Podcasts about grand portage

Episode 110 of the WTIP Boundary Waters podcast was recorded on a windy day at Camp Menogyn on West Bearskin Lake at the edge of the BWCAW. In his first season as a canoe guide for Menogyn, Dante Gilbert shares the story of paddling the old Fur Trade route from Crane Lake to Grand Portage with a group of five campers and their guide. Dante also explains his personal approach to finding and experiencing wilderness, from the backcountry to a city park near you. Plus--a bonus segment of 'Keep it Wild" about the seven principles of "Leave No Trace." The Boundary Waters Podcast is supported in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Veteran campers Ben and Huck share what it's like being a Camp Voyageur Olympic Captain, hiking in the mountains of Montana, paddling from Ely to Lake Superior, portaging over the 8.5-mile Grand Portage, & more."Text us feedback."Co-hosts Alex Kvanli & John Burgman discuss all-things related to Camp Voyageur in Ely, Minnesota. They share trail stories, interview Voyageur alumni, & reflect on the lore of the Great Northwoods. They also trade Boundary Waters travel tips & advice. Whether you're a former camper, a current camper, or an adventure enthusiast looking to improve your Boundary Waters experience, there's something for everyone in each episode. Can't get enough? Read our blog Find us on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube Enroll your son at Camp Voyageur Work at Camp Voyageur 11 Proven Ways Wilderness Adventure Camps Can Transform Your Kid's Life by Alex Kvanli

Official Website: https://www.lawabidingbiker.com In this episode, we discuss riding a LiveWire 1 on a police competition course at the North America Motor Officers Association (NAMOA) 2024 conference.  Many of the officers at NAMOA wanted to test-ride my bike to specifically experience my extended brake pedal.  It puts the brake pedal in a natural position that relieves fatigue when working cone patterns.  The other item they wanted to experience was my PSR adjustable clutch and brake lever.  Like the pedal, these adjustable levers relieve fatigue and allow you to put your levers where you want them to engage.   SUPPORT US AND SHOP IN THE OFFICIAL LAW ABIDING BIKER STORE At NAMOA, they believe that well-trained and equipped motor officers are essential to keeping our communities safe. Their goal is to provide the highest quality training and support to these dedicated professionals, so they can continue to serve and protect with excellence.  The NAMOA training conference brings together local businesses and related national industries with the community and motorcycle police officers throughout the Northwest and beyond. CHECK OUT OUR HUNDREDS OF FREE HELPFUL VIDEOS ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL AND SUBSCRIBE! The LiveWire ONE is an electric motorcycle from Harley-Davidson's LiveWire brand, which focuses on electric motorcycles. It's designed for city riders and has features like:   Power: A RevelationTM powertrain that produces 100 horsepower and 86 ft. lbs. of torque Acceleration: Instant acceleration and can go from 0 to 60 in three seconds Charging: DC Fast Charge can recharge the bike from 0 to 100% in 60 minutes and 0 to 80% in 45 minutes Range: 146 miles of city range and 95 miles of combined city and highway range Frame: Lightweight cast-aluminum frame for agility Suspension: SHOWA® SFF-BP® fork and BFRCTM rear shock Connectivity: Bluetooth and cellular connectivity Instrumentation: A 4.3-inch LCD screen that displays ride modes and is highly customizable NEW FREE VIDEO RELEASED: I RODE A Harley Electric LIVEWIRE Motorcycle On A POLICE COMPETITION COURSE! Other items mentioned Ciro Armor Tail Light Butt Buffer Caddysack Saddlebag Lid Tethers Sponsor-Ciro 3D CLICK HERE! Innovative products for Harley-Davidson & Goldwing Affordable chrome, lighting, and comfort products Ciro 3D has a passion for design and innovation Sponsor-Butt Buffer CLICK HERE Want to ride longer? Tired of a sore and achy ass? Then fix it with a high-quality Butt Buffer seat cushion? New Patrons: Craig Brewer Deryk Murray of Epping, New Hampshire William Ray Campbell of Trent Woods, North Carolina If you appreciate the content we put out and want to make sure it keeps on coming your way then become a Patron too! There are benefits and there is no risk. Thanks to the following bikers for supporting us via a flat donation: Timothy Ussery of Hamlet, North Carolina Frank Tedesco of Dalzell, South Carolina Michael Galbraith of Grand Portage, Minnesota ________________________________________________________ FURTHER INFORMATION:   Official Website: http://www.LawAbidingBiker.com   Email & Voicemail: http://www.LawAbidingBiker.com/Contact   Podcast Hotline Phone: 509-731-3548 HELP SUPPORT US! JOIN THE BIKER REVOLUTION! #BikerRevolution #LawAbidingBiker

Tuesday is primary election day for the six member nations of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.The Chippewa Tribe is a federally recognized government that includes Bois Forte, Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, Leech Lake, Mille Lacs and White Earth Nations. Members of all of those tribes are voting across the state.MPR News' Native News reporter Melissa Olson joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to explain what's on the ballot. Minnesota Chippewa Tribe primary elections take place Tuesday Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.  We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here. 

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.

The 300-mile-long Beargrease runs from Duluth along the North Shore of Lake Superior to Grand Portage. It's the longest sled dog race in the lower 48 states. Due to virtually no snow, it's been canceled this year largely out of concern for musher and dog safety.That story and more in this evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

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.

Artist and photographer Theresa Drift of Cook, Minn., and theatermaker Payton Counts of Net Lake, Minn., both saw the “Native American Art: Past and Present” gallery show at the Northwoods Friends of the Arts in Cook. It's a mixture of contemporary and historical pieces by local artists, including paintings, metalwork, birchbark baskets, beadwork and quilting. The show also includes a few pieces from Grand Portage artist George Morrison, a well-known mid-century painter. Counts appreciated the range of the show, which is presented in one room. “I thought it was nice to see a mixture of contemporary as well as older pieces of work, kind of this like partnership of art connecting to the community." “It definitely shows the changing culture and [that] it's not a static thing,” agrees Drift. “It's constantly evolving and growing.” The exhibit runs through Sat., Nov. 25. The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. Art teacher and illustrator Heather Zemien of Brooklyn Park, Minn., has been following Off Leash Theater Productions for the past year, ever since she saw their original “Off-Kilter Cabaret.” She's looking forward to seeing the second annual production this weekend. The cabaret features seven artists living and making art with a range of mental and physical abilities. The performance includes dance, comedy, puppetry, musical composition, spoken word and storytelling. The show is emceed by storyteller Amy Salloway, whose work Zemien has followed since seeing her on stage last year. The show strikes a special chord for Zemien, whose late partner was in a wheelchair. She says she's excited to see and support this all-inclusive show.  “Off Kilter Cabaret” will be performed at the Cowles Center for the Performing Arts in Minneapolis Fri., Nov 17 and Sat. Nov 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Sun., Nov 19 at 2 p.m.  The building is fully accessible. All three shows have American Sign Language and audio descriptions available. Masks are required. Please note: the accompanying music in the radio piece is “Interlude 4” from A.J. Isaacson-Zvidzwa's composition “Angels Sang to Me.” Isaacson-Zvidzwa is one of the seven artists featured in this weekend's “Off Kilter Cabaret.” Philip Muehe, managing director of the Rochester Repertory Theatre, suggests a romantic comedy musical in Lanesboro, Minn., for your entertainment this holiday season. The Commonweal Theatre Company in Lanesboro is staging the musical “She Loves Me” through Dec. 23. The show features cheerful, catchy numbers about two shopkeepers who get on each others' last nerve. Secretly, though, they've become pen pals through a lonely hearts group. When they finally find out that the person with whom they've fallen in love over letters is, in reality, the person right across the shop, heartwarming hilarity ensues.  If that plot sounds familiar, the Commonweal put on an adaptation of the play “Parfumerie” on which the musical “She Loves Me” is based back in 2011. The story was the inspiration for several movies, including the 1998 romcom “You've Got Mail” with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.  

Conservators and artists have worked this past year to restore a work of art created by artist George Morrison half a century ago. Morrison's vision is felt by the people who helped to restore his work, and by those redesigning the building where the mural lives.The late artist George Morrison was from a small town near the Grand Portage reservation in northern Minnesota. He attended art school in Minneapolis and New York City and was part of a leading generation of American artists working as abstract expressionists. Known for his intricate wood sculpture and collage, George Morrison was commissioned to create the mural for the Minneapolis American Indian Center in 1974.Morrison once told a biographer the design was inspired by feathers. Its chevron V-shapes work in unison to create an optical illusion.  Although never formally named, Morrison suggested the work might be called — “Turning the Feather Around: A Mural for the Indian.”  Sam Olbekson is an architect and the chair of the Minneapolis American Indian Center's board of directors. He is a part of a team working on the center's renovation.“That pattern and the way it's constructed allowed us to take it apart piece by piece, and one of the main goals of this entire project is to preserve this piece art,” says Olbekson.In 2022, the Midwest Arts Conservation Center, or MACC, answered the center's call to restore the mural.Chief conservator Megan Emery served as the manager of the project. MACC called on another team of conservators from Montana with expertise in rigging and reinstalling complicated works of art.“We decided we were going to have to start the project by doing full documentation with photographs of the mural to basically map out exactly out how it looked and how everything was laid out,” says Emery.“When it was time to start to start the project, we physically removed every single board, and that's when we need a team of people.” Josie Hoffman is an Anishinaabe multi-media artist whose family is from the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Hoffman was tasked by MACC to work on the restoration.“There wasn't a ton of problems. And actually, when we were taking it down it came down really easily. It was also the documentation of [the mural],” says Hoffman. “It's about over 700 cedar boards, so it's about documenting and making sure we have all these pieces in the right place.”Once the pieces were carefully removed, they were packed into crates and shipped to specialists at the firm Wolf Magritte in Missoula, Mont. The firm cleaned the mural again and worked to design a series of interlocking panels on which to mount jigsaw-like pieces for reinstallation.When the full sun hits the mural at its new home on the east side of the building, the contrast of the light and dark surfaces of the cedar planks is striking — adding a sense of movement.  George Morrison mural in Minneapolis preserved for future generations by Olbekson says the restoration of the mural is a part of the long-term vision for community development along Franklin Avenue. “Where it was on the building ... [George Morrison] was so intent on it being open to the public. So that art was accessible to the community. He wanted it to be large scale, in your face, out, and unapologetically Indigenous on Franklin Avenue,” says Olbekson. Olbekson points out the mural's new location on the east side of the center will mean that it has a different experience with environmental elements and weather. “We tried to preserve the aging, the integrity of it,” says Olbekson. “It was about making sure the original artist's intention was conveyed in the new building, to do it in a way that will make it last there in another fifty years.”The restoration of the mural is part of the Minneapolis American Indian Center's first major renovation since opening in 1975.

On today's episode, Leah and Cole speak with Travis Zimmerman, whose family is from the Crane Clan of Grand Portage. He is the site manager for the Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post.  Travis also hosted "DeCoded: Native Veterans In Minnesota Who Helped Win World War II," — produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers.  Travis talks about his love for Native American history, specifically Ojibwe history and culture, and his path to the museum and trading post.  You can find out about the Mille Lacs Museum and Trading Post events here.

John Caswell from the GSA talks about the proposed plans for making eco-friendly updates to the Port of Entry at Grand Portage

Lake Superior's fur trade dates back to the 16th century and the best place to get an understanding of that rich history is a visit to Minnesota's Grand Portage National Monument. For most people, the best way to learn is by doing and since 1972, volunteers have been coming together to commemorate the annual Fur Trade Rendezvous with re-enactments and workshops to experience life in the 1790's. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara learn more about the annual Rendezvous, held the second weekend in August, from Anna Deschampe, Grand Portage's Chief of Interpretation, and a lifelong Rendezvous participant.

An air quality alert for much of eastern Minnesota has been expanded to include the North Shore and Duluth area. The affected region includes the Twin Cities, Albert Lea, Rochester, Mankato, Hinckley, Duluth, Two Harbors, and the tribal nations of Prairie Island, Mille Lacs, Fond du Lac, and Grand Portage. The alert is now extended into 6 p.m. Tuesday.  This is an evening update from MPR News, hosted by Jacob Aloi. Music by Gary Meister.

