Lake Superior Podcast

More than 1,300 feet below the surface of Lake Superior, scientists are investigating a fisheries mystery: siscowet lake trout that should be fat and robust are turning up strikingly thin. Researchers call them “zombie fish,” but the real story is less sensational—and still unresolved. 

In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with returning guest Shawn Sitar, a Michigan DNR fisheries research biologist and science officer aboard the RV Lake Char, about what the team is learning from Lake Superior’s deepest waters. From possible food shortages and disease testing to lake trout recovery and long-term monitoring, Shawn takes us into the science behind one of Lake Superior’s most unusual recent findings and how long-term fisheries research helps scientists track the health of the lake.

Notable quotes:

1. “There’s a famine event going on out there…they actually kind of look like zombies.”
2. “We’re not alarmed, we’re concerned.”
3. “Overall, Lake Superior is in a really good place…We have abundant populations of fish. We have a lot of biodiversity also.”
4. “Recently we declared that lean lake trout, the one that’s utilized by humans, has been recovered or in a rehabilitated state. That’s a good sign.”
5. “I’m glad to work on a system that is basically the most natural of the Great Lakes. Things are in good shape.”
6. “Part of my duty is to communicate the science to everyone so that they have a better understanding and appreciation of everything around us.”

Helpful links:

• Michigan DNR – Researchers Head to Superior Maximus to Investigate “Zombie” Fish
  https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/about/newsroom/releases/2026/06/08/researchers-head-to-superior-maximus-to-investigate-zombie-fish
• Michigan DNR – Fisheries Research
  https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/managing-resources/fisheries/research
• The Fish Thief: A Great Lakes Mystery
  https://www.thefishthief.com/
• Lake Superior Podcast – Shawn Sitar’s previous lake trout recovery episode
  https://podcast.nplsf.org/1756982/episodes/16661302-s6-e3-the-lake-trout-resurgence-in-lake-superior-a-conservation-success-story-an-interview-with-shawn-sitar

Connect with us:

• Lake Superior Podcast Page: https://nplsf.org/podcast
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NationalParksOfLakeSuperiorFoundation

Sponsors:

• Cafe Imports – Minneapolis-based importers of specialty green coffees since 1993, focused on sustainability. Learn more: cafeimports.com
• National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation – Donate to protect Lake Superior’s five national parks: nplsf.org/donate

More than a century after the 1913–14 Copper Country Strike, one of its most prominent leaders now has a permanent place in downtown Calumet, Michigan. Anna Klobuchar Clemenc, better known as “Big Annie,” was born in Calumet to Slovenian immigrant parents and became a leader in the strike, founding and serving as president of the Women’s Auxiliary No. 15 of the Western Federation of Miners. 

In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Team Big Annie chairperson Vada Riederich about the years-long community effort to raise $150,000 to create a bronze statue honoring her legacy and the August 2026 unveiling. Vada about how a Facebook post grew into a years-long campaign, the people who helped make the monument possible, and what Big Annie’s legacy can teach new generations about labor history in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula.

Notable Quotes:

1. “She was driven and she would not give up on what should be fair and right.”
2. “At that time when women had no voice and no vote, that's quite an undertaking for a young woman of 25 years old.”
3. “I hope that young people will be inspired to learn more about our amazing history and be proud to share it.”
4. “We're still a young nation and we're still growing and learning from our mistakes…history gives you that information so we can figure a path to correct those mistakes”
5. “So she spoke up at that time, and it led to good things in the future.”

Helpful links:

Big Annie Statue Project

https://www.biganniestatue.com/

Keweenaw National Historical Park

https://www.nps.gov/kewe/

Coppertown Mining Museum

https://www.nps.gov/places/coppertown-mining-museum.htm

Keweenaw Community Foundation – Big Annie Statue Fund

https://www.keweenawcommunityfoundation.org/big-annie-statue-fund

Connect with us:

• Lake Superior Podcast Page: https://nplsf.org/podcast
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NationalParksOfLakeSuperiorFoundation

Sponsors:

• Cafe Imports – Minneapolis-based importers of specialty green coffees since 1993, focused on sustainability. Learn more: cafeimports.com
• National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation – Donate to protect Lake Superior’s five national parks: nplsf.org/donate

For generations, the mines of Michigan's Copper Country have been woven into the history of the Lake Superior region. While many of those mines closed decades ago, their stories — and the underground landscapes they created — continue to leave their mark on the communities above them. Today, researchers are combining archaeology, historic records, and emerging technologies to better understand the region's mining history, improve public safety, and explore how these underground landscapes may serve future generations. 

In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Tim Scarlett, Associate Professor of Archaeology at Michigan Technological University. They explore the challenges of mapping abandoned mines, why understanding these underground landscapes matters, and what they can teach us about the past and perhaps the future.

