Environmental News

MPR News is your source for environment news from Minnesota and across the country.

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Pillagers of tropical forests can't hide behind clouds anymore
Environmental watchdogs now can detect deforestation even when it's hidden from sight by rain and clouds. They're using data from radar on a European satellite.
Wisconsin DNR to recommend hunting season quota of 200 wolves
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said it will propose a hunting season quota of 200 wolves when the the group's policy board meets Monday to discuss launching a wolf hunt immediately.
Report: MPCA faltered in oversight of Water Gremlin’s air emissions
A new report from a state watchdog office says the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency should have done more to regulate a White Bear Township manufacturer with a history of air pollution problems.
Wisconsin judge orders start to wolf hunt this month
Wisconsin law mandates the state DNR run a wolf season from November through February. The department had planned to start the season this November but a pro-hunting group filed a lawsuit to force an immediate start. 
Court: Regulators were correct in applying drinking-water standards to groundwater in Minntac permit
The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday said state regulators correctly applied drinking-water standards to groundwater when issuing a permit to an Iron Range mine in 2018, reversing a lower court's 2019 decision.
Red River diversion backers laud decision affirming permit
Supporters of a Red River diversion project said Wednesday a decision by a Minnesota agency to reject an appeal of a permit it issued in 2018 should remove one of the last hurdles to building the channel.
Minn. agencies roll out plan to tackle ‘forever chemicals’
The statewide “blueprint” calls for the state to enact stronger regulations, including designating PFAS as hazardous substances under Minnesota’s Superfund law.
Patience is a virtue: How northern Minnesota wolves ambush their prey
A study released Tuesday shows for the first time the sophisticated ambushing strategies that wolves in northern Minnesota have developed to hunt beaver. It builds on earlier research countering the traditional notion that wolves only hunt prey by outrunning and outlasting it.  
Duo retraces a classic canoe trip and makes it their own
A new book “Hudson Bay Bound” by Natalie Warren tells the tale of a canoe trip she took with her best friend from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay in Canada.