WTIP Outdoor News Podcast

A severe thunderstorm with heavy rain swept across northern Minnesota on Tuesday, Jun. 18, significantly damaging roads and impeding travel within the BWCA and Superior National Forest.  On the Gunflint Trail, some motorists were trapped by fallen trees. In addition, there was extensive flooding and washouts across county roads and highways in the area. A search and rescue effort took place in the...

Many migratory birds have returned to the Great Lakes and northern regions of Minnesota in recent weeks.  In this week's Outdoor News Podcast, host Kalli Hawkins speaks with Steve Kolbe, an avian ecologist with the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) at the University of Minnesota- Duluth about the spring migration and what researchers are noticing given the early arrival of spring along t...

The Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the Minnesota Department of Transportation worked closely to install dual language river signage along Highway 61 stretching from Grand Marais to the Canadian border. On Thursday, May 16 a ceremonial unveiling event for one of the signs was held at the Devil Track River, east of Grand Marais.  In this week's episode, Erik Redix, the Ojibwe and e...

Superior National Forest officials recently announced an update to a forest order for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) requiring that all food, food containers and scented items be safely stored to help prevent bear-human interactions. The release of the updated BWCAW forest order created a stir in numerous media outlets and online communities.  In this episode, podcast host Kalli...

In the last month, anglers have ventured to many of the North Shore rivers, to try their luck catching a Lake Superior Steelhead during the spring Steelhead run. Some have found success, while others….not so much.  In this week's Outdoor News Podcast, host Kalli Hawkins visits a North Shore river with Cory Goldsworthy, the Lake Superior area fisheries supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Nat...

The U.S. Forest Service is gearing up to launch a spruce budworm response project in Cook County this summer as the prevalence of the spruce budworm expands across northeastern Minnesota. As a preventative mitigation effort, this summer, the Forest Service intends to implement a Blue Cascade Spruce Budworm Response and Restoration Project stretching from the Caribou Trail to County Road 14, east o...

Ryan Pennesi is a wildlife photographer based in Finland, Minn. and spends much of his time in the Superior National Forest tracking wildlife using camera-trap photography. In this week's episode, Ryan Pennesi, who is also a wildlife technician with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources talks about his passion for camera-trap photography, how his efforts contribute to better understanding...

There was a strong showing of Minnesotan's during the 52nd annual historic Iditarod race in Alaska this year.  Three northern Minnesota individuals, two mushers and a photographer, participated in the 2024 Iditarod. The two mushers, Anna Hennessy and Erin Altemus have Grand Marais connections and each raced as a rookie in the historic race. Another individual, Ryan Rumpca, a landscape and outdoor...

The prevalence of spruce budworm across northeastern Minnesota, particularly in the Superior National Forest, is increasing. Efforts are ongoing in northeastern Minnesota to monitor, manage, and mitigate the impact of the spruce budworm, a native insect that feeds on the needles of spruce and balsam fir. In this week's episode, host Kalli Hawkins is joined by Brian Sturtevant, a research ecologist...

As electric vehicles become increasingly prevalent nationwide, including along the North Shore, numerous fire departments are enhancing their training protocols and acquiring advanced extinguishing tools as the lithium-ion battery poses unique challenges for firefighters. In recent weeks, the Grand Marais Fire Department added a new extinguishing tool to the repertoire to prepare for an EV fire in...

Minnesota’s moose population remains relatively stable, following the results of the 2024 moose survey in northern Minnesota. After wrapping up the moose survey in early Feb., the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said the recent population estimate is approximately 3,470 animals. Nancy Hansen, the Minnesota DNR’s area wildlife manager in Two Harbors, said the number is not a “highly...

With the minimal snow conditions and warmer temperatures experienced across much of northern Minnesota this winter, fire management officials at the U.S. Forest Service and Minnesota DNR are keeping a close eye on the upcoming fire season. Forest Service officials estimate that wildlife activity will occur earlier in the spring, lasting longer into the fall, and involves more intense, difficult-to...

