Trillium in Bloom

It’s a very cool and rainy second half of Saturday in the Keweenaw. Our hot and dry conditions ended with a vengeance this past week as we picked up nearly two and a half inches of rain Wednesday night. There were fewer adventures this past week as I was very focused on township related activities.

The week would start with a 3,000-yard swim at MTU. We then turned over the cabin for our in-coming Airbnb guests. I then had the opportunity to contact Carly Graff with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources who replaced Jeff Kakuk who retired earlier this year. We discussed the rail-trail’s Pike River bridge which the Recreation Committee is interested in decking, but we need to understand how much latitude the township has to act on this given our new maintenance agreement with the MDNR. Carly indicated she would be riding down to Lansing with Ron Yesney later in the week and would discuss this with him along with finding out if the MDNR would have a position on drawing water out of the lake for a splash pad.

That afternoon, I would go to Houghton to meet up at the Omega House in Houghton with Mike Lutz, Kim Green (who had invited me), Cynthia Drake, and Mark Roberts to scope out the potential layout for a trail on land where the Omega House is contemplating the establishment of a meditative trail.

Tuesday morning I would meet with Kris Nault (a Fisheries Biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources) and Casey Huckins (Biological Sciences Department Chair at Michigan Technological University) along with Brian Waters and Steve Spahn from the Chassell Recreation Committee to discuss the potential brook trout restoration project on Hamar Creek. We examined Hamar Creek from just above US 41 to just above where it enters into Pike Bay which is part of Portage Lake.

Sand and silt washed into the stream by the 2018 Fathers Day flood have severely damaged the brook trout spawning habitat below US 41 as the cobble in the stream has been covered. Two of the three culverts under the rail-trail are plugged with material which has limited the stream flow and, a short distance below the rail-trail, the accumulation of material has caused the stream to become braided; as a result, the flow through the original stream channel lacks the velocity to scour the streambed and maintain appropriate spawning conditions. We will continue to work with Casey on a proposal for a project to be completed by MTU students to address the point where braiding occurs to be reviewed by Kris and then we would seek necessary permitting by the Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) agency. We were heartened to see keeper size brook trout where the creek was not impacted by the silting.

Tuesday night we would attend the annual meeting for the Peter Wolfe Chapter of the North Country Trail. On the front end of the meeting, I would share video collages from seven of the nine years that Julie and I have met the Hike 100 Challenge. You can find this playlist on the Remote Workforce Keweenaw YouTube channel at this link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYRnNRJtf4m_287HyR2a2EruryNuo77E3 During the meeting’s program we heard from Steven Garner who recently skied across the Upper Peninsula largely on the North Country Trail. You can learn about Steven’s adventure on Facebook at this link: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008384597092

Wednesday morning, I would take a pass on swimming to attend the Keweenaw Chamber’s breakfast meeting at the Bonfire in Houghton. I had a nice opportunity to catch up with Stephen Bosio who runs the Bosio Biscuit Company in Tapiola. There would be a very informative set of presentations put on by representatives of the Copper Island Academy, Virtual Education Academy, Keweenaw CAPE, and the Copper Country Intermediate School District. From there, I met up with members of the Chassell Historical Organization board of directors at the Chassell Heritage Center to discuss our strategy for moving forward with the grant from the Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission that will help us heat the Heritage Center’s basement to prevent further heaving and to heat the former shop classroom which we plan to renovate into additional exhibit space. I spent the middle part of the day reaching out to contractors and then got out for a 4-mile run on the rail-trail at an 8:37/mile pace. In the evening, I attended the Chassell Township Board meeting where I would report out for the Planning Commission on a number of topics, including: deferral of the splash pad project as we seek input from state regulatory agencies on whether or not it will be possible to pull water from the lake; briefing on our meeting with the DNR and MTU on the Hamar Creek brook trout restoration project; setting forth the early summer and late summer action items for Misslitz Field (and gaining their approval to get estimates for their approval for a snow fence along the ravine outside of third base to catch foul balls, replacing the stairs from the parking area up to the field, and acquiring a batting cage); discussing the need for a toilet at the Sturgeon River Launch (gaining their approval to place an accessible toilet there once the launch is placed in the water for the season); briefing them on my discussion with Carly Graff with the MDNR on how best to proceed with needed improvements to the rail-trail’s Pike River bridge; briefing them on MDOT’s progress on removing rail from the corridor between Arnheim and Chassell; and discussing a potential path for moving the bicycle skills park project forward (gaining their approval to seek crowd funding if our alternative source for matching funds from the recreation millage does not work out).

Thursday, I would attend a Friendly Marina Development webinar put on by the state’s Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) agency which was well timed given our upcoming meeting to discuss permitting requirements with Matt Lubejko from EGLE. Afterwards, I would get out on the Chassell Fitness Trail for a 3.1-mile hike with Julie and our friends Sue and Ardith. The view of the stream from the high bridge was particularly beautiful. You can see it on the Remote Workforce Keweenaw YouTube channel at this link: https://youtube.com/shorts/rrXTpjCk1r4?si=JJqxJyqW1wOz30Hb

The emerging foliage was particularly eye-popping with its bright green color. We stopped at all of the fitness stations along the way but also took a side hike to Hamar Creek Falls.

Afterwards we would make a stop at the Chassell Heritage Center and then I would run to a Chassell Recreation Committee meeting where the bicycle skills park, Misslitz Field, and the marina development webinar would dominate our discussion.

Friday would start with a 3,200-yard swim at MTU and then I would head down to the North Country Trail with our friend Mark to help him with trail maintenance on the Peter Wolfe Chapter’s segment 14 to the west of Old Victoria. There were three places where trees needed to be chainsawed from the trail with one being particularly large that fell right down the center of the trail. We also put the loppers to good use and removed fallen branches from the trail. The trillium was beautifully in bloom along with the marsh marigolds which helped to make up for the roughly twenty blackfly bites that I received on my forehead.

You can get an idea about our experience on the Remote Workforce Keweenaw YouTube channel at this link:

After returning home, I had enough daylight left to cut the grass ahead of our next Airbnb guests arriving from Minneapolis. Before turning in, I noted that the northern lights were active and gave them a heads up to check them out.

Before the rain moved in mid-afternoon today, we got out with the Chassell Lions Club this morning to pick up trash along US 41 from Massie Road to Halfmoon Beach Road. There were fourteen of us out doing the clean-up that was coordinated by Julie. Here is Julie with our friends Steve, Carol, and Mat at the Lions Club storage at Centennial Park as we were wrapping up.

I slipped in a 4-mile rail-trail run at a leisurely 8:49/mile pace just ahead of the rain.

Do you embrace winter and have the ability to work remotely? Consider locating in the Keweenaw where you will find ubiquitous natural beauty, no congestion, and lower crime! Not sure? Come UP for a workcation to check it out! Learn how at Visit Keweenaw at https://www.visitkeweenaw.com/plan/trip-ideas-itineraries/workcations/ Visit Remote Workforce Keweenaw at https://remoteworkforcekeweenaw.com. Learn about those making the decision to locate here by following the Remote Workforce Keweenaw Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RemoteWorkforceKeweenaw.