From the Poplar Lake Area Association and Cook County, MN - June 26, 2024

On Saturday, June 29, the Poplar Lake Area Association (PLAA) is sponsoring a workshop at the Schaap Community Center (7401 Gunflint Trail) as part of its annual meeting. The second half of their meeting, starting at 10:45 a.m., is open to the public.

Aaron Mollin-Kling, FIREWISE Coordinator for both Lake and Cook Counties, will share information about how to protect your home and property, particularly given the spruce budworm infestation that is occurring in Cook County. After that, Sarah Waddle, University of MN Extension, and District 4 Commissioner Ann Sullivan will provide helpful information on how to prepare for evacuation, share thoughts on creation of a “clean air room” in your home or cabin, and distribute GO BAGS for evacuation necessary due to fire or some other event. There will be instruction for you on how to update the wildfire sprinkler information collected by the county, as well as how to let the county know when you have evacuated your property, to avoid sending our firefighters into harm’s way.

This is one of many meetings, primarily those of lake and road associations, held throughout the county to prepare full-time and seasonal residents for this year’s wildfire season, given the fact that Superior National Forest is at such high risk to burn. If you are unable to attend one of the Wildfire Mitigation, Safety and Preparedness sessions, you may watch the following videos at your leisure, which can be found on the Cook County Higher Education (CCHE) website under LEARN (recorded workshops): Wildfire Readiness for Households and Spruce Budworm in Minnesota’s Forests.

https://mycche.org/aiovg_videos/wildfire-readiness-for-households-workshop/

https://mycche.org/aiovg_videos/spruce-budworm-in-minnesotas-forests-2024-update/