A Northwoods Almanac for 3/5-18/21

 A Northwoods Almanac for 3/5-18/21  

 

The History of Lake Names

            I’ve been working for a few years now on a book describing the last undeveloped, wild lakes of northern Wisconsin, and one of the both fun and frustrating aspects of the book has been my attempt to find out the history of these lake names. There are books on the history of place names in Wisconsin (Place Names of Wisconsin by Edward Callary and The Romance of Wisconsin Place Names by Robert Gard), but I’ll be darned if I can find a source for the history of lake names. 

            I have learned a few histories. For instance, Pat Shay Lake in Forest County was named for Patsy Shay, a local surveyor. Frank Lake in Vilas County was named for Frank Long, a state forest ranger and game warden from 1911 until his death in 1937 while on duty on snowshoes in the Star Lake Area (so reads a brass plaque bolted into a boulder on the lake). Star Lake was named for Bob Star, a surveyor, and his brother Harry, a pile driver who was accidentally killed at the planing mill site on the lake (Bob’s Lake  to the northwest of Star Lake was given Bob Star’s first name because he had a cabin there). Salsich Lake derives its name from Hamilton Salsich, one of the co-owners of the saw mill and planing mill in Star Lake.

            Some information I have needs more details. A gentleman recently called and told me that Jean and Dorothy Dunn lakes in Vilas County were named after women who worked in nearby logging camps. But what logging camps, and why these women and not others?

            So, I’m reaching out for some help. Do you know the history of the lake names for any undeveloped, wild lakes in Wisconsin? Note that for the purposes of this book, if there’s development on a lake, I’m not looking for the history of that lake’s name – only an undeveloped lake. Note also that I obviously don’t need the history of lake names for places like Hemlock Lake, Mud Lake, Perch Lake, Moose Lake, Rice Lake, and many others that are named after some obvious wildlife, flora, or geological/soil feature (did you know we have 116 Mud Lakes, 82 Bass Lakes, and 59 Long Lakes in Wisconsin?).  However, some lakes named after a cultural or natural feature would be interesting to know more about – why “Two Axe Lake” in Sawyer County or “Luna Lake” in Forest County or “Camp Lake” in Vilas (what camp?). And some Native American names are escaping me – Totagatic Lake in Bayfield County and Allequash Lake in Vilas. I’d also love to include the original Native American names for each of these lakes, and I’m looking for a resource on that.

            Here’s a list of just a few of the wild lakes I’d love to know more about: In Vilas County, Benedict, Devine, Escanaba, Fallison, Nebish, Nixon, Pallette, Starrett, and Trilby. In Oneida County, Cunard, McNaughton, Sweeney, and Zottle. In Forest, Bastile, Laura, McKinley, Scott and Shelp, Riley, and Zarling. And in Florence, Grandma, Lauterman, and Savage.

            My contact information is at the end of this column – a thousand thanks for any help!

 

Update on Isle Royale Wolf Restoration

            You may remember a column I wrote in late 2019 concerning the debate and final decision regarding reintroducing wolves onto Isle Royale in Minnesota. In years past, there were up to 50 wolves in different packs on Isle Royale. Their interaction with moose has been the focus of the longest running predator-prey study in the world, now 62-years-long. For most of those years, the wolves were effective at moderating the island’s big moose population, but a combination of inbreeding, accidents and disease caused the wolves' numbers to dwindle to just two. The closely-related pair, an older male (M183) and a younger female wolf (F193) who was also his daughter and half-sister on their twisted family tree, were the only permanent wolves on the island for years before the fall of 2018 when the park service and its partners released 19 new wolves onto the island that had been trapped on tribal land in Minnesota, on Canada’s mainland and one of its islands. 

            By then, the moose population had grown exponentially to over 2,000, and their overbrowsing of vegetation was a huge concern to the park service. The only way to solve that was to bring back the predator balance.

            A year later in October of 2019, a National Park Service ranger came upon the body of M183 lying on his side on the trail. A necropsy would later show the wolf known had been attacked by other wolves. By the time of his death, M183 weighed only about 65 pounds, which made him about 20% underweight, and was 11 years old. The necropsy showed he had an age-related arthritic condition, osteoarthritis, in his back and feet that would have meant constant aches and pains. His teeth were also heavily worn and a few broken. In his prime, M183 would likely have weighed around 80 pounds, but now he was more like a 90-year-old man in human years. 

