Ice is Nice … and Needed by the Great Lakes
It's a beautiful image on the Big Lake, but lacking in ice. Photographer Christian Dalbec took this photo on Tuesday with this post: "A look into two worlds at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. Below is the 39° F lake water and rocks and above the shoreline at 16° F."
The finally dropping temperatures bode well for a bit of ice cover in the future, but the warmer than normal temperatures around the four shores so far has resulted in more rain the snow so far this winter and not much ice. That has consequences for the Lake and the economy (see the story about the sled dog marathon below).
Turns out New Year's day ice cover for all of the Great Lakes was at about 0.3%, according to NOAA, the least for the date in 50 years. The last time it was under 1% on Jan. 1 was in 2016 when the Great Lakes recorded 0.7%. If the trend continues all winter for a large body of water like Lake Superior, that might mean higher than average evaporation, one of the main ways water leaves the Lake other than the outflow from the St. Marys River. View a graphic showing all Great Lakes ice so far on the NOAA site here.
James Kessler, a physical scientist at NOAA, says there is still time for the ice cover to recover and that a one-day snap shot does show the full picture. "It's still early in winter," he says. "Look at the entire month of January; that will be a bigger indicator."
Thin ice has also affected inland lakes around the broader Big Lake neighborhood. Caution is always needed and, as the experts say, ice is never safe. On New Year's Day, about 50 anglers had to be rescued from ice that broke and floated away on Lake of the Woods along the U.S.-Canada border, reported Emilee Coblentz in a story for USA Today here. More recently, 122 people were rescued from a similar situation on Upper Red Lake in Minnesota, as reported by WCCO here. Vehicles are banned on Upper Red Lake for now.
Some accidents have been deadly. A passenger on a commercial transport vehicle died when it broke through ice on Lake of the Woods, as reported by the Associated Press here.
North of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., a skater fell through the ice on Trout Lake and drown. See the report from SooToday here.
This graphic below from NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, shows a "flatline" on ice cover for Lake Superior, quite different from most years for the Big Lake. Find out more icy facts at GLERL here.
Twin Ports Finished Longest Saltie Season Ever
Reports the Duluth Seaway Port Authority: "The Canadian-flagged Nordika Desgagnes (seen in this photo by Gus & David Schauer) sailed out of Duluth and into the record book tonight (Dec. 29) as the Port of Duluth-Superior’s latest-departing oceangoing ship on record. Carrying beet pulp pellets destined for Ireland, she eclipsed the port’s previous oceangoing late-departure record set Dec. 23, 1984, by the Federal Calumet, which carried durum wheat bound for France.
"Combined with the earliest oceangoing arrival in port history – the Federal Dart arrived March 28, 2023 – the Nordika Desgagnes departure on Dec. 29 makes this navigation season Duluth-Superior’s longest ever for international traffic (277 days)." Read the full press release here.
Meanwhile … the Lake Carriers' Association put out a press release this week announcing that "Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 4.8 million tons in December, an increase of 19.8% compared to a year ago. Shipments were just slightly above the 5-year average for the month. The year-end total for the iron ore trade stands at 51.1 million tons, an increase of 20.7% compared to 2022. Compared to the trade’s 5-year average, 2023 iron ore loadings were up 4.5%. Read the full release and find a tabulated chart here.
The Running of the Beargrease Cancelled
The board of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon decided Tuesday that this year's race would have to be cancelled due to trail conditions caused by the unusual weather. The race was established in 1980 and runs up the Minnesota shore from Two Harbors to Grand Portage. That means the 40th running of the marathon will be in Jan. 26, 2025, instead.
In its Facebook announcement, the board said: "This was not an easy decision. But, with concerns over the weather, safety of the dogs, mushers and volunteers it was the only decision that we felt comfortable with. There have been many discussions about postponing to a later date this winter but the weather is unpredictable. Likewise, in the effort to find a postponement date and in the spirit of sportsmanship, there was not another date that didn’t impede on another established race. The Beargrease will continue to have several fundraising events so stay tuned to our socials and website for how you can continue to support this amazing race that we all love so much."
Registration fees for 2024 can be carried forward to 2025 or be refunded, the board decided.
