A severe thunderstorm with heavy rain swept across northern Minnesota on Tuesday, Jun. 18, significantly damaging roads and impeding travel within the BWCA and Superior National Forest.

On the Gunflint Trail, some motorists were trapped by fallen trees. In addition, there was extensive flooding and washouts across county roads and highways in the area. A search and rescue effort took place in the BWCA when a tree fell on a 9-year-old boy while he was inside a tent. In this week's Outdoor News Podcast, host Kalli Hawkins hears from Tofte District Ranger Ellen Bogardus-Szymaniak, Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen and Woody Unruh with the National Weather Service.

Many migratory birds have returned to the Great Lakes and northern regions of Minnesota in recent weeks.

In this week's Outdoor News Podcast, host Kalli Hawkins speaks with Steve Kolbe, an avian ecologist with the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) at the University of Minnesota- Duluth about the spring migration and what researchers are noticing given the early arrival of spring along the North Shore of Lake Superior.

The Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the Minnesota Department of Transportation worked closely to install dual language river signage along Highway 61 stretching from Grand Marais to the Canadian border. On Thursday, May 16 a ceremonial unveiling event for one of the signs was held at the Devil Track River, east of Grand Marais.

In this week's episode, Erik Redix, the Ojibwe and environmental education coordinator for the Grand Portage Band speaks about the significance of the dual language sign.