Outdoors Archives - Wilderness North: Recent Episodes

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Northern Ontario Fishing, Fly Fishing and Adventure Travel Lodges and Outposts

Since we have limited space on our float planes we have to maximize the amount of space that we use when packing and the best way to do that with clothing is to roll your clothes. In this blog we will outline how to roll all the different types of clothes you might have and some other packing tips to maximize the space you have.

The good and bad things about rolling vs folding

| Folding | | Pros | * There isn’t much effort required * Packing and unpacking is faster so it works better for outfits you will wear right at you arrive * Formal wear will hold its shape better when it is folded vs when it is rolled | | Cons | * Folded clothes are more likely to wrinkle/crease * Harder to dig around to find the pieces you need. If your luggage jugs around, chances are everything will move from its original position’ |

| Rolling | | Pros | * Saves space in your suitcase and backpack * Makes it very easy to grab what you are looking for in your luggage * Works very well with stretchy materials | | Cons | * It takes much more time rolling than folding * Some of the clothes will be hard to roll |

How to roll each article of clothing

T-shirts/shirts
Fold the sleeves in
Then fold the T-shirt into thirds
Fold about 2 inches of the bottom of the shirt
Then roll up the shirt from the collar down and tuck the end into the bottom
Here is a video
Pants
Fold the part on the waist inside out a few inches
Overlap the legs
Start rolling from the feet to the waist
Upon reaching the inside out waist, pull the waist back over the roll to secure it
Here is a video
Sweaters/Hoodies/Jackets
Turn the bottom part inside out a few inches
Criss Cross sleeves and put them in the inside out part if they reach
Fold the sweater into thirds
Start rolling and put the turn-up part around the rolls.
If you are rolling a jacket the tighter the roll the less room it takes up
Here is a video
Socks
Lay the two socks on top of each other
Make sure that one is in a lower position than the other
As usual, roll from the toes/bottom to the upper part
Wrap the sock that lays on a higher position to the whole piece.
Here is a video
Underwear
Roll about two-thirds of the underwear
Bring both sides to the center
Fold and push the crotch part to wrap the whole thing
Here is a video

The post How to pack compact and light appeared first on Wilderness North.

This walleye spread recipe is incredibly versatile but also incredibly tasty. It doesn’t matter if you’re making a quick lunch, an appetizer, or even having a picnic, this recipe is a great option. With just a handful of ingredients and minimal prep time, you can whip up this satisfying meal. This recipe can be served on a salad, on top of a piece of bread or even on some crackers. So let’s get into what you need and the method for this recipe.

Ingredients:
Walleye
red onion
celery
1/2 tsp of salt
1/8 tsp of curry powder
1/8 tsp of cayenne
1/2 tsp of lemon juice
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dill weed
1 tsp lemon pepper

Instructions:

In salted water, boil walleye until cooked, it will float to the top of the pot when it is ready.
Finely chop the red onion and celery; this will be based on the amount of walleye you are using.
Mash the walleye up and combine with the vegetables. Use enough mayo so that the end result resembles a dense-like tuna salad.
Season the mixture with the spice mix above and combine thoroughly
place in a bowl in the fridge and let it chill for a minimum of 15 minutes.
Finally serve up the walleye spread, and drizzle some franks red hot over the spread.

The post KC’s Walleye Spread appeared first on Wilderness North.

If you encounter a black bear:
As long as you stay away, a bear is usually less dangerous the louder it is. The sound serves as a warning and is intended to scare you off.

| Do | Do Not | | * Back Away your steps slowly, keeping the bear in view, and wait for it to go. * Toss things, move your arms, and create noise by yelling, whistling, or using an air horn. * Get your bear spray ready. * If there’s a building or car nearby, go inside. * Give up any food you may be holding, then back off carefully. * If a bear is in a tree, leave it alone and continue on. * If you come across a mother bear with her cubs, then play dead. | * Run away, climb a tree or swim * Kneel down * Make eye contact * Approach the bear to get a better look * Attempt to feed the bear * Let your dog off a leash * Play dead unless you are attacked by a mother bear defending her cubs |

| If a Bear attacks | Preventing bear encounters | | * Use bear spray and immediately leave the area * Fight back * Do not play dead unless you are sure you are being attacked by a mother defending her cubs | * burn off food residue and oil from barbecue * Clean up all food scraps, and wrappers from the campsite * Never leave out food to feed wildlife * Don’t dump oil outside * Don’t leave your pets outside unattended |

Bear warning signs:

A shocked bear gives warning signs to let you know you are too close since bears hate surprises. A bear, for instance, might stand on its hind legs. It’s not an indication of hostility; rather, the bear wants to get a closer look or smell you. Letting bears know you’re around so they can stay away is a good way to minimize encounters with these animals. When you are in places where sight is limited or where there is a lot of background noise, such as near streams or waterfalls or on windy days, make noise by talking, whistling, or singing.

| A defensive bear | A predatory bear | | * Will salivate excessively and exhale loudly * Make huffing, moaning, clacking and popping sounds with its mouth, teeth and jaws * Lower its head with its ears back while facing you * Charge forward, and or swat the ground with its paws (this is a bluff charge) | * Will make a steady, silent approach * May come closer despite your efforts to scare them away with yells or thrown objects. * If bear spray is used properly, they will retreat, but they will eventually come back, so you should leave the area right away. |

The post What to do if you encounter a black bear appeared first on Wilderness North.

Freshwater fish are all cold-blooded species. This means their internal temperature and functioning are affected by the temperature of their surroundings since they are unable to maintain a steady body temperature, unlike humans and other warm-blooded creatures. This has an immediate effect on their overall activity levels as well as when and how much they eat.

Fish can be further divided into species found in cold, cool, and warm water based on their preferred temperature. In our case, the primary species we fish for are walleye and pike, which are known to inhabit cool waters. These cool water species are eager biters during the spring and fall seasons, when lower water temperatures are more accurate to their thermal preferences. The best temperature range for these fish are 55-75°F for pike and 53-72°F for walleye but the best individual temps lie in the middle of the range.

The post How Water temperature affects fishing appeared first on Wilderness North.

Blackening seasoning Ingredients:

1½ teaspoons paprika

1½ teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoon cayenne

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried thyme

Rub a generous amount of blackening seasoning over both sides of the walleye filets

Heat pan over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to just coat the bottom of the pan.

Add fish and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, flipping fish once

Optionally you can cut a lemon and put it on the side to squeeze on the finished walleye

The post Blackened Walleye Recipe appeared first on Wilderness North.

Traveling north from the USA to Canada is an experience packed with breathtaking scenery, diverse cultures, and friendly citizens. But crossing the border takes more than simply taking your luggage and driving across the border. It takes lots of planning and preparation in order to navigate all of its complexities. With this article we are going to try to save you time on your planning process so you can cross the border without any issues.

So what do you need to enter Canada? All you need to enter Canada is a valid U.S. passport, and if you are traveling with someone 15 years or older or under they don’t need a passport, but they do need their birth certificate. If you have a criminal record you will need to get a Temporary Resident Permit before you are able to enter Canada.

What do you need if you want to drive in Canada? To drive in Canada all you need is your valid state driver’s license, if you are bringing your own can you also need your vehicle’s insurance and registration/license plate all of which need to be valid. If you want to drive a boat and aren’t staying longer than 45 days in a row, you don’t need any license to operate the boat.

Can you bring your pet into Canada? Yes you can bring dogs and cats as long as you have a valid rabies vaccination certificate that has been given and signed within the last 3 years for each one.

Can you bring alcohol and tobacco into Canada? Yes but there are some restrictions. For alcohol you can bring 53oz/1.5L of wine, or 40oz/1.13L of Liquor, or 287oz/8.5L of beer. For tobacco you can bring 200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars, or or 200 tobacco sticks, or 7oz/200g of manufactured tobacco.

Can you bring firearms? Yes you can but it must be a long rifle or shotgun, and a maximum of 200 rounds only used for hunting, so you must have a hunt booked if you bring one of these firearms. No handguns, automatic or modified weapons are allowed in Canada.

Can you use American currency in Canada? It depends if the business accepts that money. Businesses have the choice to accept and refuse currency, and if they do accept the currency they can use their own exchange rate. (so getting your money exchanged at a bank is a better option)

Do you need a Hunting/Fishing License? Yes you are required to have a valid outdoor card and a valid fishing or hunting license. To buy yours you can click here. For a hunting license you need to bring a copy of an expired or current hunting license from any state.

Can you bring live bait into the country? No, you cannot bring any live bait over the border, but you can order some from Wilderness North.

Is health care free for people traveling to Canada? No, sadly it is not free for people traveling to Canada. Health and emergency services will not refuse services when you need them, but you will be charged. You should check with your health insurer to see if you have a policy covering unexpected medical services you may need while visiting Canada.

The post Things You Should Know Before Traveling to Canada appeared first on Wilderness North.

Gather around the fire, because today we have a recipe on the classic campfire favorite: the humble yet delicious campfire potato! Whether you’re in the woods or just craving that cozy campfire atmosphere, this recipe is sure to delight your taste buds and remind you of simpler times. So, start a fire, grab your foil, and let’s get started on this easy yet delicious potato recipe that will up your campfire cooking game!

You need 7 things for this recipe:

A Potato
Oil
Salt
Pepper
Butter
Tinfoil
A Campfire

Step 1: Start by lighting a fire, then wait until the fire builds up some coals.

Step 2: Lay out a piece of tinfoil, put your potato on that piece then pour oil on top of the potato.

Step 3: Massage the oil onto the potato and wrap the potato in the tinfoil.

Step 4: Put the wrapped potato into the coals for 30 minutes.

Step 5: Adjust the potato on new hot coals, flip the potato and wait another 30 minutes.

Step 6: Grab the potato off the fire (with tongs or some sticks) and wait for it to cool down.

Step 7: Cut open the potato, put some butter on and season with salt and pepper, and then eat!

If you want to spruce up your potato you can add a few toppings, we recommend some baked beans or chili. Both are amazing, especially with cheese sprinkled on top.

The post Cooking Potatoes On A Campfire appeared first on Wilderness North.

This is the time of the year where the theme of cleaning out the freezer is common. I’ve seen multiple social media posts pertaining to eating your freezer empty. In the spirit of this, I went searching in our freezer for meats to use up. It’s also a good time to remember you put those Canadian walleye fillets in the bottom of the freezer when you returned from your trip last year 😊

I love the fall time. For me, it’s the harvest season. During covid, I started a garden and also was keen to learn to eat from the land. Moose hunting and bird hunting are must dos for me each fall. There’s something about going out bird hunting. Walking through the bush and harvesting some tasty grouse to cook up fills me with a sense of satisfaction. Being a cook, I love to experiment with different ways to cook wild game. This method was suggested to me and has become my favourite go to grouse fingers recipe.

Ingredients:

Your limit of grouse (it’s 5 for us in our area)

Mustard

Flour

Fish Crisp Roasted Garlic and Butter Fish batter

Method;

Clean your grouse, remove from the bones.

Cut into fingers

Coat the fingers with mustard

Dust with flour

Toss in the fish crisp batter

Shallow fry in vegetable oil until golden brown

Serve with your choice of sauce: honey garlic, sweet thai or plum

Disclaimer: it’s hard to stop eating these goodies, fresh out of the pan!

The post KC’s Grouse Fingers appeared first on Wilderness North.

https://wildernessnorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Saunders-ClimateChange-3_22_24-3.15 PM.m4aTaken from Graham Saunders, Weather Whys, March 20, 2024 Edition

So, a local media headline today is “Spring to begin with abnormally cold weather”. The Spring Equinox took place at 11:06 PM yesterday. If the forecast overnight minimum of -22° takes place, it will be the coldest overnight since the end of February. Brrr, but comfortably above the record low of -28.9° C set in 1965. I usually hold off on weather predictions until the end of articles but here goes: – temperatures in the Thunder Bay area will become seasonal later in this week – the rest of March is likely to be drier and windier than normal. I’ve been talking about global trends in recent Weather Whys columns. I noted that a shift in climatic indicators took place in March 2023. Here are a couple more predictions. – The average temperature of the tropics (latitude 23.5° N to 23.5° S, 0° to 360° E) will likely reach 27° C in a few weeks and peak in early May. This has many implications, including for formation of tropical storms and for global food production. – The global average temperature will continue to exceed temperatures from one year ago for the next two seasons. All or most months this year will be 1.5° C or warmer than preindustrial temperatures (average 1850 to 1900). February was 1.6° C to 1.8° C above preindustrial. The above are my predictions. They are consistent with James Hansen, “godfather” of climatology and co-author of recent “Global warming in the pipeline” and Gavin Schmidt, the director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Schmidt says, “And we haven’t really known what’s going on since about March of last year.” He has called the situation “disquieting.” Of course, it is speculative what happens at the regional level of Northwest Ontario. I suggest we apply a version of the precautionary principle and assume that the current El Niño and other global extremes are likely to disrupt supply chains. The coming growing season can provide an opportunity to hedge our bets about food availability. Increasing garden planting, planting in pots on decks and balconies and contracting to buy from local farmers are good options. Moving our food systems from “Nowhere” to “Now Here” (title of a recent article by Sarah Siska in the Chronicle Journal and the Climate Times) is prudent even if severe weather is not as I am predicting.

