Explore the Northern Wilds
Bright Woodland Singer: Purple Finch
Late winter is finch time. When the cone supply runs out in other areas, flocks of finches sometimes show up at this time of year. One of the most common finches is the purple finch. The name of this species (like so many others!) is a bit misleading. Not purple at all, male purple finches are suffused with a dusky rose color over bold brown-and-white streakiness. Females lack the rose color.
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Late winter is finch time. When the cone supply runs out in other areas, flocks of finches sometimes show up at this time of year. One of the most common finches is the purple finch. The name of this species (like so many others!) is a bit misleading. Not purple at all, male purple finches are suffused with a dusky rose color over bold brown-and-white streakiness. Females lack the rose color.
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When I chat with Thunder Bay visitors about their favourite day trips, one spot consistently ranks high–the impressive Terry Fox Scenic Lookout at the northeast entrance to the city.
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If you are looking for an interesting walk that will take you back in history, drive to the end of Duluth’s Park Point and hike about two miles to the site of the old Minnesota Point Lighthouse. It doesn’t look like much today, but the dilapidated tower was the first high-powered lighthouse on Lake Superior.
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On the map, Atikokan is a small town in Northwestern Ontario, just east of the wilderness paddling paradise of Quetico Provincial Park. But Atikokan also has a special "northern wilds" status – it’s the Canoe Capital of Canada. It is also home to one of the few women canoe builders in North America, Thelma Cameron.
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It was one of those Minnesota winter mornings when the sky is bluer than any summer sky can be. Though we had hiked along the Caribou River many times, this waterfall trek held a new excitement. It was the first time we had hiked on the river itself. Already heady from seeing four bald eagles along Highway 61, we slid our feet into snowshoes, anxious to venture out onto this winding frozen path.
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Earl Orf of Shoreview is a lifelong birder who enjoys photographing birds in the Northern Wilds.
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The International Wolf Center in Ely houses four live ambassador gray wolves for observation–Malik, Shadow, Grizzer and Maya. Another wolf, Nyssa, died suddenly in 2005, causing the remaining wolves to make adjustments in their social order.
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Our first chances to see snowy owls come with the first cold blasts of Canadian air in early winter. Then, in open areas, like airports, industrial complexes, and farm fields, or along the North Shore of Lake Superior, snowy owls begin turning up. They are true tundra birds, nesting as far north as only a handful of other species. Most of them stay north of us, even during the coldest winters.
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The snowshoe hare gets its name from the size of its thickly furred hind feet and its habit of spreading its toes wide when jumping. This allows the hare to travel on the top of the snow to quickly escape predators.
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The use of dogs to pull sleds goes back centuries, but formal dog sled racing dates back to the early 1900s. The first race took place in Alaska in 1908. The winner of the All Alaska Sweepstakes completed the 408-mile race from Nome to Candle and back in just over 119 hours. The sport quickly evolved and by 1910, the same race was completed by the winning musher in just over 74 hours.
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Kicksledding and the kicksled first caught my attention a few years ago. I was intrigued. Here was an environmentally-friendly winter invention, available for both competitive sports and recreational activity perfectly suited for Canadian and American winters–and yet it was virtually unknown in North America.
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It’s pretty hard to have a bad visit to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), but every year I hear stories of people who managed to do just that.
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Fresh fish never tastes better than it does at this time of year, which is reason enough to try ice-fishing. Coming from cold water, all species are at their prime in terms of both freshness and flavor. The fish you catch are about the freshest food available in midwinter.
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Ethanol May Cause Boat Fuel Problems
Recreational boaters in most parts of the country have been introduced to gasoline containing higher concentrations of ethanol, a corn-based additive that replaced a known carcinogen, MTBE. The new fuel, dubbed "E-10" for its 10 percent ethanol content, unfortunately has the ability to attract greater amounts of water and "phase separate," or form two separate solutions in the gas tank, usually over a long period of time. Once this happens, the engine won't run and internal damage could occur.
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Recreational boaters in most parts of the country have been introduced to gasoline containing higher concentrations of ethanol, a corn-based additive that replaced a known carcinogen, MTBE. The new fuel, dubbed "E-10" for its 10 percent ethanol content, unfortunately has the ability to attract greater amounts of water and "phase separate," or form two separate solutions in the gas tank, usually over a long period of time. Once this happens, the engine won't run and internal damage could occur.
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If a Lake Superior Kamloops rainbow trout could talk, it still might not care to reveal what Minnesota Sea Grant-funded graduate student Ben Thwaits has painstakingly discovered: the smell of certain compounds found in fish excrement help adults of this strain of migratory trout find their way home.
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Keep Homes Safe During Heating Season
Clean fireplaces and chimneys annually to prevent fires during winter. Furnaces and other heating equipment are the number one cause of home fires in the U.S. So safety should be top priority when heating your home or cabin.
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Clean fireplaces and chimneys annually to prevent fires during winter. Furnaces and other heating equipment are the number one cause of home fires in the U.S. So safety should be top priority when heating your home or cabin.
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Why Leave No Trace?
If you want to feel awestruck, step outside on a clear, cold winter’s night in the Northern Wilds and look up. Behold a glorious multitude of stars set in a sky that’s as black as the one somebody had in mind when the phrase "black as night" was first spoken. It’s enough to make anyone think deep thoughts: maybe about ones’ place in the universe. Maybe about how much it means to you to be breathing crystal clear air in a place free of light pollution. Maybe you’ll ask yourself whether your children will have the same experience.
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If you want to feel awestruck, step outside on a clear, cold winter’s night in the Northern Wilds and look up. Behold a glorious multitude of stars set in a sky that’s as black as the one somebody had in mind when the phrase "black as night" was first spoken. It’s enough to make anyone think deep thoughts: maybe about ones’ place in the universe. Maybe about how much it means to you to be breathing crystal clear air in a place free of light pollution. Maybe you’ll ask yourself whether your children will have the same experience.
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In recent months, Mel Winter, 76, of Minneota has had quite the ride. Diagnosed with lung cancer in July, he was given one month to live and started chemotherapy treatments. Then he received the notice that he’d been drawn for his once-in-a-lifetime Minnesota moose hunting permit.
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At Korkki, old-fashioned, informal ski culture remains the focus of its philosophy. The trails still are narrow single-tracks, the workers all volunteer their help and skiers donate money to use the trails.
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The North Shore’s Wild Whitewater
When the rivers break free of winter’s icy embrace, it’s time for the spring migration of whitewater kayakers. During April and May, advanced whitewater kayakers travel from all over the country to be baptized in the roaring cascades of North Shore rivers.
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When the rivers break free of winter’s icy embrace, it’s time for the spring migration of whitewater kayakers. During April and May, advanced whitewater kayakers travel from all over the country to be baptized in the roaring cascades of North Shore rivers.
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