Trail Maintenance

If you like to hike and you like to work outside then head up to the Gunflint Trail this June for a volunteer opportunity.  I love to hike, work outside and volunteer but unfortunately I have enough opportunities to keep myself busy on my own property.  The USFS would like your help in trimming around planted pine trees on the Seagull Lake Nature Trail.

This trail is special to me not only because of its proximity but also because I’ve been adamant about keeping it open for hiking. I can’t remember all of the details without looking back at a calendar but in 1999 we had the blowdown that made the trail nearly impassable.  When a fire crew was in the area sometime after without other work to keep them busy they cleared the trail.  Then the Ham Lake Fire came through and with it any remaining standing trees burned and fell across the trail.  I think it was after this fire when Mike, the kids and I snowshoed/hiked in the spring to mark the trail so it could be cleared yet again the next summer. It was cleared and volunteers planted some nice pine trees along the trail and this is where you come in.

TENDING THE TREES – SAVE THE DATE – JUNE 28th!

Tending the Trees

The Ham Lake Fire started in May 2007, seven years ago.  It burned 76,000 acres in northeast Minnesota and western Ontario.   Since then, nearly 100,000 trees have been planted by volunteers at the annual Gunflint GreenUp events.  Now it is time to tend those trees by clipping away brush and hardwoods that are competing for sunlight and water.  One person armed with a pair of nippers can really make a difference to a conifer seedling that is overtopped by vegetation.

The Forest Service, along with the Gunflint Trail Association and the Gunflint Trail Scenic Byway Committee, invite you to help keep these trees alive.   Meet us at the Trail’s End Campground boat landing at 10:00 am on Saturday June 28th.   We will be releasing trees along the Seagull Nature Trail.  Volunteers are encouraged to bring

lunch and clipper/loppers.

Volunteer planting of pine trees over the years, such as white, red and jack pine, has had a substantial impact on the Superior National Forest’s (SNF) plan to increase long lived conifers to this area while improving visuals along the Gunflint Trail Scenic Byway.  We thank you!

Contacts:  Myra Theimer at (218) 387-1750 and Rich Kujawa at (218) 387-3768

For more SNF information check out our web site: www.fs.usda.gov/superior

Happy Hikers at the Seagull Lake Nature Trailhead