Camp Van Vac

Tom Eisenstadt caught 14 young ones following Mama Merganzer on Burntside one July morning this year.

Camp's beach garden is in full bloom in July and August. You'll find it bordered by the old stone oil house, the steps to the sauna and joyous folks swimming and splashing in the lake.

Ely's Klown Band is made up of the secret elite. Band members never reveal their identities, but they are a big hit in the July 4th Parade. Photo by Barb Berglund.

After we gave them a tow to Crab Lake portage, Memorial Day weekend found Joel Hendershot and his crew in the Boundary Waters. They enjoyed a serene view from their campsite at 5:45 A.M. And here they are celebrating the find of a moose antler. Photos by Joe Hendershot.

The ice is going to go out on out on May 12 this year. Trust me. This is a May 2008 photo of the actual event. Magic. Photo by Mike Bramson.

Minnesota's snowfall and temps were global-warming mild through December, but here's the beautiful five-inch snowfall we received on New Year's Eve. George McCrea took the picture on January 1, 2007.

We said that Buell would "bluster the skies," and look what happened right after his memorial: lightning, wind, rain, and dark, dark clouds.

A memorial for long-time resort owner Buell Tubbs was celebrated on the dock at Camp Van Vac on July 31, 2006. Friends and family shared songs and memories of Buell and his more than 50 years on the lake.

A memorial for Buell Tubbs will be held on the dock at Camp Van Vac at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, July 31. Friends and family are invited to come and share memories of Buell and his more than 50 years on the lake.

Above: On the Point, Lee and Lydia Krebs enjoyed a bench the Krebs family donated in honor of Buell. On it, a plaque reads:
 

With our early spring weather, the ice left Burntside early early this year. Lis and George McCrea reported that it had disappeared by Saturday night, April 15.

Eagles and loons are already returning to the lakes of northern Minnesota, ready to start fishing. Last August's loon count on Burntside found 31 adults and 12 chicks in residence, down from 2004's numbers of 55 adults and 7 chicks. Photo courtesy of Thomas Eisenstadt

Thanks to the about 50 emergency responders who put out the fire on Burntside's Ripple Island which started on Sunday, July 23, 2005! Crews from Ely and Morse/Fall Lake Fire Departments and the US Forest Service, Kawishiwi and Chippewa districts, worked on the ground. Two DNR tanker planes, CL215's, flew from Hibbing and dropped 1,400-gallon loads of water on the fire. Crew in DNR (Cessna 310) and USFS (De Havilland Beaver) planes directed traffic from above. A tent platform on Ripple Island was destroyed, but its cabins were saved. The fire burned deep, and crews were still working the following Tuesday and Wednesday to contain flare-ups.

In the photo above, campers watch the fire from shore. Responders encourage boaters to stay away from the action near the fire.

We're starting to open Camp with the glorious days of summer in mind. Contact us to get your first-choice cabin and dates!

The Burntside Lake Property Owners' annual loon count in August 2004 totalled 55 loons and 7 chicks on the lake, versus 49 loons and 2 chicks in 2003. Photo courtesy of Tom Eisenstadt.

On Monday, August 9, the wolf pups will join the Arctics as part of the International Wolf Center's ambassador pack. I spent my last shift with the pups on August 2. Look how big they are now at 90 days for Grizzer and Maya and 83 days for Nyssa. Click each photo for a larger view.

Water was high, fast, cold, and occupied by beaver on Crab Creek off of Burntside Lake this June. Marcia Scudder (the photographer) and her family--including Jesse, Wes, and Monica--and Nancy and Bill Eccleston explored the creek on the way to Crab Lake.

Three wolf puppies are the newest ambassador wolves at the International Wolf Center in Ely. Nancy is one of the Center's wolf handlers and is spending many hours each week helping to socialize and bond with the youngsters. The pups are viewable on the Center's web site at www.wolf.org and at daily programs at the Ely facility.

Nubee gets extra coaxing to eat more so that she can catch up to Groan and Grizz, her half-sibs, who are a week older. Although Nubee's coat is black, she is a gray wolf too. Her nickname comes from "newborn," since we received her when she was less than a week old.

Groan, with the red collar, is slightly smaller than her brother Grizz. Groan was nicknamed for her many vocalizations, and Grizz got his name from the dark hairs in this coat that make him look a little like a grizzly bear.
Young pups can not self-regulate body temperature, and so snuggle together for warmth. Nubee is like a heat-seeking missile, always clambering on top of her older brother and sister.
In one of their first adventures outside, Grizz sniffed an old skull left behind by the Arctic wolves. The pups will join the Arctics in August in the Center's main exhibit enclosure.
Nubee is adventurous, and for her size, quite bold.

Grizz stalked his sister in the new spring green foliage, stopped to chew a stick, and then curled up with Nubee for a nap.

A tall Norway (red) pine on the Point sits on granite and frames our view to the west.

Bonnie and Martin Carlson Green created this outstanding mural with their children Carolyn and Carter.

Yes, you can still find them -- Ladyslippers (which must not be picked, of course).

At the International Wolf Center in Ely, a yearling Arctic wolf claims the vantage point atop the pack's new den. The den and a new pond will help keep the wolves cool in July -- which is coming soon.

Hi! My name is Mary and I'm a 7th grader at Valley Middle School in Apple Valley, Minnesota. I vacation with my family at Camp Van Vac in the summer. I met staff at International Wolf Center in Ely with my father Mark Imsdahl recently. In June, my father and I will step into a canoe, then paddle and portage more than 200 miles along the U.S.-Canadian border to raise money for the Wolf Center. If you would like to help, you can donate $30 (just 15 cents per mile) and receive a one-year membership to the Center. Donations up to $1,200 give you lots of benefits, including a week for two at Camp Van Vac in the fall. Just e.mail from this web site and ask about how you, your school, or your business can help.

All proceeds will support the Wolf Center's new Twin Cities outreach educator and help us get a $1,000 matching grant!