Canada Lynx research is ongoing in Northeast Minnesota and the Superior National Forest. In this week's Outdoor News Podcast, host Kalli Hawkins speaks with Ron Moen, senior wildlife biologist at UMD's Natural Resources Research Institute about the current status of Canada Lynx.

The warmer El Nino temperatures & conditions is influencing lake ice formation on Lake Superior and many of the other Great Lakes. This year, Lake Superior experienced approximately 10 percent ice coverage, compared to an average 30 percent. In this week's Outdoor News Podcast, host Kalli Hawkins speaks with Jay Austin, a professor of physics and astronomy with the Large Lakes Observatory and...

A 2022 project to replace the Stairway Portage wooden staircase in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has won national recognition. Superior National Forest officials announced on Tuesday, Jan. 24, that the Stairway Portage Replacement project in the BWCA was awarded the 2023 National Wilderness Award for best use of ‘traditional skills and minimal tool leadership.’ The Stairway Portage Rep...

Minnesotan's love to talk about the weather and this winter has certainly been one for discussion. In this week's Outdoor News Podcast, host Kalli Hawkins talks with Joe Moore, a meteorologist with the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service based in Duluth about snowfall and temperature data in northeastern Minnesota, El Nino, and the outlook for...

Trout opener for lakes outside of the BWCA is this Saturday, January 13, and it sure will be a cold one. The National Weather Service is projecting wind chill values of -28 temperatures for trout opener in Cook County and regions across Northern Minnesota. The colder temps will help with variable ice conditions on many inland lakes. In this week's episode of the Outdoor News Podcast, host Kalli Ha...

As the 2024 winter season unfolds in northern Minnesota, many organizers of annual winter events, including the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, find themselves facing a difficult decision. Less than four weeks before the anticipated annual John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon started, the board of directors made the tough call to cancel the event due to a lack of snow. In this week's Outdoor News...

The Superior National Forest is undergoing a proposed project, called the Fernberg Project, near Ely that entails vegetation management activities, prescribed burning, and harvesting of timber to reduce wildfire risk in the wildland urban interface areas within and surrounding the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). The Fernberg Project includes mixed ownership encompassing approximatel...

Winter is off to a slow start this year in northern Minnesota. With a lack of snow and comfortable temperatures, the sled dog racing season which is scheduled to kick-off on January 6th with the annual Gunflint Mail Run is leaving many residents and the race organizer uneasy. We share an update on the upcoming annual event in this week's Outdoor News Podcast episode. Also in this week's episode, w...

For individuals looking for a new winter hobby and a way to enjoy an afternoon in the outdoors, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has an interesting and active activity to participate in. The Minnesota DNR is currently seeking individuals to collect black spruce cones this winter across the northern regions of Minnesota. The seeds found inside the black spruce cones are then used by th...

The Border-to-Border Touring Route spans 750 miles, traversing northern Minnesota by utilizing pre-existing roadways, extending from the North Dakota border to the shores of Lake Superior. The border-to-border project was initiated in 2015 and represents a collaborative undertaking involving the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Minnesota 4-Wheel Drive Association. After a le...

A few Cook County residents took to the ice in early Nov. to celebrate the onset of winter. Cook County and other regions across northern Minnesota experienced a short-lived drop in temperatures at the beginning of the month, reaching 17 degrees overnight. The temperatures coincided with the firearm deer season opener, and as many hunters took to their deer stands on Nov. 4, other Cook County resi...

On the morning of Wednesday, November 15, the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa moved forward in celebration with long-awaited plans to redevelop the Hat Point Marina & Ferry Terminal in Grand Portage. The proposed Hat Point Marina & Ferry Terminal plan is to demolish and expand the ferry docks to provide two safe harbor terminals for the Grand Portage Isle Royale Transportation...

In this episode of the WTIP Outdoor News Podcast, Kalli Hawkins shares a personal story of an encounter with a wolf pack while hunting near the North Shore. Also featured in the episode is a report from the DNR Lake Superior Fisheries office about lake herring in the Big Lake. Spoiler: There are a crazy amount of herring in Lake Superior thanks to a record-breaking year class.