A Stream Re-Emerges from the Forest

There are many signs that 2008 has been better to the island with much-needed rain than 2007, which was, according to the wolf-moose researchers, the driest in many decades. Here's some evidence. The photo is a shot of the edge of the big, tangled swamp at Starvation Point, about 5 miles down Rock Harbor from the main entrance at Snug Harbor, where the Isle Royale Queen IV docks each day we sail. The little stream has not been present from a couple years in this location. But now the swamp has a lot of water in it, where it had been very dry, though damp, for years on end. I could hear water moving through the swamp all around me when I went deep into it. And then I found the little stream emptying into the harbor on the beach beside the point. A good sign for the dry island all in all. But the mosquitoes were certainly up a bit and busy trying to get me.

2 comments:

James N. said...

I'm headed up your way next week for a 10 day trip on the island. What have the bugs been like recently, besides the swarms of mosquitoes?

Ben Kilpela said...

jbn: Nothing besides lots of mosquitoes. Did see a black fly or two, but nothing like the Keweenaw, where there are clouds of the little demons.