2/9/12 - There are a number of new mining projects proposed near the BWCA Wilderness. In the past, mining has caused serious pollution problems and the companies have faded away, leaving the mess for the locals to live with. This has become a big issue around here. The Friends of the Boundary Waters, the long time wilderness advocacy group, has a lot of information on their website. In the interest of fairness, here is a link to Polymet, the company that is farthest along in it's effort to begin a new type of mining in Minnesota.

Former Sawbill crew, Dave and Amy Freeman, are teaming up with former state legislator and Grand Marais-area dogsled racer Frank Moe for an epic trip from Northern Minnesota to the State Capitol in St. Paul in early March. They are calling for the protection of the region's natural heritage, including clean water and wilderness. Dave and Amy will be delivering petitions from Ely to Finland, Minnesota by dogsled. Frank will continue with those petitions and many more on to the State Capitol.

You have seen the lakes, rivers, and forests of Northern Minnesota first hand and understand how special this area is. Please join Dave, Amy, Frank, and thousands of others by signing the petition that will be delivered to the State Capitol by dogsled.

Please, watch the videos below to learn more about the Sulfide Mining that is proposed near Ely and sign the petition below.

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Human exposure to mercury is primarily caused by consuming fish that contains methylmercury. Another common cause of exposure is contact with elemental mercury, a silver colored metal that is liquid at room temperature. Exposure to a small amount of elemental mercury over time can cause serious health effects, especially in children and fetuses. Mercury is present in thermometers, barometers, thermostats, blood pressure instruments, and compact fluorescent (newer energy saving) light bulbs. The most common cause of mercury contamination in homes is from broken fever thermometers. Humans are exposed to the mercury by inhalation of mercury vapors or by absorbing the mercury through the skin.

Health effects from long-term exposure to a small amount of elemental mercury:

· Personality changes, including mood swings and irritability

· Tremors

· Muscle weakness or twitching

· Insomnia

· Headaches

· Reduced cognitive function

Children and fetuses are extremely sensitive to mercury contamination, so pregnant women and women of child bearing age should avoid exposure.

What to do with mercury thermometers:

The easiest way to avoid exposure to mercury is to remove anything in your home that contains mercury. Replace old mercury thermometers by taking them to the Grand Portage hazardous waste collection or to your local hazardous waste collection. The Grand Portage Clinic will replace a mercury thermometer with a new one, so call the Clinic for more information.

Image courtesy of projectmindwake.blogspot.com/2011/02/end-of-mercury-thermometers-is-near-due.html

What if I already spilled mercury in my home?

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is willing to come to Grand Portage to test homes for mercury spills. If you have spilled mercury, they can test to ensure that all mercury has been removed. It is extremely important to remove all mercury, especially if there are children or you expect there to be children in your home. Call Yvette at Trust Lands to set up an appointment.

How to clean up a small amount of mercury (from the Minnesota Department of Health):

1. Isolate the spill. Open all windows and exterior doors in the room where the spill occurred. Close all interior doors and air ducts and turn off air handlers or heaters to ensure that mercury vapor does not travel through the house.
2. Keep everyone away from the spill, and children and pregnant women should leave the house.
3. Only clean the spill yourself if it a small amount, such as the amount in a fever thermometer. Otherwise, call professionals.
4. Remove any clothes or shoes that may be contaminated with mercury and place them in a sealed plastic bag. Take a shower to remove mercury from your skin.
5. Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the mercury because the mercury will be broken into smaller drops and will evaporate quicker.
6. Wear gloves to clean up the spill. If the mercury spilled on a hard surface, push the beads of mercury together using a piece of cardboard and place it into a container that can be sealed. Use a flashlight to look for any additional mercury. The drops of mercury can spread far and can drop into cracks and crevices.
7. If the spill occurred on a carpet, cut the contaminated area of the carpet and pad, and fold the carpet piece so that the mercury is trapped inside. Place into a plastic bag. If you refuse to cut out the carpet, use wet paper towels or an eyedropper to pick up the drops of mercury.
8. Place the mercury and anything that has been contaminated by mercury into a plastic bag, label the bag Mercury: Hazardous, and dispose of at your local Hazardous Waste Collection.

