Popular Duluth boat launch to close for much of summer

The popular boat launch at Boy Scout Landing on the St. Louis River in New Duluth will be closed for about two months this summer for improvements, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

• Going fishing

MN DNR Weekly Report

St. Louis River muskies appear to weather the flood

After a tough summer last year, muskie anglers on the St. Louis River aren’t sure how fishing will be this summer.

• Big muskie

People come to Voyageurs for the fish, stay for the scenery

Welcome to Voyageurs National Park — Minnesota’s only national park — a sparkling vista of water, woods and wilderness that straddles the Minnesota-Ontario border five hours and a world away from the Twin Cities.

• Angler at dusk
• Lunch on a beach
• Nice walleye
• Map

Quotable

“Like water, I have no skin...only surface tension.” Gretel Erlich

Calendar

Sept. 1 — Minnesota bear opener; Minnesota early goose season opener.

Outdoors notes

Minnesota Master Naturalist volunteer trainings offered at these locations. Cost: $200, including materials. Call (888) 241-4532, e-mail info@minnesotamasternaturalist.org or go to www.MinnesotaMasterNaturalist.org to register.

Nice fish

We’d love to hear about your nice fish. To get your fish listed:

Do it

Go the distance Maybe this is the summer to do something big. How about hiking the Greenstone Ridge Trail the length of Isle Royale National Park? Allow five days. For more information, go to nps.gov/isro.

One more smartphone app: Finder of fish

Before Brian Jensen’s mobile app showed up in the sporting goods sections of hundreds of Walmart stores, the Sun Prairie, Wis., native got all but skunked on a fishing trip to northern Minnesota.

Field reports: French River Kamloops returns remain stable

A total of 1,214 Kamloops rainbow trout were captured this spring at the French River trap, according to Nick Peterson, Department of Natural Resources fisheries specialist at French River. That was down slightly from the 1,241 fish trapped there last year.

• Kamloops return history

Hidden treasure gets better with road closure

Robin Washington column: One of Duluth’s hidden treasures is Seven Bridges Road. One of the reasons is three sets of Jersey barriers — at the bottom, about a third of the way up the hill, and at the top.

• Seven Bridges Road blocked

New playground goes up at Lester Park

A new playground at Lester Park was installed Saturday by members of Cub Scout Pack 15, Boy Scout Troop 15, their leaders and parents, four city of Duluth employees and a playground company representative.

• Lending his support
• Checking the work

Water advisory lifted for Duluth beach

An advisory to avoid water contact at Duluth’s Boy Scout Landing beach has been lifted.

Blacklock land in Carlton County is now protected

More than 150 acres owned by nature photographer Craig Blacklock in Carlton County will be permanently protected from development through conservation easements announced Wednesday.