Cormorant Control Approved on Lake Vermilion

According to the Ely Timberjay newspaper the DNR recently announced their decision to kill ten up to 10% of the Double Crested Cormorants on Lake Vermilion this summer. In addition, cormorant eggs will be spread with vegetable oil to prevent them from hatching and at the same time not stimulate the birds to renest.  Cormorant populations are skyrocketing in the Midwest. The Timberjay cites one example on Lake Vermilion’s Potato Island where there were 32 nests in 2004 and 424 nests in 2012. Anglers and Lake Vermilion lodge owners believe increasing numbers of the fish-eating cormorants will result in diminished gamefish populations in the lake. The DNR has already recorded reduced numbers of perch in Lake Vermilion which they believe could ultimately affect walleye populations. The Audubon Society of Minnesota believes Double-Crested Cormorants are often unfairly blamed for decreasing game fish populations and adamantly oppose cormorant control programs that have not been … Continue reading

Campcraft Tip

You have likely heard the admonition, “Always do a site check before shoving off from camp.” But it bears repeating and with a twist. Some of my best friends have left important articles behind. On a long trip, it can undermine your success downriver when you are missing a key piece of gear. On a short trip, it can take a bite out of your wallet. Or if you’re stubborn it can create unneeded risk. Rockstar paddler and German friend Jan Detmer left behind his wet suit top on an island campsite on the arctic Thelon River. He noticed the omission an hour (and 5 miles) later.  Rather than fight the current in his canoe, he hiked back upstream to retrieve it. A twenty yard swim in icy water was almost more than he could handle but he retrieved the wet suit (and put it on). Just last month my … Continue reading

Props to Frank Clifford

Frank Clifford joined me on an awesome canoe trip in February down the lower canyons of the Rio Grande. He wrote a great article that was just published in the May/June Sierra magazine. Check it out. It’s an accurate synopsis of the journey and I only shook my head once while reading it. After the pin, Frank implied that I entertained the possibility of “rescue”. That thought never entered my mind. I was positive we would get that canoe off the rock and I was positive we would be able to make it seaworthy again. And if I had been wrong I was positive we would be able to readjust our loads and complete our mission in three canoes. But elsewhere in the article, including the wonderful sighting of a panther bounding up a cliff face, Frank was right on and his skilled prose took me right back to the … Continue reading

BWCA makes American Rivers 2013 List of Endangered Rivers

American Rivers named the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness among America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2013 today. American Rivers is a leading environmental organization working to protect and restore the nation’s rivers and streams.  Since 1973, American Rivers has fought to help protect and restore more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects, and the annual release of “America’s Most Endangered Rivers”. American Rivers believes that the proximity of a proposed copper nickel mine near the South Kawishiwi River threatens the water quality of that watershed. The mine, proposed within the Superior National Forest but just outside the wilderness area, would produce large quantities of waste rock, sulfuric acid, and a variety of toxic metals. This is a reputable environmental outfit and their annual list of endangered rivers is short. The fact that the BWCA made the list shows a depth of concern. What makes sulfide mining … Continue reading

Back from the Ozarks

Three great river trips.

The Buffalo, AR

The Eleven Point, MO

The North Fork of the White, MO

Blue water, a burst of spring, lively current, great campfires, curious birds, mammals and even a hellbender, solitude and wonderful tripping companions

The Buffalo River

Getting a little headstart on the paddling season by exploring the Ozarks. First  five days on the Buffalo leading an Uncommon Seminars LLC trip. Great adventure on an aquamarine river and summer-like temperatures (at least the last day was summer-like). Now enroute to the Eleven Point River in Missouri to scout for possible spring 2014 Uncommon Seminar trips.  Louisiana Water Thrushes, Red Shouldered Hawks, Elk, Otters and a Woodchuck. 71 miles of light rapids and one rock bluff after the next, oh yes, and a waterfall 200 feet high.

Back to the Ozarks

I leave the day after Easter for back-to-back Ozark canoe trips. First the majestic Buffalo River in Arkansas, and then the less heralded Eleven Point in Missouri. With The Rio Grande in February and now the Ozarks I guess this is my new idea of winter camping –chase the sun. Larry Rice keeps writing me about the wonders of Panama. Maybe a January canoe trip down there next year or the Everglades with Cliff Jacobson if we can pull that together?  Anyway right now I am focused on the Ozarks. Last year we hit the Dogwoods in bloom and the woods were a fairyland, this time, a focus on the waterfalls. With a late spring in Minnesota I am going to bring along my Kifaru tipi and a tiny woodstove. If we catch some cold April rain it will be nice to have a warm, dry tent to retreat into … Continue reading

Campcraft Tip

As readers likely already know, I prefer to cook over a fire while I am camping. It is true that stoves especially propane stoves, are easier, but I don’t go into the bush because it’s easier. As far as the environment goes, camping mostly in Minnesota and Ontario I also believe burning wood is the most responsible choice. Fossil fuels and the canisters that contain them are an abomination. Dead wood in the North Woods is abundant and with the elm, oak, spruce, ash, balsam and pine blights and the recent spate of wildfires and blow-downs, there is no shortage of dead wood. In fact, Minnesota has become a paradise for woodpeckers. It takes a while to learn how to build, start, and maintain a fire. It takes even longer to learn how to cook over a fire, but woodfire cooking creates a certain satisfaction and independence that cannot be replicated … Continue reading

Warming Water and Invasive Species Changing the Character of Quetico-Superior Lakes

058-DSC_02031The Lake Superior summer water temperatures are increasing more rapidly than regional air temperatures.  According to an article in the Ely Timberjay, the surface water temperatures of Lake Superior increased approximately 6 degrees F between 1979 and 2006. This is significantly greater than regional atmospheric warming. How this change will impact biodiversity and the proliferation of invasive species remains unclear, but according to scientist Dr. Euan Reavie, as quoted in the Timberjay, the impact is likely to be dramatic. Other lakes in the region are also experiencing effects of warmer summer water temperatures. These include more frequent and larger blue-green algae blooms in Lake of the Woods. On March 13-14 the tenth annual Water Quality Forum is being convened … Continue reading