Voyageurs National Park Announces Fall Visitor Center Hours and Fall Color Updates

Voyageurs National Park visitor centers begin new fall operations this weekend. The Kabetogama Lake and Ash River Visitor Centers will be closed for the season beginning Sunday, September 25, 2016. Both visitor centers will reopen in mid-May 2017. The Rainy Lake Visitor Center will have the following fall and early winter hours:

September, 26,2016: Closed Mondays and Tuesdays September 25 – early January 2017: Open Wednesday through Sunday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Fall Color Update for the week of September 18th As days grow shorter, and nights grow longer and cooler, leaves are starting the process of changing colors. Typically, fall color peaks at Voyageurs National Park in mid to late September. Be sure to follow the Voyageurs National Park Facebook page for the latest updates on fall colors.

Voyageurs National Park staff encourages you to come out and explore the park this fall and enjoy the colors of North Woods.

Voyageurs National Park Announces Reduced Hours at the Ash River Visitor

Due to a number of staffing changes at Voyageurs National Park, the Ash River Visitor Center will have reduced hours for the remainder of the summer season – through September 24, 2016. Hours of operation at Ash River Visitor Center will be:

• Thursdays: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
• Fridays: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
• Saturdays: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
• Sundays: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

The Rainy Lake Visitor Center and the Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center will continue to be open seven days a week from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm through September 24, 2016 with no reduction in hours.

www.nps.gov

Kettle Falls Archeology

By Drew LaBounty, Voyageurs National Park Many who have visited Kettle Falls will remember the familiar sights of the dam tender’s cabin, the company house, trading post, hotel, and the dam itself – all bustling with activity in the wilderness of Voyageurs National Park.  Many others know the complex and colorful history of this place, and some lucky few have lived it personally.  But there are even older stories at Kettle Falls, stories that have been buried over time and passed completely out of memory.

Starting in the fall of 2015, Voyageurs National Park began an archeological inventory of Kettle Falls.  In contrast to other kinds of inventories, archeologists document information about the past using evidence buried in the ground.  The study will resume this fall, 2016, and is intended to add a new dimension to what we know about this place.

Last year, VNP worked with the NPS’ Midwest Archeological Center in Lincoln, NE to run geophysical instruments across the front yard of the company house at the Namakan landing.  These tools measure the soils’ magnetic fields (magnetometry), their ability to conduct electricity (conductivity), their ability to resist electricity (resistance), and the soils’ permeability to radio waves (ground penetrating radar).  Each of these instruments records something about the soils and what objects may lie underground.  Magnetometry, for example, is so sensitive that it can detect the stronger magnetic field of soil or rocks that have been burned by a campfire.  Conductivity meters, like those used in the construction industry, can locate the metal in buried utility lines – or the metal of a small machined nail used to hold an historic structure together.  One of the best known instruments, ground penetrating radar, identifies shifts from looser to denser soils, and can reveal the packed earth resulting from a structure.

In addition to all these geophysical instruments, small-scale archeological excavations were placed along the shorelines above and below the dam.  By slowly digging smaller holes and carefully examining the soils for artifacts, archeologists hope to piece together the past environment and people’s activities before recorded history.

Early findings from Year 1 will guide further archeological work this fall.  Last year, the geophysical instruments revealed shapes and corners at the Namakan landing that suggest the location of the original Monson’s trading post.  These so-called “geophysical anomalies” will be carefully uncovered to learn whether they represent a building, how and when it was built, and ultimately what happened to it.  The remaining evidence will then be preserved underground and interpreted with photos, maps, and historical accounts.  Meanwhile, dirt-and-shovel investigations along the shore suggest a history of small fires previously unknown at Kettle Falls, and in other places, there is evidence of a Native presence whose activities may be among the first at Kettle Falls.  Each of these clues reveals a deeper history of the land that will be teased out in Year 2.

If you visit in the fall, you may see crews out digging in the lawn at the Namakan landing and carefully sifting through the soils, mapping foundation ruins in the woods, and matching up historic photos to the modern landscape.  All of these activities (and more!) will add even greater time-depth to the rich and colorful history that has always fascinated visitors and residents alike at Kettle Falls.