A few miles from the Canada border, Heather Boyd walks the grassy trail of the national monument's Ojibwe Village. She passes the soaring pointed timber of the palisade fence that encircles the recreated historic depot, what was once the famed 18th-century cultural crossroads of the Grand Portage Anishinaabe and the fur trade.Boyd then stops in the field where the National Monument hosts the annual Rendezvous Days event. Thousands of visitors flock to the remote site every August for music, camping, reenactments and craft workshops. “This is the encampment area,” Boyd says. “It's wild to see tent upon tent here.” She looks up at the nearby western hills, the site of the Grand Portage Band's annual powwow, also in August.“I'm really looking forward to blending the two events a bit more, the powwow and the Rendezvous here” Boyd says. “Well, it's celebrating both cultures, right? So, being able to encourage not only visitors here, but encourage them to go up to the powwow, too, and have that experience.”Boyd is the new superintendent of the Grand Portage National Monument. She is the first woman and first Anishinaabe person to hold the National Park Service position since the monument was established in 1958. The Anishinaabe have occupied the land since “time immemorial,” as the monument's signage points out.Today, Boyd is wearing a pin given to her by the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the tribe that has been co-managing the site with the park service for decades. She is also wearing a traditional Native ribbon skirt, striped in red, white and black.  “The ribbon skirt represents resiliency and identity and is just empowering as a woman,” Boyd says, “and a woman in a management position — that I'm the first Anishinaabe and the first woman to ever lead here.” Many say her appointment is a historic moment in the co-stewardship of the monument, which is within the boundaries of the of the Grand Portage Indian Reservation. The Grand Portage Band donated the land to the federal government.“I understand living in a tribal community,” says Boyd, who is an enrolled member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa from Bayfield, Wis. “I think that's one of the things they saw in me.”Less than half a mile up the road, April McCormick sits in the timber building that houses the Grand Portage Reservation Tribal Council, the partner in co-management with the National Park Service. McCormick is the Tribal Council secretary treasurer.“We're really trying to have our leadership be reflective of who we are,” McCormick says.   McCormick says Boyd is a good fit because of her 14-year tenure as an administrative officer for Isle Royale National Park, the Michigan island site in Lake Superior, which is part of the Anishinaabe ancestral homelands. It's less than 40 miles from Grand Portage and on a clear day, you can see it from Boyd's new office.McCormick adds that even though Boyd is from a different Anishinaabe band, she is one of them and the community has welcomed her.“She has a deep understanding of tribal government and protocol,” McCormick says. “And also, just understanding the value of our culture, and traditions, and how we're telling our story for national parks. Whose worldview, whose lenses are we using?”Citing the efforts of the Grand Portage Band, McCormick points to the growing number of Native women working at the national monument. She says the current chief of interpretation Anna Deschampe is the first Grand Portage Band member to fill the position, within the division of interpretation and education. Boyd will work with Deschampe to refine the storytelling at the national monument, from signage and exhibitions to reenactments and workshops. The National Park Service announced Boyd's appointment last summer. She's only recently relocated from Michigan. The choice to wear the ribbon skirt regularly at Grand Portage, instead of the typical green and khaki of the NPS uniforms, is one way she's making an impact on the site's culture.  “Throughout my career with the Park Service, I don't see a lot of Indigenous people,” Boyd says. “As I go to different meetings, I'm the only one in a ribbon skirt in a room. Breaking that barrier so people feel like this is a regular thing means a lot to me.”Boyd points to other Native women in leadership, who in growing numbers in the last few years have been wearing the ribbon skirt in their official capacity in state and national government.White Earth member and Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan often wore a ribbon skirt. And Deb Haaland, who in 2021 became the first Native woman to serve as the U.S. Secretary of the Department of the Interior (the department responsible for the National Park Service), wore a traditional ribbon skirt at her swearing-in ceremony in Washington D.C. While Boyd says she still has a lot to learn about the site, she knows she also wants to make an impact by doing more community events, like a recent Ojibwa language roundtable that was hosted in the monument's Heritage Center. The center houses a museum, art gallery and shop; she wants to bring more local artists into the space, too.  Joseph Bauerkemper, professor and director of the Tribal Sovereignty Institute at the University of Minnesota Duluth, says Boyd's appointment is important but not surprising. “The Grand Portage Band has really sophisticated, long-standing, consistent leadership, even when different elected officials and community leaders have come and gone,” Bauerkemper says. “Grand Portage has worked very effectively in partnership with the National Park Service for many years, and so this is not a radical shift in that relationship, but it's a significant improvement in that relationship.”He compares Boyd's appointment to the Biden administration appointment of Haaland. “It's of similar import, because Secretary Haaland brings extensive knowledge and experience to that position” he says. “Native nations don't have to explain to the Secretary of Interior who they are, what they are, what they're up to, and that's a big deal. We can see the same thing going on — sure on a smaller scale, but no less important — at the monument there at Grand Portage.” Grand Portage National Monument is considered a leader in the National Park System for its co-management agreement, which creates a sharing of power and responsibility between the federal government and local tribes. Charles F. Sams III, the current National Park Service director (and the first tribally enrolled member to hold the position), testified before congress in 2022 about Grand Portage.“The stewardship of Grand Portage National Monument exemplifies how successful co-management can be, while infusing valuable dollars into the local Tribal economy,” Sams said.  Boyd also sits on the NPS Tribal Relations Advisory Committee for the Midwest region, which includes superintendents and staff from other parks and sites and meets monthly by video call. At the May meeting, Boyd sat in the conference room of the Heritage Center. St. Croix National Scenic Riverway superintendent Craig Hansen — who is the former superintendent of Grand Portage — was on the call and said Boyd's appointment is significant. “It shows the commitment to that community and that site,” Hansen said. Also on the call was Alisha Deegan, the superintendent of the Knife River Indian Village National History Site in North Dakota. A member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, Deegan is also working at a federal site in her ancestral homeland. “Having that connection to the land that is beyond government is huge,” Deegan said. “The pride extends beyond her and her family.” Deegan explained that, as a Native person, it can be “really difficult” to work for government, or feel welcome entering a federal building or park, because of the U.S. history of oppression, violating treaties and taking land from Native populations. “Having Indigenous people in leadership positions, there is that permission to come back to sites,” Deegan said. “Elders may come and shares stories they wouldn't have before.” Boyd sits at her desk in her office at the Heritage Center. She is framed by a window that overlooks the Ojibwe Village and the Historic Depot, with Grand Portage Island and Isle Royale appearing as purple streaks in the distance on Lake Superior.  Boyd says she feels like she's home, even though she hasn't lived on her own Red Cliff reservation for 20 years.  “So, when I first came over here, it just felt right,” Boyd says. “When I first started with the Park Service, I wasn't promoting my heritage and my culture because it didn't feel right. Here, I feel like I'm empowered to do that. It feels awesome.” The Grand Portage National Monument grounds are open year-round. The Historic Depot opens for the season Memorial Day weekend. Correction (May 26, 2023): A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the Lieutenant Governor's title. This has been fixed.

If you visited Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior 50 years ago, the story you heard about what makes this place special would have left out quite a bit — specifically, the sites' connections to Ojibwe people, past and present. We heard about that history in a past episode of the award-winning podcast, “It Happens Here,” by WTIP North Shore Community Radio. In this next episode, producers Staci Drouillard and Leah Lemm explain how the Grand Portage Band of Superior Chippewa and allies in the National Park Service worked to rectify the erasure of Ojibwe people from the National Park.

Drost grew up in Grand Portage and is an enrolled member of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Her interest in tribal politics traces back to her childhood and especially to her father.

Forgive us for our microphone clipping! We LOVE this park. Waterfalls! History! Hilariously direct signs! Canada!The trail to the High Falls IS wheelchair accessible. The tribe is Grand Portage Band Of Lake Superior Chippewa, NOT Ojibwe as we say in the episode. 

For over a century, Lake Superior has been a region for sled dogs. First as a reliable way to deliver mail, and more recently as a competitive winter sport. In fact, among the five national parks, four of them team up with local volunteers to host sled dog races. Coming up at the end of January, the John Beargrease race—the oldest and largest event--takes off from Duluth, Minnesota, headed up the shore to Grand Portage. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with veteran musher Blake Freking about the race and his passion for the lifestyle. 

This week on Minnesota Native News, Emma Needham talks with new and returning Native Candidates from Mid Term races across the state.  In the 2020 election, native voters came out to the polls nationwide at rates never seen before. According to the Associated Press, Native voters swung the elections in both Arizona and next door in Wisconsin. Now, the 2022 Midterm elections are in just under 2 weeks, and it's apparent that this time, Native people have turned out to the polls in a different way: On the ballot.  ICT, formerly Indian Country Today, tracks the number of native candidates running for offices at the state level. Right now, Oklahoma has the most, with a stunning 18 candidates for house or senate seats and one in the governor's race. Montana comes in second in the nation with 12 Native candidates, while Hawaii and Alaska both boast 10. Here in Minnesota, there are 7 candidates for house or senate seats in six districts, plus the incumbent lieutenant Governor, Peggy Flanagan. Of those 8 Candidates in Minnesota, seven different Native Nations are represented.  Alicia Kozlowski is running for State Representative in MN House District 8B in Duluth. Kozlowski is Ojibwe from Grand Portage and Fond Du Lac and is also a third-generation Mexican American. They said that their decision to run for office came not only from values in their upbringing among strong Ojibwe and Mexican women, but also from a sense of deep responsibility to their community.  “When I was making the decision to run or not it, it actually was in response to my community members, both within the tribal nations. But here in Duluth, across neighborhoods, across race, and gender and age, and ability of people saying 'please run for office.' Like, we need you to meet this moment so that we can all meet this movement,” said Alicia. Alicia Kozlowski is a unique candidate to northern Minnesota. They said that they are running for office to amplify Minnesota voices.  “We have never had anybody like me represent this district, as a Native, as a Latino, as a non-binary, as a member of the LGBTQ community, but then even more, so to be able to bring that to the capitol where we haven't had non-binary representation.” They said, “I'm running for office, not just for myself. In fact, I'm a very reluctant candidate to run for office, I'm running because I want to what I say is CO govern with our people…I'm not here to be anybody's voice or anybody's power, because you already have a voice and you have power. I'm here to help create that space and to amplify and to uplift all of our people.” In Minnesota, we have Native candidates running for office at the state level, but we also have Native candidates in local races, including the city council race in Bemidji and candidates for school board both in Minneapolis and in Brainerd. Charles Black Lance is White Earth Anishinaabe and Lakota from Rosebud Nation. He's currently the vice chair of the Brainerd School Board for ISD 181 where he's running for another four-year term. Black Lance says that the teachings he received from his father helped guide him in his position.  “My dad always told me, my brother and my sister are very young age was that leadership wasn't necessarily something that you aspire for, but more of a burden or something that is, was placed upon you as a responsibility. And, and I took that to heart,” He said, “fought hard and worked hard and diligently to not have power. but to have or wield influence, to be heard, and to have that voice. And I think it's really important for all indigenous people to move in that direction.” In addition to Peggy Flanagan, other Native candidates in the Minnesota race are running for reelection in the house and senate. Senator Mary Kunesh served two, two-year terms in the MN House and one two-year term in the Senate. Senator Kunesh is now up for re-election for a four-year term in Senate District 39 following redistricting. She told me why she ran for office all those years ago.  "I knew that if we wanted to make good change in Indian country in Minnesota, we needed natives there to move the ball to start talking about the issue to start, you know, really championing the issues.” said Mary Senator Kunesh is the first woman of native descent elected into the Minnesota Senate and currently the only Native person serving there. She says that there's much work to be done to build diversity in the Minnesota legislature, but she is glad to see more Indigenous candidates running for office.  “We just don't have that kind of diversity in our state Senate. And that means we are not representing the growing diversity of our communities. We do want to see legislators that look like us, that sound like us, that understand the unique circumstances. And I'm really thrilled by the number of candidates and the caliber of these candidates, because it can only bode well for Minnesota when they are elected,” she said. For Minnesota Native News, I'm Emma Needham

Grand Portage National Monument has a new Superintendent, Heather Boyd. In 2008, Heather started with the National Park Service at Isle Royale. As a tribal member with the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, she is the first Anishinaabe to head Grand Portage. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Heather shares with Walt Lindala and Frida Waara how her heart and heritage have lead her back to Minnesota's north shore. 

