Category Archives: Environment

St. Louis River events rescheduled

Posted on by
Reply

The St. Louis River Alliance has rescheduled two events on the river that were rained out recently.

The annual river cleanup set for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday will focus on Clough Island, a designated natural area. Volunteers, especially people with their own boats to get out to the island, are needed.

The alliance’s annual spring canoe and kayak tour has been rescheduled for 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday. The event is free and open to the public, but there’s room for only 20 people. Interested parties must bring their own canoes or kayaks and life jackets.

For more information or to register for either event, call (218) 733-9520 or e-mail slrcac@stlouisriver.org.

Walk for wildflowers

Posted on by
Reply

Hartley Nature Center is kicking off a series of nature walks today that focus on the park’s wildflowers.

Staff members will guide groups through a different section of Hartley Park on walks today, June 12 and July 17, stopping to check on what’s blooming and what birds are singing. They’ll offer tips on how to identify plants, interesting folklore tidbits and point out hidden treasures of Hartley Park.

Meet at the nature building off Woodland Avenue at 6 p.m. and hike until 8 p.m. Cost is $4 for members, $6 for nonmembers and free for kids.

Wednesday is for trees

Posted on by
Reply

Students from Lester Park and Lakewood school forests will help plant tree seedlings Wednesday at Chester Bowl park in Duluth, an area hard-hit by last summer’s flooding.

The plantings are part of a free Minnesota Arbor Month event that’s open to the public. Duluth Mayor Don Ness and Minnesota State Forester Forest Boe are expected to speak about the importance of replacing trees lost in last year’s floods, tornadoes, snowstorms and windstorms. Chester Bowl lost hundreds of trees in the flooding from the June storm.

The event is 12:30-2:30 p.m. and includes demonstrations, music and archery lessons as well as refreshments and information on how, when and where to best plant trees.

Spring cleaning can wait

Posted on by
Reply

Downtown businesses had dry enough weather Tuesday to sweep up the sidewalks in front of their storefronts, but the Greater Downtown Council says it will have to postpone today’s phase 2 project, the Lake Place Park cleanup.

“Apparently, the third time isn’t the charm,” the council said Wednesday in its postponement note, alluding to previous weather-related postponements. “We snuck the Clean Sweep of the sidewalks in yesterday but with snow in the forecast it doesn’t make sense to gather tomorrow.”

The Downtown Council will announce a new date for the Lake Place Park cleanup soon.

Water is art in Superior

Posted on by
Reply

Chloe Anderson of Lake Superior Elementary had the winning artwork.

Some fifth- and sixth-graders in Superior participated in an Earth Day-related art contest held by the city’s Environmental Services Division of Public Works.

The kids’ inspiration? Why they think local waters should be clean and healthy.

The winner and runners-up had their work displayed in the children’s section of the Superior Public Library. They are Chloe Anderson of Lake Superior Elementary School and runners-up Natalie Burkhart, Lake Superior; Tabitha Moore, Northern Lights; Izabel Swanson, Cooper; Ethan Wearing, Northern Lights; and Evan Wearing, Northern Lights.

The six works can be seen on the city’s website and the Superior Stormwater blog.

Time to Clean Sweep downtown

Posted on by
Reply

The weather-delayed Clean Sweep for downtown Duluth is set for today.

The Greater Downtown Council and its Clean and Safe team will join with local businesses at 10 a.m. to clean up in front of downtown buildings. The goal is to sweep dirt, sand and debris onto the edge of the curb, but not into the street, to be picked up later by city crews.

On Thursday the downtown council is sponsoring a community “quick” cleanup of Lake Place Park, also at 10 a.m., with lunch for those who help out at the Inn on Lake Superior.

Still spinning vinyl?

Posted on by
Reply

If you have a turntable and are a collector of the black, round version of polychlorinated biphenyl, the Duluth Public Library has something for you: records.

They still have lots of 33s and 78s leftover from last year’s book sale including classical, pop, world music and other genres.

You can pick the records up today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the main downtown library, 520 W. Superior St.

They are free to a good home, but the library wouldn’t mind a free-will offering.

Clean and Green will have to wait

Posted on by
Reply

Perhaps this goes without saying, but the city of Duluth’s Parks and Recreation Division wants you to know that today’s “Clean and Green 2013” events have been postponed.

That includes Lakeview and Park Point community cleanups.

Postponed until when? Well … when it’s green. The parks people aren’t committing themselves to a specific date.

In the meantime, though, community groups, families, school groups and youth organizations are encouraged to register for a Clean and Green 2013 project. For more information, call Cheryl Skafte, the city’s volunteer coordinator, at (218) 730-4334, or e-mail Jesse Meehl at jmeehl@duluthmn.gov.

Going green

Posted on by
Reply

It’s a green light for the organizational meeting of the new Green Industry Group Twin Ports, a career networking and professional organization for those who work in green industries such as landscaping, gardening, agriculture or landscape architecture.

The meeting is 7:30 a.m. Thursday at Perkins, 2502 London Road in Duluth.

It’s free, includes breakfast and is open to current employers and employees, as well as those who would like to work in green businesses locally.

For more info, contact info@twinportsconnex.com or call Louise Levy at (218) 393-4847. RSVP for the event.

Scoop the poop

Posted on by
Reply

Got plans for celebrating Scoop the Poop Week? Better move quickly — but watch where you step — because it’s coming soon.

The third week in April officially is national Scoop the Poop Week, and city of Superior officials are joining in to remind Northlanders to pick up after their pets.

Leaving pet waste out anywhere can lead to other people or animals stepping in it. And that stuff can wash down into local storm sewers and streams and — eventually — Lake Superior. You’ll be doing us all a giant favor by picking it up immediately.

Several parks in Superior are equipped with a Mutt Mitt dispenser. City Environmental Services Division staff will be out at several locations that week handing out complimentary plastic bag caddies that contain biodegradable bags that clip to your key chain to make it easy to bring bags along on your walks. You could even get a chance to meet Rex, the mascot for the Regional Stormwater Protection Team.

A Superior ordinance requires people to pick up their dogs’ pet waste when on public property or private property not exclusively owned or occupied by the owners of the animal. Call (715) 394-0392.