Franken, Klobuchar and Nolan Announce Legislation to Streamline Voyageurs National Park Land Management Passes Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee

Senators Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar, along with Congressman Rick Nolan, announced that their legislation to ensure all of the lands within Voyageurs National Park will be managed consistently passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today. “Voyageurs Park is a national treasure that should be preserved for generations to come,” said Franken, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. “And that starts with how the park is managed. I’m pleased that our legislation giving the National Park Service the ability to more effectively care for Voyageurs took a critical step forward today. I’ll keep working to make sure that our commonsense measure becomes law.”

“Voyageurs National Park is our nation’s premier water-based Park and we must preserve it so visitors can continue to experience it for decades to come,” said Klobuchar. “This action moves our legislation to provide more consistency to the land management of Voyageurs Nation Park while also saving taxpayer dollars forward. We’ll keep working to make Voyageurs National Park an even better place to visit and enjoy.”

“I’m pleased that our measure to improve land management at one of Minnesota’s crown jewels, Voyageurs National Park, has passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee,” said Nolan. “Our legislation will ensure that all of Voyageurs National Park will be managed consistently to provide thousands of visitors with an even better experience here in our beautiful Minnesota north country.”

S.2805/ H.R.4944 codifies a Department of Interior inter-agency land transfer and will save staff time and taxpayer dollars by eliminating the need for a duplicative land management renewal procedure that has required publication and notice in the Federal Register – a burdensome process for lands that were originally intended to be administered by the National Park Service when Voyageurs National Park was established.

The measure also proposes to exchange certain tracts of State and Federal land for more beneficial and mutual management.

According to the National Park Service, there are no anticipated costs associated with the inter-agency land transfer itself.

Everybody's Cabin

By Catherine Crawford & Beau Readmand, Voyageurs National Park Dr. Carl B. Peterson, of Minneapolis, loved this northern country so much that, in 1919, he bought what he thought was 120 acres of land on Rainy Lake, sight unseen. In August of that year, Carl and his two sons decided to drive up to explore their new property, but could go no further than Cook before the road became impassable.

Carl and Mattie Peterson and family didn’t view their purchase until 1924 and it was another five years before they started building a quirky cabin with a notched roof to fit between the trees and a drawbridge to protect the cabin from intruders when the family wasn’t in residence. In the next 15 years, between boating and fishing and enjoying the beauty around them, the family handcrafted the cabin using logs cut from the property, shiplap from local sawmills, and a fireplace built from rock found on the island and nearby mainland.

Carl and Mattie, their daughter Eunice and son-in-law Wayne Garrett, other children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and family spent 63 lively, happy years in the cabin, at times overflowing into tents. The Garrett’s daughter Ruth, who didn’t miss a summer at the cabin from the time she was six months old, remembers the endless stories and lore. “The cabin was always considered everybody’s cabin.”

Since the cabin was vacated in 1992, the elements have taken a toll. This summer a park crew is making major repairs to the structure.  The front steps and porch are being replaced and hazard trees will be removed.  The roof will receive new boards where necessary and new roofing.  Rafters and logs throughout the building will be repaired.  Deteriorated floor boards will be replaced, windows and shutters repaired, and everything will get a fresh coat of paint.  With care, the cabin will remain everybody’s cabin far into the future. 

Teen Ambassadors Return from Voyageurs Learning Expedition

By Cameron Giebink The 2016 National Park Teen Ambassador Program is underway as the first cohort of students completed a five-day learning trip in Voyageurs National Park this past week. In total, 13 students from Twin Cities high schools and two from Northern Minnesota explored the park. See a few photos from their trip here. The program seeks to introduce a younger, more diverse audience to the park and empower the next generation of Voyageurs National Park stewards.

The kids were introduced to camping, fishing, paddling, and hiking in the park over the course of their time in Voyageurs and for many of the kids it was their first time ever holding a paddle or sleeping outdoors.

In addition to camping at Bald Rock on Kabetogama, the kids hiked both the Cruiser Lake and Blind Ash Trails, caught walleyes and smallmouth bass from the campsite, set up wildlife trail cameras, viewed eagles aboard the Borealis tour boat, and explored the Ellsworth Rock Gardens on an interpretive tour. Park Rangers were on hand to facilitate career-themed discussions and Wilderness Inquiry staff oversaw the kids as they took on an increasingly large portion of camp duties over the course of their trip.

