DULUTH, Minn. – It’s a mushroom madness in the great north woods right now. With the foraging season kicking off in May, local mushroom masters say now is a great time to start the hunt. “It kind of started as a freak accident,” said Ariel Bonkoski, a forager from Duluth. It’s not a hobby that fits everyone’s forte. “When I…
DULUTH, Minn.– Since 2017, the Natural Resources Research Institute has placed measurement gauges in streams throughout Duluth and neighboring areas, and now they continue to need your help in tracking this important data. Those participating can text in the height of the water to a national database that uses the recording to study stream behavior and environmental impacts. Organizers says…
SUPERIOR, Wisc.– Local landscapers are facing a worker shortage and CORE Landscaping in Superior say they have been busy this summer, which means they need more workers, but that’s not the only problem they’ve been facing. “Never did we have it this dry in June or May, normally we couldn’t do any landscaping because everything was too wet, normally you…
CARLTON, Minn.– Due to the lack of rain and low humidity levels, a high fire danger warning has been issued in much of the Northland, with burning restrictions in place. Portions of Saint Louis, Carlton, and Itasca Counties currently have high fire danger warning and experts are encouraging acute awareness now more than ever as we continue into a dry…
DULUTH, Minn. – If you’re itching to get outside and explore with your friends and family this weekend, the City of Duluth has the perfect opportunity with prizes attached. The Parks and Rec Dept. is teaming up with Leadership Duluth to host a citywide scavenger hunt. It’s happening Saturday, June 12, which marks National Get Outdoors Day. The hunt is…
DULUTH, Minn.– After being under construction due to heavy damage from multiple storms, the city of Duluth is finally ready to cut the ribbon and welcome foot traffic back to the Lakewalk in Canal Park. As a staple path for pedestrians that hugs the border of the lake, this section of the Lakewalk is said to be the most powerful…
DULUTH, Minn.– In light of fishing season, the Great Lakes Aquarium is raising awareness about the harmful consequences of using lead lures and their impact on the loon population in Minnesota. Lead poisoning is one of the main causes of death in loons and Great Lakes Aquarium is partnering with Get the Lead out Minnesota to raise awareness about the…
DULUTH, Minn- The Duluth Fire Department is urging the public to be cautious and alert when swimming the beaches on Park Point this summer, after they rescued a teen from sudden and unforeseen rip currents Saturday. “It’s just a good reminder that Lake Superior can be very unpredictable. The weather here in Duluth is very unpredictable, these conditions can develop…
DULUTH, Minn.- A lightning strike is believed to be the cause of a fire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), estimated at roughly 2 acres. According to the U.S. Forest Service, late in the day on June 4th, a wildfire was detected southwest of Hassel Lake in BWCAW on the LaCroix Ranger District of the Superior National Forest. Hassel…
DULUTH, Minn.- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the City of Duluth have announced a plan to cleanup aluminum and tin metal fragments from Park Point Beach. The Corps had spread dredged sediment the help rebuild the beach washing away on Minnesota Point — but it left shards of decades old aluminum cans mixed into the sand. Since then…
ST. LOUIS COUNTY.– The St. Louis County sheriff’s deputies responded to a water emergency on trout lake in the BWCA Monday afternoon at 2:20 p.m. Due to poor cell phone service, it took authorities longer to find out a 51-year-old male had fallen out of a boat and into the water on the north arm of the lake. The victim…
DULUTH, Minn.– The Superior National Forest is reminding the public of the near-critical fire conditions in the Northland as the amount of rain we’ve seen is low, and showers have been spotty. As some areas experience droughts, the foliage is extra dry this spring. Wildfires are a huge concern this time of year, and prevention is a priority, “we just…
DULUTH, Minn.– For 19 years, the City of Duluth has collected sand and salt off the roads every April in an effort to prevent harmful materials making its way into Lake Superior. This year, 5 collection bins were set up around the city, and after weighing, Duluth collected over 15 tons of salt and sand which tends to be an…
SUPERIOR, Wis.– With warmer weather on the way, that means people are going to start doing more outdoor activities especially having camp fires. But with those comes the dangers of a possible wildfire. This spring is drier than normal, and the Superior Fire Department is warning the public to be smart, as an increased amount of wildfires are happening in…
Click here to buy items from Wildwoods’ Amazon registry, and click here to make a financial donation to the nonprofit. DULUTH, Minn. — The Wildwoods Rehabilitation Center in Duluth is seeing more orphaned baby squirrels, bunnies, and other animals brought in as the weather warms up, and now the team there has launched an Amazon registry to help collect essential…
DULUTH, Minn.– It’s getting warmer outside and people want to get out and enjoy it, but some outdoor stores are having trouble keeping up with the demand. Frost River in Duluth has experienced the frustrations of keeping up with the current high demand of camping supplies, especially canoe paddles, as more people are wanting to get rid of cabin fever….
