January 13, 2011
Press Release
Bayfield students receive awards for independent research
Ali Gephart (left) and Sophie Howk (right)
Two students from Bayfield High School earned top awards at the Western Wisconsin and Upper Michigan Junior Science and Humanities Symposium held January 9 at the Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center in Lanesboro, Minnesota. First place went to senior Ali Gephart with her study “The relationship between current and seiche in the North Channel of the Apostle Islands”. (A seiche is a standing wave that oscillates in a lake as a result of seismic or atmospheric disturbances creating huge fluctuations of water levels in just moments.) Ms. Gephart compared current measurements from an acoustic doppler current profiler placed between Basswood Island and Madeline Island (by the Large Lakes Laboratory at the University of Minnesota – Duluth) with seiche measurements she recorded in the Bayfield harbor. Her study may help facilitate understanding of nutrient and sediment flow around the islands.
Second place went to senior Sophie Howk with her study on “The relationship between stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen and contaminants in Apostle Islands’ bald eagles”. Ms. Howk worked with Bill Route from the National Park Service’s Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network office in Ashland, Wisconsin. She took portions of eagle blood samples he had collected from 2006 to 2011 and had them analyzed to determine the stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen in the blood. This may be a way of helping to determine the source of contaminants in the eagles.
Bayfield science teacher Rick Erickson worked with the students to facilitate their independent research and participation in the competition. His efforts are part of the Apostle Islands Experiential Learning Program that is supported by a Park Stewards grant from the National Park Foundation. This innovative project is developing new curricula and experiential learning opportunities for students at the Bayfield School. The goal of the project is to give high school teachers and students opportunities to build deeper connections with and a sense of stewardship for the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore through personal engagement and service learning projects. Ms. Gephart and Ms. Howk both earned college scholarship money and the opportunity to go to Bethesda, Maryland to present their findings at the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium in early May. This competition is sponsored by the U. S. Army, Navy, and Air Force.
December 12, 2011
Holiday decor gets back to basics
By Amber Mullen
Christmas fans may be decking the halls with boughs of holly. But, drive through just about any neighborhood and homes are likely to be donned with flashing lights or lawns littered with high-tech talking Santas. The Cable Natural History Museum is taking Christmas decor back to basics, giving holiday-goers more bang for their buck. Emily Stone has been scrounging up pine cones, bottle caps and other recycled items to create natural Christmas decorations. Stone is the Naturalist Educator at the Cable Natural History Museum. She says there are any number of ways to use natural or recycled products in holiday decor.
“One of my favorite examples is that we have a bunch of dried pumpkin seeds and if you layer them just right you can make it look like a poinsettia,” said Stone.
Stone says nature provides the best inspiration and resources for holiday decorations.
“Nature really was the maker of the first ornaments and still is the maker of a lot of wonderful holiday decorations out there,” Stone said. “There are a lot of beautiful things in the winter woods right now. All the seed heads, red berries, and just the patterns of sticks and trees against the sky are a good reminder that you don’t have to buy things from a store for them to be beautiful.”
Stone says it is important for people to get back to the basics this holiday season.
“As the Cable Natural History Museum, we obviously want to advocate that people don’t always buy new things that take resources and that are expensive to get out of the ground or out of the woods,” Stone said. “It’s nice to be able to provide people with options that don’t cost a lot of money and don’t cost the earth either.”
December 9, 2011
Food shelves fill up those in need
By Amber Mullen
Some area faith-based food shelves are seeing more empty stomachs as families try to put food on the table this holiday season. Rita Johnson says the holiday season is the busiest time of year for their food shelf. Johnson is the Co-Chair of the Barnes Community Church Food Pantry.
“We appreciate that people come in with donations this time of year,” Johnson said. “We appreciate anything that people can help us out with. It gets to those who need it.”
Johnson says the food pantry serves 25 to 37 households on the second Wednesday of each month. She says they do their best to provide for those in need.
“If someone is in dire straits and needs some food, it’s available anytime,” said Johnson.
J.D Weber is the Pastor at the Celebration Fellowship Church in Ashland. Weber runs the First Saturday Food Distribution. The service provides food that is close to expiring from large suppliers like Sysco. He says people can buy a $25 ticket and walk away with $250 in food. Weber says anywhere from 300 to 400 people use the service this time of year.
“We have people come in who have absolutely nothing, come in and walk away with enough food to feed them for a week or two until they get their feet back on the ground.”
Weber says some people wouldn’t be able to afford food without the service.
“There are some people that may not necessarily have food stamps, or they need to go to a food shelf. But, at the same time, they are having trouble making ends meet, and this really alleviates that for them,” said Weber.
