Lake Superior Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Since time began humans have been foragers. Survival depended on connecting to the natural world. Today, when most of our food comes from a grocery store or is eaten in a restaurant, that link has been lost. But not for Tim Clemens. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Tim, a professional forager and founder of Ironwood Foraging about how he’s helping people connect with nature; and not in the middle of the forest or farm country, but near his urban home of Minneapolis.

Key Takeaways: 

•  Foraging is not limited to rural or wilderness areas—urban environments, like the parks and green spaces in Minneapolis, offer surprising edible treasures.
•  Learning to identify wild edibles is key to safe foraging, and local foraging groups or societies can be invaluable resources for beginners.
•  Tim emphasizes the importance of indigenous traditions and thinking long-term, such as planting trees for future generations, in the practice of foraging.
•  Foraging creates a deeper connection to the natural world, making people more mindful stewards of the environment by seeing it not just as scenery, but as a source of sustenance.
•  Foraging is becoming increasingly popular, moving beyond farm-to-table into forest-to-table, and gaining recognition in both local communities and top-tier restaurants.

Notable Quotes:

•  "Foraging has gotten so much more popular, and just like the farm-to-table movement, the next iteration of that is the forest-to-table movement or the prairie-to-table movement."
•  "You need to identify the species you're trying to eat before you eat it. You really should identify something first because there are things that can hurt you."
•  "When you’re foraging, suddenly it's your blueberry patch... it's not just a backdrop for human activity anymore. You’re going to be attached to individual trees...and you're just going to be a better naturalist for that."
•  "For most of the year, I don't buy rice because I harvest my own. There are things I never buy anymore. I don't buy fruit, I don't buy greens, I don't buy mushrooms, and I don't buy nuts."
•  "We have folks who have backgrounds in biology like myself and folks who have backgrounds in graphic design. There's room for all those people and a need for all those people because we need people to balance our budgets, fix our computers, design our graphics."

Resources:

•  Ironwood Foraging Website: https://ironwoodforaging.com/ 
•  Minnesota Mycological Society: https://minnesotamycologicalsociety.org/ 
•  National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation: https://www.nplsf.org/ 

Be sure to tune in to this insightful episode of the Lake Superior Podcast to learn more about the art of foraging and how you can reconnect with the environment through this ancient practice.

You can also learn more about foraging and the interview here: https://www.nplsf.org/foraging-podcast-interview

Connect With Us:

• Website: https://www.nplsf.org/lake-superior-podcast 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NationalParksOfLakeSuperiorFoundation/ 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-parks-of-lake-superior-foundation/  

Witnessing the Northern Lights checks a bucket-list for many. The first time you see the sky erupt in waves of pulsing white, green, red, or even blue light makes lifelong memories. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Astrophysics Graduate Student Ogetay Kayali from Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan. Ogetay shares not only why we seem to be experiencing the Northern Lights more frequently, but also how to better take advantage of the experience with our cameras.

Key Takeaways:

•  The northern lights are at their peak due to the solar maximum, a phenomenon that happens every 11 years, increasing the likelihood of bright auroras.
•  The colors in the northern lights, ranging from green to red and purple, are caused by the interaction of solar particles with oxygen and nitrogen in the Earth's atmosphere.
•  With advances in technology, it's easier than ever to capture the auroras on cameras, even smartphones, though understanding camera settings like ISO and exposure can enhance the quality of your photos.
•  Dark skies are critical for viewing the northern lights, and the Lake Superior region offers excellent vantage points for experiencing this natural wonder away from city lights.
•  The best time to see the lights is during winter months with longer nights, and checking the moon's phase can also help—new moons provide the darkest skies for optimal viewing.

Quotes:

•  "We are currently at solar maximum, so we are expecting lots of solar storms that hit the Earth and cause northern lights. That's pretty normal. Every 11 years that happens" – Ogetay Kayali
•  "If you have a camera, first try to learn using it. If you have a mobile camera, go to the darkest place you can and use long exposures to collect more light." – Ogetay Kayali
•  "Take that chance, even when the forecast looks cloudy...you've got to try it." – Ogetay Kayali

Resources:

•  For daily astronomical insights and stunning celestial images, visit NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html).
•  To learn more about designated dark sky parks and optimal stargazing locations, visit Dark Sky Parks near Lake Superior (https://darksky.org/places/keweenaw-michigan-dark-sky-park/).
•  For more information about NPLSF, visit National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation (nplsf.org)

Don’t miss this captivating episode as Ogatai Kayali, an astrophysics graduate student, explains the science behind the Northern Lights and why we’ve been seeing them more frequently along Lake Superior. Tune in for an in-depth look at the solar cycles, photography tips, and how Lake Superior’s dark skies provide some of the best stargazing opportunities in the world.