GARY NEW DULUTH, Minn. – Getting kids off cell phones, and into the forest. It’s a goal of one teacher in the Gary New Duluth neighborhood as the community’s rec center continues to host Nature Nights. “In spring, kids should smell like dirt,” said Leslie Bucar, youth director at the Gary New Duluth Rec Center. You can practically smell the…
SUPERIOR, Wis.- A dredging project in Howards Bay along Connor’s Point aims to remove thousands of cubic yards of contaminants left there by fossil fuels like coal, gas, and oil over the years by previous industries. “The main goal is to cleanup Howard’s Bay,” said Corey Weston, P.E., Chief of Construction and Survey Section with the U.S. Army Corps of…
TWO HARBORS, Minn.– Minnesota Governor Tim Walz yesterday announced the loosening of many restrictions beginning today including getting rid of mandatory closure times at bars and restaurants while eliminating outdoor dining limits. We caught up with leadership from Castle Danger Brewery in Two Harbors who says they’re eager to operate in a more normal capacity as they hope it’s a…
SUPERIOR, Wis. — We’re all coming out of hibernation with the nicer weather, including a family of bears in Superior’s Billings Park neighborhood. Ken Kurtz captured five black bears on his security camera and tried to scare them off the property by yelling through the mic on the camera while at his winter home in Palm Springs, California. But he…
DULUTH, Minn. – Spring is a time for new life, and new beginnings, especially in the animal kingdom. Come late May and early June, fawns will start to be born, and oftentimes people end up getting in between the newborns and their mother. Staff at Wildwoods Rehabilitation Center in Duluth are currently dealing with calls for baby birds, squirrels, and…
UPDATE: The Northland FireWire reports that fire officials say the blaze has now burned 86 acres, but is close to being contained. _________________________________________________________________________ UPDATE: According to the Northland FireWire, A fire official said the blaze burned about 56 acres so far. Several homes in the immediate area were evacuated, however, the wind shifted and those homes are no longer in…
DULUTH, Minn.- Enbridge’s Line-3 Pipeline Replacement Project is 50% complete. During a virtual open house Tuesday, construction officials said 200 miles of the pipeline is welded, coded, in the ground and back-filled — leaving roughly 140 more miles left. Since April, work is currently on an environmentally mandated “Spring Break” pause. “We are paused and the reason for that pause…
DULUTH, Minn. — The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency gave WLSSD an award for outstanding clean water performance in 2020. WLSSD was in 100% compliance with its permits for treating wastewater that goes into the bay of the St. Louis River, which feeds into Lake Superior. One of the managers of the facility says the job of treating wastewater is a…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin fishery officials say more tournaments are abandoning their traditional catch-hold-release formats. The Department of Natural Resources says the number of bass and walleye tournaments that have eschewed the traditional catch-hold-release format for catch-photo-release rules has increased from an average of six annually between 2010 and 2015 to more than 30 per year from 2015…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin fishery officials say more tournaments are abandoning their traditional catch-hold-release formats. The Department of Natural Resources says the number of bass and walleye tournaments that have eschewed the traditional catch-hold-release format for catch-photo-release rules has increased from an average of six annually between 2010 and 2015 to more than 30 per year from 2015 to…
DULUTH, Minn.- The majority of natural surface trails in Duluth are now open and ready for public use, according to the City’s Parks and Recreation Division. City staff ask trail users to observe proper trail etiquette and stewardship by respecting individual trail closures and avoiding any wet/muddy trails. If you notice that you are leaving a footprint or bicycle tire…
COOK, Minn.-. St. Louis County Rescue Squad and several other rescue agencies made a water rescue at Elbow Lake near Cook, where a Duluth man was found at an overturned canoe Thursday evening. At approximately 4:41 p.m. Thursday, the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office along with the Cook Ambulance Service, St. Louis County Rescue Squad, U.S. Forest Service, and Virginia…
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has convened a global climate summit – by livestream from around the world because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden started it out Thursday with an ambitious U.S. pledge to cut by at least one-half the climate-wrecking coal and petroleum fumes that America is pumping out. He is hoping the commitment, along with similar ones…
DULUTH, Minn.-Earlier today the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency gave an update on this year’s dredging project on Park Point. They talked about the risks involved with placing man made materials on Park Point after metal shards were found along the beach from a previous dredging. The MPCA says it is making sure this…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth’s sustainability officer, Mindy Granley, is applauding the city council’s declaration of a “climate emergency” and says she’s ready to take Duluth to the next level to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the city. Granley says the city will be creating an initial five-year “climate action plan,” which will be presented to the council by the…
DULUTH, Minn.- Some Duluthians took advantage of Sunday’s stinky weather to do a crappy job — helping keep Duluth’s trials and waterways free of dog poop. City staff along with students from Harbor City International School picked up more than 50 pounds of doggie doo-doo in the first couple miles of the Hawk Ridge trail. Volunteers say they wanted to…
GRAND RAPIDS, Minn.- Hotspots along Highway 61 North of Silver Bay are still being monitored Sunday by fire crews from six different area fire departments, Minnesota DNR Fire and Air assets, and Lake County Rescue squad, among other responders. The cause remains under investigation. The multiple fires have burned an estimated 45 acres, according to the the Minnesota Interagency…
SILVER BAY, Minn.- A portion of Highway 61 has reopened in Silver Bay, Minnesota, after grass fires were burning near the road. According to a Facebook Post on the Silver Bay Police Department Page, “numerous grass fires” forced the closure of Highway 61 north of Silver Bay, which is an area near the Tettegouche State Park. Around 8:00 p.m. authorities…
DULUTH, Minn. — A group of Line 3 pipeline protesters marched through the streets of downtown Duluth Sunday morning. The march was led by Indigenous water protectors, as they prefer to be called. The activists believe the pipeline is a threat to Native American waters and climate change. A Duluth police spokesperson said officers observed the protest from afar and…
DULUTH, Minn.- The Superior National Forest is set to start a series of prescribed fires across the forest as soon as this week. Officials say residents around Virginia, Ely and Grand Marais may notice some smoke and see flames. The planned fires protect not only plant and wildlife, but also nearby homes and buildings from hazardous fuels and even wildfires….
