Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has hundreds of miles of beautiful beaches. Seemingly pristine and still very wild, the North Shore of Lake Michigan is a wilderness destination. But in 2007 George Desort, a filmmaker and photographer, stumbled upon a cataclysmic event. He saw something you’d never expect to see in such a beautiful place. Check out the latest segment from WTIP’s Lake Superior Project, A Perfect Storm of Circumstances, which looks at the botulism outbreaks and food web collapse in the lower Great Lakes, and what it means for Lake Superior. Photo by George Desort.

Tune in to WTIP Friday, February 3rd at 1:30 PM for a live broadcast and video stream of the afternoon races of the 2012 Cook County High School Invitational Pursuit Cross Country Ski Race.  WTIP's Buck Benson will announce the races and Patrick Knight will be behind the camera.  To view the live video stream, simply visit www.wtip.org or www.boreal.org.

Grand Marais Photographer Stephan Hoglund took several beautiful pictures of the aurora on the Gunflint Trail late last week. One of the photos in this series was picked up by CNN online as the photo of the day. For more check out our Photos From the Edge online gallery.

One of the biggest issues facing the lake today is invasive species. Out of several exotic species that have invaded Lake Superior, the sea lamprey has arguably had one of the biggest impacts. Check out The Blue Desert, the second segment in our yearlong look at Lake Superior. In this episode, we explore the impact of the lamprey on the lake and the people who live around it. To learn more about the series check out the Lake Superior Project webpage. Photo by David Grinstead.

WTIP is committed to serving and responding to the needs of our community of listeners. As we begin the New Year, we’d like to hear from you. What local issues are on your mind? What topics would you like to hear and talk more about? Please let us know. Your ideas will help inform our topics for Community Calendar interviews and for the station’s First Thursday Community Conversations. Please let us know two-three items of concern to you by calling 387-1070 to talk to Jay or Deb, or call WTIP’s “Your Take” line at 218-387-3161. Thank you!

Stephan Hoglund captured this image of ice on the sea wall in the Grand Marais Harbor. Check out more photos in our online Photos From the Edge Gallery.

Stuart McLean, one of Canada's most beloved storytellers and a best-selling author, is bringing his hit CBC radio show VINYL CAFÉ to Grand Marais. Vinyl Café will hold one live performance at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts in Grand Marais at 7:00 p.m. Friday, March 2. Tickets are on sale now

Northern Gardening, with hosts Diane Booth and Joan Farnam, returns to the airwaves on the second Thursday of each month from 4 to 5 PM. And if you miss the program - or want to tune in again - it will be rebroadcast the following Saturday from 6 to 7 AM.  Have a gardening question?  E-mail Diane before the show at diane.booth@co.cook.mn.us or call in during the show to 218-387-1070 or 800-473-9847.

Basketball season is here, and Norman Moe and Dick Dorr are back to bring you live coverage of the Cook County Vikings basketball games. And we're excited to announce that for some of the games we'll also be providing a live video stream. Just visit the School Sports Broadcasts page on our website to view the full broadcast schedule. Go Vikings!

Funding from Minnesota’s Clean Water, Land & Legacy Amendment is enabling WTIP, in conjunction with AMPERS independent public radio stations across the state, to take part in preserving Minnesota’s history and cultural heritage through programming features. Learn more and check out our projects here. Photo by Travis Novitsky