Have you ever wondered just how many black-capped chickadees have been flitting around your feeder? Have you noticed an uncommon number of common ravens on your morning hike? If you would like to help record the number of birds sharing our yards and forests, the 2009 Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) has a wonderful opportunity for you! Both feeder watchers […]
Otis Creek is official
The United States Board on Geographic names has notified Cook County Auditor- Treasurer Braidy Powers that a request to name a stream in Hovland “Otis Creek” has been approved. The 3.6-mile stream starts in Grand Portage State Forest, 1.2 miles northeast of the point where the Flute Reed River enters Chicago Bay of Lake Superior. The creek is named after […]
Mid-Trail citizens express concern over speeding
The county board has received copies of an October 19, 2009 letter to County Engineer Shae Kosmalski from the Mid- Trail Property Owners Association regarding safety on the Gunflint Trail. On behalf of the association, president Robert Hyatt asked the Highway Department to place more signs in the mid-Trail area, including electronic signs that communicate to oncoming drivers how fast […]
Probation violation brings prison term in criminal sexual conduct case
After serving one year of a five-year probation, Timothy J. Thornton II, 21, was remanded to the state correctional facility at St. Cloud on September 24, 2009, where he will serve 48 months. He had pled guilty a year before on one count of 3rd degree criminal sexual conduct with a victim between the ages of 13 and 15 who […]
New picnic site proposed for Poplar Lake island
A new picnic table, fire grate, and latrine may be built on a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources-owned island on Poplar Lake, courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service. Cook County would sign a lease with the DNR for use of the site, which would be maintained by the Poplar Lake Association. The island is called Blueberry/Picnic Island. A May 5, […]
Magney State Park considers purchase of adjacent land
Over 85% of Cook County’s land is government owned, and that percentage may be going up just a little. On Tuesday, November 17, 2009, the county board voted unanimously to support the addition of 120 acres of private land to the boundaries of Judge C.R. Magney State Park (Commissioner Jim Johnson was absent). Tom Kurschner has offered to sell his […]
Caribou Lake water quality checks continue
The quality of the water in Caribou Lake has improved significantly over the last five years, but the county board voted Tuesday, November 17, 2009 to continue monitoring the lake for another five years. An Alternative Urban Area- Wide Review (AUAR), a process for approving development, was approved in 2004 after concerns had been raised regarding a residential development on […]
State requires higher charge for excess water use
Residents of Grand Marais may want to start paying attention to how many gallons of water they are using each month. By January 1, 2013, the Public Utilities Commission will have a higher rate for use that exceeds a certain amount. The City of Grand Marais received notification from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in July 2008 that, […]
Grand Marais continues to fare better in lodging business
Three-quarters of the way into 2009, Grand Marais continues to outpace the West End and the Gunflint Trail in increases over last year’s lodging tax income. The Lutsen-Tofte Tourism Association is down 11.9% from last year. Gunflint Trail Tourism Association businesses that have submitted their third quarter reports show a 9.8% decrease from last year. Grand Marais Area Tourism Association […]