The post Weather Update-April appeared first on Wilderness North.

KC’s Moose Curry

A family favourite of ours, it’s one of the first things we make after we get our moose (or this year, get gifted some).

The moose can easily be subbed with venison, elk or even beef. For years, when the kids were young, I fooled them into thinking they were eating beef. I made stews, pot roasts and spaghetti sauce with moose meat and they thought it was beef 😊

I find using moist heat methods best for cooking moose and making sure it’s cooked low and slow.

The key to this recipe is to get all your prep done first. You will need the following ingredients:

2-4tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, medium diced

2 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp minced ginger

2lbs cubed moose or meat of choice (I used a sirloin moose steak)

¼ cup curry powder

2tsp Kashmiri Chili powder

½ can Beer (drink the rest while cooking)

1 can coconut milk

3 tomatoes chopped (small dice)

1tbsp tomato paste

3 carrots chopped (medium dice)

2 cups cauliflower (fresh or frozen)

1 cup green beans (fresh or frozen)

**Can also use potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash

Salt to taste

Method:

Put a liberal amount of olive oil in a dutch oven, heat on medium heat (use a bit more that you usually would as you need to not only soften the aromatics, but also cook the spices). Add onions, garlic and ginger. Sprinkle with about a tsp of salt. Cook until translucent and soft. Add curry powder and cook until a paste forms. Add your cubed meat and brown. Add the tomato paste and tomatoes. When things look brown and lovely, open your beer and put half into the pot. Chug the rest and open another to cook with. Stir so everything is incorporated. Cook for an hour on low heat. Add the coconut milk and cook for another half hour. Next, add vegetables based on how long they take to cook. In this case, I added the carrots and cooked until they were just starting to soften. About 10 minutes before serving, I added the frozen cauliflower and green beans. Cook until tender crispy. Adjust seasoning—adding more salt if needed. Serve over steamed rice with mango chutney and warm naan.

The post Moose Curry appeared first on Wilderness North.

Start by taking the average temperature (in degrees Fahrenheit) over the past 24 hours. Let’s say that the daytime high yesterday was 30° F and the nighttime temperature last evening was 20° F. This means the average temperature was 25° F. Now, subtract the average temperature (25° F) from the freezing point of water (32° F) and we get 7°… or more importantly, seven freezing degree days (FDDs).

That was simple, right?

Now, everything kicks into gear when your favourite lake first develops a thin coating of ice. From this stage on, the ice will typically increase in thickness at the rate of one inch per 15 freezing-degree days (FDDS). So, if we go back to our example, this means that if there were seven FDDs over the last 24 hours, the lake added about half an inch of ice.

Of course, we know that ice builds up more quickly when there is a slight to moderate breeze, no snow on the surface, and clear skies. Snow, in fact, acts like a thermal blanket and serves to keep the frost from penetrating the surface of the lake and the ice. As a result, deep snow cover will slow down the ice formation process significantly.

Small and moderate size stocked trout lakes usually offers the best early-season bets for the eager ice angler.

Indeed, as I’ve mentioned in the past, this is why lakes in the high Arctic don’t freeze into a solid block of ice. At some point, the snow and thick ice act as a down jacket to stop the water from freezing any further.

Here is a formula that keeps track of how much and how fast ice is forming on Ontario Lakes. The detailed diaries using the chart below use data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The good news is that many of the lakes across Northern Ontario are now beginning to be covered with ice. And if you keep track of the high and low temperature each day, you can accurately determine how fast it is building up.

The post Safe Ice: How Do You Know? appeared first on Wilderness North.

Walleye Chowder

Ingredients

8 slices thick sliced bacon
1 large onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1⁄4 cup flour
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced large
1⁄2 cup white wine
2 cups fish stock or 2 cups chicken stock
2 cups milk
1⁄2 green pepper, chopped
1⁄2 red pepper, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1 bay leaf
salt
pepper
2 lbs deboned walleye or pike fillet, diced large,same size as potatoes
½ cup croutons

Directions

In a large saucepan, saute bacon until crisp.
Remove, drain, crumble bacon.
Set aside.
Remove bacon fat from pan, leaving one tablespoon in pan.
Add celery and onion to pan.
Saute until tender.
Sprinkle with flour, stirring constantly.
Cook 3 minutes.
Add potatoes, stock, wine and bay leaf.
Simmer until potatoes are barely soft.
Add all remaining ingredients.
Cook until the walleye is just tender.
Do not overcook.
Sprinkle crumbled bacon and croutons over the top and serve.

The post Walleye Chowder appeared first on Wilderness North.

Dr. Jeff Wells is carefully watching the aftermath of what is now the few remaining embers of the attack by wildfires in the Boreal Forest. His podcast is enlightening as we know our Boreal wilderness is home to millions of migrating and breeding birds.

https://wildernessnorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/JeffWellsPodcast-8_4_23-5.49-PM.m4aThe post Bird Talk appeared first on Wilderness North.

Ingredients Poutine Gravy: 3 Tbsp cornstarch 2 Tbsp water 6 Tbsp unsalted butter 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour 20 oz beef broth 10 oz chicken broth …

Pan Seared Walleye (Lemon Pepper)

Pan Seared Walleye is just one easy method for cooking pretty much any type of fish. The type of fish used, doesn’t have to be walleye. It can work with just about any type of white fish such as cod or tilapia.

Walleye is so tasty just pan fried with some butter and a little tarter sauce.

I just use some good old lemon pepper seasoning and butter and garnished it with some fresh parsley.

Ingredients Needed

2 – 4 to 6 oz walleye fillets , removing skin is optional

1 – tablespoon of butter

1 – teaspoon of lemon pepper seasoning (or seasoning of choice)

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 4-5 min

Total Time: 4-5 min

Yield: 2 servings

Instructions

Heat a skillet to medium heat and add the oil or butter to the pan.
Season the walleye filets generously with lemon pepper seasoning.
Place the fish right over the melted butter.
Then put a pan over the top of the fish. This creates steam in the inside of the pan.
Cook the fish 4 to 5 minutes per side or until the fish reaches a temperature of 145 degrees. The walleye will turn white when it is done cooking.

Krista’s Kitchen is a creation of Krista Cheeseman who with her husband Alan Cheeseman own and operate Wilderness North. Krista’s Culinary Arts Degree and Food Management Certification makes her the perfect match for the foods and meals prepared for Wilderness North guests.

Beaverland

How One Weird Rodent Made America

by Leila Philip

Description

An intimate and revelatory dive into the world of the beaver—the wonderfully weird rodent that has surprisingly shaped American history and may save its ecological future.

From award-winning writer Leila Philip, BEAVERLAND is a masterful work of narrative science writing, a book that highlights, though history and contemporary storytelling, how this weird rodent plays an oversized role in American history and its future. She follows fur trappers who lead her through waist high water, fur traders and fur auctioneers, as well as wildlife managers, PETA activists, Native American environmental vigilantes, scientists, engineers, and the colorful group of activists known as beaver believers.

Beginning with the early trans-Atlantic trade in North America, Leila Philip traces the beaver’s profound influence on our nation’s early economy and feverish western expansion, its first corporations and multi-millionaires. In her pursuit of this weird and wonderful animal, she introduces us to people whose lives are devoted to the beaver, including a Harvard scientist from the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, who uses drones to create 3-dimensional images of beaver dams; and an environmental restoration consultant in the Chesapeake whose nickname is the “beaver whisperer”.

What emerges is a poignant personal narrative, a startling portrait of the secretive world of the contemporary fur trade, and an engrossing ecological and historical investigation of these heroic animals who, once trapped to the point of extinction, have returned to the landscape as one of the greatest conservation stories of the 20th century.

Ice-Out Opportunities in Ontario

Here are handful of species you can celebrate ice-out with!

Northern Pike are just one of the many species you can target right at ice-out. • Credit: Alyssa Lloyd

Arguably the most wonderful time of the year for anglers but not just because you can make it to the boat launch. Ice-out spring conditions offer anglers a chance to dip their feet into unchartered waters targeting fish they don’t normally spend their seasons on.

Spring is also one of the best times of year to figure out new-to-you bodies of water. New weed growth and in some cases high water can help you explore structure you never knew was there. And sure, not every fish on this list will be the apple of your eye, but if you can figure out these fish, you can learn more about the fish you target. Because as we know, it’s a fish-eat-fish world out there.

Understanding more species, and targeting more species will make you become a better angler. Plus, while you’re waiting for your season, whether it be muskie, walleye, or bass to open, here are some fish in the same food chain to try your hand at.

Lake Trout or Splake

Perhaps one of the easiest times to catch any trout species is in the spring. Lake trout come in shallow to feed on other fishes’ fry, insect hatches, crayfish you name it. Lakers turn into eating machines as soon as that thermocline snaps and that’s not even the best part.

An excellent fish to target in the spring, I highly recommend you get out there this spring for lakers.

The best part is you can fish right from shore for them if you happen to be landlocked, a unique opportunity indeed. There’s a short window period of about three weeks to get out there and target these otherwise finicky beasts from the depths, so don’t waste it.

Pike

The author with a decent ice-out pike, but they come much larger!

Though pike are willing eaters year-round, if you want big girls in shallow water, a great time to target them is as soon as the ice is off. They’ve already spawned, but they are hanging around shallow weed beds with deep drops putting their feed bags on.

Look for reefs with reeds on them, 3- to 8-foot weed beds and fallen lumber. If you have a fishing kayak, take advantage of those warm spring days to work on your sunglasses tan while you cast towards heavy structure in skinny water.

Be sure to check regulations before targeting these before the third weekend in May when most of Ontario opens for pike. There are plenty of year-round opportunities, but you don’t want to make the mistake of going for them too early where it isn’t allowed.

Brook Trout

Brook trout are stocked all over Ontario, check out the Fish-On website to seek out stocked lakes in your area. (Photo credit: Alyssa Lloyd)

Stocked brook trout are most often open year-round. Check the fishing regulations in your area to see if there are any additional opportunities.

Brook trout are a real treat for all anglers. Why not do a hike into a scenic brook trout lake, set up a campfire pit, and cast from shore? Come spring, brookies can be found in anywhere from 25 feet to 1 foot of water, perfect for shore fishing or portaging in a light canoe.

Steelhead and Brown Trout

These fish are no secret to anglers come springtime. Browns can be found in just about every great lakes tributary in southern Ontario and steelhead can be caught in every great lakes tributary across Ontario.

Rainbow trout can also be caught in lakes where seasons permit, take advantage of stocked lakes and head up with small watercraft, or walk the shore!

Open water season is short enough as it is, why not extend it by getting out, even with shoreline adventures this spring? (Photo credit: Alyssa Lloyd)

Now we wait

In just a few short weeks, the ice will diminish and we can all finally get back on open water. In your excitement, don’t forget that most of these opportunities can be taken advantage of right from the shore. Using both conventional and fly fishing gear, our Ontario open-water season is right around the corner!

By Alyssa Lloyd

Outdoors photojournalist based out of Ontario, Canada.

Alyssa Lloyd is a photojournalist based in Kenora, Ontario. Alyssa joined Sunset Country’s team as their Content Strategist in the fall of 2017. The outdoors have been the centre of her work and personal life for as long as she can remember. As an angler, Alyssa spends most of her time travelling new water in Sunset Country chasing multiple species on both conventional and fly gear.

Click the link to read the latest Ontario Water Quality report

https://wildernessnorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Ontario-water-quality.docx

Lake Superior’s Changing Fishery

by Shawn Perich

The fish population of Lake Superior experienced extraordinary changes over the past 100 years or so. Starting in the 1890s, the arrival of commercial fishing efforts greatly increased fish harvests of native fish species. New technology allowed for the capture of fish at greater rates than the native harvesters, which had survived on fish for thousands of years. As transportation improved, it became easier to transport Lake Superior fish to larger markets.

During the same era, non-native fish species entered Lake Superior, some intentionally and some unintentionally. One of the first intentional additions was the rainbow trout, which was native to the Pacific watersheds of the U.S. and Canada. The rainbow was popular with anglers and became an important species in the sport fishery. However, the rainbow really didn’t take off in abundance until the crash of the native lake trout and whitefish, caused by the arrival of non-native smelt in the 1950s. The rainbow is able to at least partially fill the void left by the collapse of lake trout and whitefish.

Other changes were caused by other reasons. Black Bay in Ontario once supported a significant native population of walleyes, northern pike and yellow perch. This population was destroyed in the mid-1900s by heavy commercial fishing pressure, opening up additional water for steelhead. Here again, steelhead were able to thrive, creating good rainbow fishing in a number of Black Bay tributary streams. Significant populations appeared in rivers such as the Wolf and the Black Sturgeon, as well as numerous smaller streams. Beginning about 15 years ago, the walleye, northern pike and perch populations began to recover due to the reduction in commercial fishing harvest. As the native fish returned, the steelhead population began to crash. One small stream where steelhead research had occurred, the population of this non-native species dropped from over 1,200 fish during the spring run to around 100 fish today. It is unlikely Black Bay steelhead fishing will recover.

