Recently, I visited the proposed PolyMet copper mine and processing facility at Hoyt Lakes. This news-making project may launch a new era of mining on Minnesota’s Iron Range—provided the project is approved through a rigorous environmental review and permitting process.
Wild North: Shawn Perich
Understanding PolyMet’s Proposed Copper Mine
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Hosting my visit were PolyMet’s LaTisha Gietzen, an engineer and fourth generation Iron Ranger, and Brad Moore, a senior advisor of public affairs for Barr Engineering. Moore is a former commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and assistant commissioner of the DNR. Full disclosure here, I know Moore personally and fished and hunted with him.
North Notes
Lake Superior Day
Some Lake Superior communities hold activities or events to celebrate Lake Superior Day, which is Sunday, July 18. Lake Superior Day was started in the early 1990s and is promoted by the Lake Superior Binational Forum to highlight the special connections people have to this unique world treasure. Anyone can hold activities or events that celebrate life on the lake. This year the theme is “Let’s Go Fly a Kite!” to symbolize clean energy sources such as wind power. more...
Some Lake Superior communities hold activities or events to celebrate Lake Superior Day, which is Sunday, July 18. Lake Superior Day was started in the early 1990s and is promoted by the Lake Superior Binational Forum to highlight the special connections people have to this unique world treasure. Anyone can hold activities or events that celebrate life on the lake. This year the theme is “Let’s Go Fly a Kite!” to symbolize clean energy sources such as wind power. more...
Reviews
Moving to the Gunflint Trail with visions of becoming a northwoods Crocodile Dundee, the author eventually found satisfaction in owning and operating a construction business there. This self-published book chronicles his adventures along the trail and is amply illustrated with photos of moose and other wildlife he has encountered, as well as photos of the 2007 Ham Lake Fire. more...
Day Trippin'
Nipigon Launches Paddle-to-the-Sea Park
When the international best-selling children’s book Paddle-to-the-Sea was first published in 1941, it is unlikely the book’s Michigan-born author and illustrator Holling C. Holling imagined it would someday launch a $4.3 million destination theme park in the small town of Nipigon (pop. 1,752) on Lake Superior. But it did. Ten years in the making, the Paddle-to-the-Sea Park was officially opened this spring. more...
Cook County Menu Guide
Northern Wilds on Facebook
Events
Tall Ships Returning to Duluth
The enthusiastic response to the arrival of three Tall Ships in 2008 brought an estimated 125,000 folks to Duluth’s waterfront. This summer, a small flotilla of them will revisit Duluth. The long weekend of July 29 through Aug. 2 will see eight magnificent sailing vessels in Duluth for the Tall Ships Duluth 2010 festival.
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Outdoor Activities
Northern Sky
What can beat watching the stars on a lazy summer night? Our first treat comes early, when Mars makes a close pass over the bright star Regulus in Leo, the lion. Looking to the west around 10 p.m. on June 6-7, you’ll see the reddish planet less than half a degree above Regulus, anchor of the Sickle of stars forming Leo’s head. more...
Features
Old Reliables—Three Guides Share Their Favorite Fishing Lures
Sometimes it seems there are as many ways to catch fish as there are anglers. But experienced anglers usually have a few tricks up their sleeve for consistently catching fish. Very often, those tricks include the use of a favorite lure. We talked to three experienced fishing guides who shared their favorite fishing lures for consistently catching fish in the Northern Wilds. more...