A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
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While waiting for the warmth and blooming of summer to arrive, a great way to fill the in-between season is spring camping. There may be mud and cool temps to deal with, but there are lots of perks. A major benefit to vernal camping is the lack of crowds. While you may encounter a few other hardy souls, most people are not yet in the frame of mind to sleep outdoors. My camping buddy Keith and I are tenters. Tenting is a great way to immerse yourself in your surroundings. It can be vigorous and...
A hidden gem in Carlton County is getting some attention thanks to two vital grants. The Little Net River is a scenic trout stream near Holyoke. Starting in the Nemadji State Forest, the river flows north toward Lake Superior. The river cuts through some of the wildest parts of Carlton County, confined by steep forested banks. The combination of steep banks and unstable soils have led to some erosion problems, especially where roads cross this wild river. The Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program recently awarded the Carlton Soil...
This past week, while browsing my wife’s hometown newspaper, The Northern Star in Clinton, Minnesota, I came across a column by Lois Torgerson. In it she had this paragraph, which was just too good not to share. “A fellow was asked how his gardening skills had improved since the quarantine. He quickly answered: I planted myself on the couch and I’ve grown considerably.” I, for one, am sick of the couch and with the warmup outside, the itch to plant needs to be scratched now. With spring upon us and the advent of warmer weather, gardene...
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture and partner organizations are planning to tackle gypsy moth infestations this spring at 13 sites across the eastern part of the state, including a large area around Esko. Gypsy moths are ranked among America's most destructive tree pests. The insect has caused millions of dollars in damage to forests as it has spread from New England to Wisconsin in recent decades. Gypsy moth caterpillars can defoliate large sections of forest. The pests are common in...
The St. Louis River opens in Jay Cooke State Park as warm temperatures visit the Northland in this photo taken late in the day Friday, March 5 by local photographer and retired doctor Dana Malkovich. "We're lucky to have such a nice park so close to home," Malkovich said, adding that the park is a great place to go for a hike on a warm afternoon. "The trails, however, can be icy. It would be wise to have some kind of traction like spikes on your boots," he cautioned....
I twisted and pulled at the icy bags scattered along the bottom of our basement chest freezer in mid-February. The Minnesota winter had proven mild until that week. Bone-chilling winds pummeling the house convinced me to hunker in place, forgoing my weekend pursuit of fish trapped below the ice. I turned my attention to the fish encapsulated deep in the freezer. A midwinter fish fry seemed like the perfect way to protest our weeklong frigid reality. I scooped up the first bag of fish and turned...
Editor's note: A couple weeks ago, Pine Knot News columnist Annie Dugan received a text from Wrenshall resident Dale Wolf about a flock of ravens in his backyard. He provided her with his growing birding story. Six winters ago I returned home to find a cottontail rabbit had been hit near my driveway. I put it out in my backyard, thinking a fox or coyote would retrieve it within a few nights. I came in and fixed myself some tea. I was amazed to see that in only 15 minutes there were two ravens...
The deadline to remove fish houses from northern Minnesota lakes is March 15. The removal deadline in the southern two-thirds of the state was March 1. Anyone caught leaving litter — including any part of a fish house — on a lake may be cited for littering by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. If shelters aren’t removed by the deadline, owners will be prosecuted and structures may be confiscated and removed or destroyed. After the deadline, fish houses may still be on the ice if they are occupied between midnight and one hour befor...
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will host a virtual public input meeting from 6-7:30 p.m. on March 11 about potential trail modifications within the Fond du Lac State Forest in Carlton County. Fond du Lac State Forest recreational trails are popular among off-highway vehicle users, hunters and cross-country skiers. Current trail opportunities include approximately 37 miles of OHV trails, 18 miles of cross-country ski trails and 11 miles of hunter walking trails. Potential trail modifications will be considered for both motorized...
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has suspended winter ATV use on 99 miles of groomed, shared-use trails in the Nemadji and St. Croix state forests, including the Matthew Lourey State Trail due to warming temperatures. The Gandy Dancer State Trail, forest roads and nongroomed trails remain open....
Not everyone was catching fish during Saturday's Kingdom Builders Ministries Fishing Derby, but with blue skies, sunshine and temperatures above 20 degrees at last, who cared? Not Cloquet's Steve Hamlin, who'd been sitting next to a hole in the ice at Chub Lake for more than two hours without a nibble. And not brothers Mike and Gabe Dusek, who were tucked in a nearby tent, gazing through a large Christmas-tree-shaped hole in the ice to the bottom of the lake. "We're just here to goof off and hav...
Kingdom Builders Ministries will hold its fifth annual ice fishing derby 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20 on Chub Lake. Tickets will be sold on the ice, at $25 for adults, $10 for kids age12 and under. There will be $3,000 worth in prizes; from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., every fish wins a prize, and there will be raffle items on the ice too. Concessions provided by Holy Smokes....
Oh no, did someone get stuck upside down in a snowbank or is that a pair of frozen pants in the yard? At least one Cloquet home had fun with the recent cold snap, freezing a pair of jeans — and shoes to boot — outside the residence at 14th Street and Doddridge Avenue. Photo by Jana Peterson / Pine Knot News...