Just south of Black Bay is a body of water known as Thunder Bay. While walleyes are migrating into Thunder Bay into the summer, then returning to Black Bay in the fall to spawn, they don’t seem to be affecting Thunder Bay’s steelhead populations. The reason is that most of Thunder Bay is comprised of deep water, which is not good habitat for walleyes. However, north of Black Bay is Nipigon Bay, which contains the Nipigon River, the largest body of water flowing into Lake Superior, as well as numerous other tributary streams. In Nipigon Bay, there is extensive shallow water habitat, thus the expansion of walleyes appears to be having a much greater affect on steelhead populations. The Nipigon River, which as recently as 15 years ago supported an extensive steelhead population, appears now to have reverted to a walleye fishery. My friend Gord Ellis, who spent 30 days last summer guiding and fishing on the lower Nipigon River said he only landed two steelhead. He is concerned that very popular steelhead rivers lying to the east of the Nipigon River, such as the Jackpine, Cyprus and Gravel, may suffer a similar fate since they too enter shallow bays in Lake Superior. If this occurs, it will have a broad effect on steelhead fishing on the western end of Lake Superior.

The Canadian coast is not the only place where steelhead populations may be making major drops. Recently, I talked to an angler who told me it appeared the rivers east of Grand Marais were also experiencing a steep decline in steelhead numbers. While these rivers are in my backyard, it is hard for me to make a judgement on the quality of the fishery currently since we just experienced two years of drought, followed by a high-water event last spring. The fishing conditions simply weren’t conducive to good fishing. However, one large change did occur during that same time period—there was a significant increase in commercial fishing efforts along that portion of coastline of Lake Superior. While the commercial effort is targeted at lake trout and herring, perhaps steelhead and other fish species are appearing in the bycatch of that effort. Because these rivers are small, and even in the best of times support only limited numbers of steelhead, it would not take much of a decline in populations to have a significant effect on fishing quality. Even without the commercial fishing effort, it is likely that catch and release fishing, at least in some of the smaller creeks, is leading to catch rates that exceed the actual number of fish running the streams. How could this be? Anglers are actually catching and releasing some fish more than once. We truly don’t know what affect this may have on the survival of steelhead.

On the other end of the Minnesota coast near Duluth, other factors may affect steelhead survival. The harbor of the St. Louis River estuary has long supported a healthy population of walleye, northern pike and perch. As such, it has never been a steelhead fishery. However, the rivers heading up the North Shore from Duluth all support steelhead populations. In recent years, the Minnesota DNR has changed stocking regimes in these streams. For a long period of time these rivers were stocked with a rainbow trout strain known as the Kamloops. In recent years, they decided this strain may crossbreed with the so-called wild strain of steelhead the lake supports. Dropping the Kamloops stocking, they began stocking offspring of the native strain instead. It remains to be seen how well the new stockings will survive. If the new stockers prove less effective than Kamloops, it may reduce the number of steelhead available to anglers in the Duluth area. While it is too soon to know what will occur, some Duluth area anglers believe steelhead numbers are already beginning to decline.

Perhaps the largest overriding issue facing all fish species in Lake Superior is the rapidly changing climate. We already know that water temperatures in Lake Superior are warming at faster rates than many other nearby locations. This is likely to have a significant influence on fish populations over short and long term. Since most of the fish currently surviving in Lake Superior are cold water species, we could see growth of fish species that prefer slightly warmer water, such as smallmouth bass. The overall effect on the lake’s ecosystem during the coming century is likely to be significant. It is possible the Lake Superior that exists 100 years from now will be nearly unrecognizable to the people who enjoy the lake today. Due to the extensive amount of deep water in the lake, species such as lake trout, whitefish and herring may continue to thrive in offshore waters, but we can only wait and see what will happen in waters both deep and shallow in nearshore areas. It’s very likely few of us will not appreciate the changes that occur.

WISCONSIN’S WATER ACTION VOLUNTEERSThe Water Action Volunteers (WAV) citizen stream monitoring program is an ongoing partnership between the University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and Wisconsin citizen volunteers.

A river educator by title, but true scientist by nature, Emily Heald leads the volunteer recruitment program for the joint project of the DNR of Wisconsin- the University of Wisconsin-Madison … and is our guest on the Wilderness North Podcast this month.

Getting to know her:

In her college student days she was already being recognized for her talents.

EMILY HEALD NAMED ‘INVADER CRUSADER’ BY WISCONSIN DNR

Emily Heald, the water program coordinator at the North Lakeland Discovery Center, was recognized as a 2019 “Invader Crusader” for her significant contributions to prevent, control or eradicate invasive plants and animals by the Wisconsin Invasive Species Council and the Department of Natural Resources during a ceremony in Madison at Olbrich Botanical Gardens.

The award recognizes outstanding work done to address invasive species by volunteers and natural resource professionals. Heald was nominated by Karen Dixon, NLDC board chair and immediate past president of the Manitowish Waters Lakes Association, and the Town of Manitowish Waters.

During the award ceremony, DNR Deputy Secretary Elizabeth Kluesner thanked the individual and organizational recipients for their hard work and dedication, which benefit all who live, work and play in Wisconsin.

“Today, we celebrate the results of your work — lakes and lands that are given a chance to recover after many hours of hard work and dedication to control and manage invasive species,” she said.

Annually, more than 500 volunteers and an estimated 2,000 supervised students monitor 600+ stream locations throughout the state.

The program aims to preserve, protect and restore Wisconsin’s 86,000+ miles of streams and rivers by educating and empowering volunteers to (1) gather high-quality stream data useful for decision-making and natural resource management, and (2) share their data and knowledge.

Our Mission

We empower citizen volunteers to take ownership of their local waterways through protection and improvement efforts based on hands-on learning, data collection and data reporting. Engaged citizens and the data they collect benefit natural resource agencies and organizations, local communities and the entire state of Wisconsin.

Our Vision

WAV aims to provide high quality volunteer stream monitoring that engages citizens in the rigorous collection of water quality data useful for managing Wisconsin’s natural resources.

Get an Outdoors Card and licence Summary

Overview

You are required to carry this card with you at all times while hunting or fishing.

If you buy a 1-year or 3-year fishing and/or small game licence at the same time you renew or buy an Outdoors Card, these licences will be printed on the back of the card. All your valid fishing and hunting licences will also be listed on your licence summary.

To hunt and fish in Ontario, you need a valid Outdoors Card and a valid hunting or fishing licence.

An Outdoors Card is a plastic, wallet-sized identification card issued by the ministry that allows you to hunt or fish.

A valid Outdoors Card is required for:

Ontario residents
Canadian residents
non-residents
apprentice hunters (only Ontario residents 12 to 14 years old are eligible to participate in the Hunter Apprenticeship Safety Program)

Hunters must also have the appropriate hunter accreditation added to their Fish and Wildlife Licensing Service account to:

Buying or renewing an Outdoors Card

An Outdoors Card is valid for three calendar years. The Outdoors Card renewal period starts the first Tuesday of December every year.

You can buy or renew your Outdoors Card:

online using the Fish and Wildlife Licensing Service
by phone: 1-800-288-1155
at a licence issuer
at a participating ServiceOntario location

Requirements

To buy, renew or replace an Outdoors Card, you need to provide your:

legal first, middle and last name
date of birth
mailing and/or residential address
height and eye colour
parental consent (for resident hunters 12 to 15 years old)

Cost

The cost to buy, renew or replace your lost, stolen or damaged Outdoors Card is $8.57 +HST.

You can pay by VISA, VISA debit, MasterCard or Debit Mastercard. We do not accept American Express.

Delivery and shipping

Your card will be sent to you by mail.

It may take up to 20 days to receive your Outdoors Card.

While you are waiting for your Outdoors Card to arrive, you can carry your licence summary, given to you when you purchased your card, as temporary proof of purchase. This means you can go fishing or hunting immediately before your card arrives. You can carry your licence summary in paper or digital format, such as on a smartphone.

Licence summary

A licence summary is provided to you each time you purchase a hunting and/or fishing licence.

You must carry your licence summary when you hunt or fish unless your licence is listed on the back of your Outdoors Card (such as a small game or fishing licences).

You can carry your most up-to-date licence summary in a paper or digital format (such as on a smartphone).

Fishing licenses

Visit our fishing page to learn about:

how to get a fishing licence
fishing rules and limits
fishing seasons

Fees for fishing licenses

Ontario residents
non-Canadian residents
Canadian residents
one year
three year

If you buy a 1-year or 3-year small game licence at the same time you renew or buy an Outdoors Card, it will be printed on the back of the card. If your small game licence is not listed on the back of your Outdoors Card, you must carry your licence summary with you when you are small game hunting.

In some cases, a tag for the small game species you wish to hunt is required (such as wild turkey or wolf/coyote in certain areas).

For more information, visit:

hunting licences for Ontario residents
hunting licences for non-residents
Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary
hunting licences for residents

Collecting personal information (Outdoors Card)

Personal information is collected under the authority of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997, S.O. 1997 and will be used for the purposes of identification, enforcement, research, communications and administration.

While some of the personal information may be stored outside Canada and is subject to the laws of the jurisdiction where it is stored, private companies under contract to provide the licencing services are contractually obligated to comply with Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act with regard to personal information in their custody.

For information about our collection practices, contact:

Manager, Licensing and Client Services Section
Fish and Wildlife Services Branch
Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
300 Water Street
Peterborough, Ontario
K9J 3C7
1-800-387-7011

Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry

Protecting Ontario’s biodiversity while promoting economic opportunities in the resource sector and supporting outdoor recreation opportunities.

Before you startIf you are 18 years and olderYou will need a valid licence before you can start fishing. This licence includes two parts:

an Outdoors Card (a plastic ID card, valid for three calendar years)
a fishing licence (valid for either one or three calendar years)

A fishing licence can be for either:

conservation (reduced catch limits)
sport (normal catch limits)

Learn more about getting an Outdoors Card.

If you are under 18 years oldIf you are accompanied by a person with a valid Outdoors Card and fishing licence, you do not need a valid Outdoors Card or fishing licence. You must carry government-issued identification with you — that includes your name and date of birth — at all times while fishing.

Any fish you keep are part of the catch and possession limit of the person holding the licence. To gain your own limits, you will need your own Outdoors Card and licence.

Fishing for one day only, if you are 18 years or older:If you plan to fish for a single day only, you do not need an Outdoors Card—but you will need a one-day sport fishing licence.

Fishing for eight days, if you are 18 years or older:You can buy an eight-day fishing licence online. This can be saved in a digital format (for example, on your smartphone), printed from home, or printed through a participating ServiceOntario or licence issuer location.

Where to purchaseYou must buy an Outdoors Card before you can buy a fishing licence. However, you can buy a one-day sport fishing licence without an Outdoors Card.

When you buy or renew your Outdoors Card, you will get a plastic card mailed to you. The Outdoors Card will have your fishing licence printed on the back.

Until you receive your plastic card in the mail, you can use the Licence Summary given to you at the time of purchase to immediately go fishing.

What you’ll need* first and last name * date of birth * mailing and residential address (including postal code) * height and eye colour

To buy online, you will need to:

pay with Visa or Mastercard
save your Licence Summary in a digital format (for example, on your smartphone) or print it at home

To buy in person:

visit a participating ServiceOntario location
visit a licence issuer

Related informationCatch, possession and size limits

Fishing in Ontario

NATIVE AMERICAN ISSUES

When you talk American cuisine, you’re talking Native American cuisine

Frank Vaisvilas

Green Bay Press-Gazette

An ongoing resurgence in Native American cuisine has chefs rethinking the purpose of food, especially across Indian Country.

Among those inspiring new interest is Oglala Lakota chef Sean Sherman, whose Indigenous restaurant Owamni in Minneapolis has gained national acclaim. This year Owamni, which opened in 2021, won a James Beard award for best new restaurant.

But these aren’t new concepts and, in fact, many of the foods we have today actually originated as Indigenous foods.

Ahead of Indigenous Peoples Day on Oct. 10, three Native chefs talked about their heritage.

“We’re breaking the mold of what people think of as Indigenous foods,” said Oneida chef Arlie Doxtator. “When you talk American cuisine, you’re talking Native American cuisine, such as barbecues, Boston baked beans and clam chowder.”

Doxtator has been a professional chef for more than 30 years in northeast Wisconsin and has worked as executive chef at the Oneida Hotel and Casino. Now he teaches traditional food concepts to his tribe.

Many of the staple ingredients we use, such as corn, tomatoes and several types of squash, were developed through thousands of years of cultivation by Indigenous peoples.

Although many of these foods have made it into mainstream culture, how we think about them largely had been forgotten, but a revitalization of Indigenous culture is aiming to change that.

“Many foods come from our creation teaching about Sky Woman, who (on her descent) to Turtle Island (North America), grabbed seeds of medicine, such as tobacco, strawberries and other fruits,” Doxtator said.

Indigenous people considered every seed and crop to have a special purpose, especially pre-European contact.

“It’s wasn’t just to fill our bellies,” Doxtator said. “There was medicine involved. If there were illnesses throughout the village, the grandmothers knew what to cook. But food’s greatest responsibility is to bring us together as human beings. And they’re still doing that today.”

