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Competing goals apparent in new policy on old forest
The built-in conflicts that come with the competing missions at the Minnesota DNR are evident in debate over a new policy on older forests. The agency is changing a 20-year-old policy designed to produce a minimum amount of older forests, while listing species because of concern about habitat loss in that forest ecosystem.
Walleye decline prompts harvest cuts in Mille Lacs
It's going to be a little harder to keep fish at one of the state's most popular fishing spots this year. Concern about walleye in Lake Mille Lacs where the population is at its lowest level in decades has prompted regulators to cut the total amount of walleye that can be taken from the lake. It's a measure aimed to balance the needs of the lake's ecosystem and the region's economy.
Why are Minn. moose dying? Answer sought in Voyageurs Park
Researchers have attached GPS collars to moose in Voyageurs National Park in an effort to help determine why so many are dying in the region. The study focuses on how climate change affects moose behavior and how moose use habitat to avoid warm temperatures.
Photos: Tracking Minn. moose, from the air
Nearly every week, ranger pilot Steve Mazur flies a small, two-seater plane over the forests of Voyageurs National Park. His mission: to help biologists keep tabs on about 50 moose that live in and around the park.
Plant fanatics climb up trees hunting for 'witch's brooms'
Now about brooms -- witch's brooms, to be exact. Small, tightly woven masses of branches that can appear high up in pine trees across northern Minnesota. These "brooms" are actually the genetic source of a lot of the landscape plants and shrubs sold at nurseries. They're not often easy to retrieve.
Walleye and old wounds (5×8 – 1/29/13)
The Mille Lacs debate flares anew, the NPR game, remembering the astronaut, who's responsible for LeRoy Hoard's problems, and the ice boat capital in Minnesota.
Unwanted urban trees become retail gold at Mpls. wood shop
When crews must cut down trees after an infestation, the wood is normally chipped up and burned. But some are being salvaged and reused along with many other unwanted urban trees at Wood from the Hood in Minneapolis, another outpost in the trend toward all things local.