Connect with us:

• Lake Superior Podcast Page: https://nplsf.org/podcast
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NationalParksOfLakeSuperiorFoundation

Sponsors:

• Cafe Imports – Minneapolis-based importers of specialty green coffees since 1993, focused on sustainability. Learn more: cafeimports.com
• National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation – Donate to protect Lake Superior’s five national parks: nplsf.org/donate

Isle Royale is one of the least visited of America’s National Parks. Located in the northwest corner of Lake Superior, it’s a tough place to get to.  Access is only by seaplane, ferry or private boat. But once visitors do come, they are likely to return. Karen Bacula has been coming to this remote island since 1997. As a teacher, she also brought students to explore this unique archipelago of islands. Now, retired, she volunteers as director of Michigan Tech’s Isle Royale Institute and coordinates Moosewatch volunteers, helping people take part in fieldwork that supports the world’s longest-running predator-prey study. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Karen about citizen science, wilderness learning and the lasting pull of Isle Royale.

Quotes:

1. “What connected me and made me want to just keep coming back was the beauty, the quiet, the simplicity, but yet incredibly complex whole area of what was there being surrounded by the lake. And many of the people I met were just absolutely wonderful.”
2. “The power of the island, the power of the lake, the serenity, but also realizing that at the drop of a hat, the weather can change. So there's predictability and uncertainty in every step that you take. And I like that feeling.”
3. “There's something special and new about it each time and getting to see the changes.”
4. “We’re looking for dead moose and looking for the condition of the skeleton to see what the moose age-wise, health-wise was like, potentially how it died.”
5. “It becomes very cross-curricular at all different grade levels. But they all come out with the big excitement being to learn how the study's done and to learn the field techniques for collecting data for this study.”
6. “Two things I tell them to pack that are not necessarily on the gear list is their patience and sense of humor.”
7. “Work to bring some of what you just felt right now with the people you met and living as close to the earth as you can live, bring some of that back with you and hold on to that.”

Helpful links:

1. Learn more about the Wolf-Moose Project:
   isleroyalewolf.org
2. Learn more about joining a Moosewatch expedition:
   isleroyalewolf.org/volunteer-moosewatch
3. Learn more about Moosewatch for Educators:
   isleroyalewolf.org/moosewatch-for-educators
4. Learn more about Isle Royale wolf-moose population dynamics:
   isleroyalewolf.org/population-dynamics
5. Learn more about supporting the research through the Wolf-Moose Foundation:
   wolfmoosefoundation.org
6. Learn more about the Northern Moose Alliance: moosealliance.org 
7. Plan a visit to Isle Royale National Park:
   nps.gov/isro/planyourvisit/index.htm

Connect with us:

• Lake Superior Podcast Page: https://nplsf.org/podcast
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NationalParksOfLakeSuperiorFoundation

Sponsors:

• Cafe Imports – Minneapolis-based importers of specialty green coffees since 1993, focused on sustainability. Learn more: cafeimports.com
• National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation – Donate to protect Lake Superior’s five national parks: nplsf.org/donate

The bald eagle has been the patriotic symbol of America for 250 years. Most folks can remember the first time they saw this majestic bird soaring in the wild. There was a time when sighting them, even on Lake Superior,  was rare, but today these birds of prey are making a comeback. Their return represents one of America’s most visible conservation successes. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Ed Hahn, Director of Advancement and Marketing Communications at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota, about the bald eagle’s recovery, how to recognize young eagles and what visitors can learn by meeting an eagle ambassador face to face.

Quotes

1. Ed Hahn says the species has made "a complete and total recovery" and calls that "a truly incredible accomplishment for Americans to take some pride in," adding, "We accomplished that through public action."
2. “But just like everyone else, we truly do wish that they could be living their full lives as intended as wild eagles out in the wild.”
3. “We have to work with them to educate the public and we have to be sharing those birds with the public.”
4. “Bald eagles are covered in approximately 7,000 feathers.”
5. “There's always new things to learn about eagles.”

