WTIP Outdoor News Podcast

It has been yet another bountiful year for natural bear food, primarily fruits and nuts in the northeast region of Minnesota. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) 2022 was the second-best year of abundant natural beer foods and 2023 is shaping up to be another great year.

In this week’s episode of the Outdoor News Podcast, host Kalli Hawkins speaks with Andrew Tri, the bear project leader with the Minnesota DNR about statewide bear populations, 2023 assessments of natural bear foods, bear nuisance calls, and the start to the bear hunting seaso

The 2021 Greenwood Fire, which burned nearly 27,000 acres in northeastern Minnesota following a summer of heat and drought, has become a desirable place for scientists across the Midwest and regions of Canada to study the aftermath of a large-scale wildfire in a remote boreal landscape.

Immediately following the Greenwood Fire a team of 10 researchers from Minnesota, Michigan, and Canada ventured into the remote charred landscape of the Greenwood Fire to study how direct wildfire burns within watersheds affect lake water quality, including which lakes are most sensitive to wildfires and what wildfire characteristics lead to the most significant water quality impacts.

In this week’s episode, podcast host Kalli Hawkins speaks with Chris Filstrup, an applied limnologist and co-author of a recently published study from the Natural Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Minnesota’s moose population continues to face a variety of threats, including brainworm transmission from deer, predation from wolves and bears, winter ticks, and changes to moose habitat in northeastern Minnesota.

While the 2023 population estimate of 3,290 moose marks a decade of Minnesota’s moose population remaining relatively stable. However, the future of Moose in Minnesota remains in question as the population has declined dramatically over the past 15 years. In addition, recruitment of new animals into the moose population has been challenging in recent years, primarily due to high predation from predators, according to Grand Portage Wildlife Biologist Seth Moore.

Although this year’s estimate dropped from 2022’s count of approximately 4,700, the change continues to reflect the population stability observed in previous years, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The DNR made a point to mention that Minnesota’s moose count “marks a decade of Minnesota’s moose population remaining relatively stable.”

Meanwhile, a diverse group of federal, state, county, tribal and conservation groups formed the Minnesota Moose Habitat Collaborative to improve habitat in prime moose territory and try to help moose recover in the region.

Cheron Ferland is a wildlife biologist for the US Forest Service on Superior National Forest. In this episode of the podcast, she share more about the work being done across Superior National Forest to help the moose population in northeastern Minnesota.

There are numerous DNR regulation changes heading into the 2023 deer hunting season. Some of which include the reduction or loss of antlerless lottery permits numerous deer permit areas in the northeast, allowed use of crossbows, blaze orange on ground blinds, and much more.

In this week’s episode WTIP’s Outdoor News Podcast host Kalli Hawkins speaks with Nancy Hansen, the area wildlife manager for the Minnesota DNR based in Two Harbors about the 2023 deer hunting regulation changes and what it means for the northeast region.

The wood turtle was designated a threatened species in Minnesota in 1984. It is predominantly terrestrial turtle, compared to it’s aquatic counterparts, making it more susceptible to predation and mortality.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR)is currently conducting wood turtle habitat and nesting research in the eastern portions of the state. In this week’s episode podcast host Kalli Hawkins speaks with Gaea Crozier, the nongame wildlife specialist with the Minnesota DNR about current research efforts in the northeastern region.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is busy conducting fish surveys on numerous inland lakes in northeastern Minnesota. In this week’s episode, podcast host Kalli Hawkins tags along with EJ Isaac, the DNR Area Fisheries Supervisor in Grand Marais on an annual walleye survey on Devil Track Lake.

Also in this week’s episode, Joe Friedrichs speaks with Heidi Rantala, a freshwater ecologist for the DNR based in Duluth, about the 2023 ‘rock snot’ reports and findings concerning what trout are eating in select rivers and streams along the North Shore.

A team of fisheries biologists and researchers from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recently spent the better part of a night looking for coaster brook trout near the Grand Marais Harbor.

Their work on Lake Superior involved using non-lethal electric currents that were delivered from a research vessel into the water.

The purpose of literally electrocuting fish is to learn more about what various species are eating in Lake Superior near Grand Marais. They also want to track numbers of protected coaster brook trout, a native species to these waters. All of the fish surveyed, including brook trout, steelhead, rainbow trout, burbot, and whitefish, will be released back into Lake Superior.

An electrofishing boat uses a generator to produce electricity. The electricity travels to the poles, called booms, at the front of the boat and into the water. The electric field does not kill fish but temporarily stuns or impairs those that swim within a 6- to 8-foot radius from the booms, according to EJ Issac, the Grand Marais area fisheries supervisor for the DNR.

The electric current and its effect on the fish in Lake Superior are typically minimal. If done properly, this sampling technique can be much less damaging than methods that entangle or trap fish, which may injure or even kill them, Issac says. It is illegal for anglers to use electricity to fish.

The fish are in close, near the Grand Marais Harbor and about two miles east of town. The loud beeping from the electric system provides a constant melody as the research team moves from east of Grand Marais closer to the harbor. The species of greatest interest to the biologists is coaster brook trout. After an hour or so of collecting fish, they’re mostly finding steelhead and smaller rainbow trout, which isn’t a bad thing, Issac explains.

After the first round of sampling is done, Nick Peterson and Nate Beckman from the DNR pump the stomach of the fish using water to flush the contents. They find all manner of insects and partially-digest fish in the stomach of the 22-inch steelhead.

Though the researchers on this particular phase of the project were from the DNR, Issac says that collaboration on this research with the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is extremely important.

In this week’s episode of the Outdoor News Podcast, we learn more about the experience, including an audio report from the harbor and on board the boat where the electrofishing took place.

Fishing on Lake Superior is much different than chasing walleye from a canoe.