He said it’s important to remember that each Indigenous culture had and still has its own specialty foods and there is still a lot of diversity among the more than 500 first nations within the U.S.

White corn was a cornerstone

While bison is a major staple in the diet of many Western first nations, it wasn’t as important for the Oneida.

The ancestors of Oneida Nation citizens in Wisconsin had been forcefully removed from their original homeland in upstate New York, despite helping to defeat the British during the American Revolution.

The Oneida had always been an agrarian people and brought some of their staple seed crops to Wisconsin, such as white corn.

Doxtator said many Oneida families in Wisconsin had been forced to become dairy farmers, but white corn contains nine times more calcium than milk and is much healthier when processed the Indigenous way of nixtamalization, or soaking and cooking in an alkaline solution, using hardwood ash.

“Some of the Oneida major recipes are built around white corn,” he said.

Oneida corn soup is popular on the reservation just west of Green Bay. One recipe includes 1 pound of dehydrated Oneida white corn, 2 cups of cooked beans, 1 to 2 pounds of cooked meat, such as pork hocks or smoked turkey legs, and optional salt and pepper.

The corn is immersed in an 8-quart kettle of boiling water or broth and simmered for three hours before the meat and beans are added.

Oneida white corn also can be dried and made into a flour to make a white cornbread, which is not really a bread, but is boiled like polenta, Doxtator said.

Today, the Oneida Cannery produces the corn and other foods that are available for sale in mini-food markets at the One-Stop gas stations on the reservation.

Traditionally prepared Oneida foods are also available at powwows and festivals on the reservation and at the restaurant in the Radisson Hotel in Oneida.

Protein in winter, greens in spring

Doxtator said many of the Indigenous chefs and foodies he’s worked with over 20 years focus on pre-European contact foods, which can be sophisticated, including for meats.

He said the Oneida would incorporate meat into their diet, such as from bear, elk, moose and small woodland animals, but used several different cooking methods.

“We didn’t just stick everything on a stick and put it on an open fire,” Doxtator said. “We did a lot of cooking in clay pots.”

While Europeans used salt to preserve all their meat, the Oneida used smoking and drying techniques, he said.

They also dried fruit and vegetables.

“We ate according to the season,” Doxtator said. “The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois, including Oneida) focused a lot on protein during the winter months. We foraged in the spring for new greens. And in the summer months, we ate a lot of green beans and berries. To go along with these, we always had a special ceremony for that time of year.”

Other foods foraged and grown included sunchokes, cucumbers, melons, wild leeks and onions.

Doxtator said the Oneida also obtained foods through trade with other tribes, such as quinoa from the Incas in South America and chiles all the from southwestern North American tribes in pre-colonial times.

Bringing Indigenous food to Chicago

Jessica Pamonicutt, an executive chef and a citizen of the Menominee Nation, saw a niche for Indigenous food service in Chicago, where she was raised, and started Ketapanen Kitchen in that city late last year.

“Chicago is a culinary mecca,” she said. “You can find cuisine for every ethnicity under the sun, except for Indigenous people.”

She believes she owns the only Native American catering company in Illinois.

“I don’t know why there haven’t been other (Indigenous food providers),” Pamonicutt said. “I think one issue is visibility. But also food sovereignty is a relatively new concept. I’m paving the way for other (Indigenous chefs). Even my last name means ‘walks first.’”

She said Indigenous foods have always been a big part of her family in both Chicago and on the Menominee Reservation in Wisconsin, where she visits several times a month.

“As Native people, food is part of everything we do,” Pamonicutt said. “Food is a way to connect people.”

She said most people don’t realize that more than half of the grown foods we eat were first cultivated by Indigenous people.

Indigenous knowledge

One food native to Wisconsin is wild rice, or manoomin in Ojibwe.

Manoomin is a central focus in Ojibwe culture and is ingrained in their migration story. The Ojibwe were originally from the East Coast hundreds of years ago but slowly made their way to northern Wisconsin, following a prophecy that they should settle “where the food grows on water.”

That food, wild rice, can be harvested in late summer for highly nutritious sustenance throughout winter.

Wild rice used to grow all the way from the Dakotas to New York and lower Canada, but climate change has reduced it to northern parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota, said chef Dana Thompson, co-owner of The Sioux Chef in Minneapolis and founder of the nonprofit North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems.

As spring arrived in Wisconsin, she said, Indigenous people knew what foods would start to grow and where to harvest them.

It started with the maple sugar season in late winter.

“Indigenous wisdom was passed from generation to generation,” Thompson said.

She said the variety found in Wisconsin forests was much more diverse than what could be found in grocery stores today.

And the food planted by Indigenous people in Wisconsin was much better for the environment than the factory farms today.

“Indigenous people practiced healthy agriculture that nourished the soil, instead of depleted the soil like farms today that are not absorbing carbon anymore,” Thompson said.

Certain plants were put next to each other to help the other grow and replenish the soil, she said.

One well-known example is the Three Sisters, which include squash, corn and beans. They work together naturally to protect each other from pests and disease.

Other Indigenous food knowledge included knowing which tree species in Wisconsin could help boost immunity during winter.

Thompson said the bark from cedar, pine and spruce when boiled in water contains a massive amount of vitamin C.

Wild bergamot, is a common herb found in Wisconsin, is known to Oneida and other Indigenous peoples to treat colds and the flu when made into a tea.

“With the use of natural remedies, one has to be careful they are not encouraging someone who might not use it properly,” said Bobbi Webster, public relations director for the Oneida Nation.

Fry bread

One popular food attributed to Indigenous people is fry bread, but Doxtator explains this is not a traditional, pre-European contact food.

“Fry bread comes from a traumatic point of our history,” he said.

When Indigenous people were forced onto reservations, it was often on land that wasn’t good for farming, so hunger and starvation became an issue during the 1800s.

Doxtator said the U.S. government would provide leftover food rations, which often included moldy flour, to tribes.

Indigenous people did what they could with this flour and fried it in grease to make a bread.

It has evolved, and many modern recipes can be found online.

“It helped keep many people from starving, but it also represents a part of our history in which health took a decline,” Doxtator said. “These unhealthy foods contributed to an epidemic of diabetes and heart disease.”

Still, he said, fry bread is a big part of modern Indigenous culture and is eaten on special occasions, such as birthday parties or holidays.

Frank Vaisvilas is a Report for America corps member who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin based at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact him atfvaisvilas@gannett.com or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank. You can directly support his work with a tax-deductible donation online at GreenBayPressGazette.com/RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Green Bay Press Gazette Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Drive, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105.

This recipe, which used the three sisters plants common in Native American cuisine, is a reprint from a Journal Sentinel story in 2018. The recipe was on the menu and provided by The Fire Pit Sports Bar & Grill at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino.

Three Sisters Stew

Recipe tested by Joanne Kempinger Demski

Makes about 8 main-dish servings

8 teaspoons canola oil (divided)
2 teaspoons chopped cilantro
½ cup finely diced red bell pepper
½ cup finely diced green bell pepper
½ cup finely diced yellow onion
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
2 pinches dried oregano
2 pinches cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 can (4 ounces) diced green chiles
2 cans (8 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 pound frozen corn
1 red bell pepper, cut into medium dice
1 green bell pepper, cut into medium dice
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
6 cups chicken stock
2 chicken bouillon cubes

2 small or 1 medium butternut squash, cut into large cubes as for stew (about 3 pounds total; see note)

In a food processor, puree 4 teaspoons of the canola oil with the cilantro, finely diced red and green peppers, yellow onion and garlic.

Add remaining 4 teaspoons canola oil to a stockpot and heat. Add mixture from food processor and sauté about 5 minutes.

Add cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, paprika, green chiles, black beans, corn, medium diced red pepper and green pepper, and salt. Cook over medium heat 10 to 12 minutes.

Add stock and bouillon cubes to pot. Bring to a simmer and cook 30 minutes over medium heat.

Add squash. Cook an additional 15 minutes, or until squash is cooked through. Serve immediately.

Note: Because squash comes in different sizes, if you have a larger squash, you can still use it, but the liquid should be increased.

Krista’s Kitchen is a creation of Krista Cheeseman who with her husband Alan Cheeseman own and operate Wilderness North. Krista’s Culinary Arts Degree and Food Management Certification makes her the perfect match for the foods and meals prepared for Wilderness North guests.

NATIVE AMERICAN ISSUES

When you talk American cuisine, you’re talking Native American cuisine

Frank Vaisvilas

Green Bay Press-Gazette

SKIP

An ongoing resurgence in Native American cuisine has chefs rethinking the purpose of food, especially across Indian Country.

Among those inspiring new interest is Oglala Lakota chef Sean Sherman, whose Indigenous restaurant Owamni in Minneapolis has gained national acclaim. This year Owamni, which opened in 2021, won a James Beard award for best new restaurant.

But these aren’t new concepts and, in fact, many of the foods we have today actually originated as Indigenous foods.

Ahead of Indigenous Peoples Day on Oct. 10, three Native chefs talked about their heritage.

“We’re breaking the mold of what people think of as Indigenous foods,” said Oneida chef Arlie Doxtator. “When you talk American cuisine, you’re talking Native American cuisine, such as barbecues, Boston baked beans and clam chowder.”

Doxtator has been a professional chef for more than 30 years in northeast Wisconsin and has worked as executive chef at the Oneida Hotel and Casino. Now he teaches traditional food concepts to his tribe.

Many of the staple ingredients we use, such as corn, tomatoes and several types of squash, were developed through thousands of years of cultivation by Indigenous peoples.

Although many of these foods have made it into mainstream culture, how we think about them largely had been forgotten, but a revitalization of Indigenous culture is aiming to change that.

“Many foods come from our creation teaching about Sky Woman, who (on her descent) to Turtle Island (North America), grabbed seeds of medicine, such as tobacco, strawberries and other fruits,” Doxtator said.

Indigenous people considered every seed and crop to have a special purpose, especially pre-European contact.

“It’s wasn’t just to fill our bellies,” Doxtator said. “There was medicine involved. If there were illnesses throughout the village, the grandmothers knew what to cook. But food’s greatest responsibility is to bring us together as human beings. And they’re still doing that today.”

He said it’s important to remember that each Indigenous culture had and still has its own specialty foods and there is still a lot of diversity among the more than 500 first nations within the U.S.

White corn was a cornerstone

While bison is a major staple in the diet of many Western first nations, it wasn’t as important for the Oneida.

The ancestors of Oneida Nation citizens in Wisconsin had been forcefully removed from their original homeland in upstate New York, despite helping to defeat the British during the American Revolution.

The Oneida had always been an agrarian people and brought some of their staple seed crops to Wisconsin, such as white corn.

Doxtator said many Oneida families in Wisconsin had been forced to become dairy farmers, but white corn contains nine times more calcium than milk and is much healthier when processed the Indigenous way of nixtamalization, or soaking and cooking in an alkaline solution, using hardwood ash.

“Some of the Oneida major recipes are built around white corn,” he said.

Oneida corn soup is popular on the reservation just west of Green Bay. One recipe includes 1 pound of dehydrated Oneida white corn, 2 cups of cooked beans, 1 to 2 pounds of cooked meat, such as pork hocks or smoked turkey legs, and optional salt and pepper.

The corn is immersed in an 8-quart kettle of boiling water or broth and simmered for three hours before the meat and beans are added.

Oneida white corn also can be dried and made into a flour to make a white cornbread, which is not really a bread, but is boiled like polenta, Doxtator said.

Today, the Oneida Cannery produces the corn and other foods that are available for sale in mini-food markets at the One-Stop gas stations on the reservation.

Traditionally prepared Oneida foods are also available at powwows and festivals on the reservation and at the restaurant in the Radisson Hotel in Oneida.

Protein in winter, greens in spring

Doxtator said many of the Indigenous chefs and foodies he’s worked with over 20 years focus on pre-European contact foods, which can be sophisticated, including for meats.

He said the Oneida would incorporate meat into their diet, such as from bear, elk, moose and small woodland animals, but used several different cooking methods.

“We didn’t just stick everything on a stick and put it on an open fire,” Doxtator said. “We did a lot of cooking in clay pots.”

While Europeans used salt to preserve all their meat, the Oneida used smoking and drying techniques, he said.

They also dried fruit and vegetables.

“We ate according to the season,” Doxtator said. “The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois, including Oneida) focused a lot on protein during the winter months. We foraged in the spring for new greens. And in the summer months, we ate a lot of green beans and berries. To go along with these, we always had a special ceremony for that time of year.”

Other foods foraged and grown included sunchokes, cucumbers, melons, wild leeks and onions.

Doxtator said the Oneida also obtained foods through trade with other tribes, such as quinoa from the Incas in South America and chiles all the from southwestern North American tribes in pre-colonial times.

Bringing Indigenous food to Chicago

Jessica Pamonicutt, an executive chef and a citizen of the Menominee Nation, saw a niche for Indigenous food service in Chicago, where she was raised, and started Ketapanen Kitchen in that city late last year.

“Chicago is a culinary mecca,” she said. “You can find cuisine for every ethnicity under the sun, except for Indigenous people.”

She believes she owns the only Native American catering company in Illinois.

