NEWS RELEASE
Superior National Forest
August 30, 2010, 8:00 am
Lizard Lake Fire – Gunflint Ranger District

Situation Update – Monday, August 30, 2010
The weather Sunday was a mirror image of conditions on Saturday. The winds were strong 10 to 15 miles per hour with gusts to 25 miles per hour, temperatures were warm, and relative humidity was low. Despite this, the fire perimeter remained relatively the same. The overall fire size increased about 6 acres and the total fire area is estimated at 51 acres. The fire is very patchy with islands of unburned vegetation interspersed within the burn. Large water dropping aircraft, CL215s worked the north and east perimeters of the fire again on Sunday and were very effective in containing the spread of the fire in those directions. Weather conditions for Monday are expected to be similar as to what the fire has experienced over the past several days but the relative humidity is expected to be a little higher and there is an increasing chance of precipitation on Monday and Tuesday. The fire did receive some moisture overnight about 0.17 inches, the relative humidity is about 97 percent and winds are light.
Water dropping aircraft will be used again on Monday to cool the northern and eastern perimeter of the fire in preparation for another day of hot, windy weather.

Nature and Cause of Incident
Smoke was spotted on 8/26/10 by USFS fire personnel traveling on the Gunflint Trail. The origin of the fire is believed to be a lightning strike from a thunderstorm 7 – 10 days ago.

Location – Size – Fuels
The fire is in the BWCAW approximately 1 ½ miles north of Long Island Lake; 1 mile south of Dawkins Lake. The size is estimated at 45 acres at this time. Fuels in the vicinity include lowland conifers, tamarack and white spruce.

The fire is not near canoe travel routes and is not a threat to visitor safety or structures. The closest portages are: the Rib Lake to Lower George Lake Portage which is approximately ¾ mile to the west; and the Lower George to Karl Lake Portage which is approximately 1.5 miles to the SW. There are no closures or restrictions in the BWCAW as a result of this fire and none are anticipated.

Management Strategy
Vegetation in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is part of a fire adapted ecosystem. This fire is being managed to allow fire to play its natural role in the wilderness.

Contact Information
For current conditions:

check the Superior National Forest (SNF) web site, www.fs.usda.gov/superior;

SNF Information on Boreal News at: www.boreal.org.;

or call the Gunflint Office at 218-387-1750.

The fire is in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness approximately 1.5 miles north of Long Island Lake and 1 mile south of Dawkins Lake. The fire is less than a quarter acre in size and is currently smoldering on the ground with no open flames. Fuels in the vicinity include lowland conifers, tamarack and white spruce.

According to the USFS the fire is not near canoe travel routes and is not a threat to public safety or structures. The closest portages are Rib Lake to Lower George Lake which is approximately three-quarters of a mile to the west; and Lower George to Karl Lake Portage which is approximately 1.5 miles to the southwest.

The USFS says its current management strategy is to monitor the fire by air over the next several days. ShareThis

This means both inside and outside the BWCA campfires are now allowed.

Tree Planting along the Banadad

and white pines and 100 white spruce trees in previously logged and “blow-down” areas along the eastern end of the Banadad Ski Trail and around Little Ollie Lake. Some 350 trees went into the ground over this past weekend. The remaining trees are planned to be planted during this week by local members of the Association, guests and staff at Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B. As in previous years, the tree planting is a way for the Banadad Trail Association to insure that the maintenance and grooming of the trail remains carbon neutral. Similarly Poplar Creek B&B, in joining with the Association in this project, is seeking to sequester the carbon produced by the use of its vehicles in these new tree

This weekend project was injunction with the Gunflint annual Green-Up.. The year’s event attracted some two hundred participants who in addition to the tree planting along the Banadad began clearing the underbrush, called –releasing’” around trees previously planted during the event in past years.

Greyling Brandt (USFS), Ted Young (BCT), Steve Schug (USFS), Barb Bottger (BTA)

Forest Service Unable To Offer Financial Assistance For Banadad Trail in 2010

Barb Bottger, Gunflint Trail- Jim Morrison, Ted Young and I met with Steve Schug and Greyling Brandt from the Gunflint Ranger District, USFS, on April 23 to discuss the 2010 Banadad Trail Work Plan.  Steve commended the BTA for the excellent report/plan that was submitted and stated that none of the other trail associations they work with have even submitted a plan yet. (Jim Morrison was paged out on a fire call before we took the photo!)

The tough news from Steve was the fact that they have no funds to offer this year.  In past years, the USFS contributed up $1500 toward the maintenance of the Banadad through the Forest Service’s Cost Share program.

Schug said the only aid would come through the Minnesota Conservation Corp crew (MCC) whose budget comes from federal stimulus funds.  The MCC would work on the interior widening project near the Banadad Bridge with the Forest Service providing two canoes for MCC to travel to the work site. The possibility of another MCC crew for some additional work was left open.

Greyling agreed to assist the Association in preparing large trail maps and to provide map display posts and boards (called “bird cages”) for along the trail.

Schug also informed us that the USFS would no longer be able to provide liability insurance for our volunteer trail crews.

According to Ted Young, “Without finance assistance from the USFS we are confronted with about a $2000 deficit in this year’s $9000 projected maintenance budget. (See Trail Plan- section IV. Projects and Plans)

The ice on Poplar Lake went-out on April 6. This  marks the earliest the ice, in recent history, has gone out on Poplar. Prior to this year, the earliest the ice went out was on April 16 in 2005 and 2006. Between 1990 and 2000 the ice went out six times during May with the latest May 22. After the year 2000 the ice has gone out six times in April and only three time in May.

This winter the Banadad Ski Trail closed for the season on March 20. This is the first season since the Trail opened in 1982 that the eastern end of the trail was not ski-able into April.

What does this tells us about what is happening to the Banadad Trail’s Ski Season?