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Information brief by the Minnesota House of Representatives Research Department
The following summarizes the history of the major actions occurring in the protection of the BWCA. Relevant Minnesota Statutes are excerpted on pages 4 and 5.

1857
Enabling act of U.S. Congress grants land to support schools (Sections 16 and 36) and University of Minnesota

1858
State of Minnesota admitted to the union; it receives ownership of the beds of navigable waters

1860-1870
Congress grants the state additional swamp and other lands—about five million acres

1902
U.S. Land Office withdraws 500,000 acres in future BWCA wilderness from settlement

A CROWD ESTIMATED at over 500 watched the Jake Forsman Memorial Car Show and Burnout competition. The event had 44 car show entries, 12 morning burnout and 26 afternoon burnout competitors on Oct. 20.

WINNER for the best burnout was Dan Forsman in his 1994 Camaro Z28 at the 2018 Jake Forsman Memorial Car Show and Burnout competition. Photo by Ruthanne Fenske.

Janelle Hakala of Ely is getting close to the end of her assignment at the South Pole. She has three more weeks left at the South Pole, she will fly out to Christchurch, New Zealand where they have a base station. She will return to Ely by the end of December. The MN flag picture was taken (photo by Rob Streeter) shortly after they received full daylight again (24 hour daylight). After being in full darkness for nearly 6 months, it was a time to celebrate. So here is our Ely native, flying the MN flag which she brought to the pole with her. After hearing the news of the Ely school launching a weather balloon last week, Janelle sent the school a picture of her launching a balloon at the Pole in honor of the science club. Janelle launches balloons every day to collect weather data. Anyone wanting to learn more of her adventure, can follow her blog at https://janellesyearonice.blogspot.com/

by Tom Coombe
Vermilion Community College has a state championship trophy to add to its trophy case - in community college athletics’ newest sport.
Vermilion is the state’s clay target (trapshooting) champion, after dominating the first Minnesota Community Athletic Conference varsity-level state meet earlier in the month at Grand Rapids.
Vermilion’s top five competitors missed only 35 targets out of a whopping 500 shots fired, finishing with a team point total of 465.
Tanner Hammit, Vermilion’s top shooter, hit 97 out of 100 targets and was second in the individual standings while teammate Zach Eustice went 95-for-100 to take third.
Vermilion was first among 10 teams in the meet and the school, known for its array of outdoor-related programs, had a league-high 37 participants.

Molly F. Milberry age 89 of Crosby died on October 23, 2018 at Heartwood Senior Living in Crosby. She was born on November 29, 1928 in Ely, MN to Joseph and Mary (Stefan) Gotchnik.
Molly attended school in Ely until she moved to Crosby when she was 15 to help her aunt, Molly Domin, run her boarding house for miners. She graduated from the Crosby-Ironton High School. Molly married Joseph “Bud” Milberry in Crosby on March 29, 1947. She worked as a seamstress in her home while raising her four children. She then worked at Bierman’s Locker, which later became Mr. Meats. In 1994 she retired from the Crosby Clinic in Crosby where she was clinic manager. Molly was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Crosby, the CCW and the National Catholic Society of Foresters, St. Mary’s Court 854.

Beginning October 1, 2018, recreation reservation services on the Superior National Forest were upgraded within the nation-wide recreation.gov website. These include stronger security controls, better protection of Personally Identifiable Information, and increased fraud protection. The new system also enables real-time notification of availability and reservation of campsites in Superior National Forest developed campgrounds as well as Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) quota permits.
In addition, as of January 2019, the Forest will implement a 2017 administrative decision to make all BWCAW quota permits, for all entry points, available for reservation using the first come, first served model. This new, modernized system provides a simpler, more efficient, and equitable way for the public to reserve BWCAW quota permits and offers improved tools for people to plan their trips.

Dates have been set for recreational netting for whitefish and tullibee (cisco) on Shagawa, Bear Island and Ojibway lakes in the Tower fisheries work area, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

These lakes are Schedule I Lakes, which are more susceptible to sudden changes that impact water temperatures, and are opened and closed on a 48-hour notice posted at lake accesses, other public places, and the DNR website.

Schedule I Lakes (48 hour notice)

· Shagawa, open to netting Thursday, Nov. 1 through Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018 (minimum 3.5 inch mesh size)

· Bear Island & Ojibway lakes, open to netting Saturday, Nov. 17 through Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018 (minimum 1.75 inch mesh size)

Shagawa Lake is designated as infested with spiny waterflea so netters are encouraged to review rules that help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.

Joseph (Happy Joe) John Zupancich Jr., 80 of Soudan, Minnesota, died peacefully at his home on October 22, 2018. He was born on August 10, 1938, in Ely to Joseph Sr. and Mary (Gasperlin) Zupancich.
Joe graduated from Ely High School in 1956 where he served as his senior class president. Following graduation he left to attend college at St. Thomas University to hone his entrepreneurial skills to help run the family business, Zupancich Brother’s Incorporated (Zup’s). Joe gave up his dream of becoming a Tommy graduate to marry the love of his life on July 9, 1960. Joe and Mary Lou raised five children; all of them worked at Zup’s to learn the family business. Happy Joe, a self-proclaimed “Sausalogist,” loved working side by side with his sons every day. He could often be found sipping coffee with the guys in the spice room of Zup’s; bestowing his wisdom and one liners to his captive audience.