     There are some people who say, "You have to have a kevlar canoe for the BWCA."  While I most often paddle a kevlar canoe on my Boundary Waters Canoe Camping trips I don't think everyone has to paddle one.  
     Kevlar canoes are great for BWCA canoe trips when there is going to be alot of portaging.  They are lightweight for carrying and make portages much easier for those without alot of strength and endurance. 
     It's also great to paddle a kevlar canoe when you're planning to travel alot.  The kevlar canoe is made for speed and paddlers in a kevlar canoe can get places pretty quickly.  Their streamlined design and almost weightlessness make paddling a kevlar a breeze.
     There are however a couple of times when you may not want to paddle a kevlar canoe in the Boundary Waters.  For an inexperienced paddler the kevlar canoe may feel less stable than a wider canoe.  If a beginner is looking for a solid, safe canoe then an aluminum or royalex canoe may be a better choice.  Also, if a person isn't planning to portage at all then the advantage of the lightness of the kevlar canoe no longer becomes important.  And if a person is planning to spend alot of time fishing then the royalex or aluminum canoe allows more room for gear and could be the better choice.
     I prefer to paddle and portage kevlar canoes and for most people they are the best canoe for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.  However, you don't have to have a kevlar canoe to enjoy the BWCA even if you're planning to portage.  Some folks swear by their 100 pound sturdy boats and as long as you're in the Boundary Waters that's all that really matters.

Grand Portage photographer Travis Novitsky took this dawn shot at Hollow Rock recently. His work can be viewed at www.travisnovitsky.com

Fun times this week, with art shows, the Volks Ski 400, dinner theatre and lots of live music.

"Shout! The Mod Musical" will be performed as dinner theatre at the Harbor Light Supper Club & Bar on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. The cast includes

First up is dinner theatre, when “Shout! The Mod Musical” opens at Harbor Light Supper Club & Bar for a three-show run as a dinner theatre production. Performances are at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, Feb. 11 and at 2 p.m. Sunday.

The Grand Marais Playhouse and Harbor Light are collaborating on this fun musical, which includes a three-course dinner and great performances by Kerri Bilben, Karen Blackburn, Molly Hicken, Hilja Iverson, and Karina Roth. They will be accompanied by Kay Costello on piano, Stacey Hawkins on keyboard and Kris Johnson on drums.

(Note: We’ve been assured that this is the “uncensored” version of the blockbuster Broadway musical, so it should be a lot of fun.) Tickets are $35 and can be reserved at  387-1142 or e-mail cewalinc@boreal.org.

A cross-country ski trail at Golden Eagle Lodge.

The two-week Winter Tracks festival concludes this weekend with the Volks Ski 400 on Saturday where individuals and teams attempt to ski the entire 400K Nordic ski trail system  in one day. By the way, the trails in Cook County are the largest groomed cross-country ski trail network in the U.S.).

Registration is $10 and includes a donation to the Children & Nature Network and a T-shirt. For more info and to register, visit at www.volksski.com.  Cascade Lodge is also offering a candlelight luminary ski event on Friday night from 6-8 p.m. A bonfire and hot chocolate will be available. For a complete listing of all the activities, including guided snowshoe tours, click here.

There’s more going on this weekend, too.

The Winter Plein Air exhibit at the Grand Marais Art Colony continues through Sunday with more than 100 paintings created by regional artists, many

"The Grand Master" by Mary Pettis. Photo by Kjersti Vick.

of whom stayed at Menogyn last week and painted there. There are some wonderful paintings in this exhibit. The Art Colony is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day through Sunday.

By the way, the Art Colony has a public Facebook page. Check it out here.

Not only are there photos of the Winter Plein air exhibit, but Kjersti Vick, the events coordinator at the Art Colony,  has included photos of many of the snow sculptures crafted last week throughout the county as part of the Snow Sculpture Symposium.

Here are some of the snow sculptures:

Tom McCann's snow sculpture is at Gunflint Lodge.

Dave Seaton's sculpture is at Bearskin Lodge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For a look at all the sculptures and the sculptors making them, click here. Photos by Mark Tessier.

A new art exhibit opening has just popped up. The Johnson Heritage Post has arranged for an exhibit of the permanent collection in the JHP and Cook County Historical Society’s vaults. The exhibit opens with a reception from 5-7 p.m. this Friday night, Feb. 10

The collections include paintings by Birney Quick, Howard Sivertson, Harvey Turner, and Ellen “Ma” Douglas. The late 19th century pencil sketches by Judge Geo. Durfee will also be displayed for the first time in many years.

The exhibit will continue through March 3. The JHP will be open on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. during that time. For more information and to arrange to see the exhibit at different times, contact the gallery at 387-2314, or call Don Davison at 387-1698.

