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WICOLA Videos

WICOLA Spring Meeting - 2023
Veterans on the Lake Resort – Ely, MN
April 29, 2023

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.

KARE 11 - Minnesota Bound
-- Sig’s Listening Point – Ely, MN
January 1, 2023

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.”

LAKE COUNTY 2022 AIS SENTRY WORKSHOP
-- 
Liz Anderson,
    Lake County SWCD AIS Program Coordinator
-- Nate Spindler-Krage,
    Conservation Corps Apprentice
July 16, 2022

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

WHY THIS MINER IS WORRIED ABOUT CLEAN WATER
-- BOB TAMMEN, FORMER MINER AND CLEAN WATER ACTIVIST
JUNE 22, 2022

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.

Oshkigin Spirit of Fire
-- Ojibwe Wildland firefighters,
Fond du Lac elder Vern Northrup and Damon Panek

November 15, 2021

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 PANEL DISCUSSION
FOND DU LAC ELDER VERN NORTHRUP AND DAMON PANEK

MARCH 7, 2022

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

Cindy Smyka, Executive Director of the Ely Area Tourism Bureau
-- Tuesday Group:  Ely Tourism

January 4, 2022

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
Alley A Realty / Ott Historic Rehab
Preserving a Sense of Place - Ely, MN
August 3, 2021

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 Forester, Program Manager of the Civic Coalition to Prevent AIS Spread into the BWCAW
-- Tuesday Group:  BWCAW Coalition on AIS

January 25, 2022

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.

Lee Frelich, Director of University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology and an Institute on the Environment Fellow
--Tuesday Group: Forest Fire Behavior & Tree Mortality

December 22, 2021

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.

Thomas Gable, Project Lead
The Voyageurs Wolf Project
-- Understanding the Secret Lives of Wolves in the Northwoods
August 31, 2021

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 Colwell, Manager
Ely-Winton Historical Society and Museum
September 7, 2021

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 Annual Meeting
Jeff Pike, President
Bill Bailey, Treasurer
August 12, 2021

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 & Jessica Hellman
Federal climate policy and its impact to Minnesota
August 10, 2021

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
Alley A Realty / Ott Historic Rehab
Preserving a Sense of Place - Ely, MN
August 3, 2021

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, Research Outreach Specialist
Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center
University of Minnesota
August 11, 2021

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 ROM, NATIONAL CHAIR
CAMPAIGN TO SAVE THE BOUNDARY WATERS
An Update on the Campaign
June 15, 2021

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 ABTS - THE LOON RANGER OF ELY
Loon Phenology
May 11, 2021

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. 

Ranae Hanson, Author
Watershed, Attending to Body and Earth in Distress
May 4, 2021

Having been raised within the White Iron Chain of Lakes (Ely, MN) watershed and witnessed it's distresses, Ranae relates the earth's distress with her personal distress with type 1 diabetes.

An educator and committed climate activist, Ranae Hanson taught writing and global studies at Minneapolis College for thirty-one years.

Dr. Jessica Hellmann
"Talking About Climate"
November 24, 2020

Perspectives on science communication and sustainability planning from a seasoned environmental scientist presented to Ely Tuesday Group on November 24, 2020.  Dr. Hellman provides strategic leadership for the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment's mission-based organization working to help build a future where people and planet prosper together.  Hellmann’s research focuses on global change ecology, climate adaptation and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Krista Harrington
from the International Wolf Center
"Wolves & Wildlands"
September 8, 2020

Krista Harrington from the International Wolf Center presented “Wolves & Wildlands” to the Ely Tuesday Group on September 8, 2020. Krista Harrington is the Interpretive Center Director at the International Wolf Center in Ely, MN. The mission of the International Wolf Center is to advance the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future. This video presentation was produced by the White Iron Chain of Lakes Association (WICOLA) with permission from the Ely Tuesday Group and International Wolf Center.

Dr Euan Reavie
Aquatic Invasive Species - Ballast origins & new science
August 6, 2020

Dr. Reavie presented his program to the White Iron Chain of Lakes Association annual meeting on August 6, 2020. White Iron Chain of Lakes is located just outside of Ely, MN in northern Minnesota on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Dr. Reavie is a Senior Research Associate. Euan and his research team pursue research in applied aquatic studies on freshwater ecosystems, evaluating water quality issues. Routine work focuses on the use of algae as indicators of environmental changes. Their laboratory is fully equipped for research on biological and chemical indicators of water quality, and paleolimnology, the study of environmental trends through the analysis of sediment profiles.

Sherry Abts
The Loon Ranger OF Ely
June 30, 2020

Presentation by Sherry Abts - Ely's Loon Ranger. Sherry presented to Ely's Tuesday Group via Zoom on June 30, 2020. Original presentation was edited and posted to Youtube by WICOLA (White Iron Chain of Lakes Association.) Abts is also a “Loon Ranger.” . The rangers are volunteers who serve as front-line observers, monitoring and documenting loon behavior on loon lakes. They are affiliated with LoonWatch, a program of the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute in Ashland. The volunteers are organized to work toward common goals of loon conservation and protection. Abts, a retired elementary teacher, moved to the Ely area from Georgia in 2010 after retiring from her official teaching position. But the teacher in Abts continues to shine through as she eagerly shares her interest and passion for nature with almost everyone she meets.