Jewels of Lake Superior

To paraphrase the words of John Muir, Lake Superior was calling and we just had to go.  September is usually the busy month of my seasonal job, so October tends to be the time we have to plan camping adventures before winter arrives, and really what better time of year than October?  It is probably my favorite month of the year with mild weather, autumn colors, and the fall harvest.

We planned a pretty significant camping trip to Lake Superior which required a 5 hour drive and a ferry ride to reach our final destination.  However, we did not have to leave Wisconsin to get there. Wisconsin has two peninsulas that jut out into the Great Lakes- one is Door County (the thumb of WI) in Lake Michigan, our neighboring county to the east that we frequent.  The other is the Bayfield Peninsula in Lake Superior, in northwest Wisconsin.  Lake Superior gets its name from the French Lac Supérieur, which simply means the upper lake (not the "best" lake, but I would imagine that is arguable).  The native Ojibwe people call the lake kitchi-gami, or the "great sea".  Despite a couple of previous visits to the Michigan UP, this was my first real trip "Up North" to see the sights of northern Wisconsin; plus Apostle Islands National Lakeshore was on our bucket list, and worth an in-state visit to commemorate the National Park Service centennial this year.

We took the day off on Friday and hit the road for Bayfield- the leaves in north central Wisconsin were very beautiful and close to peak.  We stopped on the way at Minoqua (pronounced MIN ock wah) to have lunch and a beverage at Minoqua Brewing Company.  The first stop in Bayfield was the National Park Service Headquarters to get oriented to the Apostle Islands.  The National Lakeshore is one of only four in the country (we have visited one other at Pictured Rocks in the UP of Michigan).  After the NPS office, we made a quick run through the booths of  the 55th Annual Bayfield Apple Fest- a really big deal in this town of only 500!- and worked our way to the dock to meet our Apostle Island Cruises vessel Island Princess.  The weather was overcast, cool, and a little windy, but it seemed the trip was on as planned.  We donned gloves, hats, long underwear and whatever else we had as far as clothing for the trip.  The planned cruise route would take us around several islands, including the Raspberry Island Lighthouse. Unfortunately, the waves had been predicted to settle but were still pretty rough- as we headed out further into Lake Superior, we were cresting waves that were about 5 feet high.  "Nothing the boat can't handle," claimed the captain, but we had to cut the tour short by about an hour due to the weather and missed some of the sites on the tour.  We did see lots of bald eagles and beautiful scenery.  

Upon returning to the mainland, we picked up the car and loaded onto the Madeline Island Ferry for the 2.5 mile boat ride to Madeline Island (a spiritual center for the Ojibwe people).  Madeline Island is the only one of the 21 Apostle Islands that is inhabited currently- about 300 people living on the island year round.  In the wintertime, they actually bring in engineers and maintain an ice road between Bayfield and Madeline Island so the ferry does not run during the coldest months (also: the tour guide mentioned that the ice road is considered an extension of Rt. 13, so your insurance DOES cover you to drive the 2.5 mile stretch over ice!).  Madeline Island is not part of the National Lakeshore, but it is home to Big Bay State Park, our camping destination.  Upon exiting the car ferry, we stopped at the Beach Club restaurant/bar for Lake Superior whitefish Friday night fish fry... because on Fridays in Wisconsin, you eat fish even when you are stuck an island.  Then it was off to set up the campsite in the dark and turn in.

Apostle Islands Cruises- lots of sandstone and eagles (and a small craft advisory)

On Saturday morning, we did some sightseeing around Big Bay State Park, including some scenic views and a 4 mile loop hike along the beach (Big Bay Sand Spit and Bog State Natural Area) and back around the lagoon.  The hike ended up being a bit nerve-wracking because there were several signs posted stating that a sow bear with multiple cubs (bears are actually very common in the area- the islands have the highest bear to land area density in the US, including Alaska where they have more space to spread out) had been see along the trail and could be aggressive.  Turns out we did not see any bear (or even any sign), but I spent some of the hike in the more remote brushy sections singing, just in case.

Big Bay State Park

Big Bay Lagoon

After our hike, we took a ride into La Pointe, which is the only town on Madeline Island and a former booming fur trading post, to look around in a few shops, grab some lunch, and check in for our Adventure Vacations boat tour the next day.  La Pointe is small, but of course very touristy.  Given that it was Apple Fest, many folks were just coming out for a few hours and heading back to Bayfield.  We had sandwiches at Granpa Tony's for lunch and headed back to the campsite to get cleaned up. Next up was a out-and-back hike on the 1.5 mile Bay View Trail during the late afternoon where we enjoyed the beautiful views of the state park shoreline.  Dinner consisted of campers pies over the fire (pepperoni pizzas and apple pies) and a s'more for dessert.  I heard a barred owl calling at dusk very close by, which I had also heard that morning while I was still in the tent.  The next thing we knew, the owl flew over to the edge of our campsite and perched on a branch and its partner joined him/her a few seconds later!  It was pretty neat to hear them calling right next to us, and to see the pair together.  They got all fired up and headed off into the night.  We stuck by the fire to keep warm a little while longer after a light rain started to fall before hitting the hay.  Some very large raccoons were laying in wait to raid our campsite for crumbs upon our retiring for the night.