In other art news, the Grand Marais Art Colony’s Wednesday Life Drawing series begins tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Art Colony. It is open to artists of all mediums. No instruction provided. For more info, call 387-2737.

Next Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., the Art Colony will host a Question & Answer session for emerging and established artists interested in exhibiting at the Grand Marais Arts Festival this summer. The Arts Festival will be July 14 & 15. The Art Colony recently received a grant from the Minnesota Arts Board, the only festival funded by the Arts Board in the northeast region of the state, which will helped fund this event as well as the festival itself. All artists are invited next Wednesday. For more information, call 387-2737.

Also, there are still openings in a great glass class, “I Heart Glass”  with Nancy Seaton from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Art Colony. Call 387-2737 for more info.

Here’s a scoop. The Mountain Stage Radio Show, will return to Grand Marais this fall. The show, whichwas on the campus of North House Folk School last September, returns again during Unplugged: The Northern Harvest, which is from Sept. 13-16 this year. It will record two shows while it is here.

Mountain Stage is a popular radio show that features music in the folk, roots and Americana traditions. It is listened to by audiences worldwide and is produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting and distributed by NPR. More than 1,400 tickets were sold for last year’s event, and it was a smash hit.

This year’s show is a partnership between  the Cook County Visitor’s Bureau and North House. Tickets will go on sale July 1.

The monthly magazine, North Shore Highway 61, is holding the 1st annual Reader’s Choice Restaurant Awards. Participants are eligible to win a $50 guest certificate to their favorite restaurant. Click here to fill out the ballot.

The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council is hosting a seminar on “Artists and Legal Concerns” in their offices at  the Marshall Professional Bldg.,  1301 Rice Lake Rd.,  Suite 120  in Duluth on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 2 p.m. Attorney Brian Lukasavitz will discuss the basics of copywriting, contract considerations, taxes and using the Internet. For more information, visit the ARAC site here.

"Bad Ice," a Hipstomatic photo by Layne Kennedy, taken at Lake Harriet last week.

Photographer Layne Kennedy has an exhibit at the Minneapolis Photo Center entireld “The Art of the iPhone.” The exhibit features some of work  Hipstamatic photos taken with his iPhone. Kennedy has a book of his Hipstamatic photos at the publish on demand Website, blurb.com. So see the book, click here.

Eric Pollard (Actual Wolf) will have his debut on WDSE’s The Playlist on Thursday night at 9 p.m. The show will also feature the cast of Renegade Theater’s  production of the Tony Award-winning show, “Spring Awakening” and choreographer Amber Burns.

The Northern Fibers Retreat is next week, Feb. 15-20 featuring workshops and public events at North House Folk School and the Grand Marais Art Colony.

Two “Lunch and Learn” events are planted. Karen Lohn will give a presentation on her book, “Peace Fibres: Stitching a Soulful World,” at noon, Friday, Feb. 17 at the Folk School catered by the Crooked Spoon, and Nancy Daley will give a presentation on paper making at noon on Saturday, Feb. 18 catered by The Pie Place. Call 387-9762 to make your reservation.

Also, the Art Colony will hold a “Show & Share” event hosted by the Northwoods Fiber Guild from 7-9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 17. Everyone is invited to bring a fiber project they are working on to share with the group. Refreshments will be served.

Check out the Web sites at North House and the Art Colony for more information about the classes being offered.

Oh, and not to forget, the Celtic band,  McInnis‘ Kitchen ,will perform for a concert and dance at North House Folk that Saturday night, Feb. 18. Stay tuned for details.

There are lots of music opportunities this weekend, too. Here’s the schedule:

Wednesday: Feb. 8

• Bump & Barbara Jean, Bluefin Grille, Tofte, 8 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 9

• Joe Paulik, Poplar River Pub, Lutsen Resort, 6 p.m.
• Locals‘ Music Night, Cascade Lodge Pub, 7 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 10

• Timmy Haus, Mogul’s at Caribou Highlands, 3:30 p.m.
• Bump & Barbara Jean, Harbor Light Supper Club, 7 p.m.
• Community Music Circle, singer/songwriters invited, at the Old Playhouse above Betsy Bowen’s Studio, 301 1st Ave. W, 7-8:30 p.m.
• Gordon Thorne, Bluefin Grille, Tofte, 8 p.m.
• Eric Frost, Cascade Lodge Pub, 8 p.m.
• Timmy Haus, Papa Charlie’s, 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 11

