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Environmental News

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

Getting to Green: Minnesota’s energy future

Getting to Green is an MPR News series that shares stories about Minnesota’s clean energy transition, including what needs to be done to get there.

Submit a question or story for Getting to Green here.

Climate Cast

Listen to Climate Cast, the MPR News podcast all about our changing climate and its impact in Minnesota and worldwide.

Monarch butterfly blitz needs citizen scientists

Monarch butterfly blitz needs citizen scientists

Scientists are looking for volunteers to collect observational data about monarch butterflies over the next week. The data will help inform decisions about where to focus efforts to help the dwindling monarch population.
by Dan Gunderson

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How a 'perfect storm' cut off water to this Colorado town

How a 'perfect storm' cut off water to this Colorado town

"Water is the oil of the 21st century. People don't quite understand how difficult it is to run a water system so you have clean drinking water," the town administrator said.
by Luke Runyon

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Invasive viburnum leaf beetle found in Minnesota for the first time

Invasive viburnum leaf beetle found in Minnesota for the first time

For the first time, the viburnum leaf beetle has been confirmed in the state. A resident of Eden Prairie found the insect feeding on arrowwood viburnum leaves in June and contacted the state Department of Agriculture.
by MPR News Staff

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Surf's up on Minnesota's hottest lake sport, but not everyone's on board

Surf's up on Minnesota's hottest lake sport, but not everyone's on board

Wakesurfing has been gaining popularity on Minnesota lakes — but it has plenty of detractors who say the boats used in the sport erode shorelines, affect water quality and disturb other lake users.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Are trees the climate change silver bullet, or more silver buckshot?

Are trees the climate change silver bullet, or more silver buckshot?

A new study published in the journal Science estimates that massive reforestation efforts could cut atmospheric carbon by about 25 percent. But are those numbers accurate?
by Paul Huttner

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Small towns fear they are unprepared for future climate-driven flooding

Small towns fear they are unprepared for future climate-driven flooding

The central U.S. just experienced the most widespread river flooding ever recorded there. Flood defenses in major cities largely performed well, but many smaller communities were simply overwhelmed.
by Rebecca Hersher

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On the North Shore, many hands work to help a dying forest

On the North Shore, many hands work to help a dying forest

Insects, invasives and hotter temps are laying waste to Minnesota’s northeastern forests. People are working now to rebuild the North Woods, making them more resilient to climate change without losing the grandeur Minnesotans know and love.
by Cody Nelson

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Rattlesnake squad comes to the rescue — of the snakes

Rattlesnake squad comes to the rescue — of the snakes

When temperatures soar in southeastern Minnesota, homeowners tend to have more run-ins with the typically shy, and threatened, timber rattlesnake. When that happens, the rattlesnake responders are called in.
by Dan Kraker

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