The First Saturday Food Distribution is held the first Saturday of every month at the Celebration Fellowship Church in Ashland. Weber says the Celebration Fellowship Church in Ashland will be holding a fundraiser on January 21 to help buy food for the distribution service.
December 7, 2011
Ashland residents rally for J.C. Penney’s store
By Amber Mullen
Supporters of the J.C. Penney’s in Ashland are trying to keep its doors open after the company announced plans to close the store next year. Amber Mullen reports on efforts to save the main street store.
Joyce Pep Kabasa rallied last Saturday with around 50 to 75 Ashland residents to save its downtown J.C. Penney’s store. Kabasa is a member of the Ashland City Council and former business owner. Kabasa hopes people will continue to show support for the store and main street businesses.
“If people keep calling it doesn’t hurt to try,” said Kabasa. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
But, J.C. Penney’s corporate spokesman Tim Lyons says the Ashland market is too small for the company to make a profit. Lyons says the Ashland store needs a lot of work and renovations would require a significant investment.
“Because of the size of the store and the volume of the business it does. I don’t see that we would get a return on that investment going forward.”
Lyons says the Ashland J.C. Penney’s will close regardless of public support for the store.
“Once the decision was made, the process began to close the store,” said Lyons. “There really was not an option of turning back at that point. It’s great to see such support from the community, but we are still continuing on course and on schedule to close the store at the end of January.”
Mary McPhetridge is the Executive Director of the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce. McPhetridge says the store closing would hurt the downtown.
“Absolutely,” said McPhetridge. “Anytime you lose an anchor store it is not going to be the best thing for our downtown, but we are resilient. Our downtown people tell us that we do okay during a recession because we are always in a recession.”
The Ashland J.C. Penney’s store will lay off 19 people when it closes in January.
November 18, 2011
Penn State prompts educators to review reporting policies
By Amber Mullen
Disclosure: Amber Mullen is a junior attending Northland College.
Colleges and universities nationwide are under scrutiny about how they address sexual assault reports. Amber Mullen reports educators at Northland College in Ashland are taking a second look at their reporting policy in light of the sex abuse scandal at Penn State.
Northland College, like Penn State, has policies in place to address reports of sexual assault or misconduct, according to Paul Skoraczewski. Skoraczewski is the Human Resources Director at Northland College. The difference, he says, is the failure of Penn State administrators to follow through on them.
“It really comes back to all of us acting in concert to do the right thing every time,” says Skoraczewski. “While our hearts go out to the victims at Penn State, our minds are focused on preventing these things from happening at Northland.”
Northland College President Mike Miller says the Penn State cover-up has prompted Northland to take a second look at its reporting policy. Northland College operates under the federal law Title 9. The law prohibits gender discrimination and also covers reports of sexual assault in higher education.
“We’ve spent some time here again making sure that everything is thorough. Title 9 — there are constant changes in that so we have been doing some workshops and solidifying our process…,” says Miller. “The onus is on the individual to follow through.”
Michele Meyer is the Dean of Student Life at Northland. Meyer says faculty and staff at Northland under went training this summer on how to report any incidents of abuse. She adds all have a responsibility to report cases of sexual assault.
“As you see something, as you experience something as you hear something that you know, who you should bring it to and that you bring it to them. Follow up and ask for action…,” says Meyer. “We all have a responsibility as a community to try to be healthy and to bring theses issues forward and deal with them.”
Northland College has had zero reported instances of sex offenses in the last three years, according to annual reports in compliance with the federal Clery Act.
November 14, 2011
Gold sellers beware shady buyers
By Amber Mullen
Diamonds may be forever, but some people are selling gold jewelry to line their pockets with a little extra cash. State officials are cautioning sellers to beware of shady buyers looking to rip them off.
Sandy Chalmers is the head of Trade and Consumer Protection for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture. Chalmers says gold prices hovering between $1700 and $1800 per ounce are prompting some people to cash in. Chalmers says it’s important for people to know about their product before they meet with a buyer.
“If you know the purity whether it’s 10 karat or 20 karat, if you know how much it weighs, if you’ve had an appraisal done by a jeweler. That’s all really important information that will keep you from being ripped off,” says Chalmers.
Alan Smiles is the owner of Ashland Jewelers. Smiles says business is steady. He hasn’t seen an increase in people selling gold. Smiles says some people may be selling gold due to the economy.
“If things in the economy of the world are shaky, people look for a safe haven,” says Smiles.
Consumer Protection Administrator Chalmers says people should stay informed and file a complaint if they’ve been scammed.