Depth, the types and size of fish in Lake Superior, and the gear required to properly fish on the Big Lake, can make even experienced anglers hesitant to try embrace the challenge. However, in this episode of the podcast, we hear some perspective on how to make fishing on Lake Superior not only possible, but enjoyable.

The DNR’s Cory Goldsworthy, Tofte Charter Fishing Captain Darren Peck, and Cook County resident Hannah Hoaglund are all featured.

Joe Mundell is familiar with the landscape on Superior National Forest.

Currently serving as the acting Gunflint District Ranger, Mundell has been a U.S. Forest Service employee on Superior National Forest since 2010. His previous roles have included forestry, timber management and administration.

Mundell takes over as the temporary Gunflint district ranger following the departure of Mike Crotteau, who had been in the lead role for the Gunflint District since 2017.

We learn more about Mundell and his time working on Superior National Forest in this episode of the podcast.

Spruce budworm is a native insect and pest in the eyes of many North Shore residents. It continues to decimate balsam firs and to a lesser extent the region’s spruce. As of July 2023, hundreds of thousands of acres of balsam fir trees have either died or are struggling because of spruce budworm.

In this week’s episode, WTIP’s podcast host Joe Friedrichs speaks with Eric Otto Minnesota’s northern region forest health specialist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources about the expansion of spruce budworm in the Superior National Forest.

A law change passed in the Minnesota 2023 legislative session will now allow deer hunters who purchase an archery license to use a crossbow, starting this fall hunting season.

In this week’s episode of the WTIP Outdoor News Podcast host Kalli Hawkins speaks with Todd Froberg, the big game program coordinator with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) about what the law change means for the fall deer hunting season & the long-term management plans for northeast Minnesota with the recent law change.

Seagull Creek Fishing Camp is a small, quiet resort on the Gunflint Trail at the edge of the BWCA. It is owned and operated by Mike Berg. He started the business in 1979.

This summer, Berg’s daughter, Jessica Berg-Collman, started guided for the business. Jessica knows fishing, and she recently took WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs and his friend Joe Powell fishing on Lake Saganaga at the end of the Gunflint Trail. Fish were found. Many of them, actually. Including some large fish. Walleye. Lake trout. Smallmouth. Pike.

Hear all about the experience in this episode of the podcast.

seagullcreekfishingcamp.com

The bugs are bad this year. Mosquitoes. Black flies. More mosquitoes.

From the Boundary Waters to the shores of Lake Superior, the biting insects remain in full force beyond the halfway point of June. In this episode of the podcast, we learn about what the disappearance of Minnesota’s bat population has to do with all the insects buzzing around this year. Jill Utrup, a Minnesota-based researcher for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, shares details on this topic.

We also hear from Mike Seim, a co-owner of Rockwood Lodge on the Gunflint Trail, about how bugs are impacting canoe campers and anglers across the Boundary Waters.

Dean Paron, the longtime Finland Area Fisheries Supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, is leaving his post along the Baptism River.

And while change is occurring, Dean is staying with the state agency and Minnesota rivers. He’ll be overseeing habitat work on all rivers and streams in Minnesota as part of his new role with the DNR. Learn all about the changes in this episode of the podcast.

Also featured is an update with Cory Goldsworthy, the DNR Lake Superior area fisheries supervisor, discussing the 2023 steelhead run on rivers along the North Shore.

The North American Moose Conference is an annual gathering that brings together researchers, conservationists, and aspiring graduate students from across the continent. The annual event serves as a platform for sharing cutting-edge research, discussing conservation strategies, and fostering collaboration among moose ecology and management experts. The event was held in Grand Portage this May.

The multi-day conference and workshop events occurred between May 22-26. They included two field trips to observe moose habitat and learn more about habitat conservation, predator-prey dynamics, and the crucial role researchers play in advancing our understanding and conservation efforts of the symbolic species.

The 55th annual moose conference, hosted by the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, started off with a field trip to Isle Royale National Park to explore the unique moose inhabited landscape.

Podcast hosts Kalli Hawkins and Joe Friedrichs were able to attend portions of the moose conference this year in Grand Portage. They share details and interviews with presenters and attendees from the conference in this episode.

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial climb toward the peak of outdoor recreation and visitors arriving to the North Shore.

Hiking is among the most accessible and utilized forms of getting outdoors near Lake Superior. In this episode, Superior Hiking Trail Association Executive Director Lisa Luokkala shares a trail report just ahead of the holiday weekend. We also get an update from a Cook County resident who helps keep a section of the trail open to visitors.

EJ Isaac is the new fisheries supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources at the Grand Marais office. WTIP listeners know EJ from his time working with Seth Moore and the fish and wildlife office at Grand Portage. We hear from EJ in this episode about his first few works for the DNR in Grand Marais.

Also featured in this episode are Tom Hall and Juan Martinez from the Forest Service office in Superior National Forest. The Forest Service recently signed a memorandum of understanding with three Chippewa Bands in northeastern Minnesota specific to land and water co-management.

Fishing Opener is here.

There was great angst among many who fish in and around the Boundary Waters in the weeks leading up to the Minnesota Fishing Opener. The opener is Saturday, May 13. Some of the larger lakes, including Clearwater, Duncan, Seagull, and Brule, could be holding some ice on the opener. Other lakes, including Round, Caribou, and Deer Yard Lake, will be open by Saturday morning.

On this episode of the podcast, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Conversation Officer Kylan Hill talks with WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs about the 2023 Fishing Opener.

The photo supporting this episode is from Brule Lake on May 10. Photo by Kalli Hawkins.

The Cook County Board of Commissioners took action that will ban any deer, elk, or other cervid farms to operate locally. In doing so, Cook County becomes the first county in Minnesota to have an outright ban on deer and elk farms. Learn more in this week’s episode.