• Pete Kavanaugh, Mogul’s at Caribou Highlands, 3:30 p.m.
• Bump & Barbara Jean, Papa Charlie’s, 3:30 p.m.
• Joe Paulik, Papa Charlie’s, 6:30 p.m.
• Trails End Band, Gunflint Tavern, 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 12

• Two Many Banjos, Papa Charlie’s, 3:30 p.m.
• Rio Brio, Brazilian music, Bluefin Grille, Tofte, 6 p.m.
• The Sivertones, Gunflint Tavern, 6:30 p.m.
• Maxi Childs Trio, Harbor Light Supper Club, 7 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 13

• Bella Ruse, Papa Charlie’s, Lutsen Mountains, 8 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 14

• Pete Kavanaugh, Poplar River Pub at Lutsen Resort, 6 p.m.
• Open Mic Night, Bump Blomberg, Papa Charlie’s,  7 p.m.

We have received and/or found a lot of cool photographs this week. We’ll start with the owls. The first one is of a Great Grey Owl, which was a favorite on Facebook this week.

Photo of the Great Gray by Necole Cooper Cameron.

Paul Sundberg posted a series of photos he took of a Hawk Owl. To see all of them, click here.

Paul Sundberg got this great shot of a Hawk Owl.

To change up a bit, here’s a photo by Stephan Hoglund taken in Texas.

Texas desert by Stephan Hoglund.

Staci Drouillard posted this contemplative photo this week.

Photo by Staci Drouillard.

Penny Ortman found a phrase from an Emily Dickinson poem to go with her photo, below.

“I’ll tell you how the sun rose

a ribbon at a time…”

Penny Ortman's "A Ribbon At A Time."

And Don Davison took this inspiring view of the lighthouse walkway in Grand Marais.

"Walkway" by Don Davison.

And last, but not least, here’s a two neat sunrises by Bryan Hansel.

Double Sunrise by Bryan Hansel.

Have a great weekend!

 

 

Senator Al Franken introduced the Courthouse Safety Act on the Senate Floor yesterday with bi-partisan support.  Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn) and Senator John Boozman (R-Ark) signed on as original co-sponsors of this proposed legislation.  Click here for a video of Senator Franken's speech.  Click here for a full transcript of Senator Franken's remarks.   A summary of the proposed bill follows:

Local Courthouse Safety Act
Local courthouses are dangerous places.  Stakes are high.  Tempers flare.  Victims confront their assailants; defendants confront their accusers; and prosecutors argue with defense lawyers.  
A rash of incidents in late 2011 raised serious concerns about security at local courthouses. In September, a defendant opened fire in the Crawford County Courthouse in Arkansas, killing a judge's secretary.  Two days later, police killed a defendant in the Adams County Superior Court in Indiana after he pointed a gun at them.  Neither of those courthouses had metal detectors.  In December, a defendant retrieved a gun from his car, walked into the Cook County Courthouse in Minnesota, and shot the prosecuting attorney, and a witness.  That courthouse did not have a metal detector, either.  In fact, after that shooting, the Executive Director of the Minnesota Sheriff's Association estimated that most rural courthouses in the state have no metal detector on site.  
The Bureau of Justice Assistance recently commissioned the National Center for State Courts and the Center on Judicial and Executive Security to conduct a comprehensive study of local courthouse security.  In the mean time, anecdotal evidence demonstrates that security at many local courthouses is lax, particularly in rural and suburban areas where access to equipment and resources is especially scarce.  Our local police, court personnel, and communities remain in harm's way as a result.  One Minnesota judge put it well in recent correspondence to his colleagues:  "I'm no longer willing to risk my life, the life of court staff, (and) the life of the public who have no choice about going to court."
The Local Courthouse Safety Act will give local courthouses access to the resources they need to improve security.  It will:
1)  Provide local courts with access to security training and risk assessments.  The bill will authorize the Justice Department to operate its VALOR Initiative, which provides training and technical assistance to local law enforcement, teaching them how to anticipate and survive violent encounters.
2)  Give states authority to use existing grant money to improve courthouse security.  The bill will clarify that states can use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants and State Homeland Security Grants to improve security at local courthouses.
3)  Cut through bureaucratic red tape, giving local courts access to excess federal security equipment.  The Defense Department currently has authority to give excess equipment directly to local police and firefighters. This bill similarly would give local courts direct access to excess federal security equipment, like metal detectors, wands, and baggage screening machines.
The Center for Judicial and Executive Security supports this bill. For more information, please contact Joshua Riley at Joshua_Riley@judiciary-dem.senate.gov