            Researchers believe his health had been slowly declining, because for several years when traveling with F193, his younger 9-year-old mate, he would often follow her, and when she stopped for a break, he’d lay down. 

            He and F193 were never radio-collared. She’s not been seen over the last year, and researchers suspect she might be dead, too. 

            The good news is that the Michigan Tech researchers located two wolf pups in their 2020 survey, the first wolf pups in numerous years to be born on Isle Royale, and a major step toward their recovery. 

            The survey indicates there are now up to 14 adult wolves on the island (several of the transplanted wolves have died), and an estimated 1,876 moose, about a 9% decrease in the moose count. For years, the moose population had seen a steady uptick of about 19% per year, so this decrease is good news, too. The decline is not only due to predation by the new wolves, but moose starvation. The researchers estimated about 100 moose starved to death in the spring of 2019. Moose have big appetites and their large population meant a decrease of their forage trees on the island, and thus starvation for them. 

            The wolf population is still in flux. One new wolf left the island for the Canadian mainland in early 2019 when a Polar Vortex created an ice bridge. And later that winter, researchers noted some new wolves had apparently walked across the ice bridge from the Minnesota or Canadian mainland and visited Isle Royale. 

            How the new wolves sort themselves out into packs and into defended territories is still taking place. They have yet to formalize true packs and are still building social bonds. 

“A wolf population is more than a collection of individual wolves. A wolf population is organized,” said John Vucetich, a Michigan Tech CFRES professor, and one of the lead researchers. “It has social structure that includes wolves associating closely with one another, being territorial and exhibiting courtship behavior. We observed those social interactions this winter [2019-20]. It’s exciting to see.” 

 

Seed Catalogues/What to Plant 

            It’s that time of year to put your garden daydreaming into a plan. For wildlife plantings, here are a few of our favorites (please remember to always plant native species):

Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) to attract hummingbirds.

Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) for hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees

Bee balm (Monarda didyma) for hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees 

Milkweeds [marsh milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)] all for monarchs.

Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) for hummingbirds

Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis or others) for fruits that attract songbirds, and for you!

Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) for fruits for songbirds and you.

Crabapple (Malus - various species) for winter birds

Dogwoods (Cornus florida, Cornus racemosa, Cornus sericea) for vireos, juncos, cardinals, etc.

Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago) for robins, catbirds, cardinals, finches, thrushes, etc.

Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) for robins, bluebirds, waxwings, etc.

            

Sightings

            It’s been a roller coaster of weather, but not that unusual for late February into March. Consider that red-winged blackbirds, starlings and robins typically begin returning around spring equinox, 3/20, and that will help get you through the tumult. As I write this on the last day of February, we just got 8 inches of snow, but most of the week will be above freezing. So, we’re entering the freeze/thaw anarchy of March, and all we can do is ride it out.

 

Celestial Events

            Planet watching in March: After dusk, only Mars is viewable – look in the southwest. Before dawn, look for Jupiter very low in the ESE, and Saturn low in the SE.

            We reach 11 ½ hours of daylight on 3/7 as we race toward spring equinox on 3/20. I should note that we actually hit 12 hours of daylight by 3/17, so we don’t have to wait for the equinox before we gain an equal day and night. March 18 marks the first time we’ll have more day than night since 9/24.

            Look before dawn on 3/9 for Saturn 4° north of the waning crescent moon. The following early morning, 3/10, look for Jupiter to have traded places and now also be 4° north of the crescent moon. The new moon occurs on 3/13.

            

Correction!

            I make lots of mistakes in my life, but I hate it when I make one where I know better and just write it wrong. Anyway, I wrote last column, “Our lowest lows typically fall between -20F and -30F, which puts us in zone 3. We used to be zone 4, which means our lows used to reach -30 to -40°.” Well, reverse that. Zone 3 is colder than zone 4. We used to be Zone 3, and now we’re in the warmer zone 4. My apologies. 

 

Leopold Week and Wisconsin Water Week

            The coming of spring in Wisconsin is celebrated by “Leopold Week” with events that depict the land ethic. This year Leopold Week runs from March 5-14. Check the Aldo Leopold Foundation for a list of speakers. And Wisconsin Water Week runs from March 8-12 – check https://wisconsinlakes.org/wisconsin-water-week/ for an excellent list of virtual talks.

 

Thought for the Week

William Blake: “The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing which stands in the way… As a man is, so he sees.”