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Its Arrival Takes Weeks, But Spring is on the Way

On the first day of March I found a sure sign of spring on a south-facing ridge high above Lake Superior. Cautiously skiing on my Alaskan snowshoes as I made my way down a steep slope, I came upon a spot of bare ground scarcely larger than my hand.

 

I looked at the dried up leaves and dirt on the ground and knew spring was coming. Sure, we’d get more snow and this patch of ground would be covered up, but as soon as the sun came out, it would return. And every sunny day it would grow, slowly at first and gaining momentum until, weeks later, the whole hillside is free of snow.

 

The following morning, I watched a raven fly across the highway carrying dried grass for a nest in its beak. These northern birds, the outsized kin of crows, are early nesters. Somehow, they know spring is inevitable, even though blizzards and below zero nights may intervene.

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Points North: Come on up, the winter is fine

On a recent morning I stepped out with the dogs at daybreak. Beneath a clear, dawn sky, the air was crisp and calm. When we came inside 20 minutes later, I thought it was pretty nice outside. Glancing at the thermometer, I saw it was 16 below.

While the rest of Minnesota has experienced a warm, snowless winter, up here at the Tip of the Arrowhead, we've had snow and cold temperatures.  True, even our weather has been unusually mild, but proximity to Lake Superior and the Canadian border means we get always get a real winter with snow and ice and below zero temperatures. That's why moose live here.

Points North: New Hunter-Gatherers Need to Know the Conservation Story

Recently, a chef who wrote a book about hunting and cooking was interviewed on Minnesota Public Radio. She talked about making a recent trip to Colorado to do a cooking demonstration. While there, she was taken fly-fishing on a local river, where the guides and other anglers refused to keep fish for her to use in her demonstration. She told the MPR interviewer she was miffed by their catch-and-release ethic.

"I don't believe in catch-and-release," she said. "It's playing with your food."