DULUTH, Minn.- As winter slowly wraps up, people may notice a lot of road sand in their sidewalks and boulevards pushed there by snow plows. Instead of just throwing it in the trash the City of Duluth is asking people deposit it at one of their road sand collection sites. According to officials, this allows them to properly dispose it,…
DULUTH, Minn. – Climate change is expensive, and now with a new proposal from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), funding for preventative planning and infrastructure repairs could become a reality. The proposal is for $2.9 million in grant money to be spent over the next two years. According to the MPCA, funding would help…
DULUTH, Minn.- Duluth City Council passed two resolutions for pre-design and pre-engineering work for Phase II of seawall construction and rehabilitating the pedestrian walkway along Harbor Drive between Canal Park and Bayfront. Councilors say they expect construction to begin on the seawall in 2022. They plan to use some of the $13 million in state bonding bill money the city…
AURORA, Minn.- 8th District Congressman Pete Stauber stopped by the Aurora Community Center Monday for a town hall style meeting with Iron Rangers, joining them in wanting to bring critical minerals mining to the Iron Range. “It’d be nice to see a new generation of people coming to the Iron Range to take on the next generation of mining,” said…
TWO HARBORS, Minn. – They say a picture is worth a thousand words. The statement holds ever so true for one lucky photographer living along the North Shore of Lake Superior. “Photography and Split Rock go together like peanut butter and jelly, they’re just delicious together,” said Hayes Scriven, site manager at Split Rock Lighthouse. You could say the COVID-19…
DULUTH, Minn.- Reconstruction work is finally set to begin this summer on the Mission Creek burial site in Duluth’s Fond Du Lac neighborhood, three years after MnDOT crews accidentally tore it up working to replace the Highway 23 Bridge there. Before they can get started, they have to finish some prep work which includes a plan to keep the area’s…
DULUTH, Minn. – A group of UMD students used Chester Bowl Ski Hill as their classroom for the day to learn more about science. Physics is a subject most people learn about in a classroom or lab but a University of Minnesota Duluth professor is taking a new approach. “They all grew up in and around Minnesota, so they know…
DULUTH, Minn.- The end is in sight for Duluth’s Lakewalk Reconstruction Project as Duluth City Council will look at designs for Phase 4. They’ll also vote on changes to the Duluth Police Department, including adding a civilian opioid officer position. On Monday Council will look at design work for Phase 4 of rebuilding Duluth’s Lakewalk primarily behind the DECC, after…
DULUTH, Minn.- A scare at Duluth’s Greysolon plaza on East Superior Street downtown on Tuesday, after water came gushing into part of the building and out onto the alley behind, a burst water pipe in the Skywalk to blame. According to Duluth Fire Crews, no one was injured or displaced as a result of this. The recent extreme cold, coupled…
DULUTH, Minn.- The recent arctic weather has been harder on homes in the area, especially Duluth’s older, more heat-inefficient houses and apartments. And some property managers say they’re finding their hands full with maintenance. At ShipRock Management, maintenance staff says their 10 full-time crew members have been working around the clock to combat frozen water lines and drains. “This past…
DULUTH, Minn.- The temps are expected to remain frigid over the coming days, which may have an impact on your home. During cold weather conditions, it’s important to make sure you’re watching out for things like frozen pipes, and faulty windows or doors. Once you discover that your pipes are frozen, be sure to call a plumber as soon as…
DULUTH, Minn.- While ice on the lake proved almost disastrous for those anglers Tuesday, local experts say even though it’s coming in slowly, the appearance of ice cover is good news for the health of Lake Superior. Experts at the Minnesota Sea Grant say more ice cover on the lake means cooler water in the summer months. “A two degree…
DULUTH, Minn.- While humans have to take extra safety measures in this extreme cold, many animals at the Lake Superior Zoo love to be outside – but with windchills this low, things like frostbite are a still a danger, regardless of species. “Most all of the animals that we have here if they’re outside this is gonna be similar to…
DULUTH, Minn. – The Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission has started a new initiative to encourage people to get outdoors. Commission members visited the Hartley Nature Center in Duluth to promote a new campaign called “Mask Out Minnesota.” The campaign wants to motivate people to try out state parks and trails, which have gotten more popular during the…
