by Melissa Newland
A new meteorological mast for the purpose of testing wind resources has been erected at 17193 High Point Road leading to Mount Arvon in L’Anse Township. This is apparently the third mast that has been put up in the area, with one of the other two locations at 18255 Mount Curwood Road and the third location at 17300 Black Bear Road. According to Catherine Andrews, who is on the L’Anse Township Planning Commission, 13 new locations have been added to the original 120 sites, with the new ones around the Herman area and one near Shepard. According to L’Anse Township Building Inspector Don Mleko, the company responsible for the wind test masts is Renewable Energy Systems Americas, Inc (RES Americas) based in Broomfield, CO. Mleko stated the company is leasing the properties from Weyerhauser, formerly Plum Creek Timber Company. It is standard practice to utilize meteorological masts to measure wind data for a potential future wind farm. High-quality data from a site is a key requirement for optimizing the design of the wind farm, predicting the future energy production of the wind farm and also as an input to selecting the type of wind turbines for a particular wind farm. A wind turbine obtains its power input by converting the force of the wind into torque acting on the rotor blades. The amount of energy which the wind transfers to the rotor depends on the density of the air, the rotor area, and the wind speed. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

by Barry Drue
Beavers wreaked havoc that will prove a major headache and expense. A beaver dam failed and a wall of water cut a gorge through Stagecoach Road in Spurr Township. The dam failure took place around 12:30 a.m. on July 18, 2017. The Baraga County Road Commission is working to restore the culvert and road that was washed out. “There was no big storm event,” Road Engineer Doug Mills said. “When it went, it went dramatically. It was a high dam. There was about a 10-foot high wall of water.” “We took delivery on a 72- inch culvert last Friday. It’s designed for a 100-year storm event. But when a beaver dam breaks, all bets are off,” Mills said. Stagecoach Road is a dead-end road serving 17 property owners. The Road Commission was allowed by forest landowner Weyerhaeuser to make some improvements on an existing logging road that is being used for temporary access by residents and property owners. “Thanks to Weyerhaeuser— and they are making sources for materials available close by. If we had to haul the backfill a long distance that would get very expensive,” Mills added. “We’re working on it. We have a lot of prep work to do. We’ll get the road back to the way it was and open to traffic as soon as possible.” To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

by Melissa Newland
The time of year has come when little ones are out running about, learning how to live, learning how to survive and stay alive. In a world full of obstacles for these little ones, humans driving vehicles are probably the most difficult hurdle for them to overcome. Over the last weekend, this reporter and her husband and daughter, Jimmy and Kinsey, had the opportunity to help one of these little ones have a chance at life after its mother was hit by a vehicle near our home. We chose to help an orphaned fawn. The fawn and mother had been roaming around our area since the fawn was first born. On one occasion, the fawn even ventured up onto our deck to find safety while the mother was out foraging for food to nourish the young deer. Approximately a week after this incident, on Saturday, July 1, a passing vehicle accidentally hit a doe near our property, killing the doe instantly. Our hope was that it was not the mother to the fawn that had been recently spotted at our residence, but our hopes were soon dashed the next day when we heard a fawn calling out for its mother, obviously in distress. Jimmy and I went to investigate. When we arrived at the scene of the doe’s demise, we spotted the fawn a few yards away, crying to get the mother’s attention. We tried to corral the fawn, but our attempts were thwarted by the fawn running too far into the woods for us to catch. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

Hanka–by Barry Drue-The fifth annual Heritage Day at the restored Hanka Homestead farm showcased the deep pride of the Finnish American community across the Copper Country region. And it’s not every year Hanka hosts the Finnish Ambassador to the United States! Friday, June 23, 2017, a crowd of 700 filed in to the restored farm, some parking up to a mile away in mowed fields, and shuttling and walking in. The event marked Juhannus, the traditional Finnish bonfire celebration of mid-summer. It also marked the 100th year of Finnish independence.

Michigamme–by Nancy Besonen– Traffic was bumper-to rumble seat Sunday at Michigamme’s annual Log Cabin Day and Antique Car Show. The event highlights the historic Dompierre House, Michigamme’s restored log cabin behind its museum. The car show is a natural fit for a day that celebrates the past with live music, refreshments, cabin and museum tours and more. Cars are displayed on a grassy lot across from the museum and along the street which is closed to traffic for the event. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

by Barry Drue
More than 20 area kids picked up a ton of safety lessons and hands-on experience at the Camp 911 program last week. The two-day event took place at the Baraga Village Office and fire department facility last Wednesday and Thursday, June 14-15, 2017. This was the 19th annual safety camp. As always the fifth and sixth graders are thoroughly entertained as they learn how to cope with everything from fire safety to avoiding live electrical wires to boating safety. The event involves a big group of organizations and presenters. Numerous people from Bay Ambulance work to coordinate the camp. Involved this year, along with Bay Ambulance were Baraga Fire Department, various EMTs, the L’Anse firemen with the Jaws of Life demonstration, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, UPPCO, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Houghton/Keweenaw/Baraga county fire smokehouse, Keweenaw Bay Tribal Police and its K-9 unit, Baraga County Search and Rescue, the Michigan State Police, the DNR and United States Forest Service from the Ottawa National Forest. The camp opened Wednesday, June 14, with tours of ambulance, police, fire, Jaws of Life, DNR, HazMat, and Baraga County Search and Rescue. The crew took in videos on texting and bullying. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.