|
Pedal and Paddle for Peace and Quiet, Sept.17 in Duluth
Minnesotans for Responsible Recreation (MRR), Duluth Mayor Herb Bergson, regional silent sports
outfitters, businesses, organizations and artists invite the entire family to a "celebration of quiet places" in Duluth on Saturday, September 17.
In the morning, pedal the beautiful Munger State Bicycle Trail and paddle the scenic St. Louis River with MRR guides and naturalists. In the evening, enjoy art, dinner, a live auction and music on Duluth's Spirit
Mountain overlooking Lake Superior, the North Shore and northwest Wisconsin. Stay the night and enjoy breakfast on Spirit Mountain and a fall hike on the Lake Superior Hiking Trail.
Saturday morning at 9 a.m., join Pedal and Paddle for Peace and Quiet through some of northern Minnesota's most beautiful forests and waters. A 35-mile bike route will take riders through Jay Cooke
State Park and across the St. Louis River canyon of waterfalls and tumbling rapids to Carlton. Following the rolling Alex LaVeau Trail to Highway 23, cyclists will finish at Chambers Grove Landing on the St. Louis
River where lunch will be served and bicycles will be safely returned to the trailhead. Fruit, granola bars and juice will be provided throughout the day at rest stops with a lunch of sandwiches and veggies.
After lunch and brief canoe and kayak demonstrations at Chambers Grove Landing, participants will board waiting boats for an easy two-hour paddle long the scenic St. Louis River. Trip leaders will support and
encourage paddlers, note flora and fauna and answer questions about the area's natural history.
Paddlers will be greeted at Indian Point campground with T-shirts, treats and a cheering crowd. Guides will
provide an escort to Duluth's nearby Spirit Mountain.
A 4:30 p.m., MRR Executive Director Jeff Brown and Duluth Mayor Herb Bergson will welcome all to the
second annual Celebration of Quiet Places. Poet Bart Sutter, photographer and naturalist Erik Hahn, adventure guide Chris Heeter, auctioneer Gary Lepisto and singer-songwriter Sara Thomsen will entertain.
A cash bar and spaghetti dinner will be served. A live auction will feature Kestrel and Epitike 100 kayaks, a We No Nah Champlain canoe and other boats (including a 17-foot flying canoe once "paddled" down
Spirit Mountain Ski Hill), outings, overnights, clothing and gear.
Spend the night on Spirit Mountain and awake to a peaceful Lake Superior sunrise and hike at your
doorstep. Enjoy the beauty, wildlife and natural quiet and the poetry, art, music and good humor of the northwoods for a day, evening or weekend.
Accommodations are available at the pedal/paddle trailhead at the Munger Inn (218/624-4814), on Spirit Mountain (camping) and at other nearby locations.
For registration forms and fees and more information about the Pedal and Paddle for Peace and Quiet and/or Celebration of Quiet Places call MRR at 218/740-3175 or visit our Web site www.PedalforPeaceandQuiet.org.
To Top
Parks projects set, admission free on National Public Lands Day
On September 24, more than 80,000 volunteers will get back in touch with public lands at 600 sites nationwide.
A third of America's land and water belongs to the public, and each September tens of thousands of
Americans donate a Saturday to help improve them. People of all ages volunteer to build trails, plant seeds, collect water samples and clean up the parks and other special places they enjoy year-round.
Admission to many federal sites is free on National Public Lands Day including land managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service
and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Volunteers who join in the various service projects in those areas will receive a coupon good for an additional free admission to a national park or other participating area.
Each year the event helps fix up famous locations where Americans hike, bike, climb, swim, explore, picnic or just plain relax. The experience keeps alive the legacy of the 1930s-era Civilian Conservation Corps,
which enrolled 3 million Americans in improving public lands.
The event is managed by the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation, chartered by
Congress in 1990 as a private nonprofit organization to develop and support environmental learning programs to meet social goals and build partnerships among government, the private sector and
nongovernmental organizations.
See www.neetf.org for more information. Those interested in volunteering can find local sites by calling toll-free 800/VOL-TEER (800/865-8337).
To Top
Pitch in on National Public Lands Day, Sept. 24
This year National Public Lands Day will be held Saturday, September 24. On that day volunteers are
needed for many trail construction and maintenance projects throughout the upper Midwest. Some of those are listed below. Many more projects involving shoreline cleanup, prairie restoration and harvesting native
seeds are scheduled. For a complete listing, go to www.publiclandsday.org.
