December at Deep Portage

Happy Holidays! The winter storm that occurred last weekend left us with 10 inches of fresh powder. Let the ski season begin! The cold front that arrived behind the snow was impressive as well. We hit -24 on Tuesday morning. The past several weeks have been full of great groups and good times. Young folks and adults from Blackduck, Lake Park-Audubon, Milaca, Pequot Lakes, and Lincoln Elementary (Alexandria) have all visited Deep Portage recently. Pictured below are a group of intrepid skiers from Lincoln, and a successful Charlie-to-Base land navigation group from Lake Park-Audubon. All the best from the crew at Deep Portage!

November at Deep Portage

Those cold November winds have begun to frequent the Deep Portage woods, so we've kept the fireplaces crackling and made ready our winter gear. The teaching staff took advantage of a break in the schedule to clean and perform regular maintenance on the climbing wall (see photo below). This past week we hosted another fantastic group from Red Lake.....always a highlight of the fall season. Pictured below are a few group shots from their visit. The blaze-orange jerseys are always worn by students that visit Deep Portage during deer season. Happy Holidays to everyone! We hope to see you on the trails!

October at Deep Portage

October is arguably the most beautiful month of the year at Deep Portage, and it is also one of our busiest. The month starts with the wonder of fall colors, and ends with the distinct feeling of impending winter. The photos below are from a mid-month visit by Cuyuna Range (Crosby-Ironton), and a late-month visit by Chaska Middle School. Happy Halloween everybody!

Chaska tests its skill with the Rabbit Sticks

Chaska students on Charlie to Base

Birds class with Cuyuna Range (look at the little Junco!)

Cuyuna Range goes orienteering

Fall Colors at Deep Portage

Mid-September at Deep Portage

Warm weather and great kids (of all ages) have made September a joy thus far. Today we said goodbye to two wonderful groups, Royalton and Baudette, and started preparations for next week, when we'll see Rockford, Eagle Point (Oakdale), and Nisswa. Below are images from the Royalton and Baudette visits. The leaves are starting to approach peak color levels, and the cold front expected this weekend should speed things up a bit. Come out and peep the brilliant hues of autumn!

Linda Martin and some of her Royaltan students

Deep Portage teacher Casey Stanley and some new friends from Royalton

Students from Baudette enjoy the Tree-top Tower

Baudette students meet a White Pine on "Search for the Big Nine"

Start of School Year 2008-2009

Here we go! Another successful and safe summer season has passed, and autumn is in the air. School year staff training started on September 2nd. This season we have 4 new teaching staff, and 4 returning. Sage Academy was welcomed on the 9th...first school of the new year! Below are images from staff training and the Sage Academy visit. See you soon!

Sage Academy Seniors learn how to throw the Atl-Atl in Pioneer Olympics
Sage Academy students get ready for a canoe session on Bass Pond

Deep Portage Staff looking for birds on Walker Bay


Deep Portage Teaching Staff 2008-2009 (honestly Ian, look at the camera)

Ian leads the staff in a New Games activity
Clare, Casey, Abby and Jonna in their survival shelter

July at Deep Portage

The summer season is going great! Great campers, great staff, and just enough stormy weather to help us appreciate the many beautiful days we've had. Since our last post we've seen sessions of Aquatics Camp, Fishing Camp, Young Women in Science, and Forkhorn II, as well as the second of our FFA weeks. Check through the photos below to get a feel for the action at Deep Portage Summer Camp. You'll see Aquatics campers learning how to trap and census fish populations in Big Deep Lake, Fishing Campers hauling in lunkers, Young Women in Science talking forestry at the Tree Top Tower, and Forkhorn II campers perfecting their archery skills. The weather is heating up, so try to stay cool!

All the best from everyone at Deep Portage!

Summer in Full Swing at DPLC

Two sessions of Forkhorn I camp and one week of FFA........now we're cooking! Minnesota has a newly trained bunch of safe and ethical hunters ready for deer season this year, and the DP staff has been hard at work to ensure a fun and educational visit for all campers. The photos below are from the Forkhorn I sessions, June 9-20. Best wishes from all of us at Deep Portage!

Early June at DPLC

Summertime! June 1st hit 80 degrees at Deep Portage, and the summer staff have arrived ready for training. During the last week of school we hosted Lino Lakes Elementary, Washington Magnet Middle School (St. Paul), St. Tim's (Maple Lake), Sacred Heart (East Grand Forks), and Northland Elementary (Longville-Remer). Camp started with the first session of Forkhorn 1 on June 8th. The photo above shows camp director Casey Stanley and summer intern Jon Loftis (right) with two intrepid forkhorn campers. This summer we are joined by a diverse group of staff, including folks from The Netherlands, Czech Republic, and New Zealand. The Deep Portage Woods are alive with birds and wildflowers! See you on the trails!

