Pagami Creek Fire Countines to Build

The Paguami Creek fire was first discovered  fourteen miles east of  Ely on August  18. The cause of the fire appears to be a lighting strike. With extremely dry conditions in the area and buffed by high winds the fire has now grown to over 100,000 acres. According to the fire command website, yesterday the fire made an " unprecedented 16 mile run to the east, reaching the edge of Polly Lake. The fire became a plume-driven event." 


USFS officials yesterday took the unprecedented action of closing most of the BWCA entry points west of the Gunflint Trail as a precautionary measure. Many entry points in the Ely area had previously been shut down.   For the latest on this fire go to http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2534 

Small Wildfire Confirmed West of Poplar Lake

Yesterday afternoon the USFS's Beaver airplane was spotted circling west of Poplar Lake. A check with the sheriff's office confirmed there was a small fire on Skipper Lake. Firefighters were on the scene. Stay tuned on this one!

Brule Lake Fire-2

Date of Detection:  The Brule Lake Fire was discovered by visitors on Brule Lake on August 8, at approximately 2:30 PM.

Location:  T63N R2W Sect. 8 and 9; Very east side of Brule Lake on the north side of Brule Bay.

Fire appears to be human caused and located near the fire grate.

Current Size:  Approximately ¼ acre, it is being suppressed.

Agency: USDA Forest Service Tofte Ranger District

Status: Low activity smoldering in the duff.

Resources:  A two person wilderness crew and a two person fire crew are in the area at this time suppressing and mopping up.  Crews are staying through the evening for observation.

Fire Information:  (218) 663-8060 Tofte Ranger District Office

                                 (218) 663-8063 Nichole Borson

Small Wildfire Reported on Brule Lake

August 8, 2011

Date of Detection:  The Brule Lake Fire was discovered by visitors on Brule Lake on August 8, at approximately 2:30 PM.                                                                                                                                                                                 

Fire Information:  (218) 663-8060 Tofte Ranger District Office

                                 (218) 663-8063 Nichole Borson

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Byway' Timber Management Plan from USFS

Dennis Neitzke, Gunflint Ranger, layout a forest timber management plan for about six miles along the Gunflint Scenic Byways- from near the South Brule River to just below Swamper Lake. To view the Forest Services management plans go to http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/fs-usda-pop.php/?project=34282 .

The following is a letter from Neitzke announcing the program-Date: July 11, 2011-

Dear Interested Public:
I am writing to let you know about an opportunity to comment on our proposal for forest
vegetation management in the Lima Green Project Area and to invite anyone interested to attend a field trip to discuss the proposal. The location where these activities are proposed is about 12 miles north of Grand Marais, Minnesota and is displayed on the enclosed vicinity map. The proposed actions are intended to accomplish multiple objectives which are explained in the scoping report, but I’ll highlight a few of these objectives here.
One of the objectives of this project is to improve moose habitat. The Lima Green Project Area has a relatively high population of moose, even though the moose population in northeastern Minnesota is declining. Although habitat alone is not likely limiting moose numbers, providing a constant supply of shrub and small tree forage near stands of conifer trees may encourage moose survival.
Another objective of this project is to restore red and white pine. As red and white pines grow
larger, they add scenic beauty to roads and trails, offer habitat for many wildlife species and
provide timber products for the local economy. The Lima Green Project Area has some of the
highest percentages of red and white pine forest types on the Gunflint District. However, young pine rarely becomes established in the understory of these stands therefore it is important we establish young pine regeneration.
Enhancement of the long-term scenic quality of the Gunflint Trail is a third important objective of the project. Some of the tree species along the Gunflint Trail are short lived species and need some kind of disturbance to regenerate. District personnel have been working with the Gunflint Trail Scenic Byway Committee to develop actions that would improve the scenic quality, improve ecosystem health or reduce fuel hazards.
To accomplish these and other objectives, proposed activities would include intermediate and regeneration harvests, reforestation activities, prescribed burning and understory fuels reduction. Additional proposed actions include constructing and obliterating temporary roads to access units and the decommissioning of roads no longer needed.
All project objectives and proposed actions are explained in more detail in the Lima Green
Scoping Report. The report includes: the purpose and need for the project, summaries of the
proposed activities, a map of proposed activity locations, and other project information. The
Lima Green Scoping Report can be found on the Superior National Forest website at
www.fs.usda.gov/goto/superior/projects or you may request a copy from the Gunflint Ranger
District.I will be accepting your comments until August 12, 2011. You may submit your comments by writing, faxing, emailing, or calling. All comments received (including names and addresses) will become part of the project file and are public information. Please be sure to include your name, address, and the Lima Green Project name, regardless of how you submit comments. Written comments sent via mail, FAX (218-387-3246), or email must be addressed to:
Dennis Neitzke, District Ranger
ATTN: Lima Green Project
Gunflint Ranger District
2020 West Highway 61
Grand Marais, MN 55604

Wildfire Reported on Gaskin Lake

BWCA - It is believed that the fire started Monday, June 13 in the evening. It is located  on the peninsula near the western end of Gaskin. There is a campsite on the south side of this peninsula.   South Easterly wind of up to 15 mph have resulted in some "spotting" on the north westerly shoreline. From what I am hearing the fire has burnt about three acres. Currently the USFS is only monitoring the fire. The fire is locate 3 miles south and a bit west of the westend of  Poplar Lake and just north of Winchell. For addition information go to  WTIP radio.

Ice-out on Poplar Lake

The ice went-out on Poplar on Tuesday, May 10.  Hungry Jack and must of the other Gunflint Trail mid size lakes were ice-free several days earlier. With the fishing opener scheduled for this weekend, an ice free lake is certainly welcome.

Many of the Poplar Lake summer home people are up now opening their cabins.

Dead Beat Corporations

Editors Note - While this post goes again my mission to write exclusively about locate issues but after reading it, it made my blood boil and I had to post it. What do you think?

A few weeks ago, Senator Bernie Sanders released a list of the 10 companies worst at paying their fair share in taxes. We liked it, and our designer Gabe quickly put it into chart form and put it up on our website.

What happened next was exciting: Tens of thousands of people started sharing the chart on Facebook. Blogs started posting links to it. It began to really blow up—and that gave us an idea: What if we could get this popular chart in front of millions of people this weekend as they're finishing their taxes?

So here we go: We're going to try to saturate Facebook with the chart below, so that everyone sees the shameful behavior of these 10 companies. Can you join in? All you have to do is click this button to share it:

Share This on Facebook

Click here to share: Bernie Sanders' Guide to Corporate Freeloaders

Thanks for all you do,

–Peter, Eli, Alicia, Jenine, Gabriel, and the whole MoveOn.org Civic Action team

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