     I'm not sure if it's the spring like temperatures but something is making me think the upcoming canoeing season is closer than it is.  I should know better since I'm still.. (626 words)

           I went to a presentation yesterday about building assets in children.  One of the statistics I heard was the average parent talks to their child.. (669 words)

     Every once in awhile we'll hear the question, "Why should I paddle with Voyageur Canoe Outfitters?"  Our first thought to this question is, "Because we're the best!"  And while this statement is true it might sound a bit like bragging so we usually tone it down a little bit.

     Our answer to why take your BWCA trip with Voyageur Canoe Outfitters goes something like this.  We've been year round residents at the end of the Gunflint Trail since 1993 and have been outfitting BWCA trips since then. 

     We're 56 miles from the nearest town of Grand Marais, MN and you are already in the wilderness when you begin your trip up the Trail.  Just by driving the Gunflint Trail and coming to Voyageur you're farther into the wilderness than some people get on their Boundary Waters canoe trips.

     We love what we do and where we live and this shows.  Our enthusiasm and love of the wilderness is evident and we want to share this love with as many people as we can.  We take pride in being the best there is in BWCA trip outfitting.  We're knowledgeable about the Boundary Waters, Quetico Park, wilderness fishing and camping and everything Gunflint Trail. 

      We have an excellent facility and incredible staff and we provide a one-of-a-kind outfitting experience.  We guarantee your satisfaction with Voyageur and the number of repeat customers we have speaks loudly.  

     There it is in a nutshell.  While it may be easier to just say we're the best it's probably better to give the lengthy explanation, even though we really are the best!

     We're in the thick of things planning for this year's Mush for a Cure FUNdraiser on the Gunflint Trail.  We've got posters, participants and prizes but we still need more. .. (275 words)

     We spent all day yesterday in Duluth, MN for hockey.  One game at 9:30 in the morning and the other at 6:30 at night and alot of hours to waste in between.  I did something.. (238 words)

From the www.RawFoodsWitch.com website What Are Chia Seeds? Ch..Ch..Ch..Chia! It’s time to talk about those little seeds that have been used to grow the hair ion SpongeBob and Obama style chia pets: chia seeds! Chia seeds have a lot more … Continue reading →

It’s been a bit warmer than we’d like it to be for the past couple days, but luckily we have lots of snow so the sunny days and warm temps have had very little impact on our snow cover.  Trails are all recently groomed and in good shape.  The sun is out and the sky is clear today, making the ice coated trees sparkle in the sunlight.  It would be a gorgeous day to be outside enjoying nature.

This has  been a wildly busy weekend, but we predict that the next few days will be quieter.  Bearskin is lucky to be almost full for most days through early March, but for some peculiar reason the next week is almost empty.  Some combination of Superbowl Sunday, a 3- day weekend coming up soon, and who knows, maybe  the alignment of the stars, made this a week when people didn’t take off work to go skiing.  We’re running a nice “3 days for the price of 2 days”  special in some of our cabins as an incentive to drive up an enjoy our wonderful snow.  Our musher has many dog sled trip appointments open this week, our massage therapist will be here Tuesday and Thursday, and Chad is taste-testing his new restaurant menu choices on Tuesday –  lots of fun to be had here at Bearskin over the next few days, at a very affordable price.  Check out www.bearskin.com or give us a call at 800.338.4170

This time of night, Denali likes to snuggle on the green couch as close as she can get, with her nose touching my chin, if possible.   Who can resist this?   We are her pack, and she just wants to go where we go.  Outside is best for exploring and throwing the ball, inside is best for napping.  She sends the universal black lab message: might as well enjoy the moment, live a simple life.

I look at her and I think of that looooong thread that ties her to the wolves.  It's a stretch, but still a canine connection.

photo:  courtesy of Sheryl and Bonnie-location-- I'll NEVER tell.Always I've loved the wolves, even when I didn't know any of them.  They are fast and beautiful and sneaky, and they can collaborate and catch deer.  Can you imagine?  Without a doubt they're the smartest animals in the woods.   Which is also why they make the hair on my neck prickle; I know they might be able to kill me. Dr. Mech reports 19 million visitor days in the Superior National Forest with not one aggressive wolf encounter.  Denali and I have encountered them several times, and not been threatened.  It's almost as if they could take us, and they are wiser than that.  They just don't attack people.