This is Minnesota Native News. I'm Marie Rock. This week on Minnesota Native News, members of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe vote on blood quantum requirements. Also, we hear from Juliet Rudie, who now heads the state's new Office of Missing And Murdered Indigenous Relatives. Here's reporter Cole Premo. In a historic move, members of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe in July voted to remove a decades-old requirement that members have a minimum of 25% Ojibwe blood.About 64% of voters on an advisory referendum say the blood quantum requirement, which began in the 1960s, should be removed from membership in the six-reservation tribe. Also, 57% of voters said each reservation should be allowed to determine its own enrollment requirements. Those reservations include Fond du Lac, Mille Lacs, Bois Forte, Grand Portage, White Earth and Leech Lake. Blood quantum requirements have been a source of debate and contention for years. Those in favor of ending the requirement say the blood quantum requirement has caused enrollment in the tribe to shrink, with many children not considered members despite having a parent who is. About 15% of the tribe's roughly 39,000 citizens are under age 18.Those opposed to ending the requirement are concerned that accepting more members will use limited federal or casino-generated funds, and that more people taking advantage of treaty rights will make resources scarce.The vote does not change the requirement just yet… The referendum is a guide for tribal leaders who will now decide whether to ask voters to amend the tribe's constitution.Minnesota Native News will have updates as they come in. In other news…Juliet Rudie – a Lower Souix Indian Community citizen – now leads Minnesota's new office of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives in St. Paul.  It's the first state office of its kind in the nation. The office was created based on the findings of the Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women & Relatives Task Force.The office will work with the 11 sovereign tribal nations in Minnesota; federal, state, and local law enforcement; federal and state agencies; and community-based organizations and advocates. Rudie has nearly 30 years of experience in public safety, starting as a patrol officer for St. Paul police in 1990. She later joined the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office in 2011, serving as an Inspector, Undersheriff of the Administration Division and Chief Deputy. Rudie retired in 2017, but she says she felt she needed to do more, something focused on helping native women and children. Juliet Rudie recently spoke with my sister Leah Lemm and I on Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine. Here she is talking about the new position.“I got a call that said, Hey, this job is going to be posted…. so I read the task force report, which is 163 pages. And I'm like, this document is amazing. They did research on why this was happening and they, and they managed to piece together some data, the data's in silos. So I give kudos to the research company, which is Wilder, where they were able to pull this information and then give it to, um, the task force. And then they were tasked with, um, there were five, uh, areas they were to look at, and then they were, and then from those five areas that came up with these 20 mandates.so whenever I get like overwhelmed in a, oh, by the scope of the work, I go back and I look at the report and I go, okay, you're on track, Julie, you're doing these things. Um, and, and then, so when I have to report to the legislature in January, I can say, these are the mandates that I touched. At this time, Juliet Rudie says she's narrowing the focus of the office in an effort to tackle as many mandates as possible… “it's prevention, um, reporting response, and making sure we have enough for victim resources and those. So that's, those are the four areas that I'm gonna focus on. Um, and then, and it's, it's bigger than that.”Juliet Rudie is now in the process of hiring more people for the new office.“I'm determined to make some type of difference, um, for the victims and the victims' families and survivors, because it's just sad … I have a friend who lost his daughter to gun violence. He was a native officer that I worked with… he said to me, he said that we need to do more. We need to do more in our community and we need to be better. We need to make things better. You can listen to more of the conversation with Juliet Rudie on Native Lights Where Indigenous Voices Shine. I'm Cole Premo. 

A group of educators gathered around a canoe display at the Grand Portage State Park welcome center. Rick Novitsky, who used to be the park manager, began telling a story about how the Grand Portage band of Chippewa turned this land on the banks of the Pigeon River and the Canadian border from private property into reservation land and a state park.  “It's become the destination that it always was — now for tens and thousands of visitors every summer and winter,” Novitsky said, “It's the only state park in Minnesota that is not on state land.” He spoke to more than 50 teachers from district schools, charters, colleges and K-12. They'd come from around Minnesota to spend a week training on the northernmost tip of Minnesota, next to Lake Superior, learning the history and present-day work of the Grand Portage Band of Chippewa.  After listening to Novitsky talk about the tribe's DNR work stocking fish, buying land and counting wildlife moose populations, the educators leave the welcome center and begin hiking up to High Falls — the tallest waterfall in Minnesota.  Derek Montgomery for MPR News High Falls as seen on June 29 at Grand Portage State Park near Grand Portage, Minn. The lecture and tour are part of a week-long educator training program called the Native Studies Summer Workshop for Educators. Darlene St. Clair, associate professor at St. Cloud State University, helped found the workshop and has been organizing and leading summer training sessions for more than a decade. It's meant to address a dearth of educator preparation to teach Native content. A recent statewide survey of educators commissioned by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community found that most Minnesota teachers lack the confidence to incorporate Native American content into their teaching practice. They also said access to Native tribes or individuals was the most significant factor necessary to increase their confidence in teaching. Nearly 30 percent said they didn't have age-appropriate, culturally authentic resources to teach Native content.  For St. Clair, addressing this access to Native people and resources is central to her summer training program. Each year she works to locate the training on one of Minnesota's 11 Native reservations. So far they've visited 10 of those reservations — in some cases more than once. St. Clair waits for permission to visit. Then she works with the tribe's educators, elders, artists and authors to give workshop participants information about treaties and sovereignty as well as the history, current events, language and culture of the reservation.  Derek Montgomery for MPR News Darlene St. Clair poses for a portrait on June 29 at Grand Portage State Park near Grand Portage, Minn. This week they're on Ojibwe land, learning about log building, hand weaving and food sovereignty. But they're also listening to Dakota guest speakers talk about that tribe's language, history and culture.  For St. Clair, this sort of training for educators is vital. “Schools have been used to erase Native people,” St. Clair said. “We're using those same institutions to address that erasure, to halt it and to sort of repair it and to restore Native people as the indigenous peoples of this land and that we should be central to all of these conversations.” Summer workshop participants spend the first few days of the session listening to speakers and raising questions about everything from how to do hands-on botany work in the classroom, how to understand and address historic trauma with students and why the Little House on the Prairie series has problematic portrayals of Native people.  “Everyone coming into the workshop has some baggage that they've learned about Native people that's problematic or 100 percent untrue, so we have to sort of start the week with grounding and think, ‘what is it that I'm bringing in?'” St. Clair said. Derek Montgomery for MPR News Anna Cournoyer (black sweatshirt) and Anais Cournoyer (blue sweatshirt) get their picture taken in front of High Falls Wednesday on June 29 at Grand Portage State Park near Grand Portage, Minn. Awna Cournoyer is the Native American liaison for the Cedar Mountain district in southern Minnesota. She's also an enrolled member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe. For her, the weeklong training is a corrective to some of the misinformation she's come across in textbooks. It's also valuable information she can bring back to her classroom. “I've liked it. I primarily serve Dakota students, so this is a big change because we're on an Ojibwe Anishinaabe Tribe(‘s reservation),” Cournoyer said, “Being able to tell my students (our history) goes beyond just southwestern Minnesota — it goes all the way up to the Canadian border and there's sacred sites all over.” But it's not just lectures, tours and group discussions. In the last few days of the session, participants take what they learn and start to think about how exactly they can incorporate it into the work that they're doing.  For Anna Best, who teaches special education to middle school students at online charter Minnesota Connections Academy, the training is about more than just figuring out ways to meet state standards for teaching Native content. She's also thinking specifically about the ways she can address some of the stereotypes, labels and other barriers that affect her Native students.  “There's data that shows there's a large discrepancy of Native students in special education so my goal … has been to next year really dive into that population at our school and to really look and see what supports those students needs beyond just being labeled as special education and getting special services,” Best said.  The week-long seminar is not comprehensive, but St. Clair hopes it gets teachers started on learning what they need to do their jobs well, and introduces them to the resources they need.   “If I can help our educators improve the way that they teach about and to Native people, that's the way we're going to make the larger change that we want to see,” St. Clair said.

(Grand Portage, Minn.) — To administer this COVID test, Todd Kautz had to lay on his belly in the snow and worm his upper body into the narrow den of a hibernating black bear. Training a light on its snout, Kautz carefully slipped a long cotton swab into the bear's nostrils five times.

People have lived along Lake Superior since the glaciers retreated 10,000 years ago. For the last 500 years, the Anishinaabe have called the region home. Their history is rich with stories of hunting, gathering, fishing, and trading. Tim Cochrane knows many of those stories. He has spent his career with the National Park Service, beginning as a backcountry ranger, adding historian, anthropologist, and ultimately Superintendent to his experience. He has been a faithful steward of Superior's history for over three decades. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Tim about his work at Grand Portage National Monument and Isle Royale National Park and learn about his latest book, “Making the Carry.” Brought to you by The National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation.Sponsored by Cafe Imports, a Minneapolis-based importer of fine, specialty green coffees. Independently owned and operated since 1993, Cafe Imports has been dedicated to decreasing its impact on the earth through renewable energy, carbon neutrality, and by supporting conservational efforts in places where quality coffee is grown and also, where quality coffee is consumed. Where does your coffee come from?

Exploring the North Shore is back with a new episode! Established in 1980, the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon is the premiere sled dog race series in North America. In this episode, Martha and Jaye tracked the 2022 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon and watched teams race into the Trail Center checkpoint as well as the Grand Portage finish line. Learn about the history surround the sled dog marathon and how you can get in on the action for next year's race.Check out the videos on our TikTok to see highlights from this year's marathon: https://www.tiktok.com/@staycvr  * Learn More: https://beargrease.com/ Watch the Replay of the 2022 Marathon: https://beargrease.com/race-info/  See Photos and Updates on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Cascadevacationrentals/  * This episode is sponsored by Cascade Vacation Rentals. Use promo code "Podcast" at check-out to receive Cascade's largest available percent off discount (discount changes seasonally). This episode is also sponsored by The Big Lake. Use promo code "Explore" at check-out to receive 15% off your first online order. Thank you to our wonderful sponsors!

The 2022 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon — covering 300 miles from Duluth to Grand Portage — is officially over. Musher Colleen Wallin, who came in third place (just ahead of her son, who finished fourth), told host Cathy Wurzer why it was one of her most memorable races ever.

Alexis is obsessed with The John Beargrease dog sled race set to finish tonight in Grand Portage. We're all watching (or checked out) The Gilded Age on HBO Max with mixed reviews.

Episode 293 ~ September 30, 2021 Podcast Info / Topics John calls in from the Erie Canal to give an update on the second week of his kayak trip Le Grand Portage fundraiser has teams portaging a canoe 700km from Toronto to Montreal It is Fat Bear Week. Which bear will be crowned Champion in […]

Episode 293 ~ September 30, 2021 Podcast Info / Topics John calls in from the Erie Canal to give an update on the second week of his kayak trip Le Grand Portage fundraiser has teams portaging a canoe 700km from Toronto to Montreal It is Fat Bear Week. Which bear will be crowned Champion in […]

