Street Cleaners Spotted on Gunflint Trail

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Once again, we were hanging out on the Sag Lake Trail this past Sunday. This time, it was strictly for pleasure, with a Mother's Day car ride and picnic on the agenda. As it turned out, it was also an excellent day for spotting wildlife! We met up with a moose who was quite content to lay in the road, and just relax. No way was this one getting up to leave, until we put the car in first gear after fifteen minutes of watching and waiting. No other cars came along in that time, and we really enjoyed seeing it for so long.

Next, we headed up to the campground at the end of the trail, and had a wonderful time watching the eagles, buzzards, ravens and seagulls. They all were in attendance to keep their sharp eyes on the river that runs between Seagull and Gull Lakes. Since it is a spawning area for walleyes, it is also a good feasting spot for these birds of prey.

On our way back down, I glanced up the Sag Lake Trail, and two moose were crossing the road. We turned around to go back and see them. They, too, were quite interested in hanging out in the road, and as a result, we got this little show:

Wonders never cease up here in the woods!

P.S. Greg's been watching Rawhide lately--can you tell?

Please Release Me

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"...let me go." I could almost hear the little pine trees singing on Saturday, as we gathered for the third annual Gunflint Green Up. Great, to have that song swirling through my head! This year our work in the woods was to "release" seedlings that had been planted in previous years. We received instruction from Amy of the U.S. Forest Service. Basically, we needed to trim a three foot diameter circle around each little tree, removing small trees and brush that would grow faster. Aspen tree shoots, honeysuckle, and raspberries were the most prevalent in this area. By cutting these away, the trees would get the much-needed sunshine. Armed with my long-handled loppers and Greg's nifty little pocket boy saw, I got to work in the Iron Lake Campground.

As in previous years, the work was relatively easy. The hardest part seems to be watching my footing to make sure that I am not going to trip. The plot I was working in was a mix of brush, downed and burned logs, and rocks. But it was easy enough to spot the little pines nestled in their spots in the ground, and so I clipped and clipped and clipped some more. My friends Gerri and Jim were there, too, and we had great chatter going on throughout.

We started at the periphery of the campground, bounded by County Road 92. By mid-afternoon, we were at the shore of Iron Lake. I enjoyed seeing the progress in spring growth in that short distance, roughly one-quarter mile. Near the road, the honeysuckle was just showing shoots of leaves, but near the shore, the flowers had already bloomed and were beginning to wither. Interesting that such a short distance can yield that much difference. Both areas seemed to receive a similar amount of sunshine, so the other variable I could think of was the proximity to the lake. Here on Gunflint Lake, the large body of water can sometimes keep the shore areas warmer than the uplands behind us. My friend Liz pointed out a few nodding trillium plants that were just ginning up to bloom. The pin cherry bushes were also starting to sport a lovely coat of delicate fresh flowers.

Despite the cool and snowy weather in the early part of the day, overall it warmed up in to the low fifties. We released many trees, and we had a great time. Spring really is happening in these parts, and it sure is fun to see. I watch it unfold every year, and I never get tired of it. Summer can't be too far behind.

Tamarack Trees and Green Up Time

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The tamarack trees are budding forth on the Trail lately. What a pretty sight this is. They look as though the needles are very soft, unlike the prickly kinds found on the spruce and balsam trees. Indeed, in doing a little reading on the tamarack, someone had suggested that this quality would make it an excellent candidate for a Christmas tree. The only problem is that this particular tree is considered to be a deciduous conifer--meaning, it loses its "leaves", or needles, in the fall. The reference did make me think about the artificial trees that the Germans made out of feathers. Did they model them after the tamarack? Perhaps.

In the fall, when the tamarack is about to lose its leaves, it first turns to a spectacular gold. It's almost like the tree is going out in a blaze of glory. It is one of the later fall colors to show up, and it is always a delight to see the intensity of color against the forest's dark backdrop. I'll be sure to photograph some this fall.

This is the weekend of Gunflint Green Up, so today I am headed out to help with that. I am going to a new part of the neighborhood, one that I haven't explored much--the Iron Lake Campground. In past years, Greg and I have planted little seedlings of white and red pine up at the end of the trail, and at the Chik-Wauk museum. This year, we are not planting but rather helping to clean out some of the competing plants around the little trees. By trimming away the aspen and alder shoots, the pines will be allowed more sunshine, which they need in abundance at this stage. Pruners in hand, I'll be out there. (I'm not sure how my back will feel in the morning, but it will be worth it.)

We attended the welcome picnic last night at the big tent at Gunflint Lodge. After dinner, a local owl biologist gave a slideshow and talk on his twenty-four years of research on boreal owls. He has also collected data on the saw-whet and barred owls. It was very informative, and a little bleak, since he could identify troubles for the boreal owl. Mostly, these were related to the changing habitat up here, largely from windstorms like the blowdown, and the fires. These little owls are cavity nesters, in need of big old aspen trees. When the trees are gone, the owls leave, too. While he doesn't hear or see near as many boreal owls in this forest anymore, the good news is that they are still thriving in Alaska and parts of Canada.

We've been hearing our favorite owl a lot in recent weeks. He is a barred, and he has a distinctive call. The cadence is a bit different than the usual one. That's what makes it so easy to identify him. It's nice to know that he is still in the neighborhood.