 Big Bay Campground- also a favorite for red squirrels, barred owls, and big raccoons!

Along the Bay View Trail

On Sunday morning, we packed up the campsite and headed back to La Pointe to catch the ferry to return to the mainland.  We also had some time built in to revisit Apple Fest to buy local cider, apples, and blueberry wine before getting ready for our boat and kayak tour of the islands.  We were originally scheduled to take tour on Saturday afternoon while we were staying on Madeline Island, but the waves were still pretty rough and the trip had to be rescheduled due to weather.  Luckily, Sunday was a much nicer (and warmer) day anyway, and we were able to work it out with our plans.

Car ferry heading in to dock in Bayfield

Our captain, Nick, picked us up at the private marina in Bayfield along with another couple from Illinois and took us on a 5 hour private tour of the islands, which included a stop at the Fedora shipwreck, time to walk around outside the Raspberry Island Lighthouse (which is closed for the season), kayaking the sea caves of Sand Island, a 1 mile hike through old growth forest on Sand Island to the Sand Island Lighthouse, and a stop at the Manitou Island Fish Camp.  The tour was excellent and really allowed us to see the islands and get out and walk around on a few as well.  The islands are really much bigger than they seem (they are flooded mountains- some pretty decent elevation for Wisconsin!)- our tour took us on a nearly 30 mile journey.  I did not realize that most of the islands had been inhabited (even farmed, logged) by settlers prior to their incorporation into the National Lakeshore relatively recently in 1970.  It was amazing to get up close and personal with the sea caves in the kayak (one of the big draws in winter when in some years you can walk to some of the mainland caves on the ice), but also a little scary because there were 2-3 foot waves in some of the unprotected areas that made paddling the kayak a little harrowing; really, it was not as bad as it seemed in the moment.  We had inflatable kayaks due to the close quarters on the boat, which were actually quite stable and easy to maneuver even with some wave action. We got a little wet from splashing and getting in and out of the kayak, but the water did not seem all that cold despite the fact that it should have been in the 40s.

The hull of the Fedora shipwreck (right down the middle of the photo).  In 1901, it burned to the water line and remains well preserved in 10 feet of cold Superior water

 Raspberry Island Lighthouse, restored about 10 years ago but no longer in service

Kayaking the Sand Island sea caves!

 Sand Island Lighthouse- built from local sandstone.  Sand Island used to support a village of around 100 people with a store, post office, and school.  Now it is part of the National Lakeshore.

After returning to the marina, we drove about 30 minutes south to the nearest (relatively) large populous of not quite 10,000 in the City of Ashland.  Ashland is dubbed at the gateway to the Apostle Islands at the base of the Bayfield Peninsula.  Side note: Our boat captain Nick is an EMT on Madeline Island, so Scott asked him what happens if someone has a heart attack (answer: ambulance goes on the carferry to Bayfield, drive 30 minutes to Ashland to the hospital).  Ashland used to be quite the shipping center back in the day (hence all the lighthouses in and around the islands), and had an old iron ore dock just like up in Marquette.  We had a delicious dinner at the Deep Water Grille and South Shores Brewing Company, and settled in at the Best Western-Hotel Chequamegon right on Chequamegon Bay.  The hotel itself was built in the 1980s, but it is modeled after the original Hotel Chequamegon which burned down (twice), so it is very antique-y inside with big windows and nice views of the bay (our room viewed the parking lot).

Monday morning (and another day off) meant it was time to start heading home.  We visited the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center to check out the free exhibit gallery/museum and viewed the Ashland Breakwater Lighthouse before hitting the road for Green Bay.  We of course had to make a stop for beer, so Sawmill Brewing Company in Merrill was a great opportunity to pick up Culver's for lunch and have a private tasting during a carry in lunch at the brewery.  Scott especially liked the sawmill theme- the building is an old Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources station that has been extensively renovated.  Perfect way to round out a fantastic trip!

Ashland Breakwater Light- no longer accessible by breakwater so this is as close as you can get without a boat.

New Ashland mural depicting the Apostle Island National Lakeshore- awesome!