What will I do with six months off of work? A part of me simply can’t believe it’s even happening. Listen in for the details I have planned thus far for my sabbatical experience of 2021. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 115 for May 11, 2021 Announcements A lot of great pics are coming in for the new topic for May: #SpringFlowers Please get those in the facebook group or email them to me. Facebook changed topics to hashtags.   MAIN TOPIC Starting in mid-June I’ll be off work for my regular summer break. Being a teacher definitely has its privileges. However, I applied for and was awarded a sabbatical for fall quarter. Under normal circumstances I’d be going back into the classroom starting in late September, but this year, with my sabbatical, I’ll be returning to the classroom in January 2022. First Sabbatical: Summer of 2016. Design in Northern Europe. Went to Poland and Germany. Also went to Photokina as my conference attendance that year. This year my schedule works out where I am putting a class I normally teach on hiatus for a bit as I move it to a different quarter, and we have a lot more adjuncts that can cover classes for me, and a very supportive department chair, which means I get to take a sabbatical during the fall quarter.  However, it’s not just time off. I have to do something that furthers my teaching, so I wrote a proposal of what I’ll plan to do and it got approved. In short, I’ll be visiting a minimum of four less popular national parks. There’s a total of 63 parks in the national park system. But there’s over 400 that are managed by the national parks system. One of those is just 5 miles away from me, Whitman Mission National Historic Site. But my goal is to visit national parks. I will then camp/hike/backpack in these parks and photograph the items that make the park special. However, I also want to not focus on the icons, but rather, the back trail items that you see when you’re in the park itself for more than a few hours. Once I’ve done the photographs, I’ll then create a series of posters somewhat inspired by the historic national parks posters. If you simply do a search for historic national parks posters you’ll see a lot of what I mean. You won’t find much of the original posts, but others who are doing their own take on the idea. Of all the things I teach, custom illustration is my weakest skill, so I’ll be focusing on that once I return. I’ll use the photos as a foundation for my posters and then I’ll design the posters and host a gallery showing of the photo prints and the poster prints. Of course, I’ll cover everything here on the show as well so you can vicariously tag along and learn a few creative processes as well. Planning the journey I’ve looked at a lot of different parks, but have so far settled on Isle Royale, Theodore Roosevelt and Badlands. I may also get down to Great Basin, but my fourth park is still not completely decided yet. Additionally, I left the proposal open enough to not lock me in to national parks only. And, I can go international if travel opens up a bit as time goes on. So we’ll see on that front as well. As it is now, Croatia is taking US tourists with a negative Covid test, but you have to have your accommodations fully pre-paid before you show up which seems like an odd requirement. I suppose they want to be able to track you and know exactly where you’ll be. Anyway… let’s talk about a few of these locations I’ll be heading off to. Isle Royale, NP Book from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3eu5S24 Isle Royale Fast Facts: https://www.nationalparked.com/isle-royale Part of Michigan, even though it’s closer to Canada and Minnesota. About 45 miles long and 9 miles wide The main island and roughly 400 smaller outlying islands. Became a national park in 1931 Only 26,410 visitors in 2019 I’ll take the ferry from Grand Portage, MN.  I’ve read the book I purchased and found a great trail that is the perfect length for what I will be carrying and I have a good chance at seeing some moose.  The mosquitos should be gone or vastly decreased by early September.  I’m already planning my camera carry system because I’ve not been on a full backpacking trip with my camera in tow in over 15 years. And that was a disaster as I didn’t have the right pack back then. I’ll be on the island for 7 days with four full days and two half-days for hiking and shooting. I’ll start driving from home in NE Oregon and it’ll take me three days to get there. I’ll then take the ferry from MN, and then hike around and photograph for 7 days. I may even rent a canoe depending on availability. There’s a few campsites that are on the smaller islands. I really want to do that, but I’ll just have to play it by ear. The trail I want to go to has a regular campsite along the way and I like that idea of setting up a base camp and being able to take day hikes around the area.  I will be without power for these seven days so I plan on getting a Goal Zero solar charger. There’s just so much to learn and research for this trip. I’m very excited, but also, there’s just so much to do as I’ll also be preparing much of my own food now that we’re on the farm and we have a dehydrator. I’m already preparing some foods to test some recipes for calorie and vitamin packed meals. I’ll do everything I can to document those items as well, but they may make it to my YouTube channel, or my wife’s channel. If I do videos, I’ll certainly mention it here on the show. MN North Shore When I get back, I’ll take a brief rest and then I’ll get at it along the Minnesota North Shore. I decided to host a workshop focusing on waterfalls and fall color. The workshop will happen September 19–24. At the time of this recording I’ve already got my first seat of 8 total sold. By the way, it’s $50 off until Sunday, May 16, 2021. https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/minnesota-waterfall-and-fall-color-workshop/ I talked about it quite a bit in the last episode, so I won’t take too much time here. Although I must say, I really do love y’all. I had a listener write in saying they’d love to help give some info about the location. They live in Minneapolis and I was just so impressed that someone would like to chip in like that. Thanks so much. I will be scouting beforehand so when you show up for the workshop you’ll have the confidence that I’ll have already seen what the options and opportunities are and that I’ll know where we’ll have a better chance of getting good images. There’s also the hiking component. I’ll be able to ascertain the lay of the land with the participants and their hiking abilities. I didn’t mention in the last episode that I will also be hosting pre workshop and post workshop sessions. The pre workshop session will allow us to chat for 30–45 minutes. I’d love to look at a few of your best images and this session will help me to customize your shooting experience as best as possible. The post workshop session will be about an hour long and we’ll look over your images and we’ll talk about what’s working and what you might want to continue working on. If possible, we’ll do a group session where I will go over some post-processing items as well. Theodore Rooselvent NP 70,466 acres. 691,658 visitors in 2019. Made a national park in 1978. Grasslands are the most common feature of the park. There’s also an impressive petrified wood deposit in the park as well.  Made of three units, the North Unit, South Unit and the much smaller Elkhorn Ranch Unit. My plan is to spend three days in the North Unit, and two days in the south unit. But as is a common refrain, my research is ongoing and I may decide to stick to one unit over the other. I have a National Geographic map that I’ve yet to fully study and figure out what I will be doing. I also bought an informational book on the park and have yet to read it too. I’ll then spend a day or two in Rapid City on the way to shoot the Badlands.  Badlands NP 970,998 visitors in 2019. Made a national park in 1978.  Name comes from the Lakota who called it “mako sica” which translates to “land that is bad.” The park is divided into the North Side and the South Side. The South side also has the Palmer Creek Area which is a separate piece to the east of the main South Side unit. I’ll be sticking to the North Side as the South Side is also part of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and at the time of this recording it is closed to visitors. I’ll be visiting in late September, but there’s enough to see in the North Side, and that’s the part that is most recognized anyway. I know I want to try and stick to the lesser seen parts of these parks but there comes a point where I just have to go with what’s more accessible and easy to plan. I’m planning on 3.5 days of shooting in the park which may not be enough, but by limiting myself to the North Side only I should be able to get something worth while. Heading Home Once all that is finished I’ll head back home with a night over in Bozeman, MT. A part of me hates to drive past so many awesome places but I’ll have been on the road for five weeks at this point and I’ll certainly be needing to be in my own bed quickly. I reserved a room in Bozeman with a jetted tub. The only time I’m really splurging :) Other National Parks Fast Facts In 2019, the 10 most visited parks were: Great Smoky Mountains National Park: 12.5 million Grand Canyon National Park: 5.97 million Rocky Mountain National Park: 4.7 million Zion National Park: 4.5 million Yosemite National Park: 4.4 million Yellowstone National Park: 4 million Acadia National Park: 3.4 million Grand Teton National Park: 3.4 million Olympic National Park: 3.2 million Glacier National Park: 3 million The two parks I really WANT to visit: Virgin Islands National Park National Park of American Samoa As time rolls on and I still have early December open, I may find myself in one of these parks, or a park elsewhere, like in Central America or Croatia. One can dream… Links to resources I’m using to plan my trip Badlands Map: https://amzn.to/3f4TIvt Theodore Roosevelt National Park Map: https://amzn.to/3uATNxJ Theodore Roosevelt National Park Book: https://amzn.to/3beF2ZO Isle Royale National Park Book: https://amzn.to/3tsGrSI Minnesota Waterfalls Book: https://amzn.to/3txS5Mi Reminders & Links View the latest in the Lightroom Quickstart Bootcamp: https://youtu.be/fxnbt6r5prE Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/ Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School  Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order. I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo  THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S LIBRARY: https://brentbergherm.com/info/photographers-library Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/ Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/ Find me on instagram @brentbergherm Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

It’s my mission to help you work through any blockades you have in creating better and more meaningful photography. In today’s episode we look at this notion of understanding your photography, and maybe it’s better to say understanding your point and purpose in photography. When that is clear to you, it’s much easier for everything else to fall into place. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 113 for April 25, 2021   Announcements Upcoming topic for listener images reviews. IN THE WATER April 29, going live on YouTube at 7:15 p.m. Pacific Time. I invite you to join us live and ask questions or make comments while the images are being reviewed. Lots of great images have been coming in. Get yours in before the evening of the 28th to be considered for this next live session.   I’ve released my next episode of my Lightroom Classic Quickstart Bootcamp. It’s all about my personal method of doing file organization with all my images. I also talk about options for organizing by date as well.   Other than the inquiry I put in the facebook group about the idea of what you think it’d be like to be in on the planning stages of the workshop (i.e. the specifics of what to shoot) I didn’t hear anything back from the last time I said something about that in the previous episode. So I’ve decided that I’ll still plan this workshop, and for those that are curious, you can help determine which is better, one waterfall over another. The location will be Minnesota’s North Shore area and there’s just TONS of waterfalls. It’ll also be in September. More details will come out later but just know this for now, if you’re interested, block out mid September in your calendar. We’ll be photographing fall color and waterfalls. We’ll start in Two Harbors, MN and end in Grand Portage. It’ll take me a bit to get the sales page ready on the site, but for now, just be planning on it :)    MAIN TOPIC Understanding your Photography with Lori Rowland. Identifying your Photographic Purpose What are your interests in life? In photography? Name Three sources of Inspiration, from any source, creative inspiration. Describe your VOICE as a photographer. What is your overarching goal? What are you really good at outside of photography. Literally, remove as much “photography” from the conversation, what are you really good at? You might consider these to be your traits. Not considering photography, what needs work? More about you? Do you get feedback? Meaningful feedback? Your work isn’t for EVERYONE, nor should it be. Your work isn’t just for you either. Who is your photography for? Where are you in your creative process, how do you get here? What’s working for you? Introduce new interests, but don’t get derailed! Methodically add new ideas and see how they resonate with you, your audience and your goals. How to grow with your photography Reminders & Links Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/ Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School  Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order. I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo  THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S LIBRARY: https://brentbergherm.com/info/photographers-library   Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/ Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/ Find me on instagram @brentbergherm Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com Find Lori Rowland: https://oregonexposures.com and https://www.facebook.com/LoriRowlandPhotography

Meet Anna Deschampe, Chief of Interpretation at Grand Portage National Monument, at the tip of the arrowhead in northern Minnesota. With degrees in both Sociology and Anthropology, Anna's education has well prepared her for her job, but she also shares her backstory as a member of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa growing up on the reservation. Grand Portage National Monument is one of the country's few national parks located entirely on native land and a place where America's fur trade story lives on. 

This week on the Minnesota Native News health report, we look at an Ojibwe band on the most northeastern edge of the state and how it was affected by the pandemic. I'm Dalton Walker and here's this week's story. A couple hours drive north of Duluth, tucked away along the shore of Lake Superior and near the Canadian border, is the homelands of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Grand Portage is one of seven Ojibwe bands in Minnesota, and the smallest. The tribe is home to about 500 citizens.Council member John Morrin has served for more than 20 years. He said the last year has been challenging as the tribe took near immediate precautions once the pandemic hit Minnesota. Morrin: We took the virus seriously, basically shut down Grand Portage. We shut down our store, had limited hours, we shut down our casino, shut down just about everything.0:56-1:09 = 13 secondsThe shut down worked for the health and safety of the community. No deaths connected to the coronavirus have been reported. Morrin: Those precautions we took over a year ago now, we've only had one case in Grand Portage. And in fact, that wasn't a case within the community but was a case of a girlfriend that came to visit a band member one weekend and that's how he got exposed. She found out later that she got exposed. But basically, one case like that in over a year, so I would have to say, we have a community that really took it seriously and took serious precautions to keep our community safe, and it paid off.1:55-2:36 = 41 secondsLike many tribes and communities, the shutdown affected revenue. The casino was closed for nearly four months. With the border still closed, a large chunk of gaming revenue from regular Canadian visitors has stopped. Reserves and federal and state relief has helped, but the tribe has been in a crunch since, Morrin said. Morrin: We're patiently waiting for Trudeau and Biden to work something out and open up that border. We think, maybe, we've heard, middle of May. Not going to hold my breath; possibly by the Fourth of July. But we would really appreciate that border being opened, that's basically our revenues. 4:19-4:44= 25 secondsThe tribe is looking at other potential revenue streams, like maximizing outdoor recreational opportunities. Grand Portage is a vacation destination throughout the year. It's home to the picturesque Grand Portage State Park and a ferry ride to Isle Royale National Park.Tourism to the area could be coming back in the coming months as the state and the country continues to get vaccinated. The tribe has better vaccinated numbers than the state. Grand Portage worked with Indian Health Service for its vaccine rollout. Morrin said 90 percent of the tribe has been vaccinated and the leftover vaccine was shared with the county.Morrin: That's who we are, culturally, we help everybody. It's kind of an educational process too, we keep pushing. Hey, we are still here, and this is who we are, beautiful people.11:58-12:11 = 13 secondsFor Minnesota Native News health report, I'm Dalton Walker

Winter camping continues to be a favorite activity for the WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast team. In February 2021, Matthew Baxley and Joe Friedrichs took a TV news team from Duluth for a trip to the BWCA. Alex Laitala and Dan Wolfe from KBJR joined the podcast duo for a trip to the far eastern reaches of the designated wilderness. Temperatures dropped to 10-below zero and Matthew shares a report from the wilderness along with added reflection from a memorable trip. Also in this episode, podcast contributor Lindsey Gau talks with Ty Olson about his epic and important journey through the Boundary Waters and other border lakes. Ty traveled more than 270 miles over 27 days in February and March across the border lakes of Minnesota and Ontario. He called his journey ‘Ski For Fire’ and he did the trip to raise money for firewood for the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Lindsey sat down to talk with Ty just moments after his trip ended on the shores of Lake Superior in Grand Portage. The March sun is slowly melting the surface of some lakes in the BWCA. The season of change nears. A special thanks to Claire Campbell and Ian Tamblyn for their musical contributions to this episode.

