Fire Season Underway

(Ministry of Natural Resources photo)

It has the makings of a busy fire season for the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Today marks the official start to the fire season in northwestern Ontario, but fire crews have already been called into service to deal with brush fires.

Fire Information Officer, Debbie McLean says they are prepared for the worst.

"We don't really tend to make long term predictions on what an early and dry spring would mean for the summer season," says MacLean, "but we dealing at this point in time with a high to extreme hazard."

A ban on burning in organized municipalities within the Rainy River district is still in effect.

Meantime, the fire danger in much of Minnesota remains high.

Eight new fires were reported yesterday in the northeast part of the state.

The Department of Natural Resources did ease burning restrictions in Koochiching County, although a burning permit is still required.

Sunshine List Revealed

The list of public sector employees in the Rainy River district earning over $100-thousand has changed.

The 2009 list, released by the province yesterday, is shorter than previous years with some employees showing a drop in earnings.

Wayne Woods, CAO of Riverside Health Care Facilities, is among the highest paid in the district, but his 2009 salary of $228-thousand is a drop from the $245-thousand reported in 2008.

Riverside had a total of six employees on the so-called sunshine list which is down from the ten the year previous.

The Rainy River District School Board had nine employees earning over the province's magic figure, two fewer than 2008, while the Northwest Catholic District Board reported a total of eleven employees earning over $100-thousand.

Sponsor Back

The Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship has a key sponsor back for its event in 2010.

Lund Boats of Canada is back on board for a sixteenth straight season.

Chair Tom Fry calls Lund an icon in tournament fishing in northwestern Ontario, and is happy to have the company back to showcase its boats at this year's event.

Park Celebrates 35th

Minnesota's only national park is celebrating its thirty-fifth anniversary this year, and special events today.

Voyageurs National Park was authorized a national park on April 8, 1975.

Chief of Interpretation Tawnya Schoewe says the anniversary is an important one.

"It's a pretty big deal," says Schoewe, "we hope not just to the staff, but to the public as well. We're very proud to be a part of the national park system and proud to celebrate it with all of the local gateway communities and America in general."

Today there are special displays at the park's Rainy Lake Visitor Center and at the International Falls Public Library.

An official recognition of the park's anniversary will happen next Thursday.

More Records Set

For the second straight day, a new weather record has been set in Fort Frances.

Yesterday's high of 19 C beat the old mark for March 31 of 16 C set in 1990.

Atikokan reached a high of 18.6 C, eclipsing the old mark of 14.9 C established back in 1986.

The high of the day was in Thunder Bay where the thermometer reached 23.8 C or 74 F.