Also, check out the deer and wolf video Kalli and Joe discuss by following this link: www.youtube.com/shorts/VqAZYApYEXE

The steelhead are moving. Slowly.

Ahead of a weekend which the National Weather Service says will bring rain and snow, reports from late April at rivers near Duluth and Two Harbors that flow into Lake Superior were promising for steelhead anglers along the North Shore. Steelhead are rainbow trout that migrate from North Shore rivers to Lake Superior and back to spawn in their natal streams. However, as the final days of April end with cold, wind, and a wintery mix of precipitation, confidence in anglers wanes as the month concludes.

WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs spoke with Nick Peterson from the DNR office at French River about the steelhead run on the Knife River heading into late April and early May.

Earth Day is Saturday, April 22. In this episode we hear from Kat Meyo, the executive director of the Cook County Local Energy Project, about the Earth Day Fair taking place in Grand Marais this weekend.

We also get an update on the massive environment and natural resources finance bill that advanced in the Minnesota House of Representatives this week. Sharing perspective on the legislation are Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn, Rep. Natalie Zeleznikar, and Rep. Roger Skraba.

Included in the bill is funding for three Ojibwe bands covered by the 1854 Treaty. Those include Bois Forte, Fond du Lac, and the Grand Portage Band.

International Dark Sky Week is a celebration that occurs once a year with the goal to raise awareness around the harms and realities of light pollution and promote the preservation of dark skies whenever and wherever possible. The celebration kicks off on April 15.

In this week’s episode of the Outdoor News Podcast, host Kalli Hawkins learns more about the newly formed Cook County chapter of the International Dark-Sky Association called Starry Skies North. She speaks with Mark Morgan, a member of the Starry Skies North to hear about current initiatives, upcoming events, and the recent proclamation from the city of Grand Marais.

The spring migration season is in full swing, despite the elongated winter conditions in northern Minnesota. Bald Eagles are the first raptors to return to the northern regions of the state, followed shortly after by Rough-Legged Hawks, Red-Tailed Hawks, Ospreys, and many more.

In this week’s episode of the Outdoor News Podcast, podcast host Kalli Hawkins speaks with Margie Menzies, the education director at Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in Duluth, Minnesota and Lori Arent, the assistant director at the Raptor Center in the Twin Cities about the current spring migration, bird counts, and current raptor research.

Lake trout fishing on lakes in and around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness comes to an end for the ice-fishing season on Friday, March 31.

Ice fishing for stream trout ends March 31 as well. This includes brook, brown, and rainbow trout, as well as splake. In this week’s episode of the Outdoor News Podcast, hosts Kalli Hawkins and Joe Friedrichs reflect on the trout season and chat with a local conservation officer, Hudson Ledeen about the end of the season the upcoming steelhead season.

Also included in this week’s episode is Duluth resident, Leah Gruhn who recently
completed the 1000-mile Iditarod Trail Invitational on a fat tire bike in 21 days, 3 hours, and 48 minutes becoming the 2023 Women’s Bike Champion. Leah Gruhn shares insights into her grand Iditarod adventure.

Kate Tender and Allison Opheim spent the winter working as sled dog tour guides at Points Unknown, a Cook County business near the Arrowhead Trail.

Kate and Allison recently went ice fishing for the first time. WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs tagged along to chase lake trout during a recent adventure to the BWCA with the duo from Points Unknown. Learn more about Kate and Allison’s experiences working as local sled-dog guides in this episode.

Also featured is audio from a school in Grand Marais where the students learn about mushing by building their own sleds from various classroom objects. They call it… The Ikidarod!

Following habitat loss and over harvesting of wild turkeys in the late 1800s and early 1900s, wild turkeys ceased to exist in Minnesota.

In the early 1970s, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) along with the National Wildlife Turkey Federation partnered to reintroduce the large bird species on the landscape.

Between 1971 and 1973, 29 adult wild turkeys were trapped in Missouri and transplanted to southeastern Minnesota. Fifty years later, the population has grown to more than 70,000 wild turkeys.

The success of the reintroduction efforts in the 1970s has allowed a turkey hunting season in all 87 counties in Minnesota.

In this week’s episode of the Outdoor News Podcast, host Kalli Hawkins speaks with Blaine Klemek, the regional wildlife manager with the Minnesota DNR in the Northwest region about the history of turkeys in Minnesota, the success of the reintroduction efforts, and shares turkey hunting stories. The spring turkey hunting season in Minnesota starts on April 12.

Wildfires are a real and present threat nationally, but also in Minnesota’s northern dense landscape, like the Superior National Forest. There is one tree species in the forest that particularly adds to the problem – balsam fir. The young fir trees are considered ‘ladder fuel’ by the U.S. Forest Service due to the dense understory & the vulnerability to spruce budworm.

The Natural Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota –Duluth recently partnered with the U.S Forest Service to conduct a demonstration project or concept to help mitigate wildfires in the Superior National Forest by transforming cut balsam firs into a biocarbon material called biochar.

In addition to reducing wildfire fuel in the Superior National Forest, carbon offset credits are generated when the downed balsam fir is converted into the engineered biocarbon product – biochar.

In this week’s episode podcast host Kalli Hawkins speaks with Brian Barry the chemist and project lead for the research & demonstration project at the Natural Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota – Duluth. She also speaks with Patrick Johnson, the east zone fire management officer with the U.S. Forest Service.

Trappers across the Boundary Waters and Cook County will no longer be allowed to use certain types of snares following a federal ruling that directs the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to increase trapping restrictions in this part of the state.

The changes are focused specifically on protecting Canada lynx, according to the conditions of a settlement between the Center for Biological Diversity and the DNR. The setting was completed Feb. 21 in a ruling from a federal judge.