“I don’t know why there haven’t been other (Indigenous food providers),” Pamonicutt said. “I think one issue is visibility. But also food sovereignty is a relatively new concept. I’m paving the way for other (Indigenous chefs). Even my last name means ‘walks first.’”

She said Indigenous foods have always been a big part of her family in both Chicago and on the Menominee Reservation in Wisconsin, where she visits several times a month.

“As Native people, food is part of everything we do,” Pamonicutt said. “Food is a way to connect people.”

She said most people don’t realize that more than half of the grown foods we eat were first cultivated by Indigenous people.

Indigenous knowledge

One food native to Wisconsin is wild rice, or manoomin in Ojibwe.

Manoomin is a central focus in Ojibwe culture and is ingrained in their migration story. The Ojibwe were originally from the East Coast hundreds of years ago but slowly made their way to northern Wisconsin, following a prophecy that they should settle “where the food grows on water.”

That food, wild rice, can be harvested in late summer for highly nutritious sustenance throughout winter.

Wild rice used to grow all the way from the Dakotas to New York and lower Canada, but climate change has reduced it to northern parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota, said chef Dana Thompson, co-owner of The Sioux Chef in Minneapolis and founder of the nonprofit North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems.

As spring arrived in Wisconsin, she said, Indigenous people knew what foods would start to grow and where to harvest them.

It started with the maple sugar season in late winter.

“Indigenous wisdom was passed from generation to generation,” Thompson said.

She said the variety found in Wisconsin forests was much more diverse than what could be found in grocery stores today.

And the food planted by Indigenous people in Wisconsin was much better for the environment than the factory farms today.

“Indigenous people practiced healthy agriculture that nourished the soil, instead of depleted the soil like farms today that are not absorbing carbon anymore,” Thompson said.

Certain plants were put next to each other to help the other grow and replenish the soil, she said.

One well-known example is the Three Sisters, which include squash, corn and beans. They work together naturally to protect each other from pests and disease.

Other Indigenous food knowledge included knowing which tree species in Wisconsin could help boost immunity during winter.

Thompson said the bark from cedar, pine and spruce when boiled in water contains a massive amount of vitamin C.

Wild bergamot, is a common herb found in Wisconsin, is known to Oneida and other Indigenous peoples to treat colds and the flu when made into a tea.

“With the use of natural remedies, one has to be careful they are not encouraging someone who might not use it properly,” said Bobbi Webster, public relations director for the Oneida Nation.

Fry bread

One popular food attributed to Indigenous people is fry bread, but Doxtator explains this is not a traditional, pre-European contact food.

“Fry bread comes from a traumatic point of our history,” he said.

When Indigenous people were forced onto reservations, it was often on land that wasn’t good for farming, so hunger and starvation became an issue during the 1800s.

Doxtator said the U.S. government would provide leftover food rations, which often included moldy flour, to tribes.

Indigenous people did what they could with this flour and fried it in grease to make a bread.

It has evolved, and many modern recipes can be found online.

“It helped keep many people from starving, but it also represents a part of our history in which health took a decline,” Doxtator said. “These unhealthy foods contributed to an epidemic of diabetes and heart disease.”

Still, he said, fry bread is a big part of modern Indigenous culture and is eaten on special occasions, such as birthday parties or holidays.

Frank Vaisvilas is a Report for America corps member who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin based at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact him atfvaisvilas@gannett.com or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank. You can directly support his work with a tax-deductible donation online at GreenBayPressGazette.com/RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Green Bay Press Gazette Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Drive, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105.

This recipe, which used the three sisters plants common in Native American cuisine, is a reprint from a Journal Sentinel story in 2018. The recipe was on the menu and provided by The Fire Pit Sports Bar & Grill at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino.

Three Sisters Stew

Recipe tested by Joanne Kempinger Demski

Makes about 8 main-dish servings

8 teaspoons canola oil (divided)
2 teaspoons chopped cilantro
½ cup finely diced red bell pepper
½ cup finely diced green bell pepper
½ cup finely diced yellow onion
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
2 pinches dried oregano
2 pinches cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 can (4 ounces) diced green chiles
2 cans (8 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 pound frozen corn
1 red bell pepper, cut into medium dice
1 green bell pepper, cut into medium dice
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
6 cups chicken stock
2 chicken bouillon cubes

2 small or 1 medium butternut squash, cut into large cubes as for stew (about 3 pounds total; see note)

In a food processor, puree 4 teaspoons of the canola oil with the cilantro, finely diced red and green peppers, yellow onion and garlic.

Add remaining 4 teaspoons canola oil to a stockpot and heat. Add mixture from food processor and sauté about 5 minutes.

Add cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, paprika, green chiles, black beans, corn, medium diced red pepper and green pepper, and salt. Cook over medium heat 10 to 12 minutes.

Add stock and bouillon cubes to pot. Bring to a simmer and cook 30 minutes over medium heat.

Add squash. Cook an additional 15 minutes, or until squash is cooked through. Serve immediately.

Note: Because squash comes in different sizes, if you have a larger squash, you can still use it, but the liquid should be increased.

Krista’s Kitchen is a creation of Krista Cheeseman who with her husband Alan Cheeseman own and operate Wilderness North. Krista’s Culinary Arts Degree and Food Management Certification makes her the perfect match for the foods and meals prepared for Wilderness North guests.

In certain circumstances, the central pressure inside an area of low pressure can fall at a very rapid rate. These are known as ‘bombs’ and violent winds can develop around the system.

What is a weather bomb?

A ‘weather bomb’ is an unofficial term for a low pressure system whose central pressure falls 24 millibars in 24 hours in a process known as explosive cyclogenesis.

Rapid acceleration of air caused by the jet stream high up in the atmosphere can remove air from the column, reducing its weight so causing pressure to fall at sea level. This in turn sucks in air which converges from surrounding regions resulting in faster and faster rotation of the circulation, in the same way that ice skaters spin faster by drawing their arms in. The resulting winds peak over a period of a few hours and can be strong enough to bring down trees and cause structural damage.

A Blizzard or a Winter Storm?

Of course, if you have an either/or choice – opt for a winter storm!

The word “blizzard” connotes a lengthy snowstorm with strong winds and reduced visibility. The term was into common use around the 1880s on the prairie landscape of the Midwest United States. It may be a creation based on other words like blast, blow, bluster plus the German word “blitz” for lightning.

The blizzards of that era were formidable in part because warnings, communications and transportation were very limited. The deadly Schoolhouse Blizzard extended from Texas to South Dakota is a notable disaster. On January 12, 1988 school children left one-room schoolhouses for the (often long) walk home. Mild temperatures quickly changed to heavy snow and gusty winds that created whiteout conditions. More than 300 people died, most of them children. Some were not found until spring.

Blizzards on the plains and prairies can be insidious. In very cold and dry conditions the result can be very fine snow that has caused suffocation on occasion.

Blizzards are associated with low pressure systems in the cold season that are connected to slow moving mid-atmospheric wind flow. Differences in air pressure are responsible for the winds and similar conditions can persist for many hours, occasionally days.

The criteria for defining blizzards has changed over the decades. Environment Canada and the American Weather Service now warn of blizzard conditions “when winds of 40 km/hr or greater are expected to cause widespread reductions in visibility to 1 km or less, due to blowing snow, or blowing snow in combination with falling snow, for at least 4 hours”.

The older definitions included a persistence period of 6 or more hours with winds of 50 km/hr or more, visibility of 400 metres or less, windchill values of -25 C or lower. Sometimes qualifying adjectives such as occasional or intermittent were included.

The western shoreline of Lake Superior has been immune to blizzard conditions in recent years whatever definition we use. The last formidable storm took place on December 1 and 2, 2007. It was of Colorado low. It originated there and in textbook fashion picked up additional moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. It headed north and Then it slowed and became a massive low pressure system, bringing freezing rain, sleet and/or heavy snow as the storm crawled over Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Snow began in Thunder Bay on December 1 at 8 a.m. and continued for 42 hours. Wind flow over Lake Superior picked up more moisture and snowfalls of 30 to 50 cm were common around the City of Thunder Bay and along the North Shore. The wind threshold was reached using the newer criteria, the visibility and windchill using the old and no one wanted to quibble over whether this amount of snow qualified.

The storm continued east with considerable enhancement by the relatively warm Great Lakes. Rain, freezing rain and snow caused driving chaos in Toronto – no, the army was not called for this one. Ottawa reported a snowfall rate of 10 cm per hour. The storm continued through Montreal, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, resulting in many road and airport closures and other disruptions.

Blizzard conditions in the vicinity of the Great Lakes are very likely quite different from the events that take place on the Prairies to the west and the plains to the south. There is usually more moisture and heavier snow results. Another fundamental difference is lake effect – the lakes contribute to the consequences – whether a winter storm or blizzard.

Weather Whys E-Letter 2022_12_26_Notable Weather 2022_Part 2

Blizzards around the world

Blizzard became a popular term worldwide to describe a fierce storm with strong winds and . . . snow? In Australia, a blizzard can happen when “snow that has been raised from the ground”; another way of saying “blowing snow” as we do in this part of the world.

In the British Isles the term used to be “West of England storm” in another era. “Blizzard” is the proper term now.

Very little is known about the fierce blizzard that struck Iran in February of 1972. The death toll is estimated to be more than 4,000, one of the deadliest snowstorms in history. Whole communities were wiped out within the city of Ardakan and outlying villages were hit the hardest. No survivors were found in Kakkan or Kumar. Near the border with Turkey, the village of Sheklab and its 100 inhabitants were buried by up to eight metres of snow.

On Christmas Eve Environment Canada had a list of weather warnings from coast to coast to coast. A frequent warning was for blizzard conditions. The criteria for defining blizzards has changed over the decades. To recap briefly from the previous Weather Whys, Environment Canada and the American Weather Service currently warn of blizzard conditions “when winds of 40 km/hr or greater are expected to cause widespread reductions in visibility to 1 km or less, due to blowing snow, or blowing snow in combination with falling snow, for at least 4 hours and temperatures colder than 0° C.”.

Blizzards are associated with slow-moving low-pressure systems, gale force winds and snow conditions that can persist for many hours, occasionally days.

Typically, the severity of blizzard conditions peaks and declines during the storm. The strongest winds took place on Christmas Eve when wind gusts of 85 km/h were recorded at the Airport and 116 km/h over the Welcome Islands.

Persistent moderate and occasionally gale-force northwest winds for three days created several effects on the Great Lakes. The average temperature of Lake Superior cooled by 0.26° C down to 3.9° C. This is about twice the usual decline over three days. Water is most dense at 4 degrees and reaching this threshold technically completed the fall overturn. This persistent northwest wind had considerably more effect on other lakes in the Great Lakes system. Lake Huron cooled by 0.6° C, Lake Erie by 1.1° C and Lake St. Clair by 3° C to just above the freezing point.

Persistent winds across a larger lake cause water to “set-up” at the downwind end and lower water levels at the upwind end. In nautical language this process is known as a seiche. The water level imbalance takes a couple of days to subside.

Massive amounts of evaporation took place from all lakes with open water. Major snowfall accumulations and some onshore flooding took place to the east and south of the Great Lakes. It is too early to assess all the records set and a total of the damage caused by the “Christmas Blizzard of 2022”.

https://wildernessnorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Janssen-Interview-a-1_12_23-6.30-PM-1.m4aGet the Details Right

This Guy Does Its

– Tom Janssen of Appleton Wisconsin pulls on his waders, grabs his lap top and visits the same stream he has been visiting for six years. Collecting data and sometimes collecting samples for the scientists at the DNR and the University of Wisconsin… he believes good water equals good fishing.

A breakthrough for Great Lakes shipping, Congress authorizes a new heavy icebreakerThe $858B defense bill includes authorization for another icebreaker

By Danielle Kaeding

Published:

Wednesday, December 21, 2022, 1:00pm

U.S.Congressional lawmakers have authorized another heavy icebreaker on the Great Lakes

The authorization of a $350 million heavy icebreaker is vital after thick ice cover in the last decade has cost billions of dollars in shipping delays. They say authorization is a key step toward securing money for a new U.S. Coast Guard cutter to keep commerce moving.

“In the cold winter months, icebreaking helps keep the economies and communities around the Great Lakes moving, and allows Midwest businesses to get their goods from point A to point B,” “These new funds authorized for a Great Lakes icebreaker will help the Coast Guard fulfill their icebreaking mission.”

Duluth Minnesota, Thunder Bay, ON and other Great Lake Port Cities rely on the Coast Guard’s icebreaking operations to ship goods manufactured in the area to other destinations on the lakes.

“When our capacity is diminished because one or more of the icebreakers are under repair or other circumstances, people lose jobs. And, we lose millions upon millions of dollars in commerce.”

Photo courtesy of the Lake Carriers’ Association

A delay on the lakes can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 an hour depending on the size of the vessel and its cargo, according to Eric Peace, vice president of the Lake Carriers’ Association. The trade group represents the U.S.-flagged fleet on the Great Lakes that shipped more than 81 million tons of cargo last year. Data from the association estimates businesses lost more than $2 billion and 10,000 jobs due to delays caused by ice cover during the winters of 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2018-19.

