Poplar Creek Courier Brought to you by Boundary Country Trekking

Saturday Memorial Day Weekend was a beautiful day - over one hundred people assembled at Blankenburgs Landing on Seagull Lake to assist home owners and businesses from the Seagull- Sag area to begin to replace their trees lost in the recent Ham Lake Fire. The next day, Sunday, it rained most of the day yet another sixty plus people showed up to continue planting. By the time the two planting sessions were completed over six-thousand red and white pine, cedar and white spruce seedlings were in the ground.

Joining the Seagull-Sag and Gunflint Trail residents were others from Grand Marais, Lutsen-Tofte and even as far away as the Twin Cities. Nancy Seaton, Chairperson of the Gunflint Trail Scenic Byways Committee (218-388-2275), who coordinated the weekend’s Peoples Planting sessions called this first effort, a good start. Local people of the area intend to continue planting trees on their land and they are hoping that the USFS does the same on the tens of thousands of acres of burnt over forest they administer. 

Ceremonial Ribbon Cutting, May 22, 8 a.m.

Gunflint Trail, MN — The last seven miles of the Gunflint Trail will be officially open as of 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 22 permitting unrestricted access to the entire 57-miles of paved road between Grand Marais and the end of the Trail.  To commemorate this event, a ribbon-cutting and tree-planting ceremony will take place at the Cross River bridge. The public is invited to attend this event.

The recent Ham Lake Fire started in this area and the residents and businesses along this seven-mile stretch were not only the first to be evacuated, but are also the last to return home. The evacuation order issued on May 6th forced business owners and residents to temporarily relocate while up to 1,000 firefighters based their operations in this area. Thanks to their efforts, the Ham Lake Fire is now contained, crews and equipments have left the area, and residents are now free to go home and get back to business.

“Even if my nearest neighbor is two miles away, they’re still my neighbor,” said Barb Bottger, a resident on Hungry Jack Lake. “What happens to one of us, happens to all of us. That’s why it’s important to acknowledge this homecoming.”

Coinciding with the re-opening of the area at the end of the Gunflint Trail, all but two entry points into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) will be re-opened and permits can once again be issued for wilderness canoe trips.

 “It’s time to welcome back our friends and neighbors who have spent the most time away from home, and offer help and encouragement as they jump back into business,” says Ted Young of Poplar Creek Guesthouse. “And, of course, we’ll plant some trees.”

“The best thing people can do to help is to come visit us,” says Deb Mark, of Seagull Outfitters. “Tourism is our business, and we look forward to a busy summer vacation season, welcoming visitors to the one-and-only Gunflint Trail.”

With the fire expected to be fully contained shortly, the last of the evacuees from the lakes at the end of the Gunflint Trail can finally return home. According to the Sheriff Mark Falk, property owners from Round Lake to the end of the Gunflint will be allowed access in and out of the evacuation area. Falk went on to state that, "This privilege is being extended to property owners only." This new order went into effect yesterday.

The Sheriff also announced that the evacuation order for the end of the Gunflint Trail will be fully lifted at 8:00 am on Tuesday, May 22. At this time the last remaining roadblock on the Gunflint Trail will be removed and the entire Trail will be open once again for travel by everyone

The loses suffered by many Gunflint residents is certainly tragic and morned by us at Boundary Country Trekking and for that matter the entire community. 

Meanwhile, somethings are even returning to normal again - it snowed last night! Gunflint residents awoke to a dusting of snow this morning. Certainly a normal May occurrence on the Trail.

The Ham Lake Wildfire that has burnt over a portion of the western end of the Gunflint Trail continues to burn. The fire started on May 5 moved northwest burning some 134 structures in the Seagull and Sag Lake area and on the Canadian side of Gunflint Lake. Closs to 60,000 acres have been burnt thus far.

Like many businesses and cabins along the Gunflint Trail, the Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B is protected by a wildfire sprinkler system. The sprinklers appeared successfully in protecting structure in the path of the fire. To my knowledge, no structures were lost that had properly installed and functioning sprinklers.

The closes the fire has came to Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B was about five miles. While the Poplar-Little Ollie Lakes area, where the B&B is located, was evacuated to Grand Marais on May 10 the evacuation was lifted for the area two days later.

Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B is again open for business with guests scheduled to arrive today.

The evacuation orders for Gunflint Trail residents and businesses beyond the Poplar-Little Ollie Lakes has yet to be lifted.