Helpful Links

Learn more about the National Eagle Center:
https://www.nationaleaglecenter.org/

Plan a visit to the National Eagle Center:
https://www.nationaleaglecenter.org/visit/

Meet the National Eagle Center’s eagle and raptor ambassadors:
https://www.nationaleaglecenter.org/the-ambassadors/

Watch the EagleWatch Cam overlooking the Mississippi River:
https://www.nationaleaglecenter.org/eaglewatch-cam/

Learn what to do if you find an injured bird:
https://www.nationaleaglecenter.org/found-an-injured-bird/

Learn about bald eagle recovery and management from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:
https://www.fws.gov/program/eagle-management

Connect With Us:

• Lake Superior Podcast Page – https://nplsf.org/podcast
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NationalParksOfLakeSuperiorFoundation

Sponsors:

• Cafe Imports – Minneapolis-based importers of specialty green coffees since 1993, focused on sustainability. Learn more: cafeimports.com
• National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation – Donate to protect Lake Superior’s five national parks: nplsf.org/donate

Sailing Season on Lake Superior is busy. Approximately 4,500 ships travel through the Soo Locks. One boat, the Blue Heron, docked in Duluth, Minnesota, spends the summer season as a Research Vessel for the University of Minnesota’s Large Lakes Observatory. Captain Rual Lee has been at the helm of the 87’ vessel since 2014. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with him about what it takes to operate a floating science lab on the Greatest of the Great Lakes.

Quotes:

1.  “We're still working on the boat, trying to make it a better tool for science.”
2.  “The lake is humbling. It really doesn't matter what boat you're on. It will put you in your place as it were.”
3.  “One of the great parts of my job is that the crew and I get to hang around with some really smart people doing some really clever research, looking at different parts of the lake.”
4.  “The science comes and goes according to the individual projects. So we're the platform. We're a useful tool to get the science done.”
5.  “Out in the middle of Lake Superior, you can see the results of a policy change that showed up in the mid-70s. And that's really a great thing I think.”

Helpful links:

•  Learn more about the R/V Blue Heron:
   https://scse.d.umn.edu/large-lakes-observatory/vessels/blue-heron
•  Learn more about the Large Lakes Observatory:
   https://scse.d.umn.edu/large-lakes-observatory
•  Learn more about Science on Deck events:
   https://scse.d.umn.edu/large-lakes-observatory/news-events/science-deck
•  Track Great Lakes vessels with BoatNerd AIS:
   https://ais.boatnerd.com/
•  Learn more about “The Freshwater Everest” / Superior Shoal livestream:
   https://inspiredplanet.ca/live/

Connect With Us:

•  Lake Superior Podcast Page – https://nplsf.org/podcast
•  Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NationalParksOfLakeSuperiorFoundation

Sponsors:

•  Cafe Imports – Minneapolis-based importers of specialty green coffees since 1993, focused on sustainability. Learn more: cafeimports.com
•  National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation – Donate to protect Lake Superior’s five national parks: nplsf.org/donate

There’s nothing like sitting around a camp fire telling Lake Superior stories. Imagine the tales you could collect spending almost three decades gathering the news, features and photographs for the region’s most popular magazine. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Konnie LeMay, long time editor of Lake Superior Magazine, published in her home town of Duluth, MInnesota, to find out more about her career-long favorites.

5 Episode Quotes

“Lake Superior has always been part of my horizon.”

“It has given me one of my frequently noted phrases, which is big lake, small world.”

“There isn't one place that I've been around the lake that I wouldn't want to visit again.”

“Our bodies are more than 50% water, and my body happens to be probably about all Lake Superior water, so I carry Lake Superior with me wherever I go.”

“It is a resource not just of the moment, but a resource of the future.”

Helpful links:

• Learn more about Lake Superior Magazine:
  https://lakesuperior.com/
• Learn more about Lake Superior Writers:
  https://lakesuperiorwriters.org/

Connect With Us:

• Lake Superior Podcast Page – https://nplsf.org/podcast
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NationalParksOfLakeSuperiorFoundation

Sponsors:

• Cafe Imports – Minneapolis-based importers of specialty green coffees since 1993, focused on sustainability. Learn more: cafeimports.com
• National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation – Donate to protect Lake Superior’s five national parks: nplsf.org/donate

No mammal represents Minnesota’s north shore better than the moose. The winter of 2026 has been busy and significant for these majestic animals.  Through the Northern Moose Alliance (www.moosealliance.org), a joint effort between Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 1854 Treaty Authority, Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation, 60 juvenile moose were collared to launch a study on why the moose population has seen a 60% decline in recent years. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Michelle Carstensen, Wildlife Health Group Leader for the Minnesota’s DNR about the project and the partnerships that have come together to better learn about the region’s moose.

We’d love to keep you updated as this work evolves and share ways you can help protect moose as opportunities arise. 

Join the Northern Moose Alliance’s quarterly newsletter for exclusive updates, expert moose insights, and actions you can take: https://moosealliance.org/subscribe/ 

Quotes

“It's been a very moose-filled winter for us, which, if you ask me, is a great way to spend the winter.” 

“What we want to know is how many can survive over winter and at what age they become reproductively contributing to the population.”

“We were missing that middle cohort of animals, which is a huge driver if you want to have a population that’s going to grow.”

“We’re trying to understand why the moose population has been kind of stagnant.”

“It’s our role as stewards to try to help this population thrive.”