After the trip kids were asked to explain what they had learned and how they felt about Voyageurs:

“The hiking was long but it was better than any video game I’ve played.” – Jolon from Harding High School

“I learned that I really do enjoy being outdoors and was surprised at how beautiful the scenery was.” – Griselda from Kennedy High School

“I will come back with my family.” – Martha from Coon Rapids High School

“This helped me experience challenges that I may need to prepare for in college.” – Eh Hser from Humboldt High School

A second group of students will visit the park in July and then both groups will convene on the Mississippi River for a reunion in August during which they will explore the National Park in their own backyard.

We are fortunate to have the resources to experience Voyageurs but many youth do not. The National Park Teen Ambassador program is a free program that introduces a young and diverse audience to national park sites in Minnesota and sparks a love for conservation and the outdoors. By the end of this summer, we will connect our 100th Minnesota high school student to the park through this program.

This program has been made possible through generous support from Wilderness Inquiry, the National Park Service, the Marshall N. Knudson Family Community Fund, Quetico Superior Foundation, TEGNA Foundation, AmieriCorps VISTA, and Voyageurs National Park Association's generous members.

Make a donation to support the National Park Teen Ambassador program.

Environmental Education at Voyageurs

This time of year, as temperatures warm, the sounds of spring return to Voyageurs National Park. The emerging leaves rustle in the breeze; loons yodel their return to the lake, and waves lap gently against the shoreline. These natural sounds are interspersed by young voices asking “What kind of tree is this?” “Where does this trail go?” and exclaiming “I found where the groundhog lives!” and “This is the same lake the voyageurs paddled on!” Spring is a peak season for field trips to the park, which provide local students a chance to explore and learn about the national park in their own backyard. Each year, nearly 1,500 individuals engage in park education programs. A classroom field trip to the park is one of the many opportunities the Voyageurs Environmental Education (E.E.) Program offers to educators and students. Most field trips target the elementary grades and include one or two ranger-led programs followed by a teacher-led hike. However, each year in May, the Falls High School 7th grade students participate in “Science Day”. These students rotate through six different stations, each covering a different topic such as water quality, fisheries management, and native tree identification. Other learning opportunities provided by the E.E. program include snowshoe programs (on-site or at the school), classroom presentations, traveling trunks (portable classrooms containing lessons and props which can be shipped anywhere in the lower 48 states), and assistance to scout groups to help scouts with their badge completion. The Kids Art Show and other National Park Week events, such as this year’s Junior Ranger Day on Saturday, April 23, are planned through the park’s E.E. program.

The E.E. program also coordinates with Voyageurs National Park Association (VNPA) to offer a Teen Ambassador Program each summer. Teens from the park’s gateway communities and the Twin Cities metro area engage in an action-packed five-day camping and canoeing adventure in Voyageurs, followed by a three-day excursion to Mississippi National Riverway and Recreation Area. The program aims to provide teens that may not have access to these types of recreation, whether due to location or socioeconomics, a chance to connect with a national park. Hopefully the teen’s experience sparks a life-long connection to the national parks and stewardship for natural areas.

As the Education Specialist at Voyageurs, my favorite part of the job is working with kids and seeing the park through their eyes. I like answering their questions and hearing the enthusiasm over the discoveries they make because I learn what is interesting and exciting to them. Today, many kids are more connected to technology and screens than the natural world around them. So when a kid asks “Where does this trail go?” my response is “Let’s take a hike and find out!”.

By Lisa Maas Voyageurs National Park Education Specialist

Centennial Celebration at Voyageurs National Park

On Saturday, June 11, Voyageurs National Park will celebrate the completion of the paved Rainy Lake Recreation Trail with a day of activities at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center. The event will run from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and kicks off with a formal ribbon cutting ceremony. Special guest, Burgess Eberhardt, of International Falls will lead the ribbon cutting due to his long time advocacy of recreational trails and healthy activities. Following the ribbon cutting, visitors are encouraged walk the trail and enjoy interpretive activities along the way. In addition, visitors are encouraged to join in a 26-foot North Canoe ride that will launch from the behind the visitor center. Join Heart of the Continent Partnership (HOCP) volunteers in improving the newly opened trail by learning what plants are invasive weeds and need to be removed. Out in the Ethno-botanical Garden, ongoing tours with knowledgeable guides will help you learn about the plants and trees in Voyageurs National Park. On the visitor center back patio, Voyageurs National Park Association will be showing off new artwork of the park by artist Mark Herman, as well as helping people make their own trail mix bars.

