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NewsCut
Bob Collins

Sometimes, a warming planet can be good for business

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At this time a week ago, with the bitter cold squeezing us for every thing we're worth, it looked like the iconic Madeline Island Ferry on Lake Superior would call it a season. The ice was thickening and people were encouraged to move their cars to the mainland.

It hasn't been that warm since but it's been warm enough to change the outlook a bit.

The ferry is on a "take it as it comes" routine and now says it will operate at least through Wednesday, but it appears an increasing possibility that the ferry could operate this winter without interruption if it makes it through the next few weeks.

"How often does that happen," I asked on Facebook today.

The response:

Bob, We had our first winter of non-stop operations in 1998, in 2002 we had a 1 week shut down and in 2006 we had a 2 week shut down. We also had a non-stop winter of operation in 2012. Climate change is have a very dramatic impact on the length of our operating season.