The Gunflint Mail Race, also in northern Minnesota, was scheduled for this Saturday, but will be postponed until Feb. 10. "For the safety of mushers and dogs, we are only able to host a maximum of 15 teams this year and will have a 10-dog race with two 32.5 mile legs," the race posted on its website. The normally 65-mile race would have been run this weekend, but lack of snow prevents that. No word on other sled dog races that occur later in the season around the Big Lake.
The lack of snow has affected sled dog businesses as well, as reported by Dan Kraker for MPRNews. “Normally, we’d have 15 sleds going out a day, every day, this time of year,” Peter McClelland of White Wilderness Sled Dog Adventures in Ely told Dan. “Right now, we have none.” This is usually the busiest time of year, but the company has had to lay off eight workers and worries about expenses like dog food, vet bills, etc. Read Dan's full story here.
Make Plans: Here are a few events coming up soon to put on a fun-do list:
Michigan
Friday, Jan. 5: Mary Jennings, director for the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, will give a presentation on sustainability in performance venues at noon in the Keweenaw Area Community Foundation in Hancock. It's the second in the Keweenaw Sustainable Tourism Series.
Season delayed to Jan. 13 (or later): This Saturday's start to the Upper Michigan Ice Races on motorbikes in Gwinn has been cancelled, but good snow willing, the weekly races may start Jan. 13. See the Upper Michigan Ice Racing Association's full race schedule here.
Saturday, Jan. 6: Join forester Rachel Tarpey and Keweenaw Land Trust board members Nancy Langston, Mare Grohowski and Stan Vitton on a winter exploration of Hungarian Falls Nature Area near Hubbell. It will be hiking (or snowshoeing with enough snow) along the trails to the dam, upper falls, and middle falls, learning about winter forest ecology, geology and local history. Register in advance.
Minnesota
Now-Jan. 31: Head over to The Duluth Pottery Gallery to enjoy the recent illustrations of Duluth artist Brian Barber. Brian is a multimedia artist, working in illustration, animation and videography. He has illustrated award-winning children’s books, animated music videos, created art for advertising, and shoots and edits TV commercials and corporate videos, among other work.
Sunday, Jan. 7: Visit Glensheen for free, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and see the holiday decorations at the Community Day 2024 during self-guided tours. After Sunday, the holiday decorations come down.
Starting Monday, Jan. 8-18: PAVSA (Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assualt) has a series of events planned for January, which is Twin Ports Trafficking Awareness Month. On Monday, the Brave Art Youth Exhibition has an opening reception at the American Indian Community Housing Organization, 6-7:30 p.m. See the full schedule of events here.
Wisconsin
Saturday, Jan. 6: Ashland School of Dance will perform its Winter Showcase, 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., in the Ashland High School Auditorium.
Saturday, Jan. 6: Short dark days might mean more coffee … and the Chequamegon Food Co-op in Ashland is offering a "Coffee Cupping and Conversation With Jared Trimbo of Full Keel Coffee" class from 10 a.m.-noon. The class will explore what coffee is, the different regions coffee comes from, the raw coffee-to cup process including a brief introduction to the roasting process, and end with a cupping session of up to 6 coffees. Register in advance.
Monday, Jan. 8: Up for a little Monday mayhem? Adventure Club Brewing in Bayfield plans a Monday Night Murder Party for 7 p.m. Limit of 12 for "Murder Mystery on the Dance Floor."
Wednesdays, Jan. 10: If it's Wednesday, it's Open Mic Night Backstage at the Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua in Bayfield. Free to attend, open mic nights will run from 6-9 p.m.
Ontario
Season delayed to Feb. 10: The season for the Runway Park Snow Drag Races on snowmobiles in Sault Ste. Marie was to begin Saturday (Jan. 6), but lack of snow caused a delay in the monthly schedule. The next race date will be Feb. 10 with registration at 8-10 a.m. and races start at noon. See the full season online. Meanwhile, the Runway Park continues to host open bike track on the snowless main track.
Sundays, Jan. 7-Mar. 17: This year's Winter FunDays at the waterfront in Thunder Bay opens with a Skating Party at Prince Arthur's Landing Outdoor Skating Rink. Like all the Sunday FunDays, which go through March 17, this one runs 2-4 p.m.
Photo & graphic credits: Christian Dalbec; NOAA; Gus & David Schauer; John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon; Keweenaw Land Trust/Duluth Pottery Gallery/ /Runway Park Snow Drag Races