• 10:00 am: Ribbon Cutting and Community Walk • 10:00 am to 2:00 pm: Heart of the Continent Partnership trail improvement project • 10:00 am to 1:00 pm: Tours of Ethno-botanical Garden • 10:00 am to 1:00 pm: North Canoe rides • 10:00 am to 1:00 pm: Koochiching County Amateur Radio Club live broadcasts • 10:00 am to 2:00 pm: Voyageurs National Park Association “Picnic in the Park”

This day marks the opening of one of the best trails for biking, walking, running, snowshoeing, and skiing in the area. Motorized vehicles are not allowed on the trail. The trail runs from the Rainy Lake Visitor Center out to U.S. Highway 11 and is 1.7-miles in length. On the day of the Grand Opening, we ask no bicycles during the event due to the high number of expected walkers. Feel free to bike later in the day or any other day on the smooth pavement.

www.nps.gov/ VOYA

Campsite Closed for Bald Eagle Nesting Reopened In Voyageurs National Park

One of the park’s campsites (N62 Sexton Island) that was affected by temporary closures in May to protect bald eagle nesting pairs is now reopened for public use. The site is now available to be reserved at recreation.gov. The other sites that were closed for Bald Eagle nesting in May remain closed. The closed sites are:

K3 Camel Back Island, Kabetogama K11 Happy Landing, Kabetogama N11 Hamilton Island, Namakan Lake R45 Skipper Rock Houseboat Site, Rainy Lake

VNP natural resource managers follow the conservation management actions of the Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle Management Act (16 U.S.C. 668-668c, 1940 as amended). Each year since 1992, the park has temporarily closed the land and water areas around active bald eagle nests to visitor use during their critical nesting periods.

www.nps.gov

Bald Eagle Nesting Areas Protected In Voyageurs National Park

Voyageurs National Park biologists conducted aerial surveys to determine the number and location of bald eagle nesting pairs present in the park. A second occupancy survey will be conducted in mid-May to check on the status of occupied breeding territories and search for late incubating pairs. The park follows the recommended conservation management actions of the Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle Management Act (16 U.S.C. 668-668c, 1940 as amended). Each year since 1992, the park has temporarily closed the land and water areas around active bald eagle nests to visitor use during their critical nesting periods. Some eagle pairs nest in late March and early April and others may not initiate nesting until late April or early May.

The closed areas are marked with closure signs and buoys. Specific management recommendations from a two-year research study on the effects of watercraft on bald eagles nesting in Voyageurs National Park are also being applied for the 13th consecutive year.

Park officials are asking both motorized and non-motorized watercraft users to not travel within 200 meters of nests where bald eagles are actively nesting during the closure period (early May through mid-August). Boaters are also encouraged to not stop on the water within the 200 meters near active nesting sites.

The breeding areas around seven (7) of the park’s breeding pairs are temporarily closed to campers and other human activities. After the young leave the nest, these temporarily closed park areas will be reopened for public use.

Seven of the park’s 291 developed day use; camping and houseboat sites are affected by the temporary closures. The closed developed areas are: Kabetogama Lake – Happy Landing Campsite (K-11), Camelback Island Campsite (K-3), Ek Bay Houseboat Site (K-47), and Yoder Island Houseboat Site (K-37); Namakan Lake – Hamilton Bay Campsite (N-11) and Sexton Is. Campsite (N-62); and Rainy Lake – Skipper Rock Houseboat Site (R-45).

If more breeding areas are found with actively nesting pairs that fall within conservation management guidelines after this news release is issued, more park areas may be posted closed.

People play a very important role in protecting nesting eagles and other birds. Individual eagles differ in temperament and tolerance to human and natural activities. Some are easily displaced by human/eagle interactions, whereas others are more accustomed to close interactions with humans. April, May and June are particularly sensitive periods for nesting eagles. Overall, reducing the potential for sustained close human/eagle interactions has been documented to allow greater nesting success of eagles throughout the United States.

www.nps.gov

200 People Help VNPA Celebrate National Parks' Centennial at Surly Brewery

In 2016, the National Park Service celebrates its Centennial anniversary. Voyageurs National Park Association's Centennial Celebration at Surly Brewing's Scheid Hall was an opportunity to celebrate locally during National Park Week, and for guests to learn more about and support Voyageurs.

Over 200 people attended the event on April 18th which included opportunities to interact with park rangers and historical actors (Voyageurs and Kettle Falls Hotel waitresses!), a photo booth, silent auction, and Surly pints and appetizers. Guests had access to Voyageurs National Park's talented natural resource team with interactive opportunities to learn about the aviation program, wildlife research, aquatic biology, native plants and archaeology.

