Tag Archives: environment

Northshore mercury roundup

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Residents of Silver Bay and Babbitt are invited to turn in their old mercury-laden products and old electronics — free of charge — during two events sponsored by Cliffs Natural Resources’ Northshore Mining operations.

From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today in Silver Bay — and 9 a.m. to noon June 18 in Babbitt — you can drop off the following items from your home, small business or nonprofit organization:

  • Mercury containing fluorescent bulbs, tilt switches, mercury thermometers.
  • Gas range pilot safety shutoffs. Electronic waste accepted includes computers, towers, printers, stereos (but not speakers) cell phones, computer monitors (two each,) TVs (two each,) circuit boards and microwave ovens.

The effort provides a free way for people to safely dispose of items that can be environmentally harmful if not disposed of properly.

The Silver Bay event is at John’s Sanitary, 15 Golf Course Drive. The Babbitt event is at the city recycling bin area on North Drive, under the city water tower.

More Sigurd Olson

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Don’t feel left out, Wisconsin. We haven’t forgotten about you.

The now-Northern Native Plant Sale and Garden Event, an event for flower gardeners the past decade, this year includes speakers, vendors and activities for kids.

The 11th annual sale is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute on the campus of Northland College in Ashland.

Topics to be discussed include northern native plants, of course, fruit and vegetable plants, massage therapy and herbs. The Fish Creek Partnership is in charge of kids’ activities such as folding Curious George-style boats out of newspapers (after the paper has been read cover to cover, we hope) and planting flowers to take home.

St. Louis River events rescheduled

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Food and flowers

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Here’s an opportunity to eat out and do a good turn at the same time.

Grandma’s Saloon & Grill in Canal Park will donate 20 percent of its sales between 11:30 a.m. and closing today to keep Duluth in bloom this summer. The cut of sales will be used to help buy new watering equipment, so the Clean & Safe Team can keep flowers in Duluth’s downtown and waterfront districts looking fine.

Clean and Green will have to wait

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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.