Hello Clam Lake!
Hard to believe it’s only the beginning of June with the way the temperatures were this past week. Day after day of 90+ degrees were the order of the day. Thankfully, the weekend brought some much needed relief from the oppressive heat. We needed a break! We even got a bit of much needed rain into the bargain.
MEETING UPDATE: An informal meeting was held at the Clam Lake Community Club on Thursday June 10th to discuss Clam Lake’s upcoming 4th of July celebration. This year’s festivities will take place on Saturday, July 3rd with fireworks beginning at dusk at the Clam Lake Community Club. Beer and soda will be on hand for purchase as will popcorn and Lea’s famous barbecues. This is the Club’s first activity since the shut down of 2020 and promises to be a fun night. Hope to see you there!
ELK HUNT UPDATE: It has been reported that the NRB (Natural Resources Board) has approved an eight bull quota for the 2021 elk hunt. The state has previously approved a 10-bull harvest quota for elk, but state wildlife managers are recommending a lower quota as the herd’s bull population has declined. “Beginning in 2019 into 2020, we began to see slower growth in the bull segment of the herd, as compared to the cow segment of the herd,” said Scott Roepke, DNR wildlife biologist. “We believe the harvest is having an impact on that bull growth.” State-licensed hunters harvested five elk last year, but the tribal members, citing concern for future generations, harvested no elk under their five-elk quota.
WHIPPOORWILLS: For the past 40 plus years I have had a whippoorwill that comes every summer evening to serenade me. Although, we have never met personally I enjoy him and his song. Whippoorwills have been the subject of legend throughout the ages with this said about them: “ Few birds have spun such a crazed web of mythology and myth-information as the whippoorwill.” Their call supposedly foretold everything from death, marriage, good luck to bad. Take your pick, I guess. Here’s one for all of you out there suffering from back pain – “A man can rid himself of an aching back if he turns somersaults in time to the whippoorwill’s call.” Considering that the whippoorwill can sing his refrain hundreds of times in a row – if you didn’t have a back ache to start with you would after doing this.
REMINDER: The West Fork Waterway Association (WFWA) will be holding their annual membership meeting at the Clam Lake Community Club on Saturday, June 19th at 10 am. All members are encouraged to attend. The public are also welcome. Time to come and learn more about this wonderful organization which assists the Town of Gordon in helping to preserve the downtown dam and the historic waterway of the West Fork of the Chippewa River.
ST. GERORGE’S CHAPEL: Masses are said every Saturday at 6:00 pm at our historic “Chapel in the Woods”. Come pray with us in our log cabin church made from the forest that surrounds it. Listen for the sound of the old church bell ringing out across the lake to announce the start of service and remember our slogan, “No vacation from God’s service!”
CABLE MUSEUM DONATION: Gary Bartholomew, our resident photographer, has donated one of his nature images to the Cable Natural History Museum. The image shows the new growth growing out of a tree stump that was probably logged sometime in the 1940’s. Photographing this image at night, Gary used a 35mm Nikon on time exposure and using a flashlight he “light painted” the tree and stump. After 40+ years of commercial advertising photography in DesPlaines, Il. Gary closed his studio and moved north to become a full time Clam Laker after spending many summers here over the years. In his commercial endeavors he spent time photographing Motorola Cell phones, Culligan, TRW, Video.Jet systems and medical instruments, to name a few. I have had personal experience with Gary’s talent and skill when he has helped me with various historical images for which I am very grateful. Mollie Kreb-Mertig, curator of the museum, said his image will be displayed next year. We are happy to have him and his wife, Dottie, in our midst and thank him for sharing his view of the world with us.
Until next week….Happy Father’s Day!!!
Pictured left to right, Emily Stone, Naturalist/Education Director, Mollie Kreb-Mertig, Curator/Naturalist and Gary Bartholomew alongside his donated image.