What does it mean to educate the young? How does this relate to Canadian history?Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=19470381)

This season we are suggesting books you might enjoy for our Goodreads group: Armchair Travel to Minnesota State Parks. We give you a prompt connected to each state park, and you find a book to fulfill the challenge. You can use one of our suggestions, and you should feel free to read any book! This week we’re looking at  Grand Portage State Park! This park was established in 1989. This park is very close to the Grand Portage National Monument, which is also worth a visit. The park has the tallest waterfall in the state - and any of the North Shore parks will be good for viewing waterfalls. Enjoy a book with a waterfall on the cover, or as part of the story. We give you links to each of these books on our show notes page, taking you to Amazon.com. If you click on any of them, and buy anything at all - including a nice book - Amazon will send us a small percent of the profits they made on these sales. Thank you for supporting CMLE!

Checkout the Facebook page here: https://facebook.com//Wetootwaags-Bagpipe-and-History-Podcast-105980514479825/ LIVE STREAM 1 PM Saturday August 8th, 2020 (US Central Time GMT -5:00) Generally this would be the weekend of the Rendezvous Days Pow Wow at Grand Portage Since we are not meeting in person I’ll be doing a live stream Music program Tune in to the Wetootwaag’s Bagpipes and History Podcast Facebook Page or the North American Voyageur Council Facebook Page (and likely some other places) for you to enjoy! Thanks! Saturday at 1 PM for a Live Stream I’ll be mostly playing Bagpipe Tunes on Scottish and Irish Bagpipes that would have been Popular in the 1790s, as well as a Discussion of the Bagpipers that Entertained the North West Company and Indigenous People throughout the Interior of Canada. (If Acoustics are too intense with Highland Pipes, likely to strongly Feature Uilleann Pipes)

Tony and Brandon catch up after being separated during Covid. Brandon tells about his recent hike at Whitewater State Park, and Tony discusses his return to the BWCA to tackle the 9-mile Grand Portage. They also discuss future guests and start to plan Brandon's first-ever hunt -- for squirrels!

Tony and Brandon catch up after being separated during Covid. Brandon tells about his recent hike at Whitewater State Park, and Tony discusses his return to the BWCA to tackle the 9-mile Grand Portage. They also discuss future guests and start to plan Brandon's first-ever hunt -- for squirrels!

Headlines: This week on Minnesota Native News, Minnesota Chippewa Tribe elections and more. This is Minnesota Native News, I'm Marie Rock.STORY 1: MCT Postponed Primary Happening on June 9 HOST: The 6 Bands who are part of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe are holding their primary election on June 9. Reporter Melissa Townsend has the details. MELISSA: Mille Lacs, White Earth, Boise Forte, Leech Lake, Fond du Lac, and Grand Portage will be choosing candidates for Band Chairmen and several District Representatives seats. The primary election was postponed from March 31 because of safety precautions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  Gary Frazer is the Executive Director of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.  FRAZER: I think the voter turnout is going to be way lower at the polls because they've been requesting people vote with absentee over the last month and a half. (:10)He says tribal leaders are taking a number of precautions to keep voters safe. MCT members can vote by absentee ballot up through June 9. At polling places, some Bands will practice social distancing and some may require a temperature check before you can vote. If a person has an elevated temperature, they can get an absentee ballot.The candidates who make it through the Primaries will run in the General Election. That's scheduled for August 18. In other news… Some tribes in Minnesota are reopening their casinos. All tribes in Minnesota closed their gaming enterprises in mid-March as a part of social distancing to slow the spread of Covid-19.Joe Naquanabe, the head of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe's Corporate Ventures says that decision to close was really tough.NAQUANABE: It was really scary knowing what the properties represent to the region and especially the Mille Lacs Band. (:08)But he says - the decision to reopen is even more difficult. NAQUANABE: It's harder because there's this fact that we will be increasing the same risks that we are trying to avoid by closing. (:13)The Upper Sioux community opened their doors earlier in May. The Shakopee Mdewaukanton Sioux Community, Prairie Island Indian Community, the Red Lake Nation and the Mille Lacs and the Bois Forte Bands of Ojibwe casinos are reopening this week. Angela Heikes [HIGH-kiss] is President and CEO of the Shakopee Mdewaukanton Sioux Community Gaming Enterprise. Both Naquanabe and Heikes say their tribes are consulting both with their own internal health and safety departments and outside agencies.HEIKES: We are really watching and understanding the guidance coming form the federal government, the CDC, different health organizations, coming from the state of Minnesota. We also have our own tribal public health department. (:19)The casinos are not opening to full capacity so that patrons can practice social distancing. Customers will have their temperature taken at the entrances. Shakopee is requiring everyone to wear masks; Mille Lacs is not. Other tribes around the country are also reopening their casinos.GILES: Casinos in different states are further along in the process, particularly Oklahoma. (:05)Jason Giles, Muscogee Creek, is Executive Director of the National Indian Gaming Association.  It's a non-profit advocacy organization for tribal gaming operations.GILES: To be honest it's not without its hiccups right off the bat.  There are reports of employees showing up a-symptomatic but they have the virus. There have been other reports of people showing up not wearing a mask. (:15)Giles says there are some tribes who say they will NOT reopen their casinos in the near future.  GILES: There's plenty of tribes in South Dakota, North Dakota, Arizona, New Mexico - some of the tribes that just don't have strong health care systems on the reservation and are a commute away from the nearest hospital, they are at particular risk if the virus starts to spread. They just can't afford to have it run through their populations. (:20)Here in Minnesota, tribal casino heads say they will pay close attention to what's happening and adjust as needed.For Minnesota Native News, I'm Melissa Townsend.HOST: And finally, The Leech Lake tribal newspaper, the Debahjimon [dih-BOJ-ih-mon] is reporting that the US Environmental Protection Agency has reached a decision on the Superfund site located within Leech Lake reservation boundaries. The agency has gone agains the wishes of the tribe and has decided to retain the contaminated soil on site rather than truck it off the reservation.This decision comes after decades of consultation over the St. Regis Superfund site where the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe voiced opposition to this very plan. The Band is exploring their options for further action.

Huge thanks to Hamish Napier! Check out his Bandcamp Page! We listened to tracks from The River, and The Woods Album. https://hamishnapier.bandcamp.com/ Open up with a clip of me playing a Pibroch I wrote for Grand Portage on the side of the road in the Cairngorms National Park. Then I play a tune from James Aird’s collection “The Braes of Angus”. Then three glorious tracks from Hamish Napier: From the River: The May Fly Woods: The Tree of Life/Lightning Woods: The Highest Willows And Conclude with my playing “Michael McDonald’s Jig” in Carnasserie Castle in Kilmartin Glen. In the future when the world opens back up I desperately hope I get to revisit our hike in the Cairngorms up to Corrie Fee: https://www.nature.scot/enjoying-outdoors/scotlands-national-nature-reserves/corrie-fee-national-nature-reserve And also spend another night at Rosebank House (not Rose Cottage as I say in the audio) in Blairgowrie: https://www.rosebank-blairgowrie.co.uk/en-US/homepage

On today’s episode of Exploring the North Shore Solo History Lessons, we’re going to be learning about Father Baraga's Cross.*Also known as "The Snowshoe Priest", Bishop Baraga serves the Upper Great Lakes tribes during the mid to late 1800s. This is the story of his harrowing journey across Lake Superior in 1846 to give aid to the Grand Portage tribe during an epidemic. *This episode is sponsored by Cascade Vacation Rentals. Use promo code "Podcast" at check-out to receive Cascade's largest available percent off discount (discount changes seasonally). This episode is also sponsored by The Big Lake. Use promo code "Explore" at check-out to receive 15% off your first online order. Thank you to our wonderful sponsors!

This week’s show kicks off our coverage of the Colorado River and how its health, or lack of health, impacts Canyonlands National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Utah. We also take a peek at Grand Portage National Monument in Minnesota and what awaits intrepid park travelers who put it on their to-do list.

Although notoriously difficult to get to (and, in Bryan’s case, off of), Isle Royale National Park rewards visitors with acres of solitude and Superior vistas. Park Ranger Liz Valencia, the park’s Chief of Interpretation and Cultural Resources, joins Bryan to discuss the island’s mystique and why it’s rugged beauty is more approachable than you think. Discussion Includes the Following: 0:02 - Past episodes listening suggestions: Ken Burns interview, Biscayne National Park, Crater Lake National Park, Everglades National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Olympic National Park, Saguaro National Park, Shenandoah National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Zion National Park 1:10 - Park Ranger Liz Valencia, Chief of Interpretation and Cultural Resources at Isle Royal National Park 1:26 - Minnesota or Michigan? Getting to Isle Royale by boat: Ranger III, Isle Royale Queen IV, Voyageur II, Sea Hunter III 4:03 - Daytripper strategies: Grand Portage, MN and Copper Harbor, MI 8:40 - Seaplane service 9:42- Extended exploring aboard Voyageur II 10:25 - Island hopping and harbor stopping: Daytrip and overnight options at Windigo, McCargoe Cove, Belle Isle, Tobin Harbor, Rock Harbor, Daisy Farm, Malone Bay, Chippewa Harbor 12:28 - Rock Harbor Lodge water taxi 12:45 - Huginnin Cove Loop Trail 13:28 -  Hiking the spine: The Greenstone Ridge Trail 16:16 - Weather considerations and planning for the unexpected 20:02 - Daytrip hikes from Rock Harbor: Scoville Point, Suzy’s Cave, Lookout Louise, Mount Franklin, Tobin Harbor, Ojibway Fire Tower 24:24 - Rock Harbor paddling recommendations 25:46 - Daytrip hikes from Windigo: Windigo Nature Trail, Grace Creek Overlook, Minong Overlook, Rock of Ages Huginnin Cove Loop 27:15 - Backcountry treks: Feldtmann Ridge Trail 29:25 - Backcountry portages 30:19 - Islands and inland lakes: Beaver Island, Lake Richie, Chickenbone Lake 31:49 - Backcountry camping permits and logistics 33:30 - Backcountry popularity 35:44 - Sailing around Isle Royale and the outer islands 36:27 - An underwater museum: cold-water diving amongst the preserved remains of 10 major shipwrecks 40:52 - Ranger programs on land and water 45:44 - Inside the park’s wolves and moose population with Isleroyalwolf.org and the fictional Winter Study by Nevada Barr 47:48 - Slim shoulder-season 49:52 - Pests 51:20 - Seasonal transitions 53:47 - Ranger Liz shares a favorite Isle Royale memory 57:15 - Don’t be shy. Ask a ranger! For complete show notes and archive, visit everybodysnationalparks.com. We have covered parks including: Biscayne, Crater Lake, Everglades, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Olympic, Rock Creek, Saguaro, Shenandoah, Virgin Islands, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion. We also have special conversations with a diverse group of national park champions. (Ep. 13) Acclaimed documentarian Ken Burns took time out of his busy schedule to discuss the creation and legacy of the National Park Service and celebrate the tenth anniversary of his series The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. (Ep. 14) Author Becky Lomax chatted with Danielle and Bryan about her guidebook and offered travel tips to lesser-known parks. (Ep. 19.5) Ranger Shelton Johnson introduced listeners to the Buffalo Soldiers of Yosemite National Park Actions: Subscribe to our podcast from our website https://www.everybodysnationalparks.com/ Tell your friends about Everybody’s National Parks Send us your national park stories, recommendations, comments, or questions to Hello at everybodysnps.com. Support us on Patreon Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook Please tag us from the parks you are visiting at #everybodysnationalparks  