With indoor venues closed for several months, my outdoor companion, Keith, and I have ramped up our birdwatching adventures. We have noticed an increase in birders as others flock to the northeast region of the state seeking the secret spots where others have recorded great sightings. We have been birding casually for several years, driving and gawking around the region. The great gray owl is a fun find, and we count on seeing at least one every winter when they are easier to spot in leafless...
We're in a deep freeze. It's beautiful: a bit windy, but gloriously sunny with ample snow. Yet not snowbound. This stretch is a skier, skater and morning walker's heaven. Walking this Tuesday morning with my neighbor and long-time walking partner June Collman, we compared notes on preparation. Suiting up is a process. Thick handknit wool socks, woven legwarmers, two pairs of long johns, snow pants. Bog boots or hiking boots. A thick pair of mittens covered by mitts, and a third inner layer of...
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is again establishing deer population goals in several deer permit areas north and west of Cloquet and Duluth (181, 199, 132, 178, and farther north). Beginning next week it will welcome public input on the subject. The online input process begins Feb. 8 and runs through Feb. 28. To take a look, visit www.dnr.state.mn.us/mammals/deer/manage ment/population.html...
Minnesotans know of many ways to enjoy the snow. They eat it, throw it, build with it, slide on it and jump into it. A favorite way that my outdoor companion Keith and I enjoy the frozen precipitation is to strap snowshoes to our boots and walk on it. Snowshoeing can be an affordable and spontaneous outdoor activity that allows you to explore areas with deep snow by "floating" on top. As many parents and teachers know, a great way to play outside and introduce a fun physics lesson to kids is by...
It appears there's a male moose loose in the city of Cloquet, or rather the woods surrounding it. Earlier this month, a handful of residents spotted the large antlered animal not far from Armory Road in Cloquet and shared their stories on Facebook. On Friday, the moose posed for a few photos on a trail cam south of Pine Valley. The owner of the trail cam shared the photos - and at least one past moose story - with the Pine Knot News, but declined to be identified because she doesn't want people...
After a surge of visitors brought an increase in litter and damage to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness last year, officials are taking steps to head off similar problems this year. The Superior National Forest in northern Minnesota announced Friday that because of the pandemic, it once again will offer alternatives to issuing wilderness permits in-person. But in a change from last year, it’ll require people acquiring their permit online to watch three leave-no-trace education videos and review BWCAW rules before they receive their p...
Minnesota wolves are managed solely by state and tribal authorities after a change effective Jan. 4. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Oct. 29 that it would remove the wolf from the federal endangered and threatened species list, which directed control to the state. The DNR will continue to manage gray wolves in compliance with state statute and the Minnesota wolf management plan. The plan, completed in 2001, ensures the long-term survival of wolves and identifies strategies to resolve conflicts between wolves and humans. Delisting...
While there is a little rime ice versus hoar frost debate going on about the county's white winter coat last week, everyone could agree on one thing: it was spectacular. Cloquet photographer Amy Louhela marveled at the scenes as she and son Tristan drove around snapping photos of trees covered in a thin layer of frost Saturday, while plentiful sledders and parents focused more on fun at Cloquet's Pinehurst Park that afternoon....
Youth hockey players choose teams for an afternoon shinny game on the new and improved outdoor rink behind the Pine Valley Ice Arena Dec. 16. Members of the Cloquet Area Hockey Association and even some high school students tore down the old boards and dug up the ground below the rink this summer to create a bigger and better rink. Although the rink was the first to be frozen and ready for skaters, city parks staff have flooded the rinks at Pinehurst Park, Athletic Park and Sunnyside. Parks...
Jeff Humphrey (Cromwell) assisted at the Jay Cooke State Park muzzleloader deer hunt. Hunters were enjoying the weather and conditions with many reporting seeing and taking deer. Humphrey also patrolled Moose Lake State Park and found lots of activity. Several people were contacted for not having vehicle permits and allowing dogs off-leash. Humphrey checked ice anglers on several area lakes. Some crappies and bluegills were seen. Ice thickness varied from 3 to 6 inches. Scott Staples (Carlton) also worked the muzzleloader hunt at Jay Cooke, whe...
Beware of thin ice, cold water It’s that time of year already. Ice is starting to form on lakes and rivers in Northern Minnesota. Now is a good time to refresh yourself on ice safety recommendations, courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. -Prepare for a potential fall into cold water. Cold water immersion is more likely to end in a drowning rather than hypothermia. Wearing a life jacket is your key to survival; it can keep your head above water and give you the time to get out of the water or ice safely. Bring safety e...
Reports from area Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conservation officers: Jeff Humphrey (Cromwell) continued to follow up on deer season calls and investigations involving deer baiting, trespassing, shooting from the road, unlawful party hunting, and lending or borrowing licenses. Humphrey also assisted neighboring officers with investigations. Hunters continued to report mixed results. Several camps expressed concern about the number of wolves and coyotes in the area. Violations included hunting deer with the aid/use of bait,...