Yet, they're predators, and people search for the outliers, the horror stories.  My ears perked up to this this runner story last month in Alaska.  I heard on the radio that The Gray is the hottest movie out right now.  It's because those wolves are big and baaaaad.  

Apparently the wolves in MN are prolific enough to be taken off the endangered species list.   The DNR reports that hunting/trapping might begin as early as next fall.  I listened to guru Dr. Dave Mech's ideas about managing the wolf population.  I've been reading his books since I was 15:  I'll defer to him.  He knows wolves, and seems to have a balanced approach when considering all the  stakeholders..  I won't picket the DNR,  but I don't have to like the idea.  I'm not sure, it just seems like---they're our allies.  Partners in the hunt, not the hunted.



Our galloping girl broke a tooth a while ago, and she was drooling drooling drooling all over, so we  paid the vet to pull it out.   The vet said we'd better quit giving her the soup bones to chew on, her teeth have to last quite a few more years.  So we can keep feeding her and housing her, and throwing the ball.  She's ensured her survival in the craftiest of ways.  She wins the evolutionary battle, doesn't she?

Photo courtesy of Sheryl and Bonnie  Location:  BIG SECRET.Check out the wolf in this photo.   If he breaks a tooth, I'll bet he doesn't even FEEL it, he's so tough and cool.

  What kind of crazy world do we live in where our goofy dog trumps this wolf in survival tools? 

On Monday January 30th I received this email :
 A G E N D A
   COOK COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
SPECIAL MEETING COURT HOUSE, GRAND MARAIS, MN FEBRUARY 3, 2012====================================================================

The Cook County Board of Commissioners will hold a special meeting on Friday afternoon,February 3, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. in the Commissioners Room of the Cook County Courthouse inGrand Marais, Minnesota.


The Board will consider a request to support the release of the existing Gunflint landfill (SW-294) from the closed landfill program.

This meeting is open to the public.  Citizens will be given an opportunity to appear before the Board and provide input to the County Commissioners regarding the issues being discussed. 




A  D  J  O  U  R  N
*  *  *  *
Here is a little background on the commissioners meeting, they're held every 2nd, 3rd & 4th Tuesdays of the month, so the 4th Tuesday of January was the 24th and the 2nd Tuesday of February will be the 14th.
Not only was I surprised by the special meeting since there should have been a 21 day break, but what surprised me even more was that I had never heard a word about this issue at any prior commissioner's meeting, so I just had to go  see for myself what warrants this special meeting at 2:00 in the afternoon on Friday.
I walked into the meeting and it started to became clear, there sat Hal Greenwoodwith Ray Pederson and Rick Austin and they were waiting on their lawyer.
The meeting was slow to start but built in intensity.Lots of back and forth, he said, they said, you said, cart before horse, have to act fast, the time is right and more  colorful phrases to compel action.
It was a little hard to keep track of everything going on but here is what I could gather. In 2008 the county sold the transfer station portion of the Gunflint landfill site to R&R Disposal. R&R intended that this site be used for both a transfer station and demolition disposal site.R&R states after purchase of site, it was made known to them that it could not be utilized for one of it's intended purposes, the demolition disposal site.I did not receive a map but it sounded like this to me: the R&R site is surrounded by county land that is in the closed landfill program and later R&R might want more of this county land to be freed up from the closed landfill program.Then came the warnings of potential county pollution liability if  property is released from the closed landfill program. After all the county worked the landfill into the program to eliminate pollution liability in the first place.This led to the cart before horse comments and more somewhat heated discussion ending in a  motion passing  3 to 1 to draft a letter of support to remove a portion of land that seemed to me already released in 2008 with the sale of the transfer station.This letter of support will be sent to 
Representative David Dillrep.david.dill@house.mn&Senator Thomas M Bakk

I'm not opposed to the landfill at all if the people of Cook County feel it will reduce construction debris disposal costs and help the economy, In fact,  I'm all for it.
What I don't like is how a small special interest group can get a   Cook County Board of Commissioners special meeting on a Friday afternoon.There were only three members of the Public at Large (PALS) in the room AND NO PRESS. It felt a lot like those short notice EDA special meetings that are called when no one can make arrangements to attend.
If you don't want people to think it's good old boy politics, the commissioners should stop allowing good old boy politics.