Le Podcast Du Grand Portage 004, animé par Jeff Morency sur versusradio.ca Cette semaine:1-On se parle d'économies; Comment économisez sans se priver2-On discute bucket list Stef de passage, cap sur Walt Disney3-On parle de bonheur au le blogue d'Hugo Dubé4-On parle productivité Isarta 5-On parle de Game(r) une série à découvrir sur Tout.tv

5 phrases à ne jamais dire au boulot Ta bucket list y'a quoi dessus? 100 choses à faire avant de mourirUn village de chum, belle idée ça pour nos jeunes, nos municipalités devraient prendre exemple la dessusAs-tu mis 3$ de côté cette semaine? Notre défi 52 semaines se poursuit! Bonne écoute! Partagez

Getting to Isle Royale National Park proves easier than getting off the famously difficult to reach island for Bryan and his buddies. In this episode, he’s joined by brother Dan and Dr Jeff Greenberger, their former-teacher-turned-honorary-highschool-buddy, for a post-trip recap. Danielle closes the show with a look at riding out an Isle Royale storm from ENP headquarters. Discussion includes the following: [0:46] Past episodes listening suggestions: Ken Burns interview, Biscayne National Park, Crater Lake National Park, Everglades National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Olympic National Park, Saguaro National Park, Shenandoah National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Zion National Park, and 2019 Year In Review [01:52] The adventure begins:: Grand Marais, MN, Grand Portage, MN, Sea Hunter Ferry, Isle Royale National Park [05:00] First impressions, lasting memories: Windigo, Washington Harbor, Lake Superior, The SS America [07:00] A first-name basis welcome and check-in procedures [08:40] Day 1: Agates, beavers, and Tolkien vibes on Huginnin Cove Trail [13:00] Windigo camper cabins and visitors center review [13:56] Day 2: Morning moose-spotting and the ferry to McCargoe Cove [17:36] Hiking highlights: Lake Richie, Chickenbone Lake, and meeting a trail regular [21:00] Our backcountry campsite and a dip with the neighboring moose [22:25] Wolf tales and loon calls [24:40] The joys of sleeping soundly in a bear-free park [26:45] Day 3: Greenstone Ridge Trail, Three Mile campground [27:35] Daisy Farm [28:50] The gadget man (powdered root beer, cylinder stick stove) [29:43] Inclement camping: ominous weather forecasted [32:51] Day 4: Tobin Harbor, Lake Superior, and the trail to Rock Harbor {34:00] Moose tales [36:01] Rock Harbor Lodge cabins [37:00} Juxtaposition: Isle Royale’s grand past and mining history [38:58] Lodge dinner and libation recommendations: Redjacket Amber Ale and Widowmaker by Keweenaw Brewing Company and Isle Royale Cream Ale from Midland Brewing Company [40:51] The (return) adventure begins: rough crossings and returns [44:20] Bonus Day 5: witnessing the very best in our NPS staff [46:30] Bonus day recollections [48:30] Back into civilization: Duluth and Minneapolis, MN [51:00] Isle Royale wish lists: full-island traverse and kayak-camping [54:08} Lasting impressions [57:27] Homefront POV: Danielle minds mission control during the guys’ bonus day snafu   For complete show notes and archive, visit everybodysnationalparks.com. We have covered parks including: Biscayne, Crater Lake, Everglades, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Olympic, Rock Creek, Saguaro, Shenandoah, Virgin Islands, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion. We also have special conversations with a diverse group of national park champions. (Ep. 13) Acclaimed documentarian Ken Burns took time out of his busy schedule to discuss the creation and legacy of the National Park Service and celebrate the tenth anniversary of his series The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. (Ep. 14) Author Becky Lomax chatted with Danielle and Bryan about her guidebook and offered travel tips to lesser-known parks. (Ep. 19.5) Ranger Shelton Johnson introduced listeners to the Buffalo Soldiers of Yosemite National Park Actions: Subscribe to our podcast from our website https://www.everybodysnationalparks.com/ Tell your friends about Everybody’s National Parks Send us your national park stories, recommendations, comments, or questions to Hello at everybodysnps.com. Support us on Patreon Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook Please tag us from the parks you are visiting at #everybodysnationalparks

Avez-vous serré votre 2$? On est rendu à 3$ d'économies cette année! Petit train va loin. C'est quoi votre série télé par les temps qui courent?

In part 2 of our series on Sacred Tobacco, we'll talk about “Tradition versus Addiction” for American Indian tribes in Minnesota. There are 11 federally recognized tribes in Minnesota, comprised of seven Ojibwe federally recognized reservations, and four Dakota communities,  all with their own sovereign governments: Bois Forte, Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, Leech Lake, Lower Sioux, Mille Lacs, Prairie Island, Red Lake, Shakopee Mdewakanton, Upper Sioux, and White Earth.  Ojibwe and Dakota people in Minnesota have tobacco traditions that were passed down for generations, for centuries before the arrival of Europeans. Using Native tobacco in a sacred manner is not a health risk. Teaching youth about their power and spirituality allows them to see tobacco differently, as a protective factor against harmful behaviors. We had the honor to sit down with Sharon Day and Suzanne Nash from the Indigenous People's Task Force to talk about sacred tobacco traditions that were passed down to them as Ojibwe people, and how they are sharing these practices across generations in their community.

Joe and Jaye continue up Highway 61 until they reach Grand Portage- home of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (Ojibwe).  Come along and find out what food item Jaye loves at the restaurant, explore the National Monument and hear about the rich history from Karl Koster, and then go for a hike at the Grand Portage State Park to the area's biggest waterfall (120 feet!).  The area is rich in nature and history and Joe and Jaye couldn't wait to take it all in. This podcast is sponsored by Cascade Vacation Rentals - serving Northern Minnesota from Duluth to the Canadian border with over 175 properties to choose from- including over 75 pet-friendly properties. Reconnect to what's important(TM). Book your stay today at www.cascadevacationrentals.com.

Join Erik, Adam, Tori and Natalie on this weeks adventure as they tackle the grandaddy of them all. From John Lake to South Fowl Lake and down the Pigeon River before settling in for a physically and mentally challenging trudge down the Grand Portage. Subscribe: Patreon Spotify iTunes YouTube Stitcher Google Play Soundcloud Twitter Contact: The Answering Machine: (218) 481-0649 Facebook tumblehomecast@gmail.com

Le conférencier et chroniqueur Hassan Serraji qui a écrit, y a quelques semaines “Et si c’était vous?”, un texte sur ce que ça représente d’immigrer, pour nous faire comprendre ce que vivent ces humains qui rêvent de venir ici. Et il sait de quoi il parle, il a quitté le Maroc pour venir s’installer au Québec en 2002. La comédienne Mylène Mackay, celle qui a incarné Nelly Arcan au cinéma. Elle nous parle de son enfance à la campagne, à Saint-Didace dans Lanaudière, avec des parents fous d’horticulture qui ont créé y a 40 ans, Les jardins du Grand-Portage, un endroit ouvert au public, des parents qui étaient à l’avant-garde et qui cultivaient bio avant à peu près tout le monde. La chef globe-trotteuse Stéphanie Audet, une amoureuse de légumes qui a fait le tour de la planète et qui vient de publier son premier livre, Cuisine botanique.

Le premier podcast du Grand Portage est maintenant en ligne. Découvrez ce tout nouveau balado exclusivement produit pour le KRTB. Cette semaine dans ce podcast animé par Jean-François Morency 1-Canabis 2-Lait 3-Laïcité

Entretien avec Gabriel Belzile président des producteurs de lait du BSL sur le secteur laitier, la gestion de l'offre et les répercussions pour nos producteurs. Il était de passage le 18 octobre dernier dans le Podcast du Grand Portage sur versus radio. Animé par Jean-François Morency www.versusradio.net

