EDITOR’S NOTE: Superiorland Yesterdays is prepared by the reference desk staff at Peter White Public Library.

30 years ago

MARQUETTE — The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, in conjunction with the Great Lake Fishery Commission, will release 21,000 sterile male sea lampreys this spring in an effort to control the spread of the parasite in Lake Superior. The lampreys will be released in 27 Lake Superior streams and rivers, including the Chocolay and Salmon Trout in Marquette County; the Sucker, AuTrain and Rock in Alger County; the Huron in Baraga County; and the Two Hearted in Luce County. Experimental field and laboratory studies have demonstrated that male lampreys can be sterilized without affecting spawning behavior. When released in these streams, males will spawn with females. The egg produced will die after about 12 days. Sterile male lampreys have completed their parasitic phase of life and die soon after spawning. According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, the program could reduce the number of lampreys produced in any given stream by 65 percent..

60 years ago

MARQUETTE — The mercury shot up to 83 degrees yesterday, the warmest reading here since last Oct. 23 when it also was 83. Previous high temperature was 85, on Oct, 1. Summer officially doesn’t arrive until the third week of June, but no one will quarrel with the weather Marquette’s experienced the past few days.

In fact, the overnight temperatures have been as balmy as one would expect in mid-summer. It dropped to 57 at daybreak today, and that was the lowest overnight reading in five days.