ILLINOIS
* Gompers Park Prairie/Wetland Restoration, Chicago: Woodchip nature trail, collect seeds and plant them. Contact: James MacDonald, Chicago Park District, 773/736-1051.
* Lake in the Hills Fen, Lake in the Hills: Seed collection and trail maintenance. Contact: Alan and Barbara Wilson, Nature Area Volunteers of McHenry County, 847/658-0024; LITHFen@aol.com.
* Mount Forest Island, Chicago: Trail work, remove invasive plant species, clean up, educational activities. Contact: Ed Bartunek, Chicago Area Mountain Bikers, 708/749-8488; edbartunek@msn.com.
* Spring Brook Nature Center, Itasca: A bird walk around the Itasca Country Club Golf and help with the rebuilding and restoration of favorable birding areas. Contact: Margaret Gazdacka, Village of Itasca,
630/773-5572; mgazdacka@itasca.com.
MICHIGAN
* Camp Nesbit Interpretive Trail, Ottawa National Forest, Ironwood: Boardwalk construction to improve
interpretive trail around Lake Nesbit. May include trail maintenance on Deer Marsh Interpretive Trail. Contact: Jeff Mell, USDA, 906/852-3500; jeffmell@fs.fed.us.
* Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Munising: Erosion control on the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Hiking Trail (North Country National Scenic Trail). Contact: David Kronk, National Park Service, 906-387-2607; david_kronk@nps.gov.
MINNESOTA
* Camp Ripley, Little FallsL:Trail development, shoreline clean up, fishing pier construction. Contact: Marty
Skoglund, DOD, 320/616-2720; marty.skoglund@mn.ngb.army.mil.
* Glacial Lakes State Park, Starbuck: Trail development, shoreline clean up, fishing pier construction. Contact: Breanna Staples, Minnesota DNR, 320/239-2860; breanna_staples@hotmail.
* Kawishiwi Trails, Fergus Falls: Invasive plant removal in prairie and oak savannah. Trail rehabilitation and seating area construction. Contact: Ken Garrahan, USFWS, 602 State Highway 210 East, Fergus Falls,
MN 56537; 218/736-0938; ken_garrahan@fws.gov.
* Sand Dunes State Forest, Zimmerman: Trail maintenance. Contact: Mark Crawford, Minnesota DNR,
Lake Maria State Park, 763/878-2335.
WISCONSIN
* Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, Ashland. Work project: Build and install a bluebird trail at the
visitor center. Contact: Susan B. Nelson, USDA, 715/685-9983; sbnelson@fs.fed.us.
To Top
Hayward Library Fall Century Tour caps weekend of fun in the northwoods
Highlights of the second annual Hayward Library Fall Century Tour on September 25 will include a new start/finish location at the popular Old Hayward Eatery & Brew Pub and a full carbon fibre Specialized
Roubaix bike to be won by a ride entrant.
Part of the Hayward Fall Festival, which takes place on Main Street on Saturday, September 24, the super
scenic tour features six routes through easy-riding Sawyer County lake and forestland.
Riders have six routes to choose from. The 100-mile century course passes over 20 lakes. Other route
options include a 100 kilometer (62 mile), 44 mile, 27 mile plus 13 mile or 5 mile for novices and families.
Every rider will get a ticket for a chance to win a new Specialized Roubaix carbon fibre bicycle courtesy of Northwoods Community Health Center and New Moon Ski Shop. They will also get tickets for post-ride
food and beverages at the brew pub where the Buddy Scott Blues Band will entertain.
Entry forms for the Hayward Library Fall Century Tour can be obtained at the Hayward or Cable chambers
of commerce, the Hayward Public Library (715/634-2161), sport and bike shops or by e-mailing hlibrary@hayward.nwls.lib.wi.us or logging on to www.haywardareachamber.com for a printable PDF copy. There are special fees for families and an early entry deadline of September 12.
To Top
New guide to Minnesota state parks available
To help you decide which of Minnesota's 72 state parks to visit, copies of the newGuide to Minnesota State
Parks is now available at all state parks and tourist information centers or by calling the DNR Information Center at 651/296-6157 or toll free at 888/MINNDNR (646-6367). Brochures also will be available at
the DNR building at the Minnesota State Fair.