     A recent warm spell got the Seagull River flowing again. (12 words)

The last two days have been filled with meetings.  Here's the rundown on (3) of the most interesting:

Community Center Steering Committee Meeting--Thursday Morning
At the direction of the County Board, the Community Center Steering Committee met February 2 from 8 am to Noon.  The Steering Committee has been tasked with making a recommendation to the County Board for a new Community Center and Recreation Area to be designed and built at a cost not to exceed $9M.  This amount is reduced from just under $11M previously allocated.  The County Board also directed the Steering Committee to recommend a location for outdoor ice to be built in time for the 2012-2013 winter skating season, and to consider various options for a warming facility.

After significant discussion including the budget, location of the facility, wetland mitigation, facility management and possible partnership with ISD166, two motions were made and passed:  1)  The Steering Committee will pursue working with the YMCA to explore the possibility of having the YMCA manage a new facility, and 2) The Steering Committee will pursue attaching the proposed Community Center to the School. A meeting with the School Board will be requested to explore the merits of this partnership and the County Board will be kept abreast of this effort.

Committee member Paul Sporn volunteered and was elected as the new Steering Committee Chair.  Diane Booth was re-elected as Secretary.  Other members include Jeanne Anderson, Maggie Barnard, Diane Booth, Bob Fenwick, Sue Hakes, Andra Lilienthal, Paul Nelson, Sue Prom, Karen Kritta Saethre, Fritz Sobanja, Paul Sporn, and alternates Kris Hedstrom, Jim Johnson and George Wilkes.  There are still a couple of openings on the Committee; if you are interested in participating, call Diane Booth at 387-3015.

The next meeting of the Steering Committee is TENTATIVELY scheduled for either February 29 (Wed) or March 2 (Fri) from 8 AM to NOON.  The Public is welcome to attend these meetings.


Cook County Security Committee--Friday Morning
The first meeting of the newly formed Cook County Security Committee was held Friday, February 3 from 10 AM to approximately 12:30 PM.  Sheriff Mark Falk was nominated as the Chair of this Committee to be assisted by Commissioner Sue Hakes.  Committee members include:  Sheriff Mark Falk, Judge Michael Cuzzo, County Board Chair Janice Hall, County Attorney Tim Scannell, Assistant County Attorney Molly Hicken, Acting Court Administrator Diane Herrick-Schmidt, Probation Officer Steve Borud, Maintenance Director Brian Silence, Public Health & Human Services Director Sue Futterer, Personnel Director Janet Simonen, GIS Analyst Kyle Oberg, and County Commissioner Sue Hakes.

The basic role of this Committee is to review Cook County policies, procedures and facilities and recommend any changes necessary to reasonably ensure the safety of all who enter the Cook County Courthouse.

After a review of actions taken since the December 15, 2011 Courthouse Shooting, the Committee identified and discussed a list of issues and established some priorities.  "Making the Courthouse Safe" was of top priority and a sub-committee was established to look at possible physical changes that could/should be made to the County Attorney's Office, Courtroom, Court Administration, Probation, other departments, entrances/exits.  It was also decided that the existing Safety Committee would examine the Lockdown Policy and Training (employee safety training, lockdown drills, other training as identified).

The importance of two-way communication with County employees was also discussed at length.  A second All Employee Meeting is being scheduled to keep employees informed of actions being taken, as well as to allow employees to ask questions, share ideas, and voice concerns.  Department Heads are soliciting input from employees about needs and concerns which will be forwarded to the Committee for consideration and incorporation.

Four members of this committee (Falk, Hicken, Borud, Hakes) will be attending the MN Sheriff's Association Courthouse Safety Training on November 22-23 in Bemidji.

Special Meeting of the County Board of Commissioners--Friday Afternoon
A Special Meeting of the County Board of Commissioners was called to consider a request to support the release of the existing Gunflint Landfill  from the Closed Landfill Program.  Local businessmen Ray Pederson and Rick Austin (R&R Disposal) requested  the County Board support their efforts to have the MPCA re-open the former demolition landfill site approximately 9 miles off the Gunflint Trail on Forest Road 304.  Hal Greenwood was also present in support of this request; Mr. Greenwood explained that he has been helping to fast-track this request with Governor Dayton, Senator Tom Bakk and Representative David Dill.

