My wife grew up in Superior and had this love affair with Lake Superior and the Northland. Although we met in Arizona and lived there for 56 years, it was because of her love of Up North that we bought property on Lake Superior 25 years ago. She would come up for the summer and I would commute from Arizona. It became clear to me why she thought so much of the area. I began to fall in love with it myself.
Our place was just outside of Knife River, and we were so lucky to meet so many wonderful people who fortunately became our best friends. Many were second- or third-generation North Shore residents. They loved and appreciated the Northland for its history, beauty, forests, lakes, clean air, tranquility, and the grandaddy of all lakes, Lake Superior.
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After I retired, we started doing split living: six months in Arizona and six months in Minnesota. After several years of split living, we decided to make this our home. We sold our home in Arizona and now live along the shore of Lake Superior full-time.
We are so fortunate to be able to share this wonderful place with our kids and grandkids, as well as other family members and friends who come to visit. It’s fun to take them on great day trips to places like Ely, Giants Ridge, Lutsen, and Grand Marais. We enjoy kayaking, boating, riding our bikes, and hiking. Most mornings, I go for a long walk, enjoying the beauty of the trees and lake. I watch birds of all kinds and deer and other native animals, and I see people out doing the same as me: enjoying a bike ride or walk.
Lately, while walking along Scenic Highway 61, I have started noticing beer cans and bottles, pop cans, empty bags from fast-food places, diapers, trash bags full of garbage just tossed to the side of the road, and even hypodermic needles. More disturbing are the cigarette butts that have not been put out in an ash tray but tossed out a car window. When you consider how dry the forest can get at times, this lack of respect could easily start a fire, which could be significantly destructive and endanger people’s lives. I assume, farther up the lakeshore, the situation is similar.
I hope this isn’t coming from people who reside in this area. You would think that if you chose to live here, you would have so much pride and respect for nature and for the beauty of the Northland that you wouldn’t participate in disrespectful behavior.
Tourism is a very important part of this state, especially in the Northland. It’s an important part of our economy, and many people depend on the tourist season to make a living. We want people to come to this area and enjoy its natural beauty and all it has to offer, but we also want people to respect and cherish our area.
When you drive along our highways and byways and throw your trash out your car window, you are desecrating this beautiful place that is home to many of us. Because it’s not your home, it doesn’t give you the right to destroy it. Appreciate what you enjoyed on your visits to the Northland and treat it as if it is yours, because it is.
This planet belongs to all of us, and it's incumbent on all of us to treat it much better than we do.
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When I walk along Scenic 61 and see trash along the road, it reminds me of a commercial called, “The Crying Indian.” It was a famous public service announcement in the 1970s starring a Native American with a tear rolling down his cheek, representing the sadness of seeing pollution and litter in our otherwise-beautiful countryside. The PSA was created by the organization, “Keep America Beautiful.”
Unfortunately, it’s obvious some people haven’t learned much since then.
J. Doug Pruitt of Knife River is a writer and contributor to the News Tribune Opinion page.
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