The wooden chipmunk statue in front of the Wa-Ga-Tha-Ka Resort stands as one of the defining landmarks along the Wabana Road in rural Itasca County. Itâs been there for decades. But in recent years this whimsical woodland creature has quietly and quite unintentionally become a harbinger for the climate future of northern Minnesota.
To be clear, this adorable giant chipmunk seeks to spread smiles, not doom. It emerges from its tarp wrappings with a sly grin each spring. The owners decorate it for the Fourth of July. Then, come late fall, the chipmunk returns to its tarp cocoon for another winter. Sometimes, around Halloween, the tarp becomes a ghost costume.