Week of May 11

The last two weeks of the school year have arrived. The leaves are finally popping out, and Morels (see photo below) are showing up as well, despite the cool temps. Two schools from Edina, Highland CP and Highland Discovery, as well as Kimball Elementary, St. Bernard (Thief River Falls), and Cromwell-Wright, all visited Deep Portage during the past week. Pictured above is Deep Portage instructor Anne Frie with Highland CP 1st grader, Solie!

Week of May 5th

The month of May is always a wonder! Mornings are enhanced by the songs of returning birds, and evening hikes echo with the sound of frogs calling from ephemeral wetlands. The Deep Portage Whip-poor-will has even returned to keep everyone at the range awake throughout the night. This week we hosted Carver Elementary (Maplewood) and the third of our great groups from Sauk Rapids/Rice Middle School. The photo above shows several confident young women from Carver getting ready for the challenge of Charlie to Base, led by Deep Portage Instructor Ian Andruss. Only two more weeks left in the 07/08 school year, and we are busy getting set for another wonderful summer camp season. Come out and see us if you're in the area!

Weeks of 4/13 and 4/20

The snow from 4/10 had just about melted away before a fresh 10 inches fell on 4/25. Let's just say that we need the moisture, and that snowfall in late April is "unique", and "memorable". The wild weather has had very little effect on the quantity, quality, or enthusiasm of the visiting groups over the past few weeks, and spring birds and buds are returning despite the challenges. Baxter Elementary, Sauk Rapids-Rice, the U of M Hydrologists, and the Quilters Basket folks all enjoyed their visits to Deep Portage. The photo above is from the Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School visit, and shows Deep Portage Educator Clare Croteau and some of her fine students getting ready to embark on the day's activities. We love to see those smiles!

Week of April 6th

Everyone arrived safely on Monday, in spite of the snow. Central Minnesota Christian High School (Prinsburg) and Lindbergh Elementary (Little Falls) enjoyed the snowy conditions, strapping on snowshoes when necessary. The weather was beautiful on Tuesday and Wednesday, although news of the next storm was beginning to trickle in. Lincoln Elementary and Dr. SG Knight Elementary (both from Little Falls) arrived on Wednesday afternoon. They had a great visit, but decided to leave on Thursday evening to avoid the impending weather......a good move, too, considering Little Falls got a foot of snow that night and school was canceled for Friday! The photo above shows DP staff Mike Libsch and Nova Clark helping to load up the buses as the storm's first flakes begin falling. See below for a nice pic of Cass County Isaac Walton League members Dorothy Harrington and Don Hoppe . Their monthly meeting was Thursday evening. Deep Portage seems to have avoided the brunt of the latest system, although more snow may come. As of 1:30 on Friday we have received 4 inches of fresh "concrete". Unfortunately the Kelly Joe Phelps concert had to be postponed due to weather, and is tentatively rescheduled for August 30th. Keep your chins up, Spring is on the way!

SNOW!!!!

A whopper of an April storm spun through the area on Sunday, April 6th, depositing 17 inches of snow at Deep Portage. Undaunted, both Central Minnesota Christian High School (Prinsburg) and Lindbergh Elementary (Little Falls) are on their way. Once the DP driveway is plowed all will return to normal.........kind of. April skiing anyone? Check out the photos! We're buried!

Week of 3/30

The first week in April was a beauty! Warm temps and singing birds greeted our schools, and everyone had a great time. Challenger Elementary (Thief River Falls), Ambassador Prep (St. Paul), Pioneer Elementary (Pierz), Cass Lake Ecology Club, New Beginnings (Pine River), and Park Rapids Middle School all visited Deep Portage. Kenny Beauchene, a longtime Challenger Elementary staff member, is pictured above with a few of his students. He's been bringing kids from Thief River Falls to Deep Portage for 18 years!

Week of 3/16

The Yellow and Orange teams from Sandburg Middle School arrived on Monday. Conditions were a bit icy, but the students had fantastic personality and made the most of their visit. Spring Break starts on Wednesday, and most of the DP teaching staff is off for a recharge before the busy months of April and May. The photo this week is of two Sandburg Educators, Anne Pilarski and Andy Luu. Both have been organizing trips to Deep Portage for many years, and we couldn't do it without them. It is as a result of their hard work and dedication that Sandburg students arrive at our school each spring, and we thank them (and all of our visiting teachers) for their efforts. Happy Easter and Happy Equinox!

