FA L L 2 0 1 6A Publication of Sugarloaf: The North Shore Stewardship Association

6008 London Road, Duluth, MN 55804 218.525.0001www.sugarloafnorthshore.org

InterpreterT H E S U G A R L O A F

SugarloafTHE NORTH SHORE S T EWARDSH I P A S SOC I AT ION

Sugarloaf Cove by Jim Reitz

Page 2 The Sugarloaf Interpreter

Sugarloaf Cove Gets a Facelift

Thanks to our wonderful capitalcampaign donors, Sugarloaf Cove underwent amajor facelift this year. The parking lot wasenlarged, new interpretive signs were addedthroughout the site, and the nature center wasbeautified on the inside and outside.

Improvements in the nature center includea new office area for our naturalist, beautifulnew storage cabinets, a new greeting desk, abeautifully polished floor, more storage in thekitchen area, and a new entrance area. Thankyou to everyone who helped with moving items in and out of the building.

At the urging of our visitors, we have installed anew trail map sign and a box for trail maps along theentrance trail near the bridge. Thank you to RussBaker for diligently working to get the sign in theground – not easy to do when the bedrock is so closeto the surface!

The new parking lot signs are attracting many new visitors to the Cove

Attractive new steps invite visitors on to the trail

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New office area Entrance near front door

New walls were added and a new greeting station set up

New storage cabinetsThe floor in the building was ground down and refinishedwith amazing results.

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Sugarloaf’s annual membership meeting andice cream social took place on August 6, 2016. Themeeting was called to order by Mike Monten,board president, and began with approval of the2015 annual meeting minutes. The president’sreport followed. Mike reported that the capital

campaign was a tremendous success. He thankedMargit Berg and many board and other membersfor their hard work. Due to raising 20% more thanplanned, we are able to accomplish more than weanticipated. Mike noted that many projects arecomplete or nearly completed, including theparking lot, trail improvements, and signage by thebeach. He also thanked Russ Baker, DavidGredzens and Tammy Magney for an excellent anddetailed plan for the organizing and makingchanges to the interior of the Nature Center.

Mike concluded by thanking the staff andboard for all their hard work, especially outgoingboard members Skip Lamb, Mary McDermid, andJerry Meigs. He commended Greg Koschinska forhis years of board service including two terms

serving as Board Chair and serving as BoardTreasurer. He also remembered Dave Vose, formertreasurer, who passed away earlier this year and isgreatly missed.

Executive Director Molly Thompson reportedon programming and partnerships during the last

year includingSugarloaf’s work onNorth Shore Foreststewardship andrestoration. MargieMenzies, staffNaturalist, has had abusy year starting withone Master Naturalistclass at Sugarloaf, andanother at NorthHouse Folk School co-sponsored bySugarloaf. OnThursdays, Margieconducted birdbandingdemonstrations and onFridays she offered anature art program. OnSaturdays we hosted avariety of guestspeakers and Sundaymornings Margie'sgeology hikes werealways popular.

Russ Baker, sitecommittee chair,reported that, in orderto completerenovations and newfurnishings to theNature Center,

everything will have to be moved out and back in.The Nature Center will be closed from Friday Sept.16 through Sunday Sept. 25, 2016.

Anne McKinsey, chair of the NominatingCommittee, recommended one new board memberfor approval - Peter Juhl. Mike Monten called fornominations from the floor. Hearing none, hemoved the election of Peter Juhl to the board.Seconded by Anne McKinsey. Carried.

After Mike adjourned the meeting, attendeesenjoyed ice cream sundaes and a presentationabout the birds of Sugarloaf Cove by MargieMenzies.

Annual Meeting Report

On June 24, we celebrated our new parking lot. Pictured here (from l to r) are MargieMenzies, staff naturalist; Molly Thompson, executive director; Russ Baker, site committee

chair and incoming president; Margit Berg, capital campaign co-host.

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Meet Our Newest Director – Peter JuhlPeter Juhl has been an avid North Shore

visitor all his life, and his family has beenvacationing here since the 1920s. On a trip toSchroeder in the mid-1990s hediscovered that rocks on the beachcould be balanced on one another,creating striking ephemeral sculptures.He has since developed and promotedthis art form, holding workshops,presentations, and photo exhibitionsaround Minnesota and at national andinternational stone balancing events. In2013, he published "Center of Gravity:A Guide to the Practice of RockBalancing."