Connect With Us:

• Northern Moose Alliance Website – https://moosealliance.org 
• Lake Superior Podcast Page – https://nplsf.org/podcast
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NationalParksOfLakeSuperiorFoundation

Sponsors:

• Cafe Imports – Minneapolis-based importers of specialty green coffees since 1993, focused on sustainability. Learn more: cafeimports.com
• National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation – Donate to protect Lake Superior’s five national parks: nplsf.org/donate

What started on March 1, 1872, when Yellowstone became the first National Park in the world, has grown to over 433 units covering over 85 million acres in America. Tagged "America’s Best Idea," we celebrate National Parks Week every year in April. Roughly 20,000 people work either full-time or seasonally with the National Park Service but the system also relies on over 130,000 volunteers. The National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation--sponsor of this podcast--is one of those volunteer organizations. 

In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Carol Brady, founding board member and long-time Chairman of NPLSF, about the organization’s mission and projects that have developed over the last two decades.

5 Quotes

• “In 2026, this will be 20 years since we became an actual official 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation.”
• “National Park Service unbelievably has over 400 units in the country, and the government budget for the National Park Service is a finite number.”
• “There’s only so much budget to go around. In order to keep all of these places as special as folks expect them to be when you go there, they need help. They need outside help.”
• “That is an ongoing thing that will last much longer than I will, I’m quite sure.”
• “You’re not going to really notice that this is not the coast of an ocean. The lake could be calm, it can be just wild, but the best thing is it’s clear and cold. You dip it in there and take a drink, it’s just great. It’s fresh water. It’s just amazing. People think it’s going to just look like a big lake, and then when they realize it looks like the ocean, they forget that it’s clear and cold and fresh.”

Connect With Us:

• Lake Superior Podcast Page – https://nplsf.org/podcast
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NationalParksOfLakeSuperiorFoundation

Sponsors:

• Cafe Imports – Minneapolis-based importers of specialty green coffees since 1993, focused on sustainability. Learn more: cafeimports.com
• National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation – Donate to protect Lake Superior’s five national parks: nplsf.org/donate

While some parts of the country can count on crocus and daffodils to signal spring in March, Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula is still measuring snowbanks. Over 300” has fallen across the region and more is expected, possibly into May. From the looks of future forecasts, the area is sure to surpass last year’s total of 315.25” and may be on track for the all-time high of 390.4” set back in the winter of 1978-79. What do you do with over 32’ of snow in a season? In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Jesse Wiederhold, Managing Director of Visit Keweenaw, about what makes this area of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula such a mecca for snow lovers and tips on how they survive cabin fever.

5 Key Takeaways 

1. Extraordinary Snowfall Totals In The Keweenaw Peninsula: Jesse Wiederhold says the Keweenaw had already passed 200 inches of snowfall by early January and notes that the historical snowfall record in Keweenaw County is about 390 inches in a single season recorded in the late 1970s. 
2. Lake Superior Drives The Region’s Heavy Snowfall: Wiederhold explains that Lake Superior acts as a “snow machine,” producing lake-effect snow because the Keweenaw Peninsula is surrounded by the lake on multiple sides. 
3. Winter Recreation Draws Visitors To The Keweenaw: Visitors come to the region for winter activities including skiing, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snow biking, with ski areas such as Mount Ripley and Mount Bohemia operating during the winter season and drawing large numbers of visitors, including days when more than a thousand people ski at Mount Bohemia. 
4. Groomed Trail Systems Support Winter Sports In The Region: Wiederhold highlights several groomed trail networks located within about a 30-minute radius of Houghton and Hancock, including the Michigan Tech trails in Houghton, the Maasto Hiihto and Churning Rapids trails in Hancock, the Swedetown trails in Calumet, and the East Bluff trails in Copper Harbor. 
5. Finnish Heritage And Sauna Culture Remain Strong In The Keweenaw: Wiederhold notes that about one in three people in Houghton County are Finnish and explains that sauna culture remains an important part of local life, with both home saunas and public sauna experiences such as those at Mount Bohemia and Taka Saunas available in the region.

Helpful Links:

• Visit Keweenaw – https://visitkeweenaw.com
• Mount Bohemia – https://mtbohemia.com
• CopperDog 150 – https://copperdog.org
• Michigan Tech Trails – https://www.mtu.edu/recreation/outdoor/trails/

Connect With Us:

• Lake Superior Podcast Page – https://nplsf.org/podcast
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NationalParksOfLakeSuperiorFoundation

Sponsors:

• Cafe Imports – Minneapolis-based importers of specialty green coffees since 1993, focused on sustainability. Learn more: cafeimports.com
• National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation – Donate to protect Lake Superior’s five national parks: nplsf.org/donate