The news is tied directly to a lawsuit that sought to protect lynx, a beloved and rare animal of Minnesota’s North Woods. Population estimates vary, but most wildlife officials claim there are no more than 200 of the cats living in Minnesota. Lynx are protected by the federal Endangered Species Act. Trapping or hunting lynx is not allowed in Minnesota. However, occasionally lynx end up in traps and snares set for other animals. Trappers are allowed to target bobcats, fishers, pine martens, and other fur-bearing animals across areas that include Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

The new trapping regulations ban strangulation snares and certain leg-hold traps that are known to harm lynx. Even before the new restrictions take place, such incidents were rare. The DNR says that fewer than ten of the majestic cats have been accidently trapped in Minnesota during the past 15 years.

The changes to the trapping regulations was opposed by the Minnesota Trappers Association. Cook County trapper Jimmy Wallner said the restrictions will make an impact on how local trappers are able to operate.

“In my professional opinion, this nearly eliminates snaring in the Lynx zone,” Wallner told WTIP.

Furthermore, Wallner said vehicles, trains, and even bobcats pose greater threats to Canada lynx in Minnesota than the trapping industry does.

And while the new restrictions may protect lynx in the forests of northeastern Minnesota, those cats that wander across the border into Canada have minimal protection. Trapping lynx in Canada, including along the border lakes shared with Minnesota, is legal.
“Lynx can be trapped in northwestern Ontario by trappers who have lynx quotas,” said Lauren Tonelli, the general manager Ontario Fur Managers Federation. “Lynx are not a threatened or endangered species in Ontario.”

In this week’s episode of the Outdoor News Podcast, we’ll hear more details on this story, including an interview with Collette Adkins, the carnivore conservation director and senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity.

Two Minnesota DNR conservation officers were recognized this month for helping to save a man’s life in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness last March.

Conservation Officers Anthony Bermel and Mitch Lawler were off-duty in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness near Ely when they helped evacuate someone who was having an apparent heart attack.

Officer Anthony Bermel works as a CO for the DNR near the Iron Range town of Babbitt. He covers the Ely and Babbitt areas, including patrols inside the BWCA. He was ice fishing in the BWCA last March when he and Lawler received a report that another angler on the lake they were at was suffering a heart attack.

After talking with the other angler, they assisted search and rescue and medical responders to help get to the man out of the wilderness. He was eventually taken by air lift to a regional hospital.

Their actions helped the man get lifesaving treatment much faster, the DNR reports. They were presented an award in early February by the DNR for their efforts. Bermel and Lawler received their awards from Capt. Rodmen Smith, head of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Enforcement Division.

Listen to this week’s episode to hear the full story from Bermel as he recounts the experience.

In more outdoor news, it’s the time of year when anglers and hunters need to buy new fishing and hunting licenses. Minnesota fishing, hunting and trapping licenses for 2022 expire Tuesday, Feb. 28.

Licenses for 2023 are now available wherever fishing and hunting licenses are sold, online at the DNR’s website. They are also available at many gas stations and some outfitters in Cook County.

Mobile buyers receive a text or email that serves as proof of a valid fish or game license to state conservation officers.

All 2023 fishing licenses become effective Wednesday, March 1. New licenses are required for 2023 hunting and fishing seasons that continue past Feb. 28.

The stream trout and lake trout season in Cook County and across the Boundary Waters goes until March 31.

The open water fishing season starts this year on Saturday, May 13.

Many WTIP listeners were alarmed when a recent study found that wild caught, freshwater fish in the United States are far more contaminated with the toxic chemicals than commercially caught fish in oceans. The reports said the highest levels of the toxic chemicals known as PFAS were being found in fish from the Great Lakes.

However, did the study apply to Lake Superior and Minnesota’s North Shore? Did it apply to lakes in the nearby Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness?

To learn more, WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs spoke with Cory Goldsworthy, the Lake Superior area fisheries supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, about ongoing research state agencies are currently doing to learn more about levels of PFAS in Lake Superior fish. The Outdoor News Podcast team also spoke with Summer Streets, a research biologist for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to get the details.

Spoiler alert: It’s okay to eat fish from the BWCA and Lake Superior. Listen to this week’s episode to get the details.

In the late 1980s, Minnesota conservation officers, formerly widely known as game wardens, came together to share their favorite tried and true fish, wild game, soup, bread, and other unique recipes. The recipes were compiled into the Minnesota Game Wardens’ Cookbook, published in 1989.

In this week’s episode, Outdoor News Podcast hosts Kalli Hawkins & Joe Friedrichs recreate the 1980s cookbook by talking with three Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officials along the North Shore of Lake Superior to share their favorite methods for preparing and cooking fish.

Hawkins and Friedrichs also head out in the field with fishing poles, canned pickled pike, and an avocado in hand to share a favorite prepared meal.

Though the last musher crossed the finish less than 24 hours earlier in the 2023 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, race officials were already talking about next year.

“We’re already in planning mode for 2024,” said Vice President Brittany North.

The reason the Beargrease team is already looking ahead to next year, in addition to a general enthusiasm for mushing, is because next year will be the 40^th anniversary of the race. North said the race will be largely the same, but there will be a “festival” vibe included in the 2024 race.

Meanwhile, this week, Keith Aili’s team of sled dogs were the first to cross the finish line outside the Grand Portage Lodge & Casino near Lake Superior.

The 39th annual event started Sunday morning near Duluth. Temperatures were consistently below-zero for most of the race, including -21 Fahrenheit temps Monday morning at the Trailcenter checkpoint on Poplar Lake along the Gunflint Trail.

Earlier in the week, Grand Marais musher Joanna Oberg won the mid-distance Beargrease 120.

WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs spoke with North about the 2023 race one day after it ended. Also featured in this episode, WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins shares her experience volunteering during the 2023 Beargrease. As she was in 2022, Hawkins was stationed at the Trailcenter checkpoint near the Gunflint Trail during this year’s race.

For nearly 30 years, researchers at the Natural Resources Research Institute have been conducting annual surveys of songbirds in the Superior National Forest and Chippewa National Forest in northeastern Minnesota.

The Minnesota National Forest Breeding Bird Monitoring Program started in 1995. The data collected provides insight into the impacts of management policies and conservation initiatives. In recent years, researchers have discovered the decline of particular species, such as the Connecticut Warbler and the Canada Jay or also known as Whiskey Jack in both National Forests.

In this episode Outdoor News Podcast host Kalli Hawkins speaks with Steve Kolbe, an avian ecologist with the Natural Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota – Duluth about the songbird population trends in the 2022 bird monitoring program annual report.

Find the annual report below:
conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/250157

The 55th North American Moose Conference is coming to the North Shore of Minnesota. Researchers, biologists, and professionals will gather in Grand Portage this upcoming May for the annual event.

The formal conference and workshop events will take place May 22-26. The conference will include a day and a half of technical presentations, a half-day workshop, and a full-day field trip to Isle Royale National Park.

In this episode, WTIP’s Outdoor News Podcast host Joe Friedrichs speaks with Seth Moore the director of biology and environment with the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa about the upcoming May conference. In addition, Moore shares insights into current moose and wolf collaring research in Grand Portage.

Severe winter weather during the recent holiday season, including wind gusts clocked at more than 70 miles per hour in Cook County near Lake Superior, led to many trees snapping or uprooting along the North Shore of Minnesota.

Among the areas devastated by the storm is a stand of red pine along the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) near the Devil Track River, about 5 miles east of Grand Marais. The stand of trees is located near the Woods Creek Trailhead on the SHT.

In addition to sustained 70 mph winds, December produced record-breaking accumulated snowfall and precipitation data in Cook County, and many places along the North Shore.

In this episode, podcast hosts Joe Friedrichs and Kalli Hawkins speak with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Weather Service to learn more about the aftermath of the winter storms.

The Gunflint Mail Run sled dog race is the hot event this weekend on the Gunflint Trail. Among the mushers competing in the field this year is Mary Manning.

A Cook County resident, Manning has been mushing for about 25 years.

In addition to mushing, Mary uses her dogs for work as a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conservation officer patrolling the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, including many of the remote lakes along the Gunflint Trail.

The 55-year-old Manning joined the DNR conversation force in 2005. She has worked locally in Cook County throughout her entire career. And as of the first week in January, Manning can refer to her tenure with the DNR in the past tense. Just ahead of the Mail Run, Manning retired from the state agency.

The new conservation officer taking over for Manning is Hudson Ledeen. A fall 2022 from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Academy, Hudson will assume all the duties Manning had with the DNR.

WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins spoke with Ledeen for this week’s episode.

Also featured is Kalli and Joe Friedrichs ice fishing in the BWCA during the first few days of the lake trout opener.

Note: Lake trout were found in the making of this episode.

From the “Inland Empire” near the shores of Deer Yard Lake to the end of the Gunflint Trail, fishers area beloved animal of the North Woods.

Fisher populations in northern Minnesota have dropped to about 7,000 from a high of 16,000 in the year 2000.

The decline of the population led to a recent study to evaluate whether den boxes could be a valuable management tool to improve fisher habitat and balance wildlife needs with the forest industry. It is part of a larger effort to understand what factors have caused the recent fisher population decline and provide management solutions to boost fishers in Minnesota, according to Michael Joyce, a wildlife biologist at the Natural Resources Research Institute in Duluth.

WTIP’s Outdoor News Podcast host Joe Friedrichs spoke with Joyce about the research and the fisher population in Minnesota.

Deer bounding across Highway 61 are an often unwelcome sight for motorists along the North Shore. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety reports around 2,000 deer-vehicle collisions occur each year across the state. State officials, however, think that number is much larger, possibly in the tens of thousands.

According to Natural Resources Research Institute Wildlife Biologist Ron Moen, the number of deer-vehicle collisions is much higher because insurance companies only get notified when the damage is severe enough to warrant expensive auto repairs.

With funding from the Minnesota Department of Transportation, Moen is taking part in a pilot study to better understand where deer-vehicle collisions happen, document their frequency and develop recommendations to reduce these incidents.

WTIP’s Outdoor News Podcast hosts Kalli Hawkins and Joe Friedrichs share insights on deer collision management in southern Minnesota. In addition Joe Friedrichs talks with Natural Resources Research Institute Wildlife Biologist Ron Moen about the research.

Leslie George has been named the Minnesota Department of Natural Resource’s northeastern region fisheries manager. George started her career with DNR in 2004. Since then, she’s worked in field offices in Windom and Glenwood for the DNR. She’s been a fisheries supervisor for the Minnesota agency since 2015, most recently at its office in Hinckley.

George replaces the recently retired Chris Kavanaugh as the DNR’s regional fisheries supervisor based in Grand Rapids.

The northeastern region George will manage is a massive area across Minnesota. It stretches from Gull Lake near Brainerd to Lake Superior, including all of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Collaboration with tribal nations, the U.S. Forest Service, international natural resource agencies specific to Lake Superior, and local jurisdictions like the Cook County Board of Commissioners will be among the many agencies and partners George will need to become acquainted with when she takes over the position in mid-December.

Fisheries management plans dealing with everything from walleye quotas to invasive species will be among the many tasks on George’s desk in 2023.

In this episode of the podcast, we hear from George about her new role with the DNR.

After 66 years, Sawbill Canoe Outfitters connects to the grid. The project was made possible by a federal grant from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.