“Icebreaking is critical to our national economic security, not just regionally here on the Great Lakes, but the entire nation We’re shipping raw materials that produce vital things like steel, concrete, you name it.”

The U.S Coast Guard currently has six aging icebreakers on the lakes that are roughly 40 years old, according to Lorne Thomas, chief of external affairs for the U.S. Coast Guard’s 9th District in Cleveland.

Thomas said the agency is committed to additional icebreaking capacity on the Great Lakes.

“If we have a decent ice year, a lot of ice will stack up in Whitefish Bay in the eastern part of Lake Superior because it breaks up, melts, then gets pushed by the wind and it kind of stacks up,” Thomas said. “So you want something to be able to break through that.”

Even so, it will likely be years before another icebreaker becomes operational on the lakes. Last year, the U.S. Congressional Budget Office estimated it would take 11 years to design and construct it. Initial design of another heavy icebreaker is already underway, but no construction will begin until the Coast Guard secures more funding.

It will be a multi-year process, including in the early stages, design, and blueprints, etc. Then, as that progresses, ultimately, there’ll be a selection of a shipyard and construction of the heavy Great Lakes icebreaker.

Duluth Seaway Port Authority Executive Director Deb DeLuca said a new heavy icebreaker will benefit the furthest inland port. She noted the western edge of Lake Superior didn’t have a Coast Guard cutter when the shipping season opened this year, creating a tough start to the season.

“The port of Duluth-Superior and our regional economy are greatly benefited by maritime commerce being able to remain free-flowing throughout the shipping season,” DeLuca said. “Twenty percent of the entire season’s shipments can occur when ice is present, but only if there’s adequate ice breaking.”

The U.S Coast Guard wants more heavy icebreaking capability to add a layer of redundancy if something happens to its lone heavy icebreaker, the Mackinaw. In the meantime, he said the agency needs additional funding in a future budget whether it’s this year or next before it can begin the procurement process on a new cutter.

NASA launches international mission to survey Earth’s water, including the Great Lakes

Dubbed SWOT, an advanced radar satellite will enhance understanding of the Earth’s oceans, rivers and lakes

By Danielle Kaeding.

Since the first moon landing, many children have gazed skyward and dreamed of becoming an astronaut or someday working for NASA. While astronauts get all the glory, the agency’s work spans so much more than space exploration.

For Sam Kelly, it’s his first time working on a project with NASA.

Sam Kelly, an associate professor with the Large Lakes Observatory and Physics & Astronomy Department at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, is among a team of several hundred scientists working on the first global survey of almost all the Earth’s water, including the Great Lakes. Photo courtesy of UMD

“It’s a lot of fun working for NASA. A lot of the NASA science that makes the news is about things that are looking away from Earth,” Kelly said. “But, they have a really great track record of measuring the Earth as well.”

The researcher at the University of Minnesota in Duluth is among a team of several hundred scientists from nearly 20 countries that are taking part in the first ever global survey of almost all water on the Earth’s surface, including the Great Lakes.

NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales launched a satellite into space this month as part of a $1.2 billion mission that will measure the height of water in oceans, lakes and rivers across more than 90 percent of the globe’s surface. The two space agencies joined forces to develop the Surface Water and Ocean Topography, or SWOT, satellite that launched on Dec. 16.

Tamlin Pavelsky, hydrology science lead for the SWOT, watched the launch at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

“I was standing out there watching this with people who I’ve been working with for 15 years on SWOT and with my wife,” Pavelsky said. “We were all celebrating this amazing milestone together on this mission that we all care deeply about.”

Data from the satellite will not only measure changes over time, but it will also provide insights on the effects of climate change and how communities can better prepare for floods.

Kelly, an associate professor at the university’s Large Lakes Observatory, initially got involved in the project to separate out ocean tides — a large signal in the height of the ocean — to measure changes in sea level rise. The science team is made up of oceanographers and hydrologists who are primarily interested in mapping ocean currents and taking a global inventory of surface freshwater.

“And the thing that nobody was talking about was the Great Lakes, which are sort of in the middle, between oceans and smaller lakes,” Kelly said. “And I think the exciting thing about the Great Lakes is that with this new satellite, which has very high resolution, that we might be able to apply some of the same oceanographic techniques to the Great Lakes in terms of mapping surface currents.”

An animation shows the two antennas for SWOT’s Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) instrument unfolding in orbit. Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech

To capture that data, the satellite includes a major technological advancement in the form of a scientific instrument called the Ka-band radar interferometer or KaRIn. It has two antennas with one on each end of a satellite boom that’s 33 feet long, and the instrument bounces radar pulses off the water’s surface.

Pavelsky said current satellites only measure what’s underneath them as they orbit around the Earth. With KaRIn, the satellite will collect data over a 100-kilometer or roughly 60-mile wide swath.

“That means we’re going to be able to see much smaller scale structures, like eddies and whirls and things like that in the ocean,” Pavelsky said. “And on land, it means that we’re going to be able to see rivers and lakes much better than we have and much more completely than we had been able to do in the past.”

Data collected by the satellite will provide significant insights into how things move through the oceans. Pavelsky said ocean circulation drives the way the ocean works in terms of storing heat and carbon, which are important for understanding the effects of climate change. It also determines how any pollutants, such as an oil spill, move through the ocean.

Kelly said the same is true of surface currents in the Great Lakes, and the satellite will show variations in the height across the lake that could indicate those currents and how they’re moving.

“The idea is that surface currents are really important for transporting pollution, or, if we have a harmful algal bloom, it can help us track either where the algal bloom came from or where it might be heading,” Kelly said. “And, if somebody falls off of a boat and we’re trying to find them, knowing which way the surface currents are going is super helpful for search and rescue.”

Most of what scientists know about currents on the Great Lakes stem from models produced by NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab. Kelly said the Large Lakes Observatory has long-term measurements of currents. Even so, scientists can typically only access that data once a year because it’s internally recorded on instruments that are currently 60 meters below the surface of Lake Superior.

The satellite is expected to improve models and data collected from the lakes. It will also help scientists better understand flood hazards in rivers and lakes worldwide.

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft is moved into a transport container inside the Astrotech facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Nov. 18, 2022. Photo by Chris Okula with the United States Space Force 30th Space Wing

“Flooding causes more damage and more loss of life than any other type of natural disaster worldwide,” Pavelsky said. “And so, for example, all of the lakes and reservoirs in the world, for the first time we’re actually going to be able to observe how the storage of water in nearly all of those changes over time.”

Now, the team is going through the process of unfolding the antennas and turning on the satellite’s instruments. In March, Pavelsky said he and other scientists will begin collecting data on the ground to validate how well the measurements from the SWOT satellite are working.

Kelly said scientists must also interpret the data. Much like the oceans, the Great Lakes have seiches that are often called wind tides because of wind bursts that rock the lakes back and forth. Those movements will need to be separated from the data to determine average currents on the lake’s surface.

The mission is expected to last three years. If all goes well, scientists plan to release data from SWOT in October next year.

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Study to learn potential of year ‘round shipping

A warming climate and a trend toward less ice has scientists looking at the potential for year-round shipping on the Great Lakes.

With ice expected to form later and melt earlier, as it did this past winter, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Superior are looking into how this might impact the shipping industry on the Great Lakes. A warming climate and a trend toward less ice has scientists looking at the potential for year-round shipping on the Great Lakes.

Richard Stewart, director of the Transportation and Logistics Research Center at UWS, is conducting the year-long study with Daniel Rust, UWS assistant professor of transportation and logistics.

Funding is provided by University Wisconsin Sea Grant.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, average annual ice cover on the lakes already has diminished by 22% since 1970. Lake Superior’s average ice cover declined from nearly 80% in 1973 to just over 40% by 2020.

“By the year 2050, which is only 30 years away, there are expectations that there will be relatively little ice on the Great Lakes that will impede the navigation of vessels,” Stewart said in a statement announcing the study.

They expect to collect data on how cargo moves on the lake to create models for ports and ship owners, looking specifically at the movement of taconite iron ore, coal and limestone. They’ll look at a scenario of a 20-day-longer shipping season and another for a 50-day extension of the shipping season.

The Great Lakes traditionally shut down to shipping from early January into March.

“Say that with the existing fleet of ships, how many ships would be needed to carry that same amount of cargo if they could operate, instead of nine months per year, 10 months, 11 months and 12 months?,” Stewart notes. “If that cargo pie doesn’t grow bigger, we believe our research will indicate a need for fewer ships.”A longer shipping season with fewer ships could have far-reaching ramifications for the Twin Ports and all of Wisconsin, one of the nation’s largest shipbuilding and ship-repair sites. Taconite, coal and limestone terminals — such as those in Duluth and Superior — may no longer need to store large buffer stocks of their products to carry them through the winter since they might be able to operate year-round.

Stewart and Rust are looking to the Baltic region shipping industry in Europe for guidance.

“It has a similar geographic size to the Great Lakes and the same issues with ice,” Stewart said. “They operate year-round and move cargoes. We’ve visited the Baltic for preliminary research. We’re looking to see if there are similar cargoes and trade patterns that might have applicability on the Great Lakes.”

Deb DeLuca, director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, expects the study will provide significant information. She said the possibility of having shipping seasons that are essentially ice-free could mean less risk to ships from ice and less expense needed for icebreakers. DeLuca agrees that year-round shipping could attract new commodities.

“It might open up the entire waterway to greater usage, which is a good thing because shipping is environmentally beneficial,” DeLuca said. “It takes trucks off the road. It would be a plus for all sorts of reasons, and the research allows us to plan ahead.”

The researchers are cooperating with many organizations on their study, including the Lake Carriers’ Association, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the ports of Milwaukee; Gary, Indiana and Duluth-Superior.

Rust will be collecting data and overseeing student workers on the project. “We’ve just begun to scratch the surface on this issue,” he said. “Obviously, climate change is happening, and we need to be ready to adapt to whatever is coming and to take advantage if there are opportunities that arise.”

Richard Stewart, director of the Transportation and Logistics Research Center at UWS, is conducting the year-long study with Daniel Rust, UWS assistant professor of transportation and logistics.

Funding is provided by University Wisconsin Sea Grant.

The post Keeping the Soo Locks Open? appeared first on Wilderness North.

Thunder Bay Fire Rescue says arson is not a suspected cause of the fire

Olivia Levesque · CBC News · Posted: Dec 30, 2021 5:00 AM ET | Last Updated: December 30, 2021

The Finnish Labour Temple, a century-old historic building in Thunder Bay, was heavily damaged after a fire broke out the evening of Wednesday Dec. 22. (Logan Turner/CBC)

It’s been over a week since a devastating fire broke out at the historic Finnish Labour Temple in Thunder Bay, Ont.

The investigation into the blaze is ongoing, but community members are already trying to think of a way to pick up the pieces of the northwestern Ontario landmark, which was also home to the famous Hoito restaurant.

“You know, the building was like a part of my family. It was like one of my children and now it’s gone, you know, so, I mean it’s been really hard,” said Brad McKinnon who purchased the building in 2020.

McKinnon said the last week has been a whirlwind of emotion as he tries to sort through the aftermath of the fire. On the night of the fire he had just arrived in Sault Ste Marie, Ont., when he heard that flames were tearing through the building.

Flames visibly engulfed the roof and upper levels of the historic Finnish Labour Temple building in Thunder Bay on Dec. 22. (Matt Vis/CBC)

He said he turned around and made the eight hour drive to Thunder Bay. When he arrived around 3 a.m. on Dec. 23, city firefighters were still battling the blaze.

“This is a tragedy,” he said.”We’re not going to let the building stay in this condition. We’re going to rebuild immediately as soon as we can.”

McKinnon said he is committed to reviving the most iconic features of the building, including the Bay Street facade, the tower, and the cupola.

The Finnish Labour Temple in December 2016. The building was known for its cultural history and its unique architecture that stood out in the Bay and Algoma neighborhood in Thunder Bay, Ont. (Olivia Levesque/CBC)

As of Tuesday, McKinnon was waiting on the next steps of finishing up the investigation, processing the insurance claim, and cleaning up the building to avoid further risk or damage.

“I mean, it’s probably one of the most iconic buildings in Thunder Bay. It was a tourist attraction. It was a sanctuary for the Finnish Community,” he said. “It was a symbol of hope, care, generosity and, and it’s gone. And to leave it, you know, just to let it go like that would be a crime in itself,” he said.

McKinnon said rebuilding might not happen until the spring, but said in the meantime he hopes to retrieve an antique weight scale that was one of few heritage pieces left in the building, according to the Finlandia Co-Operative of Thunder Bay.

The human-sized scale was at the entrance of the Hoito Restaurant for decades. McKinnon hopes to display it in some sort of case outside for people visiting the Bay and Algoma neighbourhood to see.

A file photo of former Hoito employee Rya Hariyo standing in front of the well known scale found at the entrance of the restaurant. (Jenifer Norwell/CBC)

“Just to use that as a symbol for going forward and determination, and the restaurant will come back and the building will come back,” he said.

McKinnon’s eagerness to rebuild has been welcome news to theFinlandia Co-Operative of Thunder Bay, who were scheduled to reopen the Hoito Restaurant in June of 2022.

