Proctor Journal

Members of Proctor Public Schools met with City of Duluth officials last Wednesday to discuss expanding the Bay View School Forest.

The District and Duluth are partnering on a new protected 93-acre area. The parcel was added to Duluth’s land inventory in 2005 as part of the compensation when Sugarloaf Enterprises was given permission to build a higher density of homes in Bayview.

“It is proceeding,” Superintendent Diane Rauschenfels said. “We have settled on language and agreed to a plan and timetable. Now we have to go to the County Board to present the proposal.”

Archaeologist’s findings

On Tuesday, the Skyline Planning & Preservation group hosted a discussion on the archaeology dig held last year in the Bay View School Forest. Duluth Archaeology Center President, Sue Mulholland presented the findings at the First United Methodist Church.

It’s believed that the dig produced a few pieces that could be considered significant.

“I’m thrilled,” stated Bayview fifth grade teacher Rob Marohn. He first envisioned a school forest in 1996. “This is exactly what we are trying to encourage.”

“They are handling the forest in a smart academic way. This brings prestige to the program,” Marohn added. “This is what we are about, learning.”

A second archaeology dig is planned for June 30 through July 3.

The Minnesota Coastal grant award required a review by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), which resulted in a request for an archaeological survey. The parcel was part of a beach ridge that was part of Glacial Lake Duluth. Areas such as this, where the glacial lake shorelines are intersected by the creeks, are of high potential for archaeological sites, according to the SHPO.

Mulholland is an archaeologist focusing on the region around northeastern Minnesota. Her specialties include interdisciplinary archaeology and cultural resource management.

She has worked at the Superior National Forest Heritage Program as an archaeologist and was associate director of the Archaeometry Laboratory at UMD.

The BVSF is a 40-acre forest the Proctor Public Schools District has had since 1976. The District has been trying to partner with the City of Duluth on this additional area, which was former cattle land.

Last year, the BVSF received a $31,000 grant from Lake Superior Coastal Program.