David Thompson Part 2 Last week I talked about David Thompson's arrival in Canada and some of his adventures during the earliest part of his long career in Canada. They were just the start of a 40+ year adventure across the wilderness of this nation and the northern United States. This week, I planned to talk about his explorations in the Canadian Rockies and along the course of the Columbia River in British Columbia, but quite frankly, his story is just too important to rush. So this week, I talk about the period between last week's episode of a young David Thompson until he made the decision to join the Northwest Company in 1797. If we start from the 18-year old Thompson we left last week, then for the next 10 years, he settled into a routine as both a fur trader and surveyor. To be a Hudson's Bay man meant that you had to put trade above all else, including surveying. Thompson continued his gruelling schedule of travel during these intervening years, travelling to and from the forts of present-day northern Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Thompson's true love was surveying. He was an admirable fur trader but the more time he spent in the wilderness, the more he began to admire the traders of the Northwest Company. They seemed to have the freedom to explore and were less tied to distant forts like Hudson Bay. He was under the command of Joseph Colen of York Factory. Colen was a cautious trader who focused his energy on getting more and more furs to Hudson Bay and didn't believe in wasting manpower and money to explore more distant areas, like the country surrounding Lake Athabasca. This, however, was completely counter to directives given to him from London. In 1778-79, Peter Pond of the Northwest Company had significant success trading at Lake Athabasca, and the Hudson's Bay Company directors wanted a piece of that action. Some 10 years later, In 1790, Philip Turnor was charged by the Hudson's Bay Company to lead an expedition to the lake and investigate the possibility of a route to the Pacific. During the previous winter, Turnor had trained David Thompson and Peter Fidler (another explorer of note), the skills of surveying. Turnor's experiences at Lake Athabasca showed that it was a potential bonanza for trade, despite the presence of the Northwest Company Traders that had preceded them. He described it as "the Grand Magazine of the Athapiscow Country," and believed that it would be an extremely profitable venture if the HBC were to build a fort there. The Directors in London were very excited and continually urged Colen to send Malcolm Ross and Thompson to follow-up on Turnor's explorations. While the London Directors were keen to expand trade inland, some of the local managers, like Chief Factor William Tomison and Resident Chief Joseph Colen, blocked any efforts to extend a permanent presence so far inland. While Ross and Thompson were sent out several times to retrace the route via Cumberland House, they were repeatedly unsuccessful. In 1792 they headed out, and after overwintering at Sipiwesk Lake in northern Manitoba, Thompson attempted to push on to Lake Athabasca but was forced to retreat when he couldn't find any native canoemen to accompany him. The next summer, 1793, Ross and Thompson were again sent up to Cumberland House and then on to another fort called Buckingham House. Ross and Thompson never attempted to travel to Lake Athabasca. It is likely that the Resident Factor at York Factory, Joseph Colen, may have also neglected to order the group to continue to Lake Athabasca, and instead directed them to Buckingham House, a fort to the NW of present-day Edmonton. Thompson returned to York Factory in the summer of 1794 and in the meantime, Colen and his associates at York wrote to England as follows: “Notwithstanding the steps pursued last fall to ensure the success of the Athapascow Expedition, we are sorry to remark it was again set aside at Cumberland House this Spring. As these transactions happened many hundred miles distance from us, and with much secrecy, we cannot from our own knowledge inform your honours the real cause, and it is from letter and hearsay we form our judgment. It, however, appears surprising, for when Mr. Colen accompanied the men and boats up Hill River, with trading goods, many volunteers offered their service for the Athapascow Expedition, and said they were ready to have gone from Cumberland House with Messrs. Ross and Thompson, but Mr. Tomison refusing to pass his word for the advance of wages promised by the Honourable Committee it of course stopt the Expedition in question and the considerable loss of your honours. Indeed we find this business involved in mystery, and as are many other transactions inland. . . . We have already remarked on the overthrow of the Athapascow Expedition this season. The repeated disappointments so much disheartened Mr. Ross determined him to return to England had not Mr. Thompson prevailed on him to pursue some other track into the Athapascow country, for they declare it will be impossible to carry it on from Cumberland as the Honourable Company’s affairs at present stand, as every obstacle is thrown in the way to prevent its success. In order to suppress similar obstructions Mr. Ross took men and one canoe cargo of goods with him from Cumberland House and built a house to the northward near to a station occupied by a Mr. Thompson, a Canadian Proprietor whose success of late years in collecting of furs has been great. Mr. David Thompson has been fitted out with men and three canoe cargoes from this place to supply Mr. Ross by proceeding up Nelson River track.” The response from London reaffirmed their confidence in Ross and Thompson. They wrote: “ We are perfectly satisfied with the conduct of Messrs. David Thompson, Ross, and others…" They continued “Obstacles are again, we perceive, thrown in the way of the Athapascow Expedition, but we trust all difficulties which occur and impede the Company’s success will soon be removed.” In 1795, Thompson visited York Factory for the last time. At this point, he had been collecting astronomical and temperature data everywhere he travelled for the previous decade. Despite this, the Hudson's Bay Company offered no encouragement to him to continue to explore further into the wilderness and add more data points to the map of what would later become Canada. Thompson headed out again in 1796 to push through to Lake Athabasca, but rather than properly outfitting him with canoes and supplies, he was forced to engage two natives that were completely unfamiliar with the territory. They weren't even given a canoe and so had to take the time to build their own. They set out on Jun 10th with: "one fowling gun; forty balls, five pounds of shot, three flints and five pounds of powder, one Net of thirty fathoms; one small Axe, a small Tent of grey cotton; with a few trifles to trade provisions, as beads, brass rings and awls, of which we had little hopes; our chief dependence next to good Providence, was on our Net and Gun." As they continued north, the trees began to disappear. It was hard country, without wood to burn. He wrote: "The Natives, when they hunt on the North East parts of the Rein Deer’s Lake, cannot stay long; the Moss, when dry, makes a tolerable fire; but in wet weather, which often happens, it holds the rain like a sponge, and cannot be made to burn; this want of fire often obliges them to eat the meat raw, and also the fish; the latter I have seen them by choice; especially the pike, and a Trout is no sooner caught than the eyes are scooped out and swallowed whole, as most delicious morsels." Manito Lake (now Wolloston Lake), lies just to the north of Reindeer Lake. Thompson had great respect for the first nations of the Canadian north. He lamented the way in which they were so ill-treated in areas far to the south: "By civilised men, especially those of the United States, who have a mortal antipathy to the North American Indian; or, as he is now called the, “Red Man”; it is confidently predicted, that the Red Man, must soon cease to exist, and give place to the White Man; this is true of all the lands formerly possessed by the Red Man, that the White Man has thought it worth his while to seize by fraud or force; but the Stony Region is an immense extent of country, on which the White Man cannot live; except by hunting, which he will not submit to. Here then is an immense tract of country which the Supreme Being, the Lord of the whole Earth, has given to the Deer, and other wild animals; and to the Red Man forever, here, as his fathers of many centuries past have done, he may roam, free as the wind; but this wandering life, and the poverty of the country, prevents the labors of the Missionary to teach them the sacred truths of Christianity." As he got closer to Lake Athabasca, the country got increasingly barren: "A civilized man may never travel this way again; there is nothing to tempt him; a rude barren country that has neither provisions nor furrs, and there are no woods of which he could build a warm hut; and at best his fuel, of which a large quantity is required, could be only of small poles, which would burn away, almost as fast as he could cut them. In the winter the Natives do not frequent these countries but hunt to the westward." In late June, they made it to Lake Athabasca but spent only a few days there. The forests had returned and the country was much more pleasant. On the return trip, Thompson went over a 3-metre waterfall and almost all of their supplies were lost. They managed to salvage his sextant and instruments as well as his papers but: "We had no time to lose, my all was my shirt and a thin linen vest, my companions were in the same condition, we divided the small tent into three pieces to wrap round ourselves, as a defence against the flies in the day, and something to keep us from the cold at night… It was now our destitute condition stared us in the face, a long journey through a barren country, without provisions, or the means of obtaining any, almost naked, and suffering from the weather, all before us was very dark, but I had hopes that the Supreme Being through our great Redeemer to whom I made my short prayers morning and evening would find some way to preserve us." Things looked very bleak for the party as their physical condition continued to deteriorate: Thompson wrote: "We continued our voyage day after day, subsisting on berries, mostly the crowberry, which grows on the ground; and is not nutritious. To the sixteenth of July; both Paddy and myself were now like skeletons, the effects of hunger, and dysentry from cold nights, and so weak, that we thought it useless to go any further but die where we were. Kozdaw now burst out into tears, upon which we told him that he was yet strong, as he had not suffered from disease. He replied, if both of you die, I am sure to be killed, for everyone will believe that I have killed you both, the white men will revenge your death on me, and the Indians will do the same for him; I told him to get some thin white birch rind, and I would give him a writing, which he did, with charcoal I wrote a short account of our situation, which I gave him, upon which he said now I am safe." Later that day, they met a group of Chipewyan (now Dene) Indians who took pity on them and gave them food, drink, and a meagre amount of supplies to continue their journey. They spent the winter at Reindeer Lake, a lake that crosses the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border slightly above 57° N. Thompson was finding that the extreme cold of the northern winter was making his thermometre less accurate than it should be. He had a custom one made for him that would go as low as -79°C. Temperatures in December dropped as low as -40°C and the northern lights were dazzling in the sky at night. He wrote: "Hitherto I have said little on the Aurora Borealis of the northern countries; at Hudson’s Bay they are north westward, and only occasionally brilliant. I have passed four winters between the Bay and the Rein Deer’s Lake, the more to the westward, the higher and brighter is this electric fluid, but always westward; but at this, the Rein Deer’s Lake, as the winter came on, especially in the months of February and March, the whole heavens were in a bright glow. We seemed to be in the centre of its action, from the horizon in every direction from north to south, from east to west, the Aurora was equally bright, sometimes, indeed often, with a tremulous motion in immense sheets, slightly tinged with the colors of the Rainbow, would roll, from horizon to horizon. Sometimes there would be a stillness of two minutes; the Dogs howled with fear, and their brightness was often such that with only their light I could see to shoot an owl at twenty yards; in the rapid motions of the Aurora we were all perswaded (sic) we heard them, reason told me I did not, but it was cool reason against sense. My men were positive they did hear the rapid motions of the Aurora, this was the eye deceiving the ear; I had my men blindfolded by turns, and then enquired of them, if they heard the rapid motions of the Aurora. They soon became sensible they did not, and yet so powerful was the Illusion of the eye on the ear, that they still believed they heard the Aurora. What is the cause that this place seems to be in the centre of the most vivid brightness and extension of the Aurora: from whence this immense extent of electric fluid, how is it formed, whither does it go. Questions without an answer. I am well acquainted with all the countries to the westward. The farther west the less is this Aurora. At the Mountains it is not seen." Those of us who live in the mountain west will recognize his error in saying that the aurora are not seen in the mountains. It's a regular visitor, especially during the dark skies of winter. His narrative though, brings this beautiful phenomenon to life, and his description of it as an "electric fluid" is one of the most apt that I have ever come across. After all he had suffered through, and done for the Hudson's Bay Company, in the Spring of 1797, he received a letter from Joseph Colen, the Resident Chief at York Factory that: "however extensive the countries yet unknown yet he could not sanction any further surveys." Thompson decided to leave the service of the Bay Men and On May 23, 1797 simply wrote: "This Day, left the service of the Hudson's Bay Company, and entered that of the Company of the Merchants from Canada. May God Almighty prosper me." He also wrote the best resignation letters I have ever read. It was addressed to Joseph Colen. He was, if anything, brutally honest: DEERS RIVER, June 1, 1797. “Mr. COLEN. “SIR: I take this opportunity of returning you my most respectful thanks for your loan of two guineas to my mother. I have enclosed a bill to you for the above amount. “My friends belonging to York inform me that you are very desirous to find out who was the author of those letters that were wrote to H. B. Co. and militated against you 1795. I will give you that satisfaction. When I came down that year the other gentlemen were waiting my arrival in order to assist them in drawing up their grievances; as you were then absent I accepted the office with some hesitation, but as the letters were to be delivered to you on your landing at York for your inspection, and that you might have time to answer them, I considered you in a manner as present. Those letters were drawn up by me, assisted by my friend Dr. Thomas, and not one half of the evils complained of were enumerated. “You told Mr. Ross that when in England you were endeavouring to serve those, who behind your back were trying to cut your throat. Before you went to England I had always a Letter and Books from the Co., since that neither the one nor the other, and I have been put the whole winter to the greatest inconvenience for want of a Nautical Almanac. “Many of us acknowledge with readiness that you have some good qualities, and I had once the greatest respect for you; I have some yet, but . . . it is not my wish to say those things which I know you do not wish to hear. How is it, Sir, that everyone who has once wished you well should turn to be indifferent to you, and even some to hate you, altho’ they are constant in their other friendships, - there must be a defect somewhere. “The fact is, that from your peculiar manner of conduct, you are also one of those unfortunate men who will have many an acquaintance, but never never a real friend.-Your humble Servant, “ D. THOMPSON.” In his narrative, Thompson describes his move from the Hudson's Bay to the Northwest Company in a very matter of fact way: "My time was up, and I determined to seek that employment from the Company Merchants of Canada, carrying on the Furr Trade, under the name of the North West Company: With two Natives I proceeded to their nearest trading House, under the charge of Mr Alexander Fraser; and by the usual route of the Canoes arrived at the Great Carrying Place on the north shore of Lake Superior, then the depot of the merchandise from Montreal; and of the Furrs from the interior countries. The Agents who acted for the Company and were also Partners of the Firm, were the Honorable William McGillvray and Sir Alexander McKenzie, gentlemen of enlarged views; the latter had crossed the Rocky Mountains by the Peace River and was far advanced by Fraser River towards the Pacific Ocean, when want of Provisions and the hostility of the Natives obliged him to return. From the Great Slave he had explored the great River which flowed from it into the Arctic Sea, and which is justly named McKenzie's River" Thompson was greeted with open arms. His extensive knowledge of the north country, along with his extensive records of astronomical measurements, helped them to determine the true locations of their various forts. Thompson was set free to do what he truly loved - survey and explore. He was charged with finding the position of the 49th parallel between the American and Canadian territories. Long before the Oregon treaty of 1849 established the 49th parallel as the international border, the Paris Treaty of 1782 established an interim boundary between Canadian and American Territories. As a result of his surveys, some of Northwest Companies most important sites, like Grand Portage ended up in American territory (now in Minnesota), and had to be moved north to Canadian territory. Fort William (now Thunder Bay, Ontario) replaced Grand Portage as the main depot of furs for the Northwest Company on Lake Superior. Thompson was also charged to: "if possible to extend my Surveys to the Missisourie River; visit the villages of the ancient agricultural Natives who dwelt there; enquire for fossil bones of large animals, and any monuments, if any, that might throw light on the ancient state of the unknown countries I had to travel over and examine. The Agents and Partners all agreed to give orders to all their Trading Posts, to send Men with me, and every necessary I required [was] to be at my order. How very different the liberal and public spirit of this North West Company of Merchants of Canada; from the mean selfish policy of the Hudson’s Bay Company styled Honorable; and whom, at little expense, might have had the northern part of this Continent surveyed to the Pacific Ocean, and greatly extended their Trading Posts" The day that David Thompson the fur-trader joined the ranks of the Northwest Company, he became David Thompson the explorer. Next week, I'll look into David Thompson as he cracks the mountain barriers to the fur trade. Next Up…What's wrong with climate change research? Errors in Climate Science Needless to say, there are few areas of science more dangerous to discuss these days than climate science. Back in episode 31, I shared a presentation by Bob Sandford titled: The Hard Work of Hope: Scientific Fact vs Politicized Fantasy in the Post-Truth Trumpocene. You can check out the episode at www.MountainNaturePodcast.com/ep031. In this presentation, Bob describes the challenges of communicating science in a political environment where high profile dismissers of climate science, including current president Donald Trump, simply won't listen to the science behind climate change. Anyone spending time in the glacier-filled landscapes of the mountain west has watched our icy heritage disappearing at an alarming pace over the past 100 years. Many people like to sow dissent into the discussion by saying that there is NO consensus amongst the many researchers that are investigating climate science. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. In a 2013 peer-reviewed study published in Environmental Research Letters, John Cook and 8 other researchers studied the abstracts of 11,944 scientific papers published between 1991 and 2011 that matched the subjects 'global climate change' or 'global warming'. The papers were specifically selected to limit the study to papers published by researchers that specifically identify as climate scientists. They omitted studies from people that did not claim to have a particular speciality in climate science. The media is full of speculative papers with a flawed scientific methodology that professes many different opinions. For the purpose of this study, it was limited to specifically peer-reviewed papers that were produced by climate scientists. Not all of the papers express an opinion on the cause of global warming. This paper wanted to look at, in particular, human-caused global warming. So they broke down the papers based on whether or not they made a determination as to whether climates were warming because of human changes to the environment. Of the papers, 66.4% did not make any claims as to the cause of global warming, 32.6% endorsed human-caused climate change and 0.7% rejected a human connection to warming climates. Of the scientists expressing an opinion on whether or not humans responsible, 97.1% were in agreement that humans are the cause of global warming. It's important to note that this study did NOT include papers by scientists publishing outside of their discipline. A petroleum geologist may have a very different opinion on climate change. It focused solely on climate specialists. A quick review of the bios of many papers will show their authors are not climate specialists and their results should be carefully examined. This doesn't discount interdisciplinary research, it just means that the methodologies need to be screened to remove any outside bias that may interfere with the results. The scientific method is one of the wonders of knowledge. Every scientific paper needs to start with a Theory, develop a methodology to test that theory, examine external factors that may influence the results, and then submit their results to other scientists for review - all before being published. It's then the duty of future researchers to test, and perhaps expand or disprove, those results. When multiple, independent studies come up with the same results, knowledge is advanced, and a new emergent truth arises. As Neil deGrasse Tyson, a world-renowned astrophysicist states in a video titled Science In America he states: "When you have an established, scientific, emergent truth, it is true whether or not you believe in it, and the sooner you understand that the sooner we can get on with the political conversations on how to solve the problems that face us". I'll link to the video in the show notes at www.MountainNaturePodcast.com/ep052. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MqTOEospfo In the future, new research may disprove or improve previous knowledge and lead us into new directions. So if 97% of papers support human-caused climate change than why do some disagree? In another paper, published in the Journal of Theoretical and Applied Climatology, researchers examined the papers that found no human connection to climate change and attempted to recreate them in order to confirm their results. They looked at the 38 papers from the previous study that did NOT agree with human-caused climate change. When they attempted to recreate the studies in order to confirm their findings, a critical part of the scientific process, they found errors in their methodologies that, when corrected, would provide very different results. The papers were grouped into categories based on errors discovered in their methodologies. Many started with false assumptions or used erroneous analysis. Another common mistake was ignoring any research that was contrary to your assumptions. Other papers used models that were Ill-suited to the research and essentially, fit the research to the curve. Others pre-processed the data in order to focus on certain features while others ignored negative tests in order to cherry pick the desired results. In some cases, the papers were published in journals not connected to climate change and so the reviewers may not have had sufficient understanding to properly peer review them. The scientific method is very rigorous and every paper must survive the scrutiny of future researchers questioning the methodology, assumptions, analysis and the results. In November of 2016, the U.S. National Science and Technology Council released a draft report called Our Changing Planet, which integrated scientific data collected across 13 Federal agencies. The very first paragraph states: "The global environment is changing rapidly. This century has seen 15 of the 16 warmest years since adequate thermometer records became available in the late 1800s; globally-averaged temperatures in 2015 shattered the previous record, which was set in 2014; and 2016 is on track to break the 2015 record. Arctic sea ice extent continues a dramatic, decades-long decline. Many independent lines of evidence show a long-term warming trend driven by human activities, with cascading impacts that may outpace the ability of human and natural systems to adapt to change." How's that for an opener? You can view the full report here (for the time being): (http://www.globalchange.gov/browse/reports/our-changing-planet-FY-2017). Despite the important message of the report, the U.S. Government in August dissolved the advisory committee responsible for creating it, so it's unlikely that it will be adopted as policy - even though it's still available on the government website. If you'd like to read it, go now, before it is removed from government websites. Most recently, Trump disbanded a cross-agency group designed to help communities protect their residents against extreme weather and natural disasters. In June, he dissolved the Environmental Protection Agencies Board of Scientific Counselors. Science IS science. As Canadians, we suffered through a dark era in terms of environmental stewardship during the Harper years. Stephen Harper, while pro-business and anti-environment, was tame compared to the rabid hatred of all things environmental that Trump has expressed. First, he forbid climate scientists to publish their findings, then other government-funded scientists. Eventually, the ban on communication trickled all the way down to the local National Park  Warden. In the end, the most innocuous media interview request to Parks Canada had to be forwarded to the Prime Minister's Office and was rarely rewarded with an interview. Thankfully, we are now in a new era of climate change leadership. Some of the brain drain that began during the Harper administration is reversing as American scholars look to Canada to avoid the scientific chill sweeping the U.S. There are many arrows in the anti-climate change quiver that also extend beyond potential government policy. In a paper Published on Nov. 29, 2017, in the journal BioScience, researchers led by Jeffrey Harvey looked at the influence of blogs in influencing popular opinion. Having just returned from Churchill, Manitoba, I'm very aware of the challenges facing polar bears in the future as warming climates limit their time feeding for seals on winter pack ice. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has confirmed that 2016 was the warmest year on record, followed by 2015, and then 2014. As I've already stated in this story, there is little scientific debate as to what causes global warming - at least within the scientific community. In the wider community, there is growing scepticism as to the human cause of warming climates. This recent study looks at the influence of non-scientific social media, in particular, blog posts in framing the public consciousness when talking about climate change. Nobody can dispute the power of websites like Breitbart in the U.S. and Rebel Media in Canada, but this paper looked to objectively look at the impact media like these were having on public perception. While blog sites like these aggressively try to muddy the water in terms of denying climate science and scientific consensus, even mainstream media are often afraid to overemphasize the human nature of climate change for fear of alienating readership or advertisers. The paper states: "Recent evidence shows that climate-change denial involves a growing labyrinthine network of corporations, conservative foundations, think tanks, and the mainstream media. Facebook, Twitter, and other social-media outlets also provide powerful voices in the battle for public opinion, and Internet blogs have become major conduits for disseminating various views on AGW (anthropogenic or human-caused global warming)." One of the democratizing characteristics of the Internet is that literally anyone can set up shop and promote their own opinions, regardless of the scientific validity of such opinions. Recent examples of malicious misinformation include anti-vaccination sites or others promoting folly like the idea that the Earth is flat…and come on! If it really was flat, the cats would have knocked everything off of it by now. Humour aside, sites like www.Wattsupwiththat.com which promotes itself as the "world's most viewed site on global warming and climate change", which gets some 2 million unique views per month, makes claims for which there is absolutely no scientific backing. Other sites like Climate Depot and Junk Science follow suit. The challenge with climate change dismissal sites is that they cross-link to each other creating, as the report states: "a large echo chamber, making them what one journalist described as 'foot soldiers' of AGW (human-caused global warming) denial". One of their favourite techniques is to use hot-button topics and turn the science upside down to support their completely fabricated view of reality. Polar bears are one classic example. Since their entire life is based upon their need to feed on seals using winter pack ice as a platform, these blogs simply ignore the peer-reviewed science and create their own alternate realities. As the report states: "Because the evidence is so overwhelming, it would be virtually impossible to debunk; the main strategy of denier blogs is, therefore, to focus on topics that are showy and in which it is therefore easy to generate public interest. These topics are used as 'proxies' for AGW (human-caused global warming) in general; in other words, they represent keystone dominos that are strategically placed in front of many hundreds of others, each representing a separate line of evidence for AGW (human-caused global warming). By appearing to knock over the keystone domino, audiences targeted by the communication may assume all other dominoes are toppled in a form of 'dismissal by association'." The case with polar bears is absolutely undeniable. With warming climates, their potential season for feeding is reduced every year as the ice forms later and melts sooner. There is no scientific debate that polar bears are one of the most at risk mammals based on predicted models of climate change. Of 90 blogs specifically dealing with polar bears and climate change, the views expressed fell solely into two camps. The 45 science-based blogs took completely opposite views from the 45 denier blogs. As expected science-based blogs used logical arguments backed up by peer-reviewed articles. Denier blogs did just the opposite, focusing on any uncertainties they could find while discounting the vast amount of evidence that did not support their viewpoints. Unfortunately, 80% of the denier blogs cited a single blog, that of Susan Crockford called Polar Bear Science. Not surprisingly, the report states: "Notably, as of this writing, Crockford has neither conducted any original research nor published any articles in the peer-reviewed literature on polar bears. However, she has published notes and 'briefings' through a conservative think tank, the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF), and is described by them as 'an expert on polar bear evolution.' Similarly, the Heartland Institute, another conservative think tank that downplays AGW (human-caused global warming), describes her as 'one of the world's foremost experts on polar bears.'" Blog posts by Crockford insist that polar bears are highly adaptable and will easily adapt to any changes we make to the environment. Other strategies used by deniers like Crockford include personally attacking actual researchers and suggesting that they overstate their findings and that their work is both lame and dangerous. This helps to evoke fear and feed the denier's belief that the scientists are the enemy and that there is actually something called "fake science". The report continues: "Denier blogs that downplay the threats of AGW (human-caused global warming) to Arctic Ice and polar bears rely heavily on arguments that it has been warmer in the past, that temperature and seasonal ice extent vary naturally over time, and that it is therefore difficult or even impossible to predict what will happen in the future. While climates have varied in the past, summer ice didn't disappear completely as it will under current models. The current situation cannot be reversed without reducing the release of greenhouse gases. Also, when we are talking about natural fluctuations in climate change, we are talking about changes that took place over millennia - not the changes that are taking place over decades in the current reality. Ecosystems, and the wildlife that call them home can adapt to a certain extent given a few millennia, but over a few decades, there is little opportunity for adaptation. So how do you know if you're reading a reputable site? Follow the science. Denier blogs rarely overemphasize the science or provide methodologies or peer-reviewed information. Follow the money. In many cases, when you find out where the money comes from, you may find them supported by conservative think tanks, oil and gas concerns, or other groups with a vested interest in downplaying current science. Follow the credentials. If you see someone touted as an expert, do a google search and look for peer-reviewed publications that help to support their claims. With pundits like Susan Crockford, you'll find no evidence of peer-reviewed publications, or for that matter, any other evidence of her stated expertise on polar bears. Follow the language. Denier sites often don't spend much time focusing on the science but are quick to personally attack academics and other researchers whose views they discount. Real scientists don't use personal attacks. They use peer-reviewed science to back up their arguments. Any scientist that publishes a peer-reviewed article instinctively knows that it is the job of other scientists to disprove his findings. When subsequent research actually confirms the findings of previous studies, you get the emergent truths I spoke about earlier. As more and more people get their news from blogs as opposed to mainstream media, it's even more important that we evaluate the sites we visit. Anyone who spends time on Facebook has had friends share ludicrous claims that a quick search on sites like Snopes.com will show as false. I would argue that simply because a site does not have peer-reviewed publications to support their argument, that you shouldn't simply dismiss their value. Take time to evaluate both their message and the science they quote. I look at myself as an example of this. While I am not a field researcher, I spend countless hours reading, highlighting, translating and educating listeners to the most current, relevant science. If the science changes, so will the message that I promote. Look to blogs that reflect real science, and always be sceptical of claims that seem counter to the scientific literature. It is great when scientists take advantage of the personal nature of blogs, but currently, the sheer number of fact-free opinion blogs on any number of subjects will continue to overwhelm the ability of researchers to counter. I hope that podcasts like this help to provide ways to evaluate sites so that you can make truly informed decisions. Hey, as a polar bear viewing guide, I wish wild polar bears were going to be just fine, regardless of future changes to climate - but it just ain't so! And with that, it's time to wrap this episode up. You can check out the show notes for this episode at www.MountainNaturePodcast.com/ep052, or drop me a line by visiting the contact page on the same site. If you'd like to reach out personally you can hit me up on Twitter @wardcameron. If you're heading to the mountain west, Ward Cameron Enterprises is your source for step-on, hiking, snowshoe, and photography guides. Check us out at www.WardCameron.com. We look forward to helping you make the most of your mountain adventure…and with that, the sun's out and it's time to go hiking. I'll talk to you next week.