Spirit of the building still there The organization’s interim president, Paula Haapanen, said the board is “of the same mind”, and will be working on coming up with a plan for next steps at their first general meeting on January 16.

Paula Haapanen, interim president of the Finlandia Co-operative, said various events, including pop-up restaurants, are planned leading up to the reopening of the Hoito. (Heather Kitching/CBC)

“Really our plans haven’t changed. It’s just, I guess the end goal has kind of moved further away,” said Haapanen in an interview with CBC News.

“There have been a lot of expressions of support for carrying on and you realize that the spirit of the building in many, many different levels is still there and and people want to see that continue in some form. So, that is very hopeful,” she added.

Investigation ongoing As of Wednesday the investigation of the scene of the fire was ongoing. However, Thunder Bay Fire Rescue confirmed with CBC News that arson is not a suspected cause of the fire.

The Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) was called in to assist in the investigation to determine the cause, origin, and circumstance of the fire.

The OFM investigation began on December 24 following Thunder Bay Fire Rescue extinguishing the fire.

A spokesperson with the Office of the Fire Marshal told CBC News that a portion of the third floor of the building had collapsed into the second and is unsafe to enter.

Taken from cbc.ca: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/finnish-labour-temple-owner-and-community-look-to-rebuild-iconic-building-after-fire-in-thunder-bay-ont-1.6300080

The post Frigid Air = Dry Air = Fire Danger appeared first on Wilderness North.

A hearty and energizing soup that’s getting us through the rest of winter

Adaptogens are the hottest trend in the wellness world right now. Known or their energizing and stress-busting properties, these plant-based ingredients come in all shapes and forms, and one of them happens to be reishi mushrooms. They’re the fave adaptogen of registered dietician Christy Brissette, so she shared a recipe for a warming and energizing mushroom soup that’s packed with veggies, and is a savoury and satisfying way of working these adaptogens into our everyday diet.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 carrots, sliced 1 cm thick
1 fennel bulb, diced (fronds reserved)
2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 cups fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced (or ½ cup dried)
6 cups water
¼ cup dried reishi mushrooms, ground
¼ cup miso paste
1 tbsp allspice
1 tbsp thyme
3 cups kale, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Fennel fronds, minced

Preparation

In a large soup pot, heat up the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the ginger and the remaining vegetables (except the reishi powder) and saute for another 5 minutes or until golden brown.

Add the water, reishi powder, miso paste and dried spices.

Bring your soup to a boil and then reduce the heat to bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 1 hour. Stir the kale into the hot soup to wilt.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with fresh fennel fronds and enjoy!

Servings: Makes 6 servings

Krista’s Korner is a creation of Krista Cheeseman who with her husband Alan Cheeseman own and operate Wilderness North. Krista’s Culinary Arts Degree and Food Management Certification makes her the perfect match for the foods and meals prepared for Wilderness North guests.

The post Krista’s Kitchen appeared first on Wilderness North.

Brookies on the Keezhik

By: Gord Ellis

One of the things I love about fishing for brook trout, is they live in the most beautiful, wild places in North America. Brookies demand cold, clean and clear water to thrive, preferably without any human habitation close by. In our modern world, those places are few and far between. However, the tributaries to the Albany River watershed are little changed from how they were hundreds of years ago. Rivers like the Keezhik, Troutfly and Suzanne remain gems, unspoiled by development and pollution. To fish these rivers is to step back in time.

The Keezhik is a river that is among the most beautiful I’ve ever fished for brookies. It is the perfect size to fly fish and considering it is not a huge river, holds trout of mind-boggling size. Several years ago, I flew into Keezhik Lake with my oldest son Devin, who was about 13 at the time. Devin had not done a ton of fly fishing to that point, but he had fished enough with it that he felt comfortable with it. We had an excellent guide who not only helped run the canoe but gave Devin some “non-Dad” fly fishing tips. One of the first pools we got to was a real gem, deep and cedar lined. Devin got out with our guide and began casting a streamer fly as I sat back and watched. On about his second cast a football sized brookie rolled on the fly and he set the hook.

“Fish on Dad!” he yelled with excitement as the rod bucked under the weight of a large trout. What a sight it was to watch the droplets fly off my son’s fly line in the morning sun, as a huge, coloured up trout darted around in crystal clear water. Devin fought the fish well, but after a couple of minutes the fly pulled out and the trout was off.

“He’s gone,” said Devin a bit dejectedly.

‘There will be more” said our guide, and he was right. The Keezhik proved to be loaded with brookies, and some of them were quite large. Nearly every pool and run we stopped at gave up a fish or two. In one long hole, several brook trout could be seen chasing our flies at once. In another pool, I nailed a fish in the 4-pound range that ate the fly nearly at my feet. But Devin’s first fish had been the giant. We would have to get him another day.

The Keezhik is just one of several amazing rivers I’ve fished that run into the Albany. Nearly all have great angling, with big brookies as well ad the occasional walleye and pike mixed in. Fishing the tributary rivers of the Albany does take some work and determination. Many of the pools are lined by trees, so you have to make shorter casts or roll casts. While a few spots can be fished right from a canoe, I have found getting out and wading will allow you to cover more water, especially in the fast-water rapids. In the summer, you may want to wet wade, but I like to wear at least a pair of hip waders if possible. These rivers run cold, and you can get chilled if you are in wet pants all day. Shorts may sound like a good idea, until the bugs appear. And there will be bugs.

Wilderness North offers anglers a couple of options when it comes to accessing these classic brook trout rivers. Where the rivers have a lake or large opening as the head water, you can fly into them and paddle down. A guide is a huge help when undertaking these trips, as they know the fishable water and can help with paddling, portaging and lining the canoe. Although these rivers are not as large and as intimidating as the Albany, you can still face impressive rapids and falls. Another option when fishing these rivers is to “bushwhack” up them a ways from the mouth, then fish your way back down. This will require sone upstream canoeing and you will have to line up a rapid or two. While it is not always easy to do a trip this way, the rewards can be substantial. These rivers do not see many anglers so the pools get a lot of rest. Big, hungry brook trout will make the pain go away fast.

While the fly fishing on northern rivers requires a bit of finesse, the fish are mostly eager to bite. These northern brook trout live in a fish eat fish world, so not much gets by them without at least a swipe. Fishing dry or subsurface flies is both fun and effective on these rivers, as the trout can’t resist taking a crack at anything that floats. I imagine not many mice, mayflies or stoneflies get far if they linger on the water surface.

My favourite dry fly choices on these northern trout rivers include the Stimulator, Morrish Mouse, Chernobyl Ant and Dave’s Hopper. Your main workhorse flies, however, will be subsurface or wet flies. My favourites for subsurface angling include the Marabou Muddler, Strip Leech, Sex Dungeon, Matuka Sculpin and Clouser Minnow.

A variety of flies on hook sizes from #8 to #4 should suffice. Larger, flashier flies tend to get the most attention on the rivers. However, it never hurts to throw a box of nymphs in your vest, just in case. I would recommend a 6 or 7 weight rod for this fishing, coupled with a floating line. A 5 weight is fun, but you will lose more fish in the woods and rocks. You can toss a fly spool loaded with a sink tip in your vest, but I’ve rarely seen the need to use it. The pools are not ultra-deep, and the trout are usually willing to come up for a fly. There is also no need to use to a light tippet. I never run less than an eight – pound test leader on these rivers and will run heavier if I can get away it. There are many sticks, branches and rocks for trout to break you off on. I’ve learned this the hard way.

The tributary rivers of the Albany provide an angler with the opportunity of both adventure and untouched fishing for wild brook trout.

What more can a fly angler ask for?

The post From the Albany River Watershed appeared first on Wilderness North.

Early-Season Winter Walleye

Mike Hungle – Outdoor Canada

#1 Conditions

First ice is a special time for walleye anglers, bringing some of the best hardwater action of the season. And this action is a direct result of the stable conditions created by ice-up. Once a layer of ice seals off the underwater realm, wind no longer churns up the lake. And without waves mixing the water, the lake stops turning over, and temperature and oxygen levels stabilize throughout the entire water column. This stable environment, combined with the walleye’s urge to bulk up for winter, leads the fish to stack up and aggressively feed.

Every winter unfolds differently, and depending on the weather, these early-season conditions can last between three and eight weeks. The end comes when cold fronts and storms start affecting conditions under the ice, and the water just under the surface starts to cool. Snow accumulating on the ice will cut off oxygen to the lake, meanwhile, causing oxygen levels to fluctuate and decline from the top of the water column down to the bottom. Once the stable first-ice conditions finally break down, the walleye will disperse to different locations around the lake. But before that happens, you can enjoy some of the season’s best action.

Location When lakes ice over, walleye generally don’t move too far from where they were prior to freeze-up. So, your best starting points are the spots where the walleye were biting during the final days of open water. These include sandbars, rock piles, sand flats, transitional zones between hard and soft bottoms, ridge lines next to deep-water drop-offs and the edges of old weedbeds. Once you find fish-producing areas, mark the locations—they’ll often prove productive year after year.

The best bites normally occur early in the morning and late in the afternoon, but if conditions are stable, the bite can last all day long. In general, though, feeding fish seem to move from deeper water to shallow-water structure to feed, then back out to deeper water to rest after each meal.

To fish a promising area, drill several parallel series of holes from deep water to shallower water. I like to drill my holes four to five feet apart, and space parallel rows about six feet apart. When fishing in a group, I like to allow two rows of holes for each angler, making sure there are plenty of holes over the prime structure. This lets you fish the structure at different depths, following the fish as they move on and off it.

3 Gear

You need several important items to work this first-ice system, starting with a gas- or battery-powered auger. Avoid hand augers; even though first ice is relatively thin, expect to drill 50 or more holes on a single outing. A 10-inch blade is best because it cuts a perfectly sized hole for turning a walleye’s head skyward. Plus, 10 inches offers plenty of room to land a double-digit fish without it getting stuck in the hole.

A flasher unit is essential to view real-time images of the lake bottom, your lures and any fish in the immediate vicinity. Even more importantly, it shows you how the fish react to various jigging motions, allowing you to adjust your presentation accordingly. For the best results, place

For walleye, select an ice rod with a fast-action tip and a stiff backbone. The sensitive tip lets you jig small lures with finesse and detect even the lightest of bites. The strong backbone serves well when fighting fish, especially the bigger ones. And use a rod that’s 26 to 36 inches long. This allows for big, sweeping hooksets and helps you control the fish as you battle it up from the lake bottom and onto the ice.

I like a mid-sized spinning reel with an instant anti-reverse handle for immediate and powerful hooksets. The wider spool lets the line out smoother and helps reduce line twist in the cold. Fluorocarbon in four- to eight-pound test is ideal, as it’s near-invisible, extremely sensitive and abrasion resistant, with just the right amount of stretch for hooksets. I use fluorocarbon line as my mainline, but if you’re running braided line, you can simply add a fluorocarbon leader.

4 Baits

First-ice walleye are generally aggressive, so baits with lots of action, flash and sound make great choices. My favourites include jigging spoons such as PK Lures’ Flutter Fish, Northland’s Buck-Shot Rattle Spoon (above left) and HT Enterprises’ Jig a Whopper Hawger Spoon. Vertical jigging lures such as Rapala’s Jigging Rap and Shad Rap, along with Moonshine Lures’ Shiver Minnow (above right) , also work well.

I like silver-, brass- and gold-coloured lures that give off lots of flash, especially on sunny days. On cloudy days or in stained water, I try natural-coloured lures that match the local baitfish, such as perch and cisco. And on days when the traditional colours aren’t working, I’ll try something different, such as glow white-, pink- or chartreuse-coloured lures.

Over the years, I’ve learned that mid-sized ¼- to ½-ounce lures seem to trigger the most strikes. That said, I still carry a selection of bigger and smaller lures. Heavier spoons fall faster than lighter ones and hit the bottom with a more solid thud. Lighter spoons drop more slowly and, depending on their shape, move more erratically and with more flash. Having a selection of different lures enables you to experiment and find just the right lure for the conditions of the day.

You can also use bait to add both scent and visual appeal to your lures. However, too much bait can weigh down a lure and impede its fish-attracting action. For the best results, tip your lures with something small, such as mealworms, tiny minnows, the heads of larger minnows or, where legal, the eyes of perch or small walleye.

#5 Technique While deadsticking and tip-ups will produce some first-ice walleye, jigging is the most productive way to catch these fish. Unfortunately, there isn’t a guaranteed jigging rhythm that will trigger walleye to strike on every outing. Sometimes, long sweeping motions with slow, fluttering drops attract the fish. On other occasions, the constant pounding of a lure banging on the bottom draws them in. And sometimes, one particular motion may bring the fish in for a look, while a second, completely different motion is needed to make them strike.

While experimenting with jigging styles, constantly watch your flasher to see how the fish are reacting. If they’re coming in, but not committing, it’s time to try different lure sizes, colours and baits. Once you uncover the right combination of motion, lure and bait, keep working it until it no longer produces.

Michael Hungle

An award-winning outdoor writer and photographer from Regina, Saskatchewan. He specializes in waterfowling, big game hunting, and walleye fishing.

The post Is it TOO Cold to Fish? appeared first on Wilderness North.

The first US Thanksgiving was actually a three-day affair.