The 3rd generation business owners, Clare and Dan Shirley share what it means to their family and business to now have electric and fiber services after six decades. In addition, podcast host Kalli Hawkins speaks with John Twiest, CEO/General Manager at Arrowhead Cooperative about the specifics of the project.

Hosts Joe Friedrichs and Kalli Hawkins talk about the expansion of rural services in Cook County as it relates to the nationwide trend of individuals moving to rural parts of the country.

Ice fishing is here!

The first ice fishing reports across the WTIP listening area are shared in this episode of the Outdoor News Podcast. Hosts Joe Friedrichs and Kalli Hawkins were both fishing in late November and early December. Pike were found, as were walleye.

Also in the episode, we learn more about the move by the federal government this week to classify the Northern long-eared bat as an endangered species.

Emily Tidwell is a professional ski photographer who grew up in Cook County, but now works primarily in the Mountain West.

Tidwell says she learned to ski in Minnesota and remains very connected to the North Shore, Lutsen Mountains and the local community.

“I’ve been so lucky to have seen so many beautiful other places, both in the United States and around the world,” Tidwell said. “I think what draws me back to Cook County every time is the sense of community, and how unique the environment on the North Shore is.”

In this episode, host Joe Friedrichs shares Tidwell’s journey from Cook County to the mountains of the American West.

Also in the episode, host Kalli Hawkins shares a recap of the 2022 firearms deer season along the North Shore.

The time of the great harvest is here, as is abundant snowfall on the North Shore of Lake Superior.

Many households are getting ready to prepare a turkey on Thanksgiving. Prior to that, WTIP Outdoor News Podcast Hosts Joe Friedrichs and Kalli Hawkins are thinking about what to do with things like brook trout, venison, and fall vegetables.

In this episode of the podcast, they talk with Cook County resident Collette Mueller about pickling northern pike, and with Kraig Kiger from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources about canning venison.

Click here to listen to the full interview with Collette Mueller about pickling northern pike.

Click here to listen to the full interview with Kraig Kiger about canning venison.

In 1948, United States lawmakers passed the Thye-Blatnik Act to buy resorts and private lands in what would eventually be named the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

The bill also provides payments in-lieu-of-taxes (PILT) to Cook, Lake and St. Louis counties for federal wilderness land to make up for lost private property taxes. A valuation process is completed every 10 years to determine how much each county receives through this piece of legislation.

St. Louis, Lake and Cook Counties found out in May the valuation of federal lands inside the BWCA. The findings were not what the counties were hoping for.

Cook County officials were informed May 12 by representatives from the U.S. Forest Service that the county will receive less than the previous amount of approximately $2 million from the federal government in the form of payment in lieu of taxes for land inside the BWCA, according to county officials.

The annual payments to the county from the federal government for BWCA lands will be approximately $1.35 million for the next decade.

A series of appeals, the most recent being submitted Friday, Nov. 11, continue to keep the issue on the table of county government and Forest Service officials. WTIP Outdoor News Podcast Host Joe Friedrichs spoke with Superior National Forest Supervisor Tom Hall and Cook County Assessor Bob Thompson to learn more on this topic.

Pictured in the photo are Tom Hall and Tofte District Ranger Ellen Bogardus-Szymaniak.

Hunters will take to the woods this Saturday, Nov. 5 for the traditional and highly anticipated deer season opener. While portions of the state are experiencing increased deer populations, the northeast region population is of concern for Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officials. In this episode, podcast host Kalli Hawkins speaks with Dr. Lindsey Shartell, acting northeast regional wildlife manager with the Minnesota DNR to learn more about current habitat projects to help stabilize and boost white-tail deer populations.

One project in particular, near the Elephant Lake area is a collaborative effort with the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association. Kalli also speaks with the Denis Quarberg president of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association to discuss the success of the Hides for Habitat program and challenges the association is experiencing in local participation.

Election Day is less than two weeks away. An issue that remains important for many voters in northeastern Minnesota is copper-nickel mining. WDIO TV in Duluth recently hosted a candidate forum with Rep. Pete Stauber and DFL candidate Jen Schultz in the race to represent Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District. The topic of copper-nickel mining was discussed during the forum, as heard in a segment of this week’s episode.

Developers of a proposed nickel mine in northern Minnesota plan to move construction of its processing plant to North Dakota because of environmental concerns.

Talon Metals has been under pressure from environmental groups and the tribal bands of the Lake Superior Chippewa about a plan to build the processing plant in Tamarack, about 50 miles west of Duluth.

Todd Malan, a Talon executive, told WTIP that relocating the battery-minerals processing plant to North Dakota “would mean that we would only need to permit the mine and rail loading facility” in Minnesota.

“We will need to obtain both North Dakota permits and conduct a federal NEPA review for the facility in North Dakota,” he said.

Earlier this year, President Joe Biden recently invoked the Defense Production Act in order to increase the mining of critical minerals that can be used to power electric vehicles. In doing so, Biden specifically referenced the Tamarack mine as a key component of the president’s vision toward changing what travels on America’s roadways.

The proposed mine continues to generate attention from media across the country, including recent reports in the New York Times, Forbes, and the Star Tribune.

Podcast Host Joe Friedrichs spoke with Malan for this week’s episode.

Minnesotans are expected to arrive to the North Shore this weekend during the annual fall break for most of the state’s schools.

The Minnesota Educator Academy weekend, more commonly referred to as MEA weekend, means that most students in Minnesota have Thursday and Friday off. It’s a popular time for families to visit Cook County and the North Shore. It’s also a great time to see wildlife near Lake Superior and across Superior National Forest. Among the species many people hope to see this time of year are moose.

That also happens to be the theme of a family-friendly event taking place in Cook County all weekend known as Moose Madness.

