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Old map inspires search for Minnesotan springs
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The Minnesota DNR estimates there are 22,000 springs statewide, but most are poorly documented.
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Newly discovered bacteria unique to Great Lakes states
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Researchers have discovered a new strain of tick-borne bacteria in two Great Lakes states – Minnesota and Wisconsin.
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Majority of pregnant women in study exposed to chemicals linked to birth defects
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Most pregnant women tested positive for chemicals linked to birth defects in a recent study by the Minnesota Department of Health.
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VIDEO: Moose populations decline in Minnesota, Ontario
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Warmer temperatures may be the cause of declining moose populations in northeast Minnesota.
A model by the state’s natural resources department shows moose numbers dropping by 15 percent each year over the long-term.
Water
Cities promote gardens to manage stormwater runoff
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More than a decade ago, Maplewood, Minn., officials began creating rain gardens whenever they rebuilt streets.
The shallow basins collect rainwater that washes pollutants into lakes and streams.
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Lake litter crackdown: States battle trash, human waste left by ice anglers
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Resource officials in northern Great Lakes states are warning litterbug ice anglers to clean up their act.
Enforcement officers finding trash near favorite ice fishing spots are not pleased.
“It’s illegal to leave any garbage or litter on public lands or waters,” said Ken Soring.
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Climate change may spur northward advance of Great Lakes invaders
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Amid concern and confusion over Asian carp possibly finding their way into the Great Lakes, many experts involved in the controversy agree that other invasive species are likely to show up too.
Non-native wildlife are common in the Great Lakes, with more than 140 species living in them. Sea lampreys were first found in Lake Ontario in the 1830s.
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MONDAY MASHUP: Great Lakes Superfund sites
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Hazardous waste sites in Great Lakes states make up a third of the nation’s total, according to an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity. Each state page also has information on proposed, existing and remediated Superfund sites.
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MONDAY MASHUP: National Low-Impact Development Atlas
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By Rachael Gleason
Officials at the University of Minnesota Duluth have found a solution to campus soil erosion caused by students cutting sidewalk corners. Permeable pavement allows for natural water filtration but prevents erosion at common footpath shortcuts. Builders are using this method in several Minneapolis locations, according to links on a mashup detailing low-impact developments. The mashup was developed for the National Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials Network, a nexus of sustainable land use educators. It highlights building projects by the network’s 32 member programs. Minnesota is the only state in the Great Lakes with projects mapped out so far.
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A tale of three cities: Winners of the GM cleanup lotto are more like survivors
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By Brian Laskowski, Shawntina Phillips and Jeff Gillies
Jan. 21, 2010
Editors note: This is part three of a three-day series on the environmental implications of GM’s bankruptcy. Massena, Flint and Bedford are three towns that rose in the industrial might of the General Motors manufacturing era. Now Motors Liquidation Co., the company that owns GM’s worst assets, is preparing to close the door on the automaker’s legacy in these cities. But before it leaves, Motors Liquidation or GM must account for decades of pollution at former factories and waste sites.