of several siltstone quarries on the BWCAW’s Knife Lake which are believed to date to paleolithic times. The event will take place on Tuesday, October 19 in St. Paul.
Grand Portage Visitor Center Hosts Grand Opening
Amid a splash of fall colors, the new visitor center at Grand Portage State Park will host its grand opening on Saturday, September 25. The facility will serve as a highway rest area, a state travel information center, and park visitor center.
New Quetico Plan in Review Stage
Proposals for changes to Ontario’s Quetico Provincial Park’s management plan — possibly including designated campsites and defined travel routes — are in the public comment stage until mid-October. Park managers are also considering development of a long-distance hiking trail in the park as well as authorizing commercial dog-sledding operations.
Feds Will Try Again to Delist Wolves
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will try again to remove gray wolves from the endangered species list in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The USFWS has tried three other times return wolves to state and tribal management, only to be stymied in court.
Bear Head Lake State Park Ranks #1
Minnesota’s Bear Head Lake State near Ely has won a $100,000 contest naming it “America’s Favorite Park.” The park garnered 28% of the 5.7 million votes cast by the public in the America is Your Park campaign sponsored by Coca-Cola.