See photos from the event.

“The Centennial is a chance not just to celebrate the past hundred years, but to look to the next hundred," said Voyageurs Centennial Coordinator Doug Lowthian. The National Park Service's Centennial goal is to connect and create the next generation of park visitors, supporters and advocates.

The highlight of the evening's program was the unveiling of renowned landmark artist Mark Herman’s new Voyageurs print series, the first of its kind to benefit National Parks. These five striking prints showcase the beauty of Voyageurs National Park. Numeric Press will donate 10% of the proceeds from the sales of these prints to Voyageurs National Park Association.

"The room was full of energy. It was exciting to bring together so many people that support our park in so many ways; from park staff and volunteers to visitors and business owners. There were even attendees there who had been involved in the establishment of Voyageurs! We are grateful to our sponsors, guests and National Park Service staff who helped make this event possible. And, we are beyond lucky to have Mark Herman showcase Voyageurs through his art," said Christina Hausman, VNPA executive director.

District 3A Representative Rob Ecklund and staff from both Senator Franken and Klobuchar's offices attended the event, along with National Park Service staff, outdoor enthusiasts, Voyageurs National Park Association's board of directors, business owners from the park's gateway communities, sponsors, and VNPA members.

Voyageurs National Park Association would like to thank Lisa Giebink and Roy Son for donating their time and talents to photograph the event, event sponsors and auction donors, as well as Surly Brewing Co. for donating the event space.

Thank You Centennial Partners & Sponsors!
Arrowhead Lodge and Resort Crane Lake Visitor & Tourism Bureau Gateway General North Country Inn Oveson's Pelican Lake Resort & Inn Pine Tree Cove Resort City of Ranier Woodsport Cottages		International Dental Arts Joe's Sporting Goods Minnesota Wild Morgan's Mercantile Northland Fishing Tackle Numeric Press Thorne Bros. Urban Boatbuilders West Photo

Tourism to Voyageurs National Park Creates Over $18 million In Economic Benefit

A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 238,313 visitors to Voyageurs National Park in 2015 spent over $18 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 301 jobs in the local area. “Voyageurs National Park welcomes visitors from across the country and around the world,” said Acting Superintendent William Carlson. “We are delighted to share the story of this place and the experiences it provides. We also feature the park as a way to introduce our visitors to this part of the country and all that it offers. National park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy, returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service, and it’s a big factor in our local economy as well. We appreciate the partnership and support of our neighbors and are glad to be able to give back by helping to sustain local communities.”

The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas of the U.S. Geological Survey and Lynne Koontz of the National Park Service.  The report shows $16.9 billion of direct spending by 307.2 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 295,000 jobs nationally; 252,000 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $32 billion.

According to the 2015 report, most park visitor spending was for lodging (31.1 percent) followed by food and beverages (20.2 percent), gas and oil (11.8 percent), admissions and fees (10.2 percent) and souvenirs and other expenses (9.8 percent).

To download the report visit go.nps.gov/vse.

The report includes information for visitor spending at individual parks and by state.

To learn more about national parks in Minnesota and how the National Park Service works with Minnesota communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/MINNESOTA.

Senate Votes to Make America’s Most Important Conservation and Recreation Program Permanent

Conservation leaders from across the country today celebrated the passage of legislation in the US Senate that would permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The provision was included in the Energy Policy Modernization Act, which passed the Senate on a vote of 85-12. Today’s Senate action marks the first vote in history by either the House or the Senate to make the landmark conservation law permanent, meaning that, if the bill is enacted into law, every future generation will continue to enjoy the enduring values and unmatched majesty of our national parks, forests, wilderness, coastlines, mountains, working lands, rivers, historic sites and recreation areas. In addition, the Senate voted decisively against the harmful Lankford amendment that would have placed unnecessary restrictions on land conservation and significantly weakened LWCF’s central conservation mission. The amendment was defeated on a bipartisan vote of 34-63.

LWCF is the only federal program dedicated to the continued conservation of our national, state, and local parks, forests, wildlife areas, and wilderness. From irreplaceable civil war battlefields to key public outdoor recreation access to working forests, this program has long been at the heart of efforts to protect the lands and waters that sustain public recreation, economic vitality, and community character all across America. More than 1,000 conservation organizations from every state in the union have made permanent LWCF reauthorization the centerpiece of a multi-year advocacy campaign.