In November 1621, the settlers’ first corn harvest proved so successful, Governor William Bradford reportedly invited the Plymouth colonists’ Native American allies to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Members of the Wampanoag tribe came bearing food to share. They had so much bounty, the revelers decided to extend the affair.

Colonists and Native Americans may not have had turkey at their feast.

While most of us enjoy turkey as the centerpiece of our table, no one can say for sure whether it was even on the menu back in 1621. However, the original guests did indulge in other foods like lobster, seal and swan. The Wampanoag also reportedly brought five deer to the celebration. If you also enjoy venison at your table, consider yourselves perfectly aligned with a longstanding tradition.

Part of Plymouth, Massachusetts, looks just as it did in the 17th century.

If you want to see what Thanksgiving was really like back in the 1600s, the historic attraction Plymouth (or Plimoth) Plantation stays true to its historic roots. You can even celebrate Thanksgiving at the site, which is modeled after a colonist’s home and a Wampanoag site. Guests and members can order advance tickets (which include two-day admission) to attend a Thanksgiving dinner. The table-groaning feast features authentic courses like a corn pudding and fish fricassee, tales of colonial life and old-timey songs.

Thomas Jefferson refused to declare Thanksgiving a holiday.

Presidents originally had to declare Thanksgiving a holiday every year, up until Lincoln made it a national holiday during his tenure. However, Jefferson refused to recognize the event, because he believed so firmly in the separation of church and state. Since Thanksgiving involved prayer and reflection, he thought designating it a national holiday would violate the First Amendment. He also thought it was better suited as a state holiday, not a federal one.

The woman behind “Mary Had a Little Lamb” is also responsible for Thanksgiving’s recognition as a national holiday.

Writer and editor Sarah Josepha Hale convinced President Abraham Lincoln to officially declare Thanksgiving a national holiday, after three decades of persistent lobbying. The author also founded the American Ladies Magazine, which promoted women’s issues long before suffrage. She wrote countless articles and letters, advocating for Thanksgiving to help unify the Northern and Southern states amid gathering divisions. Hale kept at it, even after the Civil War broke out, and Lincoln actually wrote the proclamation just a week after her last letter in 1863, earning her the name the Mother of Thanksgiving.

The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade didn’t feature any balloons.

If you can’t imagine the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade without giant floats featuring your favorite characters, you’d barely recognize the first parade in the early 1920s. It did have puppets riding the iconic floats, as well as singers and celebrities and of course, Santa Claus. That said, when the Thanksgiving parade made its big debut in 1924, it did have something that might be even crazier than balloons: animals from the Central Park Zoo.

A Thanksgiving mix-up inspired the first TV dinners.

In 1953, a Swanson employee accidentally ordered a colossal shipment of Thanksgiving turkeys (260 tons, to be exact). To deal with the excess, salesman Gerry Thomas took inspiration from the prepared foods served on airplanes. He came up with the idea of filling 5,000 aluminum trays with the turkey – along with cornbread dressing, gravy, peas and sweet potatoes to complete the food.

But what about FIDO?

The simple answer is dogs can eat many Thanksgiving foods including turkey, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and peas, but you should be sure to skip the turkey skin, stuffing and other dishes that you are serving to humans.

Americans prepare 46 million turkeys for Thanksgiving each year.

Thanksgiving without turkey would be like Christmas without a tree, and most American families wouldn’t dream of foregoing the almighty bird. While not super popular the rest of the year, turkey is a huge hit for holidays, probably because it can serve large gatherings.

On Christmas, an additional 22 million families host an encore with their Thanksgiving turkey recipes.

The post Thanksgiving appeared first on Wilderness North.

Canadian Thanksgiving: How it compares to America’s holiday

As American’s geared up for their annual Thanksgiving feast, Canadians looked back on theirs, as the celebration of gratitude held in October.

Typically, Canadian Thanksgiving is held during the second weekend of October, aligning with the American Indigenous Peoples Day holiday.

But instead of feasting on a Thursday, Canadians celebrate on a Monday. Aside from celebrating the “day of thanks” on a different day, there are several other distinctions between American and Canadian Thanksgiving.

The “first” Canadian Thanksgiving was in 1578 when an English explorer namedMartin Frobisher held the first celebration after making a safe return from the Northwest Passage. Others argue that the first “Thanksgiving” was held by indigenous peoples as they typically gave thanks for good harvests in the fall.

Thanksgiving was formalized as a national holiday in 1879. This holiday is celebrated on a national scale, but it is considered more “low-key” than American Thanksgiving. It is a day focused on spending time with family and friends. Some citizens, particularly in Quebec, choose not to celebrate at all. It is also not followed by a day of shopping, like the American Black Friday.

However, expect a feast of food.

For example, the centerpiece on the Thanksgiving table may still be a turkey, glazed with maple syrup or apple cider. You may also find ham or smoked salmon. For the sides, classics include brussels sprouts, maple glazed carrots, creamed corn, poutine, cranberry sauce, or sweet potato dinner rolls. And not to forget about dessert: its Canadian classic butter tarts. (A small pastry that consists of butter, sugar filling.)

But what about FIDO?

The simple answer is dogs can eat many Thanksgiving foods including turkey, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and peas, but you should be sure to skip the turkey skin, stuffing and other dishes that you are serving to humans.

Football and Parades

On Thanksgiving Monday,(the second Monday of each October) many watch the Canadian Football League’s Thanksgiving Day Classic and enjoy the day off from work.

Canadians all over the country enjoy watching the Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest parade on their Thanksgiving Day. Like Macy’s, this parade has floats, balloons, and marching bands, but instead of Garfield and Underdog, this parade has uniquely Canadian icons.

The post Canadian Thanksgiving appeared first on Wilderness North.

https://wildernessnorth.com/wordpress3/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/vucetichinterview2-11_3_21-4.08-PM-2.m4a Restoring the Balance

What Wolves Tell Us about Our Relationship with Nature

Author – John A. Vucetich

Wolves on a wilderness island illuminate lessons on the environment, extinction, and life.

For more than a quarter century, celebrated biologist John Vucetich has studied the wolves, and the moose that sustain them, of the boreal forest of Isle Royale National Park, an island in the northwest corner of Lake Superior. During this time, he has witnessed both the near extinction of the local wolf population, driven largely by climate change, and the intensely debated relocation of other wolves to the island in an effort to stabilize and maintain Isle Royale’s ecosystem health. In Restoring the Balance, Vucetich combines environmental philosophy with field notes chronicling his day-to-day experience as a scientist. Examining the fate of wolves in the wild, he shares lessons from these wolves and explains their impact on humanity’s fundamental responsibilities to the natural world.

Vucetich’s engaging narrative and unique, clear-eyed perspective provide an accessible course in wolf biology and behavioral ecology. He tackles profound unresolved questions that will shape our future understanding of what it means to be good to life on earth: Are humans the only persons to inhabit Earth, or do we share the planet with uncounted nonhuman persons? What does a healthy relationship with the natural world look like? Should we intervene in nature’s course in order to care for it? Touching on the triumph and tragedy of how wolves kill moose to the Shakespearian drama of wolves’ social lives, Vucetich comments on ravens, mice, winter ticks, and even a life-changing encounter he shared with a toad.

Vucetich produces exquisite insight by masterfully connecting his observations to a far-reaching history of ideas about the environment. Combining natural history and memoir with fascinating commentary on humanity’s relationship with nature, Restoring the Balance evokes our connections with wolves as fellow apex predators, demonstrating how our shifting views on nature have implications for both their survival and ours. This book will be treasured by any thoughtful reader looking to deepen their relationship with nature and learn about the wolves of Isle Royale along the way.

The book is available at:  Johns Hopkins University Press. Also the Isle Royale & Keweenaw Parks Association - John signed about 50 copies for them to sell in the visitors’ center.

The post Restoring the Balance appeared first on Wilderness North.

https://wildernessnorth.com/wordpress3/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/LakeTurnover-11_11_21-11.19-AM.m4a Turnover Blues

~by Rick Olson~

Walleyes are directly affected by this naturally occurring, seasonal phenomenon, and can make for some of the toughest fishing conditions you’ll face during the entire open water season.

As water temps reach their summer high, a layering process occurs, with the end result being an upper warmer layer, and a lower cooler layer, separated by a quickly changing narrow band, known as the thermocline. This deeper, cooler, bottom layer, can quickly become totally void of oxygen, and will eliminate any use. Trying to pull fish from dead water can be a complete waste of time.

If you know a thermocline exists, you would be well served to concentrate your efforts, at the thermocline, and shallower. The exception would be an extremely clear lake, where you have a thermocline, and a separate, deeper, oxycline.

Finding out whether or not a particular lake has a thermocline set up, is a relatively easy task. With a good liquid crystal graph, you can actually see the narrow band that indicates the layer separation.

Modern Fish finders display density of objects, as well as changes in density, which makes up a thermocline. The upper warmer layer, is less dense than the cooler bottom layer. It’s this change in density that will show up on an electronic graph, and it looks like a constant, narrow band.

Some lakes are so shallow and windswept that they may never thermocline. These lakes ”roll over” every time you get a decent wind, and the temperature remains relatively consistent from top to bottom, throughout the entire season.

Periods of flat dead calm conditions, combined with the heat of summer, push surface temps into the range of bathwater. But that’s as far as it goes, and will last until the next good wind mixes everything up. What happens then? Do the fish experience the same negative effects that the fall turnover brings? Absolutely not!

It’s not just the fact that a lake will turnover, that causes tough fishing conditions, but more likely due to the rapidly dropping water temperatures. The body temperature of a fish is subject to its environment, and rapid changes in water temp can shut fish down, and it may take some time for their body to adjust.

The turnover usually coincides with the first hard frost of fall, but not always. Some years, the change is so gradual that it becomes difficult to pin down. One of the indicators to look for, is water temperature.

When the surface temperature drops into the lower sixties and upper fifties, you’re in the turnover zone. Walleye activity can range from bad to good, depending on how severe, and how quickly water temps cool off. A gradual slide can make for better fishing. In that case, you can probably continue using presentations that have been effective, like trolling crankbaits and spinners.

Late summer and early fall can be one of the best times to work the shallow rocks with Shad Raps. The Shad Rap is the most effective crankbait for working shallow structure there is. By design, the bait has a perfect fish attracting wiggle, we like great fall colors, like fire tiger and crawfish.

Spinners can remain effective until the temps dip below sixty degrees. Spinners, trolled over sparse weed flats, along deep weed lines, and along any potential fish holding structure, can be extremely productive. While spinners are usually associated with a harness and crawler setup, don’t overlook a spinner and minnow combo. A spinner, with a single long shank hook, is the way to go. The long shank can be run through the mouth of the minnow, out the gill, and slid into the tail, adjacent to the anal vent. This technique will help keep the bait alive, and fresher, much longer than other methods.

If the daytime bite proves to be too tough, or nonexistent, you may have to concentrate your efforts after dark. Spinners trolled over the tops of green weeds, can be surprisingly productive. Besides the top and the deep edge, anglers on a night run should not overlook the inside edge. Walleyes will often move into extremely shallow water, especially at this time of the year. A spinner weighted down with nothing more than a split shot, may be just the ticket for inside ‘eyes.

Another top technique, for fishing after dark, is trolling a shallow running, minnow shaped crankbait, over rock bars, reefs, and shorelines. The key is to keep a bait close to the rocks, without constantly dragging the bottom..

Much of the late summer and early fall action can occur after dark, and even when things get tough, like during the fall turnover, there still might be a few walleyes that will surrender, for anglers willing to give up a little sleep.

Another option, would be avoiding the negative effects of the turnover by trying to find a lake that hasn’t turned yet, or one that already has, and had a week or two to settle down. The first ones to go are the shallow lakes, as they have less mass, and cool quicker than the deeper varieties. There may be as much as two weeks difference, or more, as to when it all begins, and ends.

The final option is to not go at all, but what fun is that? Fishing is fun, even when it’s tough.

Dealing with the fall turnover can prove to be a real challenge, and overcoming tough conditions can be extremely rewarding.

The post Turnover Blues appeared first on Wilderness North.

From the Earth

Roasted Veggies – An IndigenousvTradition to Celebrate the End of the Growing Season

Ingredients

3 pounds assorted root vegetables: carrots, parsnips, celeriac, potatoes, turnips, etc.
¼ cup olive oil
Salt and black pepper
Chopped rosemary, thyme or parsley, plus more for garnish

Preparation

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Peel vegetables (optional) and cut them into 1- to 2-inch chunks, put them in a baking pan and toss with the oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
Put the vegetables in the oven and roast without stirring for 20 minutes, then check. If they look dry and are sticking to the pan, drizzle with more oil. Continue roasting, stirring or turning the vegetables once, for another 20 minutes or so. Stir in the herbs, then return the pan to the oven for another 20 to 40 minutes, until crisp. Remove from the oven. Garnish with rosemary or thyme.

Krista’s Korner is a creation of Krista Cheeseman who with her husband Alan Cheeseman own and operate Wilderness North. Krista’s Culinary Management Certification makes her the perfect match for the foods and meals prepared for Wilderness North guests.

The post Roasted Veggies appeared first on Wilderness North.