WICOLA Videos

WICOLA's Spring Meeting was held on April 29th, 2023.  The gathering of WICOLA's members featured a question & answer session with U.S. Forest Service District Ranger Aaron Kania.

Aaron outline some of the initial stages of a large-scale environmental assessment for the Fernberg corridor and discussed various projects and programs the Forest Service has within the Superior’s Kawishiwi District. Significant portions of our WICOLA Lakes shorelines are Forest Service managed.

Aaron has been the Kawishiwi District Ranger since mid-2020. Prior to coming to the area, he served as a Supervisory Ranger with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in southwestern Utah in addition to many previous wilderness related jobs. He was raised in rural New England where he found his love for the woods and spent time with family exploring the BWCA prior to moving here in 2020.

Minneapolis KARE 11’s Minnesota Bound recently did a story on famous conservationist Sig Olson’s “Listening Point” on Burnside Lake.  WICOLA Board Member & Secretary Sue Duffy joined the team that snowshoed to Sig’s cabin for the story.  She provided her insight on the importance of Sig Olson and the significance of this special location in our northwoods.

The Listening Point is a one-room structure near Ely that author and activist Sigurd Olson and his family put up in the 1950s.  He penned nine books, including a 1958 title called “Listening Point,” but it is a common misperception that the cabin was his writing shack. He never wrote at the cabin – he was too busy fishing, hiking, canoeing and thinking.

“I named this place Listening Point because only when one comes to listen, only when one is aware and still, can things be seen and heard,” he wrote in “Listening Point.”

Learn how to identify and survey for aquatic invasive species in Northeastern Minnesota!

Long term members of WICOLA, Bob and Pat Tammen have been prominent voices in the fight to protect Lake Superior and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from proposed copper-sulfide mines.  For years, the couple explored and enjoyed the BWCA.  They built a life, and a community, around the environment and the clean water of northern Minnesota.

For thousands of years in the Great Lakes Region, Native Americans used fire intentionally to manage the ecosystems they lived in. Now there is a short film, Oshkigin: Spirit of Fire highlighting this deep, reciprocal relationship with the land and the role fire plays in that relationship. This story is told by Ojibwe Wildland firefighters, Fond du Lac elder Vern Northrup and Damon Panek. For more information, please visit: https://minnesotafac.org

Understanding Oshkigin Spirit of Fire A discussion with Vern Northrup and Damon Panek.

Cindy has a Bachelors degree in Tourism & Hospitality, as well as a Masters degree in Sustainable Tourism Development. In her presentation she provides an overview of the mission and work of the tourism bureau, as well as insights into new initiatives.

Tanner Ott, Project Manager for Alley A Realty / Ott Historic Rehab presented recent redevelopment & revitalization projects and previewed future innovative initiatives in Ely, Minnesota to the Ely Tuesday Group. He highlighted various recent restoration projects including Ely's historic State Theater that was originally built in 1936 during the Golden Age of Hollywood in an effort to "Preserve a Strong Sense of Place."

Jeff is author of the book The Forest for the Trees: How Humans Shaped the North Woods.  The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) Coalition was formed to discover, design and maintain a comprehensive plan to prevent additional Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) from flowing into the BWCAW through the Rainy River Headwaters access points. The Coalition grew out discussions between BWCAW recreationalists, sportsmen/anglers and active members of area lake associations.  The purpose of the coalition is to develop the civic imagination, leadership, and infrastructure needed to organize sustainable partnerships between government and community with the capacity to address the complex public policy of Aquatic Invasive Species spread in America's premier water wilderness.

Crown fires kill almost all trees, while surface fires may kill trees by scorching them at the base of the trunk, or by scorching the foliage. Using boreal forests of the BWCAW as examples, we will see what factors determine crown versus surface fire, how surface fires sometimes scar or kill trees, and how fire behavior interacts with and influences the tree species composition of forests.

The Voyageurs Wolf Project was started to address one of the biggest knowledge gaps in wolf ecology: what do wolves do during the summer in forested ecosystems?  With the help of advanced GPS-tracking technology and remote video cameras, the Voyageurs Wolf Project has been able to get an unprecedented look at the summer ecology of wolves in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem in Northern Minnesota.

Paul presents an overview of the Ely-Winton Historical Society and Museum that is located at the Vermillion Community College (VCC) in Ely, MN.  The Society’s mission is to preserve and transmit the history and heritage of the Ely-Winton area.  Paul Colwell, originally from Texas, has experience with historical research, archive management, community relations and social media.  He has a great passion for local history, and is looking forward to helping the Society expand its outreach efforts through social media and other platforms.

WICOLA President Jeff Pike presents accomplishments from the past year with emphasis on water monitoring, AIS awareness & prevention, community involvement and member communication. Bill Bailey, Treasurer, presents financial results from 2020, forecast for 2021 and the benefits of a strong financial position.

David Doniger, the senior strategic director of the Climate & Clean Energy Program of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) presents federal climate policy to the Ely Tuesday Group

Jessica Hellman, the director of the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment and the Ecolab Chair in Environmental Leadership relates federal policy to the Minnesota context, adding commentary on private corporate actions beyond federal policy.

Tanner Ott, Project Manager for Alley A Realty / Ott Historic Rehab presented recent redevelopment & revitalization projects and previewed future innovative initiatives in Ely, Minnesota to the Ely Tuesday Group. He highlighted various recent restoration projects including Ely's historic State Theater that was originally built in 1936 during the Golden Age of Hollywood in an effort to "Preserve a Strong Sense of Place."

Meg Duhr of the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center presented to Lunch with Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness the threats that aquatic invasive species pose to the Boundary Waters.  Paddlers and anglers play an important role in stopping the spread⁠— learn what you can do to ensure you're not spreading spiny water fleas or other invasive species in the Boundary Waters.

Becky presented an update on the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters to Ely's Tuesday Group on June 15, 2021.  The campaign is a coalition effort that has been going on since 2012 to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Quetico Park and Voyageurs National Park from proposed Copper Nickel mining in the headwaters of these great landscapes.

Sherry presented to Ely's Tuesday Group via Zoom on May 11, 2021. Sherry is a "Loon Ranger" and is a volunteer of "LoonWatch"  which monitors and documents loon behavior on loon lakes. LoonWatch is a program of the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute from Northland College in Ashland, WI. LoonWatch protects common loons and their aquatic habitats through education, monitoring, and research. Volunteers are organized to work toward common goals of loon conservation and protection.