Peter also enjoys a fulfilling thirty-year career in the informationtechnology field, most recently as adatabase administrator for NorthwestAirlines and Delta Air Lines. Hebelieves in community engagement,serving as a board member for his

church, Schroeder Area Historical Society,Danebod Family Camp, and in various volunteercapacities with several other non-profit groups.

Feed the Birds!‘Tis the Season!This holiday season take a moment toremember Sugarloaf Cove and the NorthShore as you are making your year-enddonations. When you donate to Sugarloaf:The North Shore Stewardship Association,you are supporting our exciting programsat Sugarloaf Cove and our mission torestore and protect the North Shore.Working together, we can all make adifference that will last for generations!

You can send your donation in theenclosed envelope or make it online atsugarloafnorthshore.org.

Thank you!

We have a bunch of hungry birds atSugarloaf Cove. Help us keep them fedthroughout the year by donating blackoil sunflower seed or suet. ContactMolly at 218-525-0001 to make adonation of either cash or seed.

Thank you!

Laura Erickson

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North Shore Forest Stewardship Updates Sugarloaf is a founding member and fiscal agent ofThe North Shore Forest Collaborative (NSFC). TheNSFC is a coordinated effort between local, state,and federal land management agencies as well aspublic and private organizations and individualswho want to work together to assure a healthy

forest environment. Working together with theNSFC, Sugarloaf has been able to reach morelandowners and make a bigger impact along theNorth Shore. Everyone is invited to attend ourgeneral meetings and workshops. Visitnorthshoreforest.org for more information.

As many North Shorelandowners know,planting trees (or anythingelse for that matter) alongthe North Shore is likeopening up an all-you-can-eat buffet for deer.The only way to stop thebuffet customers is tofence every tree youplant, which can getexpense and laborintensive very quickly.

Realizing thatfencing can be a barrier tolandowners planting trees,the NSFC, in partnershipwith Sugarloaf, requestedand received funding fromthe Weekes FamilyFoundation and theMinnesota PowerFoundation for a newreduced cost tree-fencingprogram for landowners –the first of its kind on theNorth Shore. Thirty-eightlandowners purchased 249 rolls of 6 foot fencingand rebar posts from Izak Hansen Hardware inLutsen, MN at 1/3 the regular price. They thenfenced 1029 trees of 4237 trees that they planted!

Comments from the participants included:

• This is a great program. I could never havedone this on my own. Thanks again for yoursupport.

• Thank you forhelping us give theNorth Shore Forest alittle help!

• Thank you somuch for letting mebe part of this NorthShore collaboration.

• I really appreciatebeing able topurchase low-costfencing, and I lookforward to watchingthese pines grow.

The program wassuch a success thatwe have receivedword from theWeekes FamilyFoundation that weare receivingadditional funds tocontinue thisprogram in 2017.

Watch for upcoming email announcementsfrom Sugarloaf and the North Shore ForestCollaborative. To be added to our email updates,send your email address to sugarloaf@boreal.orgor nsfcstaff@gmail.com or visitnorthshoreforest.org.

Want Trees? Got Deer? Get Fence! – A success story

Landowners received assistance planting and fencing treesthrough our Get Fence program in 2016

Neighbors helping Neighbors – We Need YouSugarloaf and the North Shore Forest

Collaborative share the monumental goal ofrestoring the North Shore Forest. We believerestoring the North Shore Forest is possible, but willtake the cooperation of all landowners to beeffective. The question is, how do we get more

landowners to join the cause? One idea we are going to implement is a

North Shore Neighbor-to-Neighbor (NSNN)program. Research and experience have shown thatwhen people need to make a decision about theirland, they often turn to a trusted friend, neighbor or

Page 7Fall 2016

family member. We are pleased to announce thatSugarloaf and the NSFC are receiving a grant fromthe Lake Superior Coastal program to investigatehow to implement a neighbor-to-neighbor program.We will be looking at the costs of the program,how to recruit landowners to be ambassadors,incentives for ambassadors, materials needed for allparticipants, and the best way to manage thisprogram. Once this work is completed, we will beready to seek funds to start a full-scale NSNNprogram.

Once implemented, the North Shore Neighborto Neighbor program will:

• Recruit Ambassadors who will help theirneighbors conduct restoration projects on their

properties along the North Shore.

• Create awareness about the need to take actionrestoring the North Shore forest,

• Provide training for landowners

• Help connect landowners to resources forrestoration

This project gets underway in January. We willbe looking for landowners interested in hosting ameeting with their neighbors and other North Shorelandowners to discuss ways they can work togetherto restore their bit of paradise on Lake Superior.Call 218-525-0001 or email sugarloaf@boreal.org ifyou are interested.

Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts, Tofte, MN; 1-800-BLUEFIN (258-3346); bluefinbay.com

IComp Payroll Services,St. Paul, MN; 651-429-4260; icomppayroll.com

Lamb’s Resort on Lake Superior, Schroeder, MN; 218-663-7292; lambsresort.com

Lutsen Mountains– Ski and Summer resort,Lutsen, MN; 218-663-7281; www.lutsenresort.com

Lutsen Resort on Lake Superior, Lutsen, MN;218-663-7212; www.lutsenresort.com

North Shore Federal Credit Union,Silver Bay, MN; 218-226-4401;www.northshorefcu.org

Organic Consumers Association, Finland, MN;218-226-4164; www.organicconsumers.org

Temperance Liquors, Inc., Schroeder, MN; 218-663-0111; www.northshorecabins.com

Thank you to the following businesses for their support of Sugarloaf during 2016:

Local Businesses Support Sugarloaf

Becoming a sustaining member of Sugarloaf: The North Shore Stewardship Association meansless mail, no renewal notices, and uninterrupted membership. Sugarloaf receives a morepredictable stream of revenue, and allows us to direct more dollars and energy to the work weall care about. Your secure monthly payment via our website is quick and easy. Sign up on sugarloafnorthshore.org or call Sugarloaf for more information: 218.525.0001.

Help us preserve Sugarloaf Cove and the North Shore landscape.

Thank you to our Sustaining Members in 2016! n Marty and Kathy Duchscher n Anne McKinsey n Michael and Rosanne Monten n Ella and Richard Slade

S I M P L I F Y YO U R G I V I N G !

n Jane Sweetn Lisa Tinuccin Joseph Witchger

Sugarloaf: The North Shore Stewardship Association

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Please enroll me as a member of Sugarloaf in the category I have indicated.

NAME

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CITY STATE ZIP

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M E M B E R S H I PC A T E G O R I E S

■ $ 25 White Spruce■ $ 50 Balsam Fir■ $ 100 Tamarack■ $ 250 Red Pine■ $ 500 White Cedar■ $ 1000 White Pine■ $ _____ Other

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S U G A R L O A F6008 London RoadDuluth, MN 55804sugarloaf@boreal.org

T H A N K Y O U !

6008 London Road, Duluth, MN 55804

The Sugarloaf Interpreter is published by Sugarloaf: The North Shore Stewardship Association.Single copies available on request or online at www.sugarloafnorthshore.org. Submissionswelcome. Send to molly@sugarloafnorthshore.org. Designer: Wendy Strombeck.

Annual memberships are tax deductible. Please make checks payable to Sugarloaf, and mail tothe business office at 6008 London Road, Duluth, MN 55804. Memberships are also availablethrough the website at www.sugarloafnorthshore.org.Sugarloaf is an educational, non-profit 501(c)(3) Minnesota Corporation.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PresidentRuss Baker, Eden Prairie, MN

1st Vice-PresidentMichael Monten, Minneapolis, MN

2nd Vice-PresidentJohn Bathke, Two Harbors, MN

Secretary Karen Dingle, Duluth, MN

TreasurerDale W. Ulrich, St. Paul, MN

Keep in touch…Want to find out more about our upcoming family friendlyprograms, new projects and North Shore forest restorationefforts? Sign up for our electronic updates and join ourFacebook page via sugarloafnorthshore.org.

MISSION STATEMENTSugarloaf: The North Shore Stewardship Association strives to inspire thepreservation and restoration of the North Shore’s unique environmentthrough education and exemplary stewardship, especially at Sugarloaf Cove.

NEW VISIONSugarloaf values and believes in a healthy Minnesota North Shore of LakeSuperior where an informed citizenry takes personal and groupresponsibility to ensure that natural and ecological systems and humaneconomic and social systems coexist in a fashion sustainable into the future.

DirectorsAllison Eklund, Roseville, MNJan Ellingson, Waconia, MNDavid Gredzens, Castle Danger, MNSteve Hedman, Duluth, MNPeter Juhl, Eagan, MNJulie Magney, Minnetonka, MNMark Magney, Minnetonka, MNAnne McKinsey, Minneapolis, MNJohn Wytanis, Tofte, MN

StaffMolly Thompson, Executive DirectorMargie Menzies, Naturalist