Week of 3/9

Spring is in the air! 4 straight days over 40 degrees this week, and although it put a damper on the skiing, the warm breezes put everyone in a great mood. Our international group from Dusseldorf, Germany stayed over the weekend and took an off-site trip to the Mississippi headwaters at Itasca State Park. The school week was busy with two fantastic groups from Sandburg Middle School. Check out the satisfied faces on the bus on departure day (see photo).....the raised hands are in response to the question "who had fun this week?!"

Phenology this week:

Chipmunk seen on 3/13, Woodchuck on 3/14
Red Crossbills on Nature Center Drive (photo below)
First spring rain on Wednesday, 3/12
Barred Owls calling actively
21 inches of ice on Bass Pond
Many local river openings and flowages are melting out...the Ducks can't be far behind!

Weeks of 2/24 and 3/2

Late season skiing at its best! We've had a few mild days here and there, but winter isn't letting go just yet. The ski trails are in great shape, and last week and this week will see over 350 students from Plymouth and Princeton take to the tracks. Princeton was here 2/25 to 2/27, and the next three groups are all from Plymouth. Check out the "I'll take on anything" attitude of the Plymouth student in this week's photo......even lunch clean-up in the dining hall is a good time! Temps this week are supposed to fall back to the single digits and below zero, but hey, spring doesn't start until the equinox.....March on!

Week of 2/17

Welcome! Cold temperatures returned in a big way after a mild weekend. Starting Tuesday morning with -25, Wednesday -26, and Thursday -19......that is a trio of arctic mornings for sure. See photo below if you're curious what happens to hot (nearly boiling) water when it is thrown in the air at -26. This week we hosted the Walker 4th grade on Tuesday and FAIR Middle School (Crystal) and St. Joseph's Lab School (St. Joseph) Wed-Fri. The kids from FAIR and St. Joseph's had a great look at the lunar eclipse (see photo) on Wednesday night, and generally enjoyed the sunny weather and great ski trails.

This winter has truly been a return to the cold winters of days gone by. December 2007 averaged a whopping 12 degrees colder than 2006, January 2008 was 5 degrees colder than 2007, and February has thus far averaged 2 degrees colder than last year (data provided by Deep Portage Weather Station). In total we have experienced 12 days that hit -20 or lower in Dec.-Feb. 2008, compared to 2 days of -20 in the same time period last year. You may remember that last year was a mild winter, and that nearly all the truly cold weather we saw occurred during an impressive cold front in the first two weeks of February. See you next week!

Week of 2/10

Let it Snow! 4 inches of fresh powder fell Wednesday night, and the ski trails are looking great! This past week started off with a DNR Ecological Services Conference on Monday and Tuesday. By Tuesday afternoon the adults had left and 110 wonderful young people arrived from Carlos-Garfield-Miltona (plus their wonderful teachers and chaperones of course). Garfield teacher Jan Nelson always puts a special stamp on the visit with his Friday morning awards ceremony (see photo). This weekend we have a Family Weekend group plus the annual Cass Lake Family Day on Saturday.

Phenology this week:

-we hit -20 three times this week!
-Red Crossbills have been spotted in the main building area
-4 inches of snow on Wednesday night
-Wolf tracks seen near the bog

Don't let the ski season pass you by without visiting the DP trails! Cheers until next week.

Week of February 3rd

Warmer weather has returned....for the moment. Schools visiting this week include Highland C.P., Mounds Park Academy, and Burroughs Elementary School. Note the nice perch caught by a Highland student on Monday! On Saturday and Sunday we'll be hosting a Teacher-Appreciation weekend for Rockford. Our next scheduled Saturday Public Program will be on March 1st, and will consist of a naturalist-led snowshoe hike through the Martha Sweatt-Reed Forest Preserve.

Deep Portage Phenology for this week:

• Ruffed Grouse tracks along the Range Road
• Woodpecker drumming is picking up intensity
• 22 inches of ice on Bass Pond
• half inch of snow on Sunday night was the first measurable snow since late December

The ski trails are still in good shape, so come on out this weekend and enjoy Deep Portage!

Week of 1/27

Welcome to the Deep Portage Learning Center Blog! Please visit often to keep up on happenings at our school, including programs, school visits, phenology, and recent photographs. This week started with warm southerly breezes, but quickly went subzero. Temperatures dropped from a high of 37 on Monday afternoon to a low of -19 by Tuesday evening. Princeton Middle School was here for the cold snap, and their enthusiasm was not deterred by the chill winds. Skiing, Bass Pond in Winter, Winter Survival, Climbing Wall and more kept the 6th grade busy and smiling for the whole visit. We look forward to a visit by the second half of Princeton Middle School in late February. That's all for now.....come see us in the North Woods!