As the House and Senate work to resolve differences between their two energy bills, the LWCF Coalition, of which Voyageurs National Park Association is a member, will work with Senate and House Campions on both sides of the aisle to ensure that LWCF’s permanent reauthorization is signed into law this year.

About the Land and Water Conservation Fund The Land and Water Conservation Fund Act, signed into law on September 3, 1964, established a dedicated and permanent means for the conservation and protection of America’s irreplaceable natural, historic, cultural and outdoor landmarks. LWCF is the only federal program dedicated to the continued conservation of our national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, wilderness, civil war battlefields, as well as creating and developing state and local parks. It is rightly characterized as America’s most important conservation program. LWCF does not use any taxpayer dollars – it is funded using a small portion of revenues from offshore oil and gas royalty payments. Outdoor recreation, conservation and historic preservation activities support 9.4 million jobs and contribute more than a trillion dollars annually to the U.S. economy.

Voyageurs Celebrates National Park Week with Special Jr. Ranger Day Event

In celebration of National Park Week and the National Park Service’s 100th Birthday, Voyageurs invites you to participate in an afternoon of free family-friendly activities and earn your Centennial Junior Ranger badge!  Details here.

Voyageurs National Park Seeks Artwork for the 2016 Kids Art Show to celebrate National Park Week

  Children in kindergarten and first grade may create a birthday card in honor of the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service. Children in second through sixth grade are invited to participate by creating a drawing and writing a short passage related to this year’s theme:

Find Your Park – Protect Your Park!

National parks are important places that need to be protected and cared for so future generations can enjoy them for the next 100 years. Students are encouraged to draw a picture that illustrates how they can help protect their park and write a short passage to accompany their drawing.

All entries will be on display at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center during National Park Week, April 17-23.

To participate, students can locate the art show template on the park website at www.nps.gov/voya/learn/kidsyouth/kids-art-show.htm. Be sure to include the student’s name, grade, school, and teacher. Artwork can be dropped off at Voyageurs National Park Headquarters, Monday through Friday, between 8:30 am and 4:00 pm. Artwork may also be mailed to:

Kids Art Show Voyageurs National Park 360 Highway 11 East International Falls, MN 56649

The deadline to participate in the art show is Thursday, April 14, 2016.

National Park Week is proclaimed each year by the President of the United States to recognize and celebrate our national parks. America’s National Park System contains living examples of some of the best things our nation has to offer—magnificent natural landscapes and places that reflect our heritage.

Another winter has concluded

With the swift onset of warmer weather, snow conditions have quickly deteriorated. All park ice roads are no longer open. All snowmobile, ski, and snowshoe trails are no longer open. The Sphunge-Kab Sledding Hill is not open. All stakes, signs, and warming huts have been removed from trails and lake surfaces. Cross-country skis may no longer be borrowed from the Rainy Lake Visitor Center, but snowshoes will be issued as future snow conditions allow.  If travel onto frozen lake surfaces is necessary, use extreme caution. Slush, cracks in the ice, and open water have all been observed.  No more Winter Ice and Trail Conditions Reports will be issued this season.

Voyageurs National Park Cautions Visitors - Unsafe Ice Conditions

Voyageurs National Park staff strongly urges visitors to stay off the ice due to the inconsistent weather that is causing freezing and thawing conditions. These freeze-thaw conditions create an inconsistency in ice thickness and quality making ice travel hazardous and unsafe. Snowshoe and cross country ski loans at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center have stopped for the season.

Voyageurs National Park Winter Ice and Trail Condition Report

All park ice roads are no longer open. All snowmobile, ski, and snowshoe trails are no longer open. The Sphunge-Kab Sledding Hill is not open. With the swift onset of warmer weather, snow conditions have completely deteriorated. All stakes, signs, and warming huts will be removed from trails and lake surfaces by the end of this week. If travel onto frozen lake surfaces is still necessary, use extreme caution. Slush, cracks in the ice, and open water have all been observed.

Cross-country skis may no longer be borrowed from the Rainy Lake Visitor Center, but snowshoes will be issued as future snow conditions allow.

Another winter season has concluded. Thanks to all park maintenance staff and gateway community snowmobile clubs, International Voyageurs, Ash River – Kabetogama Snowdrifters, and Voyageur Trail Society, that helped to make it a success.

