Outdoors Posts

On Patrol

Lake Superior Aquaman on patrol.

A Beaver Dam: Fall to Winter

Here it is, the sequel to “A Beaver Dam: Summer to Fall.” It features more footage from a trail camera on a beaver dam at Kabetogama Peninsula in Voyageurs National Park.

Lanue – “Mexico”

An excerpt from the WDSE-TV special Northern Rhythms featuring Lanue.

A Beaver Dam: Summer to Fall

A trail camera on a beaver dam at Kabetogama Peninsula in Voyageurs National Park last summer captured a variety of wildlife.

Back at it

Video: Pictured Rocks cliff face plummets into Lake Superior

Jahn Martin and Brad Gustafson, along with two other passengers, were on a pontoon boat in the area between Miner’s Beach and Mosquito Beach at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula last week when a 200-foot cliff face collapsed and slid into Lake Superior. The resulting waves put the boaters into panic mode, but everyone came out unscathed.

Eight Wolf Pups Scampering Along the Trail

The Half-Moon Pack of wolves at Voyageurs National Park had the largest litter of any pack observed at the park this year with eight pups. The largest litter ever documented by the Voyageurs Wolf Project was nine pups. The project is focused on understanding the summer ecology of wolves in the park, located about 120 miles north of Duluth.

PDD Quiz: Notable Northland Critters

Put your knowledge of notable Duluth-area animals to the test with this week’s quiz.

The next PDD quiz will cover current events; it will be published on June 27. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by June 23.

Spring at a Northwoods Creek

The latest video from the Voyageurs Wolf Project shows the array of wildlife that visited a small creek in Voyageurs National Park over the course of a few weeks in May. Critters passing though include a bear, wolf, fisher, marten, owl, porcupine and more.

This wolf pup is still working on a proper howl

The wolf pup in this video was trying its best to howl, but just couldn’t quite get it out. The footage is of the Paradise Pack of wolves at Voyageurs National Park, observed with a Voyageurs Wolf Project‘s trail camera. The project is focused on understanding the summer ecology of wolves in the park, located about 120 miles north of Duluth.

Uh-oh … wait, don’t panic

There are several different species of tent caterpillar. The one’s shown here, photographed in West Duluth, look a tad different than the dreaded forest tent caterpillars that defoliate trees and shrubs in nightmarish fashion.

The Slice: Spring Wildflowers

Naturalist Larry Weber talks about early spring wildflowers at Jay Cooke State Park.

In its series The Slice, WDSE-TV presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.

A Brief Remembrance of George Hovland

I’ve only been in Duluth for 20 years, so in relation to George Hovland’s life, I’m just a newcomer. Even so, as a cross-country skier, my tracks crossed his over and over.

George always ran Snowflake Nordic Ski Center like a charity. The cashbox on the counter just sat there on the honor system. Each year, I signed up my kids for the KidSki program. This was during the window of time each fall where he gave a discount for signing up early. I paid full price because I could afford it. I also did it because, unlike a lot of things, I knew exactly where my money was going. I mean, outside of my family, cross-country skiing is my favorite thing. And each year when he got my check, George called me on the phone and said, “You shouldn’t pay full price. You can pay the discounted price.” And I said, “I know George. It’s me. I told you the exact same thing last year.”

One time, I was skiing classic style in the snow-blessed microclimate at Snowflake and George came up on me the opposite direction and said, “Great technique!” I was a little too pleased, but a comment like that from George, a 1952 Olympian, was like a benediction.

Frog Songs in the North Woods


 
The frogs have been incredible this spring. Here’s something recorded with three mics (for best listening, try putting on headphones — you will be engulfed in the tri-stereophonic bliss of creatures singing in the woods! Trust me, computer speakers won’t provide the embodied sense of being in the midst of it all!) Minimalist guitars included, but the frogs are worth it!

PDD Quiz: Duluth Parks II

Test your knowledge of Duluth’s western parks in this week’s quiz! As with the previous quiz on Duluth parks, Tony Dierckins’ and Nancy S. Nelson’s Duluth’s Historical Parks: Their First 160 Years was an indispensible resource. Historical images from the Kathryn A. Martin Library’s Northeast Minnesota Historical Collection were accessed through the Minnesota Digital Library, another excellent resource for local history buffs.

The next PDD quiz, reviewing this month’s headlines, will be published on April 25. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by April 21.