“We do have inspectors out in the field everyday checking scales at jewelers, pawn shops and grocery stores to make sure they are weighing accurately and that consumers are getting what they paid for or in the case of selling gold, that the consumers are getting the true values of their gold jewelry,” says Chalmers.
Chalmers advises people to shop around for the best price before they part with any precious heirlooms.
November 9, 2011
Health care, economy top concerns at Duffy town hall
By Amber Mullen
Around 35 people attended a town hall meeting hosted by U.S. Representative Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) at the American Legion in Ashland on Monday, Nov. 7. Local residents questioned Duffy on the current state of the economy and job availability in the region. Even so, many of the audience members expressed concerns about Medicare.
Some people expressed worries over lacking coverage and increasing costs under the federal health care program for seniors. One audience member voiced concern over the cost of prescription drugs.
“It seems to me that Congress needs to do something to cut down the profit that some of these people are allowed to make which is just outrageous,” he said. “People who can’t afford it are the ones suffering.”
Duffy said Congress must take another look at Medicare so that the program is more sustainable for future generations.
“One of the issues we confront is that the cost of Medicare is increasing more than the growth of our economy,” Duffy said.
Ashland Mayor William Whalen proposed one solution for the local level: consumer-driven health care.
“I don’t care which insurance company is paying the bill, but if you put you or I in the drivers seat determining what procedure we want and where we go and get it, these costs are never going to go down,” said Whalen. “So I’m having a community-driven health care plan written for this city right now that will be out in about 60 days.”
One disabled veteran took Duffy to task on his voting record, questioning whether he was in sync with veteran needs. The audience member questioned Duffy’s failure to “recommit to veterans” during a vote on the Cut, Cap, and Balance Act in July. The freshman congressman responded that the motion to recommit is nothing but a political ploy.
“It’s just procedural. They will use veterans. They’ll say keep kids away from child molesters. They’ll throw the most extreme thing into a motion to recommit,” said Duffy. “Republicans did it to Democrats in the last House as well…. If you look at my voting record, I have always supported our veterans and our troops. I will continue to always support our veterans and our troops.”
On the economy, one man wanted to know Duffy’s plan for the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and the area timber industry.
“There is a real issue about accessing federal timber… If you shut down a national forest, you shut down a huge part of the economy,” Duffy said. “I believe we need smart policies, smart regulations, smart mandates, and a smart tax code that will allow us to be competitive in a new global market place.”
Duffy said it’s even more difficult for businesses to compete with tight lending markets as a result of the economic downturn. Duffy said the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act has had a negative impact on small community banks and credit unions, making it difficult for them to provide financial assistance to small businesses.
All in all, Duffy said he believes the biggest threat to the economy right now are the uncertainty and regulations facing small businesses.
“They are concerned that the regulations are always changing. There is concern in the tax code. How it is going to change and impact them? [People have] concerns with the access to capital, concern with the new health care law that is going to be implemented and how it’s going to impact them,” said Duffy. He surmised all of these concerns prevent job creators from taking risks and prompt employers to overwork their employees.
Duffy also added mining in the region may be a solution to job creation if it can be done in a sustainable way.
“I have heard a lot of information that it can be done safely,” said Duffy. “These are good-paying jobs — $70,000 to $80,000 a year jobs — in an area that dramatically needs them.”
Dale LeBlanc, a left-leaning voter and Ashland resident, attended the meeting hoping to gain insight about the direction of the economy. LeBlanc said that he believes the government needs to stop borrowing money.
“You have to sustain a community by the community, not government hand-outs,” said LeBlanc.
Rep. Sean Duffy made stops in Ashland, Phillips and Superior on Monday as he met with voters in the 7th Congressional District.
October 31, 2011
Zombies takeover Northland
Anyone who’s ever seen a zombie flick knows the first rule of survival is don’t get bit. Humans made their final stand Friday as the walking dead swarmed over the Northland College campus in Ashland. Amber Mullen brings us this story on the third annual Humans versus Zombies battle at Northland.
(Zombie war cry)
For the past week, Northland College students have been playing Humans versus Zombies in honor of the Halloween season. It’s like a big game of tag. In order to survive, humans sprint to evade zombies while walking to class, fending off the flesh-hungry dead with nerf guns or dirty sock and underwear grenades. But, if a human is tagged by a zombie, they become one themselves.
Eric Andrews is a sophomore at Northland College. Andrews is one of the first human players to be turned. He’s relieved to be a zombie.
“It made me extremely paranoid about everything. It makes you dread having to go to class,” Andrews said. “That’s actually one of the nice things about being a zombie. You wake up in the morning and you don’t have to worry about anything. Just go to class. No worries.”
