26 Lake Superior Menlo Borderlands

 Hi everyone! It's Amisha, Harper, and Chase.  Today, we started our day off with an early start. We had an awesome morning check-in around 7:30 am, and then had a great breakfast comprised of eggs, steak, yogurt, and bagels. Then began our commute to the town of Bayfield, which was around 30 minutes away. From there, we made our way to Madeline Island on the ferry. We were able to drive onto the ferry which was super cool and we all had a great time singing karaoke in our cars. Once we arrived on Madeline Island, we quickly went to our first destination: The Madeline Island Museum. We began our tour by watching a quick film about the history of the island and the stories the Red Cliff tribes tell about its origins. After the film, we walked around the museum, which has looked the exact same for over 70 years! There were many cool artifacts including old axes, ice chisels, and even a preserved Lamprey. We had a great time in the museum and gained a lot of knowledge about the i...

Greetings from Lake Superior! 10th tick so far---no bites! After a late rainy start and a failed oatmeal endeavor, we spent some time with conservationist Mr. Kevin, who is working on restoring manoomin (wild rice) and other native plants in place of the invasive Narrow Leaf Cattails, which damage the estuary environment. After heading back to Potter's Farm for lunch, we got to finally see society and have a nice break from the tick-filled wilderness! We explored downtown Bayfield and unpacked the tradeoffs between conservation and development. Then we finished the day with scrumdidiliumptious CORNBREAD (which was SUPER good and was the highlight of our days!), crosswords, and scrabble. Looking forward to another great day at Madeline Island tomorrow!!! Giga-waabamin (see you later), Claire, Emma, Christopher & the crew

 Hi everyone!      Today, we got up early for check in around 7:00 and did our morning stretches. Then, we had a delicious breakfast of bagels or our leftover wild rice casserole. Around 8:45, we started heading to Red Cliff to learn from Laughing Fox, a talented native community leader who gives talks and lessons around the world on indigenous culture. After hearing his traditional stories and flute playing, we explored Raspberry Bay, a secluded reserve exclusive to tribal members. It was an incredible privilege to be invited to such a sacred space. While at the reserve, we explored the coast of a Lake Superior bay and went on an individual self-reflection walk along the water. After lunch, we came back to Potter's Farm and enjoyed some afternoon free time. Next, we watched a documentary about environmental issues on the reservation, especially concerning a controversial oil pipeline. For dinner, we enjoyed BBQ chicken sandwiches, coleslaw, and baked beans. Our afte...

 Hi everyone, We have had a busy few days--pardon our late posting. We got in fairly late and quite tired yesterday evening. We had to sleep and get up super early this morning and off to our meetings. We spent the morning at GLIFWC, a multi-tribal agency that regulates resources on public lands in the Western Great Lakes area. We learned about how a treaty between the federal government and the Ojibwe peoples resulted in federal ownership of the land while the Ojibwe retained the rights for hunting, harvesting, and otherwise recreating with their resources. Students asked great questions and were quite attentive throughout. In the afternoon, we went to the Great Lakes Visitor Center where we looked at exhibits about the history of the Lake. We also did a short boardwalk hike around the lake. A number of different flowers were in bloom, from buttercups to trilliums to violets. The trees were just beginning to leaf out. It was a relatively windy day and cold--a high of 57º. The nigh...

A Quick Update: The Lake Superior group arrived at MSP, met the Dragons instructors, and (after encountering a lot of traffic) are now at a rest stop en route to Potter's Farm. All is well.

 Hello Menlo Borderlands Lake Superior Community! The last two days have been lively and filled with learning about the new place we will call our home for the upcoming week. On Monday, we started by making a group mission statement: The Superior Trip's mission is to respect all people, land, and culture. We will make the most of the trip and cultivate lasting memories. We will prioritize communication and inclusivity to build community. We will be open to new experiences, be present, make friends, and have fun! We have read a few different perspectives, from indigenous writer Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass, to Wisconsin environmentalist Aldo Leopold's Sand County Almanac. We learned about Ojibwe tribal history and a current environmental protest on the Enbridge Line 5 going through one of the reservations we will visit.  Students are tired of being all in one place (see conference room photo), and soon will be tired of traveling tomorrow. They are all excited fo...