As the commercial fishing season slowly starts to wind down on Lake Superior, WTIP Outdoor News Podcast co-host Joe Friedrichs checked in with Katie Mumm, a local photographer and the owner of Dockside Fish Market in Grand Marais, to learn more on these topics.

After more than 90 years, the U.S. Coast Guard closed its station in Grand Marais this summer, finalizing a plan it made public in 2021.

The Coast Guard station was established in 1928. It’s been staffed on a seasonal basis since the late 1980s, up until the complete closure this summer. The facility is situated on Artist Point near the breakwall housing the Grand Marais Lighthouse.

As WTIP reported last year, the Grand Marais station was staffed by a limited crew. The Coast Guard said it responded to less than one call per year from the Grand Marais station.

At the time, federal officials from the Coast Guard said they “would not consolidate these stations if we thought it would increase the risk to boaters or the maritime industry.”

However, during a meeting of the Cook County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 11, local officials said the closing of the Coast Guard Station has “left the burden of Lake Superior water rescue to Cook County Sheriff’s Department and to the Grand Portage tribal government.”

The area that is that is now vacant of any US Coast Guard patrolling is a massive area that extends from the Ontario border south to Schroeder, all of the water in between to Isle Royale National Park.

In this episode of the podcast, hosts Joe Friedrichs and Kalli Hawkins follow this story through the lens of two local meetings and discussion that took place at the courthouse and city hall in Grand Marais.

The peak of fall is settling over the woods and water of Cook County and the North Shore. In this episode of the podcast, hosts Joe Friedrichs and Kalli Hawkins celebrate the season of harvest. From fresh-caught trout to a homemade batch of potato leek soup, Joe shares his reflections on this important time of transition for many in the community.

Kalli takes listeners on a fishing trip during the episode. Kalli met up with local fishing enthusiast and outdoor columnist James Egan for a day of fly fishing on the North Shore. Kalli also shares stories of grouse hunting and preparing the garden for upcoming frost events.

Reports of bears guzzling rancid barrels of oil, tipping garbage cans in Grand Marais and breaking limbs off of apple trees all reached the WTIP News Desk in autumn arrives to the North Shore.

In this episode of the podcast, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Bear Project Leader, Andrew Tri, shares reminders on how to stay ‘Bearwise’ during this busy time of year for local wildlife.

Fly fishing conjures many images for spirited anglers: Remote streams, waders and a brimmed cap, looping line from a roll cast dancing behind a setting sun.

And then there’s the Cook County canoe version: trolling.

It doesn’t always have to be fancy or romantic to go fly fishing on inland lakes in northeastern Minnesota. In fact, trolling a fly that looks like a minnow is a fine way to pursue fish in Cook County from a canoe. And there’s no better season than fall for such an activity.

In this episode of the WTIP Outdoor News Podcast, hosts Kalli Hawkins and Joe Friedrichs learn this firsthand. Kalli and Joe recently trolled with Clouser minnow flies on a local lake.

Also featured in this episode of the podcast is local angler and fly fishing instructor Michael Hero. A dedicated fly angler who frequents the North Shore tributaries that flow into Lake Superior, Hero shares insights on fall fly fishing in Cook County.

The fall season is a welcomed time of the year for many. Before Minnesota hunters take to the woods this upcoming deer hunting season, there are a few changes to be aware of.

The Minnesota DNR has decreased antlerless lottery permits in the Superior Uplands Arrowhead region of northeast Minnesota as deer populations remain low. In addition, the DNR has updated regulations regarding chronic wasting disease and non-toxic ammunition. Learn about the changes and more in this week’s WTIP Outdoor News Podcast episode.

WTIP’s Outdoor News Podcast host Kalli Hawkins speaks with Nancy Hansen, Area Wildlife Manager with the Minnesota DNR based in Two Harbors, Minn.

The multi-year Parkside Public Water Access project in the Grand Marais harbor is completed. The project began in 2019 to revamp and improve the west side of the Grand Marais harbor. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officially signed off on the project on August 31, just in time for Labor Day weekend.

Podcast hosts Kalli Hawkins and Joe Friedrichs visited the boat launch to see the new and improved site and chat about summer Lake Superior temperatures.

Also featured in the episode are Jay Austin from the Large Lakes Observatory in Duluth and Kent Skaar of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Parks and Trails Division.

The Margaret A. Cargill (MAC) Lodge renovation at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center near Finland was the first renovation project in the world to receive full Living Building Challenge (LBC) certification by the International Living Future Institute.

To achieve this standard, the 22,000 square-foot dormitory has proved its ability to achieve net positive energy and net positive water over a 12-month period, generating more energy than it consumes.

Podcast host Joe Friedrichs visited the Wolf Ridge campus to learn more and shares a full report in this week’s episode.

The Becoming An Outdoors Woman (BOW) program began in the early 1990s, thanks to the research and foresight of one Dr. Christine Thomas. In addition to being a professor at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, Thomas is an avid hunter and angler. She identified common barriers that hindered women from participating in outdoor recreation compared to men.

In today’s episode, Linda Bylander, BOW coordinator and local Cook County resident Linda Newman share more about what the program means for women in Minnesota and what value it brings to the future of conservation and sportsmanship.

The Greenwood Fire burned nearly 27,000 acres in northeastern Minnesota following a summer of heat, drought and smoky skies.

The fire started August 15, 2021, and led, in part, to the complete closure of the nearby Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness last summer.

Along the way, the fire destroyed more than a dozen buildings and led to the evacuation of hundreds of homes near Isabella and Highway 1 in Lake County.

WTIP reported extensively on the wildfire while it was burning in August and September 2021. Since that time, the radio station in Grand Marais shared reports about the fire and its aftermath, including a visit to the burn area during the winter months.

