Shows
Lake Superior PodcastS6 E11: The Road Less Paved: Biking the Wild North — with Josh RizzoBiking in the Superior Country is more than just a way to get around—it’s a way of life. From gravel roads to rugged trails to family bike packing along Big Blue’s shoreline, the region offers two-wheeled adventure in every season. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Josh Rizzo, founder of thenxrth.com—an adventure site dedicated to unpaved cycling across three states--Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Josh shares how biking became a lifelong passion, and how he’s started bringing his kids along for multi-day trips. He te...2025-08-0635 minLake Superior PodcastS6 E10: What Lies Beneath: Lake Superior’s Underwater Cleanup – With Diver Don FassbenderLake Superior is not only the largest of the Great Lakes, but the water quality is also some of the clearest. Yet, historically, the Lake was often a dumping ground for all kinds of debris. "Out of sight, out of mind” was an all-too-common mindset. Don Fassbender, president of Great Lakes Scuba Diving and Lake Preservation, has made it his life's mission to clean up Lake Superior’s underwater world. With volunteers, including fellow divers and kayakers, he estimates 14 tons of tires have been hauled up from Marquette MIchigan's Lower Harbor. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt...2025-07-2832 minLake Superior PodcastS6 E9: Mining the Past: How Copper Shaped the Keweenaw and Its World-Class Museum - An Interview with John Jaszczak"If you didn’t grow it, you’ve got to mine it,” says John Jaszczak, Director and Curator of the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum in Houghton, Michigan. Since 1838--just after Michigan became a state--geologists and miners have been collecting rock and mineral specimens as the first American Mining Rush began. Since 1855, those specimens were housed at Michigan Technological University, then known as Michigan College of Mines, making it one of the oldest museums not only in Michigan, but the Great Lakes region. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with John about...2025-07-0931 minLake Superior PodcastS6 E8: Isle Royale: Trip Planning, Wildlife, and Wilderness Safety – An Interview with Chris AmidonIsle Royale National Park is the Great Lakes Mecca for backpackers. This archipelago of islands is also one of our most remote National Parks so preparing for a visit takes extra planning. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Chris Amidon, Supervisory Park Ranger for Interpretation and Visitor Services. He not only has tips for first-timers, but also has details on some new procedures, particularly when it comes to food storage.Key Takeaways:Planning your experience shapes everything: “The first thing we ask is...2025-06-1834 minLake Superior PodcastS6 E7: Coffee, Community, and the Power of the Big Lake – An Interview with Sarah Jorgenson-HallbergMinnesota’s North Shore has been a gathering place for centuries. Whether heading into the Boundary Waters or out on Lake Superior, Grand Marais ranks a favorite Base Camp. While it may be small in population, it’s big in spirit. Life here moves to the rhythms of the woods and waters. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Sarah Jorgensen-Halberg, longtime resident and owner of Java Moose, the beloved shoreline coffee shop that fuels both locals and visiting adventurers. Her daily weather video connects folks near and far to thi...2025-06-0436 minLake Superior PodcastS6 E6: Fort Wilkins, Copper Harbor, and Living History in the Keweenaw – An Interview with Barry JamesLong before the Keweenaw Peninsula became a destination for hikers, bikers, and Lake Superior rock hounds, it was the stage for a national copper rush. Shortly after Michigan became a state in 1837, Geologist Douglas Houghton was sent to Copper Harbor to explore reports from Native Americans about copper in the region. By 1844, Fort Wilkins was built to be the military base helping to keep the peace as fortune-seekers came to the state’s most northern port. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Barry James, Upper Peninsula historian with the...2025-05-0730 minLake Superior PodcastS6 E5: Isle Royale in Winter: Survival, Science, and Secrets in the Snow – An Interview with Jonathan PauliWinter Study at Isle Royale National Park has a decades long history, but just a few scientists ever get the chance to spend time on this isolated archipelago in Lake Superior. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with one of those fortunate ones, Johnathan Pauli, Professor in the Department of Forest & Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin Madison. From tracking foxes and martens to unraveling a centuries-old survival story, Johnathan shares how studying this wilderness in winter reveals secrets a summer visitor would never experience. Join us for a conversation...2025-04-2337 minLake Superior PodcastS6 E4: Tourism, Economic Growth, and the Magic of Munising - An Interview with Kathy ReynoldsOur National Parks are important places, not just for their preservation of natural beauty and resources, but also for the economic impact they bring to gateway communities. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula sees nearly a million visitors, year round. For the anchor cities of Munising and Grand Marais, hosting those folks has become their chief industry. With a population of less than 2,000, how do they do it? In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Kathy Reynolds, the CEO of the Greater Munising Bay Partnership as well as Di...2025-03-0534 minLake Superior PodcastS6 E3: The Lake Trout Resurgence In Lake Superior: A Conservation Success Story - An Interview with Shawn SitarSince the 1940’s, Lake Trout have been extinct in all of the Great Lakes except Lake Superior. Pressure from commercial fishing as well as the invasion of sea lamprey devastated this native species, and the population in Lake Superior also suffered. For three generations an international team of scientists has been working to restore healthy Lake Trout populations in all the Great Lakes. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Shawn Sitar, Fisheries Research Biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to update the status of Lake Trout in Lake Su...2025-02-2028 minLake Superior PodcastS6 E2: Michigan Ice Fest – Where Adventure Meets Community – An Interview with Bill ThompsonWinter can be a sleepy time at the National Parks on Lake Superior, but at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore near Munising, Michigan, visitors come to snowmobile, mush dogs, snowshoe, fish and cross-country ski. But the biggest event to bring folks into the park is the Michigan Ice Fest. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Ice Fest organizer Bill Thompson about the event and what makes Pictured Rocks such a Mecca for the sport. Key Takeaways:The Michigan Ice Fest has grown from a small gathering i...2025-01-2931 minLake Superior PodcastS6 E1: Chasing Sunrise On Lake Superior: An Interview with Bugsy SailorNew Year Resolutions, if you don’t make them, chances are you thought about it. But do those promises keep? In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Bugsy Sailor, the Official Unofficial Ambassador of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Bugsy shares how a resolution he made on January 1, 2019, changed his life.Key Takeaways:Bugsy Sailor captures daily sunrises around Lake Superior, embracing nature’s raw beauty and the unpredictability of the seasons.His commitment to photographing every sunrise since 2019 highlights the power of routine, resilience, and creative passio...2025-01-2234 minLake Superior PodcastS5 E14: The Estivant Pines Story - 50 Years of Conservation with Charles EshbachThe forests that ring Lake Superior are some of the most magical on the continent. At the tip of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula, in Copper Harbor, you’ll find the Estivant Pines. This 570 acres of old-growth pine has lured hikers for decades. But saving this stand of ancient timber was no small feat. It started over 50 years ago and in this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with photographer and forester Charles Esshbach from Houghton, Michigan, about his work to protect one of the Upper Peninsula’s most remarkable natural treasures. 2024-11-2137 minLake Superior PodcastS5 E13: Foraging - Rediscover and Reconnect With Nature - An Interview with Tim ClemensSince time began humans have been foragers. Survival depended on connecting to the natural world. Today, when most of our food comes from a grocery store or is eaten in a restaurant, that link has been lost. But not for Tim Clemens. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Tim, a professional forager and founder of Ironwood Foraging about how he’s helping people connect with nature; and not in the middle of the forest or farm country, but near his urban home of Minneapolis.Key Takeaways: ...2024-10-3033 minLake Superior PodcastS5 E12: Capturing the Magic of The Northern Lights: An Interview with Ogetay KayaliWitnessing the Northern Lights checks a bucket-list for many. The first time you see the sky erupt in waves of pulsing white, green, red, or even blue light makes lifelong memories. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Astrophysics Graduate Student Ogetay Kayali from Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan. Ogetay shares not only why we seem to be experiencing the Northern Lights more frequently, but also how to better take advantage of the experience with our cameras.Key Takeaways: The northern lights are at their p...2024-10-1631 minLake Superior PodcastS5 E11: Pictured Rocks: Where Conservation Meets Recreation - An Interview with Hannah BradburnNearly a million visitors came to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in 2023, contributing over $45 million dollars to the nearby economies. For Alger County--with a population of less than nine thousand people—the park also supports 544 jobs. But hosting that many visitors and generating that much revenue does present unique challenges. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Hannah Bradburn, Visual Information Specialist at Pictured Rocks, to explore the park’s delicate balance between conservation and recreation.Key Takeaways: Visitor Growth: Pictured Rocks sees nea...2024-10-0231 minLake Superior PodcastS4 E1: Peggy Burkman, Piping Plovers at Apostle IslandsA walk on the beach is good medicine for the soul, and Lake Superior’s sandy shores make for the perfect place to take a stroll. But every spring and summer, sections of shoreline are not open to the public, and for a very important reason. In this episode of Lake Superior podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Peggy Burkman, biologist at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore about the work she and her team do to help a tiny shorebird, the piping plover.Join our podcast community! Please share your own stories, comments and po...2023-05-2533 min