"A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature." - Henry David Thoreau

Manitou ("Spirit" in Ojibwe) Island

   

Adopt-a-Sturgeon

I received an email at work asking for volunteers to help with a Saturday open house event at the C.D. "Buzz" Besadny Anadromous Fish Facility (BAFF) in Kewaunee.  Buzz Besadny was a career biologist with the Wisconsin Dept of Natural Resources and key conservation player in Wisconsin, AND I just learned that he also was a former president of The Wildlife Society (1974-75)!  I had been interested in checking out the facility, so what better day than open house when I can help with the stations in addition to exploring?  Scott was working on Saturday presenting at a forestry field day landowner workshop, so he was already booked.

The weather report was for potential rain, but relatively mild temperatures.  Once I got out of the city, the 35 minute morning drive to Kewaunee was enjoyable through all the farmland.  I arrived at the facility and got right to my station:  Adopt-a-Sturgeon.  Now, this isn't an adoption where you get to pick out a fish and take it home- it's a fundraiser for the Algoma-Kewaunee Area Great Lakes Sportfishermen that allows you to "adopt" or support a lake sturgeon that was tank-reared at the facility and release it into the Kewaunee River, and ultimately Lake Michigan.

Lake sturgeon are very long-lived, prehistoric fish- they can survive to 50-100+ years of age and can get very large- up to 10 feet long and several hundred pounds!  Sturgeon were common in the Great Lakes and Mississippi drainage where they had the space to get large, but faced many challenges over the last century or so. They were overfished in the past (i.e., fish were removed from the fishery at a greater rate then they can replace themselves), have low reproductive capacity (15 years to maturity for males, 20-25 years for females; spawn every ~4 years), resulting in severe decline.  Habitat loss and accessibility to their spawning grounds in streams and rivers served as additional habitat challenges.  Today, reintroduction programs have increased the population and there is not only a hook-and-line season for sturgeon in September in Wisconsin, but also a winter spearing season on Lake Winnebago.

The term "anadromous" (ah NAD ro mus) is used to describe fish that migrate from the sea (or a huge inland lake) to streams and rivers to spawn.  In addition to sturgeon, some salmon also use this breeding strategy in the Great Lakes system.  The advantage is that you can return to your natal stream to contribute to the longevity of the species there, and set your offspring up with a safer environment with lots of places to hide.  The problem is that with dams and other human structures, safe passage to the spawning grounds has become more problematic.  BAFF actually has a small dam (to prevent the passage of invasive species upriver) and a fish ladder that allows the passage of fish, such as salmon over/through the barrier.  It also provides opportunity for fish to be collected at the site for egg/sperm collection for tank-rearing.  The sturgeon are raised on-site in a streamside facility and are released just below the dam.  This way the fish learn that the Kewaunee River is home.

The dam includes a spillway so it does not encourage fish to jump.  Fish have to use the ladder or the bypass channel.  This way, fish can be  directed for collection/monitoring and invasives (e.g., sea lamprey from Lake M) can be kept from passing.

So, back to our sturgeon adoption.  Visitors could give a $5 donation to "adopt" a fish, which they would select from a holding tank.  They would assist with scanning the pre-inserted passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag with a reader (basically the same microchip your dog or cat may have), and then send the fish down a slide into the Kewaunee River.  After the release, each participant would receive their adoption certification with their fish's length and weight at release, plus the PIT tag number, so they can look it up online down the road and see if it has been caught at all by an angler or during a fisheries population survey.  It really surprises the kids to hear that the fish may survive throughout most of their life.  They kids also really like the fish slide.

Selected, scanned, and ready for release

I helped throughout the station where help was needed (including damage control and IT support after a power outage!), but my main job was scanning for the PIT tag.  The kids also got a kick out of this since I scan the fish like at the grocery store and a big long number pops up on the screen.  I got to meet lots of great folks at the station from both the Fisherman organization and my Wisconsin DNR compatriots in the Fisheries Management Bureau.  It started to rain near the end of the day, but all in all, over 100 sturgeon were adopted.  Portions of the adoption proceeds come back to pay for the PIT tags and support the sturgeon rearing program.

I had a great time volunteering, and even got a "free" lunch at the concession for helping!  I learned a lot about sturgeon and got to send my own little adopted dinosaur off into the depths to hopefully cruise Lake Michigan for a long, long time.
 

 Ready for the slide into the Kewaunee River!

Check out this 2012 news article about the 125 year old Wisconsin record holder sturgeon tagged in the Wolf River/Lake Winnebago system, just west of Green Bay.  Amazing!!  I hope to make it out there this spring to see the sturgeon spawn- a big pastime in the area. Or maybe by late April everyone has a mighty case of cabin fever....