Just days before the one-year anniversary of the Greenwood Fire, WTIP Outdoor News Podcast Host Joe Friedrichs traveled back to the site of the Greenwood Fire to see what the forest looked like. Blackened trees lined an area near Lake County Highway 2, not far from the Intersection of Highway 1 heading toward Ely.

For the episode, Joe also spoke with Laura Reuling, a forest researcher at the University of Minnesota, to learn more about the Greenwood Fire, one year later.

Photo by Lane Johnson.

Rock snot, officially called didymo, is an algae native to Lake Superior. The algae was the centerpiece of research the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recently conducted on and in Lake Superior. Heidi Rantala and several other DNR researchers, fisheries biologists and members of the state agency’s aquatic invasive species unit traveled to Grand Marais to collect samples from the bottom of Lake Superior.

WTIP Outdoor News Podcast host Joe Friedrichs joined them for the research expedition and shares this report.

Loons are an iconic species of the North Woods. From Lake Superior to the many lakes across the Boundary Waters, the call of a loon is a signature sound for many who live here and visit the area.

In this episode of the podcast, Kalli Hawkins gets involved with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources citizen science project and the 2022 state loon count. Kalli visits a lake in Cook County to count loons and report other bird activity.

Kalli also talks with Gaea Crozier, the DNR’s non-game wildlife specialist, about the status of loons in Minnesota.

WTIP Outdoor News Podcast hosts Kalli Hawkins and Joe Friedrichs were on Lake Superior in mid-July watching staff from the DNR conduct the juvenile lake trout assessment for 2022.

After nearly being wiped out in the 1950s, the Lake Superior lake trout fishery has bounced back in a big way during the past 70 years.

The decline of lake trout in Lake Superior was caused by overfishing and nonnative sea lamprey. After a decades-long effort to restore lake trout, there are now so many naturally reproducing fish in Minnesota waters on the Big Lake that the DNR no longer stocks hatchery fish.

Featured in this week’s episode are staff from the DNR’s Lake Superior Fisheries Office in Duluth. On board the 31-foot boat that left from the Grand Marais Harbor July 15 are:

— Josh Blankenheim, the large lakes biologist for the DNR

–Chris Palvere, DNR fisheries technician

–Wyatt Hiltner, fisheries intern

They joined the Outdoor News Podcast on this episode, most of which was recorded on Lake Superior near Grand Marais.

Calf recruitment for Minnesota’s moose is the process of young moose surviving to become adults.

This spring, in the far reaches of northeastern Minnesota, calf recruitment of moose does not present an uplifting narrative.

“It’s abysmal. I think this is the worst calf recruitment year we’ve seen in 12 years of study,” said Dr. Seth Moore, the director of biology and environment for the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. “Essentially, of our collared moose. 100 percent of the calves are gone.”

Moore shared these sentiments during a live outdoor news special that aired July 7 on WTIP. Joining Moore was EJ Issac, a fish and wildlife biologist for the Grand Portage Band.

The update from Moore and Issac strayed from a more optimistic done the the state Department of Natural Resources released in April 2022 about the population of Minnesota’s moose herd. The DNR said Minnesota’s moose population is the largest it has been in more than a decade, after 11 consecutive years of remaining relatively stable.

The DNR’s 2022 survey estimated the moose population at about 4,700 animals, with a potential range between 3,440 and 6,780. The survey showed no statistically significant change from the last one conducted in 2020 but is the highest estimate since 2011.

Learn more about Minnesota’s moose and wolves in this week’s episode.

Wolves are the focus of this week’s episode. Reports of wolves being fed on Superior National Forest near the Sawbill Trail reached the WTIP news desk in July 2022. Tofte District Ranger Ellen Bogardus-Szymaniak said recent reports of humans feeding wolves near the Sawbill Trail led to the closure of a dispersed camping area on Superior National Forest, not far from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Ellen shares more in this episode.

We also hear an update on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Draft Wolf Management Plan in this installment. The DNR’s Dan Stark shares an update with host Kalli Hawkins and the podcast.

Lake trout in Cook County are on their own when it comes to sustaining their populations on lakes in or near the Boundary Waters and Gunflint Trail corridor.

A recent decision by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to discontinue – at least temporarily – lake trout stocking is both a success story and an indication into how hard it can be to reintroduce fish species into area lakes once they vanish.

Matt Weberg, the interim Grand Marais area fisheries supervisor in Grand Marais, shares more on this topic in today’s episode.

Kalli and Joe also talk about recent mountain lion sightings near the Cascade River and Lake Superior.

The Superior Hiking Trail is a 300-mile pathway leading from the Duluth area to the Canadian border, following the rugged Lake Superior coastline along Minnesota’s North Shore.

In this episode of the WTIP Outdoor News Podcast, Kalli Hawkins talks with hikers on the SHT near Grand Marais, Minn., and the Devil Track River area. Thousands of hikers from all over the country hike the SHT annually. In this report, Kalli speaks with a collection of them as summer arrives to the North Shore.

Commercial fishing on Lake Superior is a centuries-old practice that includes Isle Royale, Grand Marais, Duluth and nearly every corner of the massive freshwater lake. The industry, however, sometimes raises the eyebrows of common sport anglers. In this episode of the podcast, we hear from Cory Goldsworthy, the Lake Superior Area Fisheries Supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources about the balance of sport and commercial fishing on Lake Superior.

We also hear an update on the Border Route Trail after a tornado blew a collection of massive pine onto the trail in October 2021. In May 2022, trail crews used handsaws to clear the trail.

In this opening segment of WTIP’s Outdoor News Podcast, we hear from hosts Kalli Hawkins and Joe Friedrichs. The installment comes from the banks of the Cascade River along Minnesota’s North Shore, not far from where the river flows into Lake Superior.

Kalli and Joe share their stories and background in reporting outdoor news near Lake Superior, the Boundary Waters and the many trails zigzagging around the region.