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.

Can US eliminate invasive species by eating them?
The idea has gained momentum recently from the lionfish, which invaded the Gulf of Mexico but was successfully marketed to restaurants and today appears to be in decline.
Wounded wildlife pose dilemmas for intervention
Cases of wounded wildlife in Minnesota highlight a dilemma that's common across the country: when to intervene on behalf of wounded wildlife and when to let nature take its course.
Canoeists, rafters urged to stay off of Minnehaha Creek
Lake Minnetonka, which feeds the creek, has become so swollen from the rainfall, district officials have had to discharge water from the lake into the creek via the Gray's Bay Dam. This has caused the conditions on Minnehaha Creek to become unsafe.
Organic cat litter chief suspect in nuclear waste accident
It turns out there's more to cat litter than you think. It can soak up urine, but it's just as good at absorbing radioactive material.
Construction of a dam on the Minnesota River near where it intersects with the Pomme de Terre created the 4,500-acre Marsh Lake in the 1930s. Now, it faces high turbidity, among other issues.
Walleye limit on Minnesota's 'crown jewel' lake sparks outcry
Mille Lacs Lake is a big deal for the DNR. It's been called the crown jewel of the state's large-lake walleye fishery. Local businesses thrive and fail with the walleye population, and right now the walleye population is at a 40-year low.
State cash brings counties new muscle in invasive species fight
A scattershot approach has long been a weak link in the fight to stop the lake-to-lake movement of zebra mussels, Eurasian watermilfoil and other species damaging Minnesota waterways. More help, though, is on the way.
Tough winter gives Minnesota's moose a boost
So far this year, an ongoing state Department of Natural Resources study shows moose mortalities are down two-thirds from what they were at this point last year.
New Brighton officials are asking a judge to make the U.S. Army keep paying to treat groundwater it contaminated years ago. The treated water supplies both New Brighton and neighboring Fridley with drinking water.