This is the last Winter Ice and Trail Conditions Report of the season.

Snowmobile Trails International Falls to Kettle Falls (Purple Trail) – Not Open Rainy Lake/Black Bay to Kabetogama Lake to Ash River (Green Trail) – Not Open Ash River to Crane Lake (Green Trail) – Not Open Chain of Lakes (Dashed Black Trail) – Not Open Ash River to Kettle Falls (Yellow Trail) – Not Open East Namakan Lake to Sand Point Lake (Blue Trail) – Not Open

Rainy Lake Ice Road – Not Open

Kab - Ash Ice Road – Not Open

Ski Trails Echo Bay Ski Trail – Not Open Black Bay Ski Trail – Not Open Tilson Connector Trail – Not Open Kab-Ash Trail – Not Open

Snowshoe Trails Black Bay Beaver Pond Trail – Not Open Blind Ash Bay Trail – Not Open Oberholtzer Trail – Not Open Sullivan Bay Trail – Not Open

Snowshoe Hikes Offered at Voyageurs National Park

Gather your family and friends on Saturday afternoons and join a park ranger for guided snowshoe hikes in Voyageurs National Park from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Saturday, February 13, 2016 Saturday, February 20, 2016 Saturday, February 27, 2016 Saturday, March 5, 2016 Saturday, March 12, 2016 Saturday, March 19, 2016

Participants should meet inside the Rainy Lake Visitor Center to start the program. Bring your own snowshoes or borrow a pair free-of-charge from the Rainy Lake Visitor Center. No fee or registration is required to attend. Participants may need to car caravan to the hike’s starting location.

Snowshoe hike destinations will depend on wind, weather, and ice road conditions. Call the morning of the snowshoe program, (218) 286-5258, to find out the expected destination. Possible destinations include: the Oberholtzer Trail, the Black Bay Hiking Trail, Rainy Lake City, Bushyhead Island, and other locations off of the Rainy Lake Ice Road.

Afterwards, visitors are invited back to the visitor center to warm up with a cup of cocoa, view exhibits, watch the park film, and look through the Jefferson National Parks Association bookstore.

Learn more: http://www.nps.gov/voya/learn/news/snowshoe-hikes-offered-at-voyageurs-national-park.htm

Mike Ward to Become Superintendent of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial

Mike Ward, who has served as the superintendent of Voyageurs National Park for the past seven years, has accepted a new position as superintendent at Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis.  Ward has served in the Midwest Region of the National Park Service for his entire 32-year career. Voyageurs National Park Maintenance and Facility Manager William K. Carlson has been named acting superintendent at Voyageurs. In announcing the appointment, Midwest Regional Director Cam Sholly said, "Mike has the right blend of experience to take the helm at the Arch. He has a proven track record of leading complex operations and building strong coalitions with partners and communities.”

"Mike and his family are members of VNPA and he has always gone above and beyond to find ways to make our partnership with the park grow and have greater impact. His collaborative focus has left a great legacy here," commented Christina Hausman, Executive Director of Voyageurs National Park Association.

Ward commented in the International Falls Journal that he counts many highlights while serving as Voyageurs' superintendent.

“The headquarters, additions to ice roads, implementation of the reservation system, work with the International Joint Commission that is culminating, the sewer project, beefing up snowmobile operations, the bike trail, the new tour boat... the list goes on,” he said. “Mostly, I appreciate and am humbled by the partnerships and relationships that were nurtured and created.”

Prior to serving at Voyageurs, Ward spent 16 years in the St. Louis area at Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site as superintendent and facilities manager, and began his career in 1983 at Lincoln Home National Historic Site in his hometown of Springfield, Illinois.

In 2009, Ward received the MWR Director’s Award for Natural Resources as Superintendent of the Year for his work related to air quality at Voyageurs. In 2002, he was a co-recipient of the John Wesley Powell Prize for Preservation from the Society for History in Federal Government.

In 2000, he was a co-recipient of the Cultural Resources 2000 Award from the NPS Director for leading, training, & developing a day labor crew into skilled historic preservation experts who served 27 parks in project support.

He has been married to Betsy Carlson-Ward since 1993 and has a son, Connor who attends the University of Minnesota, and a daughter Libby who just started high school. The Ward family will miss the beauty of the north woods and the wonderful people they have met in Minnesota, but are happy to be returning closer to extended family.