Environment

Against a backdrop of drowning disparities, swimmers of color are embracing the sport while making it more inclusive.

In the 1980s, there were less than two dozen California condors left. Today, more than 500 exist in the world, thanks to the efforts of conservationists.

Our wet, warm weather creates the perfect conditions for algae in Minnesota lakes.

There’s a new tick in town.

Heat, humidity, hail, high winds and heavy rains — Minnesota had it all this week. 

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is taking a zero-tolerance approach to the invasive Palmer amaranth plant, trying to prevent potentially significant financial losses for farmers.

In the Land of 10,000 Lakes, 40 percent of the state's waters are polluted. The YMCA has developed a summer camp designed to prevent kids from taking Minnesota's water resources for granted.

By the turn of the 20th century, America's love affair with diamondback terrapin soup — a subsistence food turned gourmet fare — had left the turtle's population teetering. Booze ban to the rescue.

State conservation officials are asking for the public’s help tracking deaths after receiving a “small but noticeable increase” in calls about dead loons. West Nile virus was identified as the cause of two recent loon deaths.

“Dry stack” tailings storage is something that environmental groups have advocated for the much-further-along PolyMet copper-nickel mine project, arguing it’s a safer way to store mine waste. But state regulators have expressed concerns about the technology.