Several years ago, the County Board made a conscious and expensive decision to enter its Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and Demolition Landfills into the MPCA Closed Landfill Program.  This decision was made to mitigate the risks to public health and the environment that can be caused at/near landfills from groundwater contamination, landfill gas migration, and/or chemical leaching.  The County paid in excess of $600,000 for the MPCA to be responsible for the long-term care of this facility and remove the County from any liability resulting from this site.

Removing the Demolition Landfill from the Closed Landfill Program (the request does not include the MSW) puts the County at risk in (2) significant ways:

a)  First and foremost is the risk to public health and the environment that may be caused by re-opening this site; there is a reason it was closed in the first place.

b)  The second is the financial liability to the County, and ultimately the County taxpayers.  By re-opening the old demolition landfill, any party that has ever used it becomes liable for damages; the State would bear no liability or responsibility.  Both County Attorney Tim Scannell and Director of Planning & Zoning Tim Nelson outlined clearly the liability risks to the County.  The MPCA has also explained that in spite of some legislative limits to the County's liability, it could still reach $3 million.

We do need a safe, affordable demolition landfill in Cook County.  Unfortunately, the health and liability risks at the old demolition site are too great to fulfill this need.

Ultimately the County Board voted 3-1 (Hakes opposed) in support of writing a letter to Senator Bakk and Representative Dill asking them to work with R&R Disposal and Cook County in exploring the removal of the old Demolition Landfill from the Closed Landfill Program.

      Purchasing a Canadian Fishing License for a Quetico Park canoe trip just got easier.   You can now purchase your fishing license online and may have to because.. (1706 words)

Had a chance to attend the movie Precious Waters, a 26 minute documentary about sulfide mining put on by the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness at the Congo church Monday night.The turn out was good I'd say, sorry I didn't count but the downstairs media room was packed, a guess maybe 35 people or more and thanks to the church for hosting the event.I have to say I I'm fairly ignorant about the subject, with the exception of what I know about  nickel mining in Canada which I understand has been hard on their environment.From now on I'll try to keep notes and names but for now your getting only cerebral recall and for those who know me, you know it might be fuzzy after three days! Here's what I took away from this event.
There are some very passionate people from the  Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness and the Water Legacy organization that care deeply about this subject and work very hard to spread their word and concerns.The movie had lot's of bad looking water and huge open pit mine footage that I would have to say doesn't fit in well with are woodsie wilderness feel around here.Other negative effects noted are noise from drilling, blasting and large truck traffic.
The other side talks about quality jobs, expanding the area's  population and money. That kind of talk in today's economy pulls a lot of weight but you still have to consider mining is a boom then bust short term economic solution, leaving  possibilities of a  long term clean up cost  for the state that could far exceed the benefits.
I didn't come away with any big answers from this one event but I did start doing research and I do believe    this will get highly political with sides drawn in this county and at the state level, and unfortunately  decisions made now could have a very long term consequences.I guess my suggestion would be to do your own research, keep an open mind and try to do what's best for the whole county.
I'm putting both links for the  Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness and the Water Legacy on the links page if you would like to read their views and as always if you have other relevant links let me know.

Now just a quick thank you to all involed in the 1% money spending at Birch Grove. You all in Tofte and Schroeder just take care of bissness, sell what you don't need, build only what you do need and work well for the common good.
You all should be very proud.

Removing metal shims, you can see the flange dividing the figure in half.  After this step we sprayed on the rubber mold material.
Here I am prepared to spray on the plastic mother mold. Note two red pegs sticking up on the figure. Lester had the idea of using rubber grommets embedded in the plastic to help facilitate removal of the mold.
Spraying action shot. The loaded gun weighs almost 15 pounds. It was worth while to build the figures to be able to lay them down horizontally. Much easier to spray down and much less over spray.
Lester using air pressure to help release the mold.
Mold sections, even though we used air pressure to release we ended up peeling clay off the armature. Actually , this works very well as it's easier to reclaim the clay.
Of the 20 molds we made this way we only broke one. The plastic material was easily repaired with a 2 part epoxy made for plastic repair.
The face after peeling off the mold. This scrapes off the ears and damages the figure. No matter the molds are perfect.
These are photos of  the female figure taken over the last two days. It shows how we are using the Polytek Spray Mold making system.

The Minnesota Bed & Breakfast Association is proud to award Barbara Young the 2011 Minnesota Bed & Breakfast Associations Volunteer of the Year award. Barbara accepted her award from President Shannon McKeeth at the 2012 Explore Minnesota Tourism Convention in Rochester Minnesota on January 25th, 2012. ...