By late Friday, zombies outnumbered humans two to one of the nearly 100 students taking part. Northland junior Jeremiah Cornehl is one of the few remaining humans at the beginning of the battle. Cornehl says he’s just trying to stay alive and help fellow humans survive.
“If you’re still human and you get this before the final battle,” said Cornehl, “I can provide food, shelter, weapons, company, and dirty underwear. Find me.”
Northland freshman Kevin Haas has survived the zombie takeover so far. Before the battle, Haas says humans need to stay focused and alert.
“It’s going to be crazy that’s for sure, but we just need to keep our heads in the game and out of the zombies mouth, if you know what I’m sayin’. Go humans,” said Haas. “We’re going to win.”
Andrew Nowak is the head moderator of the Humans versus Zombies game at Northland. Nowak says, although the game is fun, there’s a lot of work that goes into it. Students had to fill out paperwork, receive approval from the College and sign disclaimers in the event anyone is injured during the game.
“After you get through all the beauracracy, then you just wait and the game starts…,” said Nowak. “It’s a great way to stay in shape and a great way to meet friends.”
(Battle cries)
By the end of the day Friday, the sky over Ashland has turned as menacing as the zombies lying in wait for the remaining humans.
(Zombie roars)
Light rain falls and thunder cracks while the two groups collide on the Northland campus for the last stand. Nerf bullets pelt zombies, keeping them at bay…but the dead keep coming.
“Come on guys. Reorg. Did we lose any humans?”
“No. No. We’re good.”
Even so, the resilient humans walk away with their lives and the victory.
(Cheering and the “humans!” huddle)
Zombie and Northland junior Debbie Douglas says, despite the walking dead’s defeat, the game is a great way for students to get involved.
“It’s really fun and it’s a great way to get to know people on campus. It kind of brings people together in a weird way,” said Douglas.
So, if there are any humans left alive on all Hallow’s Eve, be safe–and stock up on dirty socks.
October 27, 2011
Live report from Hurley mining meeting
Reporter Mike Simonson of Wisconsin Public Radio spoke with WRNC’s Danielle Kaeding about the first legislative meeting on changing Wisconsin mining regulations in Hurley.
WRNC live report with WPR’s Mike Simonson in Hurley
October 25, 2011
Concert honors SOEI and nature
The Northland College Winds will perform a concert inspired by nature to honor the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute.
By Amber Mullen
Joel Glickman is a Professor of Music at Northland College. Glickman says the concert, called “Songs for Planet Earth,” will feature readings from Sigurd F. Olson and an overview about the Institute. He says the music will focus on the Institute’s — and humans’ — connection to the natural world.
“In its curriculum, Northland has been really probing connections. Connections among all things….” says Glickman. “Reminding ourselves that there is this big connection between all the humanities and performing arts, specifically music in this case, and the natural world.”
Glickman says the natural world has influenced music throughout history.
“Human beings pick up on birdsong and constantly try to repeat it,” says Glickman. “I don’t even know how long the list of tunes inspired by nature would be. Maybe after the theme of love… this would be near the top of the list.”
Glickman says the concert has an important message for the audience.
“Anything that raises consciousness about our relationship to the planet; the good things that we can do, the bad things that we may be doing, and just the idea is important,” says Glickman.
“Songs for Planet Earth” will be performed Tuesday, Oct. 25, in the Alvord Theatre at Northland College. The concert is free and open to the public.
October 12, 2011
Exhibit links climate change and culture
A new exhibit at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center in Ashland is linking the effects of climate change to Ojibwe culture.
By Amber Mullen
State, local and federal officials are joining forces to raise awareness about the effects of climate change on wild rice and Ojibwe culture.
Monica Magari is a Climate Change Educator with the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Bayfield. Magari says the panels of the exhibit called “Changing Climate… Changing Cultures” links climate science and the traditional harvest of wild rice.
“What does manoomin mean? The good berry. Its spiritual role and its place in ceremonies and in lifestyles of the Ojibwe people,” says Magari. “We transition into the science of climate science. So what’s actually happening to climate change as far as temperatures changing, precipitation patterns changing, severity of storms changing. And how climate science is meeting the wild rice beds and what does that mean for the wild rice beds in a changing climate.”
Magari says organizers of the exhibit hope visitors will make a connection between climate change and their own culture.
“How do you get people to care about this really important issue? By connecting climate change to a person’s life through their cultural identity, through either their sense of place and what forests they played in since they were children or the hunting that they do or the ice fishing that they do or tapping maple sugar trees for syrup…or harvesting manoomin,” says Magari. “We’re trying to connect people and trying to get them to care about climate change.”
The exhibit is currently on display at the Northern Great Lakes Visitors Center.