Lake Superior is home to an estimated 550 shipwrecks, with approximately half of them still undiscovered. In this episode of the Lake Superior podcast, hosts Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Dan Fountain, author, shipwreck historian, and researcher, about his lifelong passion for exploring Superior's depths and uncovering the stories behind these sunken vessels. He shares the challenges of finding shipwrecks in these vast and deep waters and explains the process of using side scanning sonar to locate them. Dan also recounts his latest discovery, the Arlington, a shipwreck with a unique and tragic story. This episode offers a captivating glimpse into the history hidden beneath Lake Superior’s surface.

Lake Superior tops the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem as well as the longest deep-draft inland waterway, extending from Duluth, Minnesota, to the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Atlantic Ocean. Roughly 10,000 cargo ships pass through the Soo Locks every year. When it comes to protecting the Great Lakes from invasive species, monitoring the ballast water on these cargo ships is key. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Phyllis Green, former Superintendent at Isle Royale National Park as well as board member of the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation, about ballast water and what is being done on both US and Canadian shores to protect Lake Superior.

Unseasonably warm weather along Lake Superior from Sault Ste. Marie to Grand Portage has canceled a host of winter events from sled dog and cross-country ski races to snowmobile rides and ice fishing tournaments. But it’s not just tourism that has been effected by mild temperatures. After 65 years of monitoring wolf and moose populations at Isle Royale--the longest predator-prey study in history--scientists had to suspend their 7 week Winter Study because of challenges accessing the island. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Dr. Sarah Hoy, Research Assistant and Professor at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan. She explains the logistics and challenges of working on this remote archipelago in winter and what the cancelation means to the bank of data collected and predictions for the future.

Craig Blacklock first started taking pictures when he was nine years old, following his father, Les Blacklock, a pioneering nature photographer. By the time he was 15, he had graduated to capturing images on a large format 4x5 camera. Over his career, his award winning photos have been published in books, calendars and exhibits. He has been called the "Ansel Adams of Lake Superior," and in this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Craig from his home in Moose Lake, Minnesota, about his six decades of working on and around Lake Superior and the inspiration for his newest book, “Light Waves.”

Grand Portage National Monument in northern Minnesota sits right in the middle of the Canoe Capital of the World. The National Park has many boats on display, from smaller crafts used for gathering rice and hunting to huge Voyageur canoes used to haul thousands of pounds of furs to Montreal. Every summer visitors come to the park not only to learn more about the fur trade, but to also learn the secrets of how these age-old boats were built. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Grand Portage Ranger Karl Koster about what it takes—from materials to technique—to construct an authentic birch bark canoe.

Christmas Eve, 1913, was a tragic night in Calumet, Michigan. 73 people—59 of them children--were killed when someone falsely yelled, “Fire,” at a crowded Christmas party on the second floor of the Italian Hall setting off a deadly stampede. The disaster occurred five months into a crippling labor strike between Western Federation of Miners Union workers and the Calumet Hecla Mining Company. 

Now, 110 years later, Beth Kirschner has written about the historic labor dispute and what has been called the Italian Hall Massacre in her novel, “Copper Divide.” 

In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Beth, who works as a software engineer, about the 1913 Copper Strike and how the Keweenaw Peninsula’s history inspires her writing.

78 lighthouses circle Lake Superior, 42 of those navigational aids dot the Michigan shoreline. Au Sable Point Light Station in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore ranks one of the most popular. Built in 1874, it stands 86’ tall and the original third-order Fresnel lens could beam a light as far as 17 miles out on Superior. 

Pictured Rocks’ Hannah Bradburn, Visual Information Specialist, and Ranger Emma Olechnowicz often lead tours to the Light Station and in this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, they talk with Walt Lindala and Frida Waara about the history of the Light Station and plans to celebrate the 150th anniversary.

Lake Superior is one of the fastest warming lakes in the world. And when it comes to getting people’s attention about the warming, film is a powerful medium. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with film maker John Shepard about his upcoming documentary, “A Sea Change for Lake Superior.” John shares what his team at the Center for Global Environmental Education at Hamline University is doing to get the world out and ways we can be better stewards to protect our fresh water.