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There are some places that just seem to have that secret sauce when it comes to attracting birds and, in our region, there are few places saucier than the Darwin S. Myers wildlife management area, …
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Marshall Helmberger
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5/25/22
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When I was a kid, late October was a time of anticipation. While most kids love Christmas most of all, I looked forward to Halloween at least as much. But Halloween wasn’t just a night for me …
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Marshall Helmberger
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10/19/22
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REGIONAL— It’s not just your imagination. Leaves are changing color later than in the past here in the North Country, and we’re not alone. All across North America, the dramatic …
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Marshall Helmberger
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11/2/23
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REGIONAL—Here’s something you probably didn’t know. This past Monday, May 23, was World Turtle Day. You may have missed all the hullabaloo, but any day is a good time to celebrate …
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Tom Emery
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5/25/22
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REGIONAL—The Minnesota DNR has set dates for recreational netting of whitefish and cisco on seven lakes in the Tower fisheries work area. These lakes are Schedule I waterbodies, which are more …
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10/19/22
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REGIONAL—Deer season is a time of tradition, family and fun. It’s also a time for great outdoors stories and we’d like to hear yours— so we can share the best with our …
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11/2/23
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Per the DNR: “Deer populations in many northern areas of Minnesota are still struggling to recover, following back-to-back severe winters. During severe winters, thermal cover and forage …
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11/2/23
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REGIONAL— The region’s ruffed grouse population is in the declining phase of its roughly ten-year cycle. But someone forgot to tell the grouse. For over 70 years, the cyclical ups and …
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Marshall Helmberger
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8/10/22
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There was a critter afoot. I pointed that out to Jodi several days before Christmas. Someone had dumped the butchered remains of a deer on our property back in November and I had dragged it all to a …
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Marshall Helmberger
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1/11/23
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My biannual pilgrimage back to the island has started, but it is always fraught with peril. This year is no exception, and in fact, will go in the logs as a not-too-great travel year. You know, …
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April Wamhoff
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1/11/23
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REGIONAL— Cautious optimism is the general rule for area bear guides, even as the abundance of natural foods in the woods appears to be reducing interest in their baits. The bear season gets …
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Marshall Helmberger
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8/30/23
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REGIONAL— The presence of zebra mussels has been confirmed in the Embarrass Mine Pit, near Aurora, by the Department of Natural Resources. A U.S. Forest Service employee contacted the DNR after …
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8/10/22
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A 2009 study by a pair of graduate students in Michigan may help to explain why everyone in the North Country seems to be complaining about the clouds of mosquitoes right now. Anyone who lives here, …
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Marshall Helmberger
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6/7/23
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REGIONAL— Visitor use in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness returned largely to pre-pandemic levels last year, according to a recently released visitor use report for the year 2018-2022, …
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Marshall Helmberger
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8/30/23
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As in an old Thomas Hardy novel, the blooming of the heaths is an occasion for superlatives. The heaths, members of the family Ericaceae, are found in wet and cool environments across the Northern …
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Marshall Helmberger
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6/7/23
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REGIONAL— A national organization hired by the Superior National Forest is recommending the creation of a sustained effort at collaboration with a wide range of area stakeholders to address …
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Marshall Helmberger
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8/30/23
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REGIONAL—Want to fish this weekend without a fishing license? Then take a kid with you. During Take a Kid Fishing weekend, which runs June 9-11, Minnesota residents can fish without licenses if …
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6/7/23
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REGIONAL— With the late March snowfall all but faded, North Country residents are increasingly thinking ahead to spring— and for many that will include a camping trip to one of the …
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4/10/24
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REGIONAL— Minnesotams could find that launching a boat this spring is more difficult than usual due to low water levels on many lakes and rivers. The lack of snow this winter and persistent dry …
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4/10/24
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REGIONAL— It appears that hunters registered the lowest number of bears in five years, based on harvest data compiled by the Department of Natural Resources on Oct. 18. The 2022 bear season …
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Marshall Helmberger
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10/26/22
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That brief period between the fall of our leaves and the coming snow, is a good time to pay attention to another colorful and fascinating part of the North Country environment— …
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Marshall Helmberger
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10/26/22
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It’s been a good season so far for grouse hunters, but it may also be a good season for an unusual fly that parasitizes grouse and that can bite humans when they come in contact with the birds …
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10/26/22
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REGIONAL— If you’re thinking this winter has been exceptionally snowy, you’re right, at least for points just south of the North Country. The Duluth area and east-central Minnesota …
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Marshall Helmberger
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3/29/23
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TOWER-SOUDAN— A project that’s been plagued by delays is finally moving forward here and that’s good news for hikers and bikers who use the Mesabi Trail. That portion of the trail …
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Marshall Helmberger
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9/6/23
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REGIONAL— The St. Louis and Lake Counties Regional Rail Authority has postponed a decision that could determine the future of the proposed Lake Vermilion bike trail. The authority board took no …
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Marshall Helmberger
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11/9/23
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