The free brochure lists park facts, up-to-date information on state park facilities, a location map, directions
and park phone numbers. The brochure also contains information on facilities available in the winter for lodging, camping, cross-country skiing, hiking, snowmobiling and snowshoeing.
Reservations for camping or lodging are recommended for fall weekends. For most locations, reservations are not necessary for overnight accommodations midweek. No camping reservations are needed from
November 1 through April 1. Reservations can be made online at www.stayatmnparks.com or by calling toll free 866/857-2757.
To Top
Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day, Oct. 1
The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) will celebrate the second annual Take a Kid
Mountain Biking Day on Saturday, October 1. IMBA is promoting the day as a great opportunity to pass along a passion for pedaling to kids. And participating is as easy as 1, 2, 3.
1) Organize a ride in your local area. IMBA can help plan an event large or small. Just register the event at www.imba.com so it can be listed on the Web site. A list of scheduled events is forthcoming.
2) Spread the word. Organized rides get kids and groups to experience mountain biking for the first time or to get them back in the saddle again.
3) Take a kid on a mountain bike ride the first Saturday in October. IMBA has helpful tips for taking kids riding. There are existing kids cycling programs to learn from, too, at www.imba.com/resources/kids/kids_resources.html.
Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day is assisted by Trips for Kids ( www.tripsforkids.org ) which has helped disadvantaged kids discover mountain biking since 1988.
Trips for Kids has taken inner-city and low-income kids across the United States and Canada on mountain bike outings and provided environmental education. The goal of these youth bike programs is to combine
lessons in personal responsibility, achievement and environmental awareness through the development of practical skills and the simple act of having fun.
For more information, contact these Trips for Kids chapters in the Midwest:
ILLINOIS
Trips For Kids Fox Valley, South Elgin, IL; 847/927-0759; www.bicyclesetcil.com/tfkfoxvalley/index.html; tfkfoxvalley@sbcglobal.net
MICHIGAN
Trips For Kids Detroit, www.comnet.org/tripsforkidsdetroit
MINNESOTA
Two Wheel View/Trips for Kids-Twin Cities; 612/874-1895; www.twowheelview.org; info@twowheelview.org
This year on National Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day, IMBA will celebrate the life of Jack Doub, an avid teenage mountain biker from North Carolina who had a true passion for the sport from an early age but
passed away in 2002. Funding is provided by the Jack Doub Memorial Endowment. The event will take place each year on the first Saturday in October.
To Top
Northland College offers outdoor orientation for freshmen
Since 1975, students have had an opportunity to participate in an outdoor orientation program at Northland College, but it was on a limited basis. Since then the program has evolved and now, 30 years later, the
program provides a unique experience for every freshman at Northland College.
Imagine starting college by packing through the Porkies, a vast wilderness area in the Upper Peninsula of
Michigan. If backpacking isn't your style, perhaps 12 days and 100 miles of canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is a better choice.
Students who love fishing can participate in Friday night fish frys on the Flambeau a five-day adventure combining fish frys, camping and canoeing. Others can enjoy rock climbing around the region.
It isn't all work and no play for incoming students. Those wanting to ease into the college experience can opt for a more relaxed atmosphere by registering for Stockton Island Slackers, which is five days of camping
and beach bumming on one of the Apostle Islands.
The 20-plus orientation trips are just an introduction of what Northland College is like.
"The friendships and experiences made during these first few days in northern Wisconsin are just the tip of
the iceberg," Outdoor Orientation Director Paula Hyde says. "Led completely by current Northland College
students, freshmen get an opportunity to see where they will be in a few years and ask questions about college life from those who are living it."
Students aren't the only ones who recognize the uniqueness and benefits of the outdoor orientation program. In 2003, Northland College President Karen Halbersleben paddled along on an orientation trip in the
Sylvania Wilderness area of Michigan's U.P.
Halbersleben went on the trip just one year after coming to Northland. "It introduced me to the reality of the
wilderness and the part of myself that came to life here. I feel richly blessed by the experience."
The trips begin as early as mid-August to accommodate incoming athletes. Nonathlete trips begin August
23. For more information, contact Beth Erickson at 715/682-1347.
Northland College is an environmental liberal arts college located in Ashland near the shore of Lake
Superior. The college has been recognized as one of the top colleges in the nation for science and mathematics, as a model environmental campus for the Lake Superior Basin, and as one of Wisconsin's true
liberal arts colleges. Founded in 1892, Northland now enrolls more than 750 students from 45 states and 13 other countries.
|
