In Minn., copper mining runs afoul of wild riceApril 15, 2011 10:18 AMBy Steve Karnowski, Associated PressWild rice is sacred to the Ojibwe of Minnesota, but that may not be enough to protect it from the promise of jobs that a new copper-nickel mining industry would bring to the state.
Play3min 25secPublic show growing concerns over nuclear power at Prairie Island extension meetingApril 15, 2011 6:20 AMBy Stephanie HemphillGrowing concern over nuclear power has spurred more interest in the Prairie Island nuclear power plant, and at a meeting Thursday night the public had a chance to grill federal officials with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission about the plant's extension.
Cub born to research bear Lily diesApril 14, 2011 7:17 AMOne of the two cubs recently born to the Minnesota black bear made famous by the Internet has died.
Opponents to air concerns over extension of Prairie Island nuclear plantApril 14, 2011 6:11 AMBy Stephanie HemphillOpponents of nuclear power will meet in Red Wing Thursday to express their opposition to extending the life of the Prairie Island nuclear plant.
Loss of federal wolf control money blindsides stateApril 12, 2011 8:26 PMBy Madeleine BaranCongress removed all funding for the Wolf Predation Management program in a temporary appropriations bill signed by President Obama on March 18. The program had a $727,000 budget to fund efforts in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Outstate parks and trails want a bigger piece of the Legacy Amendment pieApril 12, 2011 7:02 PMBy Stephanie HemphillIn the first biennium after the new sales tax was established, the money was divided -- 42 percent for state parks, 42 percent for metro area parks and 15 percent for a grant fund, most of which went to greater Minnesota trails.
CWD scare will be with Minnesota deer hunters for a long time to comeApril 12, 2011 5:00 AMBy Chris KolbertOnly one infected wild deer has been found. Even so, the threat demands vigilance.
New BWCA checklist: a paddle, fishing pole and a cell phoneApril 11, 2011 2:58 AMBy Michael OlsonA five day trial beginning this week in Hennepin County will determine if AT&T can build a cell phone tower visible from many locations within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. AT&T argues local residents ought to be able to get better service and that service would increase public safety within the wilderness. Environmentalists counter that the tower would put birds at risk and spoil the rare wilderness experience.
BWCA cellphone tower lawsuit heads to trialApril 10, 2011 1:55 PMBy Steve Karnowski, Associated PressAn environmental group is going to court Monday to try to block AT&T's plan to build a 450-foot tower near the edge of the pristine wilderness area on Minnesota's border with Ontario.
Snow geese pose dilemma for wildlife managersApril 9, 2011 12:00 PMAfter more than a decade of intensive hunting pressure to trim the numbers of snow geese that fly through North Dakota and western Minnesota, the midcontinent population of the birds remains too high. The snow geese continue to threaten the fragile arctic coastline where they spend their summers.