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A stand of quaking aspen, likely all stems from the same clone.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
What’s in a name? When it comes to the common name, “popple,” it can mean one of three distinct tree species in northern Minnesota. My parents grew up in northwestern Minnesota so … more
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A researcher holds a northern long-eared bat, a species now on the verge of extinction in much of its range due to white-nose syndrome.
Northern long-eared bat reclassified as endangered
REGIONAL— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced a final rule last week that reclassifies the northern long-eared bat from its earlier threatened status, to endangered. According … more
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Take A Kid Fishing participant Cass Nelson hoists the 30-inch walleye he caught after braving the showers that kept most other participants back on shore.
Thirty-inch walleye a hefty highlight of kids fishing event
LAKE VERMILION— With rain steadily pelting the lakeside tent at Fortune Bay Resort Casino on a recent Wednesday morning, Phil Bakken announced to the 40-plus kids in attendance that the 2023 … more
MPCA: Don’t overuse salt-based de-icers
REGIONAL— The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is asking residents to limit their use of salt to maintain sidewalks, driveways, and parking lots this winter. It can save you money and help … more
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September among the fastest-warming months of the year
REGIONAL— Septembers aren’t what they used to be in northern Minnesota. Forty years ago, the fall air often started creeping its way into the North Country in late August, when the … more
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Hunt turkey in the North Country? You betcha!
REGIONAL— As recently as ten years ago, the notion of hunting wild turkeys in northern St. Louis County would have seemed ludicrous— right up there with hunting for sasquatch. What a … more
Is peak upon us?
Peak color seems a bit behind normal this year. The late spring, combined with plentiful rainfall and mild temperatures in September appears to have delayed the color change at least by a week or so. … more
OLA to review DNR’s use of federal wildlife funds
REGIONAL— The Office of the Legislative Auditor, or OLA, has announced it will undertake what’s known as a “special review” to examine the Minnesota Department of Natural … more
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Bill would require wolf season once delisting is final
ST. PAUL— Three northeastern Minnesota lawmakers have introduced bipartisan legislation that would require the Department of Natural Resources to implement an open season on gray wolves in the … more
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County board approves AIS funding for 2023
REGIONAL— Seven organizations were among those receiving funding from St. Louis County to help reduce the spread of aquatic invasive species. The county board voted unanimously to approve … more
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A classic mid-1960s vintage Polaris Colt likely brought back memories for many baby boomers who grew up snowmobiling.
Snow machines of yore
Timberjay photographer David Colburn made the drive to Elephant Lake on Saturday for the 38th Annual Melgeorge's Antique and Classic Snowmobile Race. With the warmer and drier than average winter, it … more
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Lake Vermilion is known for its scenic beauty and good water quality. The Vermilion Lake Association is hoping to keep it that way.
VLA conducting extensive water testing
LAKE VERMILION— Members of the Vermilion Lake Association will soon have a better understanding of the water quality here after the lake association’s board approved an extensive lake … more
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Woman injured in snowmobile crash
REGIONAL— An Iowa woman sustained an apparent broken arm and other injuries last Friday evening after she lost control of her snowmobile on the Taconite Trail, near Star Lake. The remote lake … more
It was a snowy winter, but no long term records were set locally. Duluth, by contrast, set a new all-time record of 140.1 inches of snow this winter. Pictured here is a measuring stick reflecting snow on the ground as of March 23 in Vermilion Lake Township.
Plenty of snow, but no long-term records locally
REGIONAL- With the 2022-23 snow season hopefully now behind us, it was certainly above average for snowfall here in the North Country, but not the record-setting winter seen just to our south. At the … more
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An angler smiles as she holds up a nice eating- sized walleye caught near Glenwood Lodge on the far east end of Lake Vermilion.
Picture Perfect
LAKE VERMILION— A lot of conventional wisdom took a beating here during Saturday’s fishing opener, including the usual assumption that opener is invariably timed with lousy weather. … more
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Ice-out just in time for the opener
LAKE VERMILION— Warm weather that arrived earlier this week has melted the final vestiges of ice here, with an official ice-out date of May 10, just in time for Saturday’s fishing opener. … more
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The latest drought map from the U.S. Drought Monitor, reflecting drought conditions in Minnesota as of Aug. 3.
Drought continues to slowly build
REGIONAL— Drought conditions continue to build across Minnesota, despite on-again, off-again rainfall in recent weeks. According to the latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor, … more
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A stand of mixed mature pine along the Echo Trail north of Ely.
RED, WHITE, OR JACK?
Ever eat a pine tree? That was the question posed by Euell Gibbons in his 1970s-era cereal commercial. “Many parts are edible,” advised Gibbons, the author well-known at the time for his … more
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I think Sasquatch raided my garden
A strange thing happened in my garden a couple of nights ago. Now you should understand my garden is 32 five-gallon buckets of various kinds of vegetables and a few smaller containers of green beans. … more
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Christmas bird counts set across the North Country
REGIONAL— Birders around the area will be pulling out their binoculars and warm winter gear over the next couple weeks to take part in the 123rd annual Christmas Bird Count, sponsored and … more
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Ely-area resident Paul Pelkola found this gooey brown colony of bryozoans growing on his boat lift last weekend.
Bryozoans bring an other-wordly feel to Minnesota lakes
FALL LAKE- If the strange blob that Paul Pelkola found on his Fall Lake boat lift had been green instead of brown, it could have been straight out of “The Attack of the Green Slime,” one … more
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Diversionary feeding proves an effective strategy for jays
xIf you enjoy feeding birds this time of year but don’t like to see dozens of aggressive blue jays keep other birds from getting their share, consider this rather simple solution. When it comes … more
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A snow plow heads out in a winter storm.
OUTLOOK UNCERTAIN
REGIONAL— Seasonal weather forecasting here in the North Country is far from an exact science, and that goes double under an el Niño weather pattern like the one currently taking shape … more
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Decaying ice on the north arm of Trout Lake in the BWCAW on Dec. 27. While this shallow bay of the lake was frozen, other parts of the big lake remained open as of New Year’s
December was a month for the record books
REGIONAL— December of 2023 proved to be one for the meteorological record books. The jaw-dropping Christmas to New Year’s warm spell capped a month that was already running much warmer … more
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Clair Helmberger, Jodi Summit, and Victoria Ranua (partially obscured) made their way recently along the Norway Trail on the edge of a then-snowless BWCAW.
Winter green
Late December in the Boundary Waters is supposed to be a season laden in white. But in an unprecedented year it was the deep greens that stood out during a hike along the Norway Trail, north of Trout … more
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