Motorized Trail Use in Lake County is Topic of Meeting in Silver Bay

By Sam Cook, Duluth News-Tribune, Minn.

May 27–A public meeting on proposed motorized trail use in Lake County will be from 6-8:30 p.m. June 12 at the Silver Bay Reunion Hall, 97 Outer Drive, Silver Bay, according to a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources news release. The proposed plan is a collaborative effort between the DNR, Lake County, the Superior National Forest, the Fond du Lac Band and the 1854 Authority in an effort to foster consistency across land ownership.

The DNR proposes to change all state forest lands in Lake County that are within the legal boundaries of the Superior National Forest (northern portion of the Finland State Forest) to a “limited” classification, meaning routes are closed to motorized travel unless posted open. On Finland State Forest lands that lie outside the Superior National Forest boundaries in southern Lake and southwest Cook counties, the DNR proposes to retain a “managed” classification, meaning routes are open unless posted closed.

Written comments, questions, or requests for copies of the planning documents should be directed to Brian McCann, DNR Trails & Waterways, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155-4052; e-mailing McCann at brian.mccann@dnr.state.mn.us; or by calling toll-free (888) 646-6367.

Streams, ponds stocked with trout

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has stocked Duluth-area streams and ponds with trout, as the agency does each May. The primary purpose of the stocking is to provide fish for kids to catch, said Deserae Hendrickson, DNR area fisheries supervisor at French River.

Here’s a list of streams and ponds with the number of fish each received:

Brook trout — Chester Creek, 320 yearlings; East Branch Chester Creek, 150; Kingsbury Creek, 465; Lester River, 800; and Tischer Creek, 600.

Brown trout — Kingsbury Creek, 600; Midway River, 1,000; Otter Creek, 1,000; Hartley Pond, 560; and Chester Bowl pond, 500.

Rainbow trout — Upper Twin Ponds pond, 400.

At six of those locations, elementary school students from nearby schools helped stock the fish and learned about trout habitat and ecology. The Arrowhead Fly Fishers Club provided volunteers and money for transportation to get the students involved.

Free fishing weekend set

Wisconsin’s Free Fishing Weekend is June 2-3, according to a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources news release. Residents and nonresidents of all ages may cast a line without having a fishing license or trout or salmon stamps. All other regulations such as length and bag limits apply.

In conjunction with Free Fishing Weekend, the Les Voigt State Fish Hatchery in Bayfield and the Brule River State Fish Hatchery in Brule will open their doors Saturday for tours, games and other activities.

Fly fishers plant trees

Thirteen members of the Arrowhead Fly Fishers Club teamed with U.S. Forest Service biologists at Grand Marais last weekend to plant 1,500 Norway and white pines near Mink and Kimball lakes, said Amy Wilfahrt, U.S. Forest Service biologist with the Gunflint Ranger District.

The pines all were planted in the lakes’ riparian zones, within 100 feet of the water’s edge. One thousand of the trees were planted near Kimball Lake, and 500 were planted near Mink. Kimball is stocked with rainbow and brown trout; Mink with rainbows and splake. The trees will improve water quality and habitat for the fish, Wilfahrt said.

“We plant them because it’s a source of shade, and eventually it will provide large, coarse, woody debris in the lakes,” she said.

Shade keeps the water cool, and when the old trees fall into the lake, they provide food for macro-invertebrates, Wilfahrt said.

Fly-fishing club volunteers from fourth-graders to those in their 80s took part, said Len Anderson, president of the Duluth-based Arrowhead Fly Fishers Club.

“You gotta give back,” Anderson said. “When you get an opportunity to plant trees in a riparian area — if they’re there for my grandkids and beyond, that’s why I do it.”

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Copyright (c) 2007, Duluth News-Tribune, Minn.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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